From Peacock to Hitchcock with Nik Hagen
Hold onto your top hats and tap-dancing shoes because we're about to step into the fascinating world of Nik Hagen, a Can Can alum and current whose life has been one big act of dazzling entertainment.
From a household where the theater curtains were always up and dance moves were a part of daily life, to setting off to become an engineer in college, only to discover he'd rather bask in the spotlight than fiddle with formulas, Nik’s journey has always been pulled to performing.
Fast forward to a spellbinding career in musical theatre, a pandemic-induced whirlwind of self-discovery and viral TikToks, and a bow-and-return from Peacock to Hitchcock as he now shines as a perfect portrayal of Frankly My Dear in Can Can’s beloved fall time show.
Read on to experience Nik's story, a tale as enthralling as the performances he graces the world with.
THECANCAN.COM: Please tell us about yourself and your story of performing.
Nik Hagen: I've basically been performing my whole life. I grew up in a household where my mom was very active in the community theater, so she brought up all three of her children that way–we would take theater classes and go to theater summer camps. She was also a choreographer, so I was often dancing around the house.
As the years went on, of the three of us children, I was the one that it all stuck with the most. I did all the plays and all the musicals all throughout high school. When it came time for college, I actually went to school initially intending to become an engineer but was taking theater classes just to fulfill my art requirement. I had this kind of reckoning where I realized that I was so willing and happy to spend all night working on a one-credit theater class project that didn't really matter instead of doing the actual homework for the math classes that I needed to get my engineering degree. That’s when the shift started to happen. I started to invest more time and energy into pursuing theater and would take dance classes and anything that I could get my hands on in college.
After graduation, I moved to Seattle to see if I could make a career out of acting. I auditioned for whatever I could, which started the snowball into a career in musical theater here in Seattle. And through that, I was exposed to the Can Can. I was brought by some friends to go see a couple of shows, and I fell in love with the space so much. Being part of Can Can actually happened on accident. I had been corresponding with Shadou and Jonny through email, but nothing ever really came of it. Then, I remember running into both of them at Zara, and in that moment, Shadou was like, “Wait, are you free this winter?” Turns out, they needed someone to cover one of the dancers in the brunch show. After that, it became a relatively consistent thing. Now I'm working full-time as a performer here in Seattle doing musical theater and Can Can and all kinds of wonderful stuff.
THECANCAN.COM: Your last Can Can show was Peacock, just right before the pandemic hit. What has the experience been like as you return to the Can Can stage years later in the newly beloved show, The Hitchcock Hotel?
Nik Hagen: I think the pandemic changed all of us in ways that we're all still uncovering. When I was doing Peacock, I was having so much fun. I loved that show, that group of people, and Can Can as a whole. So when it disappeared, I was thrust into this period of uncertainty where I had to really examine what it was that I wanted from performing–we all were.
At a certain point during the height of the pandemic, I didn't really recognize myself; I didn't really recognize what performing looked like anymore. It was a really hard time for me. I moved to New York for a year just to be closer to my brother and spend some time with him. I also needed to be outside of Seattle to figure out what it was that I wanted. When I moved back, I had to pick up the threads of a life that I had left behind. That was really hard. I went through a lot of introspection, a lot of personal growth, and a lot of challenging the ways in which I approached the world and approached performing. Eventually, I did Sweeney Todd at the Fifth Avenue Theater, which was my first show back.
Three years later, I found out about Hitchcock and the possibility of returning to Can Can. There was a period of adjustment for me to be with so many familiar people in a style that was also so familiar, but all in a brand new space that I had not performed in. Also, as I return, I am a version of myself that is much different than the version performing in Peacock; I approach things a little differently and experience things a little differently. What I found in this process is that even though the pandemic was so challenging for so many people–myself included; I went through a significant period of agoraphobia and was just not myself–there is so much growth. I'm finding that I'm much more confident and excited to own who I am and what I'm able to do in a way that is unapologetic and still approachable. I think I have a much more solid footing in the world and who I am as a performer.
Also in this return to Can Can, I am so often reminded of how this place is truly a salve for what is wrong in the world. It's a place where people can be themselves, experience joy, and connect. I think that's what's so unique about cabaret; the audience is a part of the process. They're in the story, they're in the show, and each night is different. It creates, even just for a moment, a sense of community with strangers and a shared experience that you get to experience together. I love so much being a part of that and facilitating a haven where people can laugh and smile and sing and clap and truly experience the highs of life together. I think that's such a beautiful thing.
THECANCAN.COM: You're marvelously hilarious on TikTok! What's it like performing for a digital audience versus a live audience?
Nik Hagen: My TikTok really became an outlet for that performance energy that was within me once I had gone from being on stage full-time to, all of a sudden, being disconnected from people. TikTok became a place where I could connect and engage with others. My approach to the world, in general, is to always make the world a better place, whether that's through performing, personal interaction, or a much larger, more direct way. During the pandemic, I became a contact tracer and worked with the vaccine clinics. But, in performance, and especially what I do on TikTok, I try to provide a grounded level of optimism for whoever is watching.
Performing live and performing for a TikTok audience definitely differ, but they're so similar in that the things that end up being most successful are the ones that are most genuine and truly come from who I am and what I have to offer.
I think the hardest thing is that on a platform like TikTok, the response from your audience is delayed. Whereas, at Can Can, audience response is so immediate and you know what's working, and you can pivot and make adjustments in real-time. The thing about TikTok is that it may take a few days until you actually know something was successful or even reached an audience. It still challenges me to be as authentic and genuine as I can be–because if I'm not, then videos don't do well. Nik laughs.
THECANCAN.COM: What is your process of transforming yourself into Frankly My Dear? How do you find that character within you?
Nik Hagen: It was kind of a backward process for me in such a way as I stumbled upon it. It also goes back to the last question about TikTok and that, even with these highly elevated characters like Frankly My Dear, the only way for it to be successful is for it to be genuine. So, the trick with Frankly My Dear is to really tap into what it is that Frankly does and how that resonates with who I am as a human being. That’s my entryway into it.
Jon says it at the end of the show: Frankly represents the people who are too fabulous to hide. My takeaway from that is truly embracing what makes you shine and just letting it shine as brightly as you want or can. It’s not holding back from being an authentic person.
Finding Frankly was truly just asking myself, “What if you just don't hold back?” Yes, I have a German accent, which shapes the mannerisms, for sure. But, it all goes back to Can Can being this is a safe place to play and be a little cheeky. What if you just don't worry about how it's gonna come across and truly just allow yourself to have fun and embrace this side of you that is a little cheeky and a little mischievous, but, at the end of the day, is very exuberant and vivacious and radiant. What if you didn’t dim yourself?