...and all the men and women merely players:
they have their exits and their entrances;
and one man in his time plays many parts,
his acts being seven ages.
-Shakespeare
Painting by Martha Bennett
"In the end it pretty much becomes all about brute memorization and burning calories. You put all the glittery bits aside."
-Brendan Fraser
In 1995 at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, California, Brendan made his professional stage debut as Victor in the John Patrick Shanley Hollywood satire, Three Dogs and a Bone. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan. The cast included Parker Posey, Martin Short, and Elizabeth Perkins.
Brendan made his West End debut at the Lyric Theatre in the 2001 revival of Tennessee Williams' Cat On A Hot Tin Roof playing Brick. The cast included Frances O'Connor
(his Bedazzled co-star) as Maggie, Ned Beatty as Big Daddy and Gemma Jones as Big Mama.
BRENDAN AND "BIG DADDY" NED BEATTY
CAST AND CREW
Brendan returned to the stage at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in ELLING, a comedy based on the novels of Norwegian writer Ingvar Ambjornsen. First made into an Oscar -nominated Best Foreign Language Film and then adapted for the stage by Axel Hellstenius and Petter Naess.
ELLING is the story of a wimpy, mother-fixated would-be poet (Dennis Hare) and a lovable,bearish,former mechanic named Kjell Bjarne who loves hot dogs and women (Fraser) who have been released from a mental asylum and must prove that they can live independently or they will be sent back. Along the way, they meet up with a bevy of colorful characters played by Jennifer Coolidge, Jeremy Shamos and Richard Easton.
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| Dennis Hare (Elling) Brendan Fraser (Kjell) |
Brendan kept his copy of the Academy Award screener of the film because he loved it, so doing the stage version was another part of his dream come true to work on Broadway.
The other part is a little more personal. While relocating to Europe with his family in 1976, they stopped in New York City. Six year old Brendan became separated from his three older brothers and happily wandered around Broadway watching the crowds when the matinees let out. Eventually, a kind-hearted taxi driver drove him back to the hotel where the family was staying. He and Brendan chatted about musicals and theater. Once there, he refused Brendan's money. "He said something to the effect of "I'll see you on The Great White Way, kiddo!" I thought, "Wow! New York is a great place !"
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