On Broadway

Eric Gunhus performing "Springtime for Hitler"

Titan alumnus Eric Gunhus, center, performs "Springtime for Hitler" in the Tony-winning musical "The Producers" on Broadway. Gunhus says performing in a long-running Broadway show is a luxury - to be working for a change, instead of hustling for the next gig.

Q: How does performing on Broadway differ — if at all — from a regional, national or college production?
Gunhus: The amount of money that’s poured into these shows. You can just see it dripping from every bead, every set piece — just what goes into the ensemble wigs. That’s where you notice a big change.

Rivera: There’s a lot more people working on the show besides the performers — the dressers, the costumers. Everything is at a higher level. When you have quick changes, the costumes are Velcroed so that you can get out quickly and put on easily — no buttons. In other shows, you have buttons.

Davi: Something I was really surprised at was the attitude. I kind of expected it to be snobbier. Maybe at this point, they have less to prove and feel more comfortable with themselves — unlike in community theater, where there’s so much ego, because of insecurities. Here, there’s still insecurities, but …

Rivera: They’re all your peers. You know that everyone’s talented. There’s competition, but you’re auditioning with friends, people you see on the street, in other shows. Broadway’s a community.

Griffin: One thing that’s a little different is that you can’t hide under a rock… not that you would want to. That was a little bit of a change, to come out the stage door and have crowds. We have people who have seen the show 20-plus times in our run already. The show strikes such a chord with people who love musical theater.

Sander: I think it’s nice to be part of the history, to be in theaters where some Broadway legends performed.

Gunhus: Audiences are there to see a show wherever they are, so that pretty much stays the same. They’re there to have a good time.

I also think, from a management perspective, they keep a little tighter reign on your performance and changes, and there isn’t as much freedom with the show — to play around and let it evolve, because there are multiple companies by that point. So that what you do in your show has to be very similar to what they’re doing in Vegas, or London, or in the national companies.

Sander: This is the first time in my life where I felt maybe how my parents felt when I was growing up. I have a job, I go to work, I have insurance. I feel stable, which I think is a rare feeling to have in this business.

Q: What was it like stepping onto the Broadway stage for the first time?
Davi: I was shaking. At the same time, we had rehearsed so much I surprised myself with how ready I was.

Sander: I didn’t feel a lot of pressure, because I had done the show on the road already. And nobody was there watching me, so I kind of just had a great time, relishing the accomplishment of making my Broadway debut.

Rivera: Stepping in as a replacement, as opposed to opening the show, I wasn’t nervous — I just kind of let it happen and had a good time, and made sure I hit my marks and didn’t screw anybody else up.

Griffin: For me, I’m working with so many veterans of Broadway. There were three of us who were making our Broadway debuts and it was everybody else’s reaction to us that was so great. Everybody was infused with that enthusiasm, that joy and that love for what we were doing. We were over the moon.

Gunhus: It helps to be in a hit, too — to be in a show that the press and everybody have given you the green light to know that you’re in a hit. It’s also infused with such tradition — the gypsy robe that gets handed down from show to show. There are these ceremonies that happen. And, people know it’s your Broadway debut and make a point of making sure you’re aware of what that means to you. It is such a family affair, that you really feel blessed to be a part of it.

Q: In your days at Cal State Fullerton, was there anyone who influenced you or made an impression on you?
Rivera/Sander/Davi: Macarena (Gandarillas)

Rivera: She was always supportive — encouraged you, but at the same time, kicked your butt in class and made you work and made you better.

Davi: I would not be in “A Chorus Line” if it weren’t for her. She whipped me into shape. Also, Mitch Hanlon is so very supportive.

Sander: I have to say, all the dance teachers — Gladys (Kares), Barbara (Arms). I didn’t go to Cal State Fullerton as a dancer, but I enjoyed my dance classes because of those women.

Griffin: I graduated in ’82, so the musical theater program really didn’t exist — it was just starting. So, I was influenced by many different things. I went in and learned how to dance. I sort of built a level of experience through children’s theater, opera and straight plays and musicals — and being able to have that kind of diversity was incredible for me and gave me a lot of confidence when I went out into the world.

