Michael Carbonaro: Renaissance Man Bares All

Photos: Brad Walsh

GREAT WHITE GAY: Broadway Boy Blogger Justin here with another theater interview. Last time we spoke with Jesse Vargas, musical director extraordinaire. This week I was lucky enough to have a chat with Michael Carbonaro.

A TV/Film actor, magician, comedian, and horse breeder (just kidding, I think…) you may remember Michael from Another Gay Movie… he was the super cute star! Now, I’m talking about the original, mediocre one, not the sequel which I saw last weekend, while drunk, and still found intolerable. He wasn’t in that one.

Anyway, Michael is currently performing in an Off-Bway revival of Sophistry, a return to the stage after his successful debut as the lead character in the smash comedy Jewtopia.

So you’re in this Off-Broadway revival, Sophistry, tell me a bit about it.

Sophistry went up originally in 1993 with Ethan Hawke and Calista Flockhart.  It’s the story of college life in 1991, interrupted by a scandal; a student accuses his teacher of sexually molesting him.  The ‘night in question’ is shown to the audience through two different perspectives, that of the teacher and that of the student.  The two contrasting tales serve as a framework for an exploration of truth and it’s inconsistencies within the sexual relationships of all of the play’s characters. Oh, and it’s a comedy.

I’m laughing already… and how did you get this part?

The casting director molested me.

Lucky!

I tease.  I read the script and I REALLY wanted the part.  I play the student, and he’s real messed up… I had to dip into some ugly stuff.  The morning of the call-back, I destroyed a wooden desk chair in my apartment while rehearsing… just freaking out, screaming, and breaking it to bits.  Would I have gotten the part if I didn’t do that?  I don’t know.  It certainly woke up some behavior, I’ll tell you that.  It was worth it.  Except, well, now i don’t have anywhere to sit.

I was told that you’re practically naked in the show (as the Homo-Neurotic readership sprints to buy tickets) – excited? Nervous? Validated?

Flesh onstage is powerful medicine. In the version where I’m messed up on drugs, it’s surprising how easy it is to just tear off all my clothes.  Then later, during the more innocent version, it’s actually quite uncomfortable.  I try not to think about it, Otherwise I think if I realized what I was doing, I’d stop.  Next question please.

Last thing I want to do is stop your creative, mostly naked journey. So… I heartell you’re a film actor, TV actor, magician, stand up comedian… and now a stage actor. I’m going to be a bitch right now – you have to pick one for the rest of your life – which?

I’ve recently labeled myself a “Performance Bizzarist” because i think that anything I’ve ever done can fall under that umbrella.  There is always something odd about whatever work I’m doing.  I do a partnered needle swallowing piece, I have another where I cover myself in shaving cream and sculpt myself into different creatures. Even my stand-up comedy routines are bizzare little deconstructions.  Honestly, all my roles and projects tend to have something ‘off’ about them in some way.  I’ve just always been that weird kid, you know, the one playing dress up and eating bugs.  So I guess, to answer your question though… Magician.  I’m always the magician.

Why?

I can’t tell you.  I’d be giving away the secret.

Damn you! I’ll just watch that Magic Secrets Revealed show on My 9. Speaking of, what’s the greatest magic trick you ever saw? And the worst?

David Copperfield’s Death Saw.  It is a gorgeous theatrical story.  He poses it as an escape, but something goes wrong and he is visibly severed in two by a six foot spinning buzz saw.  He turns back time to reverse the accident and escape death.  It’s perfect.

The worst?  Oh man, there are so many.  Anytime someone wants to show me that card trick, you know, the one with the three rows of cards, and you have to identify which row your card is in, three times, and then the magician can find your card after counting them out into a bunch of piles and am I still talking or did we both fall asleep?

Okay. Now let’s get personal… Tell me a magic trick horror story of your own.

That would have to be the time I accidentally slammed my hand onto the point of a butcher knife. I was blindfolded and trying to use my “Psychic Intuition” to guess which of four paper lunch bags it was hiding underneath. The audience didn’t know that it was a mistake, and I just pretended (as we magicians do) that it was supposed to happen.  AGGGHHH!  Yeah… Until I actually develop x-ray vision, I won’t be doing that trick again!

Eek. Back to acting; Are you dedicated solely to straight theater? Or would you consider doing a musical?

Sure, I’d do a musical, as long as it takes place in my shower.  Thats the only place I really sing. “SHOWER- THE MUSICAL!” Can you see it??

I’ve already got premium tickets. Next: movies! If you could have been any lead in any movie ever made – which, and why?

The Fly Remake.  The one with Jeff Goldblum.  I just want to turn into a monster in something.  Sort of how I’ve always felt anyway.

We all have heroes and role models. Who are your anti-heroes, your non-role models?

Freddy Kruger and David Copperfield are my role models.  There, I said it. Anti role models?  Anyone who has resigned from hope.  Good luck with that.

Speaking of resigning from hope, we’re both originally from Long Island – are you as ashamed of that fact as I am?

You know, I just switched my cell service to get the iPhone, and I almost changed my number so it wasn’t a 516 area code anymore, but hey….  I kept it.  Gotta respect your roots.

Maybe you do! I’ll just keep on telling people I’m from England. So what’s on the horizon for Michael Carbonaro? Deep sea diving documentary? Becoming a Buddhist and moving to Tibet?

Wow those sound fun.  Do i have to audition, or can you just get me right in…?

I’ll let you know after I see “SHOWER-THE MUSICAL!”

I’m happy to be living, loving and working. Always searching for new things to be obsessed about. I’m currently working on some new magic/bizzare collaborations and one man performances.  I have some new dates for stand-up, and other events coming up in NY and LA after Sophistry closes in June.

Christ. A veritable whirlwind of talent and mystery. I feel terrible keeping you anchored in one place for this interview. Michael, thank you for your time. BUT before you go – who’s going to win American Idol?

My pleasure Justin, fun chatting with you!

American Idol winner…?

Let me use my psychic intuition… ummmm….

“OUCH! MY HAND!”

—
Justin R. Buchbinder is an extremely proud theater queen and prolific writer living and drinking in New York City. His pride and joy is his blog, Justin Plus One, where he invites a different co-blogger on with him every week. This week is superstar blogger and Reality TV Junky Patrick Sandora – come say hi!

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