STEVE Danielsen and Jemma Rix onstage for the hit musical Jeff Busby/aussietheatre.com
AUCKLAND, New Zealand—“If you never dream, you’ll never have a dream come true,” said Australian actor Steve Danielsen, one of the newest cast members of the Australasian production of the hit musical “Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz.”
“Wicked,” based on the novel of the same title by Gregory Maguire, was only in its third week when the Inquirer caught it at the Civic Theater here. At the time of our visit, Steve had performed in 25 shows.
Steve described himself as a “relative newcomer” compared to costars Suzie Mathers (Glinda the Good Witch) and Jemma Rix (Elphaba the Wicked Witch), who have done the show over a thousand times between the two of them.
“The two girls are so giving onstage. They make coming to work every day a pleasure,” Steve said. “I first saw them from the audience and found them incredible. I said I’d love to work with them someday. Now that it’s happening, I have ‘pinch me’ moments all the time.”
Film credits
Steve trained at the Monash University until 2004 when he began his career as an actor. His film credits include “Queen of the Damned,” “The Hard Word,” “Offspring,” “Tangle” and “Neighbors.” On TV, he appeared in “City Homicide,” “The Wedge,” “Stingers,” “Blue Heelers” and “Saddle Club.”
Steve trained with voice coaches in Australia and in the United States. His dancing skills were honed at the Broadway Dance Center and, later, The Space and City Dance Center in Melbourne.
He played Pfortzheimer in the Australian tour of “Legally Blonde the Musical.” His other theater credits include “Xanadu The Musical,” “Totally Amazing,” and “The Crucible.”
In “Wicked,” Steve plays Fiyero, the handsome and popular prince of Arjiki. He meets and eventually falls in love with Elphaba.
Clinching the role was a long and drawn-out process. “Casting a musical generally takes a year, then about another year until you start rehearsals. We’re all professionals; we audition until we get a job. You desperately want to be part of a show but if you don’t hear anything, you try to move on.”
The Melbourne-based actor added, “You’ve got to continue to train and believe that acting is something you’re destined for. Never take a role for granted and always be ready for the next one when it comes.”
Dressed in a plaid shirt and khaki slacks, Steve appeared relaxed, and talked animatedly during this 15-minute interview. Excerpts:
How are you able to handle rejection?
If you can’t handle rejection, you’re in the wrong industry. Being rejected is not a reflection of one’s talent. It’s just for that particular show, you’re not the right spice, like if you’re making dinner. You train really hard, but you won’t get the part if you don’t fit the mold.
Do you still get nervous?
MODERN stage depiction of Emerald City
A little. We are our own worst critics as performers. We love performing—it’s what we’ve worked hard for. We make sure we tell the story accurately. It’s hard not to get nervous [with thousands watching]. I think we are all adrenaline junkies.
You’ve done TV and film. What made you decide to shift to theater?
Years ago, I started watching shows. I went to New York and saw 10 shows on Broadway and then eight in Australia, all in one year. I just got the musical theater bug so bad that I had to train… I was never a dancer, but I didn’t want this to hold me back. I love musical theater so much because it tells stories through songs.
Theater is live. It makes you more human. You can keep every show fresh because you know that there’s a new audience out there every night… You can’t reshoot a scene. You have a five-week rehearsal period, you put it on stage, then you take notes from the resident director and work on these things. Television and theater are very different monsters. I kind of like them both.
What’s your favorite song and character from the show?
“Defying Gravity” is such a big song to experience—it moves me every single performance. I also love “As Long As You’re Mine” because it’s really hard for me to sing, to get it right. I just love what it stands for.
I have to say Fiyero is my favorite. The character has so many layers; when I saw the show on Broadway, Fiyero stood out. I can relate to him.
Are you more of a Glinda or an Elphaba?
I guess most of us in the show would like to think that we’re more of an Elphaba, an outcast, just so we can justify things happening in our lives. During my younger years, I was a little bit of an outsider and wasn’t super-popular. I’d like to think that I’m intelligent and not just oblivious to a lot of things in life like Glinda.
What do you look forward to doing in the Philippines?
I’ve traveled a lot but never been to the Philippines. I’m looking forward to seeing new things, eating new food and meeting new people. I hear that people there are amazing singers and are into fashion, and that it’s a party town. I’m really looking forward to experiencing new culture.
“Wicked,” directed by Joe Mantello, will play for a limited season at the Cultural Center of the Philippines main theater starting Jan. 22, 2014. A benefit show will be held on Jan. 31 at 1:30 p.m. for Supertyphoon “Yolanda” survivors, to be followed by an auction.
(mcruz@inquirer.com.ph)