Danny Burstein on Going Toe to Toe with Audra McDonald in Gypsy and Honoring His Late Wife Backstage

When Danny Burstein’s casting as Momma Rose’s loyal lover Herbie in Gypsy was announced, social media exploded with celebratory posts and comments. After more than three decades on Broadway, a Tony Award for Moulin Rouge! and six additional Tony nominations, Burstein, like his co-star Audra McDonald, possesses the kind of ease on stage that makes audiences sit back and relax. How heavenly is it to witness these two great stars fall in and out of love, including their sublime rendition of “You’ll Never Get Away From Me”?

Burstein is the rare actor who toggles effortlessly between featured and leading roles in plays and musicals, and he’s enjoying every moment in George C. Wolfe’s acclaimed revival. In a recent chat with Broadway.com, he reflected on his career (with an overarching use of the word “love”) and the bittersweet feeling of inhabiting the Majestic Theatre dressing room used by his late wife, Rebecca Luker, during her run as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera.

Gypsy is one of the biggest events of the Broadway season. Why did you want to be part of it?

When I heard the show was happening, I thought, “Oh my goodness, wow.” I love Audra, she’s been a friend for almost 30 years, and I just felt that I would love to play the role opposite her. There’s something about Herbie’s struggle that has always intrigued me. I only saw the show once, in community theater when I was 15, and I saw the movie. I felt like the role was sort of a lapdog, and I didn’t want to take that route with it. I wanted him to fight her, be a foil to her, show that he believed in her and was passionate about her and saw their future together.

It's so interesting that you never saw any of the Broadway productions, featuring notable Herbies.

No, and most of those guys are dear, dear friends. I worked with [original star] Jack Klugman, I worked with Boyd Gaines [a Tony winner opposite Patti LuPone], John Dossett [co-star with Bernadette Peters] and Jonathan Hadary [with Tyne Daly]. I love them and have them with me every moment—and then you try to make it your own.

What does Herbie see in Rose?

To me, it’s love at first sight. Their first scene is so quick—it’s two-and-a-half pages, and by the end of it they’ve decided to become business partners and a couple. You know, it’s a musical. [laughs] I just feel like he sees that she’s the missing piece in his life, the person who completes him.

You have wonderful chemistry with Audra. What impresses you most about her performance?

Oh, Audra is a marvel. I love being on stage with her, not just as a colleague but also as a fan. When she’s doing her stuff, I can only stand back and be amazed at the amount of energy and commitment she puts forth every single night. And she does it eight times a week! I worked very hard when I did Fiddler on the Roof, a three-hour show similar to this, where you’re on stage the whole time, but she’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Because we are old friends, it’s easy to fall in love with her every night. We fell into our roles and continue to try to make them deeper and more organic every single performance. That’s our mutual goal, and we do it without saying anything; we just naturally understand each other.

You’ve been in five or six shows that would make anyone’s list of the best musicals of all time, from Follies and South Pacific to Fiddler on the Roof and My Fair Lady…

…and Cabaret.

Yes! What makes Gypsy special?

It’s one of those timeless shows, and the themes are universal. I can’t tell you how many people have said to me, “I would love to bring my mother to this.” [laughs] It’s about the connection people have with their mothers, their fathers, somebody who drove them and pushed them. I get it! The book is so well written, even though it can be dark—the way Audra plays it, especially, delves into those places. The score is one unbelievable hit after another, fantastic melodies that feel like musical theater mother’s milk, and then those incredible lyrics that Steve Sondheim put on top of them. I worked with Steve three times, and he told me, “It doesn’t get much better than Gypsy.” He’s right.

Your home base in the Majestic is the dressing room used by your late wife, Rebecca Luker.

Yes, when I was offered the role, that was one of the first things I talked to my agent about. I said, “I really don’t care where it is exactly, but I would like to be in the dressing room Rebecca stayed in for two-and-a-half years doing Phantom.” I have a picture of her in the room, and I have her name on one of those little sliders [placed on the wall outside each dressing room].

You share your life in such a natural way on Instagram. What’s been the key to remaining upbeat and optimistic after the losses and challenges you’ve experienced?

To be 100-percent honest, I just keep going. Part of it is excitement about what the future is, and part of it is fear of falling backwards. Because I think if I fell backwards, I would be very sad, and I’ve never been that type of person; I’ve always been a person who sets his sights on what’s going to happen next. Since Becca’s passing [in December 2020], I go on vacations with my best friend, George Dvorsky, to places Becca and I wanted to go. The whole experience made me realize how finite our time here is, so I want to be as kind as possible, put as much love out as possible, and do good things and fun things and laugh and enjoy my life.

On a happy note, what was the recent South Pacific reunion concert like?

It was truly one of the best nights of my life. You can go home again—that’s what it taught me. I was so happy to reunite with the original cast, who I love dearly, and to sing “Nothing Like a Dame” again. It just meant the world to me that my dear friend Loretta Ables Sayre, who I never see enough, was there, and Kelli [O’Hara], Paulo [Szot], everybody. I was in the middle of rehearsals for Gypsy, then a week of rehearsals for South Pacific, and then the week of the concert, the critics were coming [to Gypsy], so it was insane, but I just had to do it.

Is it fair to say that the one-two punch of The Drowsy Chaperone and South Pacific made people look at you in a new light? Like, this guy can do it all?

Specifically, Drowsy Chaperone put me on the map, and I’ll be forever grateful to [director] Casey Nicholaw and [co-writer] Bob Martin and everybody involved. It was just a bunch of old friends who got together and put on a show, one of those incredible companies and experiences. We loved each other so much—Beth Leavel is my sister, you know? Boy, that show should have a reunion concert, although I’m not sure we could do the dancing anymore.

I’ve never forgotten a 2008 interview you did with Broadway.com in which you quoted an elderly Tony Randall saying that an actor’s life never gets any easier. Does that notion still resonate?

What he meant was that the longing for the next gig doesn’t get easier. He had asked me if I had a job coming up, and when I said I didn’t, he looked down and said, “It never gets any easier.” But thankfully, I’ve been one of those very blessed actors: My career has been fairly steady, and I haven’t had too much downtime. And when I have, I guess my life experience has taught me that it’s going to be OK no matter what happens.

For now, Broadway audiences are lucky to see you and Audra on stage together.

I’m the lucky one. Last night, I said to Audra as we walked off stage, “Every once in a while, you realize how lucky you are,” and she went, “Right?” We look down at the audience and there are 1,600 people jumping to their feet, screaming and happy. It’s such a privilege, it really is.