include Arcadia, Sunday in the Park with George, The Ritz, In My Life, and The Invention of Love, the latter directed by Old Globe Artistic Director Emeritus Jack O’Brien. He is the recipient of two Helen Hayes Award nominations and BMI’s prestigious Jerry Harrington Musical Theater Award for songwriting. Rehearsals started just three weeks ago and Turner
notes, “I have never done a one-man show before. It is tough because you carry 100 percent of the show; you are relating and having a dialogue with yourself. In a standard play, one character does the pinching and the other says, ‘ouch.’ I do both the pinch and the ouch; I feel a little nervous.” Turner was attracted to the role when he saw the
“HELLO, by lisa lipsey
SHE’S AFUNNY GIRL, THAT BARBRA STREISAND... In every sense of the word. What is a renowned diva to do, with the decades of memories that light the corners of her mind? Where should “The Greatest Star” put the acres of memorabilia and awards sitting around her Malibu estate? If you’re Babs, you enshrine it in your own personal basement mini-mall and then you pretend to go shopping! Say what? The off-Broadway hit,Buyer & Cellar, is a “totally fictional” comedy about
an out-of-work actor, Alex More and the oddest of odd job offers—to play shopkeeper for one tough customer—who doesn’t let anyone rain on her parade. Soon, the job begins to take a toll on his patience, his love life and his view of people (who need people). The New York Times called the off- Broadway hit “seriously funny—a remarkably sustained slice of absurdist whimsy.” So, here it comes, right here to the land of fruits and nuts! In typical Old
Globe fashion, the talent associated with the show is inspiring: Playwright Jonathan Tolins is the author ofBuyer & Cellar, which won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show and was named Best Unique Theatri- cal Experience by the Off Broadway Alliance. Director Ron Lagomarsino, comes to us after helming Broadway productions of Alfred Uhry’sThe Last Night of Ballyhoo (Tony Award for Best Play) and the Joseph Dougherty/ Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty musical My Favorite Year. But perhaps most exciting, is the arrival of David Turner to the scene. Turner stars as Alex More in this tour-de-force one-man show. He re-
cently starred in the Broadway revival ofOn a Clear Day You Can See Forever alongside Harry Connick Jr. and Jessie Mueller. Other Broadway credits
52 RAGE monthly | APRIL 2015 RAGE monthly Buyer & Cellar,
runs fromSaturday, April 4 through Sunday, May 3.
For tickets and more information, call
619.234.5623 or go to
theoldglobe.org.
GORGEOUS!” DAVID TURNER AND BUYER & CELLAR
show last year. “It is such rich content. Creative, funny, heartfelt; I think what is a surprise to most audiences is they get a little sucker punched. Yes, it is a comedy, funny and absurdist. They can expect to laugh, but it also examines how as Americans, we build people up and we tear them down. Tolins [playwright] is one of the greatest joke writers. His writing feels really good, like water in the desert.” When asked about his dream role, Turner said, “Ac-
acting in “I love
the theatre and I love a challenge. My gift is
being with people.“
tually, I am beyond thrilled to be starring in Buyer & Cellar. This is myMoby Dick. I love acting in the theatre and I love a challenge. My gift is being with people. I am somewhat telepathic with an audience. Gay people have this ability to read the room and look outside themselves. They have always had to do it. I can feel the vibrations, when to push for a laugh, or repeat a word that some may have missed.” Multi-talented Turner also teaches English as a
Second Language classes, to those whose primary language is Italian and is a commercial pilot. “Fly- ing keeps me sane. There is so little power and free agency in acting. As a pilot, I have complete control. While here in San Diego, I will be earning my sea- plane rating and learning how to land on pontoons in the ocean.”
READY FOR A MASTER CLASS-STYLE TIDBIT? Turner revealed the secret to creating comedic
tension: “The best comedic tension happens when the audience can see the point of view of both char- acters, but the characters can’t see it in each other. Audiences have to be able to understand a charac- ter’s motivation. I learned this from watching women like Carol Channing, Lucille Ball, Bea Arthur and men like Groucho Marx and Laurel and Hardy. My best advice to young actors, learning the language and hearing the sounds of 1920s and ‘30s entertainers will open doors forever. Take time to hear the sound in your bones.”
photo by jim cox
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