War Horse and More

So much to talk about.

It's absolutely true that I have been neglecting this blog. So...time for a serious update.

Most importantly, I am working on my 3rd Broadway show! This past summer, I was cast in the Broadway transfer of War Horse. War Horse is a new play transferring here from London. It began at The National Theatre in 2007, and later transferred to the West End where it is still running. There are 35 cast members involved in our Lincoln Center production. It is an honor and a dream come true to be working for Lincoln Center. War Horse will be going into my favorite New York City theatre, The Vivian Beaumont, this spring! Previews start March 15th and we open April 14th. More on all of this in a minute...here's a trailer of the West End production!



Tonight you may have caught me in a surprise appearance on Gossip Girl. I returned as Jonathan for an episode to stir up the Upper East Side drama. Gossip Girl is on Mondays at 9pm on the CW. Here's a promo clip!



Now...I have also been working away at my EP! Rest assured, we are trying to release this EP this spring! It should be a very busy April and May for me between War Horse opening and the EP release! I did 13 hours in the studio a couple weeks ago, and I'm heading back in this week to do more work. We'll begin mixing next week. Once mixing is complete, we'll master it all and work on getting it out into your hands and onto your ipods! Once I have clips to share, I will. I'm very excited to get started on the packaging and will be putting together a lot of different promotional pages as soon as I can. It's quite the process, but things will come together! Self producing is extremely satisfying...if not completely overwhelming :). Everything sounds amazing. I am blown away by the musicians I continue to work with. My co-writer, Will Van Dyke, is my rock and inspiration through all of this. He is immensely talented. If you haven't seen it, this is a live performance of my original song, "If Morning Can't Wait."



Private Romeo (previously known as "McKinley") will be hitting the festival circuit in the spring as well. I am told a website and trailer are very, very close by...so look out for those. In the meantime, support the film by liking it on facebook!

Private Romeo's Facebook Page

Speaking of Private Romeo, my co-star from the film, Seth Numrich, will be playing the leading role of Albert in War Horse. We were both cast in War Horse back in July. At the time we were still working on Private Romeo together. It's really incredible to be working with him again. He is a phenomenal actor and a wonderful guy.

So a bit more on War Horse...Here's how Lincoln Center bills the show. "At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert's beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. Joey is soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man's land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a mission to find his horse and bring him home."

I play Albert's cousin, Billy. Billy is a rather nasty and misguided young boy. He is shipped off to the Western Front against his will where he is broken by the horrors of World War One. Along with playing Billy every night, I am also understudying the role of Albert.

When we started rehearsals a couple weeks ago, I truly had no idea what I was in for. I had seen footage from the show and read the reviews, but I didn't understand how magical this production really is. It is perhaps the warmest and most supportive group of people I have worked with. Our cast is massive, but everyone understands that the show will only work if we are completely in tune with one another. This isn't the kind of experience an actor can take lightly. The physical work that is required from all of us every night is unlike anything anyone has ever seen on a Broadway stage. The show is part spectacle...but the spectacle comes from actors working together to create living, breathing creatures. The relationships between the actors and the puppets must be as honest as possible in order for the show to come to life. The result of this honesty, along with the sheer beauty of these puppets (created by the Handspring Puppet Company), is a magical piece of theatre. That's really the only way I can describe it. I have gasped more than a few times in rehearsals.

The process has been anything but a "transfer." We are creating something from the ground up with our company. Our Directors, Tom Morris and Marianne Elliot, are adamant about focusing on the process. It's been an incredible journey so far. We are working with all of original creative team members from the UK production. I will keep you all posted on what happens next. In the mean time...check out the website...and get your tickets!!!

War Horse Web Site