That time I met Zachary Levi

Yes. Yes. I did.

Yeah, so if you haven't seen me fangirling about it on Facebook or Twitter, I saw "Once" and "First Date" on Broadway this weekend, and I met Zachary Levi, not once, but twice.

Zac -- because like I know him or something -- has kinda been my nerd boyfriend for years now. Every year at Comic-Con, seeing him has been a priority, whether at the convention center or at his off-site Nerd HQ event. Last year we had front-row seats for all three Nerd HQ panels we went to, including his solo panel.

So when I heard he was gonna be in "First Date," a new musical on Broadway, I was definitely not going to miss it.

As close as we were gonna get
to Arthur Darvill. Sadface.

Side note: And I thought, What the hell? Might as well see "Once," too, since (a) it's one of my favorite movies and soundtracks ever and (b) it currently stars Arthur Darvill, "Doctor Who's" Rory (A.K.A. the one shining light from the Eleven era, IMHO).
"Once" is highly enjoyable. Nothing can match the movie, but it's well done. AND the audience can go up on the stage -- set like a pub -- before the show and grab a drink. How often can you say you were literally on a Broadway stage?! And you know what? Darvill was surprisingly good, too. I knew he had singing experience, but the cynic in me wasn't expecting much. I'm glad I was wrong. He was great. But I was really sad he didn't come out after the show and greet fans at the stage door.

Anyway. Back to Zac.

So after "Once," we were making our way through the crowd around Broadway Barks, a big pet-related event the shows do, and whom do I see just hanging out on the street? Zachary. Levi.

This is what you get when you wear a star's
T-shirt line when you meet him on the street.

So I calmlynotcalmly went over. When I got his attention, he noticed my Nerd Machine shirt (his line of merchandise), which I had worn intentionally for the show that night. But yay, double high-fives from him because of it! Then, he told me how the stage-door line is set up and where I should stand and warned me it might be a while after the show, and I feel bad because I kinda was only half listening because ZACHARY LEVI. And then I told him to break a leg and thanked him and walked away and then at a safe distance from him, proceeded to freak the eff out.

His show, by the way, is really cute, set entirely on one blind date. It's in previews, so there are some tweaks to make, but he is really great in it. Lotsa shades of Chuck Bartowski. He brought the house down with his big solo number, and really seemed to appreciate the long ovation he got.

Zac: "I saw you earlier!" Me: *dies*

Later, after the show at the stage door, Zac remembered me! (Thank you, yellow Nerd Machine shirt!) And I asked him how he's going to manage doing Nerd HQ this week. Short answer: He's skipping a week of previews. (Long, cute answer here in this video.)

He could not have been more gracious and patient and nice both times we talked. Super down-to-earth and had a conversation with all his fans after the show.

Meeting him more than made up for skipping Comic-Con this year, so, thank you for that, Zac!

Once again, I swear I am not a stalker. Indeed, some of these guys I just stumble upon by chance. And now that I've met him and Richard Armitage and the other guys below, I wonder who I'll meet next! (I wouldn't say no to meeting Henry Cavill. Just saying.)