Interview: Megan Fairchild Prepares For Irish Rep's FINIAN'S RAINBOW: IN CONCERT

By: Jun. 10, 2016
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Irish Repertory Theatre will soon present a one-night only concert event FINIAN'S RAINBOW: IN CONCERT on June 13th at 7:00pm at The Town Hall (123 West 43 rd Street, NYC).

Hosted by THE CRUCIBLE and BROOKLYN star Saoirse Ronan, FINIAN'S RAINBOW: IN CONCERT will feature performances by members of the Irish Rep cast in their original roles: Melissa Errico as "Sharon," Malcolm Gets as "Og," David Staller as "the Narrator," and Max Von Essen as "Woody." They will be joined by Tony Award winner Jim Norton as "Finian," Megan Fairchild of New York City Ballet as "Susan the Silent."

The Irish Rep's Gala will honor Ellen McCourt, who has been the company's Board Chair for the past 10 years. With her late husband, author Frank McCourt, her support of the company has been unwavering during a period of creative growth and capacity-building.

Before the concert event, BroadwayWorld chatted with Megan Fairchild, who will return to the Broadway world after her run in ON THE TOWN last year. Fairchild chats with us about ballet vs. theatre, returning to theatre for one-night only and much more!

Check out the full interview below!

After ON THE TOWN, you went back to ballet. How is it returning for FINIAN'S RAINBOW?

I actually just did a little concert version of On the Town, so it's kind of been like my month of being back in the Broadway world for just a little bit. And it's just fun because the Broadway world is just all about having fun and entertainment. I think that if you aren't having fun while you are doing it, it's not going to be fun to watch. Whereas in the ballet world, you are going to push yourself past the physical limit and there's a lot more to live up to in terms of the esthetic. It's a little more extreme in terms of... the way you naturally are as human beings is not good enough as a ballet dancer. You have to strain your body to fit into these positions and in musical theatre, you get to be a human being. That's the difference I really enjoy. I get to still be in the performance aspect, but I get to be more myself.

Is your work in ON THE TOWN helping you prepare for this?

Yes! Everything I did in On the Town is the only way for me to inform myself as an actress in the musical theatre world. So I'm bringing a lot of what I learned doing that to this. I'm really grateful for the opportunity to get to do a little bit of Broadway again. I still get to be a ballet dancer, but because I did On the Town I'm in this little world now and I get to do things here and there and still have fun.

What's one of the biggest difference between theatre and ballet for you?

The really fun thing is that you get to meet new people. When you're in a ballet company, you only know the people in the company and it really doesn't change that much. Some people leave and some new people come in, but pretty much you are with the same cast of characters for your entire career.

When I'm on stage as a ballet dancer, it's this really wonderful artistic expression, but you also don't get to talk. You don't get to communicate with the audience and you often don't get to hear the audience or react. Ballet audiences are often more reserved, or trying to be more sophisticated.

Are you nervous at all returning to do this concert event for Irish Repertory Theatre?

I have a year of doing a show behind me. I was little bit nervous when I did the concert version of On the Town, but there is a certain amount of confidence that I will always have on stage, even when I'm at the ballet. I have performed every single day for the year and it's just a crazy amount of performance experience. It's been informative back at the ballet.

If I could keep finding these dancing featured within the Broadway world, I think I am so game for it. I love Broadway. Ever since I stopped doing On the Town I see two Broadway shows a month. I'm really, really enjoying it. I love being in that world.

Max von Essen, who worked with your brother [Robbie Fairchild] in AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, is in the concert event with you! Are you excited to work with him?

It will be so fun. I also got really close with Elizabeth Stanley, who was in my cast in On the Town and Max and her are like best friends. So the two casts were very close anyway, so it will be fun. I'm glad there will be someone there that I know. I have never worked with Max, but at least I'll feel like I have a buddy!

FINIAN'S RAINBOW: IN CONCERT will be directed by Charlotte Moore and will have musical direction by John Bell and choreography by Barry McNabb. Single tickets start at $100 and are on sale now at www.IrishRep.org or by calling 212.727.2737.

Megan Fairchild has been a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet since 2005. She hails from Salt Lake City, UT, where she received her ballet training from the Ballet West Conservatory, and later moved to NYC to finish her studies with the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet. While at SAB she received the Mae L. Wein Award for Outstanding Promise in 2001, and later that year joined the NYCB as an apprentice. She quickly rose through the ranks dancing in ballets such as Balanchine's Coppelia, Tarantella,and Theme and Variations. In 2010 she danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the PBS "Live from Lincoln Center" filming of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker. She has collaborated and modeled for Cole Haan for their line of ballet flats and ZeroGrand women's shoes. Megan is currently playing the role of "Ivy Smith" (AKA Miss Turnstiles) in the 2014 revival of On the Town, for which she was nominated for an Outer Critics Award and received the 2015 Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut.


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