I suppose the highlight of my acting career so far has been gracing the stage on Broadway.

I mean, it’s unthinkable really, that someone like me can do that.

I did have to return to New York City in 2008-09 as a sort of pinch me moment.

That it did happen, that I did actually do it. During my time there, there were many highlights.

The standing ovation on opening night was pretty special though.

As you probably know, usually the whole company might get a standing ovation, if you’re lucky, at the end of a performance, but when I toured the show, the stars, the big names, got huge applause when they entered the stage for the first time.

Obviously, that never happened to me, because I wasn’t known, I wasn’t the star.

However, when it came to opening night on Broadway things were very different.

I mean, in my experience, the difference between opening night in the West End and on Broadway is worlds apart.

In the West End there was one or two press present and an after party, on Broadway the whole world comes to watch.

There are TV camera’s everywhere. I remember seeing them at the back of the stalls when I walked out on stage - crazy.

Huge stars come along, there’s a massive party at Sardies and it is phenomenally mind blowing.

On this special night, as I awaited my cue, in hiding, on the Tony award-winning Sean Kenny set, I never in a million years would’ve guessed what was about to happen next.

As I kicked the door open, surprising the audience, I had to stop.

I mean, you never stop, ever, unless there’s an earthquake or something, but I couldn’t continue, there was too much noise.

People were clapping; people were standing and clapping me. Me, this kid from nowhere.

I was in shock, for a nanosecond I didn’t know what to do.

It seemed to me to be the whole reason we do what we do, to be recognised and appreciated for our work. In that moment everything was the very best that it could be, the best surprise ever.

I mean I never got it again, but that moment was enough, the journey I’d made, the graft I’d put in, the luck I’d also got - everyone in that incredible instance got together and said thank you. Gord bless ‘em.

l This column contains extracts from David Garlick’s forthcoming memoir, My Eyes, How Green! Broadway Davey G