Interview: Christine Koslosky And Jack Hartman of MOON OVER BUFFALO at The Belmont Theatre

Ken Ludwig is well-known for such comedies as Leading Ladies and Lend Me a Tenor. Ludwig's 1995 play Moon Over Buffalo is making its way to the stage at The Belmont Theatre. Moon Over Buffalo enjoyed great success on Broadway and Philip Bosco and Carol Burnett were both nominated for Tony Awards for their performances as George and Charlotte Hay in the play. To give you a sneak peak into The Belmont Theatre's production, I spoke with Christine Koslosky and Jack Hartman, who will be taking on the roles of George and Charlotte when the show opens on March 29th.

BWW: How did you first get into acting?

Koslosky: I don't remember a time when I wasn't acting, even if it was only acting for my parents as a 4-year-old.

Hartman: I started the end of high school, it was the major focus of my extracurricular activities through college, and I never looked back. As my character in this play is described, I guess I'm a bit of a ham. I get satisfaction out of the performance and the creativity of a character and interaction with other cast members on performance nights-it's all worth it.

Koslosky: For me it's transformative, too, to build on what Jack said about creativity. I find it a place to put my frustrations and questions-it's a fun version of group therapy.

Hartman: One of the specific benefits of working at a theatre like The Belmont is the repetition of relationships. A lot of people come back to do different shows, and you get to work with them in a lot of different ways.

BWW: If you could play any role, what would it be and why?

Koslosky: This is a strange answer for me because I typically prefer comedy. When I found out that Glenda Jackson was playing King Lear in London, it astonished me to find out that a woman could play King Lear. To think that a part like that is accessible to women now is amazing, and I would love to do something like that.

Hartman: I missed my chance in college to play Henry II in Beckett because the year my college applied to perform it, we got bumped by a community theatre that wanted to do it the same season. That would be the part I've always wanted to perform.

BWW: Why did you want to be in Moon Over Buffalo?

Koslosky: I know the show and have done it before, and I love it. I've realized over time that I prefer comedy, and it's a very well-written comedy. And there aren't as many parts for women of a certain age, so I'm thrilled to be able to reprise the role. I was probably too young for the part of Charlotte the first time I did it.

Hartman: I wanted to work with the director, Jaci, even before I knew what the show would be. I've been doing deep dramas most of my life so taking a step into comedy would push my limits.

BWW: Without giving away too much, tell us a little bit about who your character is in Moon Over Buffalo.

Koslosky: Charlotte and George are two washed up hacks. They have worked together for their whole acting careers, but you get the impression that at the drop of a hat, their sense of self-interest would probably come to the fore. If an opportunity arose for one of them but not the other, I don't think they would hesitate to take the opportunity. But I do think Charlotte and George love each other. It's just that the stage beckons.

Hartman: They've had a tough time accepting their fall from significant fame and settling. The whole pay is driven by the tension between accepting that and the possibility of this movie that's out there as a potential opportunity for them. This tension comes and goes throughout the play and drives a lot of the comedy.

Koslosky: Even though they think they have a shot at this movie, they're not really movie actors. They're people of a certain time, trying to make their peace with the idea of doing a film, but I don't think it's really where they fit.

Hartman: I agree with that, but I think being stuck as stage actors in Buffalo, the possibility of a Capra movie is quite a carrot.

Koslosky: You wonder why they don't go back to Broadway. Maybe it's not an option for them at this stage in their careers.

BWW: What is the most challenging part of performing Moon Over Buffalo?

Koslosky: It's very fast-paced for all of us, and there are some crazy costume changes.

Hartman: it's a toss-up between the Shakespeare and the physicality of it.

Koslosky: But you do the Shakespeare so well.

Hartman: But I didn't always know what the Shakespeare meant at first. Now that I'm used to that, it's probably the physicality that's the most challenging. The physical aspects of the play have to be taken seriously and blocked carefully to be safe for all of us. I've developed a mantra that if I get through it without a heart attack or breaking something, it'll be a success.

BWW: In your opinion, what is the funniest part of the show?

Koslosky: We can't give that away. I really admire the structure of this play-it has physical comedy and verbal comedy-it's very well put together with a tight script. We're all still laughing.

Hartman: There are some key lines that your character Charlotte retorts to my character that I have a hard time not breaking up laughing when you say them. In our relationship, the retorts are some of the funniest things to me.

Koslosky: We do have some funny banter back and forth.

BWW: At one point in the show, the character Howard is mistaken for the famous director Frank Capra. If you were mistaken as any celebrity, who would you hope it would be and why?

Koslosky: It'd probably be someone who's dead. When I was in high school, I played Auntie Mame, and there was a gentleman there who knew Gene Kelley and brought him to the show, and Gene Kelley said to me "you remind me so much of Ruby Keeler." I don't think I could go any higher than that.

Hartman: For me, pursuing acting a little more rigorously, my unattainable goal was to be called any time Anthony Hopkins turned down a role.

BWW: In the show the actors are performing two shows-Cyrano and Private Lives. However, due to a series of misunderstandings and a lot of alcohol, George shows up to perform Cyrano while everyone else is doing Private Lives. If you were to create a mash-up of two plays, what would they be?

Koslosky: One of my favorite plays is actually a mash-up-I Hate Hamlet.

Hartman: I would mash-up two that I've performed in-Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Taming of the Shrew.

Catch Jack Hartman and Christine Koslosky as George and Charlotte in The Belmont Theatre's production of Moon Over Buffalo March 29-April 7. Tickets can be purchased at www.thebelmont.org.

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