A "Drowsy" Chat with Lenny Wolpe

One of the biggest hits on Broadway this season, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is one of the most original and unique musicals the Great White Way has seen in years.  It features an amazing cast including Tony Award Winner Sutton Foster, Edward Hibbert, Georgia Engel and Beth Leavel, who won the 2006 Tony Award for her performance as the title character. 

Also appearing as the engaging character of Feldzeig is the amazing Lenny Wolpe, who himself is no stranger to the Broadway stage.  He has appeared in THE SOUND OF MUSIC opposite Richard Chamberlain,  ONWARD VICTORIA, INTO THE LIGHT and COPPERFIELD. Off Broadway he has appeared as the title character in MAYOR , portraying his honor Ed Koch, BROWNSTONE, COMPANY and THE WONDER YEARS. Wolpe has worked extensively at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, Pittsburgh CLO, Goodspeed Opera House and Sacramento Music Circus. Recent regional roles include Herbie in GYPSY (opposite Betty Buckley), Meyer Rothschild in THE ROTHCHILDS, Morris in NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY, Herr Schultz in CABARET and Doolittle in MY FAIR LADY.  

Wolpe has also been a television staple, appearing as a series regular on "Baby Talk" with George Clooney and Julia Duffy, and recurring roles on "L.A Law," "Something So Right," "You're The One," "Sisters" and "Pacific Palisades."  He has also guest starred on nearly 70 primetime shows, including "ER," "Ally McBeal," "Party of Five," "Norm," "Roseanne," "Coach," "Murphy Brown," "Murder One," "Mad About You," and "Diagnosis Murder."

I asked Wolpe some questions recently about THE DROWSY CHAPERONE and life as an actor. 

TJ: So, Lenny, how did you get in to the acting business? 

WOLPE: I was an American history major at George Washington University and went to the theatre department to see if they could use any help as a way to meet people.  I've always loved math and they actually had me work in the box office.  I eventually took over managing the university theatre box office.  I thought that I'd take shot and audition for one of the main stage productions and amazingly got cast as a freshman.  The bug bit.  I never dreamed that I could do theatre professionally, but a had a wonderful mentor at GW who really encouraged me to consider persuing theatre.  I switched majors and went to grad school at the University of Minnesota to get my degree to teach theatre.  I thought that would be as close to a life in theatre as I would get.  I had the good fortune to start working at a wonderful theatre in the twin cities called Chanhassen.  Got my union card and never looked back. 

TJ: Was acting always in your blood? 

WOLPE: Acting was definitely not always in my blood.  It really wasn't until I got to college and started working with some very supportive professors that I discovered the joy that acting gave me. 

TJ: What other types of jobs did you have to do while trying to break into the business? 

WOLPE: I have to say that I really have been blessed in this business.  I've never had any other job other than acting.  My last job was working in the box office at the Kennedy Center in Washington during my senior year of college. 

TJ: How and when did you get involved in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE? 

WOLPE: My involvement with The Drowsy Chaperone primarily came through one of our producers Roy Miller.  I had worked with him several times at Papermill Playhouse in New Jersey and ran into him in April of 2005.  He told me that he had become a producer on his own and that he had found this wonderful show called THE DROWSY CHAPERONE.  About two months later I got a call from Roy asking if I'd like to come in and audition. He felt that there was role I'd be right for. I was on the road with the national tour of Little Shop of Horrors at the time.  So I flew in from Chicago on my day off and auditioned.  And the rest, as they say, is history. 

TJ: Were you surprised by its success? 

WOLPE: The show was so well received in Los Angeles that I think that we all felt  that word of mouth would be our biggest selling point.  This business is always such a crapshoot and you never really know how the press would react, but we knew that audiences loved it.  Fortunately the press responded to the show unbelievably well. 

TJ:It is an unusual story.  What did you think when you first read the script? 

WOLPE: I loved the show when I first read it.  And particularly I loved the device of Man in Chair.  I really had no idea how effective that device was until I sat at our first table reading and heard Bob read it aloud. Magic. 

TJ: How would you describe the character Feldzeig that you play in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE? 

WOLPE:  Feldzeig has two main purposes.  First, he's the catalyst for one of the main story lines.  He desparately wants to stop the wedding of our heroine Janet Van De Graf so that she won't leave his big Broadway show and leave him stranded.  The other purpose is that he is the straight man for a number of routines in the show.  Since all the actors in the show are playing actors playing characters (ie, I'm playing Jack Adler who is playing Victor Feldzeig), we all have another layer of performing that we bring to the show.  So I kind of anchor routines with the gangsters and with Kitty and with Adolpho as well as keeping the stakes of the plot moving along. 

TJ: Hmm Feldzeig,  looks like someone was playing with the name Ziegfeld, hmmm? Do many people catch that?  

WOLPE: Amazingly, I have never had anyone make that connection.  Either it's so obvious that they don't mention it.  Or, the show seems to have such a life of its own that they don't see the connection.  But I've been very surprised by that. 

