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With Rebecca Pitcher as Christine
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Biography:
Richard Todd Adams is thrilled to be joining the Los Angeles company of Phantom after spending the last nine months with the third national tour as a swing/Raoul understudy. A native Texan, Richard received his B.M. in voice from Trinity University in San Antonio. He is currently on a leave from the
Jilliard School where he is pursuing a M.M. in voice. Credits include South Pacific (Lt. Cable) with John Raitt, Camelot (Lancealot), and She Loves Me (Kodaly). Off-Broadway: Rappaccini's Daughter (Giovanni).
Interview:
What first made you decide that you want to pursue a career in theatre?
I am an only child and my mother is a concert pianist. So, music has been a part of my life ever since I can remember. My parents took me to the opera and to theater when I was very, very young and I just grew up with it. However, I never really thought that I would be doing that as a living. I wished it, but I never really thought it would happen. But, then in junior high and high school, I became very active in theater and choir and decided to major in Voice at Trinity University, a small liberal arts school in San Antonio, TX. There, I could be in operatic,
musical theater, and straight drama productions, and that solidified my yearning to be an actor. I then was accepted into the Masters program at The Juilliard School in NYC in Voice and auditioned on the side.....
How did you land the role of Raoul? When did you audition, and what piece did you use? Was the experience nerve-wracking for you, and how many call-backs did you attend before being cast? Do you understudy the Phantom at all or would like to?
I was at Juilliard in the Masters program and was auditioning for as many shows as I could on the side -- there was a posting one day for an audition for Dirabelli Productions, a German-based musical theater organization...the posting said that the auditions would be attended by a NY casting agent and I was in the process of looking for an agent. So, I went and Penny Luedtke, NY agent, was there and Denny Berry, Phantom production dance supervisor, was there....I sang a German piece (classical) and then "Empty Chairs" from Les Mis and Penny asked if I had representation and Denny asked if I had ever auditioned for Phantom - a week later, I had an agent and Denny set me up with a private appointment for the Phantom casting people -- I sang "If Ever I Would Leave You" for them - they had me read the Dressing Room scene from Phantom and
then I sang "Giants in the Sky" from Into the Woods - and that was it.....not terribly nerve-wracking because I felt confident about the situation - and I was in school....so, if nothing came of the audition, I was still doing that...they called about a week and a half later to offer me the Swing/Raoul
understudy on the road and over a year later, I'm still at it.....this was all in Oct-Nov '97....just the one audition for Phantom -- no callback....
And as for the Phantom cover, I have sung "Music of the Night" for the production supervisors and when I take over the role of Raoul on the road, I may also cover the Phantom - it hasn't been decided yet....we have 3 other covers, so it isn't exactly a necessity....
Describe your experience of being cast in such a big musical. How do you see your character and how do you try to make him unique?
Basically, it is an honor and privilege to get to be a part of a show like Phantyom...and to have performed as Raoul with both the Raoul Co and the Music Box Co, I have worked with about 300 amazing cast members, crew, orchestra, etc. between the two companies...in terms of the role of Raoul, I see it as a complex character to perform -- it can be looked at as the stereotypical hero but he isn't....there have been many performances where in the curtain call, the character is cheered as a hero would be cheered....there have been other
performances where I feel audiences have really sided with the Phantom and I think that makes this character extremely unique...from one performance to another, I can be loved or hated....Raoul can be snotty at times in his insistence to Christine that "there is no Phantom of the Opera" -- but, as an
actor, I have to be careful not to try to play him as the hero -- I would obviously love if all audiences thought of him in that way, but in reality, this isn't the case....so, I have to play the character honestly thinking of how he would react in those situations....it's fairly complex -- not as complex a figure as the Phantom but complex in a different way.....
How do you prepare for a performance? What performances made you especially proud, and what sort of mishaps have happened to you onstage that you wish hadn't?
By far, the proudest moment for me was on October 8, 1998 when I debuted with the Raoul Co. as Raoul after spending the previous 9 months with the Music Box Co. as the Swing/Raoul understudy -- I had been called to LA from Philadelphia
where the Music Box Co. was preparing to open a 2 1/2 month run.... I arrived and had a few days of rehearsal and went on that Thursday night opposite Davis Gaines and Marie Danvers....it was thrilling.....Brad Little (the Phantom with Music Box) is an amazing Phantom as well and having the opportunity to perform
on stage with Brad and Davis has been wonderful.....the final show in LA on November 15 was wonderful too....lots of tears....but what a great group of people....
I haven't had too many strange situations on stage with this show -- the only one that comes to mind was in the last week of shows in LA in the final lair scene -- after Davis lights the rope to release Raoul from the Punjab lasso, I fall and throw the rope to the side near the portcullis -- somehow the tiny
string that extends from the top of the rope and goes up to the top of stage and over and down to a stagehand in the wings got tangled around my neck and I couldn't get it off to clear the rope -- so, I am flailing around on the ground trying to get this tiny white string from around my neck (from the audience it probably looked like I was struggling with nothing) -- Davis just
stood and watched with an amused look on his face and Marie finally just ran over and leaned down and unhooked me so I could get up.....later, Davis told me that I looked like an alligator tied up rolling around on its back unable to use its limbs....must have looked quite humorous from out front....
Current Engagements:
Rick is performing the role of Raoul through to January 8, 2000 on the Music Box Tour. Click here for the full list of tour dates.
Link:
The Richard Todd Adams Website. Biography, Letter, Interview, Upcoming Performances, Fan Club, Contact Address, and more.
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