LEO BARTHELEMY

Leo Barthélemy 24 year old Actor, Singer, Dancer French Living in NYC Playing Bert in Mary Poppins on Broadway

[kathrynn-michaels-blog]

Julie Andrews was the same for me. She was one of my idols and I wish I look like her at her age. Just damn. Oh, sweets, I understand. I mean, they were safe right? That’s the part you just have to keep remembering. I was from an area that was close to one of the 9/11 attacks in Pennsylvania and for a long time, I was terrified of them traveling.

[leo-barthelemy]

If I could have half of the moves and personality that Dick Van Dyke has at his age I would be in really good shape. It’s just so crazy every time I think about it. And the best part is I get to take it and bring a part of me to this character it’s seriously the best. Oh yeah they were safe, it’s just still really terrifying that it happened and I haven’t even seen them since it happened. My younger sister is only 15 so she was really shaken by it. I wanted to go back home for a bit but my dad told me I shouldn’t travel and I wouldn’t have this role if I had done that. 

[kathrynn-michaels-blog]

Right? It definitely humbles me when I remember who originated the role. I could. It could be my second job. Although, what’s keeping you up at night?

[leo-barthelemy]

Dick Van Dyke has been my biggest inspiration since I was a child so playing a role that he originated is both a dream come true and it scares the shit out of me at the same time. I’ve just been really home sick lately and it’s been bothering me especially with everything that’s happened recently in Paris. Worrying about my family has been keeping me up at night. 

[kathrynn-michaels-blog]

Just think, you’re doing the role of Dick Van Dyke. I tell myself I’m doing Julie Andrews’ role and I die a little inside. I’m glad my voice is soothing. Then if I ever have kids I can sing lullabies. I always see your eyes slightly closed though. Maybe I should come over and sing you to sleep.

[leo-barthelemy]

Oh gosh don’t remind me, every time I think about it there is a grave that opens up underneath me and I fall into it. Maybe you should, especially on those nights when I have trouble falling asleep. Which has been a lot lately. 

[maddie-in-neverland-deactivated]

Is it really? That is fucking terrifying. If I wanted it to be 60 degrees on Christmas, I would have gone to the west coast. I totally agree with you, and New York City with snow can be a beautiful thing sometimes. 

[leo-barthelemy]

Yeah it’s both a blessing and a curse. But it is nice to step outside and not be slapped in the face with a gust of cold wind. I’m pretty sure at one point it was actually a few degrees colder here then it was on the west coast. There’s something wrong with that. It’s beautiful only when there’s a little snow but when there’s a lot of snow it’s complete chaos. 

[kathrynn-michaels-blog]

Dick Van Dyke is still dancing and singing at 90 years old. I want to be like that man. That’s my goal all along, Leo. Put you to sleep so then you’re dead tired the rest of the show.

[leo-barthelemy]

You and me both. If you get me talking about Dick Van Dyke again I might not shut up. I always have lots of energy. I’m not tired your voice is just really soothing and it makes me just want to drift off to sleep. 

[maddie-in-neverland-deactivated]

I want to enjoy the unusually warm weather, but I also want snow for Christmas. I’m conflicted about all of this. 

[leo-barthelemy]

As of right now it’s going to be over 60 degrees on Christmas. That could always change but it doesn’t look like it’ll be snowing this year. It would have been nice to have a white Christmas though. 

[kathrynn-michaels-blog]

I would like to think it would, but I still feel like I will be watching Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke sing it.

[leo-barthelemy]

Watching them sing it will never get old. To be honest I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of listening to you sing Feed the Birds every night. I have to resist the urge to drift off to sleep backstage. 

[aidenwinters]

I absolutely feel the same way, it’s hard not to when you’re getting to live out something you’ve wanted to do since you were a kid, and in one of the coolest ways possible. I’m sure the novelty will probably wear off eventually, but I’m happy to ignore it until then. I have to watch it again at some point, once I have more time that isn’t stuffed full of rehearsals. You and me both, I tend to feel like a barbarian most of the time because I’m like ‘Oh right, manners. I do have them!’ I’m a huge talker too, it’s just one of those things.

[leo-barthelemy]

I’m pretty sure if you told 6 year old me that I would be on Broadway one day I would have told you you were crazy (in French). Especially since I was nowhere near New York. Then again every show is a new experience and I’ve learned that even though I’ve just started performances. There are new faces out in the audience and I meet new people at the stage door. Netflix is a beautiful thing because I can just bring it up whenever I want wherever I want when I have time and then when I have to leave it saves my spot and I can pick it up whenever I want. Sometimes when I start having a conversation with someone I forget that we don’t actually know each other. That leads to potentially awkward situations when you meet again and don’t know their name. 

[kathrynn-michaels-blog]

I blame this all on you.

[leo-barthelemy]

Guilty. But proudly so. I wonder if this song will get old after performing it 8 times a week. 

