Carl Man Takes the Reins as Fiyero in Broadway’s Wicked

Hometown: Margate, England

Current role: Carl Man makes his Broadway debut as Fiyero in Wicked.

Previous roles: Man portrayed Fiyero in the West End production of Wicked, making him the first actor to play the role on both Broadway and the West End.

Dancing Through Life
Man knew he wanted to be a performer from the age of six, when his grandmother took him to see a production of Oliver! "I remember looking at the stage thinking, 'How do those boys get their job?'" Man recalls. "From then on, that's what I was going to do for the rest of my life." Singing and dancing were the initial draw, with acting following suit. "I took acting more seriously as I progressed through my career," he explains. "But musical theater was always my first love." Man cites Miss Saigon as another pivotal production in his early theater education. "The first time I really fell in love with a show was when I got the cast recording. I remember following the lyrics from start to finish, and I was like, 'Wow, I want to do that.'" Through AmDram, the U.K.'s version of community theater, Man performed in productions of Oliver!, The King and I and The Sound of Music. "I think it's an amazing place for you to find your love of theater, your passion—and that you could actually do this as a career," Man says of AmDram. "I didn't go to college for theater. I just did AmDram and then I was lucky to get a break." Reflecting on his trajectory, Man acknowledges that "everyone has their own journey," and "training at college for musical theater isn't the only route." He adds: "Theater was always my true passion and my true love. I knew that I would get there eventually, but I had to take a different route, a non-traditional route. I'm grateful for the steps that got me here and I don't think I would change it."

Finding Fiyero
His professional musical theater debut was playing the title role in Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular at Disney California Adventure's Hyperion Theater. "Strange fact," Man laughs. He then covered the role of Fiyero in London, and happened to go on during a performance where Wicked's Broadway producers were in attendance. "They called me in the interval, and I was like, 'Oh gosh, why are they calling me?' And they were super complimentary," he shares. A year later, he was offered the role of Fiyero in the U.K. tour, followed by the West End and finally, Broadway. "I think for any British actor, it's like an absolute golden ticket. I feel so lucky to be here." As the first Fiyero of Asian descent, a milestone which he calls "really special," Man opens up about his own personal progress. He'd seen Wicked before being cast, but admits, "I never thought it was something that was going to be on the horizon for me." While learning the part, he was initially hesitant to imbue his portrayal with too much of his own personality. "One of the things with Fiyero is that he's super confident. I remember the director in London said to me, 'Just be yourself.' And I was like, 'Just be myself? But I'm playing a character.' But then it kicked in, it clicked. That's what I try to bring to the role as much as I can, as much of myself within the parameters of the character to make it more natural."

Winkie Dynasty
In developing his take on Fiyero, Man also drew inspiration from a few of his favorites in a long line of Winkie princes: Adam Garcia, who originated the role in the West End production, Garcia's successor Oliver Tompsett and Broadway replacement Kyle Dean Massey. Man had the opportunity to work with Garcia before taking over the role in the West End. "He was super kind and very encouraging." As far as advice goes, "He said just to enjoy the role, because it's such a fun and very special role—that I'm very honored to get to play." Wicked's wardrobe collection is so extensive that a separate "Wicked surplus" storage facility exists to securely house costumes not currently in use. Incoming company members are often given pieces worn by previous performers, and Man wore Garcia's red waistcoat. On Broadway, one of Massey's costumes has been repurposed for Man.

A Sentimental Man
"My favorite part about playing Fiyero on Broadway is seeing the different reactions to the show from the audience," Man reveals. "London audiences have their own vibe and New York audiences definitely have their own vibe. I've been loving seeing the differences, and the energy here is electric. When asked about his favorite moment in the show, Man is torn between two. In "Dancing Through Life," he says, "It's very much like I'm shot straight out of the gate and my energy has to be right up there at the beginning. But I also really love 'As Long as You're Mine,' because it's such a quiet, still moment, and I get to experience it with Keri René Fuller who is just magical. So that's a really special moment." New principal cast members Fuller as Elphaba, Emma Flynn as Glinda, Ellen Harvey as Madame Morrible and Blake Hammond as The Wizard joined the production at the same time as Man. "It's a really, really cool thing," he says of the shared experience. "We have this chemistry with each other and we get to have in-jokes." He also calls Flynn "the most Glinda I've ever seen in real life. She's so bubbly, and it's all real. She's such a joy to be around. I'm very lucky that she's with me."

As Long As You're Mine
Twenty-two years in and still going strong, the enduring legacy of Wicked on Broadway is not lost on Man. "It truly is such a privilege. I feel very honored," he says of his part in the long-runner. "There is pressure when you fill in for a role that has been played by so many amazing actors," he acknowledges. "But I turn up to the theater every day and play my truth in the role and just bring what I can—and that's all I can really do." When asked why he thinks audiences keep coming back to see the show time and time again, Man points to the universal story at the core of the production. "Everyone can relate to being an outsider," he notes. "It's finding that being different is actually your superpower and no one can take that away from you; Elphaba represents that in all of us." And, of course, Man recognizes Stephen Schwartz's iconic score. "The songs are timeless and they are powerful, and I love hearing them every night."

Follow Your Road
Reiterating his belief in following one's own path, Man's advice to aspiring young performers is to recognize and hone your unique strengths. "Know what you can bring to the table, because everyone has their own talent, everyone has their own journey. If you just focus on what you do and what you do best, that will shine through. Also, it's timing, it's luck; just wait your turn and if it will be, then it will be. Looking past Oz, Man says he would love to originate a role one day. "I think that's any actor's dream, to create a role from the ground up and have a journey with it. But I would also love to do a revival, something really cool and edgy, like what [Jamie Lloyd] did with Sunset Boulevard. That was really inspiring, to see how theater can be so transformative and take you somewhere you didn't even know you could go." For now, eight times a week, Man and the rest of Wicked's Broadway cast are doing just that: transporting audiences from the Gershwin Theatre to dear old Shiz and the Emerald City beyond. Thank goodness!

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