When a writer has done the number of celebrity interviews that I have, he realizes that there are a handful of celebrities he would never want to meet again. Most, however, are genuinely nice people and enjoyable to work with. There are others who become friends-true and genuine friends. Such is the relationship that has developed between me and Nick Spangler who is currently starring as Matt in the lovely revival of The Fantasticks which is enjoying a healthy run Off Broadway.
I first encountered Nick at the Gateway Playhouse in Bellport, New York. Their 2006 production of The Fantasticks by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt was done in a circus-like setting and Nick was a true stand-out as the young hero. A little more than a year later, on a cold March Sunday afternoon, I wandered into the Snapple Theater Center on Broadway and 50st Street to see the more traditional version of The Fantasticks that was playing there and found a slip of paper in my Playbill advising that "At this performance the role of Matt will be played by Nick Spangler". In the intimate setting of this theater, Nick's talents were even more evident. His clean-cut good looks and his clarion singing voice indicated that he was a true leading man in the Rodgers and Hammersetin tradition. A short time later I interviewed him for Broadway World and in the course of that conversation we became friends.
In March, 2008, Nick and I met for lunch and a matinee of Gypsy at the St. James Theater. As usual, the conversation and laughter flowed freely and he brought me up-to-date on his relationship with his girlfriend Monica and other events in his life. As we parted ways, he told me he wouldn't be around for a few weeks because he and his sister were going to be "backpacking through Europe." I was happy for him and asked that he remember to send me a postcard. His response was a simple, "Can do!" We shook hands and parted. The postcard never arrived.
Several months later I received an invitation from Nick inviting me to a special luncheon at the Friar's Club. Obviously he was back in town! The Theater Hall of Fame was inducting legendary actress Frances Sternhagen into their ranks and at the event Nick was to be awarded a Fellowship from the Jerry and Elaine Orbach Foundation.
The luncheon was a splendid event and I mingled freely among such luminaries as Dana Ivey, Marian Seldes, Len Cariou and Karen Ziemba. At the luncheon, I was seated between Nick's father and Burke Moses, who had played El Gallo in The Fantasticks for a lengthy time. I also got to meet Nick's beautiful girlfriend, Monica. In the course of the conversation, Nick mentioned that he had just finished "The Amazing Race" for CBS. As someone who doesn't watch much commercial television, the comment didn't mean much to me. Perhaps it was just another sitcom.
In September of that year, I received an e-mail inviting me to interview both Nick and his sister Starr for Broadway World. Doing my research for the interview I learned what "The Amazing Race" encompassed and the grand prize was one million dollars. Whew! This was much more than a sitcom!
At that particular interview I not only got to meet Starr Spangler, but I learned how arduous the tasks were on "The Amazing Race" I also discovered that the Spangler siblings had signed documents about taking a vow of silence about the race and its outcome. One slip and Nick and Starr would forfeit any of the winnings they'd accrued in the course of the race. As a result, I found that my communications with Nick were unintentionally curtailed. I didn't want to put him or myself in any awkward situation.
