Nicholas Christopher Featured In Interview
Nicholas Christopher, who is starring as Soviet chess champion Anatoly Sergievsky in the Broadway revival of Chess, has been featured in an interview with Playbill, reflecting on his career, background and approach to performance.
Despite headlining a major Broadway production, Christopher he said he maintains a light perspective on the profession.
“I don’t take what we do seriously, but I take how I do it seriously,” he said.
“It’s goofy, what we do – we put on other people’s clothes, we say other people’s words, and somebody tells us where to stand.
“And when we all collaborate in the right way, then theatre and the arts can change the world.”
He added: “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I take myself seriously in that because I don’t.”
The role marks Christopher’s first time originating a leading character on Broadway, following years as a prominent understudy and replacement performer in productions such as Hamilton, Little Shop of Horrors and Sweeney Todd.
He was cast after director Michael Mayer saw him perform in Sweeney Todd.
“Michael saw Sweeney and was like, ‘Oh, maybe this guy could handle a Russian dialect,’” Christopher said.
In the interview, Christopher also spoke about his early life in Bermuda, where he was born in Hamilton, before moving to the United States at age seven.
“I have very vivid memories of my childhood,” he said. “So, Bermuda always symbolises home in my childhood.”
Christopher said theatre became both a creative refuge and a way to follow his father’s path.
“My dad did it, and I think in order to feel close to my dad, I wanted to do what he did,” he said.
Reflecting on the emotional themes of Chess, he added: “I’m singing a song that’s about, ‘I have love for my country, even if my country doesn’t have love for me.’”
You can read the full story here on the Playbill website.
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