![]() It took a year and some coaxing to get Jerry Mitchell to agree for me to play Wonder Woman. Of her time in Broadway Bares, Rak says, "At the time when I started Bares, you had to be in a Broadway show, so once I got in a show, and that show was Fosse, I signed up. Rak has since gone on to be known as one of the fittest among her peers on Broadway and has performed many times as part of Broadway Bares, an annual celebration of Broadway bodies that also serves as a fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. I was once put on weight warning in a show. "I like to look good in my clothes, in a bikini and in life," she says, "I learned at a young age the hard way. Though Taranto says that the pressure he feels to look the part comes more from within than from the production team, Broadway veteran Rachelle Rak has felt pressure in the past. A Broadway show is so demanding in itself that you have to do everything you can to meet the demands." "You have to stay physically and mentally on top of your game in order to perform and perform at a Broadway caliber. "Eight shows a week is not for a wuss," he says. He'll kill you."Ĭanaan's fellow Angel Joey Taranto agrees. You have to eat right, drink a lot of water, exercise, especially in a Jerry Mitchell show. A body is an imperfect thing, and you've got to be ready for anything. "I have a pretty set yoga, stretching, resistance band thing," he says, "that I trust gets my whole body warm and ready, which I didn't have when I was younger in New York - I was just kind of winging it. His exercise routine has developed over the course of several stints on Broadway. Paul Canaan, an Angel in Broadway's Kinky Boots and one of the show's assistant dance captains, works out at the gym five times a week and takes over the physical therapy room backstage at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre before each show to spend some time doing yoga and stretching. "The idea of working out in a gym is so not attractive to me," she says, "so I love to be able to just get it in where I can fit it in." I'm the girl that's so annoyingly stage right, waiting for my entrance, doing leg-lifts." Webber goes to the gym, but she prefers 20-minute bursts of running on the treadmill to a more intense weight-based workout. "If I have a 15-minute break or a 10-minute break," she says, "I have some weights in the dressing room and I'll do some five-pound weights with my arms, or if I have a minute I'll do some sit-ups or squats. When Webber has down time during the show, she'll build exercise into her backstage routine. Katie Webber, currently performing in Honeymoon in Vegas, maintains a heightened awareness of her fitness routine and diet as a result of the show's revealing costumes. ![]() Of the noticeable changes in his body that he began to observe, he noted, "For me, recognition of progress is fuel." She had to pick me up and literally put me in the shower." Though he embarked on a tour with his band shortly after beginning Insanity, he experienced fast results and decided to continue even while on the road. "At the end of that 25 minutes, I was a pool of sweat on the floor. He recalled his reaction after the first day's workout. Karimloo embarked on a six-month exercise regimen to prepare for the role, inspired by his wife, a fitness professional who introduced him to the Insanity workout, a home fitness program and nutrition plan that helped him achieve his Valjean body. Ramin Karimloo hits the gym with actor Alec Varcas So however he did back then, he thought, 'I'm going to get stronger, because when I come out I'm going to take revenge on the world.'" That's what I love about Valjean is he let his body become his sword as well as his mind. He managed to not let his body deteriorate. "I liked how he was getting in shape for the part," he says, "and how strong he was getting, because strength conditioning is conducive to Jean Valjean. Karimloo took inspiration from Hugh Jackman in the film version when preparing for his current run in the show. Several performers, as well as physical therapists, and a Mark Fisher trainer, recently spoke with about their fitness routines, the unique challenges of their respective shows, and whether or not a Broadway body is necessary to find your way in the profession.įor Ramin Karimloo, currently playing Jean Valjean in the Broadway revival of Les Miserables, fitness is built into the role he plays eight times a week. ![]() As a result many are extremely fit, especially if their roles require a chiseled look or are built around their level of physical agility. Who doesn't want a Broadway body? Actors on Broadway, like athletes, face particularly taxing physical demands, thanks in part to their eight-show work week and the repetitive movements they're tasked with executing each performance in their respective shows.
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