Nicholas Hambruch is awesome Florida transplant who has best known in the Valley for his portrayal of Gomez Addams in Scottsdale Community College's The Addams Family and Ram in Greasepaint's Heathers. Nicholas also performed in Beauty and the Beast for seven years in a row! He won an NYA last year for his portrayal for Captain Hook in Peter Pan and Wendy at Fountain Hills. Up next, Nicholas will be performing as a part of the ensemble in Mesa Encore's Sweeney Todd.
Nicholas Vincent Hambruch
Where were you born?
I was born in Fort Meyers, Florida and grew up in a city called Cape Coral.
What’s home like? Brothers? Siblings? Parents? Pets?
Home life is very interesting, I have a father who is brilliant knowledgeably and musically. He and I built a recording studio and we are always working on projects. My mother is like the Jersey girl who you could swear is a mother by day and mob boss by night. She keeps us on our toes. I have my sister who acts very much like a mother in her own right, and two dogs.
When and why did you start performing?
The first moment performing really clicked with me to the point where I knew that I really wanted to peruse this was when I was in about 5th grade. I was watching a BBC news segment because I was so amused by their accents when suddenly they went to a segment where a man by the name of Ramin Karimloo was being honored as the youngest man to the ever play the role of Phantom. He then sang "Music of the Night" and it changed my life. From that moment forward I knew what it was that I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
First show you ever saw?
First live performance is hard to recall but the first that comes to mind was when I went and saw Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat starring Patrick Cassidy!
First Broadway show you ever saw?
First Broadway show I had ever seen was Disney’s The Beauty and the Beast (which is ironic because this was the show I went on to do for 7 consecutive years)
Most influential show you ever saw? Why was it so influential?
Les Miserables probably; this show has not only impacted me but also my entire family. The show had changed me when I first watched it. I showed it to my grandma and she went on to watch it every night before bed. It's become a part of who we are.
Favorite show you’ve ever been in? Why?
I've been honored to be apart of such amazing productions through out my time as a performer, but I think the most fun I've ever had in a character was my portrayal of Gomez in SCC’s production of Addams Family.
Favorite youth show? Why?
I'm not sure which part was my favorite to play, but most rewarding was definitely being the first at-age actor to ever play the role of Ram Sweeney in Heathers the Musical. This was more than a just a show; this was a statement and it was one of those rare experiences where your audiences leave with their hearts in their stomach and eyes wide open. They left the theater with not just a story, but also a message that has since saved lives.
Most challenging acting experience? Why?
Definitely Gomez. I took a lot of risks with Gomez in the sense where I wanted him to have that witty essence that everyone remembers from the character while also making it completely me own. Also "Happy Sad" is a song Gomez sings in the 2nd act of the show to his daughter whom is in conflicted about her anger and love for the guy she is soon to be engaged to. Gomez is happy she's found someone to love, yet sad that his daughter is growing up. This song was something the music director of SCC and I reworked to make different than any other performance of the song. I was in tears for most of the performances of this song and it will always be one of my favorites. It was even followed by a studio recording featuring the Addams Family National Tour Orchestra and I. I thought the accent was going to be the scariest part. I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to correctly do it, but then one day it just came, naturally. The fun thing about this is that no two Gomezs have the same accent!
A few years back, you performed as J.B. Biggley in Greasepaint’s production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. What did you like about playing Biggley? What is the greatest strength of How to Succeed… as a show?
The show How to Succeed is a testament to time and a show that should be performed much more often. It doesn’t matter if it's a youth or adult production; it's fun for all ages. I had a lot of fun playing the role, but I feel I have a much better understanding now and would be able to do it much better the second time around. But there is definitely something to be said about "Brotherhood of Man" and how amazing of showstopper it is.
You won an NYA last year for playing Mr. Darling/Captain Hook in Fountain Hill’s production of Peter Pan and Wendy. How does that show differ from the Disney’s Peter Pan story we are used to? What was the experience of playing Captain Hook like? How did it feel to win an NYA for your performance?
This production was an original musical which featured the same story we all know but gave it a different approach. It was an older Wendy telling her daughter the story of Peter Pan (very Big Fish-esque). The reason the show worked so well is because we all just had fun up there. It was very much a “think tank” show in which the entire cast and our director Ross Collins threw ideas at each other and saw what did and did not work. I don't think I would have been able to pull this off without the help of my amazing Smee – Emily Spets!
In addition, you were nominated for an NYA last year for your portrayal of Rev. Shaw Moore in Footloose at Desert Mountain High School. Why do you think Footloose remains such a popular show? How did you approach the role of Shaw? What are the challenges that come along with his character?
Footloose remains popular because it's a story we all know and love and it's very much a feel good musical. I have done this show twice, once as Ren and then as Shaw. What that experience made clear to me is that most people play Shaw as the villain of the show, the uncaring and unorthodox man who banned dancing, and that's not who he is. What he is, is a family man who's love for his family is so great that when he looses a member of that family he gets so scared and caught off guard that he does what ever he thinks necessary to keep his family alive and together. His problem is not that he is uncaring, but that he cares so much that he throws out logic if he thinks it will keep the love in his family and community together.
You played Ram in both casts of Greasepaint’s Heathers. What made that production unique? What did you gain from that experience? What do you have to say to theaters who are skeptical of doing Heathers with at-age actors?
