This upcoming weekend, the Arthur Miller play “The Price” opens a three-week run at Petaluma’s Cinnabar Theater. It stars Healdsburg resident Charles Siebert, an experienced stage and TV actor who is turning his local residency into a second life on local stages.
Siebert was profiled in a Healdsburg Patch article last year, when he appeared as Big Daddy in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse a year ago. We talked about his role as Dr. Stanley Riverside in the TV series “Trapper John M.D.” as well as his direction of many episodes of “Xena the Warrior Princess” series and his role in discovering its star, Lucy Lawless.
This time around he’s made himself available to two Patch bloggers, Karen Pierce Gonzales and Kim Taylor, giving both of the thoughtful and frank answers about the play and his own career.
Gonzales’ interview focuses on the sibling rivalry aspect of the 1968 Miller play. “This work explores the relationship between brothers after their father dies. Victor and Walter Franz have made choices that left them estranged. It is during the process of finalizing their father’s estate that they come face to face with what has kept them apart.”
Q: Do you yourself have siblings? If so (or if not) how does your own experience inform your role as Solomon?
A: I am the oldest of four sons. Solomon resonates for me because of his heritage. He is described by the author as being Russian Yiddish. Essentially, my creation of the character is a channeling of our grandfather, Samuel Rosenblum, of Minsk (in what is now Belarus). My brothers and I have had our conflicts and estrangements over the years but all is well now.
Taking the other perspective, Taylor talks to Siebert about his career as an actor -- Siebert plays eccentric antique dealer Gregory Solomon in the Cinnabar production of "The Price," adding to his lengthy list of roles.
Q: You've had just about every type of gig an actor can have: stage, film, television, soap operas and even celebrity game show contestant. Can you pick a favorite?
A: The stage is the actor’s natural environment. The actor rules the stage; there’s no one to say “cut,” no one to edit your performance, tear it apart and re-shape it. Once you take that first step from the wings onto the stage you own it.
You can find both interviews on your local Patch. For tickets and more information about the Cinnabar Theater production of “The Price” call 707-763-8920 or visit www.cinnabartheater.org
