Just Chuck On Stage

The Odd Couple

2010-01-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

I've just been cast as Felix in The Odd Couple.

March 12-21 at the Apollo Theatre in Martinsburg, W. Va.

Chuck Walker's Acting Resume

2007-06-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Chuck Walker

Who, What, Where and When

Tito Merelli - Lend Me A Tenor, Apollo Civic Theatre - April 2007
Mr. Stevens, Defense Attorney - Night of January 16th, Apollo Civic Theatre - November 2006
2nd Tenor - Singing Free with Barbara Cook, Kennedy Center - 2006
Horton - Seussical, Apollo Civic Theatre - 2006
Soloist/Chorus - Showboys!!, Lisner Auditorium - 2006
Baritone - Everything's Coming Up Sondheim, Gala Theatre Tivoli - 2005
Man 2 (Baritone) - Songs for a New World, Apollo Civic Theatre - 2005
Freddy - My Fair Lady, Apollo Civic Theatre - 2005
Soloist - Sweethearts of Cabaret, Weston Embassy Row - 2005
Card-Carrying Homosexual - Men In Tights - A Pink Nutcracker, Lincoln Theatre - 2004
Chuck - Wait 'Til You You See Him - An Evening of Rodgers & Hart,
Hammer Auditorium, Corcoran Art Gallery -2004
Albert Peterson - Bye Bye Birdie, Lisner Auditorium -2004
Chuck - Let Me Be The Music - The Songs of David Friedman,
Hammer Auditorium, Corcoran Art Gallery -2004
Poison Ivy - Le Bad Cinema, Local Comcast Cable
Linus - You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Arena Stage -2003
Naked - Naked Boys Singing, Source Theatre -2002-3
Ms. Thorn & Emily Block - Ruthless, Dorothy Betts Theatre -2002
Miss Deep South - Pageant, Living Stage Theatre -2001
Sister Mary Leo - Nunsense, A-Men!, Church Street Theatre -2000
Pirate - Pirates of Penzance, Lisner Auditorium -1999

Elsewhere
The Kennedy Center
Carnegie Hall
Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen
Constitution Hall
National Cathedral
Corcoran Gallery

Elsewhat
Guitar
Korean Language
Gemini
Rocky Horror Fan
Nudity is OK
Monty Python Fan
Can walk in heels
Sordid Lives Fan

Lend Me a Tenor, April 2007

2007-04-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

The Journal's Journal Junction

From Berkeley County:

All adults should definitely go see the current play at the Apollo called Lend Me a Tenor. It is hilarious and very professionally presented. It it truly great entertainment.

Lend Me A Tenor ( APRIL 2007 ! )

2007-02-22T11:54:00.000-08:00

Coming up next in April 2007
Lend Me A Tenor

On the biggest night in the history of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, world famous tenor Tito Morelli, aka “Il Stupendo”, [played by Chuck Walker] arrives to sing “Otello” and raise $50,000.

Mishaps and misunderstandings re-route the plan and set the stage for a wild romp of mistaken identity. Celebrity worship and backstage maneuverings mix with double-entendres and desperate measures. The result - totally entertaining mayhem!

April 13th, 8 PM
April 14th, 8 PM
April 15th, 2:30 PM
April 20th, 8 PM
April 21st, 8 PM
April 22nd, 2:30 PM

At the Apollo Civic Theatre in Martinsburg, W.Va.

The Many Faces Of

2007-02-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

April 2006

Did I Mention I Performed at Carnegie Hall?

April 2005 - My the difference a year makes!

Hmmm, this photo makes me look hippy.

I won! I won!

The Night of January 16th

2007-02-15T11:45:00.002-08:00

Let the Jury Decide
By Samantha Oester
Weekender Staff Writier - The Journal
Thursday, November 9, 2006

This is Walker's fourth show at the Apollo, the last being Seussical: The Musical as Horton. ("I had to gain 1,500 pounds for that role," he jokes). This is his first-ever non-musical show. "There are a lot of lines, and they're hard to remember without a melody," he says of his current role.

