Interview: Alex Breaux Chats Taking on a New Kind of Role in ULTIMATE BEAUTY BIBLE
By: Nora Dominick Oct. 26, 2016
It's a new kind of role for Alex Breaux and he's loving every minute of it!
Breaux is originating the role of Kit in Caroline V. McGraw's new play ULTIMATE BEAUTY BIBLE. Although he's playing an ordinary guy, the role of Kit is allowing him to branch out from the typical (often bloody) roles he's held in the past.
Ultimate Beauty Bible tells the story of Danielle, Lee, and Tiffany. They have scaled the masthead of Crimp magazine, gaining access to the best the city has to offer-nightlife, men, and the beautiful baubles showcased in every issue. But when workaholic Danielle is forced to face her mortality, she begins to wonder what it's all worth. In this dark comedy, questions of romance, sex, ambition, and loyalty spin Danielle and her friends out of control as they consider the possibility of life without each other.
Directed by Stephen Brackett (Buyer & Cellar, Be More Chill), ULTIMATE BEAUTY BIBLE begins previews on Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at The New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street) with an opening date set for Thursday, November 3, 2016 for a limited run through Saturday, November 19, 2016. Tickets are on sale now at www.page73.org.
BroadwayWorld sat down to chat with Alex Breaux ahead of Ultimate Beauty Bible's first preview on October 25th. He chats about working with McGraw, originating the role of Kit and much more!
Check out the full interview below!
Tell us a little bit about ULTIMATE BEAUTY BIBLE.
Yeah. Ultimate Beauty Bible is centered around these three successful women in their early 30's that work in the New York office of a fashion magazine. It's kind of like Marie Claire, which didn't mean much to me in the room on the first day, but we went over the specifics of women's hierarchy as fashion magazines and it had a little bit more heft than like a Cosmo, but wasn't high, high fashion like Vogue. It was something that really had a few angles. There's the three women where one works in beauty, one works in accessories and the other one is a little bit more lifestyle. It's a very urban story.
It's centered around these three early 30's professionals, living in the big city, doing what they love to do. They kind of put their heads down for ten years after college. Their careers are kind of the centers of their lives and then very early on there's an inciting incident, some bad news a character receives. It kind of throws all the characters off their axis and makes them question the decisions and the direction their lives are going in terms of where their priorities lie.
Can you tell us your character, Kit, and how he fits into this world?
Yeah, yeah! Soon after receiving this bad news, the girls want to take out one of the characters and get her out of the house, and they meet Kit at a bar! I would describe Kit like a little bit as one of these New York "man child" where like, his development is a little bit arrested. He still wears band t-shirts even though he's close to 30. He isn't exactly doing what he loves, but then at the same time, he's very easy to be around. He meets these women at a bar and from there, a relationship spirals out of that. I asked myself, 'What do these women see in Kit?" That was a fun part of the discussion. There are people out there that certainly enjoy "fixer uppers." Kit is one of those.
This is the premiere of Ultimate Beauty Bible! How did you become attached to the project?
Like most things, I got an audition for it. I knew Caroline V. McGraw's work from a Lesser America production last year called THE BACHELORS, which she wrote, so I knew from that play that she writes contemporary, aggressive stories that are kind of dimensional in terms of what they can bring to the table. For The Bachelors and then for this play, there's a lot of caustic humor and characters that aren't afraid to speak a truth and in opportune times. So, I just auditioned for it, got called back and then got the role and accepted.
I was coming out of Shakespeare in the Park, TROILUS AND CRESSIDES, which I think that cast had like 30 dudes and like 2 women. It was really fun to now be in a room with a female playwright. Theres four female characters, two guys. The summer felt like I was at a fraternity and it was really nice to have this different point of view now and work with these awesome women.
Awesome! How have rehearsals been going?
Yeah we are in the space this week rehearsing and it's just a really dynamic set at The New Ohio Theatre and it went really well. It's kind of my first, professional experience working on a new play. So, Caroline V. McGraw, our playwright and director, is still changing things. The script is still changing, which everyone is really excited about. Getting new pages and integrating new cuts. With the play, with the actual text changing, the story we're telling kind of modulates. That's exciting to have that be not like a fixed point, like some classical works or some well-made plays by like Arthur Miller, it feels like it's still moving in terms of what the story we're going to tell entails. It keeps you sparking and keeps you hungry to keep working in rehearsal, even if it's a tech rehearsal. You find new stuff in these moments.
How is it working at The New Ohio Theatre?
Yeah, we had our first staging rehearsal and it's just nice. We've been working in the rehearsal room and now to actually be in the space, to have actual furniture, to know the depth of the space in terms of what we need to do vocally to movement, it just clarifies a lot for you. Also getting your costume on and your character shoes, it just helps and makes the world that much more vivid for you as an actor. We did a lot of runs of the entire play prior to entering the room, which isn't always the case. So, we felt like we wanted to step up in the space.
Have you taken any of your past experiences or characters and brought that to the role of Kit? Or is playing Kit a whole new experience for you?
Yeah. It's a great opportunity for me to stretch myself. I usually play, at least my last three or four gigs, I come out like completely bloodied or just physically, completely beat up. This role asks something very different of me in terms of a physical exertion level. I don't have to like shower after I do the play because I've been running around and sweat through my entire costume. It's been like playing a regular guy, but by doing that I'm obviously making him unique, but obviously very recognizable to people in the city. I haven't used much from past characters. It's very much of having to reach, in a different way, to get into the character of Kit. It's not so obviously separate from who I am, but then again the opportunities for nuance are probably deeper.
It's been a cool opportunity because I find that Kit puts a different meaning on the conversation. I find myself asking, "What do they see in Kit?" Then I realize in like the middle of rehearsal, Kit is a really good person. In a lot of the stuff I do, I'm usually like driving the scenes and put on the accelerator the whole time. It's been cool to be this character because the women are driving this play and it's cool to be in a lot of scenes where there's dialogue, but I also listen to the tempo of the scene. It's really nice. It's good to see these women shaping this world so much.
Alex Breaux (Kit) is stoked to be making his Page 73 debut as Kit in Ultimate Beauty Bible. Spending most of his life training to be a professional football player and/or investment banker, Breaux made the responsible decision to pursue acting a few years ago. A recent graduate of The Juilliard School (Group 43), Breaux made his Broadway debut last season in The Real Thing, directed by Sam Gold and his professional debut in Much Ado About Nothing at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. This past year he has kept busy starring in Red Speedo at the New York Theatre Workshop, playing Ajax in Troilus and Cressida (NYSF/The PUBLIC), and shooting the upcoming films Bushwick, Katie Says Goodbye, andJosephine. Previous films include Hotline, which Breaux wrote and directed. Juilliard credits include: Buried Child, Hamlet,and The Cherry Orchard. Prior to Juilliard, Breaux attended Harvard University, where he was a four-year letterman (wide receiver) on the varsity football team.
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