By Wayman Wong BURNHAM'S A DELIGHT IN 'THE PIAZZA'
Burnham, who's part Italian, English, German, Sioux and Cherokee, understudied the role of Fabrizio in his Broadway debut and went on nearly 60 times. But he says, "We have a little different take on him now. He starts off more like a bookworm. He's reading Sartre, and when he sees Clara, it changes his world. He gets his head out of the books and into reality. My Fabrizio is a little goofy and insecure. But he's also tortured. I know that feeling. The first time I had my heart broken, I broke out in hives. And I'm in love with Elena. She has a shimmering soprano that'll knock your socks off."
Kelli O'Hara, who originated the role of Clara, says, "Working with David was a blast, and he really gives everything. He's a very comedic actor, and I loved that." The five-foot-ten tenor acknowledges, "There is a lot of humor in my Fabrizio, and for me, it stems from my childhood. I have this soap-opera kind of look [now], but I never thought of myself as good-looking. I grew up this scrawny kid on a farm [in Fontana, CA] who milked goats every day. I was an eight-year-old theatre junkie who wanted to sound like Gordon MacRae. I'd sing showtunes to the pigs. That's how dorky I was. I was convinced West Side Story was their favorite, so I'd make up lyrics: 'A hog like that will kill your brother. Forget that boar and find another.'"
It took Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to put Burnham, 28, literally on the map, and he toured in it across America and Canada. "I love playing Joseph, and that musical has a special place in my heart. Donny Osmond taught me the show, and he's the nicest guy." Burnham, who has got a gorgeous voice, plans to record a jazzy version of "Close Every Door" for a debut CD. For now, he's on the soundtrack of the wretched 1999 animated film of The King and I. "I only saw it once; I couldn't bear to watch it again. But I got an action figure out of it. If you press the back of the Prince, I sing 'I Have Dreamed.'" Still, that disappointment doesn't compare to his suckiest job: "I was once made up as a lion, wore a leopard-print T-shirt and a tail, and sang 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight?' at a five-year-old's birthday party on a front lawn in Beverly Hills." Burnham laughs, "Whatever happened to my career?"
01 Aug 2006
For the next year David Burnham will be traveling Light. He's playing Fabrizio, the lovestruck young Italian, in the national tour of The Light in the Piazza, which opens Aug. 1 in San Francisco. It co-stars Christine Andreas as Margaret Johnson and Elena Shaddow as Clara, and it'll play in over 20 cities, including Los Angeles; Washington, DC; and Boston. But don't expect a Xerox of the original cast; the new leads will bring their own colors and shadings to this Light show.
For more info, visit www.davidburnham.com and www.piazzaontour.com.
WHERE THE GUYS ARE
There's so much to see in New York: Tom Andersen, Scott Coulter and Tim Di Pasqua will star in Southern Comfort: A Down-Home Country Music Jamboree on Aug. 4, 11 and 18 at 7 PM at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd St. (212-695-6909). These three thrilling tenors will raise the roof with toe-tapping tunes by Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis and many more. Andersen, Coulter and Di Pasqua work in perfect harmony, and it's worth traveling a country mile to hear their heavenly sound. . . . Looking for a Friday-night frolic? Don't miss The After Party, hilariously hosted by Brandon Cutrell, also at the Laurie Beechman. From 11 PM to 2 AM, it's piano bar for a crowd that adores everything from Loesser to Lopez and Marx. Ray Fellman, the accompanist, is a whiz at changing keys more often than a locksmith.
Danny Binstock, Ryan Nealy, Jason Snow and Ryan Watkinson will perform SSA (Ass Backwards) on Aug. 14 at 11:30 PM at Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St. (212-539-8778). This concert reading of Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner's new musical is about best buddies who reunite. Also at Joe's Pub: Daniel Reichard (Jersey Boys) will celebrate his Glory Daze Aug. 20 at 9:30 PM and Aug. 21 at 7 PM. . . . And the dynamic David Gurland returns to "justify his love" for Madonna in Neurotica Aug. 24-26 at 10:30 PM at the Metropolitan Room, 34 W. 22nd St. (212-206-0440).
Got comments or questions? E-mail me at waymanwong@hotmail.com.
Until next month, let's hear it for the "boys"!
Wayman Wong edits entertainment for The New York Daily News. He has been a movie and theatre critic for The San Francisco Examiner, a writer for The Sondheim Review and a Drama-Logue Award-winning playwright.