Walker says Night of January 16 presents two sides of Rand's philosophies. "There's the take-it-if-you-can-get-it side' that's me. But just because you're a swindler, a harlett or a gangster, it doesn't necessarily mean you?re always guilty," he says. "Then there's the upholding-standards-of-society side' that's Flint."

Gay Men's Chorus of Washington

2007-02-15T11:45:00.001-08:00

After 25 Years, Gay Men's Chorus Affirms Its Name - [Excerpts]
By Adriane Quinlan - Washington Post Staff Writer - Monday, June 26, 2006; C05

Too often, a technically precise chorus pays the price for feeling overpracticed -- its singers become walking mechanical instruments programmed to hit a perfect pitch. Yesterday, however, the Gay Men's Chorus felt every note, dipping into breathy falsetto for such heart-stopping numbers as " 'Til There Was You" from "The Music Man," and climbing back out with a boisterous, huffy tone for such show tunes as "Will He Like Me" from "She Loves Me," which showcased soloists who managed to hit every note and still act out the song's rattling, nervous energy.

When [Barbara] Cook finally entered, her black shift swirling like a storm as she snaked the microphone from hand to hand, she racked up a solid minute of applause by observing, simply, "Myyyyyyy, these guys sing so good."

What the chorus gives to its audience is one part heartfelt musical performance, one part giddy family reunion. Cook welcomed a standing ovation with an open-arms air hug. It was a love-in. At intermission, alumni yelled across the lobby's red carpet to men they hadn't seen in years.

On this day, the audience celebrated not only how the chorus sounded, but also that it exists at all.

Seussical: The Musical

2007-02-15T11:41:00.000-08:00

Rhyme Time
By Jennifer Smits, Journal staff writer

MARTINSBURG - Dr. Seuss may be gone, but his characters are not forgotten.
The Cat and the Hat, Horton the Elephant and a variety of others will come to life at the Apollo Civic Theatre in "Seussical:The Musical."

The show debuts Friday.

"Seussical" weaves together the characters and messages from Dr. Seuss' famous children's books into a musical.

At least 14 of Dr. Seuss' classics are incorporated into the story, which follows Horton the Elephant as he tries to save the people of Who.

"There is something from just about every single book," says Director Lauren Hugg.

Chuck Walker says he was "pleasantly surprised" by the touching moments of the show and says it's hard for him to not get choked up in spots.

"There are a couple of really emotional spots," he says. "Who would think you'd get broken up over a Dr. Seuss story."

He says his favorite part of the show is when the character of Gertrude McFuzz sings "Notice Me Horton" because she is trying very hard to get the attention of Horton.

Journal Junction, News
Tuesday, May 16, 2006

From Martinsburg:

If you want to see a great stage production, go see "Seussical the Musical" next weekend at the Apollo Civic Theatre. Contratulations to the entire cast and to its director, Lauren Hugg. . . . We are blessed to have so much local talent.

Everything's Coming Up Sondheim

2007-02-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

We saw the sassier side of Sondheim as a cast of 16 men performed songs from all 16 Sondheim musicals that opened on Broadway. From West Side Story (1957) to The Frogs (2005) audiences heard some of the most original and well-crafted music and lyrics ever created for the stage. Directed by John Moran, this cabaret opened at the newly renovated, historic GALA Theater - Tivoli.

Songs for a New World

2007-02-15T11:37:00.002-08:00

No review on this, but great music, a lot of work and a lot of fun.

At the Apollo in Martinsburg.

A Gay 'Nutcracker'

2007-02-15T11:37:00.001-08:00

A Gay 'Nutcracker'
by Nicole M. Miller (washingtonpost.com)

The Sugar Plum Fairy is coming out of the closet. This holiday season, the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington is unveiling a new choral version of "The Nutcracker" -- with a twist. "We turned it into a gay love story," says artistic director Jeff Buhrman, who helped write the lyrics to "Men in Tights . . . A Pink Nutcracker."

