Christian Thompson, who skillfully portrayed his name-fellow in the Broadway adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada, is once again leaving theater attendees on their feet cheering for more – all while smashing stereotypes on stages around the country. Consider this your official invitation to the show.
Thompson, who originates from Fort Lauderdale, Florida has re-cently been cast as Fiyero in Wicked, the fourth longest-running musical in Broadway history, and currently the most popular. On February 7, 2023, Thompson made his premiere appearance in Orlando, Florida at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
“What I’m trying to bring to Fiyero the most, is I feel like he’s gotten a bad rap over the years for being kind of an airhead, and I don’t see him as that. I see him as a person that in the most healthy and not healthy way, is just concerned with what he needs to be – nothing more nothing less… it’s a laser focus. So, I attempt to bring emotional depth to his character. He has a line in the show, ‘you know me, I’m always happy.’ He’s very blatantly saying, I have to be happy all the time even when I’m not. That was a big a-ha moment when I said it on stage and realized the deeper meaning behind it. I’m exploring what it looks like for someone who is trying to do the right thing in this war between good and evil but straddling the fence between both of them.”
Life goals can change over time, but for Christian Thompson, his mind was made up at eight years old… there was no plan B.
“As a kid, my dad taught me how to play the drums, and it was always good to have music in my life… but my mother is the one who continued to support me and make sure I was in the best position to succeed. I don’t know why I looked at it this way, as a practical path. It’s sort of a universal mystery to me. I am just one of the lucky ones where that tenacity and drive, coupled with talent – which I had nothing to do with giving myself – and good fortune along the way, all worked out in one to create this career. I was blessed to be with (the Broadway show) Ain’t Too Proud, including the pandemic for five and a half years, and we were in New York for about two and a half of those. I grew up in South Florida, but when that hit Broadway, I moved to New York and made it my full-time home base.”
Co-writing the musical In-Gauged for his alma mater Penn State, Christian bestows many accolades to the school that he acknowledges helped him achieve success.
“Because I went for musical theater, it was a very intense program of acting, singing, and dancing. For four years, I really honed my craft and was able to learn from some of the best educators in the country, including Kikora Franklin and Steve Broadnax. Penn State even has a new fantastic initiative where they bring in composers and writers, which has even included Joe Iconis (best known for writing the music and lyrics to Be More Chill) to create a show for the senior class. Being able to go back and work with students is super rewarding. I get to be that person who bridges the gap between academia and the profession.”
The road to stardom isn’t always lined with self-affirmation, and as a teenager, Thompson experienced a bit of the other side of fame… self-doubt. Eventually, however, his life turned full circle.
“I was in high school, and my class saw Billy Elliot, which is a brilliant musical. At intermission I was in the lobby with some friends, and realized that the children actors were so talented, and half my age. I thought, if this is what it takes to be on Broadway, I was behind the eight-ball and how was I ever going to make it? That was in the lobby of the Imperial Theater in Manhattan, and if you connect the dots, Ain’t Too Proud opened at the same venue about ten years later. The very place where I thought it would never happen, is where I debuted.”
Christian has consistently been fulfilling his ambitions and explains how the thrill of landing a part never subsides.
“For me, the first big roles I had were for The Ocean City Theater Company, where I was cast in Peter Pan and Smokey Joe’s Cafe. Those were my first two professional shows, and that was such an exciting and terrifying experience. When you’re finally on stage, there’s an added pressure of not letting the dream down. It was a great way to cut my teeth, and I even got to go back after I was on Broadway and receive the key to the city – which was lovely.
I keep getting the next step up as far as roles are concerned, and that fact is not lost on me. I remember getting the call for Wicked in a hotel room and literally fell to the ground, flabbergasted it was happening. The novelty doesn’t wear off, and if anything, it gets more dramatic.”
Portraying a fictional character is unlike someone who has actually lived or may still be living, and Thompson describes how he tackles both.
“Smokey (Robinson) was around, Smokey saw the show (Ain’t Too Proud). There’s a respect that has to happen when it’s a real person. You always want to do justice and honor people that went through hell and high water for us to even do a show about them, especially when they are heroes in our community. There’s a care, a very gentle way you have to hold that role in your hands. I wasn’t going to walk into the Smokey Robinson role and make up my own voice. With a character that’s not a real living person, you can kind of throw them around and try different things.
What you can do with a fictional character is figure out how to find their humanness and realness. It’s the difference between pottery and clay-making. Someone that’s actually lived… it’s already been started, so you have to continue to mold it. With fiction, it’s brand new. You have to slam that clay down and make sure it’s stuck on there before you can get going.”
Mainstream media has an opportunity to redesign the future when it comes to thoughts and behaviors concerning race in America. The growing number of Black performers on Broadway around the world, proves live theater has gotten the message.
“I think it’s the greatest responsibility and the greatest opportunity I have – that by just existing, I can guarantee the chance for the next me… and for the next me to not have to think about whether they would be cast. I don’t think any actor of color takes the responsibility of representation lightly. I started off thinking Fiyero was not a part to go after because there were so very few of us, and now I can add my name to that list and make it a little bit longer. To be in those shoes is both exciting and a weight, but it’s a weight worth bearing. It’s something we have to do, and something we get to do. There’s good things happening on the horizon, but we still have to work for it to continue – not only on stage, but also with crew members and creatives. There are a lot of incredible people fighting that fight every day, and I’m glad to be amongst them.”
To embody an entity that you were not born as, night after night, you must lose yourself and reinvent your way of thinking.
“I think all of these characters live in me constantly, and I’m always learning something new about myself through the people I play. I think that’s one of the gifts of being an actor. You get to look at yourself through so many different lenses, and it helps to solidify who you are as a human… or it changes you.”
Christian Thompson’s impressive resumé combined with his effervescent capacity for greatness, proves he can only accelerate from here.
“I want to see how far I can take it. I think that little kid at eight years old who said, ‘this is what I want to do,’ would be very disappointed if he knew that I got to this level and then said, ‘alright I’m good here.’ I was fortunate enough to understudy a lead role in Ain’t Too Proud on Broadway but haven’t had a lead myself yet. There’s a lot that I’m excited about with my writing, which is a brand-new wrinkle in this career of mine – you know, there’s always a new goal. I’m constantly trying to remind myself to enjoy the moment I’m in, but striving for the next thing, whether that be a Tony Award or another show. But the big epiphany I had in the past year or so, is to not put a cap on what’s possible, and try to enjoy the ride while I see what comes true.”
