BWW Interviews: Kyle Dean Massey of PIPPIN at The National Theatre

When I was 11, I was in the chorus of a community theatre production of a little show called Pippin. For me, it was what taught me that theatre could be a magical thing. For some reason, as I grew up, I always kind of identified with Pippin's story - which I'm sure is the point of the show somewhat.

An Everyman tale, Pippin follows the "Life and Times of Pippin," the firstborn son of Charlemagne. Though the story is largely imagined, Pippin is an easy-to-love, easy-to-get-annoyed-with, and easy-to-love-again protagonist. And making the character even more loveable in the 1st National Tour of the hit Broadway revival is Kyle Dean Massey. The tour is visiting DC's National Theatre December 16th - January 4th.

I first met Kyle a few years ago when he performed in a "Broadway Loves the 80s" concert I was producing at Joe's Pub. Between his beautiful voice and his classic good looks, Kyle landed in several Broadway shows including Next to Normal, Wicked and most recently Pippin. I had a chance to chat with Kyle about some of his experiences as a Broadway actor.

JM: What do you like most about playing Pippin?

KDM: From an acting point of view, there's constant discovery in this play because the book isn't as specific as other shows. This show is open to quite a bit of interpretation. When I was first starting out it was frustrating, but as I got further into it, it became exciting, fresh and interesting.

JM: Two of the Broadway shows you've been in were written by Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz, what are the differences or similarities between Wicked and Pippin?

KDM: I've done Wicked on and off for 7 or 8 years now. His lyrics are very poetic. Not always terribly specific. But it gives you the freedom to think about "what does this mean to me?" He is such a smart, brilliant, cool guy. His lyrics are about eagles and streams and rivers and sky birds. They're beautiful and paint some very clear pictures.

For me, Wicked feels more mature in a certain way. The theme of Pippin is what you're willing to give up to achieve something. These are things you think about when you're graduating college. There's a beautiful naiveté to this show sometimes.

JM: What's it like playing the same role with two entirely different casts - the Broadway company and then the National Tour?

KDM: It's markedly different. What's interesting about playing Pippin is he's not a protagonist moving the plot forward. He just sits there in a lot of ways. With different Leading Players, it changes the direction in which you're moved. Each performer brings a really different flavor to the role.

JM: Tell me what it's like begin an openly gay actor working on Broadway? How has being open about who you are affected our career?

KDM: How has being gay affected my career? Have I lost out on some roles because of it? I'm sure I have, but I also haven't gained any roles either. It's a hard question to answer - I haven't found it to have any negative affect on my career.

When you're an actor, because of interviews and such, your life becomes a little bit more transparent. No one signs up for that, so I somewhat understand why people want to remain private. For me though, I grew up in an area without any openly gay people. I found that for me, that was a negative thing because I wound up with this warped perspective of what gay people were. I lacked role models and I thought the more people who are out, the less stigma could be attached to people like me.

JM: Are there parts of Pippin's story you feel you might identify with more or less as a gay man? Perhaps his coming to terms with who he is?

KDM: What's tricky is that I'm a 33 year old gay man who is doing what I always wanted to do with my life. I look at Pippin and think "You're an asshole, pull it together!" So in some ways, I don't identify with him at all. I've always been pretty headstrong. As for coming to terms with who I am, I don't think my story was any more special than anyone else's story.

It was bigger news telling people I got a cell phone than it was coming out. Similar to Pippin in that it's not that extraordinary, it's anti-climactic. You stew over it, it's going to be this horrible thing and it wasn't as big a deal as I thought it would be.

JM: What's it like working with this particular cast?

KDM: I love working with acrobats. Every Broadway show you do, you have to pick up some new skill, singing, acting, and dancing doesn't cut it anymore. Now you have to play 5 instruments, or roller-skate. These acrobats bring a different energy, they're not in the Broadway community, it's been fun getting to know about their lifestyles as athletes and acrobats and going to trainings with them.

JM: Did you find any differences between doing a revival vs. a new show?

KDM: I've never done a revival before. It's really fun and interesting to do a show people have fond memories of when they did in high school. It's fun. Meeting these folks at the stage door saying "I played Pippin in college!" - I really enjoy that too.

JM: Broadway's original Pippin is now playing Charlemagne with you, what's it like working with John Rubinstein?

KDM: Kind of intimidating. And I think he knows it. What's tricky is that our production is quite different. We're telling a little bit different story than they did. It's hard because he has such a personal attachment to the role and show, so when he's around, you're suddenly second guessing your choices.

We've done several joint interviews and through that process, I was able to get great insight into his take and his ideas about the show.