Interview: Barrett Foa on Taking on 'Harold Hill' in THE MUSIC MAN, His Tony Awards Gig, and Wanting to be David Hyde Pierce When he Grows Up!

By: Jun. 22, 2013
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Barrett Foa, of TV's NCIS: Los Angeles and Broadway's Avenue Q, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Mamma Mia! and Godspell, will return to the stage this summer as 'Harold Hill' in Connecticut Repertory Theatre's production of THE MUSIC MAN. The show will run July 11-21, 2013, with opening night set for July 12.

Foa recently chatted with BroadwayWorld about his crazy summer schedule, which will include rehearsals in Connecticut, filming Season 5 of NCIS:LA, and a recent gig at the 2013 Tony Awards. Check out what he had to say below!

Harold Hill is one of those truly iconic roles in musical theatre. Is it one that you've always wanted to play?

I've actually been in THE MUSIC MAN three times! The first was at the University of Michigan and I was a 'Dancing Teen.' Gavin Creel was 'Harold Hill' and David Burtka was 'Tommy Djilas.' I actually recently uncovered a DVD of that version, which is kind of hilarious. Let me tell you, Gavin Creel was so good in that part. I was like 19, and he was 20 and I was like "How are you that good?" We were so young- I was a sophomore. That was the first time I'd seen the show and I had never seen the movie. So it's a legendary performance in my mind.

And then I subsequently did it two other times- at Maine State Music Theatre and Music Theatre of Wichita. I played 'Dancing Teen' every single time! The only part that that I maybe would have been right for would be 'Tommy Djilas' but I don't think I really look like I'm from the wrong side of the tracks... and I was always a good dancer but never the best dancer, so I was never quite a 'Tommy Djilas.' So I thought that was all I'd ever be in this show.

Whenever I'm asked, I always say that THE MUSIC MAN is in my top three musicals ever. It's just such a classic, American musical. There's something very wholesome and Americana about it without being corny. It doesn't get dated.

So how did you become involved for a third time?

This came across my desk, and the first thing that I thought was, "Well, I think I'm a little young for it," but I did a little more research and I read the play and I thought, "Hmm, I think I can tackle this." I even did some calculations and if he graduated in the Gary Conservatory Class of '05 and it's 1912, then he'd probably be around 29! Why does he have to be a 45 year-old man? I think there's a young energy that I can bring to it, but I had to wrap my head around it and justify it for myself. I can't expect people to believe me if I don't believe myself.

Do you know yet whom you'll be sharing the stage with?

Well they hadn't cast the role of 'Marian' and I kind of woke up one morning and texted my friend Courtney Balan and said, "Hey what are you doing in July? Wanna be my Marian?" When we did it at Michigan she was in the crew because she was a freshman, but we played opposite each other later when we were 'Billy Crocker' and 'Hope Harcourt' in ANYTHING GOES and 'Dr. Pangloss' and the 'Old Lady' in CANDIDE. We stayed super-close friends that whole time, and I thought, "How cool would it be to be with one of my best and most-talented friends from college and reunite as grown-ups?!" We kissed back in the day so it will work.

It's summer stock, so we basically have 10 days of rehearsal, so you need that instant connection. And I trust her. I know that she's there for me, so I know that will all be out of the way. I feel really good about that.

When do you start rehearsing?

We start rehearsal on June 25 and we preview July 11 and open July 12. All I've been doing is memorizing my lines. There will be no memorizing once I get there. I need every line in my body before we even start.

It's a good thing you know the show!

I know! And then we close the 21st and my first day of shooting for NCIS: LA is July 22. It's nuts, but it's really what I want to be doing with my summer- stretching those creative muscles. And these are theatre muscles- television is different. It's nice to be invigorated by that musical theatre energy, and to get that creative stuff flowing through your veins again.

You've had a big career both on and off Broadway but you've also gotten to work at a lot of the great regional theatres around the country. What do you like about regional work?

I like it because you're away from your home turf and there's something that bonds the cast together and gets it all super-focused. The cast, crew... it gets, well like that very over-used word- family. It gets like a family because there's really no one else out there in Storrs, Connecticut. I think that's valuable especially for a show like this. It's a big show and we only have 10 days, so you have to be focused and on it.

I'm excited to get away. A lot of people are like "Well that's a lot of work for only 12 performances." I do have a feeling that on the last performance I'll say, "OK, I'm ready to open now!"

You're about to start filming your 5th season of NCIS: Los Angeles- Do you find that people recognize you more now from your television work now?

