Interview: Theatre Life with Bill Irwin

Today’s subject Bill Irwin is possibly one of the most versatile and flexible performers still working in the performing arts today. He can currently be seen at Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) in his solo show On Beckett. The show runs through March 15th at STC’s Klein Theatre space.

Bill Irwin is probably best known to theatre audiences for his silent clown type characters that have been at the center of many of his productions. A few examples include Largely New York (Four Tony Award Nominations, The Regard of Flight and The Clown Bagatelles, and Fool Moon.

If you have kids, then you most likely have also seen him as Mr. Noodle in Elmo’s World on Sesame Street.

On the more serious side of things, Bill Irwin’s credits include a Tony Award winning performance in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, Waiting For Godot, Eureka Day, and Accidental Death of an Anarchist. That is only a small sample of Mr. Irwin’s versatility on stage.

For those of you that are of a certain age, like me, you can’t forget Mr. Irwin’s small but made a lasting impression performance of Ham Gravy in the movie musical Popeye, which starred Robin Williams. Read on to see what he has to say about that experience.

I said at the top that Bill Irwin is one of the most flexible performers still working today. By that I mean his body can do things that most of us would just say “Ouch!”. You have to be as limber as he is to perform the type of things that he does to be sure.

The works of Samuel Beckett can be a little off putting to some theatregoers. His stuff isn’t exactly mainstream. Bill Irwin has found a way to make the works of Mr. Beckett palpable to the even the most discerning of audience members. I highly urge you to grab some tickets to see this master performer at work in On Beckett at STC. He never disappoints.

Bill Irwin is truly living his theatre life to the fullest.

At what age did it become apparent to you that performing was going to be your chosen profession?

I’m not sure.  The 1950’s didn’t encourage people to think in those directions.  But eventually I realized it was the only thing that I wanted to do and had any real skills for.

Where did you receive your training?

So many places.  I went to many schools and had great and important mentors. But also, like anyone in the theatre, my training is everywhere.  Anytime I see a performer who interests me, I want that skill – I want to emulate

What was your first professional job as a performer?

I guess it was street performing.  I tried some things – in white face makeup – at an art fair in Southern California, then followed people up to Northern California to work at the Renaissance Faire in Marin County.  It was a chance to work and experiment, but it was a way to make something of a living, too.  A heady combination.

Much of your career has involved the art of clowning and playing silent characters. The Regard of Flight and Largely New York are just two examples of this. Was that a conscious choice?

Oh, yes. I was pulled to the silent traditions.  The early films, before there was sound, then seeing Marcel Marceau – and seeing and reading about the great ring clowns, Otto Griebling, and Lou Jacobs.  The language of the body is the first theatre language.  And the funniest.

Along those same lines, how have you been able to keep your body as flexible as it is for your clown type characters as you have gotten older? Do you have a particular daily regimen?

I go to the gym – do exercises at home – soak and steam, and strengthening and stretching.  Then I work in front of a mirror -- see what stays interesting to your own eye, and what you need to work on to make it better for a viewer, someday.

Where did the idea On Beckett come from?

I had Beckett language in my head, from performing the plays and the prose, and it wouldn’t go away.  I came to realize – to my surprise – that I seemed to be some kind of “Beckett interpreter”.  I thought about the language and the writing all the time.  And thought about how it reaches an audience ear and eye.

How do you best describe the show itself?

It’s an evening in a theatre where I can share thoughts with an audience on things that will not leave me alone: Both Beckett’s language and the baggy pants clown traditions -- and places where they seem to meet.

Many young viewers know you as Mr. Noodle from Elmos’s World on Sesame Street. Was this a case where you had to audition for the role or were you offered it outright?

Actually, a wonderful Sesame Street producer named Arlene Sherman called and said she had an idea for a character – a grownup who needed help from kids.  We shot some early segments, then I had to go to other projects – and they engaged Michael Jeter.  Then they called about us doing some segments together – Mr. Noodle and his brother, Mr. Noodle.  We did some of those – (a delight!) – then we each did more solo segments.  Then Michael became ill.   The ones we did together are a treasure in my memory.

You performed in the movie musical Popeye which starred Robin Williams. Can you please talk about the experience of working with him?

Robin was always working on things.  When we played charades at night, he was trying character ideas.  I worked with him again on Waiting For Godot at Lincoln Center in ’88 – he was always the hardest on himself in rehearsal.

Of all the roles you have played and created over the years, which stand out to you as a personal favorite?

The Fool Moon shows we did, in the 90’s – on a good night, that was my favorite time on a stage.

Why do you think Samuel Beckett’s works are still relevant to today’s audiences?

They won’t go away. They keep confounding readers and audiences, but they keep coming back to consciousness.  There’s a meeting of wild experimental writing and old-fashioned lyricism that is oddly captivating, for each generation – all looking at the question of what a human mind is.

After this engagement of On Beckett concludes, what does 2026 hold in store for you workwise?

Mr. Moliere and his 17th Century look at human nature – one of his plays that may get to go forward. Also, my wife and I are going to do some bicycling (On bikes with e-assist.)

Special thanks to Shakespeare Theatre Company's publicity goddess Heather C. Jackson for her assistance in coordinating this interview.