One of the theater-going pleasures in the summer of 2007 is to be found at the Laura Pels Theater on West 46th Street. It is there that Stephen Lang is starring in his own play entitled BEYOND GLORY. It's a performance that Roma Torre of New York One proclaimed was "Engrossing and fascinating! A first-rate character study. In each of his tour de force portraits, Stephen Lang takes us beyond the glory to the human face of a true hero."
So mesmerizing is Lang's performance that the audience sits galvanized for its eighty minute duration and stands for an ovation at its conclusion. Upon leaving the theater, many of the playgoers could be overheard uttering their admiration for both the play and the actor. One comment which stood out, came from a woman in a tastefully tailored outfit who remarked, "A guy like that has got to have a multiple personality disorder."
What prompted the lady to make such a statement was the fact that in the course of the evening, Lang had assumed the personalities of eight fully disparate men; sometimes switching personalities faster than he could change shirts. It's an absolute marvel to observe, but is it any indication that the actor has any remote form of multiple personality disorder? If so, then wouldn't this apply to such respected performers as Jonathan Winters, Lily Tomlin, Jefferson Mays, Whoopie Goldberg, Tovah Feldshuh, and Martin Short—all of whom have assumed numerous and sundry personalities in the context of single theatrical presentations. Such a topic could easily serve as fodder for discussion in Psychology 101 classes.
Visiting Stephen Lang in his dressing room a few days later, found him to be the very model of relaxed normalcy. Comfortably attired and sitting in a cozy looking recliner, the actor was playing the Djembe, an African drum, when he was interrupted. Extending a warm handshake, the married father of four quickly settled down into an hour's chat about his background, his career and his writing.
A New York City native, Lang is the offspring of an Irish-American mother and a Hungarian-American father. He credits television with getting him interested in acting. "I loved Laurel and Hardy and TV shows like "Robin Hood" and 'Rama of the Jungle'. In the movies, I loved Errol Flynn whether he was playing a soldier or a pirate. I dug pirates. In fact, my first exposure to live performances was when my paternal grandfather took me to a D'Oyly Carte performance of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE which impresario Sol Hurok imported from London. I loved every minute of it."
When Lang was taken to see the original production of OLIVER!, he was completely smitten. "You may recall that the show had a huge revolving set and when I saw all those kids jumping around and singing, I remember thinking, 'Why am I not doing that?' "
Lang admits to being quite a musical person, as the interrupted drum playing illustrated. "I've played the clarinet since I was a kid. I love to sing but I'm not much of a singer. Let's say that when it comes to vocalizing, I have the soul of Billy Bigelow but the voice of Jigger Cragan." A while back he turned down a tour of THE KING AND I, but admits he would love to do Lerner and Lowe's PAINT YOUR WAGON. "Heck if Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin could sing those songs in the movie, I could certainly handle them on stage. I think James Barton is fantastic on the cast album and "I Still See Elisa" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. You can talk-sing your way through that, something like "September Song" in KNICKERBOKER HOLIDAY." The thought of Stephen Lang in PAINT YOUR WAGON is really quite appealing. Perhaps it should be considered for Encore's summer production in the future.
After being graduated from Swarthmore College Lang appeared at the Folger Theater in Washington, D C playing numerous Shakespearean roles. From there he did his share of regional productions before becoming a part of Joe Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival and playing a variety of roles with that group. However, his big break came in 1984 when he was cast as Hap in Dustin Hoffman's production of A DEATH OF A SALESMAN. What's it like for a struggling actor to finally learn he's been cast in a production os such magnitude?
"I'll tell you what it's like," Lang said with a chuckle, "I lost my lunch over it, that's what it's like! I'd auditioned several times and deep down inside I knew I had the part after the last reading. However that was a Friday and I had the whole weekend to spend waiting for their decision. When the call came with the good news after lunch on Monday, I hung up the phone and headed to the bathroom where I heaved everything. I remember kneeling in front of the toilet and asking myself, 'So this is how you deal with success?'"
