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[0:01] Mo Brady: Here's to our prosperity, our good health and happiness, and most important, to life, to life, L'chaim!

[0:09] Mo Brady: You're listening to My First Time, a new miniseries from The Ensemblist. I'm Mo Brady.

[0:15] Mo Brady: Here's to my bride-to-be, drink L'chaim, to life, to life, L'chaim!

[0:22] Mo Brady: Welcome back to My First Time, where we're talking to Broadway stars who made their debuts in the ensemble to talk about why that experience helped shape them as the artists they are today.

[0:33] Mo Brady: As they've ascended up the title pages of our playbills and descended the towers of backstage dressing rooms to floors closer to stage level, I've been curious about whether they've considered their time doing ensemble work as formative or merely a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

[0:48] Mo Brady: Our second guest for this miniseries is Michael Berresse.

[0:51] Mo Brady: Michael Berresse made his Broadway debut 29 years ago in the ensemble of Fiddler on the Roof. Since then, he has performed in many Broadway shows, become a Tony nominee. He has directed a Broadway musical. He has performed on Broadway, playing the director of a Broadway musical. And in every experience I've had with Michael, he's been so articulate about his craft and his intentions. So I wanted to sit him down and ask him about this experience, his first time on Broadway. Here's my conversation with Michael Berresse.

[1:31] Mo Brady: Hi.

[1:32] Michael Berresse: Hi, Mo.

[1:33] Mo Brady: Will you introduce yourself and tell me what show you're currently doing?

[1:37] Michael Berresse: My name is Michael Berresse, and I am currently in The Cher Show. I play Bob Mackie and Robert Altman.

[1:43] Mo Brady: But you made your Broadway debut when and in what show?

[1:46] Michael Berresse: I made my Broadway debut in November of 1990 in the revival of Fiddler on the Roof starring Topol.

[1:56] Mo Brady: And so take us back to the summer of 1990 where you were before you went into that audition.

[2:02] Michael Berresse: Well, let's see. I didn't actually live in New York when I went into that audition. I had flown up from Florida where I was working at Disney. I was a kid of the kingdom. I started in California at Disneyland for the summer, and then I went to Florida and got a full year contract. And then I was I went to Japan as well. But I had come back to Florida and I was working as a choreographer and was still like swinging shows in the park. And I had gotten my equity card the prior summer at Pittsburgh CLO. And I decided just to go to New York for like the weekend to audition for something. So I stayed with my friend Franklin Barty on 14th Street, who amazingly is now what? The production stage manager of The Cher Show. We lost touch for like 20 years and now we're working together again every day. I stayed with him. I took the audition.

[2:53] Mo Brady: What do you remember about that audition process?

[2:55] Michael Berresse: Oh, my God. Well, this was in the days when Broadway chorus auditions looked a lot more like the movie version of a chorus audition. That audition, I think it was something like 700 men, 700 guys auditioning for eight spots, something like that. And it was at the old equity building.

[3:06] Mo Brady: On 46th Street?

[3:18] Michael Berresse: Uh-huh. I didn't know anything about New York. I wasn't living here. I had come for the weekend and I didn't I'd never taken a chorus call. I'd never taken an audition for a Broadway show. So when I showed up and I saw literally hundreds of guys, I was like, oh, God, I've made a terrible mistake. And they gave you numbers and we walked in and they typed half of them out immediately just on look. And then which says something about the difference between Broadway then and Broadway now already. And then we did like a double pirouette on both sides and they cut half of the half that were left. And then they did. We did like a short dance combination, another cut, 16 bars, another cut, full dance combination, another cut, callback.

And then the final callback for that show, which was actually on the stage at the Edison Theater, which is now the Edison Ballroom. But at the time, it was the last show that had played in there was O Calcutta, which was a nude musical review on Broadway. It had been defunct for a while. But, you know, the stories that those carpets could tell at the Edison Theater, which I still remember the scent of those carpets. And it was so it was there was a romantic quality to that whole process. And they told us at the end of the audition that final day in the room before we ever left the theater that we got the job.

