This is your first one-man show, which you wrote with Willy Holtzman, a two-time Pulitzer nominee. I play my mother, I play my wife, I play my mother-in-law. He is currently starring in Joshua Harmons Prayer for the French Republic, a scintillating three-hour exploration of anti-Semitism that travels between 1944 and 2016; Topol plays Patrick Salomon, a nonreligious Jew who has decided not to go into the family piano business. A grown-up Reuven (Richard Topol) acts as narrator on occasion, giving the play a reflective glow reminiscent of ''Conversations With My Father,'' Herb Gardner's 1992 Broadway success. twi-ny: Which the character Molly agrees with. Get 5 free searches. I had seen a number of shows when I came back from Maine, and some had nobody in the audience and some were jam packed. By Steve Feeney Share Rich. Photo Coverage: On the Red Carpet for Vineyard Theatre's Spring Gala! twi-ny: Okay, for my last question, I have a sort of bone to pick with you. I got the feeling that this was a group of actors working in tandem. rt: There was a computer open and his computerized voice would come through. Shifting in flashback between (2016-2017) and (1944-1946) set in two different Parisian apartments, Prayer for the French Republic (currently at Manhattan Theatre Club) by Joshua Harmon (Bad Jews), directed by David Cromer (The Band . I was doing Anatomy of a Suicide at the Atlantic Theater Company. rt: Exactly. rt: We were wearing masks around the table. Since then weve bumped into each other a few other times at the theater and discussed various shows wed seen. So weve been careful and thoughtful and fortunate, and I hope we continue to be so. at Primary Stages, Broadway's The Big Knife,Glengarry Glen Ross) as Babe Ruth. There was a sense of having more in the heads of the director and the producers, what we could imagine this great thing being, that infused the development and the rehearsal and experience of doing it. First of all, I dont like one-person shows, I dont like seeing one-person shows; theyre not interesting to me. We did the workshop, we did a live reading in front of people. That was Buddy Harrelson, Wayne Garrett, Tommie Agee, Jerry Grote. I think of myself as Jew-ish. Rich Topol poses with a hot car on set of EPIX series Godfather of Harlem. rt: I was born a Jew. 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. We started first day of rehearsal learning about the Covid protocols, getting tested regularly. I know I was a Mets fan in 73, and then we moved, and my next-door neighbor was a Yankees fan. And we were shut down. 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. Were like, You know what, its not worth it. Theyre like, To be honest, Charles should be, if not actually North African, at least more Sephardic, more Middle Eastern. He was beautiful. He came in with his finished draft and we did a reading of it, prepandemic and in-person. You played Yogi in Bronx Bombers. 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. They hand delivered the scripts to everybodys homes. Rich Topol starred as stage manager Lemml in Indecent (photo by Carol Rosegg). And then Anita gave us a shot. 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. Manhattan Theatre Club He covered everything. So it was thrilling to be back in a theater on a stage with a live audience, even though they were masked. It was so satisfying. Or is it not? We have a place upstate that we escaped too, and I got a call two days later from my agents. He was really amazing. But still there was that sense of, Whos producing a new eleven-person play, with nobody famous? Richard Topol's 11 research works with 198 citations and 348 reads, including: Complex Remanence vs. Willy and I had been talking about this play for a number of years. He was by himself and I went over to him and said, Im going to ask you something that no one probably ever asks you about. And I survived. This is your first one-man show, which you wrote with Willy Holtzman, a two-time Pulitzer nominee. - present) (1 child) See also The limited engagement run of the production, originally scheduled through June 7, is extended for six weeks through Sunday, July 19. And then, of course, a month later, theyre, like, Yeah, were not going to do the workshop in July. I was in The Chosen a couple of times [Theres a knock at the door and Topol gets up to answer it, then returns.] rt: Right. Home My Books I didnt have it like Danny Burstein; I didnt have to go to the hospital. The Public took a lot of care in making it. And Im not going to any of that stuff. Learn more about Richard Topol - movies and shows, full bio, photos, videos, and more at TV Guide Maybe Im fooling myself. And I mean, I havent read every play in the last ten years, but Ive read a lot of plays and Ive seen a lot of plays, and I thought, this is astoundingly amazing. He was even more thankful when I told him that I had included him in my review. Includes Address (7) Phone (6) Email (7) See Results. And in the scenes where I play myself, most of that writing is me, having written down my versions of stories that Ive experienced. See photos from opening night here! Tony Award-winning actor Jason Alexanderrecentlyassumedthe role of 'Norman Drexel'in Larry David's hit comedy Fish In the Dark, directed by Anna D. Shapiro, at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street). The show closed on March 12. Each short play will also include a Q&A with Tatiana Wechsler. The business is entirely shut down. But then I went to a hockey game and sixteen thousand people are screaming, no masks, lots of eating and drinking. 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. rt: Exactly, the third guy from the left. Willy was like, I want to write a one-man show for you. The Lucky Starbegan previews on April 26, 2022 in Theater A and opened May 5 for a run through June 12, 2022. Richard Thomas . I love acting with other people, and it cant be about me because Im not interesting. [Director] Saheem Ali was great and it was a great cast, obviously in a really interesting play. I was like, No, no, no. twi-ny: Which the character Molly agrees with. It goes from Molly just clinking one note to me playing something schematic to Peyton [Lusk] playing that lovely Chopin piece to the end; the piano has a journey too. twi-ny: Thats really interesting to me, because you fit so well as Patrick. So then the pandemic hit and immediately I got the virus. Rich Topol is third guy from the right in cast and crew photo from Prayer for the French Republic opening night (photo 2022 by Daniel Rader). And so the ones that I was willing to share were the ones that couldnt be avoided and, I guess, were the most important. The Mets had been to the World Series, right? Father of Omer and actress Ady Topol and Anat Topol. BWW TV Flashback: THE NORMAL