BWW Interviews: Backwards in High Heels' DOUGLAS WATERBURY-TIEMAN Takes on The Friday Five...on Wednesday!

Inspired by BroadwayWorld.com's Friday Six, welcome to Nashville.BroadwayWorld.com's latest installment of The Friday Five: five questions designed to help you learn more about the talented people you'll find on stages in the Volunteer State. Yes, I'm well aware that the calendar says today is Wednesday, but there's a method to my madness: Opening Friday night at Cumberland County Playhouse in Crossville is Backwards in High Heels: The Ginger Rogers Musical which stars today's Friday Fiver-Douglas Waterbury-Tieman-in the pivotal role of Fred Astaire!

So excited am I about the opening of the show (what can I say? I'm a huge Ginger Rogers fan!) that I just can't wait to introduce you to the show's stars-and I suspect you'll be so enraptured by them once you read their interviews that you'll want to make reservations to catch them recreate some of those magical, enchanting dance routines that have inspired millions of fans to trip the light fantastic and embark on any number of flights of fancy.

Directed and choreographed by Jeremy Benton, the show is an evocative look back at the career, life and loves of Rogers and all the people, famous and otherwise, who were part of her story. Waterbury-Tieman is cast opposite another multi-talented triple threat, Jessica Wockenfuss (whom you will meet tomorrow when we offer up another installment of The Friday Five on Thursday) who plays the show's titular lead, Ginger Rogers. Weslie Webster is cast as her mother, Lela, with Playhouse favorites Britt Hancock, Jason Ross, Daniel Black, Austin Price and John Dobbratz among the other ensemble members. Ron Murphy conducts the orchestra.

Douglas, who makes his CCP debut in Backwards in High Heels, won the coveted role of Fred Astaire during an audition at the Southeastern Theatre Conference. The Lexington, Kentucky, native met Playhouse producing artistic director Jim Crabtree at the audition and no doubt made quite the impression on the theater veteran with one simple declarative sentence: "I tap dance and I play the fiddle." Hence, he'll follow up his Backwards in High Heels performance by joining the cast of A Sanders Family Christmas later in the season.

Working with Benton, who originated the role in the musical's world premiere at Florida Stage in West Palm Beach, Waterbury-Tieman says, has been "a fantastic experience," crediting Benton's vision for the piece with making it such an extraordinary first project at Cumberland County Playhouse.

Waterbury-Tieman is familiar to Nashville audiences for his recent appearances in Studio Tenn Theatre Company's productions of The Sound of Music (he played Rolf) and Guys and Dolls (in which he played a crap-shooting denizen of Broadway). A recent graduate of Belmont University's acclaimed music theatre program, he was last seen in BUMT's spring musical Hairspray (playing Wilbur Turnblad) after having performed in Anything Goes and The Drowsy Chaperone.

What was your first "live onstage" taste of theater? My first onstage experience was in fourth grade at Squires Elementary School in Lexington, Kentucky.  My music teacher, Mrs. Susan Owens, cast me as Scrooge in an abridged theatrical rendition of A Christmas Carol.  I will never forget the thrill of all those "Bah-Humbugs" and the subsequent audience chuckles.

What is your favorite pre-show ritual? Listening to music has always had a profound impact on my psyche.  Therefore, I have always found it helpful to listen to specific music before going on stage that, for one reason or another, puts me in the mood of a particular character or setting.  Prior to opening night of Backwards in High Heels I will probably listen to a lot of Porter, Gershwin, and Berlin hits on my I-pod.

What's your most memorable "the show must go on" moment? This moment has become my worst nightmare. Once, last summer, I was actually locked outside the backstage door of a theatre as the curtain was rising on act two of our show. The rest of our small cast, save for one person, were already on stage. I began banging on the back door, as quietly as possible, hoping beyond hope that my friend would hear me and open the door. Luckily he did, just in time for my entrance. That is the closest I have ever come to having a panic attack. 

What's your dream role? I like to say that my dream role hasn't been written yet. I would love to be able to someday originate a role that fits me perfectly. So if anyone has any ideas about a musical featuring a tap dancing fiddle player, please let me know.

Who's your theatrical crush? My greatest theatrical crush was a girl in the chorus of Belmont University's production of Anything Goes. I thought that she was just stunning, and what a dancer! I may or may not have missed several of my entrances while trying to gain her attention backstage. I'm happy to say that Annabelle [Fox] and I have now been dating for a year and a half, and she hasn't let me miss an entrance since.

 

 

Backwards in High Heels will play on the Mainstage at Cumberland County Playhouse from July 27 through November 2. For tickets and further details, go to www.ccplayhouse.com or call (931) 484-5000.