left heel?” And they say, “Doesn’t matter, just do any one.” Especially in group numbers, whenever there isn’t specificity, that’s when it ends up looking a bit sloppy. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t go into rehearsals expecting the creative team to work in a certain way, but specificity means a lot to me. Perhaps because I am a Type A personality. I have already experienced working with Scott when we were talking about scenes and character during Holiday Inn. I already know his style to a certain extent, so I’m looking forward to experiencing his depth of knowledge again. I’m very happy that I’m working with a creative team filled with talented and intelligent heavy hitters.


TS: What about the music director? CB: They are very important, especially with Cole Porter. Porter’s music has wit and complexity. I think it’s going to be that same aspect of specificity I mentioned earlier, in understanding what the words mean and how they pertain to what’s happening on stage. Porter uses words that aren’t being used much these days. He was a pioneer in pushing boundaries. He wasn’t afraid to stir the pot.


TS: Do you consider the score of Kiss Me, Kate to be part of the American Songbook? What do you think is the modern audience’s attraction to it? CB: I definitely think Cole Porter’s work is part of the American Songbook. There is always a levity I feel when I listen to these great American classics. It’s hard to describe. It’s almost ethereal. Every time I listen to the songs of that era, I feel as if I’m in a dream. I think part of the dream is being able to escape. There are elements of our modern times that are difficult to face, and I think audiences love being able to walk into the theatre and spend two-and- a-half hours experiencing joy. I think it is a reprieve for most people. I think it’s dangerous to run away from your problems, but I also do not think it’s healthy to live in that muck 24/7. You need time to rest, and the American Songbook gives us that.


Will Chase and Corbin Bleu in Kiss Me, Kate


TS: Is diversity in casting important to you? CB: It’s very important to me. I think the issue of diversity is something we all need to continue working at and talking about. We won’t make progress unless we keep it at the forefront of our minds. I don’t think every single project has to cast a certain quota of black people, or Asian people, or Latino people, because when you approach it that way, it just becomes obvious. I do think that when you look at the talent in our community, it is varied from race to race and color to color, and because that variation reflects who lives in the country, it makes sense to cast a talented and diverse cast. I grew up watching all the old musical films, and there weren’t really people who looked like me playing the leads in them. I wondered what it would’ve been like if somebody like me was playing those roles. Now that I am getting to play some of these roles onstage, I hope there are kids of color who are seeing these shows, seeing someone who looks like them and perhaps thinking that they can do it, too.


TS: Do you have any advice for young people who say they want to be in the acting profession? CB: It’s hard work, and you have to remember that. Continue reading, continue learning, and don’t forget that part of our job is to play other people, to live the lives of others onstage. If you don’t allow yourself everything that life has to offer, you are cutting yourself short. You need to live life fully in order to understand who these people you are attempting to play really are. I acted in a film entitled Sugar, and I played a guy who was on the spectrum and was homeless. The director wrote the project based on his own personal experience. I spent a few nights sleeping outside among that community.


So many of them came from families who shunned them for various reasons. They didn’t have any support system and found a new family of sorts on the streets. Because of that experience, I found myself understanding aspects of human life that I never would have understood otherwise.


Also, don’t forget to have fun. Acting is perfect yin and yang, a perfect balance of hard work and play. The second you start to view it solely as work or as a grind, you will lose all the joy that’s in it.•


KISS ME, KATE UPSTAGE GUIDE 11


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