Interview: Andy Richardson in WICKED at the Majestic Theatre

As WICKED continues to entertain audiences all over the world, it has proven that WICKED has true staying power. It's full of entertainment from start to finish and everywhere in between. WICKED is beloved and enjoyed by all ages and many who are happy to see it again and again. It will be in San Antonio, Texas at the Majestic Theatre from September 26-October 14, 2018. BWW SA recently caught up with San Antonio native Andy Richardson who has recently joined the cast of WICKED and is very excited to make his debut on the stage of the Majestic Theatre; a theater he enjoyed as a child and a theater that helped spark his dream to perform someday.

Tell us a little about your experiences growing up in San Antonio. I understand you went to NESA (North East School of the Arts) and had all kinds of great experiences there.

I went to NESA for the first two years of high school before I auditioned for NEWSIES and I loved it. It's funny talking with people about their high school experiences. They would say Arts wasn't really a thing at their high school. And Arts was pretty much the only thing at my high school. It was so much fun. I miss it. I'm excited to go back.

So you were with NEWSIES on tour when it wrapped up and did a few other things in between including KINKY BOOTS. But, now you are touring with WICKED. Tell us a little bit about that show and your involvement.

When I was in NEWSIES, I was seeking a leave of absence from NYU in order to do it. So I took a semester off and then I took another semester off so I could do the KINKY BOOTS tour. After that, I wanted to finish school. I wanted to get my degree. So, I finished NYU Gallatin. And quite literally the day of my graduation, I had my final audition for WICKED; two hours before the graduation ceremony. My parents were up in New York to see the graduation. They met with my cap and gown from the casting office. That was on a Thursday and I found out on Monday. For me, it was actually a really quick process. I auditioned for WICKED before. Sometimes people audition for years and I auditioned on ECC (Equity Chorus Calls) and this past time was an invited agent call. It was a fairly quick process for me. But, it was nice. So, it was really lucky. A job right out of school. And I'm grateful. I joined the company around 11 weeks ago so I've been in the show for nine weeks.

What do you think is different about the WICKED tour from the other tours?

Our stops in each city are a lot longer. When we were in Toronto, the tour was there for seven weeks and we're about to go to Los Angeles around the holiday and we're going to be there for eight weeks. That's a very welcome change but, there are people who have been on this tour for upwards to ten years. So, it's funny being like a new cog into this behemoth of a cultural phenomenon. I'm joining something that's already so established, but, even still, the company is so welcoming. That was my worry, honestly, when I was joining the company that they were all going to have their own friends. But, it's nicest company. The warmest welcome. I'm just so happy to be a part of it.

Tell us a little bit about what it's like to be with a tour that has been so well established and the people who are part of it.

There are about three people who have been with it for ten years. It's not an easy show. You have people from all over. Most of the company is based out of LA and New York. It's people I've seen before in auditions. Now I get to know [them] and be friends. Outside of the show, we have board game nights and we try to explore the cities we're in as much as we can. When we were in Toronto, I made a trip out to Niagara Falls. The other Boq understudy, his name is Matt Densky; he's become my best friend on the tour. I just went with him and his parents. They adopted me for the day. It's a fun group.

Are you going to be the tour guide when you hit San Antonio?

Oh, yeah. All the cast is calling me the mayor of San Antonio because I keep telling them, "I wanna show you this and this..." And where we are going to eat. My mom is already trying to organize a potluck.

So, there will be a lot of friends and family in attendance when you're in San Antonio. Do you tend to get a little more nervous when you're performing?

It makes me a little more on my toes but not necessarily nervous. It's more like, I'm that much more energized to be able to share the show. When I found out that I got it, I was looking at all the tour dates and I'm seeing that it's going to San Antonio. I always, always, wanted to play at the Majestic Theatre. It is A - Gorgeous, B - I grew up seeing shows there. It's part of the reason I got into theater. So, having all of my family within a radius that they can see it, this is the best. Now, we're going home!

If you had not gotten into show business, what do you think you would have done?

I think I would have gone down the route of ASL interpreting. I took ASL as my foreign language in high school. I really became that student where I bought a dictionary and I brought it to class. I would ask the teacher questions. It was because I fell in love with the culture of the language in the deaf community. I continued with it through college. It became a part of my major. Eventually, I would love to still love to become an interpreter.

Don't miss out. WICKED will be in town from September 26-October 14, 2018 Tickets can be purchased by going to the Majestic's Website or by going to the ticket office at the Majestic Theatre.

PHOTO CREDIT: Joan Marcus