A blog on theater (and other stuff) from the fine folks at Apple Core Theater Company
Checking in with a bit of a V.I.P…
Many thanks to Ryan, one of the brilliant actors in the company of AS IS, who took the time to stop in and write a guest blog.
Enjoy!
Recently in shows it seems I have been that guy who plays multiple characters. This has been wonderful for me as I have always been attracted to character work. As a kid I watched Saturday Night Live, and the millions of reruns they would show on Comedy Central. I watched every Mel Brooks movie, Monty Python, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers… you name the comedy and I watched it. I would constantly mimic and act out the scenes from all those shows and movies. I ran around doing my best Hanz and Franz, the Scottish dad in So I Married an Axe Murderer, George H. W. Bush, every Monty Python voice you can think of, and the list goes on and on. The first off-Broadway play I ever saw (in 1999) was The Mystery of Irma Vep and I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I watched these two guys effortlessly (at least seemingly so) portray about 6 characters each. It was mesmerizing seeing them quickly switch between these characters and having each one be so distinct.
So it was wonderful when I moved to New York City myself (in 2005) and began performing in shows where I quickly found myself with distinct characters and soon after playing multiple characters. This summer was jam-packed with shows where I played multiple characters. Right Cross Rhapsody was in June and I played five characters, followed by Ten Reasons I Won’t Go Home With You where I also played five characters. What I love about working on shows with multiple characters is the process of not only creating and bringing these often eccentric persona’s to life, but making sure that they are distinct. There should never be any confusion from the audience about which character I’m playing when in a performance. To give a specific example, in Right Cross Rhapsody one of my characters was Mr. Toresca: essentially an Italian version of Ed Norton from The Honeymooners (I even requested an under-sized hat as a nod to the great Art Carney). He was there for comic relief, and so to pull this off, he needed to be almost a caricature, a strong look (big moustache) and a strong Italian accent. These elements were imperative in order to bring in the comic element that was needed. This supplemented the already comic text to bring this character to life and allow him to live out his purpose in the play.
This brings me to As Is. When I was cast and given my role assignment, I saw that I had seven characters. This is seemingly right up my alley. As I read and studied the script, I realized that this was very different than the other multi-character shows I have done. I found that these characters were all very real people. There is one scene in As Is where I play “John” and discuss the first time I heard about AIDS. This story that John tells is emotional and real and any extra “character” would take away from the words. It was clear to me that I just needed to tell that story, add nothing extra, and that would make his story even more powerful. It’s been a wonderful challenge (and fulfilling) to approach something as familiar as playing multiple characters in a completely different way.
But don’t worry: I do have a “character” or two”.
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Apple Core Theater Company produces emotional, entertaining plays by American writers. Valuing the immediacy and intimacy of theater, we strive to present plays that cut down to the core and go straight to the heart. Believing that theater should be accessible to all people, we are committed to providing affordable theater to New York City.
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