(Danny Burgos is on the far right.)
Danny Burgos has done it all; On Your Feet, West Side Story, and now he’s portraying the iconic Santiago in the Broadway National Tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Later this week, Burgos will make his debut as Santiago in Austin at Bass Concert Hall, but a few weeks back, he and I chatted all about his role in Moulin Rouge! as well as his life as a registered nurse in New York City. Oh yes, on top of being an incredible actor, Burgos is also a nurse, something that can be pretty useful on the road. Enjoy our conversation below!
So you joined Moulin Rouge! after a year as a registered nurse. So I have to ask, what is wilder being backstage on Broadway National Tour or a hospital night shift in NYC?
I love that you asked this question because the ER at a hospital, I mean, we have lives on the line, so it’s a little bit different, but it’s the same hectic nature. It’s all very frantic, but everyone knows exactly what’s happening. So when someone is not breathing in the emergency department we call it code blue, and everyone knows their jobs. Someone’s supposed to get the crash cart. Someone’s supposed to get the medication. Someone gets the ambulator. So from the outsider’s eye, it looks hectic, but we are not nervous.
Right.
We know exactly what is happening. It’s very similar backstage at a musical. I don’t know if you ever if you’ve ever seen the clip of Kelli O’Hara at the Tony Awards doing Getting To Know You with all the children. She walks off stage, and I think she has a twenty-five-second quick change.
She gets out of a hoop skirt. She gets into a second hoop skirt, out of a wig, into another wig. It all happens in twenty-five seconds, and it looks frantic, but everyone just is calm.
I love that. I wanna ask about you being a nurse. Which one is the dream and which one is the ‘I’m from a Latino household, so I have to have a “practical” job’ option? Or were they both the dream?
Another excellent question. I love that, because the Latino household definitely did fuel me. I have an aunt who is a nurse, a cousin who is a nurse. My dad works in health care. My grandmother works in health care. So it was always around me. And the way that I like to phrase it is they are both very fulfilling and so I would hate to disqualify one by saying like ‘oh, this is the dream, and that one is the day job’. They’re both super fulfilling, and they scratch different itches…So when I’m not on stage, I am a nurse. And when I am not a nurse, I am on stage. I don’t think one of them is the dream. I think they both are super super fulfilling for me. And the fact that I get to do both is a huge blessing.
I love that! I am curious. What does it mean for you to represent the Latino Community in major Broadway productions like On Your Feet and Moulin Rouge!?
It is really incredible. I say this very trepidatiously because I don’t want to offend, but it is a double-edged sword because I love that I get to be Latino on stage. I love that I’ve done so many productions at In the Heights. I’ve played Gomez Adams. I’ve played Bernardo in West Side Story, and now Santiago. But if you look at my resume, you can very clearly see that I am pigeonholed as being just a Latino.
Right.
So it is a huge blessing because I love that I get to show off this very authentic part of who I am. Now the creative actor part of me is like, ‘Great. I wanna spread my wings. I want to explore more.’ Thankfully, I have that privilege, and I will go ahead and acknowledge my white privilege because I can transform into different characters, and I’m not limited by the color of my skin.
So that does come from a place of privilege, me being able to say, I wanna explore being non-Latino on stage because my friends of color do not have that luxury. But I also want to explore a world in which my Latinidad is not the focal point of a character. It’s just, ‘wow, that character has to be Latino, and it doesn’t matter.’ That’s fine. It could be played by anyone.
One hundred percent. Latinitas Magazine is all about uplifting the Latino Community. So whenever I interview people from national tours, they always say, ‘I’ve done On Your Feet. I’ve done In The Heights’. Checking all the boxes. So what is something you think that the theater world could do better when it comes to showcasing Latino talent?
I would like to say that I would like to see a world in which Latino characters are a bit more three-dimensional. I would love a Latin person to be on stage with none of their Latinness being super apparent. I saw a play a few weeks ago, and the Latin character was on stage. He was named Officer Ramirez, so it’s very obvious that he is Latino. And when you first meet him, the first lines out of his mouth were, ‘Oh, man. This isn’t good. No bueno.’
Oh, no!
