Best Celebrity Encounter- Stalking Michael Ball

As many of you know, my favorite musical is Les Mis. My love affair with the musical began when I first saw the 10th anniversary special of Les Mis staring the best of the best from the previous 10 years. The highlight was first hearing Michael Ball sing.


He has the most unbelievable Broadway voice and from that point on I bought every album I could get my hands on. Trouble is Michael Ball is a UK sensation, but nobody has heard of him across the pond. I would go into stores and ask and most clerks would respond with "Do you mean Michael Bolton?" and I would once again leave empty handed.

I realized, though, after spending way too much money on import cd's that I really only liked him singing Broadway music as his gigantic voice seems a bit too much for normal pop songs. Think Josh Groban singing Matchbox 20.

Skip ahead 6 years and Jaime and I are planning our first trip to Europe. I wonder what the chances are that Michael Ball is performing when we are going to be there. As luck and destiny were to have it, he was staring in the new musical rendition of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Not the most challenging piece musically , but I was happy to take what I could could get. So we bought tickets and waited anxiously.

After the show (PS British people go nuts over the theme song.. it was a bit embarrassing) we left and saw a bunch of people over by the stage door. They were waiting for the cast to come out. Anyway to make a long story short (I know, too late), we didn't get his autograph the night we saw the show and neither of us can remember why.

The next night we had very little to do so Jaime suggested going back over to the theater and trying again. I didn't want to at first(thought that might be a bit stalkerish) but then changed my mind. I realized though that we had to get dressed up again so we looked like we had just been to the show.

So down we went and out he came. I wish I could tell you that I said something brilliantly witty or wished him a happy birthday (his birthday was the previous day- don't ask how I knew that). I think I just handed him my program and mumbled thank you. I get very, very shy around famous people.This time I got my autograph and still have the program to this day.

Jaime even managed to get me in a shot with him. This style of shot has become a running gag with us. I think I have one similar with Josh Groban. I am too petrified to ask for a shot together so I position myself near the star and Jaime snaps away. Yes, I realize this makes me an utter coward, but C'est la vie.