Feature Apr 1, 2005Loose Lips
Marc Kudisch plays a villain, Kristin Chenoweth goes all religious, and Mimi Hines slays the crowd at Feinstein's.
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| Marc Kudisch (Photo © Michael Portantiere) |
You're not alone if you're surprised that Marc Kudisch is playing the role of the evil Baron Bomburst in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. "When they first called me in to audition," Kudisch tells me, "I assumed it was for the lead role of Potts [which is being played by his good pal Raúl Esparza]. Somehow, it seems like I've gone from playing people in their 30s to playing people in their 40s overnight; it's like I woke up one day and 10 years had passed. But that's fine. I'm actually doing everything I can to get away from the idea of being a leading man, like shaving my head for this role. I think one of the reasons I've been able to work as much as I have is my willingness to do character parts."
No actor has worked more steadily than Kudisch over the past three years: He's played Trevor Graydon in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Carl-Magnus in A Little Night Music, Tom Ambrose in The Thing About Men, Mike Robinson in No Strings, The Proprietor in Assassins, and Vincent Van Gogh in the The Highest Yellow -- a performance that has earned him a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Actor. (The ceremony is on May 9). But he's having the time of his life in Chitty. "I'm basically a nine-year-old at heart," he says, "and so is the Baron -- except he's a nine-year-old with dangerous weapons. There's nothing more dangerous than someone who thinks he's right. He's like any inherited ruler in that nobody has ever said 'no' him to him, so he will do anything to get that car. And let me tell you, that car is cool!"
Just as cool as the flying auto is the show's wonderful cast, which also includes Erin Dilly, Philip Bosco, Kevin Cahoon, and the fabulous Jan Maxwell as Kudisch's partner in onstage crime. "She's a smart, talented lady with a real understanding for comedy," says Kudisch of Maxwell. "Our approaches and energies are very different, but we're sort of yin and yang. I think this entire cast has a little bite, and that's why they hired us -- because we need to balance the darkness of our characters and the innocence of the story. It's really just a fable."
As if facing the first few days of Chitty previews isn't enough to keep him busy, Kudisch will spend his off night of April 4 performing in Scott Siegel's Broadway by the Year series at Town Hall. He's a longtime favorite of the series' audiences, and the feeling is mutual: "I love this series dearly," he enthuses. "It's the closet thing we have to purity in musical theater." He will be singing the music of Carousel's Billy Bigelow opposite the Julie Jordan of Christiane Noll -- and, yes, both performers will be off-mike for these selections. Remarks Kudisch, "I've never played Billy before, so this is my one shot to do it. As I said, I'm not a leading man. At this point, if they revive Carousel again, I'll be playing Jigger!"