As the show's 200-plus singers present it, Clara has been replaced by Clarence, who, Buhrman says, dreams he will "meet and marry a prince in pink." Uncle Drosselmeyer is a matchmaker, not a toymaker. And brother Fritz still needs to work on his anger issues.

Hart Felt

2007-02-15T11:34:00.000-08:00

Hart Felt: Gay Men's Chorus of Washington performs Rodgers and Hart
by Randy Shulman

"Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart left a legacy of over 550 songs, which included eight movies and eight Broadway musicals," says Jeff Buhrman, Artistic Director of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington. "And it's fascinating to see that these songs from the 1920s, '30s and '40s are just as relevant in today's world."

The Gay Men's Chorus will celebrate that lasting legacy over the next few weekends with "Wait 'Til You See Him: An Evening of Rodgers & Hart," an intimate cabaret-style evening of song featuring eight vocalists from the chorus.

"Though Lorenz Hart died sixty years ago, his lyrics speak to our age, our times, and especially to the gay community," says Buhrman, who along with chorus member Chip Crews, culled through hundreds of Rodgers and Hart selections to arrive at the 45 highlights chosen for the evening. The bill includes such popular standards as "My Funny Valentine" and "Bewitched."

"Many of the songs, even the classics, are not as well known as Rodgers and Hammerstein songs," says Buhrman, "But they couldn't be any more different. Hammerstein is a sentimentalist. His songs are filled with optimism and wholesome living. His lyrics epitomize romantic love. Hart is sardonic and sentimental at the same time."

Hammerstein's musical style adapted to Hart's lyrics, says Buhrman. "For people who just know Rodgers as half of Rodgers and Hammerstein, it's important to understand that the man was essentially two extremely different and extraordinary composers. Writing with Hart there was a beautiful simplicity to the melodies he composed."

The cabaret is framed around love, from the gay male perspective. Virtually every category is covered, says Buhrman, "from the couple who have been together for fifteen years to the single man on the make to the twentysomething newlyweds to the confirmed pessimist."

Photo by Todd Franson

Bye Bye, Birdie

2007-02-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

'Bye Bye Birdie,' Hello Ingenuity:
Teen-Idol Musical Gets a Makeover
By Tricia Olszewski
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, March 29, 2004; Page C08

It's not easy to pull off the show tune "How Lovely to Be a Woman." With lyrics that ruminate on how excellent it is to have great skin and a rockin' body -- in general, "that happy grown-up female feeling" -- the perky "Bye Bye Birdie" melody is best served by a performer with a strong presence, someone with magnetic pluck and unabashed self-confidence. It requires, in other words, a crooner with real cojones.

At least that's what the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington believes. Its weekend-long production of "Bye Bye Birdie" at Lisner Auditorium presented the 1960 Broadway musical with a twist: an all-male cast. Instead of simply offering men in drag, however, the GMCW decided to switch "Birdie's" main female roles to gay ones. At Saturday evening's performance, the approach proved to be a stroke of brilliance that added both campiness and social commentary to a show that's previously offered nothing but cheese.

Under the direction of John Moran, the story essentially remains the same. It's 1959, and struggling songwriter Albert Peterson (Chuck Walker) finds his shaky world falling apart when teen-dream pop star Conrad Birdie (Brandon Dubroc) gets drafted into the Army. Albert's longtime lover/secretary, Rosie (Justin Zimmerman), is tired of Albert putting his work -- and his bear of a mommy -- before their relationship, but gives him an idea that could finally bring him recognition: arranging an "Ed Sullivan Show" send-off for Birdie in which the rocker will plant one on some lucky fan and then cap the appearance with Albert's as-yet-unwritten new song, "One Last Kiss." Portrayed on Broadway by Susan Watson and in the 1963 movie adaptation by Ann-Margret, chosen fan Kim MacAfee of Sweet Apple, Ohio, here was played by Owen Taggart as a swooning 15-year-old boy -- and ultimate drama queen.

