INTERVIEW: Philippe Arroyo on the resonating message of ‘& Juliet’
Photo: & Juliet stars, from left, Philippe Arroyo and Justin David Sullivan. Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy / Provided by official site.
Philippe Arroyo has enjoyed the past three years at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway. Eight times per week he can be seen in the role of François in the hit musical & Juliet, which uses the pop music of Max Martin to tell a new version of Shakespeare’s romantic play. Joining him on stage for his Broadway debut are Maya Boyd, Paulo Szot, Betsy Wolfe, Drew Gehling, Justin David Sullivan, Jeannette Bayardelle and Ben Jackson Walker.
The role of François is an important one for the overall story, which follows Juliet as she continues her story beyond the tragic ending of the Bard’s original play. In particular, François makes a connection with Sullivan’s May character, and the two begin to fall for each other. Along the way there are many well-known anthems to enjoy, including “Since U Been Gone,” “Roar,” “Baby One More Time” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
Arroyo, whose previous credits include everything from Punk Rock Girl to Into the Woods, remembers when he first auditioned for the musical several years ago. He was being looked at for the role of Romeo, and he sent in his audition tape, hoping to hear back with some good news.
“I hadn’t heard anything for a few months,” the actor said in a recent phone interview. “I kind of figured that was it, and then maybe a little bit later, they sent me in for an audition tape for François. And I initially started doing a French accent with the character because I saw the name, François Dubois, and because of that, my French accent is now I know atrocious. So I decided that I would say no to the audition, and then that’s when my agents gently reminded me that I didn’t have to do a French accent, just to be myself.”
That advice turned out to be critical. He received a callback audition, and for round two, he gave himself over to the role and simply tried to bring authenticity to the character. “And then they kind of had me do some chemistry reads with some people, and eventually I had to do some chemistry reads with Justin David Sullivan,” he said. “I’ve been playing the role almost three years now, ever since, and it’s been a blast.”
Arroyo, who played Omar in Aladdin’s first national tour, was particularly struck by David West Read’s book for the musical. The actor thought the words that laced around these hit songs were funny and honest at the same time.
“I think what drew me to this role was the fact that all the characters surrounding François get to be a little larger than life, but I think with the direction of Luke Sheppard, I was really allowed to sit in the honesty of the character and not necessarily have to worry about trying to be funny because I could rely on the book itself,” Arroyo said. “And the book was really kind of what drew me to this, and, of course, the music of Max Martin, which is so coveted and beloved by all of us. You can’t really go anywhere without hearing his music, but I think the thing that surprised me the most was how funny it was and how I was laughing to myself when reading it. Then there are jokes that kind of go over your head, and I think I didn’t really start to find the nuances until we had an audience in front of us and people were laughing at things. And I didn’t really understand why. People had to explain to me the intricacies of certain Shakespeare jokes and certain lines because I did go to school for theater, but Shakespeare wasn’t the thing I could say that I really understood or spent most of my time with.”
Diversity and inclusiveness are celebrated in & Juliet, both on stage in the story and backstage amongst this family of actors. Acceptance is a motivating factor in the musical, and Arroyo found that quality behind the scenes as he better learned the François character. “I believe I lead with anxiety,” he said as one example. “I lead with my mind. I lead with thought, and that was allowed. … If I was feeling insecure or anxious about something, well, that’s just who I was and who I am. I was allowed to bring that into the character and into the show. I love that about the show. I love that I get to be exactly who I am, and that is celebrated.”
Arroyo added: “I think at the time [of my Broadway debut] I was really scared about the perception of the New York audience because this has been something that I had been trying to achieve for many, many years. I was scared how I was going to be perceived, and I was scared about if I was going to be considered worthy to be on a stage. Now looking back on it, I kind of think that doesn’t necessarily matter. If you feel good about yourself, that’s really all that matters. I think I was just very nervous about being in front of a New York audience. I think all of those fears were pretty much extinguished as soon as I went on the stage and felt that response.”
The actor said & Juliet is a special show that allows audience members to connect with the messages of the story, proving that there can be life after tragedy.
“It was really fun to speak with friends and family members after the very first performance to see how they resonated with it,” he said, “and see that there were characters that they related to as well or found messages in the show that they hadn’t necessarily thought of.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
& Juliet, featuring Philippe Arroyo, continues at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway. Click here for more information and tickets.
