Brad Little stands tall in musical theatre scene

IT'S not his main mission in life or anything, but Brad Little stands tall in the annals of musical theatre as one among a select group of performers who have played a popular stage role close to 2,400 times - that's more than six-and-a-half years - and counting. The fact that the part in question - The Phantom of the Opera - is arguably the most famous character in Broadway history makes Little's achievement all the more remarkable.

"I cherish it," says Little, 49, about the defining role of his career. "I'm no longer a spring chicken and I'll eventually come to the end of doing leading man-type characters."

The Phantom is special to Little for many reasons, but especially because it helps people - himself included - to address their insecurities.