How to Succeed Star Beau Bridges on Broadway Fandom and Feeling the Spirit of His Late Father

Beau Bridges may be new on the Broadway musical scene, but this show-biz vet has more than a few theatrical productions under his belt. Bridges debuted on the Great White Way 45 years ago in William Inge's Where’s Daddy? and made a foray into musicals in the 2009 Hollywood Bowl production of Guys and Dolls. He co-starred with his brother Jeff in the 1989 hit The Fabulous Baker Boys and won Emmy Awards for Without Warning: The James Brady Story, The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom and The Second Civil War. Now featured as George Clooney's hippie relative in the Oscar-bait drama The Descendants, Bridges is making his Broadway musical debut as big boss J.B. Biggley in the hit revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Broadway.com recently chatted with Bridges about sharing the spotlight with Darren Criss, following in father Lloyd Bridges’ theatrical footsteps (literally!), and being back on the Main Stem for the first time in 38 years.

This is your first time on Broadway since 1974. How does it feel to be back?
It’s just great. I’ve enjoyed coming to the theater as an audience member all through my life. I saw some really great musicals back in the day when my parents would take me to ’em. I was a young guy when I saw How to Succeed with Bobby Morse.

What did you think of J.B. Biggley when you saw the show?
Rudy Vallee played [J.B. Biggley] both in the original play and in the movie, and I just remember really loving him.

What appeals to you about the character?
That he’s the boss! He’s a hard-working man, and he believes that that’s what it takes to have success. He thinks he’s got it pretty well figured out, and then here comes this young man [Finch] who just turns his world upside-down [laughs.]

So you came from a family of musical fans?
Yeah, my dad [Lloyd Bridges] did Guys and Dolls; he played Sky Masterson. He knew all the music, and we would sing with him. My dad also replaced Richard Kiley in The Man of La Mancha at the very same theater I’m performing in now. It was called the Martin Beck Theatre then. I totally feel my dad’s spirit with me.

Did your dad ever give you any pointers about acting in the theater?
I remember him saying when he came to see me in [Who’s Who in Hell and Where’s Daddy?], “Make sure you take your moment.” It’s a good life lesson, as well as a lesson for somebody on the stage. Just make sure you take those moments as they come and appreciate it and be grateful.

How did you get involved with How to Succeed?
The producers had seen me in Guys and Dolls at the Hollywood Bowl with Jessica Biel and Brian Stokes Mitchell. I played Arvide, the minister. And that, of course, was also written by Abe Burrows and Frank Loesser. Abe Burrows is my favorite writer of musical comedy in America. But it’s a daunting challenge to jump into something like this. I haven’t done a musical since college.

What musical was that?
It was called Puddin’ ‘N Tain, and it was really fun. I remember enjoying the process, but that’s the closest I’ve come to doing something like this. And now here I am, dancing around and singing, all at the same time! [Laughs.]

You also played basketball in college. Has your sports experience helped you adjust to the dancing you’ve been doing?
I’ve always enjoyed athletics and that helps me. I’ve worked really hard to get in shape physically for this experience. My daughter Emily is a Pilates instructor, so she helped me get ready.

How do your kids feel about Dad being back on Broadway?
I have five children and my oldest, Casey, is the only one who has seen me in the show so far.

Is your wife in New York with you?
Oh yeah, Wendy’s been taking care of me. She’s been bringing my home here to New York. But we have our son at home and it’s his senior year in high school. It’s an important year for him, so she needs to be there for him, as well, and I’m proud of that. 

Is anyone in your family a Glee fan?
Yeah, the younger ones, especially, really like Darren. He’s got such a huge following. There’s just crowds of people out by the theater every night. Darren is… Wait till you see this kid! He’ll rock your boat. I’ll tell ya, he’s great.

So you and Darren have been hitting it off?
Oh yeah, he’s a wonderful guy. I met with him a couple of times in L.A. before we came here, which was good for us. He’s a really wonderful young man, he’s got his hands in a lot of creative pots. Every night he finds new things and we discover them together, because we have so many scenes together.

Have you started rehearsal with Nick Jonas yet?
I was rehearsing with him today, and he’s great. And Michael Urie is so funny; he’s coming in as Bud Frump. The baton is being passed. I stepped in for John Larroquette, who’s been a friend of mine for years and has been so supportive of me doing this. Just watching him in the show was inspiring. We each have our own take on it, which should be fun for the fans. I told John what a great opportunity it’s been to get to tell the story after he has.

What has the energy from the audience been like?
Oh, they eat it up, they really do. I think the same thing was happening when Daniel and John were in it. It’s just a wonderful story. One of the big plusses for all of us performers is knowing that we’re turning on a new generation of people to Broadway. People love it, and so they come.

How have you enjoyed working with Tammy Blanchard, who plays Hedy?
She’s a wonderful actress. She actually played my daughter in a television movie called We Were the Mulvaneys. She’s just fantastic, and it’s fun to be working with her again.

You’ve had an impressive film and TV career. What are some of your favorite roles?
I’ve had some great opportunities. I [played James Brady] in Without Warning: The James Brady Story, about President Reagan's press secretary who was shot [during John Hinckley Jr.'s assassination attempt]. And [Sonny in] Norma Rae was a great one. And then The Fabulous Baker Boys, written by Steve Kloves, who now does all the Harry Potter movies.

You sang with your brother Jeff in The Fabulous Baker Boys, but I imagine singing on Broadway is quite different.
I think the biggest difference in any theatrical experience is you get to tell the story in one sitting. It’s a much different experience than making a movie, [filming] little hunks of the story, not necessarily in order. Onstage, the song comes more in context of the story, so the actor is more connected, in a way.

Are there any other new projects you’re working on?
Well, I’ve got the movie The Descendants out now, with George Clooney. There’s a couple of other things brewing right now. My daughter Emily and I wrote a play called Acting the First Six Lessons. It’s published by Samuel French, and based on a book by Richard Boleslavsky that my father Lloyd gave me. After the smoke clears from How to Succeed we’ll hopefully do a tour of Acting the First Six Lessons with my daughter and I both acting in it.

Has your interest in music helped you at all in the preparation for How to Succeed?
I’ve always written music and enjoyed it. But it’s kinda funny, before I even knew I was going to play J.B. Biggley, my wife Wendy and I were walking with our neighbors. Wendy had a birthday coming up and she said to me, “The only thing I want is for you to record the songs you’ve composed through the years.” And I’ve never taken any of that stuff seriously, but I said, “Okay, I’ll think about it.” And one of the guys we walk with is Arturo Sandoval, who’s probably the greatest horn player in the world today. He said, “You better get up to my house.” And he’s got a whole recording studio, so we laid down five tunes in five hours.

Did you give the tracks to your wife?
Yeah, I threw her a big party and handed the songs out to people as a party favor. And we got a lot of good feedback, so we might do something more with it. Maybe stream it. And right after that, I got How to Succeed, so it’s funny how the music stuff has been creeping back into my life in a big way.

So you’ll keep singing after How to Succeed? Maybe in more musicals?
Oh, yeah, I’m really enjoying it. Every night is a new experience. It’s like jumping on a moving train. These guys have been doing it for five months, while I’m kinda feeling it out as I go along. It’s challenging, but so far, so good. I’m knocking on my head when I say that [laughs].

See Beau Bridges in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.