A Q/A with Tony and Olivier Award Winner GAVIN CREEL, appearing this Friday at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

by Gil Benbrook

To say Gavin Creel has appeared with some heavy hitters in his Broadway career would be an understatement. He made his Broadway debut with Sutton Foster in Thoroughly Modern Millie, which earned him a Tony nomination. He just starred opposite Tony, Emmy and Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles in Waitress, and co-starred with Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce in the 2017 revival of Hello Dolly!, which also won him the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

Creel appears in concert this Friday at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts with Sirius/XM "On Broadway" host Seth Rudetsky for an evening where anything can happen as Rudetsky accompanies Creel and interviews him between songs. It promises to be an intriguing and insightful night featuring plenty of songs from the many Broadway and West End shows Creel has starred in along with backstage stories and an in-depth discussion of his time at University of Michigan, where he got his BA in musical theatre from their School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and talk of the many shows he's performed in, including his Olivier Award winning turn in The Book of Mormon, interspersed between songs.

This is the fourth and final concert in the "Broadway @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts" series this season which have all featured Rudetsky with a different Tony winner. Past performers this season actually also all have a direct connection with Creel. His Thoroughly Modern Millie co-star Sutton Foster appeared in December; Jessie Mueller, who starred in Waitress, kicked off the series in November, and Audra McDonald, whose husband Will Swenson starred with Creel in the 2009 revival of Hair, that netted Creel a Tony nomination, was here in January.

Before he gets to Scottsdale and interviewed by Rudetsky during Friday night's concert, Creel took a few moments to sit down to answer a few of our questions.

You grew up in Ohio and graduated from the University of Michigan, what are some of the important things you learned in school that have stuck with you over the years?

"Growing up in the Midwest, I really learned the true meaning of the word 'community.'  Whether participating in town sports teams, being involved in my church activities, volunteering at the school or historical, there was always such a great sense of belonging and togetherness that carried on into my education at the University of Michigan. I loved studying musical theater, its history, and the amazing way it brings people together, and the  peers I learned and worked with at college are still, to this day, some of my closest friends in the world; a community formed through the power of the arts."

You received a Tony nomination for your Broadway debut in Thoroughly Modern Millie and won for your performance in Hello Dolly!. You also won the Olivier Award for Book of Mormon. What were those experiences like, first to be nominated for your Broadway debut, and then winning for Mormon and Dolly?

"To be honest, it was totally overwhelming in the beginning. I was still trying to figure out how I belonged in New York City and the  theater scene, so getting singled out early on felt more than a little intimidating and premature. After working more and settling in, I have really been able to recognize what a great honor it is to have the theatre community tip its hat in my direction, whether here or on the West End. I love what I do, and getting recognized for it is something I don’t take for granted."

You’ve appeared in several classic musicals, such as Hair, La Cage aux Folles, She Loves Me and Hello Dolly! What other classic shows are you interested in doing, and why?

"I would love to play Harold Hill in The Music Man someday. I did it in college and loved playing that role. I think the show is so smart and so beautiful, and I would love to get another crack at it as an adult. "

You’ve also starred in several new musicals, including The Book of Mormon in London and in New York, and you just appeared on Broadway in Waitress. What was it like sharing the stage with that show’s composer, Sara Bareilles?

"Sara is one of my dearest friends, and I had no idea what a brilliant actress she was. I have always been a fan of her music, and I was fortunate enough to be on the sidelines, cheering her on as she created Waitress, but getting to share the stage with her was totally next level stuff! She is a brilliant performer and I can’t wait to do something with her again soon."

I’m sure you’ve been asked before what it was like sharing the stage with two comics icons, Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce, in Hello Dolly!, and while they are both talented comedians it seems they also come across as complete professionals. However, do you have any fun backstage stories or mishaps that either of them instigated or that you’d like to share?

"I will most likely share some at the show… So… Come to the show and I’ll give them to you then :-) "

I believe you’ve gone back to U of M to teach, right? What was that experience like?

"I love teaching more than anything. More than performing, more than writing, more than anything!  I love working with someone to help them unlock their full potential, and I hope one day to be a professor on a theater faculty somewhere.  If it happened to be Michigan… I wouldn’t be mad. "

Tell us a little about Broadway Impact, the organization you co-founded in 2009, and what it was like when the Supreme Court ruled for marriage equality in 2015?

"It started with a few friends on the floor of my studio apartment in Midtown. We were pissed off that  Proposition 8 passed in California and we wanted to DO something.  We were inspired by Barack Obama’s win in 2008, and knowing that he started off as a community organizer, we decided we would try to organize our theater community in the fight for marriage equality. I was going into Hair on Broadway at the time, and we just thought, what a perfect marriage of show and cause.  It was the most magical time in my life, and I am so proud of the work we did."

What can Scottsdale audiences expect to hear in your concert this Friday?

"We are going to take a stroll down the American songbook, we’re going to look at some songs from shows I’ve been in, we might even do a random duet or two… When I do a show with Seth I never really know what is in store. It’s what makes the night fun."

CLICK HERE for more information on Gavin's concert this Friday, March 8th, and to purchase tickets