How to Succeed's Ellen Harvey on Dancing With Daniel Radcliffe and Swinging Around a Broadway Stage
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In a list of smallish parts with huge impact, Ellen Harvey’s no-nonsense secretary Miss Jones in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying would be at the top. Who else, after all, gets to swing like a pendulum during a musical number with Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette? [To see them in action on the 2011 Tony Awards, click here.] Before delighting audiences with her show-stopping bit in “Brotherhood of Man,” Harvey kept busy juggling shows on Broadway (The Music Man) and on tour (Mary Poppins, High School Musical, Mamma Mia! and many more). We asked this smart, savvy actress to write about what her current Broadway gig has meant to her—and what it’s like to share the stage with one of the biggest movie stars in the world.
Everyone has “firsts”: first kiss, first dance, first callback for a major Broadway musical with two black eyes…
Yes. It is true. With two black eyes and a busted nose, I showed up to my final audition for How to Succeed and managed to belt out “Brotherhood of Man.” You see, through a freak accident between my face and my sweet dog’s head, I cracked my nose about nine hours before my final callback and was rushed to the ER as I gushed a lovely shade of red. The first thought that crossed my mind? No, it wasn’t wondering if my nose was broken…it was “How the HECK am I going to sing tomorrow?!” I had considered walking into the audition room with my headshot taped to my forehead so the producers could see the un-bruised version of my face, but realized that singing with a picture over one’s mouth is very counterproductive.
Needless to say, when the call came in that I’d gotten the role of Miss Jones, I was ecstatic. I still couldn’t blow my nose, but that didn’t matter. (Nose blowing is so overrated.) I bid farewell to my Mary Poppins national tour family, threw the dog in the back of the car and joyously crossed the GW bridge back in to Manhattan.
The first day of rehearsal was for “Brotherhood,” and Daniel Radcliffe came up to me with great glee and said, “Wow, just wait till you see what he [director/choreographer Rob Ashford] has you doing! The guys are going to be tossing you back and forth.” Gulp. Visions of another busted nose danced through my head. Luckily for me (after some jettisoning and attempted Cirque maneuvers), Rob got rid of me doing the splits in midair, but the “pendulum” stayed in, and the rest is history. I think most of America has seen me being tossed on the boardroom table thanks to our appearances on The View and Letterman! Bless the amazing men who toss me about nightly—I try to never eat a full meal before the show for their sakes.
Speaking of “Brotherhood of Man,” what an incredible and dynamic number to be a part of. What’s not to love? From my perspective, I’m the only dame in a sea of hunky men, I get to wear a gorgeous dress AND I get to dance with Dan. It is an absolute joy to share that stage with him nightly. I have never seen someone work as hard and be as passionate as Dan through the whole rehearsal process, and at every turn he continues to amaze me. (Personally I love watching “Grand Old Ivy” and feel lucky that the Tony Awards didn’t want to cut a hole in their stage so he and John Larroquette could perform that number instead!) Dan is one of those rare artists who will continue to evolve and shape everything he touches.
If I were to compare this job to other jobs, it would probably rate right up in my top three. I knew from having watched the original movie that there was something wonderfully ridiculous about the character of Miss Jones breaking out into a Wagnerian counterpoint, but along with Rob Ashford’s inspired choreography and music director David Chase giving me free rein to hit those notes, it was a dream come true.
There are a lot of “classic” musicals floating around out there, and some are produced more than others. Some are more familiar; some are harder to do well. Personally, I think we have hit it out of the park with this production of How to Succeed, and anyone lucky enough to get a ticket will not be disappointed. And as for me, let’s face it: My job rocks. I do all my scene work with Dan and John, and I get to cut loose just before the curtain comes down. Life is pretty darn grand. And I’m happy to report my face has since healed. To this day, I continue to stay away from my dog’s head. Okay, maybe the occasional smooch…her licks are so hard to resist.
