By Dana Stackpole

It all started back in 1994.

I was performing in my first Broadway show, Carousel, at Lincoln Center Theater. Prior, I had spent 13 years in a ballet company... 9 years at ABT (American Ballet Theatre) and 4 at SFB (San Francisco Ballet). So needless to say, the Broadway experience was very new and exciting for me.

Enter James Barbour... he came onto the canvas of my life in the summer of ‘94 when he took over the role of Billy Bigelow in Carousel. I played Louise, his daughter. How ironic that I was playing his daugher and I was actually 28 at the time and 2 months older then James, my "father" (I was born on February 25th, 1966).

My first impression of James was WOW! Can this guy sing!! His first night onstage in the title role, he had the audience on their feet after singing the famous song, "Soliloquy". The applause from the audience seemed endless. His performance through and through was amazing!

Most people know and love James for his exquisite, lyric baritone voice, but few know that he is first and foremost a Shakespearian trained actor and studied classical theatre in college. We performed together until the closing of the show in January of 1995.

We definitely had a mutual respect for one another as performers and a genuine liking for one another as well, but the fire had not been ignited as of yet. I was involved in a relationship and James was solely focused on his work and career.

So this beautiful show, Carousel, was where James and I first met 14 years ago.

I jokingly say I tamed my Beast from when James Barbour played the Beast in Beauty and the Beast.