Taggart's exaggerated performance as a teenager who's equally overwhelmed by the jealousy of a boyfriend and the vocal stylings of Mr. Birdie was just one of the many perfect notes in GMCW's entertaining and occasionally bawdy production. The most impressive aspect about "Bye Bye Birdie" was its sheer scale: Whether the award-winning chorus was flooding the stage in an energetic reprise of "The Telephone Hour" or simply heard belting out the Conrad Birdie theme song during the show's overture, its 100-plus members gave depth and power to numbers that otherwise aren't all that memorable.

"Birdie's" humor, already strong with sharply drawn characters such as Albert's melodramatic, guilt-inducing mother (played to wild applause by Jimmy Galdieri) and the Elvis-inspired, gyrating Birdie, received a fresh layer of comedy -- and raciness -- through GMCW's approach. One particularly riotous added scene had Sweet Apple's lisping mayor (Dwight DeKeyser) presiding with a riding crop over a group of leather-clad couples, whose activities were interrupted by a newly single and ready-to-play Rosie: As an instrumental jaunt plays, Rosie crawls under the banquet-length table where the men are seated -- until something gets them bouncing up on their feet in quick succession, like a naughty game of Whac-a-Mole.

GMCW also took advantage of recent political developments to make "Birdie's" portrayal of a world in which sexual orientation doesn't matter especially meaningful. As in the original, Albert and Rosie end up together, though here they head to Multnomah County, Ore., to make each other respectable. The very mention of the state had the full Lisner house erupting in cheers, adding a touching aspect to an evening that was flashy, funny and vulgar -- great musical theater.

Let Me Be The Music

2007-02-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

Show Business Weekly - Review by David Hurst

Following the wonderful cast recording of Listen to My Heart?The Songs of David Friedman, which ran off-Broadway last fall above Studio 54, a new addition to the Friedman cannon of recordings comes to us from a most unexpected source, the Gay Men?s Chorus of Washington, D.C. GMCW has just released a CD of one of their 'cabaret shows,' the self-produced Let Me Be The Music' The Songs of David Friedman and, with the exception of a few sound issues, it's quite wonderful. The singing, especially Jeff Mace?s "Trust the Wind," Jeff Hamlin's "Catch Me" and Chris Cochran?s "If I Were Pretty," is exceptionally strong and the blend of the eight-man ensemble is crisp, clean and invariably in tune. As Friedman himself notes in the liner notes, many New York critics chastised the Listen to My Heart review for its lack of gay themes since Friedman himself is openly gay. And in the GMCW recording, it's revelatory to hear virile men?s voices singing such Friedman classics as "He Comes Home Tired," "Help Is On the Way" and "I'm Not My Mother." Naturally, Friedman doesn't consider himself a "gay writer" nor should he. However, the sensitivity, passion and longing that the GMCW singers bring to his work is a eye-opening lesson in shattering stereotypes, rethinking what is or isn't gender-specific repertoire and learning to hear cabaret standards in a fresh, new way. Let Me Be The Music is terrific and anyone contemplating a Friedman revue won't want to be without it.

From David Friedman, A Song for Everyone
By Nelson Pressley
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, February 4, 2004; Page C10

Composer David Friedman has a gift for uplifting melodies. His songs are comfort food, and they were soothingly sung at Mimi's American Bistro Monday night by an eight-man cabaret from the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington in a show that will be repeated over the next two weekends at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

If you're lonely, confused or worried that you're turning into your mother, Friedman has a song for you. His titles generally threaten heavy-duty sentiment: "Let Me Be the Music" is the name of this piece, which is closely patterned after "Listen to My Heart," the Friedman cabaret that recently played Studio 54 in New York. (A cast recording is available.) "Trust the wind," the ensemble sings in the opening number, "Breathe the air, and know that there are helping hands around you everywhere." With its bright progressions and empowering lyrics, it sounds like Disney, which apparently has already snatched Friedman up.

