Interview: Juan Chioran Talks About The Motherf**ker With the Hat and More!

It's unlikely anyone leaving a performance of "The Motherf**ker With the Hat" (MOFO) will be indifferent. That makes actor Juan Chioran happy.

"To be indifferent is the biggest crime in theatre," he says on a day off from the popular show now playing at the new Coal Mine Theatre on the Danforth. He demands to be engaged, he adds, every time he attends a production.

Audiences are certainly engaged in this production as every time his character makes his entrance, audience members lean forward expectantly.

As Cousin Julio, Chioean creates an intense nobility in a performance that lifts playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis' words off the page and bring them to comical and, at times, poignant, melancholic and even musical, life.

"I really wanted to honor his writing," the Stratford/Shaw Festival veteran explained. "As I come from a classical background, I respect the text and mine it like a musical score... what is allegrando, lento, largo, pianissimo,fortissimo ... all the different markings. They are there, although they are not written. You have to mine for them and the various antitheses, alliteration and similes. I approach all my scripts that way, to see what clues the author is giving me to find what life is there. As actors, we have to learn to extract them."

As a native of Argentina, Cousin Julio's Puerto Rican character - his accented voice, his attitude, his posture -- comes naturally to Chioran. Born in 1963 in Alberti, in the country's Pampas region about two hours away from Buenos Aires, he spent his first 12 years there. The son of a mechanic with a Grade Six education, Chioran grew up surrounded by machinery. He thought he might become an architect or engineer. However, he recalls, throughout his school years he was immersed artistically in various arts activities such as singing in the church choir.

Both of his parents were from Italy: his Dad was from Padua and his Mom was from the Venice region. Half of their extended family remained in Italy and the other half was in Canada. His Dad immigrated to South America with the intent of sending money home to his relatives.

In 1975, during the years of Argentina's Dirty War, Chioran's family moved a second time, to Canada. "We weren't being persecuted," he reminisced, "but my older brother was in university and friends of his were `disappearing.' When my Mom and I travelled to Buenos Aires to do our immigration papers, there were armed soldiers everywhere creating a society of fear and paranoid atmosphere. It was a difficult time."

The family moved to Canada and lived at the corner of Dufferin and Eglinton.

He studied singing and theatre at York University before attending the University of Alberta. In 1988, shortly after graduating, Ron Ulrich (now artistic director at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton), cast Chioran as Dr. Frank 'n' Furter in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at Stage West, Calgary. He repeated his performance at a new performing arts centre in For MacMurray, Alberta and again in Edmonton before he made his Toronto debut in the role at the Bathurst St. (now The Randolph) Theatre.

Through the guidance of his mentors, (the recently deceased) Bernard Hopkins) and David Williams, Chioran joined the Stratford Company in the late 1980s. He began with small roles and understudying principal parts. Soon, he left. "One year a Stratford offer came I wasn't crazy about," he said. "I was playing with the idea of becoming an opera singer, so I spent a year-and-a-half performing with Opera Lyra in Ottawa, Opera in Concert in Toronto and Opera Mississauga among others. That's when `Kiss of the Spider Woman' happened."

Chioran had auditioned unsuccessfully for the original production, but heard nothing for about two weeks. Then, he was called to audition as a replacement for the character of Ravenal in Hal Prince's "Show Boat. Again, he heard nothing for a week or two until he got a call offering him a six month contract as a Standby for the starring role of Molina on Broadway in the multi-Tony Award winning "Kiss of the Spider Woman," also directed by Hal Prince. Canadian Jeff Hyslop was playing the role, but was having back problems, so Chioran went on for more than 50 performances.

He partnered Broadway legend Chita Rivera's in her last performance and Vanessa Williams in her early performances. "I got to kiss both those ladies," quipped Chioran. "Not a bad way to go!"

The producers decided to launch a National Tour starring Chita Rivera and decided Chioran was their Molina.

Chita Rivera, Chioran proudly declares, taught him some of his biggest lessons that he "carries to this day." "She taught me how to be the leader of a company, how to do it by example, not by behaving like a diva. She was the hardest worker, always on time, always generous both off stage and off. They just don't make them like that anymore.

"She was young at heart. She said `I don't ever want to stop working. It's what keeps me alive, engaged and young.' She was a life lesson as well as a career lesson."

As for director Hal Prince, Chioran wishes he had more time to work with him. The show was mounted and directed by stage managers. Hal came in for little more than a week. "What was incredible," Chioran recalled, "...the man is so intuitive. He knows his art, he can crystallize it into a few words. He is precise, succinct. He is incredibly visionary. He can get to the heart of the matter quickly without being fussy."

Chioran also has fond memories of John Kander and Fredd Ebb, the composer and lyrics of "Kiss of the Spider Woman." : I remember Freddie being a hard nut to crack. John was incredibly warm and friendly. In fact, John wrote me a lovely support letter for my green card application as did Chita Rivera and Hal Prince."

So being cast as the Emcee this past summer in the Shaw Festival's acclaimed production of "Cabaret," was very special for Chioran. "I was so happy to revisit their word again. They really are master craftsmen. Their songs are so integral to the narrative, driving the story forward. Again, there was a need to survive in `Cabaret,' just a battle of survival."

Chioran returns to the Stratford Festival and Shakespeare this summer where he will appear as The Player King in "Hamlet" and as Don Adriano De Armado, "a fantastical Spaniard" in "Love's Labour's Lost," directed by the internationally acclaimed, Tony and Olivier Award-winning, Canadian born John Caird. Surprisingly, Caird is making his Stratford debut.

John Caird is best known as the co-adapter and co-director (with Trevor Nunn) of the original world-premiere London production of "Les Misérabes" that opened in 1985.

In the UK, he is an Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, a regular director of the National Theatre and the Principal Guest Director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. He directed plays by John Osborne, James Saunders and Samuel Beckett in the UK in the early 1970s with Contact Theatre.

Throughout his career, he has directed such esteemed actors as Judi Dench, Diana Rigg, Daniel Day Lewis, Ian McKellen, Zoë Wanamaker, Ben Kingsley, Simon Russell Beale, Henry Goodman, Pete Postlethwaite and Fiona Shaw among many others.

Caird's production of "Nicholas Nickelby" set a record in 1980 for winning the most Oliviers awarded to a new play with six. That record stood until last year when it was surpassed by "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," which received seven.

Of course, Chioran is excited about the opportunity of working with such an experienced ex-patriate. "One chooses to do jobs based on a play, on a company or a director," he said. Here, it's all three.

"I had a half-hour meeting with John last summer. He was affable, gentle and down to earth. We just chatted and then he cast me.

"Don Adriano is a beautiful part. I did it in Ottawa several years ago with Marti Maraden directing. This opportunity to work with John is very exciting because talents like him up your game and open up new territory."

No one can be indifferent to this news!

MOFO runs until Nov. 30th.

For tickets, visit www.brownpapertickets.com.

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