And I thought, Oh, thats perfect. I had symptoms on the ides of March, on the 15th of March, and I was in bed for nineteen days with Covid-19. During our wide-ranging Zoom conversation, Topol is thoughtful and generous, laughing and smiling a lot. I got the feeling that this was a group of actors working in tandem. I met him once at a Mickey Mantle Foundation dinner at Gracie Mansion. rt: But Willy and I had a lot of time over the pandemic because there wasnt much else to do to finish the play. rt: Yes, well, thats what Willy said. The business is entirely shut down. So we had a lot of time processing it with Josh and helping him wrangle this epic piece into what you saw. Get the fuck out of here. I didnt have it like Danny Burstein; I didnt have to go to the hospital. You played Yogi in Bronx Bombers. And then the testing protocols, were getting tested every day, and you cant come into the room until youve tested negative, and, knock wood, thats been it. Willy and I had been talking about this play for a number of years. BroadwayWorld brings you performance highlights below! We thought, Okay, thats an interesting idea for a play. Photo Flash: First Look at Katrina Lenk, Adina Verson and More in Paula Vogel's INDECENT on Broadway, Photo Flash: First Look at Richard Topol, Katrina Lenk & More in INDECENT at Vineyard Theatre, Photo Coverage: Meet the Cast & Creative Team of Vineyard Theatre's INDECENT, Photo Flash: First Look at Robert Cuccioli & More in BIKEMAN, Now Playing at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Photo Coverage: Cast of Primary Stages' BRONX BOMBERS Celebrates Opening Night Off-Broadway, Photo Coverage: Inside Opening Night of Barrington Stage Company's THE CHOSEN, Photo Flash: First Look at Alexis Bledel, Ansel Elgort, et al. Now, of course, Im totally madly in love with Patrick and I wouldnt have it any other way. Photo Flash: MERCHANT Of VENICE in Rehearsal! Im no Josh Harmon. Broadway: Lemml in Indecent (Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination), Larry David's Fish in the Dark, The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino, Tony-winning revivals Awake & Sing! Behind him in his living room is a landscape by his mother-in-law, the painter and teacher Cornelia (Brendel) Foss. Its interesting because it connects to the father thing. The Makeover. But I feel like he shouldnt be a better piano player than I am in this play. That was so much fun. I play my mother, I play my wife, I play my mother-in-law. She made her Broadway debut in Jekyll & Hyde, with other notable Broadway roles including Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Vivienne in Legally . But Im also not religious. Shipwreck was the closest to that. And I wanted to be his friend. twi-ny: Okay, for my last question, I have a sort of bone to pick with you. Because its a great joy to do this play. 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. He holds an MFA in Acting from NYU's Graduate Acting Program and a BA in Political Science from Brown University. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus. They hand delivered the scripts to everybodys homes. What was the rehearsal process like? 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. Click below to watch a montage of Alexander in the show! He holds an MFA in Acting from NYU's Graduate Acting Program and a BA in Political Science from Brown University. Richard became a father at 50 and named his firstborn after his dad. So weve been careful and thoughtful and fortunate, and I hope we continue to be so. But were still on track for the fall. And Ive been an actor for over three decades. I think of myself as spiritual and, not to be too woo-woo, I believe in the earth. I sing well, and maybe Im justifying, but I feel like I play and sing just well enough but not too well for who he is. as Satine, Exclusive: What Goes Into Casting a Broadway Show? Were already verklempt about it. I love acting with other people, and it cant be about me because Im not interesting. I love the progression of the piano in the play. Or is it not? And so it was the worst it could be without being bad. Im always curious about what my non-Jewish friends who come and see the show think of it. The truth is, most of the play, I play other people. 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. Ive also actually played a lot of Jewish narrators who step into the play. rt: There was a computer open and his computerized voice would come through. 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! Theyre like, To be honest, Charles should be, if not actually North African, at least more Sephardic, more Middle Eastern. at Primary Stages, Broadway's The Big Knife,Glengarry Glen Ross) as Babe Ruth. The play was well received, so I didnt have the experience of Oh, that sucked. Home My Books 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. But the larger questions that Josh asks in the play relate to almost everyone. Then we did a couple of workshops that fall and then at the end of February of 2020. Search instead in Creative? It went really well and theyre, like, We want to produce this and we have a slot. That was Buddy Harrelson, Wayne Garrett, Tommie Agee, Jerry Grote. Photos: Go Inside Opening Night of THE UNBELIEVING at 59E59 Theaters, Review: THE UNBELIEVING at 