Stage and screen stars Jordan Fisher and Zane Phillips are still amazed that they pulled off their current Off-Broadway production in a short period of time.
The show, Pretty Perfect Lives, opened at the Flea’s Sam Theater in New York City on Aug. 17 for a limited engagement ending on Sept. 8. Described as a “speculative-fiction play,” the powerful work follows an influencer couple, Tucker and Tiffany, who welcome a third person into their relationship as they navigate a virtual reality program.
The 75-minute production starring Phillips, Elizabeth Lail and Nic Ashe and executive produced by Fisher is filled with major twists, emotional sequences and experimental stage design — all of which came together in a matter of months.
Phillips, who is known for his work in Hulu’s Fire Island and Netflix’s Glamorous, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that the show had a quick turnaround following his casting. “Tucker was the one that they had me in mind for,” the 30-year-old actor says of being asked to audition for his role via Zoom. “So, it was mostly a matter of meeting with Gabi (Carrubba), our director, and our producers so they could get a sense of what I brought to the character.”
Pretty Perfect Lives.
Marc J Franklin
The actor felt drawn to Tucker’s story from the start, saying, “When you’re a lifestyle influencer, especially when you’re in a couple, you are basically the platonic ideal of what a heterosexual couple should look like. And seeing that getting broken down and broken down and broken down and ripped apart a little bit. Yeah, I really liked the journey that he went through.”
But despite the actor’s theater background, the speedy production process came as a surprise. He was the first actor to be cast in the production at the end of May and then rehearsals picked up at the beginning of August — mere weeks before the curtain went up.
“When I was in theater in New York, I was doing musicals and those tend to require a little bit more runway. Especially if you’re planning workshops and out-of-town tryouts and all those things. They have been speeding this bad boy along. It is cool to see everyone is a rockstar over here,” Phillips says.
Offering another perspective on the swift turnaround is Fisher, who is currently starring in the Broadway’s Hadestown opposite Maia Reficco. He tells PEOPLE the Pretty Perfect Lives team only had “just over a week and a half to actually get it on its feet.”
Jordan Fisher.
Rob Kim/Getty
He explains, “My production experience has been TV and film up to this point. Of course, I’ve worked in theater for a very long time. Because I’m a nerd and a producer, I learned what it takes to produce theater and I jumped into that with this piece with arms wide open and with the exhilaration of knowing that I’m gonna be learning quite a bit.”
Fisher, 30, continues to speak about the unconventional process, saying, “Producing theater from a commercial perspective is very different from producing theater that is downtown and at a smaller venue like the Flea. The downtown theater scene is really the heart and soul of our industry. It’s the beginning of it all.”
When signing onto the show, Fisher knew exactly what role he wanted to take and never even considered starring in it, despite his extensive theater and acting background.
“I was very happy to take the producing route with this one. I do not need to be in everything. I just want to make it. That’s the biggest thing, making it. If I can help be a part of creating a thing at whatever capacity, and that thing is something that I fully believe in, I want to do whatever is best for that show and for that piece,” he shares.
All said, Fisher took on the role of a “hands-on” producer, as he would describe himself.
Pretty Perfect Lives.
Marc J Franklin
“It was very important for me to be on the team for this one creatively to ensure all of the things that we have to ensure for this authenticity. You know, a healthy working environment and marketing opportunities, or whatever it is a producer is doing to fulfill their roles within the production. I’m very hands on, and like to have my hands on everything,” he says.
While pulling together the production was a challenge, it also brought reminded both Phillips and Fisher of their love for the craft after having spent several of the past years acting in projects for the screen.
“In theater, you get to really work, you get to play, you get to work on stuff, you have the rehearsal process,” Phillips says. “I was feeling a little bit separated from my craft. So, the idea of doing a play was attractive to me, because — especially with this piece — I felt like I could really improve as a craftsman. And I definitely feel that way, like I’ve honed some of my skills.”
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Meanwhile, Fisher insists that most creatives feel a similar affinity for theater and calls it a “gateway drug into television, film and improv.”
“But either way, it’s the mystique. It’s the irreplaceable moment of walking into a theater with however many other people are there to see that same piece that you’re looking forward to. Seeing the lights going down and, all of a sudden, it’s like a vacuum. The world outside of that theater disappears the same way it does when you’re in the theme park,” he says.
Fisher offers one last observation about the resilience of making theater: “The idea of being able to do that eight times a week is a feat all on its own. It requires so many things to happen correctly for that to work, and it requires a lot of people to be on the same page. All of that stuff is magic.”
Pretty Perfect Lives concludes its run on Sunday, Sept. 8. Tickets are on sale now at prettyperfectlives.com.
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