Pop-Culturalist.com

Ryan Vasquez’s artistry extends far beyond the realms of the stage and screen; it’s about illuminating the human experience and leaving the light on for audiences worldwide. Through his mesmerizing performances in acclaimed productions like Hamilton and Wicked, as well as the film adaptation of Tick, Tick… Boom!, Vasquez crafts timeless memories that resonate deeply, guiding viewers through a spectrum of emotions and lingering in their hearts long after the curtains close and credits have rolled.

Currently, Ryan is baring his heart and soul night after night in the Tony-nominated musical The Notebook, based on the best-selling novel that inspired the iconic film. Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart, in a deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege of chatting with Ryan about his journey with The Notebook musical, infusing authenticity into his performances, transitioning the production from Chicago to Broadway, the camaraderie among the cast, and the profound connection forged with audiences.

PC: What’s so compelling to watch on stage is how the ensemble is bringing these three generations of Allie and Noah to life. They feel like one character, but distinctly their own. There’s so much subtlety that’s conveyed in the costumes and in the movement. What has that creative process been like working with Dorian [Harewood] and John [Cardoza] to bring these different Noahs to life, where they feel like one entity, but you’re also able to find that color and contrast?
Ryan: You hit it exactly right. It’s been a balance, collaborating together to create this one person. What’s unique about a musical or live theater, in general, is you really only get one shot to convey the message to an audience. There’s no rewatching, and it’s expensive to do so.

We have these movements. Noah has this shoulder rubbing, like working out a kink in his shoulder. Allie has this pressing down of the dress to remain steadfast. As we got in front of an audience, we realized that through this symbiotic relationship between all six of the actors, we were adopting each other’s -isms, and didn’t need to be so overt about showing that these are the same people.

You spoke to it, but it’s true, it’s a testament to Paloma [Young], our costume designer, who created these subtle hues of browns and blues. It’s not like all three of us are wearing the exact same clothes to beat you over the head with this idea.

It’s been nice to relax from being synergistic in that way and making one person. At the same time, it’s allowed us to blossom into our own characters. What’s unique about the show is that it really speaks to the universality of the experience of living a long life with loved ones, whether it’s romantic or not, and to lose people, and what it means while they’re here to take advantage of those relationships.

We’re now able to sit in our own a bit and feel confident in the fact that you’re a different person at thirty than you are at eighteen or seventy-five. You really are. It’s normal to have a bit of a split in a way that, as long as the audience understands that concept—which they do—you can play, which is the gift of this show.

PC: It was also really important to the creative team that each of the actors was able to bring their own lived experiences and authentic selves to this project. What was something that you brought to Noah that wasn’t initially on the page?
Ryan: I’m glad that you noticed that because that’s the dilemma that a lot of shows face in wanting to step into a new era of authentic representation. You want to include more voices, more faces, more people, and more bodies in this space. But you also don’t want to do that and sacrifice their individuality, thereby washing away all of the authentic representation you were seeking in broadening your horizons. I’m glad that you felt that way because I do think our show does a good job of both telling a universal story while also bringing the authentic experiences of each of the actors to it.

For me, it’s a silly thing, but it’s my sense of humor. I feel like I brought that to the role. When I first read the script and when I was getting ready to even start work on the show years ago, The Notebook had sort of been meme-ified over the years and reduced to the fighting, the scene in the rain, the tears, and all of that. Of course, a human life is much more than that. Even in this vitriolic time where they reignite their relationship, there’s so much humor and awkwardness. That was nice. I’m glad that they were receptive to that.

Over the years, what I’m really proud of is that this role is as much a part of me as I am of it now. There really is a synergy that has occurred, and now I feel like I can be myself on stage. As long as I’m saying the text and doing what we’ve agreed upon, I’m still being true to it. So that’s nice as well.

PC: That humor is such a nice balance, especially in that kitchen scene. When we meet your version of Noah, he’s at a point in his life where there’s a lot of confusion and pain. He’s coming back from war. You brought so much nuance and depth to his arc, because even in those moments of darkness, you feel that hope. As an actor, how do you create that space for yourself to go into that vulnerable place, especially in the moments where it’s more introspective and just you on the stage?
Ryan: What’s nice is that in those moments when you are really bare on stage, you’re, of course, not alone because there are a thousand people in the audience with you. I’ve become hyper-aware of that in the moments when I’m by myself on the stage. It’s a nice way to check in and begin that conversation. It’s not that you’re looking for some verbal affirmation for something that you’re doing; even silence is a stimulus. Dead silence is a way of knowing that the audience is connected with you. There’s a reverence to that, and it really helps me click in emotionally and spiritually into the character, the piece, and the mood.

We’ve been so long now without the ability to connect and without the ability to gather in large groups and experience vulnerability together as a group of a thousand or even a group of three was a stretch at one time in the last couple of years. That’s not lost on me. To share space with a thousand people who are there because you’re willing to sit and experience something that you’re going to feel, it’s not like an intellectual exercise as much as it’s an emotional one to watch a show. That’s profound to me. In terms of reducing it to the bare humanity of it, that does a lot of the work for me, which I’m grateful for.

