John Davidson has had a Wicked career over his 71 years and now he brings it to Chicago on tour celebrating 10 years of the musical.
Wicked is one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history playing more than 4,000 performances. The story of the history of witches in Oz captivated a huge age range, breaking box-office records. The production has won a Grammy and three Tony Awards making it a huge hit.
Many know Davidson from his game show hosting with The $100,000 Pyramid and Hollywood Squares, even reviving both franchises years later. He continued that hosting gig with That's Incredible! and guest hosted on The Tonight Show 87 times then running his own self-titled show.
He is no stranger to musicals over the years such as State Fair, Carousel, Camelot, Oklahoma! and The Music Man. Chicago audiences now get to see him play the Wizard in Wicked and Windy City gave him a call while on tour to talk about his lengthy career.
Windy City Times: Hi, John. How long have you been on tour with Wicked?
John Davison: My agent called the Wicked production office about a year ago and I auditioned. I got the part a year ago Christmas. I joined the company in April. It is a 40-week contract so I go until February. It has been an incredible ride!
WCT: How does it feel playing the Wizard?
John Davison: I'm 71 and to have such a great part. To be working week after week is a tremendous thing for me. I do my concert tour where I play guitar and banjo in a small band, that is just now and then but this has been such a steady thing.
I am so glad they let me do it. One thing I had forgotten is that it is such a small part. It is really a cameo role.
The producers of Wicked didn't hire me because of my television career. It is not a star-driven show at all. They are well aware that the star of the show is Wicked. I have to keep that in mind that even though I have a good part in the show it is really all about the witches. Even though they talk about the Wizard a lot it is really a cameo role. It is a pleasure to do because it is so easy and yet it is a great part. Every time I come to the stage my objectives are so huge and all consuming that it makes it easy to play. I am always doing something because I am onstage. I am never in the background. I am always the center of activity, either that or I am sitting in my dressing room. It is really a great part. I'm having a great time.
WCT: What do you do to kill time backstage?
John Davison: I play chess. I am only onstage about 17 minutes of the three hours. I usually play two or three games of chess with one of the stage hands backstage. We have had a rivalry going for six months now.
WCT: This role is similar to your past Music Man role?
John Davison: Yes, in the fact that he is a con man. I started out playing Curly in Oklahoma! on Broadway in a revival. My early career was either getting the girl or not getting the girl. It wasn't until after that I started to get parts that were more interesting like being a con man like Harold Hill in The Music Man.
I would rather be a con man than a romantic lead. There is spice to it. There is a lot of Alec Baldwin in the role. That is what kept Betty White all of these years, playing that mischievous character that is conning people with being charming, sweet, and nice but underneath it there is something else going on. That is what I love about the Wizard is that he is a con man.
WCT: I read you are working on a one-man show about Ted Kennedy.
John Davison: Years ago I did a one man show on Teddy Roosevelt called Bully. I tried to bring that into New York and I think I was very good in it and it was a good piece. Teddy was a big boy scout. There was nothing offbeat about him, he didn't sleep with animals, he didn't have a mistress, he never did anything bad according to this play. It made the show not as interesting even though it was very bombastic.
I have been looking for years for another one man show to do so I discovered Ted Kennedy. I see him as a tragic hero. He's a guy that has done great things and I am a fan but he had some major flaws. He made some really bad decisions many times along with all of the great things he did. It makes him a flawed, tragic hero. I think that is very stage worthy. I commissioned a play to be written for me by a guy named Richard Broadhurst.
It is a powerful piece of Kennedy facing God; he was a very religious man. He really felt there was a God and he could speak to him. In this play he is 77 and facing death. He's trying to justify his life. That is a simple way of putting the show. I can't wait to do it. We've been working on it for a long time. I have a director and we are looking for a producer so it is moving forward.
WCT: Good luck with that project. Are you doing anything fun while in Chicago?
John Davison: I can't wait to get to Chicago. My wife is an artist so we will spend a lot of time at the Art Institute. They have an incredible impressionist display there that we have seen many times. Chicago has all of the great nightlife if we want to stay out after the show. Chicago is just amazing with all of those great restaurants. We are looking forward to it.
WCT: I'm actually calling you directly across the street from the Art Institute right now.
John Davison: Oh, my gosh—that's neat. A good friend of mine, Karen Ziemba, is doing Hello, Dolly! at Drury Lane there and we are also going to see Tribes at Steppenwolf while we are there. It is such a great city with wonderful theater, as you know.
WCT: Speaking of Dolly, I read that you played a cross-dresser before performing as Carol Channing in a television show.
John Davison: Yes, I did a segment on [the '70s show] Streets of San Francisco called "Mask of Death," where I was a female impersonator who couldn't stop himself from becoming a woman in this story. He would stab guys through the heart with a hatpin! It was a crazy story. [Laughs]
WCT: Perfect for Halloween.
John Davison: It was really fun, yeah. It was during the time when I was trying to break out of boring romantic comedies. I wanted to do something that was different. It was a very strange piece, almost like an Alfred Hitchcock murder story. I received a lot of attention for that.
WCT: You have met every celebrity under the sun with Hollywood Squares. Was there one who left a big impression?
John Davison: Oh, boy—I am pretty much in awe of a lot of people. Maybe it was because I had a talk show after that, but I'm very curious about famous people and how they get to be who they are. I usually ask them and kind of interview after I meet them. The people I like the most are the people that are open to talk about how they got where they are. Not all celebrities are open and revealing so I like the ones that are open about how they do what they do. I mentioned Betty White, who is such an open person. Strangely enough, Burt Reynolds, who you think is a macho guy, was on Hollywood Squares. He was very open and easy to talk to. There would be a long list of people who I am in awe of.
WCT: I thought celebrities would be everyday for you.
John Davison: No, I actually get very tongue-tied and have trouble approaching people that I admire like that. The first time I met Redford I was unable to speak. He is such a big star.
WCT: It will be great seeing you in Wicked this run of the show.
John Davison: I am looking forward to it. I have done the whole tour in a motor coach with my wife and cat, named Folly that I bought and named after the Palm Springs Follies when I was in that show. In Chicago we are putting the motor coach in storage because it is so cold there and the campgrounds are closed. I will really be able to enjoy the city more instead of being outside the city camping.
Wicked celebrates its 10th anniversary at the Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., on Wed., Oct. 30, and runs through December 21. For ticket information, visit www.broadwayinchicago.com .
Keep up with Davidson at www.johndavidson.com .