[everettxandrews-deactivated2018]

Welcome to Hollywood, where we reuse ideas. You would think with all the talent and the amazing storytellers out there that we would have more original thinking ideas for movies. What?! Another Mary Poppins! No, thats just silly and ridiculous. You and I will be out there protesting this. That’s just so wrong. You don’t remake the classics, imagine if they tried to redo Lawrence of Arabia or something. Thats terrible. If you get time, that being the keyword, its definitely something you should read in your lifetime but i’m telling you make sure you don’t have anything or do because afterwards you’ll sit there and be like ‘what the fuck did I just read and did I like it or did I not?’ Yeah I’ve only been with the production for about a month now. Frankie is a legend, so, I mean, I try to bring myself and do him justice, thats about all I can do. Haha, you and a bunch of other people. It probably didn’t help that my friends and I from Boston, we did these silly musical spoofs of the wizarding world so people probably saw Hedwig and thought ‘oh Harry’s come to Broadway’, which, I mean he totally needs too! He’s in the West End so fingers crossed one day! We’ve all been there and done that. 

[leo-barthelemy]

Right? When have you ever heard that a remake was a good idea? Never. Sequels are good sometimes but for the most part I can do without them. But a Mary Poppins sequel over 50 years later? No thank you. I am all for protesting this, it’s a sequel that no one asked for. Is it bad that I don’t know what Lawrence of Arabia is? I feel like if I read it I probably shouldn’t do anything afterward because I’d probably get sent out for a random drug test. I thought I had a lot of pressure on me playing Bert but you’re playing a real person. That’s like 10 times the amount of pressure. Especially since he’s still alive. But I’m sure it’s a lot of fun once you get past all that pressure. To be honest, Harry Potter coming to Broadway would probably be the best thing to come to Broadway. I should be more specific before they just bring Daniel Radcliff back to Broadway. The Harry Potter story should be brought to Broadway. That would be pretty epic. Maybe they should hire you and your friends from home to make it happen. I always tell the story of the time I forgot the words to Greased Lightning and just started making up my own words. It was so obvious that I made up my own words because it’s one of those songs that a lot of people know but everyone still clapped so I guess they just went with it. 

[maddie-in-neverland-deactivated]

Is no one concerned that it’s currently 60 degrees outside and it’s December?

[leo-barthelemy]

Concerned, yes. But I am not about to complain. I don’t have enough fat on my body to keep me warm during the winter months. 

[kathrynn-michaels-blog]

“Jolly Holiday” has been stuck in my head all day. Now, I’ll have to hear and sing it tonight as well.

[leo-barthelemy]

I guess that means I should probably stop singing it in my dressing room while I’m getting ready.

[everettxandrews-deactivated2018]

Are they really? I’m not keeping up on the pop culture news very well. Respect for Johnny…..but there are so many Disney movies I’d watch first. Except, the Teacups at Disneyland is a lot of fun! The one exception! I’ve read the whole book and its trippy, it makes you feel like you’re on something without actually being on anything. Or maybe start being on something? It’s weird and as Disney goes, they made it very Disney-friendly. I’ve said that before, this is one of the best jobs in the world because it doesn’t feel like a job. Thats good news that they stayed safe, I know Lucien, he’s from Paris as well and he was on the phone all night with his mother when it happened. I’m playing Frankie Valli right now. You’ll have to come by and see the show sometime, come backstage hang out with everyone. There a good group of people. Five times, wow, that’s a lot. I think I’ve seen, unwork related viewing, Wicked at least that many times in its entirety. Not with Jersey Boys, but with Hedwig, the amount of people I talked to who didn’t realize what the show was or thought it was initially about Harry Potter’s owl, it was actually quite surprising. Well congrats on your opening night on Broadway. You survived the first show!

[leo-barthelemy]

Yes, I saw an advertisement about it recently. I have a feeling like they’re starting to run out of ideas so all they’re doing is remakes and sequels. You know they’re making a sequel to Mary Poppins as well. After all these years. Unless they want to call me up and offer me the role of Bert in the movie then I don’t want it. I was hoping that Richard Sherman would be writing the music for it but he’s not. I’ve been on that ride at Disneyland Paris, I also got sick on that ride once at Disneyland Paris. It’s kind of bizarre that Walt Disney would make a children’s movie out of a book like that. But now I’m curious and I kind of want to read it. Pretty sure that entire movie was just a drug trip. It’s one of those jobs that is so much hard work but you enjoy every minute of it. Even when you go home sore from head to toe. I don’t know if you dance as well I know some performs try to stick to just singing and acting but when you put dancing on top of all that it can be pretty painful at the end of the day. I was pretty much doing the same thing, my younger sister is 15 and she was really freaked out once I was able to get a hold of them I stayed on the phone with her. Woah seriously? That is fantastic what is it like playing Frankie Valli? I’ll definitely have to come see it one day. If you have shows on Sundays I’m dark on Sundays so I can come see it then. Before making it to Broadway I was just a fan seeing shows in between auditions. I saw Wicked once although I wish I would have seen it more. To be honest I totally thought that Hedwig was some sort of Harry Potter musical at first. Until I learned that the whole title was Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Thank you, I appreciate it. I’m hoping I’ll have many more amazing shows. And not forget my lines or the words to the songs. Although I’ve been there done that and know how to handle the situation. 