Pungent he's not, yet Friedman's earnestness typically stops short of bathos. His melodies, rendered with supple energy by pianist Paul Leavitt, continually press forward. Friedman doesn't wallow in emotion or milk an idea, and stage director Judy Simmons smartly guides the performers toward restrained renditions of the numbers. No one sails over the top.

Except, of course, when they're supposed to. Owen Taggart gets laughs singing "If You Love Me, Please Don't Feed Me," and Simmons has the cast camp it up during the sober "Two Different Worlds," pairing (for instance) a Christopher Street swinger with a Wall Street banker to lyrics like, "People said it couldn't happen / People thought that we were wrong." Comic honors of the night go to Chris Cochran: He nails the neuroses in "I'm Not My Mother," turns delightfully bitchy in "My Simple Wish," and delivers "If I Were Pretty" with understated poise.

By and large, the soloists are able, if not quite stellar; high notes are more often finessed than belted, and if it lets you know the singers' limits, it also suits the prosaic yearning of the songs. Jeff Mace makes a particularly good impression, singing "Only My Pillow Knows" (weathering maudlin lyrics by Kathie Lee Gifford, no less) and "I Finally Let Go" with a mellow tone and fine control. The most rewarding moments come via the warm, well-blended sounds when the men sing together in the full-cast numbers that bracket each act -- luscious interludes that make you wish more opportunities had been found for harmonizing, or for adding background vocals. But Friedman's hopeful ballads are mainly built to be sung alone.

Metro Weekly - Arts - Stage
by David Greer

When composer and lyricist David Friedman?s revue, Listen to My Heart, premiered in New York, it was originally intended to be performed by members of both sexes. But the Gay Men?s Chorus has reshaped the evening into Let Me Be the Music: The Songs of David Friedman, and has offered up eight of their finest to bring to life the composer?s lovely, heartfelt works.
Peter Fox?s rendition of "I Can Hold You " is mesmerizing, and leaves you desiring more. Songs written during the dark days of AIDS, such as "Help is on the Way " and "We Live on Borrowed Time, " performed with compelling grace by Jeff Hamlin and Joel Furtick, encapsulate the hope and longing that many of us faced. And "I?m Not My Mother " and "If I Were Pretty, " both performed by Chris Cochran, carry a comedic intimacy that is just plain infectious.

Friedman?s songs are so exquisite a revue doesn?t do them justice -- the evening is begging for a book, and a full production. In the meantime, this rendering from the chorus will do nicely.

Dear Jeff,

Got the CD today and played it in the car. What absolutely gorgeous, heartfelt singing. The voices are just totally beautiful, every one of them, and the songs are sung with such love and feeling. It's a wonderful memento of the show and once again really speaks volumes about the viability of doing my music with a cast of all men. But most of all, to reiterate, I was just blown away by the great singing - please pass my congratulations and gratitude on to all the guys.

xox
DA

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

2003-10-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
Metro Weekly - The cast of six may not be full-fledged pros, but they shine as brightly as any professional troupe in the city. Jim Gruschus is an enormously touching and vulnerable Charlie Brown. When he sings, how can anyone "be as totally, thoroughly, utterly blah as me," emotions well up in us like a water-balloon being filled at a rushing faucet. Chuck Walker is a pert and perfect Linus (and he executes a delightful soft-shoe in "My Blanket and Me"), and Don Garapolo is marvelous as a (literally) larger-than-life Lucy. Eric Belkengren lends a set of gorgeous pipes to the role of the Beethoven-loving Schroeder, though his acting is a little on the rigid side, and Katchke fills things out nicely (makeup notwithstanding) in the thankless supporting role of Patty (she doesn't even get her own number).

Naked Boys Singing!

