By Robert Simonson
28 Jan 2010
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| Eric Bogosian |
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| Photo by Joan Marcus |
But it does. Donald Margulies' new play about war correspondents adjusting to a more sedentary existence, now at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, is the frequent monologuist-actor's first Broadway credit. It follows by three years his bow as a Broadway dramatist, when his Talk Radio was revived to much acclaim, and the 2009 publication of his most recent novel, "Perforated Heart." The actor talked to Playbill.com about performing once again in a "regular play," and what he might rant about if he ever did do another of his high-octane solo shows.
Playbill.com: Last time we talked, you were having your Broadway debut as a playwright with Talk Radio. Now you're enjoying your Broadway acting debut in Time Stands Still. Your Broadway arrivals are coming pretty late in your career, aren't they?
Eric Bogosian: Yes. Better late than never. Yeah, in fact I haven't done a lot of plays in New York other that the stuff I've written for myself, solo shows which I did many times in New York. But my play experience I had was primarily before I came to New York, as a student: fourth-wall missing, walking in and out of doors, carrying a drink in my hand and all that stuff.
Playbill.com: How did this role come about?
EB: They needed to have the play heard — read out loud. And I know guys over at the Manhattan Theatre Club, and I know Donald Margulies and [director] Dan Sullivan. I often do favors like that. After I read it with this cast, they asked "Do you want to do it?" And I could do it — I had finished up my 60 episodes of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" — so I said, "Yeah." That Laura Linney was doing it and Donald was writing it and Dan was directing it, those all said to me this was a great opportunity. I'm always looking for ways to raise the bar. I just like things being done well. I'm a theatre guy. And Donald has often written characters who are in sync with what I want to do on stage.
Playbill.com: So you're leaving "Law & Order"?
EB: I am returned long enough to be departing, as are a couple other actors. That'll be in March, in a special, blockbuster episode.
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| Alicia Silverstone and Eric Bogosian in Time Stands Still |
| photo by Joan Marcus |
EG: Well, the fact that I can write novels today is because I have a more regular life. I do think Donald is putting his finger on a couple of things that go well beyond war journalism. The first being that when you have a really stressful job that takes a huge amount of time, it's really hard to integrate a relationship. That's very much at the center of the play. The other thing is that anybody who works as a professional in New York knows that 50 percent of their relationships are totally intertwined with work. Our friends are also people we work with. It's hard to separate that. That's fascinating, because that goes on with a lot of us. At the end of the day, how do you know what a "friend-friend" is in New York? Continued...
