While Stage Notes will return properly next week with all the theater news and calendar, this special edition continues the story of José Solivan and Matthew Buckingham.
In January 2023, I spoke with Solivan who serves as the company manager for The Lion King. The musical was running at Bass Performance Hall. At that time, he was engaged to his fiancé Matthew Buckingham. But it was a proper Disney tale getting to that proposal.
From that post:
“Good Morning America producers always wanted to do a gay proposal on live TV for Pride Month. They were asking several of the theater and entertainment organizations. The producers were interested when I mentioned myself,” he said.
After much planning and some innocent shenanigans and a little bit of help from Alyssa Edwards to get them together in New York, Solivan popped the question live on the air.
This happened in June 2022, and. prior to that, the two had just bought a home in Dallas.
Both debated if they were the first queer couple to be featured on live TV for the proposals. The possibility is high, making them some queer pioneers.
Solivan said back then that, due to their schedules, it was going to be a long engagement. And true to form, the two married this year.
“We tied the knot three and a half months ago,” Buckingham said.
Solivan is also back home now, with The Lion King currently running at The Music Hall at Fair Park for Broadway Dallas.
Like the show — and the proposal — these two seem to do everything big. So it was no surprise to hear the details of their wedding.
“First it was just so cool to see his friends and family and my friends and family all together, ” Solivan said. “We started it with a cruise out of Miami to spend a few days at sea and then had the wedding at the Ritz-Carlton on Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico. It was the best.”
The wedding date had to work with the tour schedule as well as with Buckingham’s mortgage work.
“And then it just worked that there was this Virgin Voyages cruise,” Solivan added. “We made sure it would go to Puerto Rico, where I’m from, and Matthew agreed. and it all tied together at the very last minute.”
They married on the beach with their guests looking on. The two still had the rest of the cruise and later got back on to finish it off. So like a wedding and honeymoon all in one?
Oh, not for these two.
“Well, our honeymoon will be in Australia. “You know, we can’t do anything basic,” Solivan said with a laugh. Buckingham added, “I guess we’re having two honeymoons.”
At the time of this interview though, the two were at home on the couch, dealing with the realities of new home ownership. They have already lived in the house for three years, but post-wedding, they say it does feel different.
“It feels more real now. Just being in our own home, and then when he does come home, it’s cool and just even more special,” Buckingham said.
Still, the couple has not escaped the travails of home ownership; their Oak Lawn townhouse does need some proper tending to.
“We’ve had to get repairmen in. We need to get stuff situated,” Solivan said. “But also, it feels awesome. Yeah, it does feel different, but it’s the best.”
The two held a private party last week at S4’s Granite Bar to celebrate their marriage with those not at the wedding.
Tonight, June 23, Solivan will be part of the the benefit show The Lion Sings Tonight After Dark with Drag Race alum Nina West as host. Proceeds from the show will go toward Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) and help to provide meals, medication, healthcare and hope to those in need. The event will feature performances by the cast, Nina West along with live and silent auctions and the Broadway Cares store.
For tickets, follow the QR code on the flyer below. Seats are $65, standing room is $40 and guaranteed packages are $150.
We are so happy Nina West is hosting our company who have been all in. They were like, ‘Let’s do it’ so we’ll have these full-on numbers,” Solivan said. “Caven has been so welcoming ,and it’s going to be so exciting to do it at the Rose Room.”
Plus, this week has another special element for Solivan and Buckingham: They got engaged during Pride Month and this week — Tuesday to be exact — is the anniversary of their engagement.
The Lion King runs through July 3.
–Rich Lopez