You do not expect a conversation about musical theatre to veer into a discussion about Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.
But then Broadway leading man Andy Karl, currently in Brisbane starring in Beetlejuice The Musical, starts talking in a thick Austrian accent. His Arnie is perfect and he is planning a musical about the muscular movie megastar. He will star as Arnie and that’s fair enough because Andy Karl is, well, cut. He works out and it looks like he does.
He has already played another action star, Sylvester Stallone, in Rocky the Musical. Karl learned to box for that role, and his Stallone drawl is rather good, too.
What’s that got to do with Beetlejuice The Musical, you ask? Well, it is a measure of the man who is the star, taking over from Eddie Perfect who wrote the music for the show.
“Eddie is fantastic and he and I are of a similar stature,” Karl tells me over lunch at Donna Chang in Brisbane‘s CBD. “In a police line-up you might have trouble picking us out. He’s a great guy, very creative and very funny. I have a lot to live up to.”
Karl is best known for his stage work in Groundhog Day, Rocky the Musical, Pretty Woman the Musical, Legally Blonde the Musical and Moulin Rouge!.
Joining the company for the Brisbane and Perth seasons to play Beetlejuice The Musical’s Barbara Maitland will be acclaimed Australian performer Jenni Little, while original cast member Elise McCann takes parental leave.
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Karl and Elise McCann (who met on stage in Groundhog Day) have recently announced their engagement and are expecting their first child this year. Soon. He beams talking about her and the baby on the way. The couple will divide their time between here and the US.
“Somehow we make it work through a lot of love and American Airlines points,” he says. Nice.
Karl is one of Broadway’s most acclaimed leading men, with a career spanning more than two decades across theatre, television, film and international productions. A three-time Tony Award nominee and Olivier Award winner, Karl is celebrated for his versatility, athletic performances and commanding stage presence.
He made his Broadway debut in Saturday Night Fever before going on to star in major productions including 9 to 5, Wicked, Jersey Boys, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Into the Woods and now Beetlejuice The Musical.
He earned widespread acclaim for originating the title role in Rocky the Musical, which brought him his first Tony Award nomination, followed by nominations for On the Twentieth Century and his celebrated performance as Phil Connors in Groundhog Day.
His portrayal of Connors earned him the Laurence Olivier Award for best actor in a musical and established him as one of the most respected performers in contemporary musical theatre.
Known for combining dramatic depth, comedy and extraordinary physicality, Karl has become a favourite among theatre audiences worldwide. Beyond Broadway, he has appeared in television series including Law & Order: SVU and has performed in major productions across London’s West End, Australia, Asia and North America.
He grew up in Baltimore, a city most of us aren’t that familiar with unless you are a John Waters fan. He’s from Baltimore. What’s it like?
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“It has a lot to offer but at first glance it’s not obvious,” he says. “There’s a great sign on the highway when you are leaving … it says, Baltimore, I kind of liked it.
“It all started for me there in a high school production of L’il Abner, which is pretty obscure. I played the villain, General Bullmoose. I said something, got a laugh and once I got that laugh it was like, OK, this is for the rest of my life.” And it is.
‘What I love about this show is that if you are not a true musical theatre fan, it doesn’t matter’
His resume includes a lot of musicals that are out of the ordinary. Before coming to Brisbane, he was starring in a slightly off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors. I share with him that I struggle with some musicals. It’s an open secret.
“I only do musicals that people like you will like,” he says. “What I love about this show is that if you are not a true musical theatre fan, it doesn’t matter.”
Beetlejuice The Musical is based on the 1988 Academy Award-winning Geffen Company motion picture with story by Michael McDowell and Larry Wilson. This smash-hit cult comedy was directed by Tim Burton.
It tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager obsessed with the whole “being dead thing”. Lucky for Lydia, her new house is haunted by a recently deceased couple and a degenerate demon – played by Karl – with a thing for stripes. When Lydia calls on this ghost-with-the-most to scare away her insufferable parents, Beetlejuice comes up with the perfect plan, which involves exorcism, an adorable girl scout who gets scared out of her wits and a whole (nether)world of pandemonium.
In other words it is good family fun, depending on your family.
The musical is directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge!, Just in Time ), with an original score by Tony Award-nominee Eddie Perfect (King Kong), a book by Scott Brown and Emmy Award nominee Anthony King (Broad City), choreography by Connor Gallagher (The Robber Bridegroom) and music supervision, orchestrations and incidental music by Kris Kukul (Joan of Arc: Into the Fire).
The Australian production was awarded four Green Room Awards, including outstanding production and outstanding new Australian writing for Eddie Perfect.
Karl is a bit of a newbie to the Beetlejuice role, although he has played it once before for a short season of 10 performances in Abu Dhabi last Christmas.
“Musicals are a bit of a new thing over there,” he says. “I think we were the third musical to play there.”
Previews have already begun at QPAC with a glittering opening night on June 12. It should be fun if a show that’s largely about death can be regarded that way.
“To be able to laugh at death and accept it is a good thing,” he says, “And Beetlejuice is a musical that makes fun of itself from the very beginning. It’s very tongue-in-cheek and that first act … it’s a roller coaster.”
And he wants everyone to get on board. And we can’t wait to see how he goes with that musical about The Terminator. One thing is for sure. He’ll be back.
Beetlejuice The Musical plays the Lyric Theatre, QPAC, until August 2.
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