Gavin Creel's Page

Interview by Alina Gutierrez

Lucky me. I had the opportunity to interview Gavin Creel, star of the TONY winning revival of HAIR. But what else do I need to say? Gavin Creel needs no introduction...

TS: I just sat through both of your shows at Joe’s Pub on July 27. Tell me about what was going through your mind as you performed your new songs. GC: The Pub was a great night for Robbie and me. We wanted to try out some new material for the second album we are working on, and it had been a while since we had been able to get in the same room together to share the stuff (he had a baby and I... I guess I sort of had one too...HAIR). It was a great night. I felt quite naked at times, as I have never sung a lot of those songs in front of a crowd and shared some intimate thoughts with strangers. That first time is a lot of emotion. Loved it though.

TS: How does QUIET differ from Goodtimenation?
GC: QUIET (tentative title of the second record) is going to be a stripped back, acoustic, focused emotional peek into my frustrated head and heart. I am trying to use my music as an outlet for stuff I probably don’t take the time, or have the courage to deal with everyday. Our writing has gotten better, our material becomes simpler and simpler, and I think I am really speaking more clearly than I have ever before with my songs.

TS: You always talk about Robbie Roth and we’ve seen how talented he is. How did you meet him/start working together?
GC: The head of Sh-K-Boom records, Kurt Deutsch, introduced us five years ago and it was an instant connection. I just LIKE the guy. He’s a good man and ridiculously talented on top of that… But the fact that I LIKE him as a person is the most important part. That and I TRUST him. He’s taught me a ton and continues to keep me striving to be more honest, more open, and more focused. We are a good team.

TS: You, Jenny Kanelos and Rory O’Malley started Broadway Impact from the ground up. Now, it’s pretty prominent in the theater community. How do you feel about that?
GC: I think we haven’t even really begun. I am flattered that you say it is ‘pretty prominent’ but I feel like no one knows about us yet. We do as much as we can, given that we all have lives and full-time jobs of our own, but it all began as a common passion to get involved politically in this marriage equality fight and it is exciting to watch it grow.

TS: What has been your favorite moment of being involved in the fight for equality?
GC: I think when I was standing at that rally on May 17 and watching the governor speak. That was incredible… And having the HAIR cast there, volunteering their time in the middle of an exhausting five show weekend. Seeing the mayor and the governor and all those celebrities and politicians all standing around waiting to speak, like it was totally normal that they would be there....and thinking “Ten days ago this was just an idea.” Thank God for Tom Viola and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, is all I have to say.

TS: How does Broadway Theater differ from West End?
GC: Essentially, it is still theatre and it is still entertainment. The audiences are really different. They are more reserved over there. It is nice because then when they DO stand up for you at the end of the show, you really feel like you have earned it. But I do love our unashamed Americans who vocalize their feelings and joy. I missed that being over in London. But that was about all I missed. Oh and the air conditioning. They don’t air condition their theatres over there. That was hell.

TS: How did you prepare for the role of Claude?
GC: With every part, I read the script over and over and pull my answers from there. I find the parts that really excite me and then I think, “Why is the character into this or that?” “Where did it come from?” It is a fun thing to do when you love the part. (And I try to only do parts that I love)

TS: Do you have any pre-stage rituals? How do you get in the Claude mindset?
GC: Will (Swenson) and I have a couple tiny rituals. I also always need a left jeans pocket with four Altoids. Other than stretching and warming up vocally though, not much else.

TS: HAIR is obviously a very moving theatrical piece. How do you feel when you see the way people react to it?
GC: I feel honored to be in something that is causing people to react like they are. It makes people think, emote, yell, laugh, become a part of the total experience. I am just honored to be in it.

TS: What has been your worst on stage flop?
GC: Forgetting the entire second verse to the FLESH FAILURES in HAIR. That blew.

TS: Tell me about growing up in Ohio.
GC: Ohio was a very ‘normal’ place. I say that because I just felt like...you know... everyone else. It wasn’t until I left for college that I really realized (thankfully) that there were so many more types of people out there in the world and there is room for all of us.

TS: I religiously watch the Eloise movies every Christmas (even before I even realized you were in them.) How was it working with Julie Andrews?
GC: Julie Andrews is everything you would dream her to be- A total pro, kind, gracious, amazing to watch and royal. I loved being in the same room with her, let alone playing scenes in a movie with her. That is something I will cherish forever.

TS: Do you read Harry Potter?
GC: I read the first five books and deliberately didn’t read the sixth because I figured I would try seeing the movie before knowing what happened, just to see. I have yet to see the movie....

TS: Which performer would you kill to work with?
GC: Toni Collette and Kate Winslet. I want to do a musical with both of them.

TS: Which role (that you’ve already played) would you like to go back to if you had the chance?
GC: Bert in POPPINS on Broadway.

TS: What are your recommendations for Broadway eats? (Good restaurants around the theater district for those who want to go to dinner before a show)
GC: 5 Napkin Burger, Virgil’s Barbecue, Café 1.2.3., 44 & X and Westway Diner.