Gets has also been busy in front of the camera. In the new comedy,
Adam and Steve (which opens at Loew's State Theatre in New York on
June 11th) he co-stars with writer-director Craig Chester and indie
queen Parker Posey. "I'm very happy to be associated with it," he
enthuses. Courtney Love also performs in the film, and when asked if
he would ever want to do a musical with her, Gets says "How about a
musical of The People vs. Larry Flynt? I bet Michael John (LaChiusa)
would take a stab!"
In one of his earliest New York appearances--LaChiusa's Hello Again at
Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse Theatre in 1993, Gets played the
character of The Writer, and he also originated the role of children's
show songwriter Gordon Schwinn in William Finn's A New Brain at the
same theatre in 1998. The articulate Gets seems to have a flair for
playing characters who either write or compose. He was Franklin
Shepard in the York Theatre's 1994 production of Sondheim's Merrily We
Roll Along. Of Sondheim, he says "I would think Sondheim's influence
is large on most young composers...I do wonder though if anyone not
writing in a traditional form is assumed to be influenced by Mr.
Sondheim. I do know he has had enormous influence on me--seeing
Sweeney Todd for the first time with my father is something I'll never
forget--my father actually purchased tickets to see the show a second
time as we left the theater."
Gets has other thoughts on the current state of Broadway, and when
asked about his experiences with the romantic fable Amour, he bemoaned
its inability to find an audience. "The experience was all
things--wonderful and heartbreaking. It was a wonderful, delicate
little show that absolutely deserved a life, but we are living in a very particular era on Broadway. The fact that Light In the Piazza is
surviving is a miracle--I loved that show. Perhaps Broadway has always
been this way, but it seems as though anything slightly experimental
or subtle is not destined to survive right now. Don't get me wrong, I
love razmatazz, but I wish there was a place for a variety of shows.
Amour will live on in regional productions, I'm sure of it."
As for Gets' musical theatre dream roles, he'd love to offer a
different interpretation of Arthur in Camelot. "I never understand why
Wort, the "boy king" is always played by Senior Actors--I think he
should seem like a man-boy who is struggling to be King and be a
husband." Yet he doesn't want to limit himself to revivals either, and
says, "I look forward to the shows my friends will write--Michael
John, Adam (Guettel), Jason (Robert Brown), Kirsten (Childs)--I love
revivals, but there's nothing like creating a new role."
There can be little doubt that Gets will create many new roles in the
future. In the meantime, this outspoken, witty and talented performer
can be seen at Birdland on June 13th at 7 PM. "It will be interactive
with the audience, so warm up!" he says in advance.
For more info, visit www.malcolmgets.com or www.birdlandjazz.com
