ATWT Fan Club Wrap-Up
The AS THE WORLD TURNS fan club luncheon on April 18 at Manhattan’s Marriott Marquis was the centerpiece of a very Oakdale-y weekend for many fans, and for yours truly at Weekly, as well.
I started off the festivities by attending As the Epic Turns, a reading benefiting the Epic Theatre Ensemble, on Friday, April 17. Martha Byrne (ex-Lily), Paolo Seganti (Damian) and Kathleen Widdoes (Emma) performed several short, alternately hilarious and moving pieces, two of which were written by Epic Theatre Ensemble co-founder (and former ATWT intern!) Zak Berkman.
The first was a look at Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip several years after their Disney happy ending — complete with some vocal stylings from Paolo and Martha. “The first [piece] that Zak wrote, ‘42,000 Diapers,’ I really enjoyed that,” shared Paolo when I grabbed a few minutes with him at the post-reading reception. “Because I never sang before in my life, ever — not live, anyway. When I was doing LARGO WINCH, a series from Paramount, I did sing ‘La Bamba,’ and I really liked that. But, you know, it was take after take, and you’re just having a good time. Here, I was petrified, because I don’t sing! I was like, ‘Oh, God.’ And Martha’s a singer! But it was fun. And the audience was awesome.”
Berkman’s second piece, “The Final Arc,” was a hilarious glimpse into a soap exec’s office, as three eager actors came in armed with ideas to save their failing show. Imagine my amusement when copies of Weekly were strewn about to add atmosphere! That amusement tripled when the characters’ suggestions of retelling Hamlet and A Streetcar Named Desire both culminated in Paolo and Kathleen engaging in scandalous lip-locks. Scandalous why? Because their characters played mother and son on the fictional soap! The comic antics brought down the house. Later, Martha revealed that scripting in the hysterical clinches had been her idea.
The next morning, I headed back into the city for the official luncheon at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Entering the green room, I spotted a very grown-up-looking Ashley Marie Greiner (Faith), sporting cute blond highlights! However, grown-up or no, she assured me that Faith will not be getting married like Parker. The cast began to trickle in over the next hour, and I soon found myself at a table with Davida Williams (Jade), Benton Greene (Derek), Evan Alex Cole (Hunter), Nicholas Galbraith (Zac) and Billy Magnussen (Casey). I asked Davida about what’s coming up for Alison, Casey and Jade, and she teased that she’s having a lot of fun with the story and new co-star Alex, who assured me that, yes, despite being credited as Evan Alex Cole, that’s what he goes by. Then, Benton and I wondered what’s up with Derek and Bonnie, and why there are not more Derek and Jade scenes? Meanwhile, a very un-Zac-like Nick and Billy revealed they’re old college buddies. Don’t worry, nobody called anyone “Monster” or overused the letter “Z”!
I struggled to keep up with Twitter updates for our SoapDigest account. On my ancient cell phone, it wasn’t the easiest of tasks, especially with the huge cast turnout. There were so many people there, I could barely keep up! And I wasn’t the only one. When I asked Marie Wilson (Meg) about her luncheon experience two days later, she noted she’d loved seeing all her co-stars, but hadn’t gotten to everyone. “I would love to catch up with Kelley (Menighan Hensley, Emily), because [her family] just came back from vacation. I would love to hear about their trip. She looked nice and tan and relaxed,” she grinned. “I’ll probably see her around the set.”
As for me, I finally got to “meet” Jon Lindstrom (Craig), after months of interviewing him via phone, and that was really cool. (We’ve never been at the show’s Brooklyn studio at the same time!) I also caught up with Grayson McCouch (Dusty), another frequent phone interview buddy whom I haven’t seen lately, and Austin Peck (Brad) and his adorable sons, Aidan and Roman. I also teased Trent Dawson (Henry) about having introduction duties this year. “The only thing I’m nervous about is knowing other people’s storylines, so I think I’m just going to make up personal traits about people and make fun of them. We’ll see if I’m fired or punched out by the end of the day,” he laughed.
Others I chatted with included Noelle Beck (Lily), Kelley Hensley, Don Hastings (Dr. Bob), Elizabeth Hubbard (Lucinda), Van Hansis (Luke) and Jake Silbermann (Noah). And there was a palpable sense of everyone really needing and wanting to connect with the fans. It was really nice to see, and also a reminder that soaps and viewers have a very important relationship.
Then, the cast was called to get onstage to greet the very enthusiastic audience. I tucked myself in the back to gauge the Applause-O-Meter, and my unofficial “win” has to go to Van and Jake, who had a very vocal (and fun — hi, guys!) contingent of fans there. I milled around for a while as the autograph sessions got under way, and at one point found myself in the ladies’ room with a just-arrived Maura West (Carly). Showing more of her baby bump than she is on the air right now, she’s glowing, I kid you not.
I took off for a while as the luncheon wound down, but later hit Latitude on Eighth Avenue, where the Man From Oakdale-themed Martinis With Henry event was in full swing. Davida, Meredith Hagner (Liberty), Terri Colombino (Katie) and Marnie Schulenburg (Alison) joined Trent — who, quite obviously, didn’t get punched out after the morning event. I even shouted out a few answers during the quiz portion.
Toward the end, the fans got together and presented Trent with the world (okay, a globe that’s actually a beverage cart, but work with me here), which was remarkably fitting, considering he and his castmates bring that to viewers every single day on TV. Check out WOW! in our May 12 issue, hitting stands on May 1, for some photos of the wonderful, jam-packed events!
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