By Wayman Wong
05 Apr 2005
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| Cheyenne Jackson |
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| photo by Ben Strothmann |
In this month of April showers, here are three "Leading Men" who always brighten our days: Cheyenne Jackson (All Shook Up), Matthew Morrison (The Light in the Piazza) and John Fugelsang (The Duplex). Plus, we’ve got a sneak peek at The Producers movie and news about the first "Leading Men" concert.
THE NEW KING OF BROADWAY
Cheyenne Jackson gives a Tony-worthy tour de force as Chad, the hunky hunk of burning love, in All Shook Up at the Palace, and audiences can’t help fallin’ in love with him. In Joe DiPietro’s joyous jukebox musical of Elvis Presley hits, Jackson is a sexy 6-foot-3 specimen of flexing pecs, swiveling hips and scissoring legs. This roustabout rousts a sleepy town to life, and everyone’s soon swooning, especially Natalie (Jenn Gambatese), a female mechanic who disguises herself as a guy to get closer to Chad. Liz Smith raves, "A star is born. Jackson is the sexiest man to hit the boards since Hugh Jackman." Jackson says, "I’m flattered. I’ve always looked up to Jackman. Anyone who can play Peter Allen and Wolverine has a helluva range."
When we first interviewed him last summer, Jackson, 29, was one of the Altar Boyz. But his life got All Shook Up when this onetime Thoroughly Modern Millie understudy stepped into the blue suede shoes of Chad. Though his partner of five years and their dog, Zorra, help keep him grounded, fame has found the Newport, WA, actor, and "That’s All Right" with him.
Question: Last summer, you said, "I’d love to originate a role [on Broadway] . . . I know my day will come." Well, it’s here! How do you feel?
Cheyenne Jackson: Blessed. Thankful. Humble. Happy. I feel like everything I’ve done has been leading up to this. It’s a dream come true.
Q: What’s your earliest Elvis memory?
Jackson: I was seven, and my brother and I sang "Santa Bring My Baby Back (to Me)." My dad always loved it when I sang Elvis at talent shows. I’d do "Heartbreak Hotel" or my favorite Elvis tune, "Crying in the Chapel."
Jackson: If you watch Elvis, even up to his 1968 TV special, music is in every fiber of his being, and that’s so infectious. He did so many genres: rock ‘n’ roll, blues, country, rockabilly, gospel. And I love all those styles of music, and I like to think of myself as a pretty versatile performer. That’s why I identify with him.
Q: When Priscilla Presley was on "Oprah," she called All Shook Up a "must-see." What was it like meeting her?
Jackson: It was daunting to know that the wife of the king of rock was in the audience, but she was fantastic. She told me, "I loved that you didn’t take yourself too seriously. You have a warmth in your performance that just leaps off the stage, but most importantly, I want to tell you that Elvis would be proud.’ I said: "Priscilla, if I get 100 bad reviews, it won’t matter because of what you said." It was awesome.
Q: What’s your favorite moment in the show?
Jackson: Well, my entrance, when I’m riding my motorcycle through the countryside, is pretty damn fun. David Rockwell’s scenery is great, and it’s the best entrance since Mama Rose’s "Sing out, Louise!" in Gypsy.
Q: You’re in 17 of the songs, but it’s still an ensemble show.
Jackson: Everyone in the cast is tremendous. Leah Hocking amazes me. Nikki James and Curtis Holbrook could not be cuter or sweeter. Mark Price cracks me up every night. It’s the easiest job in the world to fall in love with Jenn [Gambatese]. And Sharon [Wilkins] is such a pro, and Alix Korey is hilarious.
Q: What’s it like working with your director, Chris Ashley?
Jackson: Awesome. He’s not emotional or mushy, and I’m both of those things. But I trust him 100%. He knows what’s funny. Chris and the creative team also have allowed me to bring my strange sense of humor to Chad. One day in rehearsals, I did the line about how Chad always wins a lady with "strength, testosterone and all the things that make a man like me, a man like me" and then I flexed my chest muscles. It’s hereditary. All the men in my family can do it. And Chris said, "I love it!"
Q: When you got the role of Chad, you had to drop Altar Boyz, which you had worked on for a couple of years. How’s it feel?
