Previews: Tesseract Theatre Company's Production of THE INHERITANCE PARTS 1 & 2 at The Marcelle

One of the most anticipated plays being produced in St. Louis this season is Matthew Lopez’s epic masterpiece THE INHERITANCE. Produced by Tesseract Theatre Company, THE INHERITANCE is a two-part play spanning three generations of gay men and the effect their relationships have on one another. Inspired by the novel “Howard’s End,” THE INHERITANCE debuted in London’s West End in March of 2018, before transferring to Broadway in November of 2019. THE INHERITANCE is the winner of countless awards including the Olivier Award for Best New Play, the Tony Award for Best Play, and was recognized as Best Play by London’s Evening Standard Theatre Award, Critic’s Circle Award, South Bank Sky Arts Award, Drama Desk Award, Drama League Award, New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and GLAAD Media Award. Broadway World had the opportunity to sit down with the Director Stephen Peirick, and three members of his acting troupe, Tyson Cole, Jonathan Hey, and Jacob Schmidt, who will bring the regional premiere of this important work to audiences in and around the St. Louis Area. 

 In 2019, husbands Stephen Peirick and Jon Hey had the opportunity to see the original run of THE INHERITANCE on Broadway, and now are leading this company to bring this award-winning work to the stage here in St. Louis. Peirick said, “This was the last thing Jon and I saw on Broadway before the pandemic shutdown.” He continued, “This play spoke to me so viscerally. It is literally about what we have learned and the obligation to the generation of gay men who came before us.” Hey concurred with his husband’s comments, “As a part of a marginalized population, we have we learned from what our forefathers sacrificed for us so we could be where we are today.” He shared that when he and Stephen saw THE INHERITIENCE in New York that it was transformative because we were watching the play with the community of men who went through the AIDS crisis. “Members of the audience were seeing their friends represented up on that stage,” Hey shared. Director Stephen Peirick

In this production, Hey is playing Henry Wilcox. His character is a member of the older generation of men who have lived through AIDS epidemic in New York City. He said Henry has a different approach to the epidemic. He is a billionaire businessman who wants to run away from that history and leave it in the past. Henry is trying to figure out how to deal with his pain and survive through it. Hey is being joined on stage by cast members Tyson Cole and Jacob Schmidt. Actor Jonathan Hey plays Henry Wilcox 

Tyson Cole takes on the roles of Adam and Leo in the production. Cole says, “both characters are younger men who intersect with the lead characters in different ways.” He describes Adam as an actor from an upper-class New York family. Cole shared that Leo is the also a younger man but doesn’t have the same kind of privilege that Adam has. “He’s like the other side of the coin,” Cole said. Both characters have their lives upended but in different ways.Actor Tyson Cole plays Adam and Leo

Jacob Schmidt, plays Young Walter, Tucker and an unnamed character listed in the script as Young Man #4. Schmidt says, “Young Walter is seen in flashbacks and dream sequences in the play.” He described Tucker as a younger gay artist who is ignorant of the history of the AIDS epidemic. He shared that there are many younger men in our community who are just like Tucker. The unnamed character is part of the group of actors who are the Greek chorus, advancing the plot and playing friends of the lead characters. Actor Jacob Schmidt plays Young Walter, Tucker and Young Man 4

All four talked about the relevance of this play. It is set in 2016 and is based on current events. Peirick said, “when I saw this on Broadway, I couldn’t believe that I was watching a play that dramatized events from just three years earlier.” He asserted that knowing history is very important, otherwise you are doomed to repeat it. “There are so many parallels to the COVID pandemic that we just experienced,” he added. He shared that the AIDS crisis started an LBGTQ movement that has gone on beyond simply advocating for healthcare.  

Hey shared that he was a kid in the 1980’s when he started seeing movies about the topic. He said, “I saw the movie ‘Longtime Companion’ and that movie will stick with me forever.” He said this play gives him the opportunity to pass something down so things will continue getting better.  

Schmidt followed up Hey’s comments by sharing that he is one of the youngest members in the cast. He said, “I had influences in my life that gave me perspective as a younger gay man,” he said. Schmidt commented that while he is young, he feels mentally and emotionally like an older queer man. I’ve had it instilled in me to use my voice as part of a marginalized population to speak up for those who cannot speak up anymore. “We are missing a huge link in the lineage of queer men,” he continued, “there is an entire generation of people who should be here with us today. It is our responsibility to speak for them and remember our history.” 

Cole agreed with Schmidt as he discussed the younger generation’s lack of understanding. He said, “I grew up in a small farm town in Southern Illinois and was never taught anything about the AIDS crisis. The only education I got was self-taught or through admiration of cultural icons like Madonna.” He shared that art and stories like THE NORMAL HEART and ANGELS IN AMERICA helped him understand more. “When I saw the audition posting for this show, I got the script and read it in one sitting. I wept. Not because of the AIDS part of the story, but at its core this a story about community and relationships, whether they’re gay or straight relationships,” Cole said. He conveyed that this is a story that is innately human about love, life, friendships, and the joy of surviving. 

Peirick said, “There is a lot of joy, fun, and comedy in this show.” It is not a two-part play of weeping and sadness and you do not have to be a gay or queer person to take something from this play. He shared that this is some of the best prose ever written with extended scenes of gay, non-sexual friendships that are inspiring. He said, “I would not call this an AIDS play. I call this is a history play and AIDS is part of the history.” Both Peirick and Hey shared that when they saw this play in New York the entire play was immensely powerful in the way the story was being told. Members of the cast of Tesseract Theatre Company's Prodcution of THE INHERITANCE

Hey said, “Our entire cast is working very hard, putting in the work to make sure this story is told correctly.” He shared that the experience working with, Cole, Schmidt, Alex Moore, Stephen Henly, Kevin O’Brien, Gabriel Paul, Nic Tayborn, Chris Kernan, Donald Kidd, Sean Seifert, Kelvin Urday, and Margery Handy has been quite lovely. The other three agreed that the members of this company come prepared and are completely invested in the process. Peirick shared that the cast has evolved a bit since I’d originally cast the show. He said, “Everything happens for a reason, and I truly believe we have found the exact right people in the exact right roles to be supporting one another.”  

Tesseract Theatre Company’s regional Premiere of THE INHERITANCE Parts 1 & 2 opens at The Marcelle on April 26th and runs through May 5. Part One will play April 26th, 27th, 28th and May 4th. Part Two will play May 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. On Saturday, May 4th, there is an opportunity to see both Parts 1 & 2 back-to-back, Part 1 is a matinee at 2:00 PM and Part 2 is a 7:30 PM performance. Click the link below for tickets and more information.  

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