INTERVIEW: Max von Essen on the performative art of ‘Chicago’
Photo: Chicago the musical stars Max von Essen as Billy Flynn. Photo courtesy of the artist / Provided by BBB with permission.
After Max von Essen finished his time in the touring company of Chicago the musical, he thought he might be finished with the beloved show. On the road he played the role of Mary Sunshine, and it was a positive experience. But he also felt that when the tour was complete, his time with the John Kander and Fred Ebb musical was also complete.
He was wrong.
Now von Essen, a Tony Award nominee for An American in Paris, is back on Broadway performing in Chicago as Billy Flynn, the sleazy, smart-talking lawyer who assists Roxie Hart and company as they face the ultimate penalty for their murderous crimes. This has been a full-circle experience for the actor.
“I was in the touring production as Mary Sunshine, and I was always a big fan of the show,” von Essen said in a recent phone interview. “I knew every word of the cast album, and I’m a big fan of Kander and Ebb and the whole world of Chicago, the [Bob] Fosse influence and all that. So I knew everything about it, but it wasn’t until the last couple of years, I realized, oh, I could be back in that show. I’m maturing into a Billy Flynn, and I told my agent I was interested. And I didn’t hear anything really, and then all of a sudden last summer I got a call.”
In summer 2023, the Chicago creative team put the call out for new performers to take over some of these iconic roles. At the time, von Essen’s schedule was clear, and he was eager to join the Broadway company. He has performed in Midtown Manhattan in shows like Anastasia, Evita and Dance of the Vampires, but the pandemic was difficult and roles were hard to come by.
“I came in for a round with casting, and that went really well,” he said. “So they said, ‘Can you come back tomorrow same time for [producer] Barry Weissler?’ I didn’t realize that’s what they were expecting, but of course I was like, ‘Yes, I’ll make sure I come in tomorrow.’ Did all the material again for him the next day, and I knew it went well. Sometimes you just feel great, but I didn’t know if it went well that I was going to book it. But the feedback was fantastic, and they said, ‘Look, there’s not an opening at the moment. It’s not immediate.’ You don’t know if they’re trying to be extra nice, but they said, ‘Max will be playing this role. We don’t know when exactly with contracts and all this stuff, but we love him. Barry loved him.’ In a way, I got the role, but I didn’t have the job. And so I had no idea when it was going to be.”
Von Essen waited another four months, and he received the phone call he was hoping for: Could he take over the role of Billy Flynn in two weeks? He jumped right in and was thrilled at the chance, and he’s been with the role since November of last year.
“It’s one of my favorite shows of all time, and as I was getting older, I didn’t realize it would be such a dream role,” von Essen said. “But like I said, sometimes you don’t realize a role is right for you until you’re age appropriate. You have to mature into it. It was not something I had thought of, but now that I’m doing it, I realize it’s an absolute dream role.”
There are many facets to Chicago that the actor appreciates. For starters, von Essen is a fan of the business of show business. His entire career he’s always been interested in how his chosen field works behind the scenes, and Chicago leans into this dazzling “biz” aspect of public life.
“I’m not just an actor who went to a conservatory who is deep in his craft,” he said with a laugh. “Of course I love the artistic side of all that we do, but I also love the performative aspect, the show biz aspect of it. And Chicago embraces all of that. They’re telling a story that’s based on actual women from the ‘20s in Chicago who got off of their murder charges for killing their husbands and their boyfriends and were represented by this very famous lawyer at the time. … So it’s all based on a real story, but the original creators decided to tell the story in a vaudeville style, a very performative style. You cross under the stage. Sometimes they are very short scenes. There are a couple jokes in there to make sure you land some laughs. … There are a few singers, and then it goes into a song. And then it goes into a song and dance, and yet you’re telling this truthful story. You’re inhabiting these characters. These are real people.”
Von Essen added: “You have to find this balance, and it’s complicated. You have to get out of your way because you’re not just inhabiting this very realistic world, and you’re a very realistic person, you have to know when these people shift into a show-biz quality. It’s almost like a fantasy that takes place on stage. I’ve always been fascinated by that aspect, probably why I love Cabaret so much because it’s a show within a show, probably why I loved doing my role in An American in Paris so much because he was this French guy who dreamed of being a performer, dreamed of moving from Paris and going to New York and performing on the stage of Radio Stage Music Hall. So within this very sort of truthful show of An American in Paris, you have this guy that is able to actually get lost in these numbers within the show, so you’re given the freedom to actually look at the audience and take them in as audience members because you’ve just shifted into a performance as opposed to a very truthful monologue-type song where you have to pretend no one is there. It’s an interesting way to walk.”
And that is precisely why von Essen has found his dream role in this iconic musical: “Chicago hits on so many things that I love: Kander and Ebb music, a great character, terrific story, fascinating roles, but also this show-biz element where we’re really trying to sell it.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Chicago, featuring Max von Essen, continues at the Ambassador Theatre on Broadway. Click here for more information and tickets.
