The Politician Star Ryan J. Haddad Grew Up Wanting to Be Fabulous – NewNowNext

by Brandon Voss 14h ago

Get ready to fall for Ryan J. Haddad.

From the ages of 5 to 13, Haddad was artistic director of his family theater troupe in Ohio, the Haddad Theater, which began in his living room and backyard but relocated to the local community center, forcing his relatives to act out lovingly bastardized classics. Haddad, now 28 and stealing scenes in Netflixs The Politician, looks back at these early amateur efforts in his new showtune-sprinkled cabaret show, Falling for Make Believe.

Directed by Julian Fleisher with music direction by Billy Stritch and Henry Koperski, Falling for Make Believe is being presented as part of the Public Theaters 16th annual Under the Radar Festival,an essential launching pad for bold new works in New York. The Under the Radar Festival is focused on art from the margins, from unheard voices, those seen as outside of society, founder Mark Russell told NewNowNext. The LGBTQ community has existed on the outside of society for centuriesoften theater was the only forum to speak of their experience. UTR embraces that history, celebrates its rich, vibrant present, and continues to push the boundaries of who gets their story told.

After opening night of Falling for Make Believe, Haddad, who is gay and has cerebral palsy, shared more of his origin story with us.

Albie Mitchell

I marvel that my family did even one show, let alone 10. When I was a little kid, I took it for granted. I get it now. Its a feat of real love that they showed me, so thats what Im trying to do in return with this piece.

Thats very true. Many of them had a love of theater, of the arts, to begin with. I gave them the opportunity and the permission to try actingwith pretty low stakes. My Aunt Joan recently told me she wouldve liked to have been an actress, which were words Id never heard her say before.

Right. The writing was on the wall. But I think when any parents are faced with their child being gay, they dont always see the clues. There were family members who knewI talk in the show about my lesbian Aunt Janice and my Uncle Charlie, who is gay. They had been speculating all through my childhood, and I say that with great love and affection.

Manny Carabel/WireImage

[Laughs] Yeah. Im very fortunate that I had these pillars and safety nets on both sides of the familynot that I needed safety nets, because my parents were so accepting and loving. Its not like we talked about gay things at Thanksgiving, going around the table asking, Whats your favorite Judy Garland number? But having middle-aged gay relatives who were unapologetically themselves, and seeing how my mom and dad treated them, I knew it was okay to be who I was, even if I didnt have the language for it yet.

No. When I was 3 or 4, crawling around doing Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, I was wrapping a blanket around my waist, pretending it was a dress. But then I got a sense that as a boy, I wasnt supposed to do that. In preschool, when I played wedding with the girls, I wanted to be the bride. A teacher was like, No, no, a bride is a girl and youre a boy. Being told I couldnt be in drag, couldnt be the bride, I started to feel like I didnt have permission to play Snow White or Cinderella.

By the time I did All About Ed and Andy, I was 13, and it didnt occur to me to play them as women. I just wanted to be a fabulous man. I was probably also compensating for what I already knew was an attraction to men, so I didnt want to rock the boat.

Well, then in college I auditioned for and played Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night Music. And I got to do a production of The Maids at Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Thank you so much. [Laughs] Sure, growing up, I was obsessed with Sister Act 2, The Golden Girls, I Love Lucy, Brandys Cinderella, the 1999 television movie of Annie These were the benchmarks of my childhood and early artistic education.

I dont know. Even before I had seen a play, before I could even form sentences, I would watch a movie, adore it, and then act it out. That spark, that need to create, actually faded a bit after Haddad Theater finished. I tried to play by the rules and do community theater, school theatersometimes with excitement and success, sometimes with frustration and diva behavior on my part. I didnt understand why there wasnt space for me to take center stage anymore. I learned through a lot of trial and error, tough and valuable lessons, that I needed to make space for myself, just as I had all those years ago in the living room and backyard.

The Politician/Netflix

I applied to colleges knowing I wanted to do some hybrid of writing and theater. At my liberal arts college in Ohio, certain professors and directors were avoiding casting me in their shows, and I could tell that it wasnt based on my acting skills. I was taking a workshop with an autobiographical performer named Tim Miller, who came from Los Angeles, and I was doing a piece about my frustrations with casting. He told me, You dont have to wait. You can write your own material, and your material can be about a person named Ryan. Everything Ive created since then is because of that lesson. I also knew that after I graduated, I could no longer play old man or fatherly parts that used a walker.

Yes. But how much of that was actually in my head as a child, and how much am I superimposing on the narrative now? I think its a little of both.

What you just said about Hi, Are You Single? could probably be said about all my work. But Falling for Make Believe is really about the family without whom I would not even be able to conceive of the idea of what Im doing right now as a professional artist. Without all that we created together, there is no me as an artist in New York; Id probably still be in Ohio, working in an office. But they fostered my creative education, even though they had no tools with which to teach. So the show is a gift to them, to my Aunt Joan most of all. Its a love letter. But if you get enjoyment out of it as an audience member, thats extraordinary. When you hear me talk about my family, maybe youll think of your own family, your own journey, and whoever helped mold you into who you are.

Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for NY Restoration Project

I had a brief relationship in 2018 that was a pivotal experience for me. It was very important in that it showed me the possibilities of what Id never experienced before in terms of sex and just connecting with another person. Im hoping I can invest that energy into a relationship thats longer-lasting and more fulfilling. Other than that, no, not really. Like, Ill meet a guy, show up to what I hope is a date, and hes like, Im married! But Im hopeful. Im always hopeful at the beginning of the year.

I cant say anything about the second season! But I can say that Andrew does return.

I was invited to Bette Midlers Hulaween, her benefit for the New York Restoration Project. That was a surreal experience. We took a Politician cast photo, and suddenly Im standing next to Bette. It was the first time Id met her. I said, May I put my arm around you? And she said, Please! So now I have photographic proof that I stood next to Bette Midler.

Falling for Make Believe runs through January 17 at Joes Pub as part of Public Theaters Under the Radar Festival in New York.

Celebrity interviewer. Foodie and Broadway buff in Manhattan. Hates writing bios.

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The Politician Star Ryan J. Haddad Grew Up Wanting to Be Fabulous - NewNowNext