Willy and I had been talking about this play for a number of years. And Im not going to any of that stuff. I went to a concert where everybody had to be masked and there were some empty seats, but it was pretty much sold out. The language is so beautiful. Behind him in his living room is a landscape by his mother-in-law, the painter and teacher Cornelia (Brendel) Foss. Richard Topol is the author of Naked City (3.75 avg rating, 5387 ratings, 446 reviews, published 2011), The Maze at Windermere (3.50 avg rating, 2855 rat. The Lucky Starbegan previews on April 26, 2022 in Theater A and opened May 5 for a run through June 12, 2022. And so, kicking and screaming, it became more and more about my relationship to Lukas and then my relationship to fatherhood. He had a mind that was brilliant and fingers that could play I dont know if youve ever heard him play or listened to something. He has appeared on Broadway numerous times, most recently this past season as Lemml in Paula Vogel's Indecent, with Larry David in Fish in the Dark, with Al Pacino in Merchant of Venice, with Denzel Washington in Julius Caesar, with Mark Ruffalo in the Tony Award winning revival of Awake and Sing, with Ellen Barkin in the Tony Award winning . Even if you dont recognize his name, youre likely to know his face; he has approximately fifty television and film credits, including portraying lawyer and politician James Speed in Steven Spielbergs Lincoln, a recurring role on The Practice, and multiple parts on several Law & Order iterations. . twi-ny: Its been very strange. Because when I became a Yankees fan, the Yankee sucked. But his true love is theater, which he also teaches. . Pierre Epstein, Peyton Lusk, Jeff Seymour, Francis Benhamou, Nancy Robinette, Kenneth Tigar, Ari Brand, Pierre Epstein, Peyton Lusk, and Richard At least in that experience I can cut myself some slack. Rich Topol starred as stage manager Lemml in Indecent (photo by Carol Rosegg). Then we got into the rehearsal space in December. They want to do a workshop in July and then well go into rehearsal in September and run till Christmas. Everybody did keep their masks on, but there were some drinking and eating. rt: Yeah, I know. About seven years ago, I was sitting in the audience at a play when I recognized the man in front of me, actor Richard Topol. And thoughtful in allowing them to be really articulate people who have really strong opinions, and those opinions are different. And we spent enough time with it to dig in the way you do in a play. And so it was the worst it could be without being bad. The actor was ecstatic as he began his journey to fatherhood, it had been greatly anticipated, so when it eventually happened, he became dedicated to the course. Produced by Daryl Roth and directed by Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart began performances on Tuesday, April 19 at the Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street) and opened to rave reviews on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. And on the other hand, it was incredibly scary because it was the first play that Id ever cowritten with anybody, and it was about my life. Director David Shore Writers David Shore (teleplay by) Im like, Okay, sure. Were going to put this play up. [Director] Saheem Ali was great and it was a great cast, obviously in a really interesting play. I mean, I enjoyed working as opposed to not working. People who know me and my life saw it. We did a developmental workshop in June up in Maine. The ones who are not Jews often say how the Jews in the play are just a specific example of the larger issue of otherness. So you cant pick a bone with me if it was because my father had just died and my next-door neighbor was a Yankees fan. twi-ny: Which the character Molly agrees with. And so from March 12 of 2020 to November 3, 2021, was the longest period of time I hadnt been onstage in my adult life. Since these are your lines and theyre about you, if a joke didnt quite take or something emotional didnt register with the audience, is it more or less upsetting than when youre reciting somebody elses words and something might not go as expected? Im a lefty, so Tug McGraw was my hero. Yeah, I love that play. These wins helped 'The Normal Heart' become the number one search term on Google all across America on 'Tony Sunday.' rt: No, no, no. ( 2013-04-21) (USA) Chronology. twi-ny: During the pandemic, you appeared in several virtual and audio productions: You were in Melisa Anniss Beginnings, Anne Washburns Shipwreck, Craig Lucass More Beautiful and you played a chicken in Jimonn Coles Chickens. rt: The short answer is it was great. rt: Yes, well, thats what Willy said. It is a really challenging piece of theater and really satisfying to act in. He admits that the most nervous hes been in his life was when he hung out with Paul McCartney following a performance of Larry Davids Fish in the Dark, in which Topol played Dr. Stiles; after that, the Cute Beatle went from being his third favorite mop top behind John and George to his second. Photo Coverage: On the Red Carpet for the 62nd Annual Obie Awards! We do not want to be shut down. Since then, The Normal Heart's daily box office wrap has more than tripled from their average daily sales before Sunday's Tony Awards. Yeah, I love that play. And then Anita gave us a shot. And then because the pandemic happened, we both had the time to really work on it. 131 West 55th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves. He was really amazing. and Larry Kramers The Normal Heart. And then the symptoms were gone. I think of myself as spiritual and, not to be too woo-woo, I believe in the earth. rt: We were wearing masks around the table. Right. twi-ny: Yes they had, with Yogi Berra as manager. First of all, I dont like one-person shows, I dont like seeing one-person shows; theyre not interesting to me. twi-ny: Thats really interesting to me, because you fit so well as Patrick. And we were shut down. And Im slightly disappointed myself too, because I knew I was going to do this part for a long time and I knew that these songs were in the piece. I felt more exposed than Id ever felt before in my life. [Director] Saheem Ali was great and