Aaron Lazar

In high school, my English teacher Celeste McMenamin introduced me to the great novels and Shakespeare and taught me how to write. Essays, poetry, critical analysis. Writing is a skill that was painful then but a love of mine now. ”

I'm trying to go with the flow, which is not what I used to do. I used to try to micromanage my career choices. ”

My dad's paternal grandparents were musically inclined. And I remember as a little kid going to visit them in their senior building, and they were, like, the stars of the building, especially hosting and performing in their senior talent show. ”

Christine Bass was my high school music teacher. She took a program on its last legs and within a few years turned into one of the best programs in the country. Our high school dominated national choir competitions all through her 20-plus year tenure. ”

Obviously, I am a huge Matt Morrison fan, and I am a big Lea Michele fan because I know those guys from way back. ”

Ugh - I wish I could just sit back and watch TV sometimes. ”

There's parts of it that I connect to - being a father and everything - but 'Mamma Mia!' allows me to go out there and be me and have fun. I've never really had the chance to do that with so much freedom. ”

I've always been excited at the idea of performing a solo show. ”

The idea of doing a production of 'Carousel' that doesn't feel like it's stuck in the 1950s really intrigues me. ”

I sort of wrongfully judged 'Mamma Mia!' for so long. I thought of it as a jukebox musical that I wasn't interested in. I was so wrong. ”