Out and proud actor Christopher Sieber is part of the team bringing Death Becomes Her to life as a stage musical in the Windy City this spring. Sieber plays Ernest Menville, who was originally portrayed by Bruce Willis in the 1992 Robert Zemeckis movie of the same name.
The talented triple threat—Sieber's an actor, singer and dancer—brings an impressive resume to this musical after a Tony Award nominations for Sir Dennis Galahad in Monty Python's Spamalot and Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical. Other Broadway roles have included Into the Woods, Company and Matilda the Musical.
On television, he played the straight father of the Olsen twins on the short-lived Two of a Kind series and a gay father on It's All Relative, both on ABC.
Sieber met up for a one-on-one interview at a press conference to preview the upcoming premiere of Death Becomes Her in Chicago.
Windy City Times: I have interviewed your fellow co-stars Megan Hilty and Michelle Williams in the past for other shows, so I am looking forward to getting to know you.
Christopher Sieber: I'm super gay!
WCT: That's what I am looking for. Where are you originally from?
CS: I am from Minnesota.
WCT: Did you come out in your career at a certain point?
CS: No. I moved to New York when I was 18 years old. I knew who I was, but by moving to New York, the possibilities of who I could be were great. I was seeing men and women who were happy to be with each other rather than having to hide anything. That was very eye-opening for a young kid, and I finally realized it was going to be okay to just live my life openly.
I did a series called It's All Relative with John Benjamin Hickey and we were two openly gay men playing a male couple on ABC. I was asked to be on the cover of the Advocate and Out Magazine, and the producers asked me if I had a problem with that. I told them that everybody already knew, so it was never a problem.
I had a wonderful friend in producer Bob Boyett, who I worked with on my first sitcom, Two of a Kind. Someone had asked if I wanted to fly my wife out to Los Angeles during the filming, and Bob said, "If you make a big deal out of something, then it will become a big thing. If you treat it like it's not a big deal, then it will stay that way." That became my approach to being gay in the entertainment business.
WCT: How did you become a cast member for Death Becomes Her?
CS: I am grateful to say I have been doing this for a long time, and people trust me with their material. My friend Marco Pennette wrote the book for the musical. We have been friends for 30 years and we have never worked together. He called me up and asked me what I thought about doing this show. I always say yes, which is a thing with me, and it turned into a Broadway musical!
WCT: Were you a fan of the original movie?
CS: Always, and when I saw the movie I was blown away by it. It was one of the first times that CGI was used in a movie. I loved the performances by Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn. I can't believe I get to play Ernest Menville opposite two of my very close friends. That's the crazy thing about this business—you become friends with everyone and then get to play off of each other. It's fantastic and [we] trust each other completely.
WCT: How are you similar or dissimilar in real life compared to your character Ernest?
CS: I put myself into every character that I do. He is very mild-mannered, and he is stuck between these two crazy personalities. He is trying to figure out the situation and has no idea what he got himself into.
Ernest is ultimately a good guy and there's not a bad bone in his body. He might get sucked into the bad situation he's put in, but for the most part, he's not a bad guy. I consider myself a nice person.
WCT: I clocked several LGBTQ+ community members in the cast today.
CS: Where? How very dare they! [both laugh]
WCT: I saw a good representation of different people included in the cast.
CS: Absolutely. Broadway is coming along. There was a diversity problem early on, and now that is changing a lot. As far as performers go, there wasn't a problem. It was something audiences needed to be taught, and people are who they are. That is great and we celebrate that here.
WCT: Why do you think Death Becomes Her has such a huge queer following?
CS: Because it has a campy element to it, and we don't take it seriously. It is absolutely funny, silly and ridiculous. It is over the top and diva-like, but ultimately humorous.
It has women taking themselves way too seriously for comic effect. Even after the magic potions have happened they don't stop fighting. It is kind of like the television show Dynasty, where the women fight back and forth. It's fun to watch it happen!
WCT: Would you want to live forever if you could?
CS: No, that is a big no!!!
WCT: When was the last time you talked to the Olsen twins?
CS: I can't even remember. We honestly kept in touch for a while until around 2001. I remember calling them on 9/11 and wanted to make sure they were okay. Keeping in touch with them could have been perceived as creepy, and I don't have anything in common with them. We were on a sitcom together and that's about it. What am I going to say, "How is your fashion line? Mine is doing great!" I am glad they are doing well and I am happy for them.
WCT: I liked meeting their sister Elizabeth.
CS: I met her when she was a baby and just hanging out on the set.
WCT: Two of a Kind was set in Chicago, but was it filmed here?
CS: Yes it was set here, but filmed at Warner Bros. in Burbank on the big lot.
WCT: Have you spent much time in Chicago in the past?
CS: I have. My husband Kevin Burrows went to Northwestern University and has done many shows here. We started the Broadway musical Spamalot at the Shubert Theatre in 2004. I came back for La Cage aux Folles at the Shubert again with George Hamilton, where I played Albin for two weeks here in Chicago. It is so nice to be here for the spring and summer because I have only been here during the very cold holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.
By the way, I am bringing the cast to Sidetrack. When we did Spamalot, I brought Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce and Hank Azaria to the bar, and they knew nothing about it. I got everyone limousines after the tech rehearsals, and everyone was whisked away to Sidetrack. Tim was hesitant about going in, but I talked him into it. As we walked in they were playing "Time Warp" from Rocky Horror Picture Show. The place was fantastic and everyone was having a blast. When we walked through, it was like the Red Sea parted for Tim Curry. I was right behind him and the crowd was singing, "Let's do the time warp again…" then turned to gawk at Tim. We all wanted to walk in again with Tim—it was so much fun!
Death Becomes Her lives at Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., April 30- June 2. Tickets are now on sale at broadwayinchicago.com .
