Interview: Neel Patrick Edwards of THE PRODUCERS at Greenville Theatre

Greenville Theatre continues its "Welcome Back" season this month with a brand new production of Mel Brooks' hilarious, Tony Award-Winning musical, THE PRODUCERS.

Opening September 10, this will be Greenville Theatre's first production to be directed by new Producing Artistic Director, Max Quinlan. The cast includes local favorites Neel Patrick Edwards, Carter Allen, Jon Kilpatrick, and Jamie
Ann Walters.

We asked Neel Patrick Edwards, who stars as Max Bialystock, to tell us more.

---

First off, tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Neel Patrick Edwards, and I am from right here in the Upstate of SC. Since I was in elementary school, I have had a passion for live theatre. I have been lucky enough to perform with many different theatre companies in the Upstate, including the Greer Children's Theatre, South Carolina Children's Theatre, the Younts Center for Performing Arts, and the Flat Rock Playhouse in North Carolina. I am SO excited to be making my Greenville Theatre debut with THE PRODUCERS! I have wanted to work with GT for a long time, and this entire process has been a dream come true!

What is your personal history with this show? Were you a fan coming in?

I am a HUGE fan of this show! I have loved this story and have dreamed of playing Max Bialystock since I was twelve years old! I was first introduced to this show and the world of Mel Brooks through the 2005 movie musical with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. I was instantly hooked, and honestly, I think it made me fall more in love with the theatre than I already was. The flashy lights on the Shubert Theatre, the beautiful views of 1950's Central Park, Max Bialystock's office right above Sardi's restaurant, the elegant opening night dresses... It was all dreamy! If I had my choice of which musical theatre world to live in, it would be this one just for the sake of being a part of the first Golden Age of Broadway.

How are you approaching this iconic role? Do you feel any pressure, following in the footsteps of Nathan Lane (and Zero Mostel, for that matter)?

I felt a little bit of pressure following in the footsteps of those two GIANTS when I first got the call that I had gotten the part, but that quickly went away when I started reading the script. I let myself watch both the 1967 and 2005 film versions one time. Nathan Lane and Zero Mostel both had very different takes on the character, and I feel like I do, too. The whole company has worked really hard to make sure that this production isn't a carbon copy of others, and I think we have done very well to create a unique production. Both longtime fans of the musical and new audiences alike will have a blast!

As far as my interpretation of Bialystock goes, I think that there is a healthy mix between Zero and Nathan, while adding a lot of myself in there as well. You'll see in person that my Bialy is at least a head shorter than most of the other actors onstage, especially the other principals, but that just makes him feistier and more animated, haha! Instead of seeing him as angry or overly aggressive, I see Bialystock as extremely passionate about every idea he has... though sometimes, like me, he can get a little loud!

What can you tell us about working with Greenville Theatre's new producing Artistic Director, Max Quinlan?

Working with Max has truly been one of the highlights of my theatrical career! First and foremost, to everyone, Max is a friend. He is a constant voice of encouragement, and every move he makes is with extreme kindness, love, and with the utmost care for the stories we are telling... and the actors that are telling them. Secondly, Max is the definition of a collaborator. His directing style is unlike anyone's I have ever worked with, as he is big on forming the show together. Any and all ideas are welcome, and he creates such a welcoming, safe, inclusive space to try new things and bring new ideas to the table. THE PRODUCERS is a MASSIVE show that requires a huge team of cast, crew, creatives, and designers. With Max's leadership and encouragement, THE PRODUCERS does not have a team... it has a family. Greenville is extremely lucky to have Max Quinlan move to town!

What have rehearsals been like? What's it feel like doing live theatre again?

Rehearsals have been fantastic! From our very first read-through back in July, any worries about coming back or questions of "Have I still got it?" sort of disappeared for everyone, I think. I think that this is the perfect show to bring us all back to the stage. Because it is THE PRODUCERS, there is so much joy and laughter in the rehearsal room, and I think that our rehearsals (and soon to be performances) are the highlight of everyone's day!

Nothing can compare to live theatre. There is just something about that feeling right before the show begins where both your energy and that of the audience's start to sync up beautifully for a once-in-a-lifetime moment never to be repeated. And to do a big, Broadway musical and add an overture into that equation is absolutely unmatchable.

What do you think makes this show so special?

The show itself is so special because of the laughs and the feeling of overwhelming joy it creates. For starters, it's Mel Brooks, so there are multiple laughs per minute. Secondly, and I think most importantly, this show is about a love of theatre. At our first read through, that was the first thing that Max pointed out. We are telling a story about the theatre and the love that two people have for it. One person is out of touch and slowly losing their love for the theatre while the other person is theatre-obsessed. Throughout the story, it's about a relationship and a bond that is formed between them through the process of creating a piece of live theatre. (Granted, their reasoning is a little questionable, but they are still creating, haha!)

This particular production is so special because of the family of people that created it. Our cast is the most talented one I have ever had the honor of being a part of. Carter Allen, who plays Leo Bloom (the brilliant other half of THE PRODUCERS) is an absolute joy to work with and is one of the funniest people I have ever met. Jamie Walters (our beautiful Ulla), Jon Kilpatrick (our over-the-top Roger Debris), Mitchell Smith (our sassy Carmen Ghia), Evan Harris (our insane Franz Liebken), and the entire ensemble (who really are the backbone of this gigantic show) are all phenomenal. Paired with our great creative team, designers, and crew, each person in the building is working on this show because they LOVE theatre. When you have a fantastic group of people who love the theatre creating a show about theatre, nothing could be better.

What do you hope audiences will take away with them after seeing this show?

My main hope for audiences who see THE PRODUCERS is that they are able to come into the theatre and just laugh and escape for a little while. We have all had a rough year and a half. Things have been and are and always will be crazy. It is such a gift to be able to come into a building with others and share one, big, beautiful, intimate, collective experience together. Let's never take that for granted.

---

THE PRODUCERS at Greenville Theatre runs September 14, 16, 21, 23 (Tuesday and Thursday) at 7:30pm, September 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 (Friday and Saturday) at 8pm, and September 12, 19, 26 (Sunday) at 3pm.

Ticket prices are Adults $40, Seniors $38, and Juniors $30. Student rush tickets are
also available for $20, beginning one hour prior to curtain.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the Box Office at 864-233-6238
or visit the GT website at www.greenvilletheatre.org.

Greenville Theatre Box Office is located at 444 College Street on Heritage Green and
is open Monday through Friday from 11am - 4pm.

To post a comment, you must register and login.