[everettxandrews-deactivated2018]

The worst part of all of that, they did the movie not once, but twice and both times was weird. We have to read an excerpt for the book in high school and it was the part with the caterpillar and I honestly just thought it was one of the most messed up pieces I had to read. See, you come up with that plan now, all this time you could have been charging and building up a savings account called ‘you will never make it in theater’ fund. Paris, one of my places to visit on the bucket list, obviously not now, but one day. I hope all your family stayed safe while everything was happening. Exactly, as long as you enjoy what you’re doing, that’s what matters. If you don’t then it’s just a job and what’s the point? Right now, I’m in the Jersey Boys cast. And before that, because I mentioned John, I worked at the Belasco. It’s sometimes the best attitude, go in there and do what you can to the best of your ability and hopefully you knock the socks off the producers and casting director. Family friendly show, I’m just laughing and almost want to ask what that is. Swearing like a sailor with a Jersey accent. That sums it up. When is your opening night for the show?

[leo-barthelemy]

And they’re making another one. Which makes it even worse. I love Johnny Depp but I didn’t like the Alice in Wonderland remake. The Disney version is okay but there are a ton of other Disney movies that are ahead of it on my list of favorites. I’ve never read the book, is it even worse then the movie? Well based on the part of it that you have read. Ugh I know right? With those funds I’d be able to survive and wouldn’t even need a job in the theatre. Although I’d still do it because I love it too much it’s not just a job to me. That’s what a lot of people don’t understand. It’s a hard business especially if your goal is to make it to Broadway but the fact that we still try and fail and try and fail until one day we might succeed that shows how much we really love it. I’m not bias or anything but Paris is a beautiful place to visit. If you ever get the chance to go you’ll love it. And I can tell you all of the best places to go. Thankfully my family was safe at home when all of that was happening. That’s awesome who are you playing in Jersey Boys? I’ve never seen the show but I’m quite familiar with Franki Valli and the Four Seasons music and it’s on my list of shows to see. Considering I’ve seen Spring Awakening 5 times this show is a huge leap in the family friendly direction. Even though I’ve never seen Jersey Boys I would automatically assume that it’s not very family friendly. My opening night was actually last night and it went really well. It felt so amazing being up there and no one threw fruit at me so that was a plus. 

[celticsierra-deactivated2016030]

It is and I’m with you there. It’s apparently colder back home which isn’t surprising but–I expect it to be freezing here at this time. Hot tea helps! It also relaxes your throat. I tend to drink it way more than coffee. I’ll most likely take small naps in between shows and rehearsels. I do that alot. It’s nice to meet you too, Leo. So, what production are you with?

[leo-barthelemy]

It’s about 10 degrees colder where I’m from right now, not much of a difference but there’s a difference. Where are you from? If I didn’t go to Rockefeller Center and see the tree every so often it wouldn’t even feel like Christmastime around here. I am a big fan of tea, that’s what I usually drink. I have a cup in the morning and a cup at night before bed. I had this nightmare once that I fell asleep backstage and didn’t wake up until the second act so now I’m like terrified of falling asleep in between shows. I’m in Mary Poppins, what about you? 

[aidenwinters]

I definitely understand that, that’s what I’m working on myself. And it’s kind of amazing being able to see one of your dreams come true right in front of you, as cheesy and cliched as that may sound. He’s fantastic, my mom grew up loving him so she always forced us to watch Diagnosis Murder and I kind of grew to love him from there, too. Go figure! I’m Aiden, sorry for forgetting my manners like some sort of heathen. It’s nice to meet you!

[leo-barthelemy]

It might be cheesy and cliche but it’s the truth. It’s so surreal I still wake up and wonder if it was a dream. That feeling might go away once I’ve done a few performances. Sounds like my grandmère with the Dick Van Dyke Show. I’ve seen every episode at least once. With no complaints I love it. Oh no, it’s okay I do that all the time. I tend to get into a full on conversation with people before I even remember that they don’t even know my name. Probably because I talk too much sometimes. It’s nice to meet you as well Aiden. 

[smithzachary]

Well it is something to be proud of, having a Broadway actor as your room mate. I’m the sound engineer for Hamilton, actually. I’m playing Mark in Rent.

[leo-barthelemy]

I’m pretty sure he think it gives him bragging rights. I auditioned for Hamilton but I don’t have any rhythm. That is a slight exaggeration but rapping is something that is best done alone in my apartment. I think I’ll stick to singing and tap dancing. That is amazing, I love RENT it has been one of my favorite shows for a long time. I’ll have to come see it.