[4:43] Michael Berresse: So it was very a chorus line.

[4:45] Mo Brady: It was very a chorus line. I mean, you know, all the pictures and resumes spread out. We're all looking at them, everyone standing together, sort of wondering who's going to get picked. It was very it was a bonding experience, actually, because those of us that did get the job, of course, then went out and did the show on the road together for a year and a half and then on Broadway for another eight months after that.

[5:04] Mo Brady: So the tour was before Broadway.

[5:06] Michael Berresse: Yeah. Oh, this was in the days when there were things called pre-Broadway tours, especially if you were in a show that was being produced by the Weisslers. Of course, Fiddler was not a new musical. This was like the third or fourth Broadway revival at that point. But it had such huge popular appeal all over the world, really, that we were able to sell a full 52 week tour with three, four or five week sit downs all over the United States. And then actually we went to Japan. We played Tokyo and Osaka before the show came to Broadway. And honestly, I don't think I would have been ready for New York City had I not done that tour, because I had never really lived in a major urban area.

[5:51] Mo Brady: Where are you from?

[5:52] Michael Berresse: I grew up all over the place. I was born in Massachusetts and then lived in Laguna Niguel, California until I was six. And then we moved to Joliet, Illinois, which is known as the prison capital of the Midwest. I lived there until I was 18, so still very suburban, about 40 minutes from Chicago. So being in like Washington, D.C. and San Francisco and Baltimore and Dallas and Houston and Minneapolis, I got to see so many urban areas and got the flavor of many, many different cities and cultures before I moved to New York City. And then I got here and I was like, oh God, this is literally all of them rolled into one. It was everything. So I felt really sort of ready for New York in a way that I don't think I would have been had I not gone on tour.

[6:42] Mo Brady: So when you moved to New York, you moved with a Broadway show?

[6:47] Michael Berresse: I did. When I was on the road with that show, I met my now ex-partner and we were together for 12 years. So he had an apartment in New York because he had lived here before. So when we came back from tour, we stayed in his apartment very briefly because there was a hiatus over the summer. And then we got an apartment together on 48th Street between 8th and 9th, a brand new building right in the middle of it. And we were playing the Gershwin on Broadway, so I was literally two blocks from my theater, from my stage door. And thinking, oh, so this is what it's like. And I wanted to be in the middle of it. I really did. I was so awestruck by all of it. I had no concept of... I mean, I had thought about Broadway as a place that people went who were fancy and it was the pinnacle of the business.

But I really didn't know anything about how Broadway actually functions. And I certainly didn't know the broader community. That's the thing that really struck me. I had never been a part of something that felt like such an extended family. And I really didn't know what Easter Bonnet was or Gypsy of the Year. And the first time I got involved in those things, I was like, oh, my gosh. There's a bigger purpose than just going out and showing off on stage and having a good time. It was really about being a part of a family.

[8:10] Mo Brady: So you talked a little bit about the legacy of the show, but it was the original Jerome Robbins production.

[8:20] Michael Berresse: It was.

[8:21] Mo Brady: And so who did you learn from? What are your memories of that?

[8:25] Michael Berresse: Sammy Dallas Bays actually is the one who set the show, who has had a long career of setting the show. And Ruth Mitchell, who was the original stage manager of the original Broadway production. And she had all the PSM. But those two were sort of the keepers of the flame for many years. And Jerry was still alive, Jerry Robbins. But he was never a part of our rehearsal process or the show until we were at the Forest Theater in Philadelphia out of town. And he came to see the show. And in that show, I was ensemble, but I was the lead Cossack dancer in the dance in the inn.

[9:07] Mo Brady: This is to life?

