After a near two-year wait, award-winning Broadway, TV, film actor and recording artist Nicholas Rodriguez will perform his one-man show, “All Is Fair in Love…” at Overture Center for the Arts on Thursday, Feb. 10. Originally set to debut at the Overture Center in February of 2020, this evening of romance and serenade was postponed due to COVID-19 and gathering restrictions. Now, Overture’s Cabaret Series is set to return with new hors-d’oeuvres and gourmet dining experience.
Rodriguez came to his love for music and theater early in life, and he has his family to thank for it.
“I always kind of grew up singing in church and everyone in my family did. So we always kind of thought that that was normal,” he told Madison365. “I loved my parents’ record collection. I listened to Elton John, and John Denver, and The Beatles and even though my family wasn’t really into musicals, for some reason they had the ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ album, and y’know, I just loved it.”
After putting his vocals to the test in high school choir, Rodriguez saved up money to take voice lessons with a private instructor. “My voice teacher really got me turned on to classical music to study and train the voice and I just loved it,” he remembered. “I tell people I’m somewhere between country, western, and classical because of all the influences I had growing up.”
As a native Texan, Rodriguez didn’t have as many opportunities to get involved in the theater industry as he would have had on the coasts, but he took every chance he could. Austin’s ZACH Theatre was a huge influence in his early career, where he worked his way from the audience to backstage crew and then eventually, onto the stage itself.
“What was so great about it was getting to see all sides of the business and I made some of the friends that I still have to this day,” he said.
Rodriguez has since gone on to star in titles like Broadway’s Tarzan, the hit movie Sex and the City 2, and ABC’s One Life to Live, proving what hard work and dedication to the craft can do. But it wasn’t always easy for him to navigate the arts industry.
“I definitely remember my agent when I first moved to [New York City] saying, ‘Well have you thought about changing your name so you don’t have an ethnic last name?’ And I heavily thought about it. Because you know, they said it could open [me] up to play more roles, or white roles, or that sort of thing,” he said. “I didn’t have a strong feeling at the time, I just didn’t want to offend my family, basically […] I feel for our community, especially as artists, that we have to be really careful because we can also put our own selves in boxes. I try not to do it and try not to let it be done to me.”
Despite the great fortune he has had in landing roles that have historically only been given to white actors, Rodriguez knows that a better and more diverse future is still possible. “I’m kind of in this interesting space where I’m trying to listen to the younger generation who says what they need. […] People in their 20s are really embracing it and fighting for change and representation,” he said. For Rodriguez, representation doesn’t stop at who we see performing, either. “I think in addition to [who] we put on our stages, we need to fill our houses with people who look like America.”
Racial diversity isn’t the only issue being tackled in the arts today. Raised on the importance of giving back, Rodriguez has spent the last 12 years working with the Broadway Dreams Foundation, a non-profit made up of New York actors, directors, and choreographers who travel all over the country and bring theater arts to middle school, high school, and college-aged students. Broadways Dreams creates greater accessibility for aspiring artists with their need-based scholarship program, which supports over 50% of their students.
“When I was growing up in Texas, there wasn’t even Internet, much less people from Broadway coming to work with me at my community center,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just so fun to see these people have opportunities that aren’t afforded to [everyone]. And then to see some of them have Broadway careers of their own is pretty amazing.”
The pandemic continues to be a unique time for those working in the arts. When show cancellations became the norm during lockdown, individuals and organizations alike were given ample time to reflect on their work and whose voices are typically brought to the fore.
“There are major, major conversations that have been had during the pandemic and it’s given us all time to reflect, especially major arts organizations,” Rodriguez said. “I hope that that good work continues in good faith. I hope that it’s more than just a fad and that we all continue to learn from this and bring deeper, richer projects to the table no matter what the color.”
As show venues continue to open up around the country, Rodriguez looks forward to sharing such an intimate performance with his Madison audience. “[With] something like this, it’s almost the feel of inviting someone into your living room and giving them a sneak peek into you,” he explained. “Whereas when you’re on a big stage in front of 15-20,000 people, you don’t get the luxury of eye contact or letting them literally see the sweat on your brow.”
Performing with his musical director and long-time colleague Mark Hartman, Rodriguez is thrilled to finally take to the stage with “All is Fair in Love…”. Its carefully curated setlist, which includes everything from Stephen Sondheim to Stevie Wonder and spans the full range of romantic experiences, will have something for everyone in the audience. “I just feel so happy to share this story with people, the people that it was intended for originally, finally, after two and a half years.”
Tickets are still available for “All Is Fair in Love…” on the Overture Center website. Click here for more information.
