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My New Film “Begin Again” Is Now Playing!

A while back, I reported on filming a very brief scene with Mark Ruffalo for John Carney’s new independent feature film. The film was titled Can a Song Save Your Life? back then, and when it was shown at the Toronto Film Festival in Fall 2013, the Weinstein company fought for and won the right to distribute the film in the U.S.. They also renamed it Begin Again.

Whenever it plays at a theatre near you, I hope you’ll check it out. Even if I wasn’t in it, I’d still love it. Mr. Carney is such a good writer and director–so generous to his actors, so good at letting them live in the little details of the moment. The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Levine, James Condon, Catherine Keener, and a lot more wonderful people. Their performances are all absolutely lovely: simple, honest, revealing. Mr. Ruffalo outdoes himself; he is painfully human and you can’t take your eyes off him. As with Mr. Carney’s hit film Once, the healing power of music is a major theme, and the songs sung by Ms. Knightly and Mr. Levine are really catchy.

My one little scene is with Mr. Ruffalo, who was a blast on set — kind, funny, and eager to improvise with me. John Carney was equally easygoing, super nice, and open to playing with his lovely script. What a great shoot. We only did three takes, and I’m so glad one of them made it into the final cut of the film. I sure hope I get to work with these guys again.

My brief scene is early in the film, on the subway. I play a preacher (the character’s name in the credits is “Christian Father”) who gives Mr. Ruffalo some surprisingly helpful advice. I’m so thrilled that Mr. Carney kept some of the “preacher speech” I improvised as a voiceover leading into my scene. If you see the film, post a comment here or on Facebook to let me know what you thought!

Here’s the film’s official trailer:

I Will Perform at 75th Anniversary “Grapes of Wrath” Celebration at Smithsonian in D.C.

I know that our wonderful Asolo Repertory Theatre production of The Grapes of Wrath closed last Saturday night. But three of us actors have been invited to perform two scenes from our production as part of a celebration co-hosted by the Smithsonian and the National Steinbeck Center this Thursday evening in D.C.

The evening pays tribute to the 75th anniversary of the publication of Steinbeck’s towering, Pulizer-prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath. The play excerpts will consist of the opening scene between Tom Joad (Christian Conn) and Jim Casy, and Tom’s farewell scene with Ma Joad (Peggy Roeder). There will also be a panel discussion including playwright/adaptor Frank Galati, Asolo Rep’s Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards, actress Lois Smith from the original Steppenwolf production, and noted Steinbeck scholars.

The ninety-minute event will be held Thursday, April 24th at 7pm at the Ring Auditorium in the Smithsonian’s Hirshorn Museum (not at the Museum of Natural History, as the Institute previously announced). The Hirshorn is located at 700 Independence Avenue SW, on the National Mall, at the corner of Independence and 7th Street.

Join us there! For tickets, click here.

Photo: Cliff Roles Photography/Asolo Repertory Theatre

Farewell to “Grapes” and Asolo Rep

Okay, how did 5 months of acting work go so fast?? Oh, right–it was rotating repertory! Today we give the final two performances of this wonderful production of “The Grapes of Wrath” and then there will be many tearful farewells late tonight. Honestly, I’m so filled with emotion that I can’t even think about it. This has been a fantastic bunch of people, and three really superb productions.

Sunday morning, I hop a plane home to my hubby and local family for a long-awaited reunion. I’m not a religious person (although I keep playing preachers!). But my time here performing in The Grapes of Wrath, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and Philadelphia, Here I Come! has truly been a blessing, filled with countless moments of grace. As Jim Casy says: “We was one thing. And that one thing was holy.”

Thank you one more time to Michael Donald Edwards, Peter Amster, and Frank Galati for their wise, supportive, and loving leadership of these remarkable productions. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone at Asolo Rep, onstage and off, for this extraordinary experience; I will never forget it.

Photo: Cliff Roles Photography/Asolo Rep

Farewell to “Vanya” and “Philadelphia” at Asolo Rep

Well, all good things must come to an end, they say. Last night, we gave the final performance of Frank Galati’s beautiful production of Brian Friel’s Philadelphia, Here I Come! And at this afternoon’s matinee, we also say farewell to Peter Amster’s sublime production of Chris Durang’s uniquely wonderful Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. My thanks to the directors, designers, stage management, staff, cast and crew for both productions; both shows have been fantastic experiences, filled with humor, love, and great generosity of spirit.

Saying goodbye to the role of Vanya, and to this production of Vanya, is especially difficult. I have loved every minute of exploring and sharing, with Peter, with my five fellow cast members, and with our absolutely fantastic audiences here in Sarasota.

On the surface, it might look like the role of Vanya would be a walk in the park for me–after all, Vanya is a gay, middle-aged man who lives in Bucks County. And I’m a gay, middle-aged man who vacations in Bucks County! But while my own life and my first-hand knowledge of Bucks County has only deepened my appreciation of this beautiful script, it’s not easy playing a mild-mannered, long-suffering character for two hours who then suddenly loses his cool and has an insane ten minute meltdown at the end. Peter and I both felt strongly that while the tirade is hilarious, it should also cut much deeper–much more into true Chekhov heartbreak territory. After all, Vanya is seeing his entire world collapse before his eyes. With Peter’s gentle, confident guidance, I unleashed both the wackiness and the darkness underneath, and entered some new territory. Spike may be the character who repeatedly takes off his clothes, but in the end it is Vanya who lays his soul bare for all to see. The audience reaction has been all that Peter and I could have wished, and I’m so grateful for the chance to take this exhilarating ride.

