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January 22, 2006
'West Wing' regular takes George St. stage
by Bill Westhoven
Daily Record
Richard Schiff hasn't yet turned in his "West Wing" credentials, but his character, White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler, has already been shown the door. And the Emmy-winning actor isn't wasting any time looking for new challenges.
He's found a big one at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, where he'll star in "Underneath the Lintel,"which opens Tuesday.
Like the thrill seeker who conquers a fear of death by standing in harm's way, Schiff, who has yet to conquer his fear of acting, is facing it head-on by starring in this one-man drama.
With only 12 days of rehearsal.
Three of which he lost to strep throat.
During a phone interview conducted just before Christmas from a Manhattan rehearsal studio, Schiff was also suffering from the holiday blues and the loss of a dear friend.
"I'd much rather have been with my family at Christmas,"he said. "And I'd certainly much rather be back in L.A. this past week, when John Spencer (who played Leo McGarry on 'The West Wing'and died Dec. 18) passed. They (the 'West Wing' cast) all gathered at John's house for his birthday last night, and all I wanted to do was be there."
To accommodate his schedule, rehearsals for the play have taken place in both New York and Los Angeles.
"The schedule we chose is insane," he said. "I'd be ready to show it to people around March, even though it closes in February."
But after a long search for the right project, Schiff found something in Glen Berger's drama that demanded his interest. He plays a Danish librarian who, after finding a book that was overdue for 113 years, embarks on a life-changing journey, with mystical and spiritual implications.
"Underneath the Lintel"slipped by many theater fans after its ill-timed premiere in New York in September 2001, so this revival in New Brunswick, with Schiff's high profile on board, is sure to attract a great deal of attention.
"In the most simple terms it's a journey, a heroic journey by an unlikely hero," he said. "Some people quest after the Holy Grail, others after a Super Bowl ring. This guy's quest is a little more personal and a little more mysterious."
For Schiff, it's a return of sorts to his stage roots, which he doesn't recall with fond nostalgia.
"I hated being on stage," he said. "I got a job on my first audition, got paid $35 a night for a play in Brooklyn called 'Blues for Charlie.' I hated it. I had to warm up for an 8 o'clock performance starting at noon."
But he gradually built up a resume as a character actor in films ("Seven,""Jurassic Park: The Lost World," more recently "Ray") and television. He joined "The West Wing" in 1999 and won an Emmy in 2000 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama.
As the seventh season focuses on the race for a new president, the former hit show's red-ink ratings don't bode well for the new administration. Either way, Toby is a goner.
"I think the Toby story (he was fired and faces indictment for leaking classified information) pretty much ended when he was booted out of the White House," Schiff said.
"I've been wanting to leave for a while. I love it. I love everyone on it. At times I think it was the best show on television. But it's different now, and it's been different for a few years. I'm sure whoever owns it might want to make some more money on it or, out of pride, see where it goes with a new administration. But it's not my 'West Wing,' so I don't have any interest in it. I don't want to do it without John Spencer."
And what's in store for Toby before the final curtain call?
"You mean to hang him in jail or something?" he joked. "I think what they've already done is that Josh and Toby's connection can't die. They find a way to communicate, even though it's not cool to be talking to a felon."
So it seems Schiff will avoid federal prison, although starring in a one-man show is no day at the beach.
"The idea of being alone on stage for however many minutes is not a fun idea to me," he said. "I don't know if it's going to be brilliant or what, but you want to do in your career what fascinates you, what puts you on that rail."
Posted by Jo at January 22, 2006 06:23 PM