Interview: Broadway Lovebirds Adam Monley & Paige Faure Talk CINDERELLA, LES MIZ, Their Son Hank & More!
By: Nicole Rosky Aug. 17, 2014
Paige Faure and Adam Monley can now officially be considered Broadway Royalty. Paige currently dons the coveted glass slippers as the title role in Cinderella, and while she is playing Princess, Adam is at the Imperial Theatre, where he just concluded his limited run as Javert in Les Miserables. Together they have accrued over five Broadway credits including Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway and the international sensation Mamma Mia! Together they are taking Broadway's most popular shows by storm, and we don't see them slowing down anytime soon!
The Broadway couple recently took the time to chat with BroadwayWorld about how they met, balancing theatre with family, their adorable son Hank, and so much more. Check out the full interview below and CLICK HERE for more from their exclusive photo shoot with BroadwayWorld's own Walter McBride!
Let's start at the beginning! How did you meet?
PF: We were both asked by Josh Rhodes, who is the choreographer of Cinderella, to help him put together his audition pieces that would help him become the choreographer of Cinderella. So I played 'Cinderella' for the audition and Adam played 'Jean Michele' the revolutionary, so we didn't have to dance as much as the ensemble did. So we ended up talking a lot behind the piano and watching our love blossom [Laughs].
And the rest is history!
PF: Exactly! He got the job! We got each other! It's all good.
Adam, you're about to wrap up your run as 'Javert' in LES MISERABLES...
AM: Yes, that's until Thursday and then I am back to my track as 'the Bishop'!
What an amazing opportunity it must be to jump into that kind of iconic role. What has the experience been like from your perspective?
AM: Oh yes, it's been incredible and nothing but a dream come true. It's one of those roles that always stuck out in my mind even as a kid. LES MISERABLES was the first professional show that I ever saw, so to get the chance to play the role is really wonderful!
And Paige, how have things been going up at the Broadway Theatre?
PF: Great! I think we are both having full circle career moments right now. That was Adam's first show that he saw, and for me, I know it's cheesy, but the very first musical I did in the eighth grade was Cinderella. It's been such a gift for both of us to get to do these great roles at the same time.
Cinderella has been so fun, and the cast has been so awesome. I'm looking forward to the tour cast! I've heard nothing but good things about everyone who will be joining us on the road. It will be a great year!
I'm guessing that you've each seen each other in these roles, right?
PF: We have.
I'd imagine that makes you very proud, seeing each other onstage...
AM: Tears!
PF: Yes, rivers of tears! It's funny, I'd seen Adam go on before he got this more extended time to do it and of course it was special then, but there's something even more special about it now because it's his. It's his for these few weeks and it's been so exciting to see him grow with the role. I think he's pretty perfect in it.
AM: I just went and saw a Thursday matinee and I had the time of my life sitting there and watching her in her big starring role. It was so wonderful to see because I knew it was the fulfillment of so much hard work. To watch her dedication pay off was really moving. Like I said, I was in tears!
Do you each have a favorite part of each other's shows?
PF: Even the very first moment of LES MIZ, when you see 'Javert' at the top of the workboat and the other men are slaving away.... You see him up there taking note and slaving over them. I don't know why, but I started crying there the first time I saw it. Honestly though, and this might be kinda cliché, but it's "Stars". It's such a beautiful, iconic song and the way that Adam took it in and made it his really brought more depth to it than I had ever seen before. Yeah, I'd say "Stars" is definitely my favorite part for him.
AM: I think my favorite part is watching her dance at the ball. I can tell how much joy she gets out of doing that because I know her so well. I love watching her dance.
I know that you have a beautiful son named Hank!
AM: We do!
He's still young, but is he showing any musical talents yet?
PF: Yes! He plucks away on Adam's guitar from time to time. And he'll even sort of match pitch!
AM: Yeah, he likes to play the guitar with me.
PF: And he has some toys that sing songs. There's this one toy that's a little airplane and it sings, "Fly a thousand miles away!" And he'll say: "Away!" I think we're doomed... he's going to be musical.
I know it must be tough to manage both of your theatre schedules with family time. How has that been working out so far?
AM: Its not always easy, that's for sure! Naptimes are a blessing.
PF: For all of us! [Laughs]
AM: Yes, for all of us. And when we do get to see each other as a family it's a great time. We just went to the Natural History Museum on our day off yesterday. We try to enjoy each other as much as we can.
PF: Yeah, it's a funny balance between needing to rest when we finally do have a day off, and also to reserve a day to really have fun with Hank too. It's all a balancing act that we get better and better at. We definitely have our good and bad days, but at the end of it all we love one another and try to do what is best for each other.
Paige, you'll be leaving soon for tour. Have you figured out a plan for how you'll see each other during that time?
PF: I have to take it just a couple months at a time, because if you look at ten months all at once it can get a little overwhelming! It's like, "Oh my gosh, we're never gonna see each other!" But we've looked through the end of the year at this point and we have all of our nannies and parents who are helping along the way lined up. We have options for when Adam can fly out and when I can come back.
It will be pretty crazy. We are playing Philadelphia over Thanksgiving week and on Thanksgiving Day we have off, but we each have two shows on Wednesday and two shows on Friday. So I'll be on the last train on Wednesday night to get here and then the first train out on Friday to go back to Philly and do the shows. So we're kinda prepared for the exhaustion that this year will bring, but hopefully it will be very fruitful and joy-filled as well. We just stay positive and keep planning!
Have you ever thought about shows that you'd like to star in together one day?
PF: People ask us that and I feel like I don't ever have an answer! The first thing that pops into my head is THE LAST FIVE YEARS. I feel like that's kinda easy though because they do become husband and wife...
AM: Nothing comes to mind!
PF: We're open! Maybe that musical hasn't been created yet. We can create a musical together!
Paige was last seen in Woody Allen's musical comedy Bullets Over Broadway, directed by Susan Stroman (u/s Ellen). Paige previously appeared on Broadway in Cinderella and in the original revival company of How to Succeed in Business... featuring Daniel Radcliffe (Hedy La Rue, repl.) She has toured nationally with A Chorus Line, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Little Women and Aida. Regional roles include Janet in The Drowsy Chaperone featuring Clay Aiken and Beth Leavel at the North Carolina Theater, Sally in Cabaret at MGR, and one of Tony's Showgirls in Honeymoon in Vegas at Papermill Playhouse.
Adam's Broadway credits include: Mamma Mia! (original cast). National Tours: Deaf West'sBig River ("Mark Twain"/voice of "Huck"), Phantom ("Raoul"). Recent Regional: Getting' the Band Back Together ("Sully," George Street). TV: Medium,Bluebloods. Training: CCM and Oxford University-BADA.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride
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