Broadway fans know him as Moritz from “Spring Awakening.” He’s now heading to the small screen in HBO's “Newsroom” starring as Jim Harper. Taking a break from work, Gallagher Jr. shows us around his favorite places in New York City.
Newsroom is the anticipated HBO show that has TV fanatics stirring in their seats. Being in a media outlet ourselves, we’re excited to see how this show will portray the work that we happen to go through each day. The show depicts a fictional cable news show in New York City entitled “News Night,” and the series follows the show’s staff who are balancing their work and personal lives. John Gallagher Jr., whose character joins News Night’s staff as the new senior producer, is a “workaholic and equal parts realist and idealist.”
After being on a handful of Broadway shows including our personal favorite “Spring Awakening,” Gallagher Jr. notes the difference in his newfound schedule. “The work ethic required for a Broadway schedule and a TV series schedule are very different in many ways but similar in a sense that they are both based around longevity. You know you’re going to have a long haul ahead of you but in theatre once you open the show you run that show eight times a week and settle in for the repetition. The show will no doubt vary from night to night as the run wears on but unlike television you won’t have to be constantly learning new dialogue and doing new scenes.”
He describes himself as somewhat of a “hermit” but also a “night owl” from time to time, embracing his diverse work schedule and making sure he is able to entertain and please an audience as the show kicks into people’s television must-watch list this summer season. And while he may be busy, he took some time off to bring us to his favorite places in New York City: the Brooklyn Bridge, Bleecker Street Records, Matt Umanov Guitars, Madison Square Park, and Frankies 570 Spuntino. “One of my favorite things about New York is that kind of accessibility. The ease with which you can float in and out of places.”
This Wilmington native then explains New York City from his perception: “The pace and the pulse of New York City is obviously much more intense than any American suburb which is why I think I’m drawn to it so much. Luckily it’s easy to escape to any number of locations where you can take a breath and recharge your batteries. I think my main trouble living in New York City is that there’s so much to do and so much to see that I’m constantly burning the candle at both ends to fit it all in. It can be exhausting but it’s awfully fun.”
Brooklyn Bride "This bridge is such a piece of genuine history and one of the most iconic New York locations and images and I love how readily available it is for anyone to enjoy. I probably walked across it about 15 times last year alone. It’s one of my favorite views in the city."
Madison Square Park "When I was 18 I signed with an agency that I’m still with whose offices are right off of Madison Square Park and I was living in Long Island City at the time, so I ended up spending a lot of time waiting in the park for meetings and tapings. That was when I first tried the Shake Shack and it’s been one of my favorite burgers place in New York ever since. The park is a great place to kill time in the grass and read a book. They also had a BBQ festival in there once that was pretty amazing."
Bleecker Street Records "I love records and have accrued a collection over the last year and a couple of choice contributions have been purchased at this record store. I found an amazing album there last fall called Delaware Garage. It was a compilation of all of the almost famous garage bands from Delaware in the 1960s. I grew up in Delaware so it was a real gem for me to find. In fact, when we went into the basement to take a few pictures for this shoot I found a used copy in great condition of a Bob Dylan record I’d been in search of for a while called New Morning. It was only five bucks."
Matt Umanov Guitars "I love guitars so sometimes I just like to go into this store and look at some of the vintage guitars they have. I bought a Fender roadworn series bass here that I play in a band with my friends Michael Esper and Gerard Canonico who were both in American Idiot with me on Broadway. New York has two truly amazing guitar stores to their name; this one and Mandolin Brothers on Staten Island."
Frankies 570 Spuntino "I used to live in Brooklyn and going to Frankie’s 457 on Court Street was one of my favorite night’s out at the time. After moving into Manhattan I started hardcore missing having a Frankie’s nearby and then only a few months later this location opened and there was much rejoicing. The buffalo mozzarella salad and the cavateli pasta with sausage are amazing dishes."
Photographed by Jason Goodrich