Destination Xanadu
Don’t we all wish we could skate off into a timeless world full of magic? Kerry Butler gets to do just that, in front of a packed DTEES house on Broadway, as the star of the 2007 version of Xanadu.
The glitz of the 1980s and the winning combination of music, magic and beautiful California are a hot theatre ticket right now in New York’s Helen Hayes Theatre.
Maybe you remember the movie version of Xanadu. It was just one of many movie performances by the much-loved Aussie superstar, Olivia Newton-John. She got physical by skating onto the big screen back in 1980, and now the fantasy has been revived, this time starring 36-year-old Kerry Butler as the muse, Kira. Butler’s no stranger to the spotlight, with past roles as Eponine in Les Miserables, and Belle in Beauty and the Beast.
A long time fan of Newton-John, Butler is thrilled to be putting her own spin on the role of Kira. She recently shared her thoughts on love, life, family and skating with travelgirl Publisher Renee Werbin.
“I haven’t watched it in years, so for me it was like memories and just terribly funny, like seeing a part of myself that was so long ago.”
Olivia Newton-John, as heard on www.broadway.com
“You have to have a sense of humor about yourself, otherwise what is life about?”
Olivia Newton-John, as heard on www.broadway.com
TravelGirl (tg): I understand you began your show business career at the mere age of three. How and why did you begin so young?
Kerry Butler (k.b): My mom put me, my sister and my cousins into commercials so we could earn money for college. We lived in Brooklyn. I acted from the age of three until I was five and then my mother stopped me, she stopped all of us. She wanted us to have a normal life. I loved acting and I kept begging her to let me continue. She finally caved in when I was nine and she let me audition for Annie. I didn’t get the part but she let me start doing commercials again and we hired an agent. I started singing in a children’s nightclub where they paid me with ice cream.
tg: Your mom was very instrumental in your career.
k.b. She helped me so much. She was a teacher and she would drive me home from school and then take me to all of my auditions. It was really another job for her and it was a lot of extra work. I really didn’t acknowledge it then, but now I really see the sacrifices that my parents made for me.
tg: Did you have any other mentors when you were young?
k.b. My dad, my grandmother, my entire family encouraged me. I was sort of the star of the family because I would always sing. My agent from the age of nine encouraged me and believed in me and we are still friends today. In this business one year you are up and the next year you are on the bottom. I have been going through this since I was nine years old.
tg: How were you able to concentrate on your studies and your career?
k.b. My parents wanted me to have an education and I wanted that too. My parents wanted me to go to college and receive a liberal arts degree so that I would have something besides just acting, and I also wanted to have another career to fall back on.
tg: Can you remember any disappointments that you over-came when you were young?
k.b. It was a huge disappointment for me when I didn’t get the role of Annie. I made it tds and I cls and I cried when I left the audition. My parents were upset as well but they hid it because they felt my pain. My parents encouraged me to carry on. When I didn’t get the part in Annie they took me to other auditions. My parents always supported me in my efforts to achieve my goals. I did get to play Annie in the Brooklyn Ensemble Reidsville Theatre.
tg: Talk a little about being cast as Belle, the female lead in Beauty and the Beast. You opened in Toronto and then became the “Belle on Broadway.”
k.h. I was so lucky and I loved being in Toronto. Toronto really respects theatre actors. I was treated really well there and had so much fun. Then I was moved to Broadway and I was so excited because that was my first lead role on Broadway. I am a huge Disney fan and Belle is such a great part.
tg: Did the Disney team come out to see you in the role?
k.b. Oh yes, the entire team came to the opening in Toronto.
tg: Talk a little about preparation for a Broadway play. Do the daily demands of being in a show allow you any personal time?
k.b. I had my daughter for six months before I got the offer to be in Xanadu. One of the main pros was that the show only lasted an hour and a half. I thought the time span would allow me to have a life outside of the show. The rehearsal process was much harder and longer than I expected. We had many injuries and we had to keep going back into rehearsal. For a while we were rehearsing very long hours, which was really hard for me as a mom. I would wake up at 6:30 AM and take my daughter to the park just to be with her. I would then have to be at rehearsal at 10 in the morning. It was important to me to have some time with my daughter because she would be asleep when I returned home in the evening. It was difficult then, but now it’s great because 1 have my entire day with my daughter and then I go to perform in the show just as she is going to bed. I am trying not to do too much outside of the show so that I can spend time with my child.
tg: It must have been an incredible feeling to be chosen for the part of Eponine in Les Miserables. How did this role shape you as an actress?
