Pierce Brandt's Golden Day Interview in three parts
with Leslie Henstock, Adam Overett, and Andrew Ragone from the Broadway touring company of A Light in the Piazza.

Leslie Henstock, Adam Overett, and Andrew Ragone were recently in the cast of the Broadway tour of The Light in the Piazza. These are three ambitious young actors who have had their well-deserved shares of success in the “business of show,”and have some intriguing stories to tell about their experiences in their constantly changing and evolving careers.

Through speaking with Leslie, Adam, and Andrew, it’s clear that a life in the world of professional Broadway theater is, at its core, what each of them makes it out to be from their own unique perspective. While there are undoubtedly some similarities in their experiences of being New York actors making their way in a challenging business, it seems the way their individual careers have unfolded has been driven by each of their own personal intentions and expectations which are rooted in the outlook that “somehow, it always works out.”Sounds like a great recipe for success to me.

I met up with Leslie, Adam, and Andrew over dinner before their performance of …Piazza at the stunning Paramount Theater in downtown Seattle. The interview turned out to be so much fun and so full of stories, that I’ve had to break it down into three parts so that it’s not such a long read all in one shot.

Part Three: Andrew Ragone

In …Piazza, Andrew Ragone was the understudy for the role of Giuseppe, one of Fabrizio’s brothers. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area where he had honed his talent on the stages of some of that region’s finest professional theaters, Andrew moved east in the late ‘90s and quickly started working as a New York actor. Before …Piazza, Andrew had the honor of working with Hal Prince in the recent tour of Evita in the role of Magaldi. Now a true east coasterner with home bases in both Miami and Manhattan, Andrew’s feet are firmly planted in the Broadway community and it’s clear there’s a bright future for him beyond the closing of …Piazza.

Pierce: When did you first know you had an interest in theater?
Andrew: I always sang as a child. In fact, I would often sing at the top of my lungs in our backyard, and the neighbors would come over and say to my Mom, “Your child is going to be a singer someday!”Later, in fifth or sixth grade, I got involved in community and children’s theater. I eased into it.

Pierce: When did you see your first Broadway show?
Andrew: As a kid, my parents took me to see a lot of shows, but the show that made the most impact was the Broadway tour of Into the Woods in San Francisco. That show gave me my first clue that this was something I was really interested in.

Pierce: When did you first start thinking that this was something you wanted to do professionally?
Andrew: A major turning point for me was in 8th grade when my English teacher took my class to see the Broadway tour of Les Misérables. During and after that performance, I could barely breathe. I was shocked and amazed, and I knew that if I could be on that stage everything would be perfect. I didn’t necessarily know at the time that I would pursue it as a career, but it was a very powerful experience for me.

Pierce: Was there any person who influenced and inspired you?
Andrew: My mentor in theater was the artistic director of American Musical Theatre of San Jose, Dianna Shuster. She had a great impact on me as far as appreciating theater as an art form. She would sit me down and say, “This is what it is to be an actor…”I respected her and her work so much, and appreciated her nurturing support. She would tell me to take more classes. She guided me. And that’s exactly what I needed. She also gave me my first leading role.

Pierce: Tell me about your first experience of living in Manhattan.
Andrew: I moved to New York with some friends from California. The original plan was to stay for about 3 or 4 months, because I had already booked a show back in California that I knew I needed to return for. I was sort of testing the water, and the second day I was there, I auditioned for Papermill Playhouse’s production of Children of Eden. There I was, auditioning alongside some very big New York names for Stephen Schwartz himself. To my delight, I kept getting called back. I didn’t book the job, but I made it to the end of the callbacks, which was very affirming for me, and it was an experience I’ll never forget.

Pierce: Okay, now the nitty-gritty of living in Manhattan as an actor. Did you ever have a “bread and butter”job?
Andrew: When I first moved to New York, I was sharing an apartment with some friends for about 3 months, and my bed was an extremely thin mattress on a small sofa-bed. I’m 6’3”, so it was rather uncomfortable. I don’t know how I ever got any sleep! Financially, I’ve always been okay for the most part, I’m happy to say. This last year, I had about 7 months between my bookings in the Evita tour and …Piazza. I was fortunate to find some great gigs. I worked with a concert group from London for a while, and also did cater-waitering. The cater-waitering job was only for men that are 6 feet and over, and it paid really well. The waiters all wore tight black t-shirts, and basically just stood around and served wine. For a “bread and butter”job, you can’t beat it!

Pierce: What’s your favorite thing about New York City? And, what’s your least favorite?
Andrew: Fave: the energy and the feeling that you’re surrounded by great artists and people who are passionate about what they do. Least fave: the craziness of the city, and the cost of living. And, I think New York is very environmentally limiting as far as what you can do. You have Central Park, but that’s pretty much it. And, it seems that the typical New Yorker has this mind set -- sort of like the characters in Sex and the City -- that there’s nothing else out there. They don’t seem to realize that there’s a whole other world out there that has great things to offer. Don’t get me wrong, New York is a great city, but it’s not all there is.

Pierce: Now on to life as an understudy. Tell me about the first time you went as Giuseppe.
Andrew: I went on as Giuseppe in …Piazza for the first time in the end of January, 2007, which was only a month after I had joined the company. I had just barely learned my ensemble role a couple weeks before, so it was a quick turnaround. After only 2 rehearsal run-throughs as Giuseppe, I was called to perform the role “for real”in a performance. I’ve understudied before, so I was prepared for the usual nervousness. I get a bit nervous starting out, because performing a role for which you are an understudy, in most cases, you don’t do it regularly enough to know all the ins and outs of the character. And on top of that, the logistics of what happens backstage during the show –entrances and exits and costume changes and props –add another layer of responsibilities that you really have to focus on to get it all right, especially after only a few rehearsals. It went great, however, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Pierce: Do you have any hobbies outside of performing?
Andrew: I live in Florida most of the time at my place in Miami, and go back and forth between there and New York. I like to workout, I like to do things outdoors, but nothing very specific. Theater is where it’s at for me.

Pierce: What’s next for you after …Piazza closes in the end of July?
Andrew: Unemployment! And, going back to New York. I’m going to take a little time off, too. I think I’ll need a bit of a “chill-out”vacation after being on the road for a while.

Pierce: A little chill-out time sounds like one of the best tickets around. If it comes down to choosing between the beaches of Florida or the sizzling hot summer in Manhattan, I know what I’d choose!

[For Part one with Leslie Henstock, see the article posted August 15th. For Part Two with Adam Overett, check out the article from August 29th.]