Capturing the essence of Barbra

As far as anyone knows, and most likely it would be known, Barbra Streisand has not seen Buyer & Cellar. But right now, the little off-Broadway show that has grown into a big hit is in her own backyard, more or less, running in Los Angeles as part of a national tour that arrives Aug. 19 at the Curran Theatre. While the solo show's starting premise certainly has sport with the indulgently outfitted cocoons Streisand builds for herself, Buyer & Cellar star Michael Urie believes there is more compassion than derision in Jonathan Tolins' script.

"It's really left up to the audience to decide if they think what is happening is mean or not," Urie said, "and because the play is more an observation than a judgment, I would definitely argue that it's not mean. Ultimately, it's like a really nice, touching tribute to her �" but with some fun."

The impetus for Tolins to write Buyer & Cellar came from the lavish coffee table book My Passion for Design that Streisand wrote and photographed detailing her meticulous home renovations. Specifically, Tolins was drawn to Streisand's description of a little street of faux shops she had built in the basement to showcase the various collectibles she has acquired over the years. It is not, perhaps to state the obvious, open to the public.

Starting with this kernel of truth, Tolins imagined an underemployed actor hired to oversee this ye olde shopping mall who then uses his acting skills to bring forth Streisand's usually guarded feelings. "I come out on stage as myself," Urie said, "and explain that there is a street of shops in Barbra Streisand's basement, and that's definitely real, but nothing else you're going to see is real."

Urie then becomes Alex, the basement's caretaker, as well as four other characters, including Alex's Barbra-obsessed boyfriend, Streisand's husband James Brolin, and the great lady herself. For 100 minutes, Urie shuttles between these characters, having quick-fire conversations among the characters and with the audience. There is no attempt to realistically impersonate the much-mimicked Streisand.

"We wanted to stay away from the drag-show way of doing impressions, which is basically find a few things to hang your hat on, and be funny in-between," he said. "That wasn't going to work for this because it's not just a comedy show. I have to play her in scenes where there is conflict and emotional depth. What I'm doing is more like capturing an aura or an essence, and in rehearsals we couldn't put it into words, but whenever we found it, it was like, 'Yeah, that's it.'"

Before Buyer & Cellar, Urie described himself as "a minor fan" of Streisand. "When I was a kid, my mother was a huge fan, and she's the one who introduced me to Barbra," he said. "She showed me the 1994 comeback concert, and explained to me why people love her so much. Just a few weeks ago, I visited my parents and we rewatched the concert together. I had done a lot of research for the show, but I hadn't rewatched that concert, and I realized so much of what I'm doing I actually learned from that concert."

Going into Buyer & Cellar, Urie was best known as the flamboyant Marc St. James on the TV series Ugly Betty. After that series ended its four-season run in 2010, Urie had a co-starring role in the series Partners. But when CBS cancelled it after just six episodes, Urie was unexpectedly a free agent.

"It was the beginning of the famed and dreaded pilot season," Urie said. "When you're on a show that doesn't last but you get nice reviews, you think, 'I should capitalize on that.' But no, here I am telling my manager that I'm not going to try to get a pilot, but instead go make $280 a week off-Broadway. I said, 'I really think it could be big, and maybe I could be the toast of the town or something.' Thank God I was right."

Urie indeed got noticed in Buyer & Cellar by both audiences and critics, but not even he thought it would lead to a national tour playing theaters far larger than the show's New York home. He turned over his role in the off-Broadway production to two subsequent actors so he could hit the road. "There were certain places, San Francisco of course being one of them, where I thought, I want to be the one to do this role."

After the tour, Urie has several projects in development that include a TV series created by Buyer & Cellar playwright Tolins and a second feature film that he would direct. His first, He's Way More Famous Than You, was co-authored by and featured Ryan Spahn, his partner of the past five years.

As his role on Ugly Betty brought him wide attention, he said he was worried that he could get typecast in "bitchy, colorful, over-the-top characters like Marc St. James, which was a great character, but one that I didn't necessarily want to be stuck with forever." He was also reluctant to take on a specific label regarding sexual orientation, but "queer" emerged as acceptably inclusive.

"Being open about my sexuality, for the kind of actor I am, opened so many doors, not only to playing such a variety of characters, but to being part of LGBTQ organizations," Urie said. "As a filmmaker, having my documentary [Thank You for Judging] play to such an emotional and rapt crowd at the Outfest Film Festival was a true thrill, and to be able to stand at the GLAAD Awards and accept an award on behalf of Ugly Betty was an honor. I'm in a really good place about it, professionally and emotionally. It's worn me, and I've worn it, very well."

 

Buyer & Cellar will run Aug. 19-31 at the Curran Theatre. Tickets are $50-$100. Call (800) 746-1799 or go to shnsf.com.