Pat Ferrell Talks Broadway, Dance Moves
Photos by Robert J. Saferstein
You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W Bush is still pwning Broadway right now, and just broke a Cort Theatre house record by raking in $846,507.05 for the week ending on February 15th, meaning Will Ferrell is helping bailout an economy that the president he is impersonating ruined. The one-man show is a must see (and if you can't get tickets, it will be airing on HBO in the future), but there are some extras that help bring it all together (and we're not just talking about the dick roll). Patrick Ferrell, Will's younger brother, plays a Secret Service man firmly embedded stage left throughout the production (save his progressively crazy dance numbers each time the faux former president leaves the stage). Recently we ambushed him with a few questions...
Dancin' Condi and Will Ferrell as George W.
Did you come up with the moves yourself and do they change every night? I keep it consistent every night with some improvisation. I worked out the repertoire with choreographer Matt Williams which added on to some of the moves I already had.
What are some of the strangest things audience members have said and done? Some audience members shout things out during the show. One guy had a Nixon mask on and some guy claimed to be Barack Obama and Will responded accordingly.
Is it hard to keep a straight face during the show? No, because of my relationship with my older brother Will as the former president I maintain a stoic demeanor.
What is it like working with your brother every day? It's like when we were growing up. I maintain my respect for him while locking down security on-stage.
If you were to do a one-man show portraying a former president, which one would it be? I would be Abe Lincoln because I'm about his height and maintain a stoic demeanor.
Has anyone from the Bush administration come, to your knowledge? No, but one man claimed to have gone to Yale with Bush and worked in the Clinton administration.
