Michael Cerveris

My father is a university professor so when the schools needed a little kid for their productions I was often the kid they used. The first time I was ever on stage was about 2nd grade. As one of the prince's little friends in The Caucasian Chalk Circle. So when you start out your theatrical career with Brecht at the age of 7 or 8 you know you are in for the long run. Show less «

[The original cast of "Tommy"] had to re-audition for the Broadway company after doing the show 110 times in La Jolla. But when my turn came to audition I had to fly to NY and unfortunately, I was just getting over a cold. I was put up in a Times Square Hotel where they initially put me in a room next to one sealed off with NYPD crime scene tape. And the next morning I warmed up in an apartment full of cats (the animals, not the actors) and I'm allergic. So... by the time I got to the audition, my voice was pretty much dried up and gone. So, I plowed through a couple of songs before it disappeared altogether. The good thing is that it forced them to judge me on the basis of the work that I had done since I couldn't really have done anything better in an audition room that I hadn't done on stage. It also taught me that even your worst nightmares coming true are not always the end of the world. And most importantly, it gave me a good story to use on the Tonight Show when I met Jay Leno. I'm not sure the producers thought it was as funny a story as Jay seemed to. Show less «

My life/career is more filled with left-field thrills than I could ever have hoped for.

I've never been good at making smart career decisions or doing the right strategic thing, and yet somehow it's all led me to exactly the kind of career that I would have dreamed of having - if only I'd been smart enough to dream something like that. Show less «

Anyone who finds a murdering barber sexy is someone you gotta be kinda nervous about, but I'm grateful for any attention.

I guess it's good advertising for my barber skills if I shave myself well. I've been shaving my head since 'Tommy' [in 1993] because I wore a wig all the time; it was so much more comfortable to have it shaved. Show less «

I've thought of quitting acting at least a dozen times. And that's matched by the other dozen of times when I think, 'They'll figure out that I really don't have any talent. My career's over.' Even after winning the Tony for 'Assassins', I wondered, 'Maybe this is it.' Show less «

I do feel pressure. I have always been able to surprise people because they didn't know to expect anything from me. And now people are starting to have expectations. They're not necessarily expectations that I plan to satisfy. Show less «

I told my agents, This time I'm serious, I don't want to do another musical for a long time. Though I would do Sondheim, I never expected I would get to. Show less «

[on 'Sweeney Todd'] They are actually taking human lives and grinding up people to serve to other people. We can watch stories about it on Court TV until we're nauseous, but you don't usually go to the musical theater to confront those things. Show less «

[on working with the legendary Patti Lupone] "There's a real comfort zone, a kind of shorthand between us, and we know we can count on each other. That comes in handy when you're trying to create such complex characters in a short time." Show less «

Sweeney was the first Broadway show I ever saw, and I saw it six or seven times. It was definitely a formative experience, so much so that I was afraid to think I might ever do this part. Len Cariou's performance is indelibly etched in my mind. And I would have expected that, if the part were ever to come up for me, it would have been years from now. They usually cast the role older, even though, in reality, Sweeney would probably be about my age. Playing a father is bringing up some interesting issues for me. Right now, it's just me and my dog. But before I start thinking about kids, I'd better find a serious girlfriend! Show less «