k.b. I don’t think the role changed me as an actress but the part of Eponine was one of my dream roles since I was a young girl. I was so excited to play that part. While I was in high school I would sing the song from the play about the boy who didn’t like me. I would be crying on my bed singing On My Own. To get to sing that song on Broadway, well it just doesn’t get any better than that!
tg: Let’s talk about Xanadu. You turned nine the year the movie version opened. Do you remember it?
k.b. Yes I do remember the movie. I was a huge Olivia Newton-John fan growing up. I remember loving it. I went back and watched it when I got the part. The music was great of course, as was Olivia Newton-John.
tg: I know Olivia Newton-John took great interest in the Broadway version.
k.b. She did, she came to the premiere and she has said she will come back to visit often. I met her opening night, she came up on stage and then we spoke back stage. I was a little concerned she might think that I was making fun of her with my performance. I do little exaggerations of her or perhaps of an Australian, in the show, I call them my “Olivia Newton-John shout outs,” but I do love her.
tg: You have really taken this role that Olivia Newton-John originated and made it your own.
k.b. I don’t think people will compare me to Olivia Newton-John. I feel like I am creating my own character and the script is quite a bit different from the movie.
tg: As Kira in Xanadu, you fall in love. What is the biggest piece of advice you will give your daughter when it comes to falling in love?
k.b. I will tell her that it’s what’s on the inside that matters most.
tg: Would you like to see your daughter follow in your footsteps?
k.b. She already seems like she is a budding young actress because she gets upset when she isn’t the center of attention which is really, really funny. I will be happy with whatever she chooses to do.
tg: This is a demanding role. You are required to roller skate all over the stage. How do you manage your lines and the challenging physical aspects of the role?
k.b. This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I am not the most coordinated person to begin with. I went into skating lessons before we started rehearsals. Once we began I never took off my skates and I would even take skating lessons during my lunch break. I worked really hard. 1 surprised myself. The first two weeks I would come home crying thinking I was going to be fired. When I first started I learned to do some tricks but was always thinking about where I was placing my feet. I couldn’t begin to think about making acting choices or singing on skates. At first it was really, really difficult but now 1 love it. I feel like I have a sport I can do well. Sometimes I don’t even think about the fact that I have skates on. You have to be careful, because when you stop thinking about being on the skates that’s when accidents can happen.
tg: I am sure you have very little free time while starring on Broadway. When you do have time, what’s your favorite destination?
k.b. Disney World, I love it. I go to Disney World four times a year, I am addicted. I go to Disneyland occasionally but Disneyland is only a teaser for Disney World.
tg: Can you name one item that you never leave home without?
k.b. My cell phone because it has everything I need in it including a camera, a video camera and my schedule. When I travel with my daughter I never leave home without diapers and wipes.
tg: Do you have a favorite city?
k.b. I don’t have a favorite city but I do like to travel to Los Angeles. I was born in New York but I have grown to love L.A. because it has it all: mountains, the ocean - there are so many different things there within driving distance.
tg: Are there any huge goals you are working on before you turn 40?
k.b. Yes, I would like to record an album. This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time.
tg: As a vegetarian, can you tell us your favorite restaurants in New York City?
k.b. There are lots of good vegetarian restaurants. Usually I just order vegetarian items wherever I dine. One of my favorite Indian restaurants is called Mughlai - it’s located on the Upper West Side.
tg: Do you have any advice for those eager young actors and actresses who hope to follow in your footsteps?
k.b. Act whenever you get the opportunity. Everyone just wants to get to Broadway. It’s funny, when you are performing on Broadway it is just like performing in regional theatre. You need to keep acting wherever you are, fulfilling your soul and doing what you really want to do. I know people who have come to New York and tried out for Broadway and not made it and they have regretted it their whole lives and just been miserable. It’s best to act wherever you can and take what you can get. You learn from the people you work with wherever you are and you meet new people and make more connections that will help you as you grow in your craft.
tg: Is there one person who really guided your way and helped you achieve stardom?
k.b. There are so many that have helped me. I remember two of my teachers at Ithaca College, Arno Selco and Susannah Berryman.
tg: What’s next for Kerry Butler?
k.b. Right now I am just enjoying doing Xanadu, hopefully I will be there for a while. I would like to do some television and movies. I worked on a show called The Opposite of Sex and that might be happening. Xanadu has me for a little while and I want to enjoy where I am. It isn’t very often that you are in a hit Broadway show.
As seen on our cover, Olivia Newton-John came to cheer on Kerry Butler and the rest of the Xanadu cast on opening night in New York.