Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director
Julianne Boyd and Managing Director
Tristan Wilson, welcomes the return of Drama Desk Award-winner
Jim Brochu in his new show Character Man, following his wildly successful run of Zero Hour in 2011. A musical valentine celebrating the Golden Age of the American Musical, Character Man will be presented at BSC's
St. Germain Stage at the Sydelle and
Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center from tonight, September 18 through 28. The press opening is Saturday, September 20 at 7:30pm.
A salute to the memorable character actors of Broadway, Character Man is filled with hilarious theatre stories and touching personal recollections. Character Man features a book by Brochu and the music and lyrics of
Leslie Bricusse,
Jerry Bock,
Betty Comden,
Stan Daniels,
Fred Ebb,
Adolph Green,
Sheldon Harnick,
Jerry Herman,
John Kander,
Bob Merrill,
Anthony Newley,
Stephen Schwartz,
Stephen Sondheim,
Jule Styne, and
Meredith Willson, including such iconic songs as "Mr. Cellophane" (Chicago), "If I Were a Rich Man" (Fiddler on the Roof) and "(Ya Got) Trouble" (The Music Man).
Sprinkled with juicy backstage lore, the show spotlights the careers of, among others,
Zero Mostel,
Jack Gilford,
Jackie Gleason,
George S. Irving,
Barney Martin and Brochu's own mentor, two-time Tony Award-winner
David Burns. "There would be no Broadway without these guys who supported the great stars and got the laughs without getting the girl. I began my own career as a character man at a time when I got to know these men and learn from them.
David Burns was like a second father to me and I grew up backstage hanging out with him some of the others. They were amazing, dear, funny men and I don't want them to ever be forgotten," said Brochu.
Original direction by
Robert Bartley, with music direction by
Joshua Zecher-Ross. Character Man includes lighting design by Robert Brown. Christopher S. Donovan is production stage manager.
Stephanie Yankwitt is Blatt Center Producer.
Jim Brochu (Book Writer and Performer) is the only actor in America to have won the New York Drama Desk Award, Washington DC's
Helen Hayes Award, the Los Angeles Ovation Award and the Florida Carbonell for Best Actor in a Play. The play in question, presented at BSC in 2011, was Zero Hour in which Jim portrayed the great
Zero Mostel for over six hundred and fifty performances in New York City and across the United States and Canada. He's appeared on Broadway playing Andrew McLaren in Brigadoon opposite
Christine Ebersole and
Len Cariou as well as Mr. Brownlow in Oliver! to
Brian Stokes Mitchell's Fagin. In Washington, DC he was Willy Clark to
Theodore Bikel's
Al Lewis in
Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys. Brochu made his Off-Broadway debut in 1968's
American Place Theatre's production of Endicott and the Red Cross by
Robert Lowell and was Father James on All My Children. Recently, Jim starred in the Off-Broadway revivals of The Man Who Came To Dinner as Sheridan Whiteside and as Sir in The Roar of the Greasepaint; The Small of the Crowd. He is the author of two books, eleven plays and two musicals, The Last Session and The Big Voice: God or Merman? written with his partner of 30 years,
Steve Schalchlin. Character Man, which debuted Off-Broadway last March at Urban Stages was nominated by both the Drama Desk Awards and the Outer Critics Circle Award as Best Solo Show of 2014.
www.Jimbrochu.com.
Robert Bartley (Director) Off Broadway: Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle-nominated Character Man (Urban Stages),Tales of Custard (DR2 Theatre). The Cuban and the Redhead (LA Festival of New American Musicals,
Village Theatre, York Theatre, NAMT), Family Fiorelli and Color Blind (NYMF), Hair (Peculiar Works). Creator of Broadway Backwardsfeaturing performers such as
Betty Buckley,
Whoopi Goldberg and
Neil Patrick Harris. As an actor, Broadway and National Tours: Miss Saigon, Cats, Grease. Off Broadway: Clue: the Musical,
Cy Coleman's Exactly Like You. Film: The Producers, Disney's Enchanted. Concert: West Side Story with Beyonce and Meryl Steep. Thrilled to return to
Barrington Stage Company, where he played Bobby in Company.
Joshua Zecher-Ross (
Music Director) At BSC: Celebrating the Music of
William Finn. NYC: Celebrating the Music of
William Finn (Merkin Hall), Sasquatched! The Musical (NYMF 2013), Ludo's Broken Bride (The Cutting Room/ANTFest 2013), work on Avenue Q and A Night with
Janis Joplin, and shows at 54 Below, Joe's Pub, The
Laurie Beechman, Don't Tell Mama, and others. Regional: Over 75 productions at theatres across the country.
www.JoshuaZR.com.
Character Man will be presented at BSC's
St. Germain Stage the Sydelle and
Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. Performances times are Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm; Saturday and Sunday at 3pm. The press opening is Saturday, September 20 at 7:30pm. Tickets start at $40. Youth ages 6-18, tickets $15 all performances (subject to availability). For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Barrington Stage Box Office at 413-236-8888 (or toll-free at 855-TIX-2BSC) or visit
www.barringtonstageco.org.
About
Barrington Stage Company -
Barrington Stage Company, a professional award-winning Equity regional theatre located in the heart of the Berkshires, in Pittsfield, MA, was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director
Julianne Boyd. Barrington Stage's mission is three-fold: to present top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways to bringing new audiences into the theatre-especially young people. Barrington Stage garnered national attention in 2004 when it workshopped, and premiered
William Finn and
Rachel Sheinkin's musical hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which later transferred to Broadway, where it won two Tony Awards. In 2009/2010 Barrington Stage produced the world premiere of
Mark St. Germain's Freud's Last Session, which later moved Off-Broadway and played for two years.
St. Germain's
Becoming Dr. Ruth (which premiered at BSC as
Dr. Ruth, All the Way in 2012) played Off-Broadway at the
Westside Theatre in fall 2013. Barrington Stage was voted "Best Live Theatre" by The Berkshire Eagle readers in 2011 and 2012 and was named "Best Theatre Company" in Metroland's Best of the Capital Region 2009-2012.
Pictured: Drama Desk winner Jim Brochu returns to Barrington Stage to star in CHARACTER MAN. Photo by Carol Rosegg.
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