2002-12-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

Willy-nilly
Naked Boys Singing! - from Metro Weekly
Built around original musical theatre compositions from various contributors, the show opens with a rousing number -- মbsp;?a "Comedy Tonight" -- called "Gratuitous Nudity" that showcases the cast in its collective vocal prowess and full flesh-baring glory. From there, Matty Boyd, Matt Conner, William Cook, Adam Elliot, Alexander George, Garrett Hurd, Dallas Miller, Britton Saffer and Chuck Walker move briskly through a series of solo and group configurations to celebrate and reflect on what it means to be male, naked and, generally speaking, gay.

Conner's comedic skills serve NBS! much better in the cleverly staged "Hey, Mr. Ashcroft" -- a new, tailor-made-for-D.C. composition -- as he bewails his fate as a censored statue that has offended the ?onservative Attorney General. Equally amusing are "Jack's Song" (how many things can you rhyme with the phrase, "I beat my meat?") and "Members Only," a chorale-like tribute to all the words for willies you can imagine.

If Naked Boys Singing! sounds even remotely like your cup of tea, it's bound to please. And if not, I say give it a try just for the hell of it. After all, is ninety minutes in a room full of naked men ever really time wasted?

Nunsense A-Men!

2001-12-15T10:48:00.000-08:00

Nunsense A-Men!
Out On The Town
Footlights
by Scott Shumaker
Habit Forming

Fans of screen nuns Sally Field and Julie Andrews, and their unflinching earnestness, should probably stay home, as the spirited and funny Nunsense A-Men! does serious damage to the sweetly pristine image of women of the cloth. In this parody of a farce, performed in drag, five sisters are determined to overturn the notion that convent life is boring.

In essence, the show is a series of funny musical gags and sketches, strung together (just barely) on the premise of a convent in crisis. As the ladies are quick to point out, tragedy recently befell the Little Sisters of Hoboken. All but five of the 57 sisters died from food poisoning, and the convent only had enough money to bury 48 of them. The rest are frozen in the refrigerator in the kitchen. The nuns have staged a musical to raise funds for the interment of their dearly departed sisters. The Sound of Music this ain't.

What ensues is satire ranging from silly to hilarious to occasionally mundane. There's not much of a story, so the play focuses mainly on the quirky nature of the nuns, and pokes fun at Catholicism. Ambitious Mary Hubert attempts to wrest leadership and the spotlight from Mother superior whenever possible. sister Robert Ann attempts to reconcile her desires to be a star with the spar life of the church. And so forth. None of this is done to much depth, nor is much required. The most believable and sympathetic performance is Rich Aldret's Sister Mary Amnesia, a "truly lost soul," who arrives at the convent one day with no memory of her identity. Aldret's nun is vulnerable and innocent, and his solos, particularly "I Could've Gone to Nashville," are delivered with an sincerity that is surprisingly compelling, considering the overall tone of the show. Sister Amnesia's conflict is the closest thing to drama that exists in this play, and Aldret should be applauded for pulling it off.

Another treat is watching Sister Mary Leo's (Chuck Walker) ballet numbers. Walker is definitely on pointe, and has obviously had some dance training. One could wish for a bitchier and more commanding Mother Superior, thought: Steven Haber's Sister Mary Regina is too timid. Perhaps brandishing a wooden ruler would evoke some audience member's memories of Catholic school. And all of the performers need to project their dialogue more--some spoken lines were difficult to hear.

The play was originally written for an all female cast (as Nunsense), although it's hard to imagine how humor this campy could have been performed without drag. Fortunately, in an admirable burst of kitsch, author Dan Goggin adapted his original play for an all-male cast, and produced it off-Broadway last year. Haber and Rexroth, both members of Gay Men's Chorus of Washington (along with the rest of the cast), approached Goggin about producing the show in D.C., and brought it town.

Every theatrical season needs a lighthearted, campy production, and this (along with The Women at Arena Stage) fills the bill. The play's pun-laden humor is even infectious: one audience member responded to a remark about the two hour-plus performance by saying, "Well, you know... time flies when you're having nun!"