Actor Drew Moerlein is ready to tie audiences up with laughs starring in SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody at the Royal George for three weeks. He plays the role of Christian Grey but is known as Hugh Hanson in this version—with a striptease that is not to be missed. Directed by Jim Millan, who has worked with The Kids in the Hall and Tommy Chong shows in the past, describes the parody as "part SNL and part Chippendales."
Moerlein also appears in an upcoming web series entitled In Between Men in which he plays a gay Southern bar owner named Cayn. It's currently in production.
Windy City Times went backstage to talk to this up-and-coming performer.
Windy City Times: Hi, Drew. Where are you from?
Drew Moerlein: I hail from the New England region in New York, right outside of Ithaca. We moved to New Hampshire when I was 11. I came out of the womb dancing, singing and being the center of attention. I was a ridiculous child. I did the elementary school play, then did acting summer camps in middle school. After Les Miserables my junior year of high school, I decided to pursue this as my career.
WCT: Where did you go to college?
Drew Moerlein: I went to Syracuse and got a BFA in acting. I have been in New York ever since just hitting the grind. I did a couple of musicals and a lot of on camera stuff.
WCT: How did the show come about?
Drew Moerlein: I have revamped my life getting myself physically and mentally fit. That launched my career. My new agent got me the audition with this. After talking to the production people we found out this show was going to go places with an open ended run and a national tour.
WCT: Tell our readers about your role.
Drew Moerlein: It is an exceptional role to showcase all of my strengths. I sing, act and dance. I do martial arts and act a fool! I strip, I do burlesque. I play a bunch of different characters. It's a very topical and relevant subject matter right now. Everyone knows this book. There is so much hype that it is bound to succeed. The script is immaculately written with punchline after punchline.
WCT: Has this show been performed before this?
Drew Moerlein: We had a soft opening of three shows in Hartford [Conn.]. It was a preview to get the ball rolling with our cast. This is our official opening.
WCT: Do you have to read the book to understand SPANK?
Drew Moerlein: To enjoy the show you don't have to read the book. There are a lot of references to the book, which make it a funnier show but there is so much that is universal. We don't just parody the book. We parody all the pop stars right now, all the movies. I won't mention which ones…
WCT: I'm guessing Magic Mike would be one of them! The director did Kids in the Hall, so I can imagine.
Drew Moerlein: The talent on the writing side and producing side is immense. Jim, the director and writer, fine-tuned this script down to a tee. What we have gotten so far in our run is when we hit a joke and the audience explodes as they are coming down we hit them with another joke. People leave on a high that I can't even explain. It's like a rock concert of sexual energy!
WCT: There is also another parody in Chicago right now called 50 Shades! The Musical. This is not like that one, I assume.
Drew Moerlein: I think it is a very different vibe. I think theirs is founded off a sketch type of improv.
WCT: Where are you going to next?
Drew Moerlein: It is all in the works. It's being booked.
WCT: How do you work out with this cold weather?
Drew Moerlein: I have all of my winter running gear here. I do Tough Mudders; it's an obstacle course designed by the British Special Forces. They are basically a crazy person's half-mile marathon complete with ropes, tubes underwater, climbing mud stacks and jumping into canals.
WCT: In Between Men is also another project you have?
Drew Moerlein: Yes; I kept auditioning after I booked SPANK, and this web series was filming its second season. It explores the masculinity of a group of gay men who are caught in limbo in between the world of clichés and stereotypes. It is a cool show with awesome actors. It is a much bigger undertaking than I thought it would be.
I play Cayn, who is a Southern gentleman who owns a bar in New York City. He is the lead's love interest [who has been] introduced in the second season and, hopefully, on to the third season. Creative juices were flying on set.
WCT: When does it come out?
Drew Moerlein: The hurricane [Sandy] bumped them back a bit but they still have about four more episodes to shoot of the second season. The first season is online at www.inbetweenmen.com and has been viewed by over 2 million people.
WCT: Sounds like a good gig.
Drew Moerlein: It is, and I thought I would have to turn it down because of this show but they switched their shooting schedule so I could be a part of it. With 80 people on set, that was really nice. They flew me back in the midst of rehearsals to have me be in it. I was completely flattered!
SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody is dominating at the Royal George Theatre Main Stage, 1641 N. Halsted St., through Dec. 16. More information can be found at spankshow.com or by calling 312-988-9000.
