For those of you who were living under a rock during the year 2002 or just never got into American Idol, this is Justin Guarini, who was the runner-up to Kelly Clarkson on the first season of the show.
Today, he’s a successful singer, actor, and performer who has performed at the Muny in St. Louis. In 2012, he performed in Chicago and Joesph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat. This year, he plays Sam Carmichael in the ABBA musical Mamma Mia! (Read our review here: Mamma Mia! at The Muny Guarantees a Smile—and Maybe a Sing-Along or Two)
The Muny always attracts outstanding actors, but having Guarini on stage is a real treat. Not only is he a compelling actor with a sweetly strong voice, he’s also patient and kind after each show to fans who know him from his Idol stint or the astoundingly bad movie it spawned, From Justin to Kelly. (To be fair, Guarini’s performance in the movie isn’t terrible, and he was contractually obligated to do it. No judging.)
Courtney Haid, a Nerinx Hall student from Ballwin, is 17 years old, so she didn’t know Guarini from his season of American Idol, which aired when she was just in preschool. Haid watched Saturday’s performance of Mamma Mia! from the free seats because, as a self-proclaimed “theater kid,” she’s dedicated to seeing every Muny show this season and meeting the cast at the stage door after every performance.
When Haid met Guarini in the autographs line, she had no idea he was actually pretty famous.
“I just knew him as the guy with the amazing voice who played Sam Carmichael,” Haid tells SLM. “I started the conversation like I usually do with Muny actors, telling him how great he was and how much I loved the show.”
When Haid told Guarini about her love of theater, he asked why she wasn’t performing at the Muny herself this summer.
“I told him I was too afraid to try out at the Muny because the Muny is such a big deal,” Haid says.
Guarini wasn’t having it. “He told me that next year I have to give it a shot. He said, ‘You have to try out! Do it for me,’ and he made me promise I’d try out,” she says.
Then Guarini gave Haid a pep talk with some very wise advice:
“This advice had blown me away because I’ve been acting for years and had never looked at auditions this way. He told me that although the judges behind the table may look tired and uninterested in your performance while auditioning, they’re really on your side. They want you to succeed! Because once they find the person they’re looking for, they don’t have to listen to anyone else. It may not look like it but they’re rooting for you!”
Haid says the pep talk got cut short so Guarani could leave for a cast party, but the actor gave Haid his email and took a picture with her. They’ve talked a few times since.
“I left the Muny practically skipping i was so excited about what happened,” Haid says. “I can’t wait to see what other potential advice I can receive from him in the future.”
Only once she got home did she realize who she’d been talking to.
“I later researched him a bit and discovered just how amazing he is and felt even more incredibly honored that he had taken his time to talk to me, some random theater nerd in St. Louis, and give me some advice that I’ll never forget.”
Guarini wasn’t done yet. He sent this tweet with a final word of advice:
~*~Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.~*~
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Guarini performed at the Muny in 2012 and 2016, not in 2015. We regret the error.
Contact Lindsay Toler by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