HEART Closes Today on Broadway, STAGE TUBE: THE NORMAL HEART and Today's Gay Youth, STAGE TUBE: THE NORMAL HEART Box Office Triples Since Tony Wins; Broadway Community Shows Support, Outer Critics Circle Awards - 2017 - Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play. Im a tree hugger. rt: Right. Willy and I had been talking about this play for a number of years. . twi-ny: Yes they had, with Yogi Berra as manager. From March 23 to 26, you can stream Luis Quinteros Hip Hop Therapy, a preview of a concept album in which Nick Bottom from A Midsummer Nights Dream is a therapist for out-of-work actors. They want to do a workshop in July and then well go into rehearsal in September and run till Christmas. I read it to myself and I thought, this is the best play Ive read in ten years. Producers Douglas Denoff & Beth Goldsmith, and 59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) present the Directors Companys production ofThe Lucky Starby Karen Hartman, directed by Noah Himmelstein (Rooted). What was that like? That was Buddy Harrelson, Wayne Garrett, Tommie Agee, Jerry Grote. I felt more exposed than Id ever felt before in my life. Benhamou, Kenneth Tigar, Richard Topol, Nancy Robinette Rich Topol debuted his intimate one-person show at Portland Stage in November (photo by No Umbrella Media LLC). . For the last six and a half weeks, we have been safe and weve been able to do it. And thats when [director David] Cromer came on board. And so it was the worst it could be without being bad. 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. The play was well received, so I didnt have the experience of Oh, that sucked. Thats the exterminator, not exterminating Jews but exterminating bugs that Nazis would think are like Jews. 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. twi-ny: Yes they had, with Yogi Berra as manager. rt: Right. 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. We do not want to shut this play down. rt: No, no, no. Its a short question, right? It doesnt have any songs . A few days after Prayer for the French Republic opened at Manhattan Theater Clubs Stage I at City Center, we talked about one-person shows, getting Covid, baseball, and what its like being an actor in lockdown, including a detailed description of mounting a play as a pandemic continues. For the last six and a half weeks, we have been safe and weve been able to do it. 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. And the first two drafts of it were about that. Richard Topol is an actor who guest-starred on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. 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. Because when I became a Yankees fan, the Yankee sucked. All materials copyright 2021 by Mark Rifkin / This Week in New York, THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO THE CITY SINCE 2001, this week in lectures, signings, panel discussions, workshops, and Q&As. He looked up, put on a big smile, and said in that Yogi way, No ones asked me about that in years. Tuesday Sunday through March 27, $99 I went to a concert where everybody had to be masked and there were some empty seats, but it was pretty much sold out. Resides in Tallahassee, FL. Im just some guy . So thats the sort of glib answer. The truth is, most of the play, I play other people. So what could it be about. And so actually the last few days of rehearsal and through tech, he watched the play like this. And again, he didnt give it to anybody else. And so the guy lost his physical abilities and his mental abilities. rt: He does a great job of giving everybody a valid argument. I feel like the Jews, the Jews get it, the New York Jews get it, or they have really strong opinions about it. My wife came and saw the show. I think that most of the major religions are about feeling good to be small under the umbrella of something thats bigger than our oneness, that connects us all. He covered everything. at New York City Center, Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque Will Join MOULIN ROUGE! Remember Sunday is a 2013 American romantic drama film directed by Jeff Bleckner, written by Michael Kase and Barry Morrow, and starring Zachary Levi and Alexis Bledel. Then when my wife told the story to Willy about when she gave birth the opening scene of the play is her giving birth to our daughter and Elizas parents, in black tie, come in from a gala, bursting into the delivery room because they thought she was about to have a baby she was about to have a baby were like, What are you doing here? Photo Flash: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE on Broadway - Production Shots! They produced Lanford Wilsons Talleys Folly they cast a married couple who played the two parts. Where I feel most soulful and spiritual is when Ive climbed a mountain and I feel small in relation to a large, amazing thing. Rich Topol poses with a hot car on set of EPIX series Godfather of Harlem. rt: I was born a Jew. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus. And so initially we decided it would be about Lukas Foss, who was my father-in-law, a really interesting man who had a really interesting life. And then the symptoms were gone. He is married to actress Eliza Foss; they have one daughter, and Richard was close with his father-in-law, the late German-American composer, pianist, and conductor Lukas Foss. Get the fuck out of here. He has appeared extensively on and off Broadway, in such plays as The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino, Julius Caesar with Denzel Washington, Alice Birchs Anatomy of a Suicide with Carla Gugino, and Paula Vogels Tony-nominated Indecent with Katrina Lenk as well as Tony-winning revivals of Clifford Odetss Awake & Sing! I was in The Chosen a couple of times [Theres a knock at the door and Topol gets up to answer it, then returns.] But because its about one of the hardest things and most personal struggles that Ive experienced for the last forty-six years of my life, since my father died, it was scary to share, but it felt worth sharing. twi-ny: Okay, for my last question, I have a sort of bone to pick with you. 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. Antisemitic Protestors Chant At Audience Outside First Preview Of PARADE, Cooper, Esparza, and More Will Lead OLIVER! and Larry Kramers The Normal Heart. I mean, come on. twi-ny: A lot of people still feel that way. All events can be watched for free on YouTube, although donations will be accepted, to be split between the Acting Company and Jeffrey Wrights Brooklyn for Life!, a nonprofit that supports Brooklyn health-care workers and small businesses, primarily restaurants. rt: Thats when I was a Mets fan. 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. I was like, No, no, no. 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