by Meredith Ganzman . . .
Tony Award-winner Santino Fontana is nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical for his role as Harry Bogen in the Classic Stage Company revival of I Can Get It For You Wholesale. Fontana spoke to Theater Pizzazz about what keeps the work relevant for today’s audiences. He also shares how the musical’s story and his role speak to the idea of achieving the American dream.
TP: Congratulations on your Drama Desk nomination, how does it feel to be nominated for your role as Harry Bogen in I Can Get It For You Wholesale?
SF: It feels great to be remembered for a show that closed so many months ago, especially for a show that was such an ensemble piece, with one of the best possible casts in NYC. I have to give a shout-out to them all because Harry only existed in opposition and relation to them – – Judy Kuhn, Becca Naomi Jones, Joy Woods, Julia Lester, Hayley Podschun, Jen Babiak, Ephie Ardema, Victor de Paula Rocha, Darron Hayes, Adam Grupper, Eddie Cooper, Greg Hildreth, Adam Chanler Berat, John Plumpis, and Billy Cohen.
TP: I Can Get It For You Wholesale premiered on Broadway in 1962. It hasn’t been back on the boards since then. Unlike in the original production, you talked directly to the audience in this CSC revival. How did that influence your performance as Harry?
SF: Everything about Harry came straight from John Weidman and his father Jerome before him, followed by years of development with our fantastic director Trip, and then I just let the chips fall where they may. With this one, I really wanted John to be happy with how Harry was coming back to life, both for him and his father. In terms of speaking to the audience, I can’t speak to the original script, but the audience was another unpredictable force. It was my job to let them in on Harry’s journey, despite his problems, and try to get them to go on the ride with me. I was also aware of where they were at emotionally and calibrated accordingly. I needed to gain their trust before the final reveal so I would do everything I could to protect that. Similarly, I knew that I was successful when the audience joined in on the laughter and rooted for me before they all turned on me. To be wishing for the audience to shake their heads at me and at the end of the show, while I’m singing in their faces was…weird. To say the least.
TP: What first attracted you to the role of Harry Bogen and the musical’s story and then kept you hooked since workshops began in 2019?
SF: We started workshops in 2016 or 2017 actually. At that point, I had played a bunch of princes and a slew of well-meaning charming vulnerable guys. The idea of playing an antihero like Harry was exciting and felt timely in response to the election. Last year, the show felt like a character study, examining how someone can keep making terrible choices to save oneself and, in the process, alienate himself from everyone who knew him.
TP: How was it adapting the musical for these times?
SF: John, Trip, and David Chase who oversaw the score, could probably answer this question better than myself, but I think a great deal of credit has to go to CSC’s new Producing Artistic Director, Jill Rafson. She saw the classic bones in this old story, as well as Jeffrey Richards who engaged John to re-work the book so many years ago. Sadly, people who’ll do anything to get to the ‘top’ will always be timely. And we don’t have to look far to see someone willing to throw anyone under the bus to avoid prison.
TP: How does Harry and the I Can Get It For You Wholesale story continue to speak to what it means to achieve the American dream?
SF: I don’t feel like Harry achieved the American Dream at all. He may have avoided accountability for the time being, but when he’s alone with his money after the play ends, he’ll have no one to talk to or share that money with. At the end of the show, he’s left alone and filled with rage, even though he got what he wanted. He’s left throwing all of his anger at everyone near him but he’s really mad at himself. I think the story is a fascinating examination of what people do when they’re trapped in a system that’s stacked against them and though someone’s dreams may be worthy at the start…if ego and pride get in the way of asking for help, or acknowledging missteps, then people just double and triple down on them to avoid getting caught.
Photo: Polk and Company