Broadway Stars

The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday, November 20 featured Nat Chandler and Stephanie J. Block, two of Ridgefield's own Broadway stars.

I had the pleasure of talking to Nat Chandler about his early performing life as well as his Broadway experiences.

Mr. Chandler began performing at an early age. His first community theater role was King Chulalongkorn in The King and I, at the age of 7. From elementary school through high school and college, Chandler performed in many theater productions despite his busy school schedule, which included sports, music, and writing.

After achieving a master's degree in music, he moved to New York to start his professional career. Although Mr. Chandler is influenced by major stars (and he works with a lot of them!), he said that he is also greatly influenced by his colleagues that are not as famous. He has learned a lot from the passion and dedication they display onstage, as well as their kindness towards fans and the audience.

Mr. Chandler's favorite Broadway role was Percival Blakeney (the Scarlet Pimpernel) in The Scarlet Pimpernel. This character offered him the chance to demonstrate a wide range of emotion. During the day, Percival is mild-mannered and inconspicuous and during the night he is “the dashing resistance to the French Revolution”.

Mr. Chandler enjoys going from Broadway to the concert stage, like he did with the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, because the concert stage allows him more flexibility. He can play more than one role in an evening. He can also revive roles that he once did as a young man, but can no longer be cast in because of his age.

I asked Mr. Chandler how he prepares for a performance. A typical warm-up for him consists of a diet of healthy food that provides lots of energy, aerobic exercise (such as running or biking), and a long vocal warm-up session so that he is completely prepared to sing the very first note!