As The Lion King’s Mufasa, Alton Fitzgerald White oversees the entirety of Pride Rock’s animal population. White’s kingly instincts have filtered into his dressing room at the New Amsterdam Theatre, where he’s taken control to ensure everything is just right. “This is called Citrus Orange,” he says of the brightly colored painted walls. “It’s happy, light, not too shocking, but still warm.” Another perk of being king? “I have a window. Not many dressing rooms of Broadway shows have windows.” White invited Broadway.com to his backstage digs to show off some of his prized possessions.
Photo by Jenny Anderson for Broadway.com
“There’s nothing like fresh cut flowers in a dressing room. During the winter time, I tend to do Paperwhites and Amaryllis, but in the summer I love Orchids. They smell good and have nice, long lives.”
“I’m inspired by all kinds of music, so it’s important to be surrounded by sound. I have my iPod and pump up my speakers and try to do some sit-ups and stretches to get the blood flowing. Music always helps with that.”
“I’m not in much of the second act, so I keep my computer around to catch up on e-mails, Facebook and fun things like that during my down time.”
“It’s important to me that the room always smells good so I always have some kind of reed diffuser around. I like something that’s kind of woodsy and not too abrasive. This one is from West Elm and is called Incense Spirit. It lasts really long.”
“This is my favorite coffee mug, which I’ve had for years. Coffee always helps, especially on a two-show day, when you need that extra kick. The mug has a really odd shape, so it’s a conversation starter. It’s short and wide and looks like it’s been handspun, but it holds just as much as a tall mug.”