Interview: Alan Safier in Ridgefield

There are some performers who are a sure bet when it comes to doing one-person shows, and Alan Safier is one of them. Later this month, Safier will excite audiences at the Ridgefield Playhouse with his one-man show, Say Goodnight Gracie.

This isn't his first one-man show. The actor, who grew up in Cleveland, wanted to perform since he was in kindergarten and saw his school's second grade play. "Every kid had his own reaction," he recalls. "I remember my response: 'I'll be in the second grade play.'" Early on, his parents took him to a lot of theatre productions in Cleveland, which also has one of the world's greatest orchestras and art museums, both of which he attended. And, yes, he watched television, including Burns. "Growing up as a kid, I was always a George Burns fan," he says, "hearing [from] everybody how funny Gracie was and how Gracie was the real talent." But Safier found that George appealed more to him. "I was fascinated by the fact that he looked into the camera and talked right into it," he explains. "Nobody did that. Looking back, it was so far ahead of its time. "The idea that I would get to be him, get inside his skin for an hour and a half," was appealing.

One-person shows can range from the equivalent of reading a memoir onstage to something that is really electrifying, especially when the performer plays multiple characters. "I see all the one-actor shows that I possibly can," he says. "I learn from the good ones and I learn from the bad ones." The genre has its challenges, even before it gets to the stage. "Sometimes one-person shows are not written by real playwrights. Rupert [Holmes's] script is probably one of the best solo-actor scripts I've ever read," Safier observes. Nominated for a Tony Award as Best play, Say Goodnight Gracie holds a record as the third longest running one-performer show in Broadway's history. "It's so well crafted," says Safier. "It's a pleasure to perform it every night." Other challenges actors face is the concentration. These types of plays keep actors on their toes because "there's no one else there....'You have to be there....' It's mentally exhausting. After a two show day, I feel like I've been hit by a train."

Although Safier never performed with Burns, or even met him, he says, "I've had several people come to see the show [including] one person who worked in his Beverly Hills office and worked with him." He and Sandy Kenyon, who interviewed him and moderated a talk back, complimented him and said he really captured Burns. Safier still records the show to pick up things. "The best compliment I ever got when I was taking my bows and a man stood up and shook my hand and said, "Thank you for a wonderful afternoon, George." Safier remarked, "I really suspended his disbelief" and that people "believe they're spending the afternoon or evening with him. That's what I want to accomplish."

There is more that Safier wants to accomplish on stage besides continuing to do one-man shows. His other solo shows are HUMBUG! The Musical in which he plays all the characters and Joseph's Gospel, a comedic and irreverent but touching story of Joseph and Mary from the father's point of view. "I have three one-man shows in my head and my head hasn't exploded yet!" he says, and "There's stuff I enjoy doing more than others. Everything is not equal. Say Goodnight Gracie is probably at the top." He also enjoyed playing John Adams in 1776 and Stephen in Patrick Marber's Dealer's Choice. He would still like to play Trigorian in The Seagull and Iago in Othello. He played Frenchy in Rocket to the Moon, by Clifford Odets, his favorite American playwright. He would also love to do play Father in Golden Boy and Frank Elgin in The Country Girl.

One important thing he learned in his career is "If you try too hard to please the audiences, they're going to resent it." An actor has to be true to himself. Visit www.alansafier.com and prepare to be impressed. Then book your tickets to see Alan Safier in Say Goodnight Gracie at The Ridgefield Playhouse, on Friday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m. 80 East Ridgefield Road, Ridgefield. (If you are using a GPS, use the address 76 East Ridge Road. Turn uphill onto Governor Street and take a left into the parking lot.) Call 203-438-5795 or visit www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org.