In February 1996, I had the pleasure of seeing Ron Perlman perform live on stage in New York City. The production was William Inge's "Bus Stop," directed by Josephine R. Abady, and the venue, the Circle in the Square Theater on Broadway.

This pleasure was shared by five very good friends, Sharon Scrase, Jojo Pereira, Ann Jackson, Peg McNabb, and lastly, Linda Barth who had kindly organized our hotel, and booked us all theater tickets for the afternoon matinee the following day.

As this was my first visit to the Big Apple, I was bubbling with excitement and couldn't wait to take in all the sights and sounds of this amazing city - Fifth Avenue - Central Park - Broadway! And it was to Broadway we headed first, because Peg and Linda had several items they hoped Ron would sign for a charity auction taking place that summer. The plan was to leave the items concerned with someone at the Circle in the Square, along with a polite request for Ron's signatures, and then hopefully collect them when we went to see the play the next day.

However, as luck would have it, when we arrived at the theater, the afternoon matinee was just finishing, and we were told that if we'd like to wait, Ron would be up shortly, so we could ask him ourselves. This was a totally unexpected turn of events, and sure enough, about 10 minutes later as we waited nervously in the foyer, Ron Perlman was suddenly walking towards us. I don't mind admitting that at this point I went weak at the knees and felt totally tongue-tied!

So it was just as well that Peg had the situation under control. Stepping forward, she introduced herself to Ron, and asked if he would sign the auction items, explaining what they were for, and he immediately said "Sure."

Ron was fantastic. Even though he had three friends waiting for him, he signed everything Peg put in front of him, and then took the time to have a photo taken with each of us. His gracious, easygoing manner really helped us to overcome our nervousness and feel more at ease. He seemed amazed that Sharon, Jojo, Ann and myself had travelled over from the UK to see him in this play, and told us he was very gratified. Before leaving, Ron shook hands with each of us, and thanked us for coming.

Autographs for Sharon, and a photo with Peg

We saw the play twice. Once on the Sunday afternoon, and again on the Tuesday evening, although unfortunately the second time was without Peg and Linda as they both had to leave that afternoon.

We'd all thoroughly enjoyed the Sunday matinee, and Ron's performance was an absolute delight. His on-stage presence is mesmerizing. His skillful use of body language, facial expressions, eccentric mannerisms, and impeccable timing, all flowed together to form a powerful and very professional performance, but most importantly, one that was totally believable. His portrayal of the character was so convincing, we forgot about Ron Perlman for the duration of the production, and became completely absorbed in the sad, lonely life of the alcoholic, Dr Gerald Lyman.

Photos of Ron with Ann Jackson, and with Joana Pereira

We enjoyed the play even more the second time around, if that's possible, and once again Ron enthralled us with his performance. But the best was yet to come!

We were flying home to England the following day, so after the play we waited once again in the foyer, hoping to see Ron just once more, so we could tell him how much we'd enjoyed both performances, and say good-bye.

By the time Ron eventually came up, the other cast members were all waiting for him outside, but when he saw us hovering hopefully, he smiled and said, "Hang on a minute." He then went to the door and told the others to go on ahead, saying he'd catch up with them later. We were absolutely thrilled, especially as by this time the other fans we'd seen waiting earlier had given up and gone, so we were the only ones left.

Photos of Ron with Sharon Scrase, and with me.

The next 15 to 20 minutes were spent chatting with Ron while he signed the various photos and other items we'd brought along with us.

This was a dream come true for each of us, and we couldn't quite believe it was happening! Ron is a such terrific person. He's generous, warm, charming, very patient, and extremely witty.

The sudden flickering and lowering of the lights drew our attention to the fact that theater staff were waiting to lock up and go home. Now this would have been a perfect opportunity for Ron to cut this short and go off to join his friends for a well-earned supper. Instead, he simply said, "I think they want to close up here, let's continue this outside." We then spent another 10 minutes outside the theater, where Ron removed his cap to have photos taken with us, before eventually taking his leave.

We thanked him profusely for being so generous with his time, and he thanked us for making the trip over. After shaking hands with each of us and wishing us a safe journey home, he raised his hand in a farewell wave and strode off into the night, leaving four extremely happy ladies behind him. Ron's kindness had turned my first visit to New York into one of the most magical and memorable trips ever.

In my humble opinion, as well as being an extremely talented and versatile actor, Ron Perlman is a real gentleman, and one of the nicest people I've ever met.

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