On The Road: Nick Cartell
Today's On The Road interview features Broadway actor Nick Cartell. Nick is an Arizona native and majored in Theatre at Arizona State University. He was on the road in 2013 with the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera and has been on Broadway in Jesus Christ Superstar, Scandalous, and Cirque du Soleil Paramour! Nick is currently starring as the legendary character Jean Valjean in the national tour revival of Les Miserables. I love this interview and am so excited for you all to get to know my new friend!
How long have you been a performer?
I have been a performer for as long as I can remember, but I have been very fortunate to be able to do this professionally for 18 years.
What was the first show you ever saw that changed your life?
It has to have been the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera when it toured through Tempe, Arizona. I had received the CD for Christmas that year and was obsessed with the show, so to finally be able to see it live and with all the effects was incredible!
Was there an exact moment when you knew that you wanted to perform on Broadway?
I don’t know if there was an exact moment where something struck me, but the first time I visited NYC I knew that it was where I wanted to be.
What is your favorite show you've ever worked on?
I’m sort of split on this answer. Jesus Christ Superstar, which was my Broadway debut, was unique and thrilling in that I had to join a show that was pretty much already set and had no choice but jump in and run with it, plus…it was my BROADWAY DEBUT!! The other would be Les Misérables. The process of rehearsing and putting this show on its feet and being able to put my own stamp on Valjean has been amazingly rewarding.
Do you think that your time touring with The Phantom of the Opera prepared you for this demanding schedule?
Of course it did. 5 show weekends are no joke, Friday night, 2 shows on Saturday, 2 shows on Sunday is a very demanding schedule. I definitely need more sleep now than I did with Phantom, because the physical and vocal requirements of the role demand so much more from me.
How did it feel the night you made your Broadway debut in Jesus Christ Superstar?
It was AMAZING! The way that show started was with the entire company walking downstage in a line, saying “here we are, you are coming with us on this journey.” The night I made my Broadway debut, 27 others made theirs on the same stage, and it is a moment I will never forget.
People usually only talk about big Broadway hits - so I want to know what it was like being in a show (Scandalous) that only lasted about two months? Do you think Hurricane Sandy truly caused the premature closing notice?
Scandalous was a great experience. First, to work with Kathie Lee Gifford, Carolee Carmello, George Hearn and the rest of the amazing cast was fantastic, but to also to go through the process of opening a new work on Broadway, with all that that entails, was new to me, so I learned a lot. I think that Hurricane Sandy did play a factor in our closing, it sort of hurt a lot of shows at that time, but I don’t think it was the only reason we closed. Not every show that makes it to Broadway is gonna be a hit, but no one can say that we didn’t make it.
What is the most interesting day at work you've ever had?
Probably was on Les Miz. It was the day of our sitz probe, the first time that we sang the show with our orchestra, and we all gathered on stage to get ready to start. Our director, James, was in the house and explained what we were gonna do and how the rehearsal would work, and then at the end of it he said…”Oh let me also introduce a couple other people here today…Claude Michael-Schönberg and Alain Boublil.” They WROTE Les Miz. There I was, singing this work for these two men who wrote it over 30 years ago…DREAM COME TRUE.
Who is the coolest celebrity you’ve ever met at work?
I would probably have to say Andrew Lloyd Webber. He surprised the company of JCS after a matinee and I was introduced and was able to shake his hand. My inner music theatre nerd was freaking out!!
Pictured with Josh Davis who plays his nemesis. Click here for Josh's OTR interview.
I am obsessed with the fact that you met your wife while working together at Disney Tokyo. Was falling in love in a foreign country AND at Disney as magical as it sounds?
Yeah, it was pretty great. What was crazy was that we had both been there 2 years prior, but never met. We had worked in the same park, lived on the same floor and even had the same days off, but never crossed paths. When we returned a couple years later, we met in the currency exchange line at Tokyo Narita Airport. I would say the rest is history, but she claims I played “hard to want”; I just say I was taking my time. (This is his wife, Christine, I’m proofreading for him: HE DID play hard to want!) Whatever version of history you choose to believe, we have been together ever since and in November we celebrate 10 years of wedded bliss.
What has been your most memorable moment on tour so far?
While we were in tech for Les Miz, the principal cast was called for a rehearsal with our music director before we started our onstage work. When we all got there, we met in the MD dressing room and there was Claude-Michel and we had a work session with him. Just him, our MD and my fellow actors. Getting notes, sharing stories of how these songs came to be, and a memory I will never forget.
Do you have any special rituals or moments that happen backstage before or during the show each night?