This experience was truly one of a kind, especially for a show that means so much to me. We were the first at age cast to ever perform this work and that being said we were getting national traction. We were sold out practically every single performance, which for a show like this is very good. Not just for us, but also for the audience, because of what they are experiencing on a subconscious level. This show deals with suicide, bullying, school shootings, the break of the high school stereotype, and depression which are all subjects I hold very close to my heart. We held a talkback after two of the performances and left and right we had people sharing their stories of their battles with depression and various suicide attempts. They all were touched by the show and agree that this show gives a message that anyone who has ever been in high school needs to see. As for the subject with youth theater doing this show, you have to remember we aren't making younger kids play adult parts that they don't understand. This show is the reality of what these high school kids are going through and see every single day in their high school. I agree that this isn't family friendly however it's something for mature young actors and I think everyone single one of them should understand what this show is saying about who we are and what the effect of our actions can cause.
At Scottsdale Community College, you portrayed Gomez Addams in the Addams Family. What was your favorite part about playing Gomez? Why do you think Addams Family has been such a popular show recently?
Gomez is just such a fun character you never know what he is going to do next! Addams Family is a show that has something for everyone; the whole family can enjoy it!
Favorite character you got to play during the 2015-16 season?
Gomez Addams
Favorite person you got to play opposite of during the 2015-16? (Romantically or otherwise)
Ian Eller and Clay Rollin who both played the role of Kurt in Heathers the Musical!
Dream role? Dream role of the opposite sex?
My current dream role is Edward Bloom in Big Fish! And if I had to do a gender swap role it would be Diana Goodman from Next to Normal!
Theaters in Arizona you would love to work with, but haven’t? Hale, AYT, Spotlight, Studio 3
Craziest stage experience (mishap, funny improvised joke, etc.)?
In my first year of Beauty and the Beast, I was playing Gaston, and at the end of the show, I'm supposed to stab the Beast and then he is supposed to take out the knife and than stab me back before he falls to his “death” (pre transformation). However, one night, I stabbed him and he just took the knife and fell off the platform, so that night I was forced to improvise my own death. I stood on the platform, looking down at the Beast, gloating about how I won and how Belle would never love a monster like him and then, when Belle came in yelling seeing the Beast on the ground, I got startled and when turning to see what the scream was I “tripped” and fell off the platform to my demise, in which I had to stay for the remainder of the show due to no black outs. Nothing is more odd than having everyone turn back into humans and dance around all happy and free while the corpse of the recently deceased Gaston is just lying on the middle of the floor.
Weirdest show you’ve ever been to? (Whether it be the nature of the show, casting decisions, etc.)
I went and saw a racially diverse Addams Family which was just weird all the way around with an Asian Gomez and black Pugsley. Also, nobody could sing… It was just a train wreck.
Least favorite costume you've ever worn?
Wearing 7 different layers of clothes all at once while doing a production of Gypsy in Florida.
Best youth production you have ever seen? Big Fish (McLean High School). It was a nationally ranked production.
What is your go-to audition song?
Currently, it's been a song called "Stranger" from Big Fish.
Advice for young performers? Auditions? Behavior? Life?
Take every opportunity you can and don't be afraid to try new things!!!
Favorite actors?
Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Matt Damon, Tom Hanks. I don't know, there are so many that I'm just naming random great ones.
Favorite plays?
Musical Comedy Murders of the 1940’s, Noises Off, Peter and the Starcatcher.
Favorite musicals?
Pretty much anything Sondheim, Big Fish, next to normal, Heathers, Phantom of the Opera -- not so much because I think it's perfectly written but mostly because of how it is the whole reason I'm here--, Les Mis, Jekyll & Hyde, and many more.
What is the best showtune of all-time?
There are so many, but off the top of my head, I just love "One Day More."
Musical/play on Broadway currently you’re dying to see?
I want to see the new Les Miserables before it closes!
Favorite TV Show?
Current favorite TV show is Daredevil
Secret guilty pleasure?
Writing songs and random jam sessions.
Personal mantra(s)?
“Great theatre is about challenging how we think and encouraging us to fantasize about a world we aspire to.” and “They were wrong.”
Performer you would die to perform with?
Ramin Karimloo! Laura Osnes
How do you feel about the atmosphere of youth theatre around Arizona? What do you like about it? What do you feel like can be improved?
It's so much better than the practically non-existent theater community I had in Florida! I wish places weren't so competitive with each other. I wish there was an event in which all the theaters come together to perform numbers featuring actors and actresses from all the valley theaters. Like a mega ensemble concert! (A/N: I'm working on that.) Also I think we should find a way to legally make cast albums for these casts to have; they aren't that hard to make and I've made a few myself.
Most underrated show?
Assassins
What’s your “adult” plan? Keep performing professionally or…?
I plan to pursue musical theater with everything I've got!
Upcoming projects?
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change which opens this Friday at SCC (it's free!), Sweeney Todd at Mesa Encore, and I have an audition for Big Fish at MCC in a month!
Young actor/actress in the Phoenix area you'd love to perform with?
I'd love to finally do a show with Jessie Jo, Gabi Gusti, Taylor Wild, Sarah Davidson, Brittany Howk, Elyssa Nicole Blonder, Mackenna Goodrich, and Kailey Osborn! I would also love to do another show with Nathan Sheppard!
No comments:
Post a Comment