Broadway Kidz Online had the chance to interview Nick Spangler, one of New York City's brightest new stars.  Nick is currently appearing as Matt in the off-broadway musical The Fantasticks.  Nick has also appeared as The Mute in the same production, as well as starring in many regional productions.                                                    

                                                     Nick Spangler as The Mute in The Fantasticks

Broadway Kidz Online:  The Fantasticks is the world's longest running musical.  How do you keep a show that has been running for that long fresh?

Nick Spangler:  Let’s see, the original production of The Fantasticks was the worlds longest running musical. It ran for 42 years but closed in 2002. The production I’m a part of is the first New York revival of the show. To be honest, keeping it “fresh” is quite simple. Listen to the other people on stage, stay present and active, and for heaven’s sake PLAY. If you just let a scene play, your performance evolves on its own. Other than that, the audience is a big key. They are the main ingredient that changes from performance to performance, and in a theater as small as ours, it’s easy to feed off of their energy.

BKO:  What's a normal day at the theater like for you? How do you get ready and excited for a performance?

NS:  We don’t have to officially arrive at the theater until 30 minutes prior to the show. That’s your “half hour call.” I generally show up at half hour and relax in the greenroom for 10 or fifteen minutes since commuting down to the theater from my apartment can be hectic sometimes. Then I get dressed and do the show basically! At intermission I try to relax by reading a book or doing something on my computer.

It’s pretty easy to get excited for a show. Simply performing nightly in New York City has its own novelty and exciting aspects, especially to a performer of my age. But lacking that, even if I’m having a terrible day, or I’m a little tired or something all I have to do is take a moment before I walk onstage and think, “I truly have the best job there is.” I imagine people who work 9-5, or people who resent there jobs, and there’s no room for a negative thought in my head. I feel truly blessed to be (currently) successful in this profession.

BKO:  Your character doesn't have any lines during the show.  How do you manage to create an engaging character with such stage presence without being able to speak?

NS:  Well actually, as of Monday I took over the role of “Matt” so I will be performing that character every night from now on. But when I was the Mute, my character was born out of the necessity of his presence. The Mute is a very integral part of the show. He has to be spot on with everything he does, exactly in the right place at the right time. He has to be present without being obtrusive, and a little mysterious in his comings and goings. Honestly, if you take away an actors words, he has no other choice to but become engaging in his entire being. Also, as The Mute is a bit of an observer and watches about 90 percent of the show, as I sat there I began to develop strong opinions and points-of-view on every character in the show, every word they say, and every event that takes place. If there is one thing people love to see, it’s a strong opinion of someone else.

BKO:  The Snapple Theater is a great venue.  What are the challenges of acting in such an intimate theater?

NS:  Ah yes, the illustrious Snapple Theater. I love working in that space. Especially with The Fantasticks! as it would lose so much of its magic in a bigger theater. The challenges are pretty straightforward. We have a VERY low ceiling, which creates difficulties with lighting, and just makes the space feel even smaller than it is. The front row of the audience is virtually ONSTAGE with us, and a lot of action happens right at their feet. This is difficult if they are uncomfortable with actors being that close (sometimes a front-rower gets so uncomfortable they literally look straight down at the floor for the entire performance!) And sometimes we get audience members who are from a… um… more mature age range, and we often have people full on sleeping in the front row! It would only be mildly distracting, but when they start to snore it can really be a problem for concentration. And of course, we only have ONE entrance onto the stage (unless it’s through the house) so that can be a bit of a pain.

BKO:  Have there been any funny mistakes or mishaps during the show?

NS:  Oh absolutely. Actually, last night while I was playing Matt, I was performing the song “Soon it’s Gonna Rain” with Luisa, and I stood up from an embrace with her and began my next line when I heard her give a small yelp of surprise. When I looked back I saw that I had caught her hair completely wrapped around one of the buttons on my sweater and we had to take a moment to untangle it!

But for the most part, much as I love the guy, our flubs come along by way of Mr. Burke Moses, who plays El Gallo. Most memorably for me as The Mute was a time when he was supposed to make an entrance and The Old Actor says to him, “I suppose that about does it, I think we’d better hide.” However, Burke never made his entrance, so Tom Jones (playing the Old Actor) says his line and waits, and nothing happens. I’m the only other one onstage, so Tom looks at me and says, “Where do you think he is?” Of course, being The Mute I can hardly reply… So I shrug and Tom says, “Why don’t you go get him.” Just as I get offstage, however, Burke makes a thundering entrance from a door in the theater that isn’t even a real entrance, but is just a door leading to our green room. Now I have to do a 180 and get back onstage for my next cue. Thanks a lot Moses…

 BKO: Do you have any future plans you can share with us?  What roles would you like to play in the future?

NS:  I have no immediate plans for the future. I continue to audition of course, as no one can ever know the fate of their show in the coming months. (Unless you’re in Wicked and you know your show will NEVER close.) I would love to play several roles currently on Broadway. I’d love to be Melchior in Spring Awakening, Link Larkin in Hairspray, Fiyero in Wicked, and someday Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys. But I have a little growing up to do before then. Until that day though, I’m content to play “The Boy.”

BKO:  What advice would you give to kids hoping to go into show business?

Thanks very much to Nick Spangler for giving such a great interview!

To learn more about Nick, please visit his website

Back to stagetalk