PC: That’s such great insight from an actor’s point of view. This is going to be a strange question because you’re a professional who has built such an illustrious career. But there are moments throughout the performance where you can hear a pin drop in the theater because everybody is so engrossed in the performances, and there’s obviously that rain scene that everyone is expecting. But there’s also a moment in Act 1 where the entire ensemble is there as a manifestation of older Allie’s memories, and it’s so impactful. For you as an actor, is there a moment that you find hard during the two acts to not be swept away by?
Ryan: Wow. I mean, certainly there are many. It’s funny that you bring that one up because I was involved in two other shows prior to The Notebook that were out of town: The Outsiders and Water for Elephants, so there was a decision to be made. As people have been asking me about that, I’ve been thinking, what really was the reason, because all shows are strong and beautiful. I realize it’s because of Maryann [Plunkett], who plays older Allie. She grounds the building in a way that’s so, so beautiful and effortless because of her respect for the work that she, all of us, and the creatives have done, which is really nice. Then I was thinking about it, and I was like, there isn’t a scene where we interact or anything, so it’s really from observing her. But there is that one moment in the song that you brought up called “I Wanna Go Back,” where she manifests her memories. I drink her in for a moment, and she comes up to me, and I turn away at the last minute before she touches my face. That’s a moment not to be swept away by, for sure, because her performance is so powerful to me, especially in the first act. The second act for me, I spend mostly on stage, but that first act is pretty piecemeal. So it’s a lot of time offstage where you can decompress, be with friends, then ramp up and go back on stage again.

That’s a moment, even though it’s after “Leave the Light On” and these other big moments for me in the first act, where I really click into the show in a permanent way. To be able to connect with Maryann has been so wonderful, and working alongside her feels like a privilege. As an audience member, witnessing her process has been very cool.

PC: Selfishly, I would love to hear your renditions of Darrel’s songs from The Outsiders. The exciting thing about theater is that every night is different, and while that framework is set, it’s about reacting to your scene partners. How much do John and Dorian’s performances on the night influence your own or even Joy Woods’ interpretation of Allie on the day?
Ryan: For sure. What’s nice is that once the show begins, John, Dorian, and I are separate. We’re in our own lane, carrying the baton. Of course, you can feel if someone is feeling more or less energized, and we can come together as a community and buoy the thing.

In terms of Joy, who is my main scene partner in the show, that’s been so beautiful. She’s so present and beyond her years. We’ve really been able to keep this show and these roles alive in a special way. This week is our 100th performance on Broadway. It’s a lot of recreating the same moments. To have somebody who’s willing to be present and look you in the eye, and it hasn’t been without challenges in that way, but what’s beautiful about our relationship is that we hold each other accountable. If one of us is feeling especially exhausted or fretting about your voice or anything like that, we’ve been able to schedule in the show these check-ins where we recenter ourselves, because in the second act, it’s almost like a two-hander between us. It’s a lot of us carrying the thing along. So that’s been wonderful.

After having developed it out of town in Chicago and now here, there are a lot of things that we love that we will likely never deviate from, but there’s always room, if the spirit moves you as they say, to do something authentic to you. There’s enough trust and safety there to know that no one’s going off the rails, which is nice.

PC: Beautifully said. Outside of this being a love story, as you said, it’s also an introspective experience. You leave the theater thinking about how you want to spend your days and with whom. Who’s been the person in your own life who’s had the biggest impact on your journey as a storyteller and an artist?
Ryan: I’ve had two. I grew up in San Jose, California. There’s a children’s theater that happens to be the largest children’s theater in the country: Children’s Musical Theater San Jose. I grew up really starting there as a hyperactive kid that needed to put their energy somewhere, which I think is the story of many artists starting out in theater. I was told enough that I should continue doing this and not as a hobby. The first person to really say that to me was the artistic director there, Kevin Hauge, who was actually able to come and see the show the other day. He comes to New York to see the alumni and things, and it’s very special.

Then in high school, I had this drama teacher named Tom Alessandri, who passed away in 2017. He was the other half of that coin. They were always producing plays. He was this gritty theater person. He brought me up during that time as a young person and as an artist. I think of him every night when Joy says, “What about Finn? Did he make it back?” I think about him and the actor who played older Noah in Chicago, John Beasley, who passed away at the end of the run.

This story is full of people’s spiritual account of everything that they’ve gone through. That’s gorgeous. We really created a safe space to feel here. We were reminiscing on that recently and thinking about those of us who’ve been developing the show for a while. Every time we get back together and read this script, every time there’s an added step like we’re adding a designer, the first rehearsal for Broadway, or the first tech day in Chicago, we all collectively held each other while we’ve all really poured out emotionally because it’s such an emotional show. I’m so grateful for this community that has been such a blessing to have that catharsis in a really truly safe place. You feel that lore.

PC: You feel that trust and vulnerability as an audience member. As you were saying, you’ve been a part of this production for several years now. This is very much a memory play. When you look back at this experience thus far, what’s the memory that’s going to stand out to you? I know you’re planning on getting a tattoo after the show is done to commemorate this experience. Have you had ideas of what that may be?
Ryan: In terms of a memory, there are many. But the one that’s flooding in my mind right now is in Chicago on the first day that Joy and I saw the rain. We came in on our day off to test the rain and see what it would be like. It wasn’t something I had seen up close on a stage like that before. I had seen a play or two with rain in it, but never so close and seeing the impact of what that moment would be. What’s cool that is I relive that moment every night because as an actor, you’re always imagining the circumstances. You’re always creating something in your mind like this person is Allie Nelson. That hair is not her wig. You’re working to imagine these things. It’s rare that you get to do something in a show that feels truly real. There’s something about getting drenched with Joy every night and laughing because there’s literally water running into our eyes that will never get old. That’ll never get old because it will never be an effort to manifest what that experience is. It will be real every time. I’ll never forget the first time that I saw the rain. I don’t know what the tattoo will be, but I have many already, so it’ll be something sweet.

PC: You never know who’s sitting in the audience. Is there somebody who hasn’t made an appearance that you hope does during this run?
Ryan: I hope that Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers will come to see it, who are on the podcast Las Culturistas. I love that podcast. I often quote it. I know that they’d love it because the music is gorgeous, and they love theater and musical theater. That would be fun. But of course, the answer I feel obligated to give is Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling.

To keep up with Ryan, follow him on Instagram. Pick up your tickets for The Notebook musical today.