Interview: Nicholas Hambruch of SHREK THE MUSICAL at Segerstrom Center For The Arts

After most recently playing the role of Pilate in the 2022-2023 National Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar—28-year-old Nicholas Hambruch has been playing “Shrek” on tour for more than a year now.  

BroadwayWorld sat down with Hambruch to talk about the National Touring role, including how he got into theater, how he got the part of Shrek (even without knowing the Scottish accent)—and about that time his pants split down the middle live on stage.  

So tell me a little bit about yourself.

So I was born in Florida, and I grew up in an area that didn't really have a lot of performing arts, but I was like, I think I want to perform. And everyone was like, No. You want to do sports.’

Right, because you’re a big guy, right? 6 feet? Did your parents try to push you toward football?  

I played lots of football growing up. But then sort of on the down-low, I was like, ‘No, I like musicals.’ 

What was that like for you? 

I sort of got into it by accident. I found a small little outlet when I was still in Florida. There was a community theater. And it was really cool doing that because growing up, sports was always about everyone trying to be the best. It was competitive—and then doing the shows, it was sort of like, ‘Oh no, we're all working together to make something.’ And that was really cool and new for me. 

And then I moved to Arizona my sophomore year in high school and there was a big theater community . . . It was really a big culture shock for me. By that point, I had already fallen in love with musical theater. 

Did you get any pushback from family or friends when you wanted to do theater instead of sports? 

It was very shocking for people when I was like, ‘Hey, this is really what I want to do.’ Especially coming from that area where theater wasn't really a thing. But it was a total 180 for my family because at first, I was like, ‘I think I want to do this’ and my family was like, ‘No, you don't want to do this.’  And then eventually, when I was like, ‘No, really, this is what I want to do,’ they went from zero to 100. It was like, we're doing this, and that's it. 

So on to Shrek… Is this the biggest role you’ve had in theater so far? 

The last show I was in was the 50th Anniversary Tour for Jesus Christ Superstar. And that was a really big show for me. I grew up a big Superstar fan. But I was playing Pilate and now I'm playing Shrek, so it’s a step up in the sense of, this is me, this whole show. There's a lot more running on my shoulders this time. 

Were you a big fan of Shrek growing up?

Oh yeah. 

Did you ever envision that you would be someday playing Shrek? 

Not a chance. Not at all. It was funny because I grew up with these kids, and they had the Shrek impression down, and I could never do it.

When did you finally master it, then? 

After I got the job.

Really? You didn’t even audition with the accent? 

I did a version (laughs). Definitely, when I was in callbacks for the show, some people could sing very well, and some people had the perfect accent down. And I didn’t have that down, but I saw something in the character that I thought was important, and I just focused on that. And I’m just happy that they saw something in me. I was able to work on the accent afterward. 

So what do you think has been the biggest challenge playing Shrek? 

I would say it’s that everyone knows and loves Shrek. And you have to give them the Shrek they know and love while also providing something new. And it’s about making sure you’re always staying true to the message of the show as well. Because a lot of people see Shrek and think it’s a “Romeo and Juliet” sort of love story—and it is—but for me, the show is mainly about a bunch of people who are sort of on the journey of self-love. And they have to learn to love themselves before they can start learning to accept others. 

Tell me about the makeup process: How long does it take to put all that green makeup on? 

(Laughs) It’s about an hour and a half–long process. I show up about an hour and a half before the show, and they put me in this prosthetic headpiece, I get glued in, and then I do the makeup. And then I’m getting down to about 20 minutes to get out of the makeup. 

This might be a shallow question but, you’ve been doing this for a long time, is it affecting your skin? Do you have clogged pores all the time? 

It was definitely a process of finding products that work. When we first started, I found that the makeup was staining my skin. I’m lucky that we have products that are being made specifically for me that work great.

OK, so a lot of kids come to see this show. Any challenges with that? 

Kids have actually been pretty well-behaved. Sometimes, we'll be on stage, and everyone knows all the jokes, and I’ll start saying a line, and sometimes, the kids will finish it for me. A lot of them, it will be their first Broadway show ever, and as the story goes, they’ll scream out, ‘No, go love Shrek!”

Do you make a point to meet some of the kids after the show? 

I can't come out in makeup, but I've been working really hard at making sure I get out of there as fast as I can so that I can go out and meet the kids. I've had kids give me little bracelets and little Shrek dolls and things like that. It's been really cute. I love it so much.  

What is your favorite thing about the show? 

I think that this musical really does a good job of exploring the heart and humanity of the characters. It’s the first movie that everyone knows and loves, but it really expands upon it. It adds so much to the material.  

If I had to pick a specific part, it’s when I sing “Who I’d Be.” Because it's not only my favorite song in the show, it's one of my favorite songs of all time, period. You have Shrek up there, and he's talking about if things were different—If I were this and if I were that, then things would be different and people would love me. . . He's so blinded by his self-hatred that he doesn't realize his full potential. It’s a beautiful song with a beautiful message.

You've been at this for a year now. What has been your funniest on-stage moment? 

One time when I was singing “My Beautiful World." It’s the first time the audience gets to see Shrek, and on this particular day, I ran out there, jumped into place to start singing my song, and split my pants right down the middle! (Laughs)

Oh, no!

Oh, yeah. Big ogre heiney, shaking the vibe. 

So what happened? 

It was one of those things where the audience could obviously tell what happened, but I didn’t want to turn around and let them see. Unfortunately, that number, the entire blocking is me running around and spinning and dancing. So I just had to do an adjusted version. 

Last question: If you could have any role on Broadway right now. What would it be? 

I would say, as far as shows that are playing now, for sure, Hades in Hadestown. But, yeah, I have lots of dream roles. I grew up with Phantom and Les Mis. I'd love to be in those shows. And Any Sondheim show. 

Oh, and have you been to Universal Studios Hollywood yet? Have you come across their Shrek. 

No, but I have some photos of a young me with Shrek at Universal Studios Florida. 

I just thought it’d be fun for you to have a conversation, in Shrek voice, with their Shrek

(Laughs) Right. Have a Shrek-off. 

Exactly. A Shrek-Off! 

(Laughs)

OK, well, thank you very much, Nick! It was great meeting you! 

Great meeting you, too. 

*All photos courtesy Cyork Photo


 

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