Veteran Hollywood actor Steve Guttenberg says he enjoys life every day and gets his knowledge and inspiration from his late father Stanley. That passion for enjoyment is now on display at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The World Premiere of Guttenberg's 2012 memoir-based show Tales from the Guttenberg Bible runs through May 21.
The new comedy is written by and stars Steve Guttenberg, one of four actors in the fully-staged production. Guttenberg spoke to WBGO News Director and WBGO Journal host Doug Doyle about the new production. Guttenberg says director David Saint (GSP Artistic Director) and producer Julian Schlossberg both agreed his story would make a great play.
"We edited the play down to 68 pages. It was 300 pages. It's funny. It's touching. It's about starting out at 17 years old in Massapequa and Flushing, New York and my parents letting me go out to Hollywood at the age of 17 and start my career. It's meaningful and I think that people will be able to relate to it."
Guttenberg took several years of the entertainment business to focus on caring for his late father. The actor says his dad would have thoroughly enjoyed the play.
"He would love so many parts of it. I think about him all day. He was a U.S. Army Ranger in the 82nd Airborne. He was a New York City policeman. He was an electrical engineer by trade at City College in New York. He was a very learned man, a very masculine, strong and physically extraordinary man and also very gentle and soft. He was full of wisdom."
The new production at the Arthur Laurents Theater at the New Brunsick Performing Arts Center features 90 characters and tells how Guttenberg broke into the Paramount Lot - to his run-ins with everyone from Paul Reiser to Tom Selleck, Kevin Bacon to Merv Griffin.
The other cast members in Tales from the Guttenberg Bible include Arnie Burton, Carine Montbertrand and Dan Domingues.
"It is like a NASA Space Shuttle behind the scenes. They are masters at what they do. They are incredibly experienced actors so I'm very grateful to be working with them.
You can SEE the entire interview with Steve Guttenberg here.