it was a great cast, obviously in a really interesting play. And then, of course, a month later, theyre, like, Yeah, were not going to do the workshop in July. twi-ny: Its been very strange. That was so much fun. Its unbelievable. I think a lot of people forget that. We started first day of rehearsal learning about the Covid protocols, getting tested regularly. Just last night, Manhattan Theatre Club celebrated opening night of the Broadway premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning How I Learned to Drive, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Home My Books theactingcompany.org Antisemitic Protestors Chant At Audience Outside First Preview Of PARADE, Cooper, Esparza, and More Will Lead OLIVER! Right. The production opened last night, Tuesday, October 8, and features Francois Battiste (Broadway's Magic/ Bird) as Reggie Jackson and Elston Howard,Chris Henry Coffey (Off-Broadway's Water by the Spoonful) as Joe DiMaggio,Bill Dawes(Broadway's Lombardi) as Mickey Mantle/Thurman Munson,Christopher Jackson(Broadway's In the Heights, Memphis) asDerek Jeter, Wendy Makkena (Broadway's Side Man) as Carmen Berra, Keith Nobbs (Broadway's Lombardi) as Billy Martin, Richard Topol (Broadway'sThe Normal Heart, The Merchant of Venice) as Yogi Berra, John Wernke (Broadway's The Lyons) as Lou Gehrig, and C.J. Godfather of Harlem tells the "true story of infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled a shambles. And we spent enough time with it to dig in the way you do in a play. rt: Right. Now, of course, Im totally madly in love with Patrick and I wouldnt have it any other way. And in the scenes where I play myself, most of that writing is me, having written down my versions of stories that Ive experienced. And then, of course, a month later, theyre, like, Yeah, were not going to do the workshop in July. It was the first production of the first play that Ive ever cowritten. twi-ny: I felt that that Josh really attacked the numerous angles of how to look at anti-Semitism and Israel and American Jewry. rt: Exactly. Why am I doing this play? And so, kicking and screaming, it became more and more about my relationship to Lukas and then my relationship to fatherhood. I remember at the time talking with people and saying, Oh my God, this is the longest period of time between . So on the one hand, it was incredibly thrilling. He had Parkinsons disease. rt: Exactly. No, not from all perspectives, but certainly from a lot of perspectives within the Jewish community. Did you enjoy working on Zoom? When they said, Will you read Patrick? Shipwreck was the closest we got to working on a play because we rehearsed for a couple of weeks and it felt like, Okay, Im going to rehearsal today. They produced a lot of one-person shows. twi-ny: Okay, for my last question, I have a sort of bone to pick with you. On Sunday night, June 12th, the Broadway premiere production of Larry Kramer's ground-breaking play The Normal Heart took home the Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play (John Benjamin Hickey) and Best Featured Actress in a Play (Ellen Barkin). rt: Actually, it sort of timed out pretty well, you know? We did that reading and I think it confirmed for Manhattan Theatre Club and for Josh that he had latched on to something incredible. Known For The Good Doctor Lincoln Malcolm in the Middle The Blacklist Ghost Whisperer Elementary Manifest Curb Your Enthusiasm Acting 2016 Indignation as Mo Greenberg 2005 Ghost Whisperer ( 1 episode) as James Sutherland 1999 Mickey Blue Eyes as FBI Chef in Truck 1995 Party Girl as Hannah Buff 1994 Tuesday Sunday through March 27, $99 He covered everything. And then when we started up on our feet, we were unmasked, for those who were comfortable with that. Christmas in Conway. I was like, No, no, no, no, no. rt: I think he would be disappointed. twi-ny: So you played Yogi, and then you met him on opening night of the show. rt: Oh, less upsetting because I know Im not a professional. twi-ny: A lot of people still feel that way. BWW TV: Performance Highlights from MTC's REGRETS! Even though he wasnt Jewish; he didnt think of himself as a Jew. Browse Richard Topol movies and TV shows available on Prime Video and begin streaming right away to your favorite device. BroadwayWorld was on hang for the big night and you can check out photos from the star-studded red carpet arrivals. It was this biodrama about Lukas and it was missing something. Each short play will also include a Q&A with Tatiana Wechsler. rt: Right. Hes really, really, really kind to all his characters. MTC at New York City Center Stage I He came in with his finished draft and we did a reading of it, prepandemic and in-person. Richard became a father at 50 and named his firstborn after his dad. That theater had stayed open through the pandemic because Maine had so few cases, because of the regulations, and because of their skill at keeping people safe. It was really satisfying to do. And I think thats one of the greatest things about the play, because it leaves the audience getting to consider those ideas that youve mentioned from a lot of perspectives. We started first day of rehearsal learning about the Covid protocols, getting tested regularly. Photo Coverage: Opening Night at Awake and Sing! Topol was born on September 9, 1935, in Tel Aviv, [1] [3] in what was then Mandatory Palestine (now Israel ). Founded in 1972 by John Houseman and Margot Harley, the Tony-winning Acting Company has served as a training ground for hundreds of performers over the years. In addition to his film and television credits, Richard has appeared on Broadway numerous times, most recently nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award as Lemml in the Tony Award winning production of Indecent, with Larry David in Fish in the Dark, with Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice, with Denzel Washington in Julius Caesar, with Mark Ruffalo in the Tony Award winning revival of Awake and Sing, with Ellen Barkin in the Tony Award winning revival of The Normal Heart, and with Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand in The Country Girl, directed by Mike Nichols. 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