They Can't Take That Away from Him! Robert Fairchild on His 'Bittersweet' Goodbye to An American in Paris

He’ll always have Paris. Robert Fairchild will dance his last steps as Jerry Mulligan on the Great White Way on March 13, exactly one year since his first bow. The American in Paris Tony nominee will return to New York City Ballet as the company’s principal dancer. Broadway.com caught Fairchild before he said au revoir to Broadway and asked him all about what he'll miss, what he learned and how he's grown during his experience making his Broadway debut.

How did you feel when you first got this job?
Elated. This was my ultimate dream. I had always wanted to be on Broadway and Gene Kelly was the reason why I wanted to become a dancer. So getting to play the role he originated on screen and perform at the Palace Theatre night after night was a dream come true.

How do you feel now that you’re leaving?
It all feels so weird. It’s bittersweet. I know I need to give my body a rest from doing the same thing over and over again. Repetition on Broadway is a different kind of wear and tear on the body than the variety you get in the ballet world. In order to stay physically healthy, I need to give my body something different to do after a year of the same show…especially if I’m to go back to the NYC Ballet and be in the physical demands of white tights again. And that’s nothing against the demands of Broadway’s dancing. They are just different beasts, but both beasts nonetheless. With that said, coming in to the last week of this experience, I find myself mostly sad. I’m leaving a deeply rooted family. It feels like a mini retirement. In the ballet world you are constantly moving on to the next piece, and the most you work on something is two months. You don’t leave the company until you retire. Rehearsals and performances for this show have gone on for the last three years of my life. Because of my ballet background the only way I can wrap my head around this feeling is like I’m retiring from this experience. It’s very scary. But what an incredible place I also call home that I’m going back to. Bittersweet.

What are three words you would use to describe your experience?
Life-changing, beautiful.

What was the easiest thing about this job?
The people I got to work with and learn from. Dancing to Gershwin. I loved Gershwin before, but I love him even more now.

What was the hardest thing?
Singing and acting, and the repetition. All things I had never done before. Now I feel so much more comfortable with all of those things. But before I was so nervous to even open my mouth because I hadn’t figured out how to manage doing all of these while dancing at the highest standard I could. I am a perfectionist, and I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to train as hard as I could to feel like I could qualify myself to sing next to the amazing Broadway veterans I got to work with!

What was the highlight of your time at this job?
I know awards are just the cherry on top to what we get to do as performers. It’s not the incredible hot fudge sundae that is the work that we do. I try and find all of my satisfaction in the work. But I must say, sitting next to my wife and winning the Drama Desk for Best Actor in a Musical…ACTOR…I was so humbled and shocked beyond belief. I worked my butt off for the past three years to try and be as authentic and believable as possible in the role, because I didn’t think I was good enough. It was such an amazing thing to receive and made me feel like anything is possible if you try your hardest and put yourself out there.

What skills do you think are required for future job applicants?
I don’t know how you would explain this other than to say, someone with a strong work ethic who wants to soak up new information like a sponge and never stop growing. The only way to be right for the role is to have the highest ballet training, a natural voice and an authentic charisma on stage. It’s impossible to find all that in one person. I trained hard and told myself to never stop learning or taking class. It takes someone with that kind of drive and determination to sing and act alongside people who have trained in musical theater just as long as you have trained in ballet. It’s a technique just like ballet is. And in ballet you never stop training; thus, I felt the same way with singing and acting. Never stop learning and growing.

What advice would you give to future employees in your job position?
Soak it up! It’s a wild beautiful ride.

How do you think you’ve grown?
OMG. I think I’ve grown in every direction. Unless you’re talking about physically and let’s hope I didn't grow horizontally. I have learned so much. I will say the most fascinating thing I learned is the specificity of a moment in acting. It’s all in the details. I so look forward to bringing that kind of work back with me to the ballet.

Why are you leaving?
I have two bosses at the moment, as I am also employed by the NYC Ballet. So I am heading back to Lincoln Center just in time for NYC Ballet’s spring season.

What will you miss the most?
The people, singing and acting. The whole experience.