The Herald-Palladium, 12/10/2009

Just a good ol’ boy? Think again

Broadway star Tom Wopat continues to surprise with post-’Dukes of Hazzard’ career

By JEREMY D. BONFIGLIO
H-P Features Writer

THREE OAKS - The iconic television series “Dukes of Hazzard” has long been in Tom Wopat’s rearview mirror.

Since the series ended in 1985, the actor who today is known more for his smooth baritone voice than his plaid shirts and blue jeans, has recorded nine albums and become one of Broadway’s most sought-after leading men.

That still doesn’t stop fans, however, from asking Wopat about the role that sent him tearing around fictional Hazzard County, Ga., in a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T.

“I probably get asked about the show about four or five times a week,” Wopat says by telephone from Cincinnati, where he most recently starred as Billy Flynn in the Broadway touring production of “Chicago.” “If they ask about it or don’t ask about it, I really don’t mind either way. Of course it used to be a problem when I’d get those guys who would come up and want to arm wrestle Luke Duke, but luckily that doesn’t happen too much anymore.”

At 58, Wopat - who still looks capable of slipping into a car without ever opening the door - feels most at home maneuvering around a stage. He’s been performing the Billy Flynn role in “Chicago’s” touring revival off and on the past five years; is slated to return to Broadway next year in the revue “Sondheim on Sondheim” as well as the highly anticipated musical “Catch Me If You Can”; and has scheduled a number of cabaret performances, including Saturday’s stop at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, in support of his new CD “Consider It Swung.” The latest project in his trio of CDs featuring jazz and pop standards includes classics such as “Ode To Billie Joe” and “Deacon Blues” as well as Wopat’s original “Thailand Sea.”

“There has to be some kind of meaning behind ever song I record,” Wopat says. “But I really love performing live, just the immediacy of it. The fact that it’s alive, you know? If you have to sneeze, you sneeze. Nothing else for me is as close to real life.”

Wopat, a Wisconsin native, started singing and dancing in high school musicals, and went on to study voice at the University of Wisconsin. He had already made his Broadway debut, in 1977’s “I Love My Wife,” when he got the job as Luke Duke in the popular CBS TV series “Dukes of Hazzard.” The series about two cousins who thwarted the schemes of the corrupt county commissioner while evading his inept county sheriff ran from 1979 to 1985 before it was cancelled.

“I went into it not knowing what to expect,” Wopat says of the series. “The biggest challenge for me was adapting to being on camera because I’d never really done it before. But it was a lot of fun. I mean, we were playing Cowboys and Indians every day. When the show ended, I think it took me a couple of years to remember that I didn’t really want to be a TV star. When I did, that’s really what saved me.”

After dabbling in a country music career on the heels of “Dukes of Hazzard,” Wopat rediscovered his penchant for musical theater as a replacement in “City of Angels” and “Guys and Dolls” before landing the role of Frank Butler in the opening cast of the 1999 revival “Annie Get Your Gun” opposite Bernadette Peters, Susan Lucci and Reba McEntire. Wopat was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance.

He has since appeared in revivals of musicals “Chicago,” “42nd Street” and the Tony-winning (for Best Revival of a Play) drama “Glengarry Glen Ross.” Last year, Wopat appeared in Harvey Fierstein’s original musical “A Catered Affair,” which earned him his second Tony nomination.

“I hate to lose,” Wopat says. “I’m really competitive so I don’t want to seem like that guy even though I am that guy. The Tony nominations are nice because it recognizes your work, but I’d really like to win one - just want one to stick on the wall.”

Wopat may soon have that chance. He’s already been cast as Frank Abignale Sr. in the highly anticipated musical version of “Catch Me if You Can” based on the 2002 film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DeCaprio. The musical production debuted last summer at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle and is rumored to open on Broadway as soon as summer 2010.

“If you’ve seen the movie, I play the Christopher Walken character,” Wopat says. “He’s a complicated guy whose career is on the decline. For whatever reason, I’ve been cast as the guy on the decline,” he adds, laughing. ” … (the play) is going to happen. It’s just a matter of when.”

Wopat also is one of eight cast members tapped for James Lapine’s “Sondheim on Sondheim,” a musical revue featuring brand-new arrangements of more than two dozen Sondheim tunes, ranging from the beloved to the obscure. The cast, which also features such Broadway notables as Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Leslie Kritzer and Michael Arden, will begin preview performances in March at Studio 54 in New York.

“I’d never done Sondheim,” Wopat says, “and as my agent said, ‘How many chances are you going to get?’”

Despite a rather full theatrical slate, Wopat still finds time to write the occasional original song - although he’s since ditched country for a more cabaret-friendly style. His more recent recordings also have showcased Wopat as a purveyor of standards, most notably on the 2005 compilation “Dissertation on the State of Bliss” that featured a collection of songs penned by “Over the Rainbow” composer Harold Arlen.

Wopat’s recent release, “Consider It Swung,” is a 14-track compilation that includes such tunes as “Natural Man,” “You Fascinate Me So,” “But Not For Me” and “That’s Life.” The bulk of Saturday’s set will highlight songs from both albums as well as Wopat’s 2001 CD, “My Favorite Broadway.” He’ll be backed by pianist Ted Firth - who created many of the arrangements - drummer Peter Grant and bass player Ed Howard.

“These cabaret shows are the most exposed performances I ever do,” Wopat says. “Every song I sing has a reason behind it, and if there’s a good vibe, there’s going to be moments that night that will never happen again. That’s really when there’s no other place I’d rather be.”