Canadian lights up Lloyd Webber musical
Adam Brazier woke up Friday morning to the classic good news/bad news scenario. The bad news first: New York critics were sharply divided about the merits of The Woman in White, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest musical, which had opened the night before with Brazier playing the romantic male lead. But then came the more cheerful stuff: the critics were universally enthusiastic about the 30- year- old guy from Unionville who was playing the heroic young Walter.
“ Extremely appealing,” said the New York Daily News; “ amiable high tenor ardor,” pronounced Newsday; while the Associated Press said his role was “ strongly sung” and Variety pronounced him “ a vigorous, youthful romantic lead.”
If that wasn’t enough to turn a young man’s head, no less than five reviewers, including The New York Times’ decided to single him out as “ handsome.” None of this would come as news to Toronto audiences, who’ve been cheering Brazier’s work for years now. Whether it was as the original Sky in Mamma Mia!, Aladdin and Prince Charming in Ross Petty’s Christmas pantos, or in the title role of the Shaw Festival’s hit 2004 production of Pal Joey, Brazier has always stood out from the crowd. When reached on the phone Friday afternoon, he was still coming to grips with it all.
“ It was a very exciting evening, the audience was receptive, and the whole thing had a positive and genuine energy.”
Brazier’s Canadian cheering section included his mother, father, brother, sister- in-law and 96- year-old grandmother, as well as his significant other, Melissa Kramer.
Also present was Canada’s consul general to New York, Pamela Wallin. Brazier said the most exciting part of the night for his parents was getting to meet the former broadcaster. She graciously invited the Brazier clan to her official Park Ave. residence for lunch on Friday, which made a nice way for them to come down from the buzz of opening night. The whole experience has been an intense one, not just because of what Brazier calls “ the incredibly high stakes of opening a multi- million- dollar musical on Broadway,” but for an additional bit of drama no one could have predicted or wanted. On Nov. 1, with the show already in previews, Brazier and the company were called into a special rehearsal by director Trevor Nunn, who broke some shocking news to them about their leading lady, Maria Friedman.
“ He told us that Maria had discovered a lump in her breast the day before and had immediately seen her doctor. It was diagnosed as stage- one cancer and Maria had decided to go for surgery that Thursday.” The company was in shock, but Nunn communicated her wishes. “ We were not to talk about it,” recalls Brazier, “ just go on with business as usual.” One week to the day after her successful surgery, Friedman returned to the show’s previews, earning Brazier’s eternal admiration. “ You would never have known what she’d gone through. Her sense of humour was amazing and her courage was unforgettable.”
Brazier also was impressed with the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom he pronounced “very professional, but very excitable. When you get it right, he lets you know it immediately.
“ What I wasn’t expecting is that with him it’s ultimately all about the storytelling. He’s more interested in the emotion and the narrative clarity rather than whether or not you hit a note just right.”
Critics praised Brazier for his sense of Victorian style, which he eagerly attributes to his training at George Brown Theatre School, where “ we studied period movement, posture, behaviour, etiquette. It gave me all the tools I needed.”
Right now Brazier is hoping to settle in for a long run with The Woman in White and planning to relax.
“ Finally,” he sighed, “ I feel I can just sit back and enjoy it.”