March 22, 2012: The Day I Became a Man

Ever since I entered adulthood at age 18, I dreamed of entering REAL adulthood at the age of 23. I couldn't wait to be out of college and immersed in the real world for an entire year. Upon graduating high school, I told a banquet of my peers "give me 5 years and I'll be on Broadway" because I knew 23 was my year. My soul could feel it. My biological clock (I have one right?) was ticking towards it.

Well, I have to say, dreaming of 23 was much more fun at 18. The day before my 23rd birthday, I stared in the mirror and thought to myself

I'M NOT READY! No way is my life on an upswing. In fact, I had been singing the entire score of Les Miserables to myself for the past month

and that's when you KNOW you're having a gay breakdown. Every time the subway train entered the station, I belted Eponine into the drowning screeches like the group of Latina girls next to me didn't know what was up.

But when I woke up on March 22, 2012...my 23rd birthday...everything changed.

OK well...I woke up an hour and a half late for my Disney audition. I barely had time to warm up some A Whole New World in the shower before sprinting into the studios.

But they LIKED me. In fact, the LOVED me. They asked me back, put me on film, stroked my ego like it was a big black

...cat...

and said they'd be in touch. SURE it could've just been an awkward OK Cupid style "I'll call you" but DISNEY LIKED ME. And that's all I needed on my birthday.

But that wasn't all I was getting...because I'm ME.

My co-star surprised me by planning an entire adventure around NYC. I was given the opportunity to walk across the entire city and fall in love with it once again.

I mean, we ate lunch at HOOTERS for Christ sake. HOOTERS and DISNEY!? I was in alleged-Christian-Heaven.

but the best part came as we were walking across the Brooklyn Bridge for the very first time. I turned around to look at the skyline and whispered

"I love this city"

for the first time in months.

And just as I took my iPhone 4S (the most up to date Apple iPhone I'll remind you) I saw it

a voicemail from my agent.

He had good birthday NEWS.

Just as I fell in love with NYC all over again he told me

I'M GOING TO DAYTON, OHIO BITCHES!!!!!!!!!

That's right. I booked Band Geeks: a new musical about high school kids who play instruments and just want to be cool, but not in a GLEE kind of way...in like a....well yeah in a GLEE kind of way.

and yes...I play a sassy gay kid...

So there it is. Less than 12 hours at 23 and I was already booking shows.

TJB is BACK...and he's about to take Ohio by storm.

Watch out Show-About-Cute-Mormon-Boys-Who-I'd-Totally-Mouth-Kiss...I'm coming for you next...again...

Free to be 23,

TJB: Making It