The global tumult of the past two years seems to dissipate once Hugh Jackman appears as Harold Hill in the smash Broadway revival of “The Music Man,” now playing at New York’s Winter Garden Theatre.
Given the magic of that onstage moment, it’s easy to forget the unexpected hurdles the new “Music Man” faced on its journey to Broadway. By the time the musical opened on Feb. 10, it had been delayed for nearly two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jackman, co-star Sutton Foster and director Jerry Zaks can thank choreographer Warren Carlyle for infusing the revival with joyous footwork. A native Brit and Tony Award winner, Carlyle is one of Jackman’s most loyal collaborators, having first worked with the “X-Men” star in a London production of “Oklahoma!” in 1998.
In the 24 years since, Carlyle has established himself as Broadway’s go-to choreographer when classic musicals need a contemporary refresh ― and these days, he’s busier than ever. In addition to “The Music Man,” he’s directing and choreographing a new off-Broadway musical, “Harmony,” written by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman.
Carlyle’s theatrical ambitions don’t end there. In a conversation with HuffPost, he spoke about his plans for the future, the impact of COVID-19 on his artistic vision and why he hopes to never stop working with Jackman.
You’ve been working on “The Music Man” for pretty much the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Did that shape your artistic vision for the show in any way?
I don’t really have anything outside of my work, so “The Music Man” filled every single void. It became my everything. Everything else fell away, and suddenly I was gloriously shackled to this beautiful life raft of a show. I’ve worked on it longer and harder than I have any other show, and I thought about it more than I have ever thought about a show.
All the way through rehearsals, I had this life-or-death vigor: “This is it. This is the one they’re going to put on my tombstone.” I demanded more of myself, and of the cast, than I have before. I’m just now relaxing out of that. I’ve got a few other things going on, so I’m calming down.
You and Hugh Jackman have known each other for nearly 25 years. How would you describe your working relationship?
I’ve loved him since we first said hello. He knows how to say yes. He and I are cut from the same cloth when it comes to that. Can you jump off a table? Yes. Can you be an action hero? Yes. Can you break people’s hearts? Yes.
He’s all of the things you see up on that stage, plus about 9,000 other things. The pandemic stopped us for two years, but he and I kept working. We worked two or three days a week, most weeks, actually. He’s the only person in the world I know who would rehearse for two years for a Broadway show. Because of our friendship, I don’t have to filter anything when I talk to him. If he’s on the wrong foot, I can just say, “You’re on the wrong foot.”
And “The Music Man” also gave you the opportunity to work with Sutton Foster for the first time.
She’s a unicorn. Nobody talks like her, nobody sings like her, and nobody dances like her. I told her when we were together for the first time, “I can’t believe I waited 49 years to work with you.” That’s how I felt about it. Where has she been all my life?
Are there are elements in “The Music Man” that feel more profound to you in 2022 than they would if the show had made it to Broadway at a less volatile time for the world?
It’s a story about two people who were never going to find someone who get a last chance at love, and how they form a found, blended family. I’m very moved by that. I also find it beautifully American. As a chosen American, I chose to live here and I chose my citizenship. There’s a beautiful red, white and blue patriotism to the show that I just adore. It’s a safe place to go and have two and a half hours of happiness.
You’re also directing a new musical, “Harmony,” with music by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman. What can we expect from that show?
It’s small in comparison to “The Music Man” — we’ve got a cast of about 20 people — and it’s a very beautiful true story. It’s about three Jews and three gentiles that come together and form a harmonizing singing group in Germany. They became more famous than the Beatles. They tour the world, they make movies, and then World War II happens. They make this beautiful harmonious sound in the middle of a world that’s very chaotic around them.
Nobody writes a melody like Barry Manilow. The score is gorgeous, and Bruce Sussman is a very smart lyricist. I have a history with them because I was in their musical “Copacabana” in London’s West End in 1994, so these two fellows have been in my life a lot. Finally, we’re all downtown and in the trenches together.
What’s left on your bucket list?
I’d love to direct a straight play on Broadway. I’ve got one in mind, and I have a wonderful producer. It’s about a really dynamic relationship ― a marriage, really ― and that relationship is messy and wonderful. I think I could deliver that. So now I’m clawing my way toward that dream, too.
Your name has become synonymous with modern interpretations of classic musicals. What would you say it is about the language of those shows that speaks to you most?
If MGM were still making movie musicals, I’d be living in California and making them! Those actors were my role models, the people I admired most, and that was the work I aspired to do. So to be able to be a part of these classic Broadway revivals feels like the right fit. I’m able to appreciate the work, dust it off in some cases, freshen it up for a new generation.
That’s really what happened with “The Music Man.” I approached it like a completely new production. Every step in every piece of choreography is original. All of the orchestrations are new. So it’s a good balance of old and new for me.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.