Interview: John Drea on Steppenwolf Roots and Broadway Breakthrough in LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD

John Drea is currently making his Broadway debut as James/Kenny algonside Laurie Metcalf, Micah Stock, and more in Samuel D. Hunter's Little Bear Ridge Road. 

Drea's previous stage credits include Little Bear Ridge Road (Steppenwolf Theatre), The Sound Inside (Goodman Theatre), Little Women (Northlight Theatre), The Da Vinci Code (Drury Lane Theatre), and A Lie of the Mind (Raven Theatre).

Read BroadwayWorld's full Debut of the Month interview with Drea and see photography from Jennifer Broski here! 

How does it feel to have made the journey from Steppenwolf to Broadway with Little Bear Ridge Road?

Oh gosh, this has been the kind of play that I’ve always wanted to be in. It’s an actor-driven drama, it’s a small cast, a lot of humor. And to have gotten to originate it with this team in Chicago at Steppenwolf, my home, it’s the cherry on top.

What was the Broadway rehearsal process like, and has much changed from its Chicago run to its Broadway run?

When we started rehearsals in Chicago, even in the workshop, Sam Hunter had basically pumped out a fully formed draft that we got to work with at the beginning of the workshop. And since then, there hasn’t been a lot of dramatic changes. One scene was rewritten for the Chicago run, but it was in such good shape. Which means Joe [Mantello, director] and Sam have been so collaborative with us the whole time, that they’ve been able to craft a play that lets us focus entirely on these small nuances and subtleties of these characters' relationships, the range of these relationships. I’ve just been able to focus on specific lines, or specific technical elements, and making new discoveries within my work, which is a lot of fun.

What is your favorite part about having the chance to step back into the character you play?

I love James, he’s such a sweetie! I missed the play so much from last year that I was just grateful to get to do it again, and for a new audience. We knew what it was in Chicago, and it’s been a good time finding a new show now for a new audience a year later. That familiarity, that nostalgia that I’ve had coming back to it has been strangely comforting and useful in a way where it would be easy for me to get overwhelmed with the novelty of being on Broadway, and that whole experience. But getting to do it in a show that I’m so comfortable in has been very grounding.  

What stands out to you the most from the first night that you performed the show on Broadway?

I was thrilled to be on Broadway for the first time. It was surprising to me, the way that it felt like any other show. It felt like any other preview in Chicago, or any other show that I had worked on, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is good, I know how to do this.’ It gave me a sense of confidence, like, ‘I’m not going to run off the track, you’ve done this 100 times before, you’re in good hands.’

Do you have a favorite moment in the show?

There’s a brief, two to three second moment an hour into the show, where it’s just the three of us, Laurie, Micah, and myself. And we’re just holding coffee cups, and nobody’s speaking. I think because it’s a moment where I merge a little bit with James, and I don’t have to act at all, because I’m just so genuinely entertained by Laurie, and Micah, and the script, and the whole scene. It’s a lot of fun!

What do you want to tell audience members who are planning to come and see the show?  

Expect great, Chicago-style acting [laughs], in a minimalist, new American play, by one of our finest working playwrights, it’s 90 minutes, I think it’s really funny in the darkest possible way. If they like this show, I would encourage them to go out and support other regional work!

Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share?

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