The Twelve Gays of Christmas video! You've seen it, you love it! It's
become a holiday icon.
And today, I'm actually
interviewing one of the flexible
men making your holiday merry!
If you been a follower of my blog, you've seen
my annual Twelve Gays of Christmas post, or maybe you've watched it elsewhere around the internet. This year,
I wanted to do something a bit different, so I'm very excited to share
that I have my very dear friend, Brad--one of the Twelve Gays!--here on my
blog with me today!
Hi, Brad. Kiss-kiss. So glad to have you!
Thanks, Devon, for asking me to be a part of your blog!
Thanks for indulging me! :) Can you tell us a little bit about how this routine came to happen?
I can't believe it was 6 years ago that the chorus boys of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular performed 12 gays of Christmas.
It all came about one day when we were nearing the end of our run of the show. That year the Rockettes
had learned a new number called 12 Days of Christmas. It felt like it
went on for 12 days. So that year the girls would comment on how hard
the dance was, but loved performing it. The chorus boys would be backstage getting ready for the next number watching them and, of course,
trying to do the dance moves. I'm sure the last thing the Rockettes wanted was a bunch of dancing boys backstage doing a kickline:)
Anyways, one day one of the boys decided we should surprise the girls with our version of the 12 Days of Christmas. We would present it to them on our last show day. So, in between shows, we would go up to the rehearsal hall at Radio City and put together 12 Gays of Christmas.
I must've watched this video about 100 times, and I smile every time I do. Describe for the nice people what your outfit is like so they can gawk at you when they watch it. ;)
I was in a white t shirt and blue pants [note from Dev: and a long scarf]. I'm the guy on the left in the beginning.
Who did the choreography?
Drew Franklin did the choreography and staging.
It was fabulous! What was it like being a part of the Rockettes show?
Being
a part of the Radio City Christmas show is an amazing experience. It
is one of the hardest productions I have ever been apart of. We would
have 2 to 4 shows in a day. Every move had to be perfect and performed
like it was opening night. We had dance captains and directors watching
every show letting you know if you didn't hit your mark.
There is nothing like being on that stage having the orchestra playing the overture and up goes the curtain. The energy is amazing and I will never forget it.
One
of my favorite memories is when my family came to NY to see the show.
Now, I have been performing and in the business for a long time and my
family always came out to support the shows that I was in. However,
I came out to meet my family and here is my dad who grew up in a small
town in Oregon (kinda a country boy) sitting there in the theatre with a tear in his eye giving me a big hug and saying congrats.
I don't know why that memory sticks with me but I love it!!
That's so sweet. No wonder that stick with you. And two to four shows a day! Wow! Can you describe a typical day during the run of the show?
Oh
a typical day. Well, we would get there about an hour before the show.
Go to the dressing room to check in. Then go up to the green room and
warm up, watch some TV and, of course, gossip
about drama with in the cast. :) Just kidding--we always got along. :) Then
we would have notes at half hour, start to put on makeup and get into
our first costume. We would always push it to last second to get our costumes
on. Our wardrobe dresser would get so anxious with the boys. "You better
not be late." Then we would run to the stage hit our mark and up goes
the curtain.
During the show we would be focused...however I was kinda known for putting on a side performances in between numbers.
After the show, we would be tired so we would get food and rest to start it all up again.
That doesn't surprise me in the least that you'd be making a side-show of yourself. :)
Okay, so there are Twelve Gays. What number is yours and why? LOL!
My favorite number would be 2. I don't know why. I love the number 2!
What was your favorite move? Most difficult?
Well, the most
difficult would be the jump splits. I think I'm still recovering 6 years
later! My favorite move would have to be the Fosse walk, with our arms swaying from side to side while we walk.
Back to the serious questions. Tell the truth: Did you date anyone in the show? And were they cute, hot, fun, or sweet?
Cute, hot, fun AND sweet--yes!!!! There nothing like being a chorus dancer and being gay. :)
Did I date anyone? Well, let's just say I think he is the one I let get away.
Aww. :( So, are
you still in touch with any of the cast members?
I'm still in touch with the cast. Some of them are my very close
friends. It is hard because we all have moved on. Some still performing in
the show others, like myself, retired and started something new.
There had been talk about getting the boys back together for a reunion for the Gypsy Awards in NY. We couldn't get our schedules together. I think we are hoping for next year.
What do you think about this being a viral video so many years later?
I love it that it became something that people enjoy. I didn't even know it went viral until you mentioned it to me a few years ago. :)
You had an amazing career in New York! Tell
us about what you moved on to after this show wrapped.
After the show
was done, I had decided to make a change in my life. I was ready to slow
down and move closer to family. I had a couple of projects
to be apart of, but once I finished those, I moved back to
Portland. I now direct a dance academy in Oregon.
Are you single?
Yes, single. :(
Hear that? What's wrong with you guys? Okay, Brad, so indulge us and describe your dream date for us. :)
LOL, my dream date? Well, a guy who has a passion for something, who isn't afraid to do a heel kick once and a while:)
Look at that blush! Okay, I'll let you off the hook for now.
Thank you so much for coming on and making this video that much more
enjoyable for us!! *air kisses* See you tomorrow, Brad!
And
to all my readers, thank you for stopping by! If you have any follow-up
questions for Brad, just leave them in the comments and I'll do my best
to get them answered for you!
