Interview with Tony Yazbeck on On the Town
Tony Yazbeck, who plays Tulsa in “Gypsy,” will take on the lead role of Gabey next week in the Encores! revival of Leonard Bernstein’s sailor musical “On the Town.” He plays opposite his real life girlfriend Jessica Lee Goldyn.
Q: What’s it like to do “Gypsy” and “On the Town” at the same time?
A: The first week of rehearsal was tough, but “Gypsy” hasn’t been the hardest show I’ve ever done. I only have a 15-minute song and dance scene. My body is holding up, but there’s a lot more dancing in “On the Town” than I expected.
Q: How well did you know “On the Town” beforehand?
A: I’ve never seen a stage production. Only the Gene Kelly movie. I was really surprised at how different the show is from the movie. I thought it was a happy-go-lucky musical, but it’s actually a big show set in World War II that’s sad in the end. These sailors just met women that they care about and then have to leave them.
Q: What will the choreography be like?
A: Three dance numbers will use Jerome Robbins’ exact choreography. For the rest, Warren Carlyle has taken Robbins’ ideas and made them his own. And all the show’s ballets are being completely staged. It’s pretty intense.
Q: What’s your character like?
A: Gabey has this childlike dream of falling in love. Then he realizes how Manhattan is a place that that’s big but can be so lonely, which is something I feel is so true to heart.
New York City Center, 130 West 55th St, 212-581-1212, $25-95. Nov 19-23.
