Interview: WILL JEFFRIES of BARRYMORE at TOWN PLAYERS OF NEW CANAAN

The name Barrymore was revered in the world of entertainment long before perky Drew Barrymore acted, produced, became an author, created a cosmetics line, and hosted a television show. This month, Town Players of New Canaan will present William Luce's play, Barrymore, an almost one-man show about Drew's grandfather, John Barrymore, starring veteran stage and screen actor Will Jeffries.

For Jeffries, this show has been an on and off project for 10 years since director Scott R. Brill proposed it to him. "Scott had seen and loved the play on Broadway, and thought it would be a great thing for me," said Jeffries. "We did a reading of it at a local library, and I was hooked. I just wasn't ready for it."

He's ready now. In addition to starring in it, he is the show's producer. This version of Barrymore has a definite change from its original productions at the Stratford Festival in Canada and Broadway. The role of the prompter, Frank, is bigger. Jeffries notes that although the prompter "was never seen on stage until the curtain call in the Broadway production, our show is blessed to have in the role of Frank the really terrific Kellen Schult, a Stella Adler academy grad, and veteran of many local stages. You'll be seeing a bit more of him!" Brill was not available at this time to direct Barrymore, but Jeffries's friend "Don Stitt, a veteran Broadway and touring actor, who has more than ably stepped in to direct. We figure that between the two of us, we have about 110 years of theatre experience!" Jeffries added that Stitt "is an aficionado of movies from the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s." How perfect a team is that for this production?

Jeffries, originally from Vermont, worked in radio during high school and college. He didn't get bitten by the acting bug until his first taste of theatre while attending The University of Vermont in Burlington. He went to the Actors' Equity summer Shakespeare festival and fell in love with theatre. The group is "still active," he notes, and "lots of people keep in touch." He began to work in local theatre in New York's Hudson Valley and New England, including the American premier of Brian Friel's play, Volunteers, in which he played IRA political prisoner "Keeney." The late renowned literary and talent agent Audrey Woods, saw him perform in Volunteers in Massachusetts, and encouraged him to go to New York. He took her advice and performed in numerous Off-Broadway plays and on daytime television. After nine years in New York, he went to California, where he got roles in many television shows. After 16 years, he and his wife, Mare, returned to the East Coast for better schools for their offspring (now grown) and to be closer to her family.

One of Jeffries' non-acting skills is being a master carpenter, and he built scenes for theatre. One of his clients was involved in the Town Players of New Canaan. When he stopped by to check it out, he "fell in love with the place." Despite his credentials as a professional actor, he even auditioned for The Cocktail Party and was cast in it. He notes that local theatre gives even professional actors and directors opportunities to do certain shows that are just not being done elsewhere when they want to. He adds, "Here in Connecticut, there are a lot of people who have invested a lot of time and training and talent in New York and now do this here. The social part of it is important to them." They are "people who set a different bar for themselves....looking to improve themselves in their craft....There is room for all of that under this umbrella."

For theatre goers, it's also an opportunity to discover or rediscover older shows and to be introduced to well-known characters and personalities from the past, such as Barrymore. As a highly experienced actor, he "certainly knew the name [Barrymore] and the family dynasty. But this play provides a deeper understanding of them and of "John Barrymore, in particular upon shoe shoulders we younger people were standing." Just as his generation grew up with their lore and worshipped them, Barrymore drew information and inspiration from other people of his time period. Recently, some new films have been produced to tell stories of old Hollywood, such as Mank (about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz) and Curtiz (about director Michael Curtiz).

Jeffries is also happy to have the opportunity to work with college students. He rehearsed Barrymore at Naugatuck Valley Community College and will perform in it during the weekend of February 18 through 20. He will talk to the college students about being a working actor and his experience. He likes the idea of experienced people mentoring younger ones. "What's the point of hard-earned knowledge if you can't share it?"

There are still roles he would like to play or take "another crack" at roles such as "Willie Loman" in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. He considers Loman one of the greatest roles an actor can play because of Miller's genius in depicting opposite sets of deep emotions. It's like "trains on two tracks running parallel to each other," says Jeffries. He would love to explore it more deeply. He did Volunteers a second time with Mark Cuddy, who was the artistic director of the Geva Theatre Center for nearly 30 years. Jeffries also played Richard Nixon a couple of times, which he considers "an interesting and rewarding acting experience." Other plays he would like to perform in are King Lear and Equus. He says he was "lucky enough to snag a lot of these heavy dramatic roles," but loves to do comedies as well. He "had a ball" with Lend Me a Tenor. He notes that there is humor in Barrymore, too. He would also like to fill "the big hole" in his resume by performing in a Broadway show.

Don't miss Barrymore at the Powerhouse Theatre in Waveny Park, New Canaan, from February 25 through March 7. Friday and Saturday night performances are at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2:00 p.m. For tickets, call (203) 594-3636 or visit www.tpnc.org. If you're in the Waterbury area, catch the show at Naugatuck Valley Community College, 750 Chase Parkway in Waterbury. Call (203) 575-8038 for more information. https://www.facebook.com/Naugatuck-Valley-Community-College-Theatre-1375917392643421/

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