Brad Oscar

DM) Brad, you're in "The Producers" - the role that Nathan Lane made famous. I left the show thinking one big question. It's a bit delicate to ask, but I'll try my best. See, when I was leaving the theater, I heard one patron say, "He looks just like Nathan Lane." Another one said, "He's not as good as Nathan." It's not only tough enough to take over a role, but you're taking over the biggest role in Broadway history.

BO) Luckily, I've been able to get over a lot of that. I'm only able to do what I can. I learned a lot about how to play the role by working with Nathan. I was there and I saw it all happen. Plus, I know that I remind people of Nathan and a lot of that is who I am. That's where I am right now, because of those echoes and colors, so I just go out there now that I rarely am haunted by that. I think I'm doing my own thing and people are going along for the ride. People are going to want to compare, or they're going to be unhappy that they didn't see the original, but there's nothing that I can do about that. It is special material and we're lucky to be able to do a great show every night.

DM) Are you able to bring you to this character and separate from Nathan?

BO) I think I am. I know that I am. I think over the past two years, I've made it my own. I've come away from the echoes of Nathan in my head all the time.

DM) But, then, again you were influenced by Nathan.

BO) Somehow it all comes together and it adds up to what I'm doing out there. I hope that people are still having fun and enjoying the show.

DM) Did it take a period of time to get into it yourself?

BO) Originally, when I was the understudy for the first year, I would jump in when Nathan was sick and I was able to get into it then. When I first took over the role, I felt like I had a good grip on it. It's a lot to get into your body. The nice thing is that a lot of it is muscle memory in some respect. After doing it eight times a week it makes it easier to do in many ways. I feel like I can work on myself and you know the maturity works. All we have to do is bring the characters to life.

DM) Doing eight shows a week, is every show different?

BO) Absolutely. That's the great thing about live theater and the great thing about a show that's fed by the audience's reaction. It doesn't depend on it, but it's fed by it. It's a constant exchange of energy. Every night is going to be different and every night the audience's reaction is different. There are nights when the audience is a little tired and they're not as vocal; that's different. We have the luxury, as well, since we're trusted by the creative team to bend it a little bit so it definitely breathes every night.

DM) How does the audience change the show?

BO) It's the energy coming back to us. Not that it changes what we do exactly, but it's different between an audience that is respectably laughing and one that is with it and on top of it. As an actor, being a professional that is so personal and, yet, so subjective, it's tough. Of course, when you feel that you're getting more approval, love and generosity, it makes me feel great. It's a great feeling as opposed to those nights where they're not laughing as much. I don't think somebody watching the show for the first time would ever catch on.

DM) While it's rote to some degree, as you mentioned, it's muscle memory, you're thinking the whole time too.

BO) Yes, exactly. You're watching and saying, "Why didn't that get a laugh?" You can't answer those questions. You stay in the moment and you tell the story. All those basic things that you can lose focus on, but I've gotten to the point that I've learned that those thoughts get in the way of the job we're here to do.