TJ:What has this experience been like for you? 

WOLPE:  This experience has been absolutely sensational.  I know that I'll sound like a Pollyana but every element of the process has been blissful.  I get to work with a cast that adores one another. Our director Casey, had such unbelievable skill and taste and trust and unerring good judgement in putting this show together.  Our creative team, our producers, our designers were all flawless in how they did their jobs. It really has been a one of a kind experience.  It is extremely rare to be involved in a creative endeavor where everyone respects and trusts one another so completely. 

TJ: It's quite a cast of characters with Sutton Foster and Georgia Engel, is it as fun as it appears to be? 

WOLPE: Quite simply, YES. 

TJ: Some of the lines delivered by Bob Martin, while your characters are in a freeze, are absolutely hysterical, yet you all remain in character without even cracking a smile. Tough to do? 

WOLPE: Surprisingly, it isn't.  We got all the giggles out in rehearsal.  And because Bob's lines are all scripted,  we don't get any new lines to surprise us. 

TJ: Now this is not your first time on Broadway.  What is it like for you to be back in NY on a Broadway stage? 

WOLPE: We just moved back to New York after living in Los Angeles for the past fourteen years so this is a wonderful gift.  You have no idea what a thrill it is to be back in New York, on Broadway and in a success. Every actor's dream. 

TJ: The last time you were on Broadway was playing Max in THE SOUND OF MUSIC opposite Richard Chamberlain.  From your point of view, how as Broadway changed since then? 

WOLPE:  THE SOUND OF MUSIC was about seven years ago.  I can't honestly say that Broadway is any different.  Certainly Times Square and 42nd Street seem even safer and much more crowded.  But it's wonderful that people are coming into New York 

TJ:  Now you have quite a musical theatre history.  Have you always been interested in musicals? 

WOLPE:  I have always loved musical theatre.  We had very few musical recordings when I was growing up, but I played them over and over and memorized every word.  I think that the only cast recordings I had when I grew up were WEST SIDE STORY, THE SOUND OF MUSIC and MY FAIR LADY.  I don't think that there was any vinyl left of any of them. 

TJ:  Did you have any special training? 

WOLPE:  Like most performers, I've studied voice and dance and acting.  But I really think that the best training you can get is by getting on stage, in front of people and doing it. 

TJ:OK, your first musical on Broadway was a show called ONWARD VICTORIA, which ran for one performance, according to research.  Tell me something about that. 

WOLPE:Ah ONWARD VICTORIA.  Needless to say it was a very different experience from THE DROWSY CHAPERONE.  Nowadays it seems very rare, if not completely unheard of, for a show to close on opening night.  It had a wonderful cast, and some terrific songs. Some of my dearest friends in the world I met doing that show.  Even though the show wasn't a success it will always mean a lot to me because it was my Broadway debut and that is a very exciting landmark for every actor. 

TJ:  I see at one point you play Mayor Koch in a musical??  Tell me about that. 

WOLPE: MAYOR was really a high point for me.  Ed Koch actually approached Charles Strauss with the idea of turning his biography into a musical. At first it seemed like a rather farfetched idea, but Charles and Warren Leight (who wrote the book) came up with the idea of creating a musical revue about New York as told through a day in the life of Hizzoner Ed Koch. It then got shaped by our wonderful director Jeff Moss.  It was extremely topical, very funny and had a great score.  At the time I had a wonderful head of dark thick hair so I had to go through a rather elaborate bald pate and wig session every night.  I remember our first preview vivdly.  The cast had no idea if the audience would respond at all.  They went nuts.  We thought that maybe it was just first night support from the crowd.  But it happened every preview and we ended up having quite a successful run. 

TJ:  Lenny, I remember the first time I saw you was in an episode of "The Golden Girls" in the role of Arnie, which you totally cracked me up playing opposite Betty White.  Do you remember that? 

WOLPE: I certainly remember doing "The Golden Girls."  Beatrice Arthur wasn't in the episode because of medical reasons, so I never got to work with her. Most of my scenes were with Betty White.  I can honestly say that of all the people that I had the good fortune to work with on television, she was absolutely one on the nicest.  Very classy, very kind and very funny.  It really was a wonderful experience.  Fred Willard played my brother-another terrific guy to work with. 

TJ:I do a section called FAVORITE THINGS where we find out a little more about you outside of the theatre. Here goes…FAVORITE FOOD. 

WOLPE:Italian 

TJ:FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR 

WOLPE: Fall 

TJ: FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR 

WOLPE: French Vanilla 

TJ:FAVORITE VACATION SPOT 

WOLPE: Maui, Hawaii 

Thanks to Lenny for chatting with us today and of course, you can catch him now in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE at the Marquis Theatre at 1535 Broadway and experience it for yourself.  You can get tickets on-line at Ticketmaster or call 212-307-4100.  For now folks, I remind you that theatre is my life and wish you well. Ciao!