Fresh Face: David Ayers

Age: 27

Currently: Playing Fiyero, the love interest of both Glinda the good Jennifer Laura Thompson and green girl Elphaba Shoshana Bean, in the Broadway spectacle Wicked.

Hometown: Worthington, Ohio

School Daze: Ayer's first ambition was to sing opera, his goal when he started studies at Northwestern University in Chicago. After a month, Ayers realized that the musical theater program was calling his name. "I love classical music and I love studying art songs and studying arias and things, but I just don't have the discipline," Ayers says. "I kind of got into music school and was like, ‘I fit in so much better with the theater people.'" After graduating with a degree in music, Ayers made his way to New York City. He was cast in regional theater productions, and then as the lead in the musicalHair at the Actor's Theatre of Louisville, which earned him an Equity card.

A Totally Different Fruit: Before being cast in Wicked, Ayers made his Broadway debut in Mamma Mia! and most recently, was seen in David Leveaux's revival of Fiddler on the Roof. "It's really apples to oranges," Ayers says when asked to compare the experiences. “At Fiddler, we didn't have a set. It was a big blank canvas with trees." At Wicked, Ayers is amazed by the huge set and countless props used to tell the story. “I ride so many things in and things are flying and the costumes are huge," says Ayers. "For Fiddler, I had one costume and no make-up."

Time to Play: After actually seeing Wicked for the first time, Ayers was "blown away." "I couldn't believe it," he says. "I thought, ‘Oh my god! What in the world have I gotten myself into?'" When the time came for his first performance as the dashing Fiyero, Ayers admits he was nervous but has now learned to just relax and have fun. "It's basically just getting focused and getting ready," he says. "It's like, game time!"

Rock On: Although Mamma Mia!, Fiddler and Wicked are all adored by Broadway audiences, Ayers says that the extreme enthusiasm of Wicked fans adds to the excitement of being on stage. "It helps the story so much if you're out there and you feel that audience behind you rooting for Elphaba and rooting for Glinda and trying to figure out the story in their heads," says Ayers. Before Wicked, Ayers didn't expect to ever experience the same kind of "fanaticism" that pop stars like the Backstreet Boys get. "When the people are so excited to just even see people who are involved in the production, it's cool! It's like you can pretend you're a rock star for all of ten seconds! And when the two girls come out, the audience goes insane!"

Rialto Romance: Sorry readers, but the dream boy from Oz has a dream girl of his own, actress Angela Gaylor La Cage Aux Folles. "She's the love of my life. She's incredible," says Ayers with a sparkle in his eye. "As cheesy as it sounds, having that relationship and that love on top of all this good fortune of working in New York has been absolutely incredible." Ayers spends his days and nights with Gaylor and always looks forward to the dinner they share before parting ways to their respective theaters. "It was amazing when I was across the street in Fiddler because I could literally just pop right back and forth and we'd hang out. But yea, she's amazing."