Introducing Douglas Sills
Venice Magazine
Attention producers, directors, and theater goers... There is a man in town that can't help but be noticed and would be a shame to miss. He has returned from Broadway to delight us with his Tony-nominated performance as Percy in "The Scarlet Pimpernel." This comedic adventure, with Douglas planted firmly at the helm, pits a handful of English aristocrats-turned-super-heroes, against the turbulent French Revolution.
This zany musical could well be called the "Douglas Sills Hour" and, although he will humbly deny it, his tour de force carries the show from beginning to end. Perhaps Douglas was born i the wrong era; he can sing, dance, and act, has a classically romantic appeal and he swashbuckles too! His critics have favorably dubbed his performance "campy," "over the top," and "larger than life," but underneath all those foppish waistcoats and high buckled heels lurks a very serious actor.
Sadly for future audiences, Douglas is leaving the now-touring show after three years, and more than 700 performances. He is ready for a new adventure. One thing is certain: Whoever replaces Mr. Sills as Percy, will have some pretty tall heels to fill.
Venice: Desribe what it is like to 'make it' in New York.
Douglas Sills: When you finally make it to those few square blocks called "Broadway," and you get to open a "Broadway" stage door for your daily job, and become a part of that fraternity, it is every bit as titillating and "butterflies in your stomach" as you think it will be.
V: How did you get to be the elusive Pimpernel?
DS: It was an unusual situation because (being from California) the New York production staff had not seen my work. They tried very hard to cast someone with more notoriety but, after a lot of serendipity and multiple auditions, they took the chance on me.
V: They gamble obviously paid off.
DS: Yes, it's been very gratifying for all of us.
V: Has your characterization of Percy changed much since you first took on the role?
DS: Yes. Percy had chance and so had the production. He has had an inadvertent maturation over the course of the show. He's become more still, more certain of himself, he breathes deeper into the moment...he's more the disappointed man than the petulant boy.
V: How much of that is you?
DS: I would have to say a lot. We have both experienced great ecstasy and desperate disappointment.
V: How much are you ad-libbing?
DS: Depending on the night, the cast, and the audience, I do take liberties. Sometimes it works, sometimes I land on my face.
V: After 700 shows, how do you keep it new?
DS: I'm finding that there is a Zen persuit to find the freshness without having to change the parameters of the script. To keep it fresh each night, I take pleasure in finding subtle, gossamer details that permeate within the boundaries.
V: Does coming from Broadway help put you on the Hollywood map?
DS: Hmmm, I regret to say no. Unlike many years ago when there was a transference of talent, film, and TV, people usually fail to see the relationship between a theatrical enterprise and what they do. I don't anticipate a big shift in my career to film, but if that did happen, nothing would make me happier.
V: Why are you leaving the show?
DS: I;ve been doing it for a long while, and for my health, it's time to move on. Besides, I'm eager to see someone else play the role.
V: Are you going to miss Percy?
DS: Yeah. I think he's affected me in terms of his courage to do something he hadn't done before, and by putting his life on the line. What I'll miss most, however, is the synergy that can happen on a great night and the different people who come together to make theater magic. That's what I'm going to miss.
-Leslie Campbell, Venice Magazine
June 2000
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