‘Chicago’ style
When Gregory Harrison hits the stage in the touring production of “Chicago” as the manipulative lawyer Billy Flynn, you might notice something familiar about his face.
Dr. “Gonzo” Gates in “Trapper John, M.D.”?
Nick Stanton in “Ed”?
Tom Gillette in “Judging Amy”?
Dean in “Joey”?
Yes to all of the above.
More to the point, however, are a few of Harrison’s non-TV credits: Benjamin Stone in “Follies” on Broadway, Mick Hamilton in “Steel Pier” on Broadway and, yes, Billy Flynn in “Chicago” on Broadway.
“I’ve been doing this role off and on for the last three years,” Harrison said by phone from the freeways of L.A. “I did it on Broadway for several months in 2003 and this is the fourth tour I’ve gone out on.”
He has coveted the role ever since 1997, when he was starring in “Steel Pier,” another Kander & Ebb musical, right around the corner on Broadway. He would sneak over to see “Chicago” whenever he could.
“This role is probably about as fun a job as I can imagine,” he said. “I love doing ‘We Both Reached for the Gun,’ where Roxie is the dummy on my knee and I am trying to convince the press, and the audience, of my totally made-up story about how Fred Cassely was killed.”
“Chicago” is famous for its many showcase numbers based on old vaudeville acts: Sally Rand’s fan dance, Texas Guigan’s comedy patter, Sophie Tucker’s double-entendre songs.
Yet “We Both Reached for the Gun” has always been one of the showstoppers, with its tour de force combination of snappy music and sly manipulation.
“It’s a number where I have to juggle a lot of different talents that I have developed over the years,” said Harrison. “I have to work on several different levels.
“It’s the kind of number where, as a 25-year-old, I don’t think I could have handled it. But as a 55-year-old, I think I can handle it.”
When Harrison was in his 20s, he was known for his surfer-boy good looks. He came by that honestly; he was brought up on Catalina Island, off the California coast (he still surfs as often as he can at his home on the southern Oregon coast).
His first big break came in 1978, when he was cast in the title role of the sci-fi TV show “Logan’s Run.” Then came “Trapper John, M.D.” and a spate of TV movies and series guest appearances.
He had a reputation as a hunk, enhanced by his role as a male stripper in the 1981 TV movie “For Ladies Only.” His Speedo-wearing publicity photo no doubt made it onto a number of high school girls’ lockers.
Yet he channeled that success into several more serious endeavors as a producer, including stage productions.
“After two or three theatrical successes, we bought a theater, a small theater in L.A., and called it the Coast Playhouse,” said Harrison. “We did 60 productions there.”
The Coast Playhouse collected more than 100 L.A. theater awards from 1981 to 1993. Harrison later branched out into other theatrical roles, including his Broadway work in the 1990s.
He moved to the Oregon coast with his wife and four children and now makes short dashes down to California for the occasional TV or movie role. For instance, he just finished taping an episode of “Law and Order: SVU” as the angry father of a victim of statutory rape.
And, of course, he joins up with the “Chicago” tour every so often for his favorite role as Billy Flynn.
“I do portions of the tour,” Harrison said. “I’m doing the West Coast swing of the tour, and after that I may come back and I may not. I love doing the show, I love the people and I love the theater. … But I have four kids and a lovely wife and I like being around them.”
He’s a fan of the Oscar-winning movie version of “Chicago,” in which Richard Gere played the Billy Flynn role. Yet he is convinced that the stage version is still the ultimate way to appreciate the show, because of the level of the humor (“the movie is not as funny”) and the quality of the Fosse-inspired choreography.
Harrison also admits that he has another favorite number when it comes to standing in the wings and watching.
“As a voyeur, my favorite is probably the one where you have all the girls and fans,” he said.