Interview: New Captain at the Helm! Anthony Warlow Reveals Why FINDING NEVERLAND Rekindled His Love for Theatre
By: Nicole Rosky Aug. 08, 2015
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Anthony Warlow is back on Broadway. Just last month the Broadway and Australian stage vet stepped into the roles of "Charles Frohman" and "Captain Hook" in Finding Neverland. Warlow will remain captain of the pirate ship until September 13, when Kelsey Grammer returns to the production.
Warlow has forged an enviable reputation over the span of his career, on the operatic and commercial theatre stage. Blessed with a thrilling voice and a gift for mimicry, he has successfully inhabited an extraordinary diversity of roles from high opera to musical comedy, and his versatility has enthralled Australian audiences ever since his 1981 debut with the Australian opera at the age of 19. Making the most coveted role in music theatre (The Phantom of the Opera '1990 & 2007-2009) his own, set the seal on Anthony's status as the country's premier stage performer.
With another month left at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Warlow recently checked in with BroadwayWorld about how he got the part, why he loves the role, and so much more!
You've been in the show for almost a month now. How is it going so far?
It's terrific. It's trial by fire, as you can well imagine. I've never done a put-in before, so the whole experience is something very new to me. The upside is that you get to do your show in front of an audience every night. It's the rehearsal process with reactions. [Laughs] That can be frightening, but we've pushed most of the buttons and I'm very happy about that. It's just a matter now of finding my show. This has been like my preview period I suppose, like a month? We don't have this luxury in Australia. Previews are two weeks at the most, and then you're up and running. Of course here I don't have to worry about reviews, so that's good! I just have to find a performance that a. fits into the Tetris that I've been thrown into, and b. makes it work for the show and the audience. I'm finding it. I'm finding my Neverland!
Everyone says that being a replacement in a show is very difficult- were there challenges for you?
The joy is that I'm surrounded by a very supportive company. I think that's rare, but wonderful. A lot of them are making their debuts, so they're very excited. Plus, they've been running for almost six months now, so they are well tried and tested. They have a saying, which I had not heard before and I'm adopting it. It's 'shove with love.' They are pushing me around the stage, but luckily they haven't had to do too much of it. The team that put me in was so wonderful. Even though it was performance-by-numbers to start with, it's now a more organic vehicle for me. I'm a lot happier.
How did this come about for you?
I was in Washington D.C. doing Man of La Mancha and I finished it and was about to leave the country. This is always what happens- I'm about to leave to go back to Australia because my visa has run out or whatever, and I get an email from someone saying, "Would you be available for..." And I say, "Dangit! Yes, I would be, but I have to leave." So it's really up to the powers that be, who want me to be a part of their production, to go through the whole process of sponsoring me and getting me a visa.
So this came originally as an email from the casting office. They mentioned the show and asked if I'd be available. I told them I was, because I didn't have anything else booked at the time. They told me that I was on the short-list, so I went to see the show. I wanted to see it regardless of winning the role. I loved it. I think it's so old Broadway. The production is fabulous and the performances are larger than life. It touches the heartstrings, which is what every show that makes people happy does. I was very excited about it. And the character! I thought Kelsey Grammer was extraordinary. So I thought, "If it's offered, I'll have a ball doing it." So I went back to Australia not really thinking too much of it. I figured it would be too hard with the visas and things. I wasn't home for more than a week when I received an email telling me that it still might happen and was I still available? So I said yes, and then it was about getting me back over here and getting a script in my hand.
Did you get any advice from Kelsey?
Unfortunately, no. He had already gone and his understudy, Paul Slade Smith (who is wonderful too), was doing the role. I had four days of rehearsal and then I came into the theatre shadowed Paul. Then I did my put-in on a Friday and went on Friday night. It was rushed, but calculated.
You aren't a stranger to working with kids. How has that been? Have they all warmed up to you?
They're wonderful. My character has less to do with the children than Daddy Warbucks did, but they are so wonderful, and extraordinarily talented. The two casts that I've witnessed have been going alternatively and they are just extraordinary. I'm in very good hands here. Even the dogs are beautiful!
Do you have a favorite moment in the show yet?
It does change, but I so love the Hook role. Hook is the nemesis character, and it's a darker take on him that what I dare say we perceive as a Disney-esque character. It's interesting though, because I love research and I was researching Frohman and Hook and learned that James Hook taught at Eton in London and was a schoolteacher. I think that gives you an idea of how he can be everyone's worst nightmare... the terrible schoolmaster. That's what I'm playing with in this interpretation. And of course I get to change my voice. I do American for Frohman and very English for Hook, so that is very fun. It's funny, some of the kids I meet after the show, I ask them who their favorite character is, and they say, "Oh, the man who plays Hook!" and I say, "That's me!" They look at me totally bewildered.
This is your second Broadway show. Is it good to be back?
I love being here. The summer is somewhat challenging, I have to say, with the heat and humidity. I think that if you can work here in the summer and be in a theatre with air conditioning then you've got it made!
You have another month left in your run. What are you most looking forward to?
This is coming from a theatrical point of view, but if anything, I want to put a stamp on the role. Everyone's interpretation different, but I hope that I can make something of this and have the audience a. enjoy the performance and b. take something a little extra from the show. It's such a lovely show. I know that it has had its ups and downs in getting here, but I think that what has come out of it is so lovely. I've said this before, but it has absolutely rekindled my love for musical theatre. I've been doing this for nearly 35 years and you get to the point when you've seen it all. There are so many little moments in this show...the magic, the effects. They're simple, but it's heartfelt and beautifully directed. Diane Paulus has done such a beautiful job. So if anything, if I can have just a little bit of Anthony Warlow signature on the ledger, I'd be very happy.
Warlow's Broadway credits include: Annie (Drama Desk, Drama League nominations). Regional: Man of La Mancha (STC). Australia: Guys and Dolls; Les Miserables (Grammy); Phantom of the Opera; The Secret Garden; My Fair Lady; Man of La Mancha; Doctor Zhivago: the Musical (Australia). Anthony performs with Opera Australia , has recorded solo albums and is the recipient of numerous awards including "Living National Treasure." He extends his appreciation to American Actors Equity. anthonywarlowonline.com
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