BY MICHAEL MUSTO | I saw the late legend Chita Rivera in Broadway shows and cabaret concerts many times, and every time, it was a master class in talent, precision, and charm. Chita could even turn a small nightclub into the Winter Garden with her economy of movement and brilliance of style. And so, it’s perfectly fitting that the premiere awards for Broadway dance and choreography are named after her. This year’s Chita Rivera Awards will be held at the NY Skirball Center on Monday, May 18 (with the always verve-acious Ann-Margret getting the Lifetime Achievement Award). At a reception recently held at Bond 45, I got to chat with some of the agile nominees.
CONSTANTINE ROUSOULI AND LAYTON WILLIAMS (Titanique) | Constantine, what did you take from Leonardo DiCaprio for your performance as Jack, the poverty stricken artist? “I took the ‘90s hair and the, ‘Oh-my-God-I’m-so-excited-to-be-here’ expression. Then I twisted it around the insane tornado that is Constantine Rousouli!” [laughs]
And you, Layton, play Tina Turner as the iceberg. Impressive! And you’re sort of RuPaul at another point. “And I play Peabo and the “seaman”…I play the most roles of the night. I’m always running and changing.” Are you playing it more like an iceberg or like Tina? “A bit of both! She’s an icy bitch.” [laughs]
CHRISTOPHER GATTELLI (Schmigadoon! director/choreographer) | Hi, Christopher. I know that, in adapting the first of your two seasons, you re-envisioned the project from small screen to the stage. What changed? “The season was eight episodes, then they cut it to six. So for the musical, we were able to develop the interconnections between the characters more. We got to deepen the story. On the show, Aaron Tveit (as carnival barker Danny Bailey) never came back. We changed that. And on the show, the dream ballet had been cut, so it was nice to put it back in.” Ann Harada is the only cast member holdover from the show, right? “Yes. We love them all [the entire streaming cast], but they’re busy. But I feel the chips fell where they needed to! I’m so happy.”
MAX CLAYTON (Schmigadoon!) | Hi, Max. Is your pivotal role of Danny based on Billy Bigelow from Carousel? “Yes, he’s like a hybrid of Curly from Oklahoma! and Billy Bigelow, and for Broadway, they amped him up with some [hints of] Gene Kelly roles.” I felt like your songs score not only in the satirical context, but they could also work as just plain songs. “Thank you!”
SYDNEY JAMES HARCOURT (CATS: The Jellicle Ball) | Congrats, Sydney. Your Rum Tum Tugger is really something. “Thank you. I wanted him to be sort of a Black pop icon, like Prince or Usher, who can challenge the norm of what’s expected of masculine stars. And to feel no shame, just rapid joy. There’s a joyful expression of movement. Dance is essential to the performance. There’s a sensuality and a confidence. Dance is something that for macho men is usually forbidden. But to move is…liberating. It helped free me as a boy.” Wait, you were bullied? “Yes! I was 230 pounds and had terrible acne in middle school. Later, entering the dance floor of a gay club and seeing [dance diva] Kevin Aviance perform…it changed my life. Tugger is very club kid youth.” You were a club kid? I probably knew you! “I was Cashetta’s drag magician, I worked with Candis Cayne, I sang with Joey Arias and Raven Oh at Bar d’O…” OMG! Please write a book!
ISABELLE MCCALLA (Schmigadoon!) | Hello, Isabelle. Isn’t your schoolteacher character, Emma Tate, a little bit reminiscent of Marian the librarian from The Music Man? “Yes. She’s a lot like Marian and a little like Anna from The King and I, but if those parts were played by Chita Rivera!” I love it! What does dance mean to you as a form of expression? “Dance is the art form that made me believe I could do this career. It’s the first thing that ignited passion in me.”
ANI TAJ (The Rocky Horror Show choreographer) | Congrats, Ani! What was your biggest challenge in reviving Rocky Horror? “The challenge is that everyone has a feeling and an association of what they expect when they walk in the door, and they’re all correct. And we wanted to find a way to honor what they were expecting and also make discoveries.” The cast members are all different as far as dancing training, right? “The beautiful, diverse cast all dance in different ways,” she smiled. “[Original Rocky director] Jim Sharman said in the new documentary that it should feel less like a Broadway show and more like people dancing at a party.” And they came to you because…? “Well, I’ve spent a lot of time creating dances that feel like parties and parties that feel like dances!”
MICHAEL MUSTO | Musto is a columnist, pop cultural and political pundit, NYC nightlife chronicler, author, and the go-to gossip responsible for the long-running (1984-2013) Village Voice column, “La Dolce Musto.” His work appears on ChelseaCommunityNews.com, W42ST, and other sites. Follow Musto on Instagram, via @michaelmusto.
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