THE ROAD I TOOK
BY PHILIP QUAST AO
27 NOVEMBER
About
HotHouse Theatre in collaboration with Albury Entertainment Centre presents
Off the back of his sold-out West End tour, musical theatre royalty Philip Quast, three-time winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, shares the journey of his life in a musical cabaret retrospective. From Les Miserables to Mary Poppins, Sweeney Todd to Sunday in the Park with George, South Pacific to Into the Woods, Philip Quast has performed iconic roles all over the world.
Filled with heart and humour, Philip always has his audience laughing and crying in turn. What a special opportunity for our local audiences to hear Philip’s marvellous acclaimed voice right here in the Albury Entertainment Centre and being treated to behind-the-scenes stories, thoughts and events that helped shape the country boy turned international performer’s life. A show that promises to be unique with every performance, guided by Philip’s interaction with the audience. A special season event not to be missed
Event InfoRMATION
90 minutes, no interval
Thurs 27 November | One Night Only 7:30pm
Venue: Albury Entertainment Centre
Creative Director Lindy Hume asks Philip Quast 10 Questions
1. You were born in Tamworth. Tell us some more about your memories of growing up in regional Australia?
It’s connected to my singing. I spent a lot of time alone and turned everything into a game. If I was ploughing on a tractor, I would imagine I was on a boat and sang sea shanties. I listened to (American Musical star) Gordon MacRea and I loved Oklahoma, so I tried to mimic him. Because in the country you’re in an open space, you can make loud sounds so I found a way of singing big and openly because no one could hear me.
2. Were you desperate to get away from Tamworth to go to NIDA?
No, I found Sydney very difficult. I’d been to Armadale University where I met my wife, and I always missed the country, always missed the solitude. When you’re alone you’ve got time to think. That’s why I love fishing and being out at sea on my boat. I get that same feeling. Suburbia was terrible for me. I like to be right in the middle of the city or right out of it.
3. Who was in your NIDA cohort?
When I was in 1st year, Mel (Gibson) and Judy (Davis) were in 3rd year. People like Peter Cousens, Linda Cropper, John Howard they were in that era. The amazing Tyler Coppin. We never, never missed a class!
4. Your audition for Javert is famous – tell me about that.
I had played Bernstein’s Candide directed by John Bell, which needs a beautiful tenor sound, and Cameron Mackintosh came to see it, and he remembered me and asked me to audition for Les Mis which needed a completely different voice. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, I walked in, I tried to sing this high note in Do You Hear the People Sing?, I tried again and couldn’t do it, I tried a third time and blew it. I was so embarrassed, I grabbed the music off the piano, turned to the composers and snapped ‘if you wanted to hear how f**king high I could sing, you should have asked me to sing scales!” and stormed out. And they all looked at each other and said to each other “Javert!”, because I’d turned so nasty! They ran after me calling “Come back!”
5. What happened next?
Then I had to sing for Trevor (Nunn, Les Miserables’ director). I remembered Nunn’s production of the Scottish play at the RSC when he was artistic director and thought ‘I’d do anything to work with that guy.’ So I did Les Miserables in Sydney and Trevor invited me to join the West End cast, and while I was there, I auditioned for Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George. (Lindy’s note: Georges Seurat was the role for which Quast won the first of his THREE Olivier Awards as Best Actor in a Musical. I only mention this because Phil doesn’t.)
6. It’s not outrageous to say that Javert was the role that changed the trajectory of your life?
Yes, that’s true but what really changed the trajectory was the Les Mis 10th Anniversary Concert and it rated so highly, higher than the 3 Tenors, and I got 60,000 fan letters overnight. It was extraordinary. I got swamped!
7. I saw you in London in Sunday in the Park with George I became a total Quast fangirl. How was it working with the great Stephen Sondheim?
My score has his notes are all over it, cos I couldn’t read music. Everything about his writing is kinaesthetic, he showed me how we wrote the little moment when Todd is lathering up the soap for the shave – he got a shaving brush and a mug and worked out the rhythm from the physicality of the action. It was the same with George’s pointillist painting for Sunday in the Park. In Sweeney, he knew the table had to be two yards from the chair. I worked with Sondheim at least four or five times after that.
8. OK, let’s pivot to Playschool!
Singularly, (and Noni would agree with me), Playschool is still the most important thing in my acting life. (Lindy’s note: This is a big surprise to me – why?) You have to be real; you have to find a version of you, you have to speak literally right down to the camera, it’s like Shakespeare, you always have to imagine the kids’ response to what you’re saying. So the kids are always teaching you, Playschool taught me that the audience is teaching you, they’re way ahead of you, you have to play with them and trick them at every chance. So I’d do Playschool in the daytime, even when I was doing Les Mis, for 17 years.
9. In your career you’ve straddled the world of being a great music theatre actor and a ‘real’ actor. You’ve performed not just Shakespeare, but Chekhov and Ibsen.
I’ve always sought out really good directors (Lindy’s note: he’s worked with most of my UK director heroes, and I note they’re all men: Trevor Nunn, Nick Hyntner, Adrian Noble, Stephen Pimlott, Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Dominic Cooke). I’m one of those actors who doesn’t believe in characters as such, but in finding the autobiographical part of yourself in those roles. I’m really attracted to narrative, and I reckon that comes from listening to Country and Western! I had challenges with jumping from a musical to Shakespeare, people would say I’d sing the Shakespeare.
10. What are you looking forward to in Albury?
I’m coming because Richard Roxburgh said I must! My mother was born in Henty and I’ve always loved the Murray. I just love it, all that history! And any opportunity to work with Anne Marie (McDonald, Quast’s accompanist, herself a formidable performer!) – we might even do a bit of Playschool!
ARTISTS & CREATIVES
WRITER & PERFORMER
Philip Quast
CONTENT WARNING
CONTENT ADVICE
Adult themes, mild language and reference to drug use.
Further detail can be provided by contacting HotHouse Theatre on 02 6021 7433.
