‘General Hospital’ Fans Left Audience In A Lather

By Shannon Hicks

What’s the deal with Sonny and all those kids on General Hospital? Why does Anthony Geary get up and walk away during the end of the opening credits? How did Johnny get the Sharpie to write all that music on the wall when he was locked in the padded room after being kidnapped by Sonny?

More than 200 fans (about 95 percent of them female, of course) spent a few hours at Edmond Town Hall on October 17 for an evening of very self-deprecating humor by four of stars of the ABC daytime drama. Steve Burton headlined an evening that opened with a VIP party where 130 people – again, probably 98 percent female – piled into the town hall’s Alexandria Room for the opportunity to meet, have photos take with and receive autographs from Burton (Jason Morgan, above right, with an audience member waiting to ask a question), Bradford Anderson (Spinelli, making quite an entrance, above), Brandon Barash (Johnny Zaccara, at right) and Derk Cheatwook (Max Giambetti, far right), the other three who were in Newtown.

The event was the first of four for the foursome for the weekend. Even though the upstairs room was stifling and packed almost beyond capacity, the four men were very gracious for more than an hour, saying Hello to everyone who wanted to meet them. In one corner, Burton even made a point of visiting with one fan who had her leg in a cast. When he noticed her injury he motioned for her to sit still, and he went to her.

Burton later opened the show in the auditorium with a combination monologue-question and answer session, speaking very comfortably to the audience.

“We feel the same way you do when we read those scripts sometimes,” he admitted. “We just look at tem and say ‘Oh no, not another kidnapping.”

On his character: “I’ve have so many viruses. I get viruses and I kill people. But people like me. What’s that all about?”

On his wardrobe: “I have one outfit, and I love it. I’ve had one look, and it’s worked for 17 years.”

On his lines: “If I have to say ‘My life is dangerous’ one more time, I’m going to shoot myself!”

And on kissing his female co-stars: “It’s very hard to kiss another person, especially a friend. I would never let my wife do it, no way. I have double standards, I’ll admit it.”

One of the questions he wouldn’t answer was “Who is your character’s true love?” Trying to keep a straight face, Burton started walking toward the side of the stage while putting the mic down on the floor. “I don’t know!” he said, mock scornfully, “and even if I did I wouldn’t tell you.”

In response to the opening questions posed by the audience, Burton offered the following: “Just don’t walk past [Sonny] when you’re ovulating. You’ll get pregnant and he won’t take care of your kid.”

With Anthony Geary walking away during the opening credits, there isn’t any symbolism with the character Geary plays. “I think Tony was hungry. He just got up and walked away, and they kept it.”

As far as the infamous magically appearing Sharpie was concerned? “I don’t know,” said Burton, “You ask him,” referring to co-star Barash. And a little while later, they had that chance.