[9:08] Michael Berresse: To life. And they danced together. And because Jerome Robbins was a director choreographer, it never occurred to me that that would be a very significant moment in the show because I was just sort of like, I'm a chorus kid and I'm doing my job. And he came and he saw the show and he dismissed. We had a note session with him and then he dismissed the entire company except for me and Topal. And I was like, oh, God, I'm fired. And he brought us up on stage. And it was all about that moment when we touch and then we start dancing together. And it was the epicenter of the storytelling as far as he as far as Jerry was concerned, because it was the moment where that contact changed the history in the future forever.

And he wanted it to be done a very specific way. And he had notes more for Topal than for me about not being the one who's in charge of the moment. So here I am, this very young first Broadway show ever chorus kid who's being told, you need to lead this moment. You need to be in control of this moment. It cannot be this celebrity star who had done the movie as Tevye. And I understood in that moment why. And I also understood that I was up against a very, very big challenge because, you know, for two days while Jerry was there, Topal was on best behavior. And then, of course, Jerry left and I had to figure out a way to maintain what I knew was his wish while also accommodating, you know, this celebrity star who was magnificent in the role, but also had an agenda and a history.

So it was a really fascinating lesson. And I was the only contact I ever had with Jerome Robbins before he died. And I'm super grateful for it because it really did change my perspective about the impact that I could have as an ensemble member. First of all, in a show, I had never really understood that. And I've always had a part of me has always known that someone's going to be watching you at all times. So I have, you know, an innate desire to do my very best at all times. But I also know that star vehicles don't make great shows. They make great star vehicles, great ensembles, make great shows. I've always known that.

[11:25] Michael Berresse: I made my Broadway debut in the 1990 revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Since then, I've performed in multiple Broadway companies, directed a Broadway musical, and even performed on Broadway as the director of a Broadway musical. I currently play Bob Mackie and Robert Altman in The Cher Show.

[12:52] Michael Berresse: It's been quite a journey, and I love sharing my experiences with others.

[13:16] Michael Berresse: The ensemble performers have such a unique role in the storytelling of a musical, and I think it's important to recognize their contributions.

[14:08] Michael Berresse: My first time on stage was exhilarating, and I remember every detail of that moment.

[14:37] Michael Berresse: The energy of the audience, the lights, and the music all combined to create an unforgettable experience.

[15:05] Michael Berresse: I think every performer has that moment that defines their career, and for me, it was that debut.

[15:30] Michael Berresse: It set the tone for everything that followed, and I am grateful for the opportunities that have come my way since then.

[15:58] Michael Berresse: The lessons I've learned along the way have shaped me not just as a performer but as a director as well.

[16:27] Michael Berresse: Directing a Broadway musical was a dream come true, and it gave me a new perspective on the craft.

[16:55] Michael Berresse: I love collaborating with other artists and helping them find their voice on stage.

[17:25] Michael Berresse: It's a different kind of fulfillment, but just as rewarding as performing.

[17:43] Michael Berresse: I think the most important thing is to stay true to yourself and your vision.

[18:13] Michael Berresse: The journey is ongoing, and I look forward to what the future holds.

[18:43] Michael Berresse: I hope to continue inspiring others and sharing the magic of theater with audiences everywhere.

[19:13] Michael Berresse: It's all about the stories we tell and the connections we make through our art.

[19:43] Michael Berresse: I believe that every performance has the power to change lives, and that's what keeps me going.

[20:13] Michael Berresse: So, whether I'm on stage or behind the scenes, I am committed to making a difference in the world of theater.

[20:43] Michael Berresse: Thank you for having me on the show and allowing me to share my journey.

[21:13] Michael Berresse: I hope it resonates with others who are pursuing their dreams in the performing arts.

[21:43] Michael Berresse: Remember, every great performer started somewhere, and it's the passion that drives us forward.

[21:53] Michael Berresse: Let's keep celebrating the ensemble and the incredible work they do.

[22:13] Michael Berresse: Thank you!