Jackson: I just saw Altar Boyz, and it’s great. And bittersweet. It knew it’d be sad but exciting. But Scott Porter is even a little better than I was, and he dances much better. All five Altar Boyz are so amazing.
Q: One of the songs and themes in All Shook Up is "Follow Your Dream," and one of your dreams is that you and your partner would like to start a family someday. Why is fatherhood so important to you?
Jackson: I’ve always seen myself as a dad. Growing up, I was the only boy baby-sitter around. I love kids. If I weren’t an actor, I’d be a music teacher. I’ve taught Sunday school and children’s choir in my church. It’d be wonderful to have a biological kid, but logistically, it’d be rough. But there are so many fantastic kids who need homes. I don’t know how it will happen, but it will. Definitely.
For more information, visit www.cheyennejackson.com.
MORRISON: BE ITALIAN, YOU RAPSCALLION
Matthew Morrison, who starred as Link, the 5-foot-11 heartthrob of Hairspray, really is one of "the nicest kids in town." Blessed with a boyish innocence and a beautiful voice, the radiant actor is shining once more — this time in Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas’ The Light in the Piazza, opening April 18 at the Vivian Beaumont. Based on a novella by Elizabeth Spencer, it’s the story of Margaret (Victoria Clark), an American matron, and her pretty daughter, Clara (Kelli O’Hara), vacationing in Italy in 1953; there, they meet Fabrizio (Morrison), an Italian who falls madly for Clara, despite Margaret’s misgivings. Piazza was made into a 1962 MGM movie that starred Olivia DeHavilland, Yvette Mimieux and George Hamilton.
Morrison, 26, who’s from Fort Ord, CA, says, "It’s a story about the rush of first love, and Fabrizio’s kind of a player, but he wants a true connection with someone. And he sees that innocence and naivete in Clara. Italian women are so straightforward, but Clara’s from another world literally. Fabrizio’s been a real challenge. I’m Scottish and Irish, and I don’t speak Italian, so I’ve had a lot to learn."
Guettel’s lovely and lyrical songs also presented a score of challenges: "I’m a fan of Adam’s. The music to Piazza is kind of classical with a lot of pop undertones. I’ve never been trained, but I think Adam likes what I bring to it. My first song ['Il Mondo Era Vuoto'] is an Italian aria. It’s about how I realize how much I’ve been missing in the world, now that I’ve seen Clara. It reminds me of ‘Maria’ from West Side Story. I also sing ‘Love to Me,’ one of the most beautiful songs ever. I’ve grown so much as a singer and an actor just by watching everyone in this awesome cast."
But Fabrizio’s character has a wild side, and so does Morrison. Marc Shaiman, the Tony-winning composer of Hairspray, says, "Matt’s so talented and f***ing good-looking, and he’s got this boy-next-door persona, but he’s a real Jekyll & Hyde." At the post-Tony party for Hairspray at the Coral Room, he dropped his trousers and jumped into a giant aquarium. Morrison says, "I made my tighty-whiteys into a thong and pressed my butt cheeks against the glass." Shaiman adds, "I think Matt saw a pretty girl [playing a mermaid], and being one of the last heterosexual leading men on Broadway, jumped right in. Matt knows how to enjoy himself." (And when it comes to pretty girls, Morrison says he’s dating Amanda Freed, an Olympic softball player. "Her world is so interesting, and she’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.")
So has he got any news about the movie version of Hairspray? "I’ve heard the rumor about John Travolta playing Edna Turnblad and it’d be interesting, but I want Harvey [Fierstein] to do it; he’s the man — or woman — for the job. They might see me for Link, but they’d probably go for Justin Timberlake."
Meantime, Morrison is thrilled that the 2004 TV version of Once Upon a Mattress, in which he plays Sir Harry, will air in December. "I loved working with Carol Burnett [who plays Queen Aggravain]. The cast would get together and watch her old [TV] shows, and she’d give us the inside dish. It was a trip. Carol’s tied to Piazza in a weird way because Mary Rodgers [who wrote the score to Mattress] is Adam’s mom, so I’m sure she’s gonna see the show. I’ve been so lucky. Link was a dream role, and now I’ve got another one: Fabrizio."
For more information, visit www.mattmorrison.net. Continued...
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