PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: The Les Miz Tour's "Javert," Andrew Varela

By Matthew Blank
02 Oct 2012

Andrew Varela
Andrew Varela

Musical theatre veteran Andrew Varela, currently touring the United States as Inspector Javert in the 25th anniversary production of Les Misérables, fills out Playbill.com's questionnaire of random facts, backstage trivia and pop-culture tidbits.

Varela has been with the tour since its 2010 launch at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse. The singing actor previously played the role of Jean Valjean over 300 times in the Broadway and original touring productions of the musical. He has also appeared on Broadway in King David, Little Women and Sunday in the Park with George.

Other major credits include national tours of The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita and Little Women, as well as Paper Mill Playhouse stagings of Oklahoma! (Jud Fry) and Pirates! (The Pirate King).



 Continued...

Full given name: Andrew Martin Varela
Where you were born/where you were raised: Born in Los Angeles and grew up in Taiwan and the Philippines.
Zodiac Sign:Gemini
What your parents did/do for a living:Banking
Current audition song/monologue: "Over the Wall" from Kiss of the Spider Woman
Special skills: Horseback riding, guns (getting ready for the zombie apocalypse)
Something you're REALLY bad at: The self-checkout at the supermarket
First Broadway show you ever saw: Phantom
If you could go back in time and catch any show, what would it be? The original cast of Evita
Favorite showtune(s) of all time: "Pretty Women." I sing it as a lullaby for my son.
Some favorite musicals: Anything Sondheim
Broadway or screen stars of the past you would most have loved to perform with: George C Scott. "God help me, I do love it so."
Your personal vocal idols, living or dead: Luciano Pavarotti, Chris Cornell and Joe Williams
The one performance – attended - that you will never forget: The first time I saw Les Miserables, at the Broadway Theatre, I was blown away and wanted to be a part of that show!
Music that makes you cry, any genre: Songs about parents and children. (Still haven't made it thru "Cats in the Cradle")
MAC or PC? MAC convert. Never going back.
Most played song on your iPod: Cee Lo Green's "Forget U" (but not that one...)
Most-visited websites: Ted.com (mind-blowing)
Favorite Tweeters: - Judd Apatow
- Jim Norton
- A guy with whom my wife and I huddled in an Iowa bar to escape a tornado.

(Follow me @AndrewVarela525)
Last book you read: "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell
Must-see TV show(s): "30 Rock"
"Mad Men"
"The Walking Dead"

Still missing "Battlestar Galactica"

Last good movie you saw: "Bridesmaids"
Some films you consider classics: "40 Year Old Virgin"
"True Romance"
"Fight Club"
"300"
"Big Lebowski"
"Kung Fu Panda"
Performer you would drop everything to go see: Eddie Izzard
Pop culture guilty pleasure: Any magazine featuring Beach Body Disasters
Favorite cities: Bloomfield, KY; San Francisco; Paris
Favorite sport/team/player: Derek Jeter lives across the street from our friends in Tampa and throws great parties. Is that an answer?
First CD/Tape/LP you owned: Men at Work
Favorite non-theatre musicians/bands/groups: So many! Puddle of Mudd; James Morrison; Kings of Leon; Segovia; Soundgarden; Eastern Conference Champions; Sufjan Stevens; Staind; Adele; Lupe Fiasco; Eminem, Buena Vista Social Club (while cooking).
When you first realized you could sing: When, as a boy in Catholic school, everyone in the pew in front of me would turn around to see who was singing.
First stage kiss: West Side Story. I was Bernardo, and Anita surprise-frenched me.
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