(© Curtis Brown)
Dominic Fumusa has been an actor for more than 25 years, and has been remembered for many years since playing the endearing but irascible Kevin Payton, opposite Edie Falco, in the hit TV series for the first time in seven years. He has created a character that will remain. nurse jackie Baseball player Tudy Kosowitz in the original Off-Broadway production take me out.
But no role meant more to Fumusa than that of Brooklyn longshoreman Eddie Carbone. He is currently playing him in Arthur Miller’s new film. view from the bridge It runs through March 10 at the Long Wharf Theater at the Canal Dock Boathouse on the New Haven grounds.
Theater Mania recently spoke with Bunsa about his longstanding fascination with the character, his personal connection to Arthur Miller, and why he feels this production is unlike anything audiences have seen before.
(© Curtis Brown)
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
How long has Eddie Carbone been on your bucket list?
Probably since I read this play in college, I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been offered a better role in any play, especially at this age. [54]. One of his first auditions when he came to New York was for the role of Rodolfo in Anthony LaPaglia’s production. I didn’t get the role, but as I watched the show and prepared for the audition, I really fell in love with Eddie. I think his role is as strong as Iago or Richard III. He’s a messed up guy who makes messed up choices and pays the price for them.
It’s obvious that you love the character, but what about the play?
Every scene is so contained and so direct that it almost plays by itself. There’s no fat in this script. In a way, it’s similar to driving a Lamborghini. You just hit the road and keep going. Our director, James Dean Palmer, said at rehearsal that the play was great: death of a salesman. At first I thought, “That’s not true,” but now I’ve come to this conclusion.
So I saw Anthony LaPaglia. Did you also see Liev Schreiber and Mark Strong play Eddie on Broadway?
Yes, I was lucky to see three great actors in this part, but I knew I had to make Eddie my own. Mark and Reeve are both amazing, but I can’t see them wearing makeup similar to me, and I can’t hear their voices in my head. Moreover, both works were made quite a while ago.
The play is often seen as a modern Greek tragedy. do you agree?
I agree that the universe is working against him and ends up setting him on a path he can’t get out of. What’s happening to Eddie is out of his control, which makes everything more tragic. What I like about this play is that Miller, like the Greeks, deals with time in an interesting way. There’s a reason his autobiography that I’m reading is called this. time bends. He teaches us that the past exists in the present and that we are all products of the generations that came before us. Personally, I am the grandson of the same Sicilian immigrants as Eddie, and my father would have been Eddie’s age at the time the play was set.it really touches my heart.
(© Curtis Brown)
This is also a play about a long marriage. He has been married to actor Ilana Levine since 2002. How does that influence your portrayal?
We’ve seen versions of Eddie and Beatrice’s marriage seemingly falling apart. And yes, they’re not sleeping together – but I don’t agree that this marriage is over. Annie Parisse and I are playing this because something happened to Eddie. Yes, he is influenced by Rodolfo and Catherine’s relationship. But he is not in love with Catherine. He just isn’t ready to let go of this little world the three of them have created. This is also a metaphor for how the new world and old world collide for him. I believe there is still great love between him and Beatrice.
You’ve spent most of your professional career working with living playwrights such as Richard Greenberg and Sarah Ruhl. Miller has been gone for a long time, so maybe it’s different here?
I had the very fortunate opportunity to perform Mr. Miller’s play. Peter’s network At the Guthrie in 1999, I had the pleasure of meeting Miller at rehearsal and opening night. I thought I would never be able to surpass that experience. But now, when I’m doing this play, I’m really in the room with him every day, and I feel his presence. Sure, he doesn’t change the script with us every day, but it doesn’t feel that different.
Tell us about the new performance space you’re using and how it’s impacting you and your work.
That’s unbelievable. We’re in a 120+ year old renovated boathouse in New Haven, just off Long Island Sound. Not only is it just steps from the water, but it also uses an outdoor balcony and many of the scenes are outdoors. At night you can see boats floating in the bay. In fact, it’s great to be able to see the entire outside world. After all, it’s a great meeting of theater space and theater.But if this work really works, James [Dean Palmer, our director] He told me he had ideas on how to move this to other locations. we will see. I’ve been mostly away from the stage for a long time, but I’m really into the idea of doing more theater.