Whelan Hits the Stage in ‘Flashdance’ Tour

Broadway actor and former Pacific Palisades resident Christian Whelan will be back in Southern California for the staging of “Flashdance—The Musical,” set for the Segerstrom Center in Newport Beach from May 7 through May 19.

It’s been 30 years since Jennifer Beals set the screen aflame in the 1983 film that told the story of the working-class girl from Pittsburgh who dreamed of becoming a professional dancer. The stage musical is based on the Paramount film, featuring its hit songs plus 16 brand new songs.

Whelan, who plays the sleazy strip-club owner CC, who tries to have his way with the star Alex (Emily Padgett), says the high-octane energy of the film is easily transplanted to the stage, while the film’s mastery of quick cuts from one location to another proved a challenge.

“But we have developed a choreography that flows like an MTV video, which matches the 1980s, when song videos really took off,” Whelan says. “The dance sequences can move the action from steel mill to dance club to stripper club, seamlessly.”

Whelan, at 50, has been working professionally for 26 years, and for the last 18 years, steady gigs have allowed him to be relieved of  “doing something else. I used to wonder how do actors make it just doing acting, but now I spend 50 percent of my time obsessing over my work, and 50 percent thinking about how not to have to work again.”

Whelan’s first foray on stage was playing the grandfather in “Peter and the Wolf” in kindergarten. From there it was baseball, playing one of the Little League players in the original “Bad News Bears” with Walter Matthau.

Encouraged by his mom and dad and four siblings, Whelan joined The Young Americans at the age of 14 and jumped headlong into the adult cast of “To Richard Rodgers with Love.”

The Young Americans was founded in 1962 in Southern California. During the 1960s and  ’70s, the group appeared on numerous variety shows, singing and dancing with entertainers such as Judy Garland and Julie Andrews and Henry Mancini.

After singing with TYA and the choir at Loyola High, he started appearing in school productions such as “Two Gentlemen of Verona” and “Grease.” As a senior at Loyola, he was cast in the starring role in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” where he was seen by “General Hospital” casting director Marvin Paige. From there, he joined the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA as he entered the BFA program of the Acting Conservatory at USC.

“Flashdance—The Musical” is the ninth show he’s worked on in the last 16 years. Five of them, including “Aida,” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” were first national Broadway tours.

His current schedule has brought him from rehearsals in New York City, where he worked with the book writer and composer in a process Whelan enjoys. “Any time you mount a new show, you talk about the lines, the role and become a part of the creative process,” he says.

For the role of CC, Whelan says that he was cast against what would have been the obvious choice.

“Actors who did the reading with me were all small guys with pockmarked faces. I am 6-ft. 3-in. and blond. I brought the material across that made them think twice. I bucked the type that normally would play the role.”

At this point in his career, Whelan says, “I go into any audition and give them the best of my work that I can possibly give them. Most actors try to give them what they think they want. I don’t need to be competitive. I leave it up to them to shape and mold me at their will after I get the part.”

While Whelan has been a gypsy for many years, he is currently “homeless,” having put his belongings in storage in New York.  His parents are deceased, but he maintains close ties with his brothers, who are both physicians, and his sister, who works in one of her brother’s medical offices in Seattle. Whelan also reconnected with friends from Corpus Christi while on tour with “Mamma Mia” last year. “Twelve of us had a mini reunion,” he says, adding that he expects friends to come down to Orange County to see “Flashadance—The Musical.”

After the Segerstrom Center, Whelan will drive his Prius to New York (he prefers to drive from venue to venue) for a little break before meeting up with the cast in Houston.

“Flashdance—The Musical” is a pre-Broadway show, which will keep Whelan him playing his villainous role eight shows a week at least through the end of 2014. Whether the show makes it to Broadway or is sent back for more tweaking, he doesn’t know. In the meantime, he keeps his skills up; he is certified in stage combat (broadsword and rapier) and focuses on maintaining his stamina and health. He continues his years of discipline, running six to eight miles a day. The one date he’s sure of is November 3, when he will be in New York City to run his sixth marathon in that city.