‘Varsity Show Psychosis:’ A profile on Sean Walsh, CC ’14
For the latest installment of a series about the various wacky students that make up the Varsity Show cast and crew, Christin Zurbach sat down with Sean Walsh, the VShow principal who rose to fame as “Ke$ho.”
Christin Zurbach: When and how did you get into theater?
Sean Walsh: Originally in high school I ran cross-country. I did pretty well for myself but found that it wasn’t anything I was really passionate about and, even though I was doing okay at it, it wasn’t something that really inspired me. One of my friends talked me into the spring musical and it was Kiss Me Kate. I auditioned and got the part of Donkey/Driver/Haberdasher. I think I had two lines in total but I was still so excited, and after that, I just never did cross-country again.
CZ: Why did you decide to do the Varsity Show again?
SW: I wasn’t going to do it this year. I was hell-bent on not doing it again. I said “I will only do it literally if Alex Hare [CC’13] directs, Hillary [Kritt, BC’12] and Ben [Harris, CC’14] produce, Solomon [Hoffman, CC’14] and Tareq [Abuissa, CC’14] compose, and Adrianna [Aguilar, BC’13] choreographs. If one of those things hadn’t gone right I wouldn’t have done it. Then I learned that Stephen, who is an architecture major and I’m an architecture major, was art directing and he’s unbelievable, and John [Goodwin, CC’12] and Jeff [Stern, CC ‘12] writing too. I didn’t want anyone else to write. When I saw the creative team go up, I was like “Damn it. I guess I’m doing it.”
CZ: Before you saw the creative team go up, what did you think the likelihood of that happening was?
SW: Kind of likely. They’re all pretty damn good at what they do…I think it’s one of the most realized Varsity Shows in a really long time.
CZ: We’ve talked a lot about the creative team, but how do you feel the dynamic between the actors is this year?
SW: Really good. All these people, I know I’m going to be friends with them for the rest of my time here. It’s inevitable-we’re always together and we’ve clicked so well. It’s become ridiculous. Sometimes we won’t have rehearsal for two days in a row and it’ll be so weird. After the Turkey Day show, I literally got separation anxiety. I was freaked out. I didn’t know what to do with my time. When you’re surrounded by people that you like so much all the time and then all of a sudden they are gone and you don’t have a forum where you spend four hours a day with them, it’s kind of freaky. It’s like Varsity Show psychosis.
CZ: Have you ever considered theater as a possible career path or a part of your career path, or are you definitely going into architecture?
SW: I feel like if I wanted to do it, I might not make it to Broadway or anything, but that I could do it and get paid, but it’s so risky. I want to keep going with architecture or material science, but I would like to audition and try at least. Maybe after I graduate I’ll hit the auditions and cattle calls.
CZ: What’s your favorite musical?
SW: Ragtime. But I’m obsessed with Stephen Sondheim. I have a signed picture of Stephen Sondheim in my room and it’s my prized possession. My cover picture on Facebook is the Stephen Sondheim theater, and Stephen Sondheim outside the Stephen Sondheim Theater. When he dies, I’m going to wear all black and lay on my floor all day and just listen to Sondheim music. It’s crazy-I’m in love with him.
I remember the day Sean and I were studying for a Physics exam and the V Show crew ran in to our John Jay Lounge and smashed Sean in the face with a pie. He was a little annoyed that his jacket got dirty until he realized he had gotten into the V Show. Good times!
Good luck Sean! JJ13 is proud of you!
Sidd and Sean, JJ13 loves BOTH OF YOU
This song gets me every time. The lyrics have the siplme perfection of a standout 20 s or 30 s tune (most of the phrases are, what, 4 syllables long? and the lyrics fit so naturally without feeling squeezed or artificial), and I love how the melody repeats and repeats, getting more and more intense. Dang, Sondheim is good.I’m sure you’ve seen the Dorothy Loudon version on Youtube, too- that might be my favorite for sheer fantastic ridiculousness. But I had never heard this version before so pained. So great.
why are you so beautiful and talented?
You take HCG as a male? The basis is to restrict caoerils to 500 cals / day ? Why just not eat then 500 caoerils, and take nothing at all What is OK then to eat: 2 peaches / day + a slice of bread ? How about KETOSIS blood sugar / kidney problems? Why not just excercise and eat less without high fructose corn syrup and eliminate prodiocts with the bovine growth hormone in it and MSG? Ever in view of the fact that America uses tainted milk, people are ballooning up. This diet is perilous ! Please be careful
YES YES YES FUCK YES HE IS MARVELOUS.
you don’t realize how unbelievably incredible you are. you make me smile
Under Sean’s second response, it should be Stephen Davan, CC ’12.
You take HCG as a male? The basis is to restrict corelias to 500 cals / day ? Why just not eat then 500 corelias, and take nothing at all What is OK then to eat: 2 peaches / day + a slice of bread ? How about KETOSIS blood sugar / kidney problems? Why not just excercise and eat less without high fructose corn syrup and eliminate prodiocts with the bovine growth hormone in it and MSG? Ever in view of the fact that America uses tainted milk, people are ballooning up. This diet is perilous ! Please be careful
you are sooooooooooooooooooooooooo amazing in all of your shows i loved you in xmas
YOU CANNOT WRITE SHOWS JUST ON PAPER!!!!!!!!!!exactly.!!!Good interview cratein questions omitted on being a gay icon? on being one of the few people to make money on bway and in the arts? more on the economics of the theatre and the industry? more on musical composition? anyway. I guess we only had 16 minutes.
i don’t know you but i’m SUCH a fan
Met you Saturday night after Don’t Tell Mama’s and we were so happy to hear about your goals, etc Well, this is great stuff here on your site. Will keep looking for more. I’m the bald one! best, Mark (and Paul too!)