Interview: Leith Burke Excited to Have DINNER WITH New FRIENDS

Donald Margulies’ 2000 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Dinner With Friends opens April 5, 2024 at the Zephyr for a limited engagement (with a preview April 4th).  Peter Allas directs the cast of: Jack Esformes, Marieh Delfino, Leith Burke, AMY MOTTA, Chala Savino and Rick Segall.

Leith found time amidst rehearsals to discuss some behind the scenes of his Dinner prep.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Leith!

How are your Dinner rehearsals going?

Rehearsals are going great, thanks. It’s actually my favorite part of the process, the exploration and discovery. Peter, our director, has really been letting us fly and I respond well to that. Some roles are close to home, and you can just sort of relax and surf the writing. Some take more imagination and research to inhabit, and you have to excavate your character from the material. This one’s the latter, hard work actually. But the payoff is that if you dig long and hard you might find gold. I need that right now; I need some focus and hard work. The past few years have been unsettling to say the least. I’m surely not alone in that.  To quote my friend Rob Morgan, "Hard work tastes great!”

What aspects of this Dinner With Friends production initially attracted you?

I suppose the team was initially what attracted me, even before the material. When Michael Donovan calls, you pick up the phone. He and Richie Ferris have a reputation as casting directors, and it is one of quality first and foremost. If they’re putting the cast together then you’re going to be in good hands. Then it was the material which I didn’t really get at first. What is this play?  That intrigued me, because I knew it was a celebrated work, I was aware of the title, but I had never seen or even read it. I didn’t understand or particularly like the character… so I was being challenged to figure this out. I like a challenge and I was eager to jump into the unknown and figure it out if they’d have me. I’ve also been letting plays find me as of late. Not chasing them down but letting them come to me. This one landed so I figured it must be next. Trust the theater gods. 

What would your three-line pitch for Dinner be?

"The truth will either set you free, or scare the living shit out of you.”

If you were to submit Tom on a dating site, what qualities of his would you list?

I was fortunate to meet my wife before any of this online dating business so I really have no idea what goes on there, but I imagine Tom’s profile would include: 

Strength/Sensitivity; Success/Vulnerability

Life is a contradiction by nature, and I want to grab it by the balls and go for the ride. Come share this great adventure with me...

What character flaws would you definitely omit?

Define “flaws.” Not sure he has any. 

Have you worked with any of Dinner’s cast or creatives before?

I can’t recall if Michael Donovan (casting director) has cast me in anything before or not, but I know we’ve been on each other’s radar for a while which, to me, is working together.  Everyone else seems to have been together on numerous projects and have this rich history. I’m the new kid and after some initial hazing I won’t go into (show tunes and body paint were involved…), they’ve been great. Seriously, I feel like a stray dog that found a loving home, good people. 

Have you yourself had a situation similar to that of Dinner that you can instill in Tom?

At the core of Tom’s journey is his friendship with Gabe. They’re best friends since college. I’m lucky to have that guy in my life, my best friend from college, so I’ve been mining that relationship a lot for Tom. Relationships are living things, they require care.  I share that with Tom. The other element we share is love and marriage, work and family. My experience in those areas differ drastically from Tom, but my understanding of them helps to inform my choices about Tom even if his actions may be the opposite of mine. 

Was Judgement at Nuremberg your Broadway debut?

Judgement at Nuremberg was my one and only Broadway bow and it was a dream come true. I grew up seeing shows on Broadway. I was with the late Tony Randall’s National Actors Theater and just a joy to be a part of. I was working part time as a reader in the office that cast it which is how I got the part. It starred Maximillian Schell among others and I remember talking to him about Montgomery Clift backstage between scenes. At the time I was obsessed with Monty, I would visit his old apartments and even got to handle a box of his personal affects which they had at the NYC Public Library for some reason?

What do you remember of the first time you stepped foot on a Broadway stage?

I remember waiting for my first curtain call and prepping myself to “stay present, be open and record every moment of this” your first bow on Broadway only comes once. 

I was rehearsing a show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music while that show was running. I really felt like things were finally happening in New York. Unfortunately, I had to leave New York City shortly after that show closed for a family emergency and never returned to live there as an actor. When it was time to get back to work, I relocated to the west coast. 

If financial compensation were not a factor, in which field of entertainment would you focus your talents? Television, movies, stage?

Honestly, nothing is as rewarding as the stage. The challenge. The exchange of energy with a live audience. The degree of difficulty. Shakespeare!!! The skills required. The familial connection of cast and crew. The poetry. The live wire act of it all. I still remember the electricity that coursed through my veins after my first public performance in 3rd grade! I was shaking, literally in shock, and I loved it. Now I deal with it in a better way, but that feeling never goes away. 

What’s in the future for Leith Burke?

I’m really enjoying the animation space. I’ve done voice work on a couple of big titles in post-production right now that I can’t really speak on yet, but that world is just full of play and creativity. Also: no hair and makeup.  More of that please. 

Thank you again, Leith! I look forward to meeting your Tom.

Hey Gil, I really appreciate your time and interest. 

For tickets to the live performances of Dinner With Friends through April 28, 2024; click on the button below:

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