Local Grandparents to Play in Musical
They will step right into roles for ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas!’ musical
By John Addyman
They’ll have to practice their singing, memorize their lines and know where to be on stage.
But two local actors are already very knowledgeable about the heart of their new roles. They’re both practicing grandparents.
Susan King, 73, of Grand Island and Rich Greene, 67, from Fairport, have been tapped to step into the roles of Grandma and Grandpa Who in the OFC Creations musical production of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” on the Brighton Stage in Winton Place, with the curtain going up on Dec. 18.
It’s a perfect family friendly holiday show.
Greene is delighted to have his moments on stage.
“I haven’t done anything like this in quite a while — a full-fledged show,” he said, a big smile on his face. “I try to bring a positive energy to anything I do.”
He has a background as a guitarist and vocalist in a popular Rochester rock band, local theater productions, 20 years in public education as a teacher and principal and as a busy voice-over actor.
“As Grandpa Who, I’m on edge and cantankerous, a little grouchy but with a good heart,” Greene said.
King has concentrated her considerable musical theater skills in recent years in her one-woman “Babes on Broadway” show in the Buffalo area. She also stars with Bud Mayer as the Vintage Pop duo featuring songs you love to remember and she has done kids’ concerts as part of the Mara and Sue duet, which put out a special “Mara and Sue’s Family Vacation” CD.
“I’m looking forward to meeting new people and actors I’ve never worked with before,” she said. “And I’m looking forward to working in this theater that has such a great reputation of doing good shows.”
Grandma Who is the matriarch of the family. The children and grandchildren love her stories and warmth, her ability to solve problems and iron out difficulties, and keep grumpy Grandpa Who under control.
King and Greene won’t be in rehearsals until November, when they will take their first steps onto the OFC Creations’ Broadway in Brighton series.
Greene started his working life as a guitarist and vocalist in the Rochester rock band Reporter. That group was popular and played almost every night of the week. He’s still part of a three-person group that plays “croon tunes” two or three times a month.
He veered off the band scene to teach kindergarten, third and fifth grades in Dansville for eight years, then was principal at Keshequa Elementary for four years and finished his 20-year educational career as the principal at Fairport’s Jefferson Road Elementary.
Greene has written more than a hundred children’s songs and as a teacher, he loved to sing to his classes. Better yet, “As a principal, I had an audience of 500 people I could do a concert with any time I wanted to,” he said.
On stage, he has done some local theatre with the Genesee Ensemble Theatre, starring as Judas in “Jesus Christ Superstar” and Joe Cable in “South Pacific.” Most recently, he made an acting appearance at the Fringe Festival in September in the mockumentary film, “The Aquatic Enigma of Irondequoit Bay,” about a sea monster in Irondequoit Bay.
A big part of his working life today is doing voice-overs. Through an agency in East Rochester, he gets assignments for radio ads, gathers notes from the clients, “then I write the copy and record it and add music to it from services where it’s royalty-free,” he said. “I produce it and it goes out on the radio station.”
His clients are mostly small-market stations and you can hear his voice on the radio all over America.
Green also does voice-overs for dramatic podcasts and medical technology podcasts. “There’s a mixed-bag of stuff available for voice-over people,” he said.
So how did he land a role as the patriarch Who of Whoville?
“A friend who is a talent agent called me this summer and asked if I’d be interested in something like this (the Grinch show),” Greene explained. “I’m not shy and I’m not proud. I’ll try anything once. I came in and auditioned and they gave me the gig.”
He’s going to add a lot to the production. When the interview was finished in the rehearsal hall, he opened the door for all the kids waiting out in the hall…and said “hi” and “good morning!” to just about every young person who came through the door.
Veteran performer
Interestingly, King was also a teacher, first grade and elementary school music. She has the poise and chutzpah to do one-woman shows. Her experience includes training for the stage at the noted Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute for a year and a half.
She lived in Rockland County and commuted to Manhattan to chase her theater dreams.
“I’ve been doing theater since fifth grade,” she said. “A lot of local theater, some off-Broadway and she was Eliza in ‘My Fair Lady,’ Miss Adelaide in ‘Guys and Dolls,’ God in ‘Sarah’s Gambit’ in small productions. She has worked with O’Connell and Company, the Lancaster Opera House, First Look Buffalo and the American Repertory Theatre.
King keeps busy doing solo productions at libraries, senior centers, restaurants and other small venues in the Buffalo area, where she moved to be near her grandkids.
She wondered about her makeup for the show.
The Grinch is green. Will the Who family be green, too?
“I’ve worn green makeup,” she said. “I was the wicked witch in Wizard of Oz. One night I decided not to take my makeup off after the show and I drove all the way home like that. Boy, did I get a lot of looks on the way home!”
She’s also looking forward to working with kids again. She did a lot of kids’ concerts in her Mara and Sue days and believes she’s good at connecting with children.
“I did a solo performance at a retirement village and sang “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Puff the Magic Dragon.” There was a schoolyard not too far away and they heard the music from my speakers and were dancing,” she said. “It’s always fun to do shows for families. I hope my grandchildren will come to see this.”
She found out about the Grinch role in the Western NY Actors Helping Actors page in Facebook; applied for the role and was called into Brighton for an audition…and was chosen.
In the interview, King and Greene had so much in common they began an obvious friendship that promises to play out well onstage.
“How The Grinch Stole Christmas!” will debut on Dec. 18 with curtains up at 7:30 p.m. The show plays through Jan. 4, Thursday through Sunday (except for Christmas day), with two shows on Saturdays.
Tickets are available at 585-667-0954 or at OFCCREATIONS.COM