Sitting in a Cook Street Village coffee shop, Duncan Stewart found himself in a sentimental mood sparked by flashbacks to a time and place where he planted the seeds for his successful showbiz career in New York.
鈥淚 sort of willed our partnership into existence over there,鈥� said the Broadway casting director, motioning toward his former apartment on Southgate Street from his seat at Starbucks.
鈥淚 used to sit and write in my journal for three hours there every morning, thinking 鈥榃hat is my next step?鈥� 鈥� he recalled. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to rush away from Victoria, but I wanted to do something on a bigger scale.鈥�
Two decades later, the former Canadian College of Performing Arts student who once performed at Butchart Gardens and venues from Vancouver Playhouse to the Shaw Festival, has surpassed those expectations.
And it was that success in the Big Apple that recently brought Stewart back to where it all began for a whirlwind visit.
He had just enough time to reconnect with family, including his father Douglas Stewart, the retired federal Liberal MP, and show his business partner, Benton Whitley, his old stomping grounds on their way to Seattle for business.
In a couple of days they would be backstage at the 5th Avenue Theatre, where a production of Waterfall, a Broadway-bound musical the duo is casting, was opening.
鈥淭his is such an interesting piece,鈥� said Stewart, reflecting on his experiences working on the show with book and lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. (Ain鈥檛 Misbehavin鈥�) and a score by David Shire.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been working on it for two years now. We cast it top to bottom, there have been numerous workshops, and the libretto has changed and morphed. We sat in the trenches with this one.鈥�
Set in 1930s Bangkok and Japan, Waterfall centres on the forbidden romance between a Thai student and a Thai diplomat鈥檚 American wife.
鈥淲e have this Thai superstar, Bie Sukrit, as the lead,鈥� said Stewart, who worked with co-directors Tak Viravan, a Thai impresario, and Broadway director-choreographer Dan Knechtges (Lysistrata Jones).
鈥淚t鈥檚 an English musical, so Bie had to learn speech patterns. We had to be careful about getting the right tone, the right actor.鈥�
After first working as a casting associate with Playwrights Horizons off-Broadway, Stewart became casting director for聽 Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler before putting up his own shingle with Whitley, a kindred spirit who, like himself, had an acting background.
After being told by Broadway veterans he had an uncanny eye for talent, Stewart launched Duncan Stewart and Company with Whitley.
The theatrical casting agency, since renamed Stewart/Whitley, became known principally for its 鈥渟tar casting鈥� where a roster of film and TV stars are cast in shows on Broadway, London鈥檚 West End and touring productions.
Before Modern Family turned Sofia Vergara into a household name, Stewart cast her as Matron 鈥淢ama鈥� Morton in Broadway鈥檚 long-running revival of Chicago. His company has also cast Christie Brinkley, Kelly Osbourne, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Nettles, Brandy and Rumer Willis in Chicago, and George Hamilton, Kelsey Grammer and Harvey Fierstein in productions of La Cage Aux Folles.
And that鈥檚 just for starters.
The showbiz partners inextricably linked to Chicago have since become as well known for casting Broadway blockbusters, including Stephen Schwartz鈥檚 Tony Award-winning musical Pippin, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, the annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the West End and European tour of Thriller Live and national tours of Once, Bullets Over Broadway, Shrek and Anything Goes.
They were still basking in the glow of their latest casting coup 鈥� the Broadway debut of American Ballet Theatre鈥檚 first African-American principal dancer, Misty Copeland, in the Broadway hit On the Town.
鈥淪ometimes with a show you can star-cast it and it goes out with a whimper, but we went out with a bang. We closed on a high, classy note with Misty, and we got tons of press,鈥� Stewart said.
When the partners rebranded last year, they also broadened their agency鈥檚 scope and staff, which now includes a casting associate, office co-ordinator and a U.K. talent consultant.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more about connecting creativity now,鈥� said Whitley. 鈥淐asting directors for a long time only had the job description of being the guys who hired the talent, and we realized we鈥檝e morphed into more than that.鈥�
They cultivate relationships by connecting creative people such as emerging directors, choreographers and producers with newfound acting talent.
鈥淲e鈥檙e almost like a law firm now,鈥� said Stewart, who still takes calls at midnight but relies on associates for tasks they once handled themselves.
鈥� 鈥榃hat鈥檚 going on with the swing situation in Shrek?鈥� 鈥� Stewart said, offering an example. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know 鈥� ask Andrea Zee, our casting associate.鈥�
On any given day, said Stewart, his staff could get a call from a London agent inquiring about a client鈥檚 audition for a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines production of We Will Rock You, 鈥渁 call from Betty Buckley complaining about the size of her dressing room in Grey Gardens,鈥� or a call from Stephen Schwartz and Dreamworks about their Broadway musical adaptation of the animated movie Prince of Egypt.
鈥淚t鈥檚 never dull and never predictable,鈥� said Stewart, whose creative partnership with legendary composer Schwartz (Godspell, Wicked) has flourished since they collaborated on Pippin.
The Tony Award-winner has become one of the duo鈥檚 biggest champions, and introduced them to his son Scott, artistic director of Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbour.
Their many current projects include director John Doyle鈥檚 Broadway-bound musical version of the 2007 film August Rush that was workshopped at Bay Street Theatre.
Stewart鈥檚 eyes lit up when he described another project that really excites them 鈥� a mammoth production of West Side Story to be performed March 4-6 at the Knockdown Centre, a restored factory in Queens.
The landmark musical, featuring a 54-piece orchestra and a massive choral ensemble, will anchor The Somewhere Project, an ambitious citywide Leonard Bernstein celebration.
Stewart and Whitley are casting both Broadway actors and fresh talent in the theatrical event, part of Carnegie Hall鈥檚 125th anniversary season programing.
鈥淚鈥檓 so thrilled that we have a fellow Canadian, Sean Cheesman (So You Think You Can Dance) doing hip-hop street dance among all this original Jerome Robbins鈥� choreography,鈥� said Stewart.
The way they found their Maria was a classic 鈥渟tar is born鈥� moment, he said.
鈥淭his 18-year-old unknown Latino gal from Long Island walked in the room when we were doing pre-screens and sang in the most glorious classical voice, all the repertoire of Maria,鈥� he recalled.
鈥淪he is our nugget, our gem, our undiscovered Maria,鈥� said Stewart. 鈥淎nd she looks like a [Franco] Zeffirelli Juliet.鈥�
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