Nigel Harman on the Hidden Fitness Benefits of Playing Lord Farquaad in London's Shrek

Who says little guys finish last? As the diminutive Lord Farquaad in the West End incarnation of the Broadway musical Shrek, Nigel Harman all but walks off with the Drury Lane production, playing a long-haired malcontent who suggests a rollicking, musical theater version of Richard III. A veteran of such West End shows as Guys and Dolls and the James McAvoy revival of Three Days of Rain, Harman made his name in EastEnders on TV—though one senses after a conversation that the theater is where he shines most brightly.

First of all, congratulations on your recent birthday. [Harman turned 38 on August 11.]
Thanks! Why anyone would want to be anything other than a Leo I don’t understand. We’re lions: why would we want to be snails or some kind of fish?

There’s certainly been a roar of approval for your performance as Lord Farquaad in Shrek.
I don’t read many reviews, but there have been a couple that were pointed my direction. I have been incredibly flattered, really, about how well my performance has been received; it’s been incredibly humbling.

What were your first thoughts about the show when it came your way?
From the moment I had a chat with [co-producer] Caro Newling, it felt like an absolutely British show to me, which sounds funny, because it’s so American, but I’m referring to the sense of humor and the irony and the slightly vaudevillian feel to some of the characters. It was also exciting to work with them knowing that the show did OK on Broadway and better on the American tour—those are their words, not mine—and we had the chance to pick it up and make it better. So they let me play around, and we started to come up with ideas about how you play a man who’s 3 foot 6 when I am 5 foot 10.

Did that involve talking to previous Farquaads like Christopher Sieber, who got a Tony nomination for the show on Broadway?
No. I know other people in our cast contacted people on Broadway, but you don’t discover your own path that way, in my view anyway. I think that’s important with any role you do, since what happened to them may not happen to you. Anyway, I’d seen Chris on YouTube when I first got the show and he’s a fabulous, fabulous actor, so I didn’t want to phone up and have him go, “I can barely walk.” [Laughs.]

It’s a pretty full-on performance!
Yeah, there’s no hiding place; he’s all tits and teeth [laughs]. The idea visually is really simple—Toulouse-Lautrec and the like—so I’ve got a bit of foam, knee pads basically, and then legs that come up to about my waist. For me, it’s a throwback to the days of great vaudevillians and funny walks, except that this guy happens to be a specialist at dancing on his knees! Vocally,  we came up with an idea that Farquaad fancies himself opera-trained, so there a few overly sung moments that really make me laugh.

Is it hard to sing while shuffling around on your knees?
I’d love to sing standing up, because it is harder singing when you’re kneeling down; it takes away some of your support. But I really enjoy singing the role, and I’ve been spending some time with [vocal coach] Mary King, and that has opened a few doors for me, which has been great. Near the top of the show, I do a little bit of booth singing with Pinocchio in the wings, and then once I start as Farquaad, it’s on and then off throughout the performance with some very quick changes; I come off literally panting for breath every night.

How’s your body responding?
I’ve got muscles in my bottom I didn’t know I had. My ass muscles are like, “Wow!”, and my thighs, too. I have physio [therapy] once or twice a week just to keep me loose, really, and stretching is very much part of the job. I’m hoping they’re going to make room for us in the Olympics next summer. Can you imagine a load of Farquaads running the 100-metre race? [Laughs.]

How important was the film in shaping your portrayal?
We pay homage to the movie very closely, though I actually think you get to know the characters better in our show because you’re able to spend two and a half hours with them live. Just as they get to the point where they can’t say any more, they start singing, and whereas you might normally go, “That’s a very naff idea,” in the context of Shrek and the larger-than-life world these characters inhabit, it makes perfect sense.

Do you enjoy going from musicals to plays and then back again?
It’s more about the work for me than it is about the venue. I was over at the Gate Theatre in Dublin last year doing Pinter’s play Celebration, and I got to play a brilliant part in a brilliant play with some really brilliant actors. We were only there for a week, but it was fantastic. I find I tend to drift towards the part rather than the paycheck, which isn’t always brilliant, especially when you’ve bought a new house. You’ll probably find me in The Lion King next doing puppeteering [laughs].

You made your name on TV and yet you regularly return to the stage.
Well, at the moment, and with the recession, a lot of money has dropped out of TV. There’s a worry about where the industry is heading and how much they have to invest in good writing and good production values, so we’ll see how all that looks when I come out of Shrek. After gaining notoriety on EastEnders, a lot of work came my way, so I’ve had the opportunity to explore loads of different genres.

And roles of various sizes, as well—literally, with regard to Farquaad.
Yes, but that’s because I think of myself as a character actor in a leading man’s body. That’s why I love Farquaad: He thinks he’s a leading man, someone who can’t wait to strut his stuff, and he is—except that he’s tiny!

What about New York?
I’m hoping to get a job there in a pizzeria [laughs]. I can just see it: My [resume] will say “worked extensively in New York,” and it turns out to have been in a café. At some point, of course I’d love to go and live and work on Broadway, but it’s a matter of when, and doing it in the right way. I wouldn’t go over and play the seventeenth Marius in Les Miserables, but with the right play or musical, I think I’d enjoy it.