BWW Interviews: Mike Faist on A WIND IN THE WILLOW CHRISTMAS at Two River Theater Company

A Wind in the Willows Christmas will be performed at Two River Theater Company in Red Bank from 12/7 through 12/29. Based on the children's classic by Kenneth Grahame, audiences of all ages will enjoy a trip to the wintry wonderland where charming characters including Mole, the Water Rat and Mr. Toad realize the true meaning of friendship. A whole new cast is in this year's show and it has original production elements that capture the joys of the holiday season.

Actor, Mike Faist stars as Mole in the production. We had an opportunity to interview Faist, learn more about his acting career and the holiday performance at Two River Theater Company.

Faist first became interested in acting at a young age. He said, "When I was really young, I watched Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain. I idolized him. I told my mom I wanted to take dance lessons so I could be like Gene Kelly. Born and raised in Gahanna, Ohio, Faist did enjoy early successes in local children's Theater Productions, high school shows and performing in local companies.

He moved to New York City when he was seventeen with designs on being a professional actor. He told us a little about his adjustment to the city. "I was young and terrified. It's completely different than Ohio. People in the Midwest move at a much slower pace and things are not as dire as they are in the city. I almost cancelled it all and moved back until a good friend of mine convinced me and reminded me why I had moved there in the first place."

And, at age 20, Faist landed a spot on stage in Disney's highly acclaimed Broadway show, Newsies. Faist realized that this was an enormous compliment to his acting talents.

Playing the part of Mole has been an interesting challenge for Faist and he prepared for it by doing some "mole research" on Wikipedia and You Tube. He said, "Warren, our choreographer, worked with us on our physicality of these animals in particular circumstances... meeting another animal for the first time, being afraid, how these animals defend themselves."

Faist told us how he enjoys working in New Jersey at Two Rivers. "Red Bank New Jersey is a very nice town and an easy commute to and from the city. The company management team at Two Rivers is one of the best I have ever dealt with. On top of all this, the people here are intrigued with theatre and they want to come. Two Rivers puts on quality shows with quality actors."

Faist believes area audiences will truly enjoy the production. "This show is very new. Our cast has just figured out the essence and journey of the show before our Thanksgiving break. What makes it great I think is that it's honest. These characters can easily be portrayed as over the top and not rooted. What we have achieved, is an extremely entertaining show that becomes honest. The audience will care about the journey of these individual creatures."

Two River Theater Company is located on 21 Bridge Avenue in Red Bank, New Jersey. For information about A Wind in the Willows Christmas and their other performances, visit their web site at www.tworivertheater.org or call (732) 345-1400.

Photo: Courtesy of Mike Faist