Gunhus: I went to Cal State Fullerton primarily because Lara Teeter was there. Lara sort of took me under his wing. To this day, I’ll hear him in my head. Usually, it’s “just stop it.”

Griffin: Linda Wojcik was a jazz teacher and an amazing woman with a heart of gold — so spiritual in the way she mentored us. One of the most important things she said was, “You decide who judges you. Do not let what other people say affect you, because you’re going to get judged the rest of your life as you audition and are reviewed and put on the spot.”

Davi: Also Joan Melton and Marika Becz. They both laid the foundation for voice and movement, which was the foundation for our acting — something that I had never thought about. They opened us up emotionally, opened up the connection between our body and our voice.

Sander: I was influenced a lot by Jim Volz and Evelyn Case, Dan Kern and Cherie Brown, who aren't there anymore, and the directing class with Larry Peters. I feel I had a lot of support from Jim Taulli, Dean Hess. They were kind of friends, as well as professors, because they cared about your life as well. I really respect Fullerton for being an acting-based school. Like ballet is the foundation for dance, you have to be a good actor — they encourage that.

Rivera: I realized when I left, how good all the faculty were.

Q: What were your initial ambitions entering Cal State Fullerton — theater, television, film?
Davi: This was always my goal.

Sander: Right where I am.

Rivera: I was pretty much go with the flow, whatever happened. I would have loved to do Broadway, but it wasn’t ‘the thing’ I needed to do. If I had never done it, I probably would have been okay, but I’ve wanted to do it and I’m glad I did. I want to do everything — TV, film, backup dancer for an artist, be an artist myself, sing, have my own album, just anything. I just love performing. But Broadway is a big step.

Griffin: My ambitions then and now were always to be doing exactly this — musical theater. I love the challenge of “doing it all” and I love the energy of a live audience.

Q: How do you keep it fresh, in terms of these long-running shows?
Sander: I'm really lucky, because I cover nine different parts in the show, doing something different all the time. I feel challenged, even after three years. I'm fortunate to work with a company that gives me opportunities outside of the show to go on auditions and assist the dance supervisor.

And, I want to be fair to the audience. They're paying $111 for a seat, and I want to give them the best show I can give.

Rivera: Somebody said think about this when you're not feeling like doing the best you can do on stage: somewhere in the audience is always somebody's first Broadway show and it might be somebody's last.

Q: What advice to you have for students who want to make it to Broadway?
Sander: Be the most well-rounded performer you can be. The more well-rounded you are, the more opportunities you may have to get into shows. Especially when you're starting out, because no one knows about you.

Davi: My main thing is, hard work, hard work — work, work, work; having a good work ethic. Even after we get out of school, we're always brushing up our skills, getting more skills. It's about focus and not getting lazy, getting out of shape.

Griffin: Don’t be desperate, just do the work. Learn what you can and be faithful to the craft and continue to explore. Don’t say never. You’re just limiting yourself to an experience and an opportunity, and you never know what those opportunities will lead to. Do the work because you enjoy the process. If you don’t enjoy the audition, the rehearsal process, then get out now!

Rivera: You may not get the first audition you go to. Just because you don't get it, doesn't mean you're not talented. Keep auditioning — you have to keep working at it.

Davi: I heard a story about when it came down to the final cuts and decisions for “A Chorus Line.” They laid the head shots on the table and said, “Do we want to work with these people? Do we want to know these people?”

Sander: You can set yourself up for a lot of jobs if you have a good reputation here. If people like you and appreciate you, you can go to an audition and may not be necessarily the best person for the role or be the most talented person there, but I think that if you're auditioning for people who enjoy working with you and know you work hard, that could land you a job.

Gunhus: I read in a great interview, that there may be someone who’s more ‘right’ than you, for whatever vision they had. You may be a better singer, a better actor, but they are more right in some particular way that you have absolutely no control over. So, as long as you are willing to let go of that and know what you’re good at, and come with all your tricks and tools, then it’s going to happen for you. Because at some point, you’re going to be the one who’s right. Make sure you’re ready for it when it happens.