Five Nights Only: ATWT’S Park Goes Back To The Boards
Starting on Thursday, February 7, AS THE WORLD TURNS’s Michael Park (Jack) will appear the 1970 Tony-Award-winning hit musical Applause, as part of New York City Center Encores! series. “It’s one of those opportunities that you can’t pass up. They’ve got a who’s-who cast: Kate Burton, Chip Zien, Christine Ebersole, Tom Hewitt — all of these Tony Award-winners [and nominees]!” reports an awed Park. “And Mario Cantone is in it as well. He’s hysterical. He plays her gay best friend and stylist, if you will.” The actor snagged the part in the five-performances-only production after missing the first audition. “I could not make the time that they had planned for the artistic team to be together and I kind of had to turn it down but my agent worked her butt off to get them together just to see me. I thought that was incredible. I worked extra hard on the material so I didn’t embarrass anybody and it all worked out great. I’m so happy to be a part of this and to be resurrecting a side of me that has been idle for so long. I’m very pleased and fortunate to be a part of it.”
Applause is based on the Bette Davis movie All About Eve, with Ebersole in Davis’s role, Margo Channing. “I play Bill Sampson. He’s a director and Margo Channing’s lover/boyfriend/wannabe husband,” says Park. “Eve is sleeping her way to the top and there’s a lot of carnage in her wake. Bill initially doesn’t see the signs, but Margo does. It’s only after a number of arguments with Margo where he labels her paranoid that he sees that Eve is doing these awful things. Having played the good guy for so many years coming down a little bit hard on the woman he loves is kind of second nature to me,” he laughs. “He has to go back towards the end and eat a little crow.” The performances are from February 7-10 and tickets are still tickets available; go to www.nycitycenter.org for more information and to watch a behind-the-scenes video featuring Park — in which he dishes about “making out” with Ebersole — as well as the rest of the cast.
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