An Actor At The Top Of His Craft
December 7, 2001
It’s very rare that you meet someone truly dedicated to the theatre these days. They are usually using as a stepping-stone to television or film. That, or they’re already stars coming to Broadway to prove their credibility. But you rarely find an actor or actress these days that devote their life to the Theatre. The exception is none other than the new star in the upcoming World Premiere of "The Prince & The Pauper" at the 5th Avenue Theatre – Marc Kudisch.
I sat down with this handsome, charismatic man in the lobby of the grand old theatre on his day off. He has bought a Vespa since arriving in Seattle and apparently can’t get enough of it. With his rugged good looks it’s no surprise that his resume includes some fairly dashing roles. After being in his presence for a few minutes I already knew that this man was not only an actor of the highest order – but passionate about his work - a rare quality in any profession these days.
Mark "Mom" Finley (MMF): Is this your first time to Seattle?
Marc Kudisch: No. I’ve been here before. I was on tour (he strains to remember the date) ooh aah I think about ten years ago in "Bye, Bye, Birdie!"
MMF: That’s right! I was going to talk to you about that. That was playing right when I first moved here from New York. They did the live Tony Awards broadcast from the Paramount.
MK: That’s right they did. I forgot about that. We started at the Long Beach Civic Light Opera, down north of Los Angeles. With Tommy (Tune) and Ann (Reinking). This was our first stop on National Tour.
MMF: I love both of them. I know them both, too. I took jazz class from Ann (mumbles with hand over my mouth) years ago. (He laughs.) And Tommy I’ve known for several years as well. He was just here a couple years ago with Sandy Duncan. They were doing a show together. They did part of "Easter Parade", which never got finished.
MK: That’s right!
MMF: The first act was basically their acts. The second were the parts of the show that were done.
MK: The two of them – honestly – should do their own show. A variety show. End of story. Period.
MMF: They’re such fun.
MK: Well, they’re such good friends. They’ve known each other for such a long time. I don’t know. I mean, I enjoy Tommy very much. I just like him. I like his entertainment. I like his stories. I like everything he has to offer that way. He does a great one-man show. It’s a very "old school" mentality. Which is enjoyable to listen to because it comes from a place of real craft. You know?
MMF: And it’s not there anymore!
MK: No. It’s not. Which is why I want to say ‘Look. Just stop….’
MMF: Trying to reinvent the wheel.
MK: I’m not saying not to, but the two of them together. She’s amazing. She’s like titanium, that woman. She doesn’t stop.
MMF: She’s crazy.
MK: But she’s brilliant. She’s an incredible performer. She can still do it like nobody’s business. She’s got incredible energy. I don’t want to say that it’s a ‘lost art’. But there is a loss of respect for that craft.
MMF: Times are changing. When I left New York in ’90….
MK: That’s right when I got there.
MMF: I had to leave. I couldn’t take it anymore. It seems since that time on the schools are just churning out triple threats that will make great chorus people and maybe someday get a starring role. There is no – how do I say this?
MK: (Chiming in) There is no mental orientation for the crafting of a career in the theatre.
MMF: Exactly.
MK: Literally. That’s what’s missing. At least, that’s what I find. Of course, I’ll get in trouble for everything I say because I’m very opinionated.
MMF: No. Don’t worry about it.
MK: Fine. I say it. And I continue to say it. I am a ‘career stage performer’. That’s what I do. I don’t have a lot of TV and film credit because it is not something that I pursue. And – knock on wood – the stuff that I have been able to do has come into my life.
MMF: Of course, the universe puts it in your path and you gotta do it.
MK: I agree. I don’t know necessarily how schools are teaching. But I think that the mentality of coming to the city is – well, what I’m trying to say is that people have forgotten that we’re ‘actors’. It’s like personality. It’s sticking you in a show and if you have this eclectic personality you become an instant IPO. You get hailed for what the possibilities will be down the road. If it continues. You get plaudits for that but not necessarily the whole formation. It’s like bottling a bottle of wine and saying that it’s going to be the best wine in twenty years – but awarding it now.
I find that there is a lack of a discipline or a technique. Commitment.
MMF: Commitment to the stage.
MK: Commitment to what it is you’re doing. And that’s not every body. A lot of people are really talented with their craft and/or talent. It’s not so much of a lack of commitment but a lack of what your commitment is to.
MMF: Yes. (Rhetorically) Are you committed to your work? Or are you committed to what your reviews are going to be?
MK: Quite honestly, on the Broadway stage – and I’m not dissing anybody, it’s an observation that is purely mine – I have found that if you draw attention to your performance that is what will garner you the things that you want. Because, I have found of late, it’s personalities that get awarded and not so much being an actor. That’s not to say that some personalities are also actors. But if you are doing something on that stage that is easily accessible to the powers that be, that it is not specific enough that it is outside of their imagination, they will award you for that.
I find that those who are capable of going from role to role are really investing each individual time confuses. Because, it’s again ‘I thought I knew that person. Wait. But that’s not that person.’ Either you go ‘I still don’t know who that person is. Maybe they’ll get it right once.’ (I laugh. )
MMF: It’s just so true!
MK: Or you will nail a particular role that thinks with them – again, their idea of who you are, (as an aside) it’s very much like a relationship – and then you’ll go and do something else and they’ll go, ‘No, no, no that’s not what you are. Go and do that thing.’