And while it’s bittersweet to let go of Vanya (at least for now!), we can all point with pride to one terrific fact that I learned last night from Michael Donald Edwards, Asolo Rep’s wonderful Producing Artistic Director: Our production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike has become the top-grossing non-musical production in Asolo Rep’s entire 55-year history! That’s a darn good way to go out.

Vanya Cast

Thank you again to everyone who has been involved in this production, and who came to see it and cheer us on. We have all shared something very, very special. I will miss this one. And I will never forget it.

Photos: Frank Atura/Asolo Repertory Theatre, 2014

I Have Added a Videos Page to My Web Site

I’m delighted to announce that I’ve just added a Videos page to my web site. I’ll use the page to display any performance video clips I have permission to share. The newest clip shows two scenes from my appearance in the foreign film Mamarosh (aka Mamaros in its 2013 European release). My thanks once again to wonderful writer/director Momcilo Mrdakovic for a great role, a great time on set, and the kind permission to post my scenes here. My thanks to all the producers who have granted me permission to share these clips!

To visit my new page, click the Videos link on the site menu, or click here!

New Promotional Trailer for “The Grapes of Wrath” at Asolo Rep

Here’s the new promo “sizzler” reel for The Grapes of Wrath in which I appear as Jim Casy. This production is a beauty, and plays at Asolo Rep through 4/19. Come down to Sarasota and see this and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (through 4/13 only)! (If the video doesn’t display, try reloading this page in your browser.)

Here’s An Interview for “The Grapes of Wrath”

It was so exciting having family members at “The Grapes of Wrath” last night! Tonight more family and friends arrive, and they all see “Philadelphia, Here I Come!” tonight, then “Vanya and Sonia” tomorrow, and the new arrivals will see “Grapes” on Sunday. I’m so grateful for the ongoing love and support, both in person and online. Here’s a “Grapes” interview I did recently. I wish more of you could see this fantastic season of shows here!

The Grapes of Wrath at Asolo Rep Will Be One For the Books

We opened The Grapes of Wrath at Asolo Repertory Theatre on Friday night, and it will go down as one of the most exciting nights of my career. Everything came together to tell the incredible story, and the audience response was amazing. My heartfelt thanks to director Michael Donald Edwards for entrusting the role of Jim Casy to me and for guiding us so well, and to playwright/adaptor Frank Galati, for his ongoing support of our production. Frank and his partner Peter Amster were there, and Peter said watching us was like watching the 25 years since the original Steppenwolf production simply melt away. This play has a painfully timely message about the inequity of the economy in this country, and what “holy” really means. I hope we fill every seat for every performance and raise some consciousnesses.

This is my first production of Grapes and my first experience with true rotating repertory as well. Rotating rep is both demanding and amazing. The day after we opened Grapes, we gave two performances of Chris Durang’s zany comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike after not doing it for a week. If you know the shows, the thought of jumping from the demands of Jim Casy to the demands of Vanya (twice in a day!) is pretty intense. We were high-fiving each other backstage before the curtain call after the evening performance, because we had opened Grapes the night before, had given two darn good Vanya shows, and were still standing. Today, we jump back into a matinee of Philadelphia, Here I Come!, which we also haven’t done in a week due to all the tech rehearsals required for Grapes. Today will feel practically like a vacation!

My hat is off to everyone at Asolo Rep–my directors, fellow cast members, designers, costume shop, set shop, coaches, incredible stage management team, wonderful running crew, unbelievable stage crew (watching them do a changeover from one set to another is mind-blowing!), great front of house, and the incredibly supportive leadership and administrative staff for creating and maintaining such an environment of excellence. It’s a thrill to be “harnessed to the whole shebang.”

To paraphrase my character Jim Casy, we are one thing. And that one thing is holy.

The Grapes of Wrath Opens Tonight at Asolo Rep!

“The Grapes of Wrath” opens tonight at Asolo Repertory Theatre. I am so honored to be playing Jim Casy in this remarkable ensemble (onstage and off), in this remarkable production, telling this remarkable and much-needed tale. This year may mark the 75th Anniversary of the publication of the novel, but the story needs to be heard–and heeded–every bit as much today. And my thanks to cast mate David Breitbarth for this great photo from our tech rehearsals. California, here we come!

New Trailer for Our Hit Production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Asolo Rep

Our hit production of Chris Durang’s wonderful comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike directed by the equally wonderful Peter Amster continues its record-breaking run at Asolo Rep. Some performances are already sold out for the rest of the run, so if you’re going to be in the area and are thinking of seeing the show, I would encourage you to buy your tickets as soon as possible. A friend contacted me recently on Facebook about seeing the show that night, and the performance was already sold out for that evening, with a long waiting list. We are playing until April 13th, so to avoid disappointment contact me or call the box office, and order your tickets today!

Here’s a cute new promo piece for the show, from Asolo Rep’s endlessly creative PR department. (If the video doesn’t appear, try reloading this page in your browser.) I am so thrilled to be part of this magical ensemble. Enjoy!