Sneak Peek of Russell Fischer’s Interview on ‘From A Normal Eye: Theater for the Average Person’ Blog!
September 5th, 2012
Russell Fischer
Absolutely terrific interview with JERSEY BOYS Broadway’s “Joe Pesci,” Russell Fischer by Jeff Miele on his “From A Normal Eye: Theater for the Average Person” blog, that includes some fun photos! Here’s a preview below:
Fischer was bitten by the theater bug early on after seeing a performance of “The Sound of Music†at the State Theater in New Brunswick, N.J. He recalls telling his mom after the performance that he wanted to do exactly what the kids on stage were doing. His parents were supportive, but had no idea of the adventure they were about to embark on. Fischer will tell you that his mother easily knew there was something grounding this desire when at three-years-old he was singing “Climb Every Mountain†with a receiving blanket over his head pretending to be the Mother Superior.At the age of five, Fischer’s parents took him to enroll in a summer theater camp. The director of the camp usually did not take students so young being that their reading skills typically are not up to par. Fischer, however, was the exception. His mother had taught him to read so early that he was admitted right into the camp.
His first big moment on stage came at the age of six at the New Jersey Repertory Company. The show was a musical review titled “On Broadway.†He practiced tirelessly for his solo, “Bigger Isn’t Better†from “Barnum.â€
“I rehearsed my solo complete with gestures to remember the words but wound up forgetting them anyway.†After which he vowed to never have stage fright again.
Soon after, Fischer was cast in his first professional show, a production of “The Sound of Music†in Myrtle Beach, S.C. For the record, Fischer played the part of Kurt Von Trap… not the Mother Superior.
Click HERE to read the entire interview.