MMF: ‘Go do that thing you did before.’
MK: Faith (Prince) is a perfect example of that. A person who is wildly, wonderfully talented and has so many facets as to who she is as a person who I love so much. And yet when we were going to do ‘Bells (Are Ringing)’ people were going ‘great. Now she’s going to do that Faith Prince Adelaide thing.’ I don’t get it. Why do you do that to that person? Why don’t you just walk into that theatre and allow yourself to be surprised by what you may not realize she is going to do.
Now, of course, she’s doing ‘Noises Off’. It’s a great example. Everybody was ready to jump on the either lets kill her or applaud her for her efforts in ‘Bells’. Of course, every body has their opinion because Judy Holliday originated it. And she could never be compared to Judy Holliday.
MMF: It’s naturally going to happen. But why should someone try to compare them?
MK: Why compare her to a movie performance, if that’s what you’ve seen and/or why compare someone to a ‘memory’ of a performance that happened so many years ago that that performance has become something completely different.
MMF: Exactly.
MK: In a revival situation - I even told this to a couple critics I have an understanding with - I believe you should read the script before you go in. One said ‘well, we don’t do that.’ For a new play, I can understand, because you want it to be a new experience. But I totally think that with an old revival of something that hasn’t been seen in 45 years you need to revisit it. You need to get the dream of what’s in your head – out of it! So you can go, ‘Oh, this is what this is.’
MMF: I love that show. (Referring to ‘Bells Are Ringing’)
MK: I love that show, too. And it’s a very flawed show.
MMF: Terribly flawed. It was written for Judy to do.
MK: And that’s it. Where things weren’t quite working – of course, it was written around her personality and ultimately it was written around Sydney’s (Chaplin) personality as well. It was written around their relationship, because their relationship pre-existed before the show.
MMF: Exactly. Everyone was a friend. It was like ‘Hey, let’s put on a show."
MK: Which is basically how Betty (Comden) and Adolph (Green) always worked.
MMF: True.
MK: And that was great! Look at them they’re incredible. Judy Holliday was incredible. Sydney Chaplin was incredible. And in that time it was wonderful. It’s difficult to take something out of time that way. The difference between it being a period piece or something being ‘dated’ is a period piece will still really stand, like Shakespeare. You can put it in any period, it’s universal and something that is dated is very – not necessarily doesn’t work – but is very specific to it’s time. We found – not to say that it’s a bad thing – that ‘Bells’ was very much a piece of its time that had very strong parallels to this time. But, of course, everyone is going to have their opinion. Point being, Faith is now doing ‘Noises Off’ and she’s wonderful in the show. And she’s playing a role that is different from what people expect her to do. Especially after seeing ‘Bells’ people are amazed.
MMF: I saw that when it was originally on Broadway.
MK: ‘Noises’? (I nod) It’s brilliant. It’s so much fun to go the theatre and see a group, a corps of actors, really having to listen and be aware of each other.
MMF: Especially with that show. You have to have a cohesive cast.
MK: Yes, because if your timing is off everyone’s timing is off. And everyone defines everyone else. So it’s a great supportive evening where regardless of how famous someone is or unknown someone is by the end of the night you have a relationship with all those people. And that’s why you love that show.
MMF: It’s got a terrific cast.
MK: Brilliant cast.
MMF: Well that’s all good, but we’re supposed to be talking about other things. I’m very excited to have you here doing ‘The Prince & The Pauper’. Are you excited about doing it?
MK: Yeah! The fates allowed it. I worked on this in Kansas City with the guys last year. We were working on different aspects of the show. But it hasn’t been in this form ever! Then it was weird because I went to La Jolla to work on ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’. I didn’t think I was going to be able to do this. They didn’t think I was going to be able to do this. When I was working on ‘Bells’, one of our producers Kevin McCollum came in and said ‘I’m hearing little things about the fact that ‘Millie’ might get postponed from the fall to spring. Because the theatre may not be available.’ He said, ‘I don’t know if that is going to happen or not going to happen. But if it happens we’d love to have you, if it’s meant to be – great.’ And I said, ‘We’ll see.’ And it happened.
MMF: You’re meant to do it.
MK: Yes. I fought it. But what’s meant to be is going to happen. So of course I’m thrilled to be here because I’m supposed to be here.
MMF: The universe puts you where you need to be when you’re supposed to be there. It puts things in your path and it’s your job to do them.
MK: Totally! Even when you question it…
MMF: It’s still going to keep putting it in your face! Until finally you say ‘fine. I get it. I’ll do it.’
MK: That’s what I did. I called Russell (Kaplan, the director) and said, ‘okay, I’m a little slower than you guys. But I got it.’ I’m really happy to be out here. I love them. I love the piece. I think it’s great. They’ve done a lot of work to it. It’s always fun to watch the process of a show. That’s the joy. That’s what I really love, more than anything.
Our conversation lasted another hour. We couldn’t get enough of each other. We share the same views and opinions on almost every topic. Odd that a seven foot tall drag queen and the butchest man in the theatre can get along so well. Sort of says something. Actually that is the message of ‘The Prince & The Pauper’: All of us are the same.
Check out this world premiere musical at the 5th Avenue Theatre through December 15. You won’t regret it.