| Full given name: | Gavin James Creel |
| Hometown: | Findlay, OH |
| Zodiac sign: | Aries |
| Audition song: | When I first moved here, my audition song was "Today Is the First Day of the Rest of My Life" from Starting Here, Starting Now. So young... so eager. |
| Special skills: | I was a competitive swimmer all growing up. I play the piano and trumpet, and I can make a cooing turtledove sound by blowing into my hands...it's very impressive. |
| How you got the nomination news: | New York 1, baby! Lin-Manuel Miranda read my name! |
| Nominee you're most excited for: | I want Will [Swenson, Hair co-star] to win. |
| Who you are taking Tony night: | Broadway's Mary Poppins: the beautiful and phenomenally talented Scarlett Strallen. We met in London while I was over there playing Bert on the West End. |
| Previous Tony experience: | I got to go to the Tonys once before when I was nominated for Millie. It was a great night, but I'm really looking forward to this time around because I'm actually in the number we are doing, and I can't wait for the tribe to blast onto that stage and through everyone's TVs at home. |
| First Broadway show ever saw: | Show Boat 1994 |
| If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway show, what would it be? | I want to see LaChiusa's Wild Party again. I had tickets to go back a second time, but my grandmother sadly passed away and I couldn't go. I loved that show. |
| Current show you have been recommending to friends: | Next to Normal |
| Favorite show tune: | "I Couldn't Be with Anyone But You" from A Wonderful Life. My favorite theatre lyric. |
| Most played song on your iPod: | Well, "Lip Trills" just nudged out "Descending OH's" for the most played song on my iPhone. These are two of the biggest hit songs from my warm-up tape. But the popular song that had the highest play count was "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay. |
| Last book you read: | "The Time Traveler's Wife" |
| Must-see TV show: | "Divine Design"/"House Hunters"/"House Hunters International" - HGTV! |
| Last good movie you saw: | "Star Trek" |
| Performer you would drop everything to go see: | Toni Collette |
| Pop culture guilty pleasure: | Does "Amazing Race" count? |
| First stage kiss: | Don't remember the actual first one but the first real, true, deep, hot, amazing stage kiss... Caissie Levy, every night in Hair... she's good. |
| How you got your Equity card: | Ensemble at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, 1997 |
| Worst flubbed line: | Recently in Hair, I totally blanked on the entire second verse in "The Flesh Failures" at the end of the show. I finished the first verse and froze. I had no idea what the words were, so I just walked forward in silence with my arms out. Will started screaming out "CLAUDE!!!" to try and fill space but I just kept walking... in silence... Megan Lawrence told me afterwards that that is called going into "the white room." I don't like the white room. |
| Worst costume ever: | These mustard pants I wore for a hot second in Millie. They got cut in previews, but there is still a pic of me in them in the souvenir program. Marty P[akledinaz] is a God [of a] costume designer, but those particular pants...not my favorite. |
| Who would play you in the movie? | Jim Carrey |
| Worst job you ever had: | Mowing lawns. Hated it. |
| TV or commercial gig you most enjoyed: | The homemade videos I make for Broadway Impact (have you called your senator yet? Don't be afraid or lazy. Call him/her and let them know that marriage equality is important to you and to vote for it!) |
| Leading man role you've been dying to play | I want to do an amazing new role in a kick-ass new musical, but if I had to pick something that has been written already, I'd say Franklin Shepard from Merrily... I want to take a crack at that asshole. Stine from City of Angels would be a blast too. But I'm waiting for that new show... maybe I'll write it. Who knows. |
