CheekyChicago

Broadway actress Haven Burton, best known for her roles in Rent and Legally Blonde, is in Chicago playing Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical. Burton shared her Chicago experiences, both on stage and off, with Cheeky as the opening of the Broadway musical nears. She recalls fond Broadway memories, what it’s like to be on the road and raves about her new favorite discoveries: Potbelly Sandwich Works and Chicago pizza.

Cheeky: How did you end up on Broadway originally and what came first in your career?

Haven Burton: Well, my parents are artists and I grew up in Los Angeles. We had family friends involved in the industry, doing voiceovers and television. When I decided I wanted to pursue acting my dad took me to meet my first agent. In college, I auditioned for musicals, and I ended up in the second national tour of Rent. I went on tour when I was 19 for about a year and 10 months. When I finished, I was exhausted from traveling and living out of a suitcase and really wanted to pursue getting a degree and my education. I went to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. I really wanted to go to school! I entered the Experiment Theater Wing which was really, really wonderful and a departure from musical theater. I didn’t want to just put all of my focus into one system of acting and theater. I graduated there after three years and called my producers at Rent and they were holding auditions. I auditioned for my old part, Mark’s mother, and got the part. I had the opportunity to be under contract for Maureen for several months at a time. I got to own the role for a while which was a lot of fun!

Cheeky: And then the opportunity to be involved in Shrek came along next?

HB: Well, while at Rent, I auditioned for Shrek and booked it. It was a really fun audition. There were six different characters that we had to prepare and most were men because there were fewer female roles. I had to prepare for the dwarfs, the ginger bread man, Pinocchio… those were the only ones we got through because they ended up asking you to choose your favorite three. On the first day of rehearsal, the director told me I would be playing the gingerbread man. I was overjoyed! He was my favorite from the movie. I left Rent to do Legally Blonde on Broadway. I even went on twice as Elle on Sunday productions as her understudy! That was definitely a highlight, very exciting. Met wonderful people, best friends from the show. I knew that when I took Legally Blonde I would need an outlet for Shrek. It was quickly coming to a production level. The first workshop was six weeks in the winter of 2007 and I was doing the workshop during the day and Legally Blonde at night. It was one of the best experiences of my whole life. Everyone was so excited and working really, really hard doing double duty. When I finished the workshop, I got my offer for Shrek shortly after and started in the summer of 2008. We went to Seattle for three months for the opening and came back and rehearsed and changed a lot of the show. Not a single count of eight is the same. There are a lot of really wonderful changes. And after originally playing the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Gingerbread Man, and understudying Fiona and teen Fiona, I now have Fiona permanently. It’s amazing!

Cheeky: What was appealing to you about Shrek the Musical?

HB: When I first heard that Shrek was coming together, I immediately thought that this was a perfect opportunity for a film to turn into a musical because they’re fairytale creatures. What better way to express this type of story than through music? Shrek’s irreverence and humor is so relatable for adults and kids alike. And it was a great opportunity to do something really, really funny. It’s so hilarious and even a little wrong! There’s so much sick and twisted humor. I have a very twisted sense of humor and was attracted to the script and writing immediately.

Cheeky: What is it like to play Princess Fiona on stage? Is it different than your previous roles?

HB: I think I always end up with some roles that are playful but also grounded that deal with real issues. Princess Fiona is such a beautiful character because she’s a little crazy with tons of different emotions. She’s a fairytale princess who believes in love, but things are all wrong for her. She finds herself exactly where she should be eventually. It’s such a beautiful journey for an actor that finds a character exactly where she should be. Many of my roles were similar but in different ways. In Rent, Maureen was a wonderful character in a much more serious musical, but she’s a comic relief in the show as well. Both characters go through tumultuous relationships. Elle Woods was also similar. She was very fun, but also had a serious side.

Cheeky: Did you have a favorite film as a child that you wish would have made it to the stage?

Cheeky: I did and it did happen! But I never got to see it, unfortunately. The Little Mermaid was my absolute favorite. What little girl didn’t want to be Ariel? Who couldn’t relate to being misunderstood? That was definitely one I was really excited about and that I auditioned for and couldn’t wait to see it. We were in shows and it was really hard to see others while you’re in one. Shows conflict and it’s impossible. And then the last thing you want to do for a break is sit in another dark theater. It just couldn’t happen, but still very exciting.

Cheeky: The tour kicked off July 13th at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, a fantastic city. What do you love about Chicago?

HB: I’ve only spent one week in Chicago before this, just visiting for a few days when touring with Rent. I didn’t get to see a whole lot of the city. But this time around has been very different. We have been able to walk every day from our apartment to the theatre, tons of walking around, shopping. And it is absolutely magical here! I just love it! It’s just so beautiful and very clean. We just did the Taste of Chicago, and let me tell you, you have some wicked good pizza. I’m trying to go on the deep-dish pizza tour. It sounds awesome… We’re all living around Michigan Avenue so there’s so much there! There’s a Macy’s right down the street. I’m definitely looking forward to heading over to Barney’s and Prada and fancy shopping for opening night! My opinion is limited because I haven’t really gotten to see too much but we did go to a Potbelly’s! They have really good milkshakes. We don’t have those in Los Angeles.

Cheeky: Are there any cities you hope you get to visit on the tour?

HB: Well, we’re fortunate enough to go to San Francisco for six weeks during Christmas and New Year’s. My boyfriend, who is on the tour as well as Peter Pan, he has family in Denver and we’re going to be there for two weeks at some point on the tour. That’s really when I love being somewhere for a long period of time, when you have family to spend time with. It’s always nice to go to cities where you have family so you can spend that time. Holidays are always forbidden to leave the tour so it’s definitely nice to have that to look forward to.

Cheeky: Where do you see yourself after Shrek?

HB: You kind of have to live in the moment in this business. You do have to plan financially, though. You have the opportunity to save a lot of money when out on the road, which is nice. You never know when the next job is coming. Whenever you can save as much as you can, it’s smart and can really lend itself to making any kind of decision. We’re trying for that, and we’d like to buy a house after this. Where do we want to live? Kind of rolling with the punches at this point. My family is out west in LA. If they had some nice opportunities for us for work out there, that would be wonderful. If not, we’ll come back to New York and get going again. I would love to do some voiceover work. That’s the type of stuff you can do and be pregnant, and have children. It doesn’t affect anything at all. I definitely want to have a family in the next couple years. I would love to work as an actress on Broadway into my old age. It is absolutely a dream come true and a huge passion. Nothing would make me happier.

Cheeky: What’s the cheekiest thing you’ve done lately?

HB: I did something, oh yes! The company took a yacht around the lakefront for the fireworks on the Fourth of July, and it was really, really fun! I was wearing a very cheeky outfit, too. I love vintage clothing. I was wearing a vintage navy blue and white polka dot dress, Betsey Johnson shoes, a big hat, American flag Betsey Johnson scarf! It was a very festive, very fun night.