Marc Kudisch gravitates to the devil whenever the opportunity arises. Direct from playing the serpent who tempts Eve (and two other roles) in the Broadway hit “The Apple Tree,” he slithers into the deliciously wicked persona of Daryl Van Horne in “The Witches of Eastwick” at Signature Theatre.
Eric Schaeffer is directing the American premiere of the musical that he staged for its 2000 opening in London’s West End. Along with Kudisch, the new production boasts Broadway stars Emily Skinner, Christiane Noll and Jacquelyn Piro Donovan as the women whose ideal man materializes as the devil.
“I’m sort of a devil already, so when Eric called me a year ago, I couldn’t resist the role,” Kudisch says, with a chuckle. “He’s made changes from the original show with some new music and script changes. The London production was more musical comedy, while this is musical theater, intimate and edgier.
“I like roles that challenge. It’s always easy to see the surface, but it’s more interesting to look underneath. I seek the moral of the story, the why. Why are there three women? What is the point?
“This story is about the value of women, their self-value and their desires. One of their best songs, ‘I Wish I May,’ comes toward the end of the first act after Daryl explains who they are and what he can do for them.”
Kudisch arrived in New York fresh from Florida Atlantic University eager to become a legitimate actor in meaningful off-Broadway productions.
“Until I got to New York, I thought that people sing and dance because they can’t act,” he says. “Then I saw the musicals and loved them. Since I knew I could act, all I needed was to learn to sing and dance.”
And learn he did. From his first national tour as Conrad Birdie in “Bye Bye Birdie,” Kudisch has starred in many of today’s major musicals, among them “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Beauty & the Beast,” “High Society,” “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” “The Bells are Ringing,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” His performances in the latter two received nominations for Tony Awards and Outer Critics Circle Awards.
His penchant for daring to do the unusual led to his performances in the musical adaptation of “The Wild Party,” “Zorba,” a New York City Opera production of Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” and Sondheim’s “Assassins,” for which he won a Drama Desk Award, his second after “Millie.”
In 2004, he starred as Vincent Van Gogh in Signature Theatre’s world premiere of “The Highest Yellow,” adding a Helen Hayes Award nomination to his string of successes. Along the way, he made a guest appearance on “Sex & the City” and another name for himself as Toyota’s “TV Guy.”
“People will enjoy ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ very much,” he says. “The reason for taking a film to the stage is that there is something left to be said. For me, the joy is the creative process of putting something together. I don’t like long runs, although this is a gig I could do for a while.
“My first number, ‘Daryl Van Horne,’ is one of the new songs written for this show. It’s all fun and we know we’re doing it right if it goes to the edge of entertaining. The devil offered knowledge to Eve. It’s amazing that we look at knowledge as the devil. He’s not lying or trying to trick her. I find him to be a lawful character, not a hypocrite. Everyone has free will and can make choices.”
IF YOU GO
The American premiere of “The Witches of Eastwick,” a musical comedy by John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe, based on the novel by John Updike
» Venue: The Signature Theatre’s MAX Theater
» Times: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and 7 p.m. Sunday through July 15. No matinee on June 9; no performance June 12.
» Tickets: $38 to $63 at Tickets.com
» Info: 800-955-5566
