Veteran actor/singer Lenny Wolpe follows his passions. Wolpe is the sort of actor who slips into myriad roles so seamlessly that one can easily underestimate the consummate craft that is involved. Name a choice character role in a famous musical, and he's played it: Ne'er-do-well Cockney barfly Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady, frazzled Jewish patriarch Teyve in Fiddler on the Roof, crusty Yonkers businessman Horace Vandergelder in Hello, Dolly!, and the jealous Hungarian shop owner Maraczek in She Loves Me. When you're looking for a middle-aged character actor who can sing, dance, and cavort with zesty élan while emitting a contagious sense of warmth, Wolpe is the ticket. He's physically perfect for the type of roles that once went to Tom Bosley or Walter Matthau, but he also fits smoothly into a wider range of parts. The latest addition to his vast repertoire is the kindly but agitated florist Mr. Mushnik in the superb national touring edition of Broadway's Tony-nominated revival of Little Shop of Horror, currently playing at the Ahmanson Theatre. In this musical delight, Wolpe holds his own against fine human co-stars and a brazenly scene-stealing carnivorous plant that not only chews up the scenery but also most of the characters as well.
Wolpe was raised in Newburgh, N.Y., and originally set out to be a teacher of American history. Until his college years, he had never seriously thought about a show business career. "I went to some of the plays in high school," he says, "and was intrigued by what everyone in the production was doing, but that was as far as it went." In college he started helping out at the theatre box office, suddenly found himself cast in a show, and before long had switched his major from history to theatre. "I went through that thing of having to tell my family I was planning to be an actor, which of course is the last thing families ever want to hear," he says. "But I had a wonderful mentor, who encouraged me to give it a shot, so I moved to New York City after college to go after what I wanted." That was some 31 years ago, and Wolpe has not stopped performing since. His Broadway credits include the 1998 revival of The Sound of Music, and he has played countless roles on the East Coast at such popular venues as Connecticut's Goodspeed Opera House and New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse in shows such as Gypsy, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Baby, and The Baker's Wife.
Fourteen years ago, Wolpe moved to Los Angeles with his wife and small son. He felt it was a better place to raise the boy. Wolpe rapidly got involved in television work, and in the intervening years he amassed a huge list of credits as a guest star on sitcoms, dramatic series, and made-for-TV movies. Among the many shows he has played in are The Golden Girls, Crossing Jordan, The King of Queens, Diagnosis Murder, L.A. Law, and Beverly Hills, 90210.
"It sort of goes in waves," he says. "After I appear in a few comedies, casting directors start thinking of me in that vein for a while. Then it shifts for a while, and I do more dramatic roles. But all in all, most of my TV work has been in one-hour dramas." He was a regular in two short-lived sitcoms: Baby Talk (1991), inspired by the film comedy Look Who's Talking, and You're the One (1998), which he describes as similar to Bridget Loves Bernie. In Baby Talk, which stars Julia Duffy, he played a handyman alongside two partners, played by George Clooney and Bill Hickey. In You're the One, he was the father of a Jewish boy who marries a Catholic girl.
Wolpe admits he especially enjoys musical theatre, which has dominated his stage work. In California he has become a mainstay in civic light operas such as Musical Theatre West and South Bay CLO, and in Reprise productions. In his gallery of musical performances, he cites some favorites. "I've done Tevye in Fiddler many times, and I always enjoy repeating it. I love the show and the role," he says. "The Baker's Wife [with a score by Stephen Schwartz] was also one of my best experiences, and I'm thrilled that I will be doing it again next spring at the Paper Mill. I'm signed to the Little Shop tour for the next year, but the producers have been gracious enough to allow me to take a couple of months off for that job. I also love The Rothschilds, which is from the Fiddler creators. It's a great show with a fabulous score, so I don't understand why it is never produced. The five lead characters are boys ages 9 to 13, so maybe that's one reason." Wolpe has also done A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum frequently, playing the roles of the elderly Senex and the neurotic Hysterium at various times. He says he loves this show because it's one of the few musicals that employ the classic vaudevillian style of slapstick.
It's a bit surprising that, with the laundry list of popular musicals Wolpe has tackled over the years, he had never played in the perennially popular Little Shop until he was tapped for this tour. "I saw it once about 20 years ago Off-Broadway when I was still living in New York," he explains. "Then I recently saw the revival on Broadway after I was cast for the tour. Jerry Zaks directed both the New York production and our production. The Broadway version was terrific and funny, but had more of a cartoony edge to it. When Jerry worked with us, he wanted to tap into what we brought to the table as actors. He didn't want us to mimic the performances from New York. We tried to ground the characters in a sort of truth, which I think has been wonderful. Understand that I'm not disparaging the Broadway production. It's just that we used a different approach.
"A fun thing for me is that I am so often cast as a nice guy, and Mushnik is different," says the actor. "He isn't exactly mean, but he's disappointed in Seymour and expects a lot from him and gets after him. It's a little similar to my role as Maraczek in She Loves Me, who overreacts when he believes his wife is deceiving him. I'm also thrilled that they have built up one of the songs in this revival ["Mushnik and Son"]. They've turned it into a sort of Jewish klezmer number, with whole new orchestrations. It was in the original Off-Broadway show but was very brief, just a throwaway song. The audience response to this show is amazing. From the moment the three girls come out at the beginning and start singing, the audiences get caught up in the spirit of the show, and the fun builds from there."
Perhaps because of his TV work, Wolpe has found it less necessary to live out of a suitcase than do other local musical theatre actors, who frequently work in regional theatres or in tours to supplement income from their Southern California gigs. "I've gone back to New York a couple of times to do shows the last few years, but most of what I've done has been here," Wolpe says. "In the summers I often go to Sacramento Music Circus or Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. My wife used to be an actor before our son was born, but now she teaches kindergarten in the L.A. Unified School District. Our son, who is 19, is in his sophomore year at Boston Conservatory of Music, studying musical theatre. I guess it would be hypocritical of us to say, 'No, you shouldn't be an actor,' so we are very supportive. It's a great school for him to be learning his craft. I generally tell young people [not to] pursue an acting career unless it's an absolute passion; do it only if you feel you must do it, and there's simply nothing else you can do. It's a tough, tough profession, but for the few who make it, it of course is wonderful."
Wolpe is preparing to move back to New York after he completes the tour. He explains, "I've always wanted to go back and pick up my career there. Now that our son is in college, it seems the time is right. It's great to have a second shot at doing more of what I really love: theatre. I'm anxious to go back to my roots again. It's where I feel I really belong. TV has been very good to us, and I've had a lot of fun doing it, but it's a whole different ballgame. I will probably still do some TV, but I want to focus more on what I really love. You know, when you are away from something for a while, you realize how much you appreciate it. It's sort of like my turn again."