I would definitely say I get recognized more for TV. Probably just because of the numbers- those first few seasons I was still just wrapping my head around it. So many people were watching me in one episode every week, and in all of the theatre that I've done in my entire life, not that many audience members have seen me. That's crazy. So I'll be in an airport- that's my main demographic, and that's where people say "Hey, I'm a fan."

I just went to Comic Con in London and that was really cool to meet all of the international fans. It's all bigger than you realize- like 18 million people watch you in the United States but there are also all of these foreign markets. That's such a cool feeling- everyone is connected.

How has being on that show changed your life?

I think just calling LA home for a little bit really changed things, because I was born and raised in Manhattan. I just always thought that my home, and my life, and my career would always be in New York- I love that town. I moved out here just to see what was happening, innocent enough. I thought that maybe I'd do a few guest star roles, but it would always bring me back to New York.

But one gust star, lead to a recurring guest star, which led to a series regular. So now I'm just focusing on the opportunity I've been given, because it's kind of like winning the lottery. I really try to embrace it for all it's worth, even with the little bit of name recognition, and the money that happens, and the fact that Connecticut Repertory Theatre will just offer you the role of 'Harold Hill.' And I'm totally up for the challenge, I'm like "Thank you for the opportunity, CBS!" It's given me so many other opportunities.

Speaking of opportunities, you were the official Social Media Correspondent for the Tonys earlier this month! What did it entail?

My job was kind of two folds. The first was to go to rehearsal at Radio City on Thursday and basically say 'Hi' to all of my friends. It was the best job ever! This is a world that I hop into for a week at a time when I'm on vacation, and I'd get to see some friends in a show or the street and I get to say 'Hey, what's up?" And for this they were just all congregated in one space! I got to go up to them and say 'Hi' and tweet out pictures. They want to do that anyway but they're also my friends so it was all so easy!

And then on Sunday was figuring out the three bumps to commercial for Royal Caribbean International. That was really fun to do. I got to hang with the cast of CINDERELLA and met Jake Gyllenhaal and chatted with Cyndi Lauper about her Tony. It was fun to have that time with those people.

It was a pretty amazing experience, and to even get to go to the Tony Awards at all... Celia Keenan-Bolger, who was in Courtney [Balan]'s class, and Andrew Keenan-Bolger were my two dates. And we met up with Darren Criss and Benj [Pasek] and Justin [Paul]. It was a big, crazy [University of] Michigan reunion! It all came together in that one night- CBS, theatre, television, and school... I just hope for more and more of that in my life.

What would it take to get you back to Broadway, it been too long!

Yes! There have been things that I've seen recently that have made me think "Oh, that looks like fun!" I just saw KINKY BOOTS and CINDERELLA, and I'm of course always thinking, "I wonder if this is something that I would have auditioned for if I were in New York..." or "Well, what about next summer?" I just try to figure out what my next steps are and whether there can be a connection to Broadway.

I look at Darren Criss, who stepped into HOW TO SUCCEED and Jane Lynch who's now in ANNIE- hopefully something like that would be possible. We shoot more episodes than GLEE does, so sometimes it's a scheduling thing.

Do you have any dream roles?

Well what's happening with SHE LOVES ME? I heard a rumor that might be coming back. That would be a role that I would LOVE to play- 'George.' That's another incredibly well written musical. And then of course something new- something created for me is the dream.

Hopefully after NCIS: LA in 50 years... I'll have a chance to do that. Basically my goal is to be David Hyde Pierce when I grow up. To make a name for myself in television and then just work in the theatre for as long as I possibly can. So thanks to David for that goal- I'm trying to reach it every day!

Connecticut Repertory Theatre's production of THE MUSIC MAN, runs July 11-21, 2013, with opening night set for July 12. Full of heart, wit, and oceans of beautiful music, the story opens on the 4th of July, 1912, in River City, Iowa. Oh, there is trouble my friends, right here in River City, and Professor Harold Hill has the antidote-an all-boys marching band. But Marian the Librarian sees through his schemes, at least until she falls in love with the irrepressible con artist and he becomes the one thing he fears the most: a respectable citizen! Overflowing with a parade of tunes including "Goodnight, My Someone," "Gary, Indiana," "Till There Was You" and, of course, "Seventy-Six Trombones," The Music Man is thrillingly and tunefully nostalgic.

Barrett has also appeared in numerous plays at such prestigious theaters as Playwrights Horizons and The Public Theatre (off-Broadway in NYC), The Bay Street Theatre (in Sag Harbor; starring opposite Charles Busch and Richard Kind), and Hartford Stage and The Shakespeare Theatre in D.C. where he tackled Shakespeare as Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing.

For more information about the show and tickets, call 860-486-2113 or visit crt.uconn.edu.



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