59E59 Theaters- Compelling Play Presents A Meaningful Discussion of Religious Faith, David Aaron Baker, Nina Hellman, Richard Topol & More to Star in THE UNBELIEVING at 59E59 Theaters, Photos: Inside Opening Night of THE LUCKY STAR, Photos: On the Opening Night Red Carpet for HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, Photos: Inside Opening Night of PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, Photos: First Look at PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC at MTC Stage I, Photo Coverage: Inside Opening Night of Atlantic Theatre Company's ANATOMY OF A SUICIDE, Photo Flash: Jason Babinsky, Carla Gugino and More in Atlantic Theater Company's ANATOMY OF A SUICIDE, Photo Flash: Get a First Look at Rehearsal Photos for ANATOMY OF A SUICIDE Starring Carla Gugino, Celeste Arias and More, Photo Flash: INDECENT Opens At Center Theatre Group, Photo Flash: First Look At INDECENT At The Ahmanson Theatre, Photo Flash: Cynthia Nixon, Victoria Clark, and More Celebrate Opening Night of Strindbergs in Rep, Photo Coverage: Public Theater Celebrates Opening Night of FIRE IN DREAMLAND. twi-ny: Thats really interesting to me, because you fit so well as Patrick. And then the symptoms were gone. Even those people understand, given what weve lived with, at least certainly for the last few years. And she said, You just got an offer from Manhattan Theatre Club for Prayer for the French Republic. It was a total strikeout. rt: I think he would be disappointed. Wilson (Happy Now? Tuesday Sunday through March 27, $99 RICHARD TOPOL. Im hoping to bring the show to New York, but I think doing it here, thatll be scary. twi-ny: You finally returned to the stage in November in Portland with Searching for Mr. Lets do what we can. I read it to myself and I thought, this is the best play Ive read in ten years. Richard Topol, Kelli O'Hara, and Sam Waterston in King Lear, directed by James Macdonald, running at The Public Theater through November 20. Was on active duty with the Israeli army when he was nominated for an Oscar for "Fiddler on the Roof" in early 1972. And putting it up and investing in it, saying, Im sorry, this is too important. rt: He was great, for a seventy-year-old man. And again, he didnt give it to anybody else. Ive actually asked that of some of my Jewish friends too. And I asked him about managing the 73 Mets. Or Mark Blum, a lovely man who lost his life to it. Richard Topol is an actor. And so what to do about that? 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). More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Resume Add to list Photos 17 Known for Lincoln 7.3 James Speed 2012 rt: Actually, it sort of timed out pretty well, you know? March 23 May 19, free (donations accepted) And so actually the last few days of rehearsal and through tech, he watched the play like this. Topol was raised in Mamaroneck and lost his father when he was twelve. And then Anita gave us a shot. Photo Coverage: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE After Party. Right. I tapped him on the shoulder during intermission and told him that I had just seen him at the Signature in A. R. Gurneys The Wayside Motor Inn and had enjoyed his performance. Alexander steps into the role created by David in the comedy about a death in the family. twi-ny: If Lukas were still around to see you in the show, would he be happy with your piano playing? For the last six and a half weeks, we have been safe and weve been able to do it. I felt more exposed than Id ever felt before in my life. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. Then we got into the rehearsal space in December. And so, kicking and screaming, it became more and more about my relationship to Lukas and then my relationship to fatherhood. Im just some guy . Like in Joshs play, he was one of those people, a German Jew in Berlin who got out. I tapped him on the shoulder during intermission and told him that I had just seen him at the Signature in A. R. Gurneys The Wayside Motor Inn and had enjoyed his performance. I didnt have it like Danny Burstein; I didnt have to go to the hospital. 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. He came in with his finished draft and we did a reading of it, prepandemic and in-person. It was a total strikeout. And then, of course, a month later, theyre, like, Yeah, were not going to do the workshop in July. 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. Originally from Larchmont, NY, he now lives in New York City with his wife, actress Eliza Foss, and their daughter. I mean, I also shot some TV shows over the course of the pandemic, so all of the Zoom stuff felt more like the way an actor like me connects to short-term work. And for those of us whod been with it for two years, were like, Oh my God, were finally getting to do it. rt: Right. 131 West 55th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves. Photo Credit: Joan Marcus. 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. He shouldnt be a lounge singer. I was in The Chosen a couple of times [Theres a knock at the door and Topol gets up to answer it, then returns.] I know I was a Mets fan in 73, and then we moved, and my next-door neighbor was a Yankees fan. 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). 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