Comtra Theatre

Annie

directed by Robert Hockenberry

December 2013

Role - Oliver (Daddy) Warbucks

When I was a Senior in High School, I auditioned for Annie. I was asked at the time if I would shave my head for the role of Daddy Warbucks. I said "no" even though I really wanted to play Warbucks. The actor they did cast said yes and then refused to shave his head after we were too far into rehearsals to change anything. Damn my integrity.

Anyway, this is one of the roles I've always wanted to play. Emotionally, he's everything Annie is not. He's cold, lonely and distant and it takes a poor orphan to make him realize that he has been substituting the accumulation of wealth for friendship and love.

Sure, that's easy to say. Now try to portray that on stage. I think I did a decent job showing the audience Oliver finding his humanity without making the older man/ young girl relationship creepy. 

Oliver gets to sing a lot, maybe more than Annie, which is why I find it odd that a lot of productions I've seen of Annie have a Warbucks that is not a singer. I got to sing my favorite Annie song, "NYC", and the optional "Why Should I Change a Thing?"

I even shaved my head.

Comtra Theatre

Monty Python's Spamalot

directed by Robert Hockenberry

October 2013

Role - Sir Robyn / Brother Maynard / Guard #2

What can I possibly say about Spamalot? This is the show I was born to be in. I am just as silly and sarcastic as anything the Pythons can dream up and I would have given my left kidney to do this show.

Oddly, I played Sir Robyn, the not so brave as Sir Lancelot. I find this odd, because of all the cast, I'm the only one who has ever actually worn armor and wielded a sword in battle (SCA).

Robyn's big number is "You Won't Succeed on Broadway" which is a fun, albeit vocally un-challenging, song.

Also, I made all the swords and most of the armor pieces. It's amazing how you can make foam look like metal.

Comtra Theatre

Young Frankenstein

directed by Robert Hockenberry

January 18 through February 2, 2013

Role - Inspector Kemp

Mel Brook's hilarious movie came to the Comtra stage for the first show of the 2013 season. I had the pleasure to play Transylvania's Chief Inspector, Kemp. The role required a ridiculous German accent (despite the fact that he's obviously a native Transylvanian) and some very odd physical comedy. Kemp had lost his right leg and left hand to the previous Frankenstein's monster and was all the more suspicious for it.

I hobbled about the stage spouting mostly unintelligible nonsense. My favorite line - "Ve must make damned sure ve are certain before acting. Ve must make sure he is following in his Grandfodder's footschteps."

I had a lot of fun with this role. Kemp has a solo ("He's Loose!") and is the fifth in the Babershop Quartet ("Welcome to Transylvania") and is Frederick's main antagonist.

The hardest part about this role wasn't the accent or losing my hand a couple of times but the eye patch. It really killed my night vision and getting off the stage between scenes was challenging. I walked into quite a few things.

Comtra Theatre

Moon Over Buffalo

directed by Nancy Batko and Liz Klein

November 2012

Role - George Hay

This was the second time I did Ken Ludwig's Moon Over Buffalo. The first time, I played Paul. Well, apparently I have aged beyond the romantic lead and into the comedic lead.

George is a fun character. He's over the top, melodramatic and a walking stage show. Nothing he does is without a touch of the dramatic. Inadvertently, I also got to play Cyrano (a role I would love to fill) and Elliot from Private Lives (I'm ambivalent on that one).

This was an extremely physical show with a lot of physical comedy and most of it at my expense. I think I spent more time in act 2 in my underwear than I did anything else.

My favorite moment from the run of this show happened closing night. When Howard comes in dressed as General Patton and I think he's trying to kill me, I dove for the ground like I always did. Only this time, I somehow connected with the end table holding the coffee pot and other properties. Everything went flying and the table actually broke with the leg coming off in my hand as I tried to right it. So I went with it and tried to cower behind a table leg. I'm amazed we made it through that scene while all still in character.

This is another show where I changed my facial hair to fit the character. I shaved so my mustache was no longer connected to the goatee and then grew the mustache long and waxed it into handlebars. It was impeccable in act 1 and a complete mess in act 2 (on purpose) and I'm sure I'm the only one that noticed.

Known World Players - Pennsic 41

Anne of the Thousand Days

August 2012

Role - Thomas Cromwell

Shows with the Known World Players are challenging. The show is cast in August and we start phone rehearsals in the spring since the cast is spread out across the "Known World." We get together at Pennsic and rehearse every morning for a week, have one dress rehearsal and then do one performance. It's very nerve wracking for an actor like me who learns his lines using location queues since we are expected to have our lines memorized before even getting onto the stage to rehearse.

Cromwell is a deviously fun villain to play, although history paints him as less devious than the writer of this play. I used a lot of voice inflection and body language to get across the machinations of his manipulative mind.

My favorite line was "Yes, your Majesty." But it was more the way I said it than what was said.

Comtra Theatre

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

directed by Robert Hockenberry

January 2012

Role - Mitch Mahoney (The Comfort Counselor)

This was an extremely fun show to do and I got to work with a great group of talented actors. True to form, I completely changed my facial hair for the role and even shaved my head. I really did look like I had just escaped from prison.

Mitch is the ex-con with the heart of gold trying to be as comforting as possible to a bunch of kids and a couple of adults. I had a solo (Prayer of the Comfort Counselor) and a trio with Olive and Rona (The I Love You Song), a song which still gives me goosebumps when I hear it.

It was a lot of fun to sing to the audience volunteer. A lot of them just wanted to get off the stage and away from me. Which of course, made it all the funnier.

I think I was on stage for 90% of the show but only had two written lines.

The I Love You Song

Here is my favorite song from the show.

Comtra Theatre

Bye Bye Birdie

directed by Robert Hockenberry

July 2012

Role - Voice of Ed Sullivan

I actually was the Assistant Director for this show but got to do Ed Sullivan from offstage. I watched old clips of Ed introducing guests to try and sound like him. I think I got away with it only because our audiences probably don't remember what Ed sounded like, if they even knew who he was. I had to explain to several teenage cast mates who he was at one point.

Comtra Theatre

Three Murders and It's Only Monday

directed by Craig M.

March 2011

Role - Harry Monday

Harry Monday may be my favorite non-musical role to date. He's the farcical version of Mike Hammer. I developed this ridiculous talking cadence to make him more Film Noir.

There are apparently several "Monday" plays and I'm looking for a director to take one on so I can reprise the role. It was that fun.

Known World Players - Pennsic 40

William Shakespeare's Henry V

directed by Baron Lorcan Draconis

July 2011

Roles - Eli, French King, Captain Jamy and Grandpre

This was my first show with the Known World Players and my first time doing Shakespeare. Because the play has a lot of characters, we all played multiple roles. I tried my best to be in a different costume for each role and pulled out my best Scottish accent for Jamy.

The French King was my favorite part. I didn't do him with an accent. That was the director's choice but it was probably for the best since I always end up sounding French Canadian.

Henry V

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  Cast Photo

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  Earl Grandpre expounds on the fear that the English must be feeling before the Battle of Agincourt.

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Comtra Theatre

A Christmas Carol

directed by Robert Hockenberry

December 2011

Role - Bob Cratchit

A bit of stretch, I know, a 300lb man playing Scrooge's meek secretary but I somehow pulled it off. Not the most memorable role I've done but certainly different.