In Focus: Irish American actor Colin Donnell- VIDEO

OCCUPATION:
Actor who is currently playing handsome hero Billy Crocker in Anything Goes on Broadway. He traces his father’s ancestors to Co. Donegal and he grew up in St. Louis before moving to New York to pursue his acting career.
 
Tell us about the show.
“The whole show is a really bubbly champagne toast of Broadway. The response we are getting from the audience every night is like nothing I have ever seen. One of the cool things about our production is that it feels like it’s happening for the first time each night. It doesn’t feel like we are rehashing any of the material, we feel like it’s our own, or at least that is what we are trying to do every night. All generations have really been responding in this really cool way.”

How did you get involved in acting?
“I came to Broadway through Indiana University. When I was in high school I was playing football and I broke my ankle, it was a total 180. But I didn’t ever think I was going to be a pro football player. My eyes were set on a very different career. By the time I finished college, I thought, well, I guess I may as well move to New York if I am going to be serious about this. And I have kept working so I cannot complain.”

What is it like to perform with a Broadway legend like Joel Grey?
“He made it really easy to tell you the truth. I walked in on the first day of the rehearsal and he said, ‘Hey, you are gonna be my buddy.’  It set the whole tone right there, and we have a neat relationship not only between the two of us but between the group. We have created something that is very near and dear to my heart.  It adds another layer to the story we are trying to tell.”
What did you learn about his show while you were doing it?
“Joel has said it again and again, that he never thought he would be back on the Broadway stage again, but this is where he belongs. To give an audience so much joy and to see people, two and a half hours later, just to entertain people for that length, there is so much going on out there. People come and they are purely entertained. They smile, clap and have a good time. That for me has been a nice reminder of why I am doing it.”

Final words?
“Hurry up and get over to see the show! It’s one not to be missed.”
(For more information on the show visit http://www.anythinggoesonbroadway.com/)

Interview by Cahir O’Doherty