I have been a fan of Colm Wilkinson for nearly ten years, and have been lucky enough to see him perform six times -- three as the Phantom in the Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera and three as Jean Valjean in the Toronto production of Les Miserables. I first heard of Colm when someone gave my dad a copy of the OBC of Les Miserables and we listened to it in the car all the way to Newfoundland and back. (This recording was also instrumental - no pun intended! - in developing my obsession with Terrence Mann.) Then I heard Colm’s Stage Heroes recording, and I was totally hooked. I saw him do Phantom first in 1990, and then again in 1991 and 1993. Then I waited. And waited. And finally, I heard what I had been dreaming about hearing - Colm was coming back to Toronto, this time to do Les Mis. I’ve seen that production three times, and it truly is a dream come true to see him do the role of Valjean live. Nothing in my theatrical experience can equal that.
I had the opportunity to meet Colm in December of 1998, and he was as gracious and kind as I had hoped he would be. Despite battling an ear infection and the flu, and having just given a phenomenal 3-hour performance, he was willing to stand and talk to us, to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Meeting the man has only increased my admiration for him, and his kindness has made me a life-long fan (well, I was already, but he just confirmed it! :-). I understand that Colm will next be going to Dublin to do Les Mis there, and after that, I guess the sky’s the limit. I know he’ll be fabulous, wherever he chooses to go and and whatever he chooses to do.
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