All the men start onstage at the top of the show. We set up behind the black drop and before every show I go around and bump fists with all the guys. It is my moment of saying…here we go, see you out there and a nonverbal way of saying that I have their back. This is an amazing company and I am so fortunate to be out there on stage with them each night.
What are some items you absolutely can't live without backstage?
#1 Water bottle (I probably drink 4-5 of them a show)
#2 Grethers (the throat drop that is made out of fruit juice and glycerin)
#3 My fan (it gets warm backstage and onstage and then add our wool coats…I need it believe me)
What is your favorite thing about your job?
Getting to sing these songs and portray this complex character each night. Getting to perform onstage with my friends and tour family and bringing this amazing piece of theatre across the country.
What is the most challenging part of being an actor on tour?
Being away from my wife. It’s a sacrifice that we both have to make, and I’m grateful that we are able to be supportive of each other’s dreams and careers, even if we can’t be together all the time. We did it for two-and-a-half years with Phantom and now I am back out on the road with Les Miz. It isn’t always easy, especially when we’re in different time zones, and while we make it work with FaceTime and WhatsApp, nothing beats being with her in person.
What is your favorite fun fact about Les Mis?
That the authors conceived the idea to create the show after seeing a production of Oliver. The Artful Dodger reminded them of Gavroche from the novel and that’s how the whole musical started to develop.
What is your favorite number to perform in your show?
Bring Him Home! The day before my final callback from Les Miz, I lost my mom to Ovarian Cancer. She had been battling the disease for 6 years and when my dad called at the beginning of the week and said that it wouldn’t be long I said I was coming home. My dad and mom said NO. They told me that this could be a life-changing moment and that they supported me and wanted me to be there and do this callback and here we are. I truly believe that I had an angel on my shoulder that day. Singing that song every night really makes it a full-circle moment. Not only for the character of Valjean, singing about Marius, this boy who will protect Cosette, but the sacrifices that Valjean makes for him to keep him alive. I think about my mom and the sacrifices that she made, not only as an incredible mother to me, but also during her treatment to come and see me in performances across the country and on Broadway. It’s a special moment that I look forward to each night.
You played Marius in Les Mis almost ten years ago. Did you aspire back then to one day play Valjean?
This has always been a role that I have wanted to play, did I think that back then I would be playing it right now…NO, but I definitely hoped that I would play it one day.
What is your favorite thing about playing Jean Valjean?
Portraying a man that takes a full journey from being completely broken at the beginning to finding forgiveness and trying to make the world around him better.
What is your favorite part about telling this story every night?
The fact that I GET to tell this story each night, that I have this privilege and responsibility. We’re inundated with so much change and injustice in our daily lives, that I’m grateful to be part of show that not only has the history that it has, but also its message. Standing up for what you believe in and making the world a better place is something that we all need in our lives right now.
What is it about this job that makes you come back each day?
The people and the show. Getting to work with my friends and tour family and getting the do this show each night is what brings be back each day. You can sing and act the most beautiful score imaginable, but without the right team, it’s not the same experience.
What is the best advice you've ever been given?
So I was in New York with my family for the very first time and I went to see Miss Saigon. Afterward I went to the stage door and I ask the guy that played Chris, who happened to be Matt Bogart, what advice would he give someone wanting to do this. He asked me If I listened to soundtracks, which I did, and then he said to keep it up. Keep listening and singing along, but to find my own way to sing it. Make the music and sound my own.
(Fun fact: I made my Broadway debut across the street from him while he was in Jersey Boys and eventually was able to thank him.)
What piece of advice would you give your 18 year old self?
Get into DANCE CLASS NOW and start working out NOW!!
What advice would you give to a young person who wants to pursue a career in the arts?
Never stop learning. If you want to do this you need to make yourself as marketable as possible. I still have an acting coach and I still take voice lessons. If you have a great voice and can act, but your dancing is not great…get into dance class and visa versa. It will only serve you in the long run.
FUN FACTS:
What was the first Broadway show you ever saw?
Victor/Victoria (I missed Julie Andrews by a week).
What is your favorite Broadway show you've ever seen?
UGH…That is so hard to say…I DON’T KNOW!! I just saw Cursed Child, which was pretty magical, so that’s my most recent favorite?
What is your favorite restaurant or bar that you've found on tour?
Wildberry and Girl and the Goat both in Chicago!
What is your favorite city you've visited on tour so far?
There are so many, but a few favorites are Greenville, Chicago, Nashville and of course my home town Tempe.
What is your favorite costume in Les Mis?
My barricade look in the show with the iconic red and blue military jacket.
What is your favorite costume you've ever worn?
I have to say that the costumes that I wear now are probably my favorite, it’s literally rags to riches.
Images by Sam Fathallah
Des Moines, Iowa
