Our first issue contained interviews with Jekyll & Hyde's Christiane Noll and Rob Evan, and Scarlet Pimpernel's Douglas Sills, as well as a short update from Frank Wildhorn. Here are some excerpts:

We asked Douglas Sills what was his favorite part of The Scarlet Pimpernel:

Publicity photo of Douglas Sills Photo by Joan Marcus and courtesy Boneau/Bryan-Brown

You know, it shifts as I do more work. Like I'm studying with a coach right now, and as she and I are working on certain things, I like to go back in and work on them and then they become my favorite thing. I love to fence, I love that part of the show. I love the library scene with the guys. Where the whole thing, sort of the ideas kick in. And I like--both my scenes with Terry [Mann] are very, very dynamic because of the polar opposite nature of the characters that are coming into juxtaposition with each other. Right on the footbridge right after I sing a ballad, and also in the spelling scene with Christine [Andreas]. I just think the audience is keyed into it, and it's just really fascinating to watch these two types of people come together. Those are favorites. And also, all the shifts, as an actor, are really just like--what's the best analogy? It's like bench pressing, and having it feel great, when you shift from one character to another onstage in front of the audience in a flash. Or even gently. Every time there's a shift from Percy to the fop, or fop to Percy, or the Pimpernel,--those shifts are all really--it's an actor's dream. It's like cutting your teeth--it's wonderful. And sometimes they happen on stage, and that's exciting. I think it's exciting for the audience, and it's exciting to do--because you really--it's like throwing a car into gear, with the revolutions and spinning, you know what I mean? ... Boom! And it's exciting... jet engines.

When we spoke with Christiane Noll in November 1997, she spoke about recording the singing voice of Anna for the animated movie of The King And I, which has now been released.

The director will sit with his eyes shut in the booth, and if he doesn't see what it is that I'm doing, then I have to do it again until he sees it, until he feels it. So you have to just wring every last little bit you can out of every single word, so that the animator will draw the eyebrow raising, or if he thinks I've just flipped my head, or thrown something across the room--he has to see all that action from what I do with my voice--everything has to be concentrated to whatever I do with my voice.

Were you doing any of that with your body while you were recording it?

The best takes that we did were the times when I really wasn't paying attention to what I was doing with my body, so I really have no idea. There's one tune which I saw some rough animation for, and I got so giddy, I can't wait to see it. It's called, "Shall I Tell You What I Think Of Him?" which is, I think, one of the least known moments in King and I, but it's when she finally gets to tell off the King, because the King has REALLY annoyed her, but the King's not there. So she's just ranting and raving and going on and on and on, because she can't actually do it to his face. I was spitting all over the music, I mean, I was flailing around. When we finished I was [Here she starts panting, very nearly hyperventilating] I was red, and I was sweating, and they came in and they're like, [nice, calming voice] "We're not going to do another take." Then the musical director was, "Yeah, but the end was not really quite..." [calming voice again] "I don't care. We're not doing another take. This was too brilliant, we're going to keep this. That's it. You can sit down, it's all right." I'm going [still panting], "OK. Are you sure? All right." To be able to let loose like that, and not care what you look like, and not care what you're doing. Stage show--you have the benefit of using your body and you use your face, but it all has to say the same thing, and people have to watch you and sort of appreciate what you're doing. And when you go into a studio--you really have to refocus your energies and just make it all in your brain and all in your voice. Hell, it's great.

Every time we interview a performer, we ask if there are any of Frank Wildhorn's songs that they do not sing but would like to. Here's what Rob Evan said:

I told Frank we should do a Compilation Album, 'cause he never has one guy that really does all of his music. It's always Linda [Eder]. So he needs a guy. So [I'd like] to do an album, "Frank Wildhorn Compilation." 'Cause he needs one. And I'll do all of his songs, that I like, that aren't in any of his shows. Because he's got TONS of them, that are GREAT. Like all that stuff from Jekyll that didn't make it in. There were great romantic ballads. Svengali: "From This Day On." Great song. All that stuff from The Civil War that might not make it on the album. And then... I want to do some of his pop songs.