For myself, personally, I am never really aware of timing or anything because I am passionate about what I do, so I have found that if you really love what you do, then time flies.
There's nothing like being in front of a live audience and getting that vibe from them, and I love people to join in the singing, and I love people to clap their hands.
The great saints were always great innovators... They had to be very strong people... principled people. And, apart from their principles, with great tenacity they had to have great reserves of patience.
People ask me how I sang the role of the 'Phantom' 1,700 times. And I say that it's down to good material. If it did not have good material, I would have had a major problem doing it for that length of time.
Hal Prince and Andrew actually asked me if I would be interested in continuing with 'Phantom', but obviously I was under contract to 'Les Mis' by then.
When I work with a character like Valjean on stage, I get totally absorbed in that man. I become that man. But there's always, outside of that, the third eye, which watches what you're doing. And you can say to yourself, 'I'm crying well' or 'I'm being angry well.' But there's always that element there, and it never stops.
As I tell my children, the first thing is always health. Get sleep, don't party, don't do drugs or drink. If your body is right, then you will be right, and if your body is wrong, you will be wrong. Live like a Buddhist monk!
The one thing that concerts have done for me is given me the opportunity to get back to sort of do songs that I want to do. It's about enjoying yourself.
My father was from Belfast; my mother was from Crossmolina. I grew up in Dublin.
My favorites are songs that I get an emotional charge from, whatever genre they're in.
I'm from a small Irish family of 10, so there always was music in the house. Growing up, my older sisters had things like 'South Pacific' and opera on.
Once you sign on the dotted line, in terms of a contract with a musical, it's a huge commitment. When you're younger, that's fine; you can take it on, and I still go out, and I still sing 15-20 songs - and I can do that - a night.
It's called showbusiness, and the business end of it is very important, especially now. You have to learn the business end of it; otherwise, you get ripped off left, right and centre.
The movie has called it closed. I'm not saying I won't ever listen to 'Les Miserables' again. But it closed the door for me. It's gone its own way.
You see some people on stage today, and they have these huge ear monitors.
I absolutely had a dream of doing 'Man of La Mancha' one day; that's a long time ago.
I'm up for doing a part if I thought the part was right and the people want to consider me for a part. If I thought the part was absolutely exciting... I would go for it.
You do get a lot of people complaining if you don't do songs they have come to expect. I have to be careful about fulfilling that side of things and keeping it fresh for other people who have come to see the show.
You have to learn how to read contracts, how to position yourself, and about marketing. That is why you find the most successful artists are the ones who can mix creativity with business.
I listen to all kinds of music myself; it can range from practically anything: Opera, Jazz, to Blues, good Pop, just about anything.
