Doug Kreeger: “I am attracted to dark characters, but also to characters who are emotionally complex”

ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE took part or 2005 New York Musical Festival and received its world premiere last summer in Alexandria, Virginia. After these successful productions, ROOMS opened officially on March 16th at Off Broadway New World Stages.

Paul Scott Goodman is the composer of this brand new musical, and he is also the author of the book with Miriam Gordon. Scott Schwartz directs.

Doug Kreeger has been involved with ROOMS and with its mail character, Ian, since last year. Kreeger tells us more details about the show and about his musical theatre career.

TO PEOPLE THAT HASN’T KNOWN ANYTHING ABOUT THE SHOW, HOW WOULD YOU INTRODUCE ‘ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE’?
ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE is a simple, emotional, rocking, rollicking, two-person musical journey about two very opposite, odd, Scottish kids who fall in love through a series of circumstances in Glasgow, London, and New York City.

‘ROOMS’ IS A TWO-CHARACTER PIECE. YOU PLAY THE ROLE OF THE BOY, IAN WALLACE. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE HIM? WHAT APPEALS YOU THE MOST OF THIS ROLE?
Ian is an agoraphobic, alcoholic, guitar-playing songwriter who enjoys nothing more than sitting in his room drinking and living in his music. The character appealed to me most because of his many dimensions. I am attracted to dark characters, but also to characters who are emotionally complex.  I also love challenges as an actor, and being that i am neither agoraphobic, nor alcoholic, nor a guitar-player, nor Scottish, the role of Ian was one of the biggest challenges I could face.

YOU´VE BEEN IN ‘ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE’ SINCE ITS WORLD PREMIERE. HOW THE SHOW HAS EVOLVED SINCE THEN? ARE THERE ANY DIFFERENCES IN THE CURRENT OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTION?
The biggest difference is a new co-star, Leslie Kritzer. Because of this, she and I have found all sorts of new and wonderful moments throughout the show.  Paul Scott Goodman has added some new musical sequences that brilliantly clarify the breakdown of Ian and Monica’s relationship. Additionally, our lighting, set, and costumes have all been redesigned by the original creative team.

AS YOU HAVE SAID, LESLIE KRITZER PLAYS THE ROLE OF MONICA IN THE OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTION, BUT IN THE WORLD PREMIERE YOUR PARTNER WAS NATASCIA DIAZ. WHAT A DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE TO PLAY YOUR ROLE WITH DIFFERENT ACTRESSES? IT AFFECTS IN ANY WAY AT YOUR PERFORMANCE?
It has affected my performance in various ways.  I always learn so much from my costars.  Leslie is so adept at comedy, and is so in control of her energy. It’s fascinating to live and breathe and learn with her every night. I’ve been lucky enough to have three chances to rehearse this show, so I’ve tried to deepen my performance every time.

PRESS HAS COMPARED THE SHOW WITH OTHER CULT MUSICALS AS ‘RENT’, ‘SPRING AWAKENING’ OR ‘THE LAST 5 YEARS’. DO YOU MIND THESE COMPARISONS? WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE MAIN INFLUENCES OF ROOMS, IF ANY?
I think any comparison to a hit show is a positive thing, if it helps sell tickets. I think the tone is similar in its emotional rawness, but ultimately these are all very different shows. Paul Scott Goodman based the show partially on his life experiences, and partially on his brilliant, poetic, fictitious creativity. He actually based the role of Monica on himself, and Ian on his writing partner growing up.

WHAT´S THE SCORE TO ROOMS LIKE? HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE MUSIC COMPOSED BY PAUL SCOTT GOODMAN?
The score is a wide range of rock music, which I feel appropriately affects the action throughout the show. When we’re in Glasgow, the music is more raw. When we’re in London, dealing with the punk and new wave explosion, the music reflects that. When we move to New York City, the music has a more straightforward Rocknroll/Motown vibe. Still, the music reflects our emotional journey, and towards the end it really becomes a rock opera being almost totally sung-through.

‘ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE’ IS DIRECTED BY SCOTT SCHWARTZ, RESPONSIBLE OF OTHER SUCCESSFUL OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTIONS LIKE ‘BAT BOY’ OR ‘TICK… TICK.... BOOM!’. HOW IT HAS BEEN WORKING WITH HIM AS A DIRECTOR?
Scott is truly an actor’s director in that he understands and encourages the actors’ process. He was always encouraging me to dig deeper and bring more raw emotion to the surface. He is flexible, understanding, intelligent, professional, and most importantly, knows how to keep a schedule and use everyone’s time effectively. He is one of the best directors I’ve ever worked with.

YOU STARRED IN THE OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF THE MUSICAL ‘THRILL ME: THE LEOPOLD AND LOEB STORY’. YOU RECEIVED VERY GOOD REVIEWS FOR YOUR PERFORMANCE OF RICHARD LOEB, ONE OF THE MOST RENOWNED CRIMINALS IN AMERICA. WAS THAT ONE OF YOUR MOST CHALLENGING ROLES?
It’s interesting that you bring up THRILL ME, being that this was another two-person show. Because of this degree of exhaustion, the subject matter, and the dark character of Richard Loeb I would agree that this was one of my most challenging roles. That said, it’s my job to identify with the character.  ultimately, to a certain extent, I could understand why Loeb did what he did.

YOU MADE YOUR BROADWAY DEBUT IN THE 2006 REVIVAL OF ‘LES MISÉRABLES’. WHAT DID IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE ON BROADWAY AND HOW DID YOU LIVE THIS EXPERIENCE?
LES MISERABLES has always been one of my favorite shows and it contributed very strongly to my desire to pursue a career as a musical theatre actor. The music is spectacular and the show is perfectly constructed. When I first saw the national tour as a teenager, i better understood how musicals could move people in a very real and emotionally raw way. I felt very lucky to be making my Broadway debut in a show that I loved performing every night. It was icing on the cake that the original creative team was coming back to re-stage the production and the cast was full of performers I had idolized and respected for many years. And being on Broadway was fulfilling a life-long dream for me. The Broadway community is a family I am very happy to be a part of.

YOUR THEATRE CREDITS INCLUDE THE ROLES OF DANNY ZUKO AND BERGER IN THE INTERNATIONAL TOURS OF ‘GREASE’ AND ‘HAIR’. HOW DO YOU REMEMBER THESE PRODUCTIONS? DO YOU KEEP GOOD MEMORIES OF THESE SHOWS?
HAIR and GREASE gave me the incredible opportunity to tour Germany, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Austria. Both shows have an incredibly strong following in Europe and we were treated like rock stars. I look fondly at that year of my life as a period of growth, partying, and love.

THROUGH YOUR CAREER YOU HAVE COLLABORATED WITH MANY THEATRICAL ARTISTS, SUCH AS CHITA RIVERA, DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA, LEA SALONGA, JUDY KUHN, ALEXANDER GEMIGNANI, TERRENCE MCNALLY... WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR WORK WITH THESE PROFESSIONALS?
I truly believe that musical theatre is the most collaborative art in the world. You have many different people all working towards one shared goal. My time with these varied theatrical artists showed me how differently people collaborate, both successfully and unsuccessfully. It’s all a give and take… The more you’re willing to give, the more you’ll get.

Leslie Kritzer and Doug Kreeger in a ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE scene