NR: What's the easiest character and what's the hardest?

SH: The easiest track to follow would be T. Doyle Leverett's, because he's there for a very specific reason and his size is....all he has to do is be on stage and he's imposing. So, it's probably the easiest of the tracks to do. The easiest of the tracks to portray...probably the easiest character (I've not gone on for him in this production) was Elton because it was closest to me, and I'm still discovering within the new production all of those personalities, not necessarily the way these people do them but what I had to bring to them. They're all new and exciting now. That's a lot of fun. I just went on for Hastings and I found all sorts of great little things in there that did not exist in that track in the old show but are there now. So, it's all constant discovery.

NR: Is there one that's the hardest?

SH: I would say that probably the hardest one as an actor, and I haven't tried in this production yet, (I may never end up in that position), in the other production was probably Farleigh, because he was so removed from me. When approaching Ozzy, we approached him very differently so I didn't have to try and do what Ed did. And of course the age, I couldn't play the age and we didn't even try that. He was a very happy go-lucky kind of character when I did it, so that wasn't so difficult. Farleigh was... the way the character is written, his sense of humor, what little there is, is very dry. In the other production, he was so bombastic and Allen (Fitzpatrick) was a bass, and I am not a bass, so when he says it that way, it works, and when I say it that way, it doesn't work. One really good point within this production, the way Ken Land and Jim Hindman can say "fabric" and it works every time, it doesn't work with me, and it's turned into the bane of my existence. When I say it, it comes out sounding like that's the way I'm supposed to say it, so the bit doesn't work.

NR: How did you get "lucky" enough to be the Broadway Cares person?

SH: I took over when we knew Bill (Bowers) was leaving. The way it was working when we were in rehearsal, and this was before I ended up going on as Neville, I knew the show and I knew the music, so it was a matter of just learning new staging. I was a swing. It was easy for me to have the time to take care of it. What ended up happening was I ended up going on so it became more than I cared to handle at that point. But, we did it.

NR: How has the League helped you out with that?

SH: The thing that the League provides to me is a constant... I look at my job from the inside out. I'm fortunate to do what I do. I love doing it. I'm on Broadway doing a job that I feel so passionately involved with and love. It's what I love to do. I don't want to do anything else in the world. But I'm on the inside. I think at times because of that, I forget how special it is. I also forget that we can create magic and the way what I do affects someone else. You know the old adage about if you see somebody on the street and you smile at them, and you don't know that person may have had a gun in his pocket to go and shoot somebody, but because you smiled at them it changed their day? We can forget that that's what happens. We can forget that walking into the theater, the lights go down and you're transported to a completely different world, and that's what the League does to me. It reminds me that I'm fortunate to do what I do and that what I do is important. That you can't belittle people that get up there, and we put ourselves on the line. We can fall flat on our face. Let's just not undercut what entertainment does, and making people laugh.

Now, on a practical side, the League donated an awful lot of money to Broadway Cares last year, they bought an awful lot of things, they have raised a great deal of money between the brunches and the Theater Patrons Cares auctions, so they've been invaluable.

NR: What do you like to do for fun?

SH: I'm pretty dull, first of all, and the things that are dearest to me are things like going out and walking in the woods by myself, but I live in New York City, so there ain't no woods around. I don't get that opportunity very often. I LOVE the computer. I love the World Wide Web. I can find more interesting bits of knowledge that are completely worthless, totally useless for anything except a game of Trivial Pursuit. It's right there and it's so fascinating. You get involved with talking to people in Australia. If you're in the Playbill chat room, there are an awful lot of Aussies in that chat room. I think because I was in there late and just because of the time difference, they would end up being in there too. It's just the way you start to view the world. More than any government is concerned, that is going to turn us into a worldwide society. So that's what I do for fun, and I know it's pretty dull and boring. I also do things like play the piano and write. Other people go out, not me.

NR: What would you like to do in the future?

SH: What I would like to do in the future is to be involved in originating a part in a show that's not a musical. When I came into the business in New York especially, because I could dance, there are not many male dancers and this gets into a whole philosophy thing. I've always viewed myself as being an actor first, and then a singer and a dancer. Doug (Sills) and I were just having this conversation. To communicate your way, it doesn't make any difference if you've got the most beautiful voice, because you're communicating and the notes are secondary. (Don't let Frank (Wildhorn) know that.) The communication is the most important. When I came into New York, I was fortunate enough to have the natural ability to dance, and there was a lot of ballet involved. It was a period of time when there was not a lot of classical technique being utilized so I didn't have to look like a classical dancer. Things have changed and I've studied a lot since then and you can't get it out of your body. It's great. I would say that anybody who wants to dance, you have to learn the basics, and ballet is a basic. But what ended up happening was that I got pigeon-holed into musical theater. I love it and it's been my life but I have not been able to do a play ever and I would just like to be able to focus only on doing that and not having to worry about whether or not I have the notes or my back hurts tonight or my hamstring is pulled. I also think that whether it's a valid point or not, it adds legitimacy to one's career.

NR: OK, thanks.

SH: You're welcome.

As much as Stephen is a masterful swing, I'm sure it would be even more enjoyable to see him in a regular role. I hope he gets that opportunity in the future.

Questions suggested by:

Linda Guenette, Stephanie Henkin, Mark McGrath, Naomi Solomon, Mandy Shekleton, Thom Rosati, Joanna Morton-Gary, Renee, Susan, Sing Your Li, Mary Helfrick, Davvy, Lois Colpo, Shovelin, Peter Williams

Interview conducted and photographs by Nancy Rosati.