BWW Blog: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF's Ben Rappaport- A Break From No Routine

My trip to visit my girlfriend came to an abrupt halt. I had just gotten off a conference call with my agent and manager, 'Get to the airport as soon as you can. They want to test you for the CBS pilot.' I was sitting on a bench at Lambert-St. Louis Airport next to the check in counters, before you go through security. Anxiously, I clutched my backpack and suitcase waiting for my manager to call and give the green light to check in for my flight to LA. They were negotiating my contract and hadn't reached a deal (when you test for a TV show, your contract has to be signed before the screen test. And if you don't book the job, the contract goes in the shredder). I couldn't board the plane until the deal was closed, and the test was first thing the next morning. After an hour of limbo, I finally got the call. The deal had closed! Time to get the ticket. Of course I had already missed the initial flight, and they had to book me on a later one. This was my first exposure to (what I didn't realize, then) the actor's eternal state of in between-ness.

Over the years, I've grown accustomed to the ever changing, come and go, start and stop, hurry up and wait--temporary nature of this fickle world of show business. If there is one thing you can count on, it's that your plans will be interrupted by a gig (or more often, the POTENTIAL for a gig). Weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, holidays, you name it--I've had to skip out early for a last minute audition or job. And the phrase 'when it rains, it pours' truly applies here. When nothing is going on, nothing will happen. When something is going on, EVERYTHING will happen. I have a running joke with my reps that if I'm ever in a dry spell, all I need to do is book a vacation somewhere and something will come up. It can all be quite exhausting and anxiety inducing. Sounds like you'd need a vacation from all of this, right? Well, I'm here to tell you that the greatest and longest vacation I've had so far is being in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway.

'Vacation? What do you mean? Eight shows a week sounds like the opposite of relaxing.' You're right. It's very hard work, BUT at least I know what my week looks like and where and how I'll be spending my days. See, I've been absolutely craving routine. I haven't actually had one since 2008. It's incredibly soothing to me. I've become a regular fixture at my favorite coffee shop as I walk to the theater. They now already know that I'm the guy who called in the chicken verde sandwich with no sour cream and the iced almond milk latte to go. Two girls that work there are huge musical theater fans, and on a recent Sunday called out, 'iced almond milk latte for Perchik!'

It's these little things that are so satisfying. 'A little bit of this, a little bit if that.' The craziness isn't over, hopefully. But, I don't mind the extended stay in Reb Mordcha's Residence Inn in Anatevka.

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Check back next Wednesday for more from BroadwayWorld's latest blogger, Ben Rappaport. Ben can currently be seen as 'Perchik' in Fiddler on the Roof, playing at the Broadway Theatre. Every week, he will answer questions from fans, so be sure to comment below, or tweet him directly at @Ben_Rappaport.

Ben was last seen on Broadway in Picnic with Ellen Burstyn, directed by Sam Gold. His Off-Broadway credits include: Sex Lives Of Our Parents (Second Stage),The Gingerbread House(Rattlestick/stageFARM). Regional: Alex Timbers' original production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Williamstown Theatre Festival). On TV, Ben is best known as the star of the NBC series "Outsourced". He currently appears as Carey Zepps on "The Good Wife"(CBS) and Ollie Parker on "Mr. Robot"(USA). He has also appeared on "Elementary"(CBS). Film credits include: Hope Springs opposite Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carell. The Brass Teapot, Stereotypically You (upcoming), and lead of the upcoming film Landing Up. Ben trained at Juilliard, where he received the Michel and Suria Saint-Denis Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Drama.

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