Michael Cumpsty Interview On XM On Broadway 3/14

The American Theatre Wing and XM Satellite Radio present an interview with actor Michael Cumpsty, on their weekly theatrical interview show, "Downstage Center," on XM's On Broadway (XM Channel 28).

Cumpsty will appear as the special guest on Friday, March 14 at 6 p.m. The show will repeat on Saturday, March 15 at noon, Sunday, March 16 at 7 p.m., and Wednesday, March 19 at midnight.  The program becomes available as streaming audio and podcast from www.americantheatrewing.org beginning Monday afternoon, March 17.

Sunday in the Park with George's Michael Cumpsty talks about the challenges of performing in the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical, how the script and score match the pointillism of George Seurat's paintings, and why he'd like to call in sick just one night during the show's run.  He also recalls the single day in his youth when his family's theatrical heritage was fleetingly revealed to him; describes how his passion for theatre evolved from his upbringing in England and South Africa through his training in North Carolina; remembers being selected by Joseph Papp for the "Shakespeare core" at the New York Shakespeare Festival in the late 80s; shares an assessment of his own musical skills in shows including 42nd Street and 1776; considers his roles in the Michael Frayn dramas Democracy and Copenhagen; and chronicles his continuing work at New York's Classic Stage Company as both leading actor and director.