Video: Christian Slater Recalls Making His Broadway Debut in THE MUSIC MAN

On Wednesday, Christian Slater visited Late Night with Seth Meyers to discuss his latest film project, If I Had Legs I'd Kick. During his conversation, he also looked back at his Broadway debut, which he made at the age of 9 in The Music Man. 

"The director had seen me on the Joe Franklin show," recalled Slater. "My mother was the guest, and... and he was like, 'Hey kid, come on, sit with your mom!' So I went over and sat with her and then the next day, we got a call from this director. They wanted me to come in and audition to play Winthrop. I sang 'Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah' and they hired me."

The 1980 production of Meredith Wilson's musical was led by Dick Van Dyke, and ran for three weeks at the New York City Center. In the role of Winthrop, the actor took part in several musical numbers, including "The Wells Fargo Wagon" and "Gary, Indiana." Slater has gone on to star in five more Broadway shows, along with several off-Broadway productions. 

In a 2024 appearance on Late Night, Slater spoke about working with live animals in his career, including the off-Broadway production of Curse of the Starving Class. During his recent visit, he spoke on the subject again, noting the complications that arise when you bring animals onstage. "I worked on these monogloeus for weeks, and this sheep would just 'baa' over these moments!"

Christian Slater is an actor on screen and stage whose credits include the movie Heathers, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Interview with the Vampire, Mr. Robot, and more. He has appeared in five Broadway shows, including The Music Man, Copperfield, Macbeth, Merlin, Side Man, and The Glass Menagerie. He won a Golden Globe award for his performance in Mr. Robot.

Photo credit: Lloyd Bishop/NBC