Like, really? His last name is Ramirez. You didn’t have to have him say no bueno. So I would like a world in which these Latin characters are explored as people first, Latinos second.
I fully agree. That would be lovely. I think we’re we’re slowly getting there, but speaking of Moulin Rouge!, so Santiago is very full of passion and mystery. What is your secret to tapping into that energy every night?
I come at it from a very different place. I enjoy being funny. I am a comedian. It is what I love to do. I love physical comedy. I love comedy in general. And so I tap into Santiago from a very comedic perspective. I think it’s funny to have somebody like me a six-foot-tall Latin bald guy with tattoos come out and then be the funniest person on stage.
That’s awesome. If you have one, what’s a scene that you look forward to each night?
My favorite part of the show is at the top of Roxanne. We go out of Chandelier into Roxanne, and lights come up on me, my dance partner, Nini, who’s played by Katilin Mesh, and Zidler, who’s played by Robert Petkoff. And that moment at the top of Roxanne is one of my favorites. I also just am deeply in love with my dance partner, Caitlin Mesh. She got here, and it’s as if we had been dancing for years together.
Oh, that’s amazing!
I cannot express to you how valuable that is as a partner dancer. We always laugh about it because our nonverbal communication is just I don’t know how it happens so quickly, but there are nights when she’s like, I’m gonna do three turns, and we just know. I’m gonna do four turns, and we just know. The way that we squeeze each other’s hands, the way that we touch each other, and then we know what we mean. It is invaluable. And for that reason, Roxanne is just my favorite part of the entire show. Dancing with her is a treat every single night.
Oh, that’s so beautiful that you have that connection. What advice would you give to any Latino kids looking to break into the acting scene?
So I always get this question, and I recently typed out an answer because I feel like a lot of people want the secret sauce. What did you do to get on Broadway? How can I get on Broadway?
Right.
And to that question, I don’t really have a good answer. There is never going to be a good answer because each person’s journey to Broadway is, like, so individual and, like, so specialized. The few things that I do say to people are, number one this industry is all about luck, and a lot of people hate that word, but let me explain what I mean by luck. What I mean by luck is when opportunity meets preparation. You need to be so ready, so so so ready that when that magical opportunity finally comes, there is not a doubt in your mind.
You go in there so confident, so ready to present what it is that you do. That way, even if you don’t get it, you gave it everything that you have. So you know that it’s not because of your lack of talent. It’s just because they went in another direction. And people need to learn not to lie to themselves like that but to genuinely believe it. There is nothing else I could have done. I went in there and did everything that I could have done. I did my absolute best, and it just wasn’t what they needed right now.
The other piece of advice that I give, and I think this is even more important than anything. This industry is not about being the most talented person in the room. It is about being the kindest, generous, easiest person to work with. In five years, people will not remember what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel.
That is such an important point. Okay. Rapid fire. Dream musical to star in?
Oh, Hamilton.
Of course! Okay. What Broadway legend would you like to start with?
Lin Manuel Miranda.
[Camila laughs] Okay, and then last question. Do you ever use any of your nursing skills backstage? Like, are you the person for emergencies or anything?
It’s so funny that you asked that question because I was quite literally talking about it yesterday. The first week that I got here, our Carpenter swing walked up to me. He and I had worked together on On Your Feet. And he’s like, ‘yo, Burgos. Can you check this out for me?’ And he showed me a wound that he had on his calf.
A wound?
It was just a puncture wound, and it was red. And I was just like, ‘Tommy, that’s MRSA. You have a staph infection.’
Oh, no.
So sure enough, he went to the urgent care, had a staph infection, had to get on antibiotics, and I was very proud of myself because, as a nurse, I’m not allowed to diagnose. But that was a very proud moment that I was able to look at it and be like, that’s a staph infection. Little things like that. Sometimes people will walk up will walk up to me and be like, ‘Hey. I’m taking this medication. Is the dosage right?’ My biggest fear is that there will be a medical emergency in the audience, and I have to jump off the stage.
Yeah, but your biggest fear will also be your most amazing moment.
I know. Right!
People will be like, ‘Wow, and he can act!’
Right?
Well, thank you so much for talking with me!
Of course!
You can catch Danny Burgos as Santiago on Moulin Rouge! National Tour right now.
