NR: That's true and it's a great attitude to have. What's your favorite role that you've played so far?

JD: (laughs) Oh boy, do you want a list? There's so many wonderful roles. I'd been living in Los Angeles for nineteen years where I did a lot of work in regional theater and civic light operas and some television and film work as well. Just before I came back to New York City in 1996, I auditioned for Trevor Nunn to be a replacement in Sunset Boulevard. I got a telephone call from Vinnie Liff, the casting director for Johnson-Liff and Associates and he said, "James, this is your welcome back to New York call." I said, "What do you mean?" and he said, "How would you like to come and do a role in Sunset Boulevard?" I said yes, and three years later, I'm still here at the Minskoff. Just prior to that, in Los Angeles, I got the opportunity to play one of my dream roles, which is the King in The King and I. My Mrs. Anna was a woman by the name of Dale Kristen who played Christine in Phantom of the Opera in Los Angeles for several years with Michael Crawford. We played a big beautiful theater in Thousand Oaks, California - 1700 seats, (as big as the Minskoff), with sets from the last Yul Brynner tour, wonderful new costumes, a cast of thousands and a thirty piece orchestra. It was truly a joy, a wonderful, wonderful role.

Pacific Overtures was an extraordinary experience. I've enjoyed playing Guido in Nine. I played that at the Salt Lake Acting Company. Jigger in Carousel is another favorite. Also while in Los Angeles I got to play Tom in That Championship Season, and Tristan Tzara in Travesties, a Tom Stoppard play.

NR: Were they the ones that you enjoyed the most?

JD: Well, when you're working on a role and you're really digging and trying to find new things and nuances, (because so many of the things that you do in regional theater and civic light operas have been done and done and done, time and time again), so what you try to do is explore a new facet of what that role might be or how you can personalize it to truly make it your own, so that you're not doing a "stock" performance.

NR: OK, now what's the worst one (laughing) that you did, that you wanted to get off your resume as soon as possible?

JD: (big laugh) I don't know if this is one of the worst ones, but I'll tell you. I'm kind of glad that I did this show because it was a wonderful experience when all was said and done. I did a show in the first new theater to open on Broadway in 33 years. It was a show called Via Galactica which was at the Uris Theater and directed by Sir Peter Hall. The stage was six trampolines (laughs) so we rehearsed for about five or six weeks, we previewed for two weeks, and after we opened, played for just a week. I made a home movie "The Making of Via Galactica." The opening AND closing party are on the last reel. (laughs)

NR: (laughing) Within a week.

JD: Within a week. We had wonderful people in the show. A fellow by the name of Gian Carlo Esposito who's doing wonderful work in films and television now, Raul Julia, Virginia Vestoff, Keene Curtis, and a young little girl named Irene Cara.

NR: What was it, some science fiction show?

JD: It was a kind of musical space odyssey.

NR: I don't remember it at all. (laughs)

JD: No, but it was ground breaking. (laughing) We literally broke ground at the Uris Theater, which is now called the Gershwin. Like I said, I did a super-8 home movie. It was before videos so it's a silent film and I added a soundtrack. Some wonderful things like - after a few weeks of rehearsal on those trampolines, people started to fracture little fingers and other body parts, so I have people walking up the stairs into the rehearsal room with braces and canes and different things on, and my soundtrack has Mary Martin singing "Climb Every Mountain." (laughs)

NR: Which do you prefer to work in - stage, TV or film?

JD: Each medium has its own kind of magic to it. The theater's wonderful because you get an immediate response. Films and television, you have to hit the mark and you get a chance to do it over and over until it's right, and not necessarily because you're doing it wrong. Other things may happen that go wrong with the shot and you get a chance to do it over and over again. While I was on vacation from the show, I happened to go to Florida, and I called a woman who had cast me in Miami Vice. I had two nice scenes with Don Johnson many years ago when Miami Vice was on. I called her to tell her I was there for a week and she told me that they had just lost an actor and she asked me if I wanted to read for the director. I got a wonderful role in a network cable series. I had four really nice scenes.

NR: How did it feel coming back to the Minskoff after Sunset Boulevard?

JD: I love the Minskoff, and everybody connected with the Minskoff - the crew, all of the people out front, the wonderful ushers, our house manager and his assistant, the ticket takers, the backstage crew, carpenters, prop men. It really is a terrific crew here at the Minskoff. It's been a terrific time for almost three years now.

NR: What's the most challenging part about playing the Prince and Robespierre?

JD: I had the good fortune to have Steve Beckler, (our company manager when we started the show), be at our first understudy rehearsals to guide me through the part and to prompt and help me with specifics of what we thought would work with the Prince of Wales and Robespierre. I think probably one of the things I was grateful for was that I didn't have to copy what David Cromwell, who's such a wonderful actor, does. I can bring my own Robespierre and my own Prince of Wales onto the stage of the Minskoff. I truly loved the Prince of Wales when I got to do "The Creation of Man" number - when I would put on the big padded stomach and the costume and be a part of that number. That was great fun. Also, there was a third character at the time, the Fisherman at the seacoast. I have photographs of all three of them.

NR: David's not out that often.

JD: David's a trouper. I've played the roles about 25 times.

NR: Is it hard to remember it then?

JD: Well, we do have understudy rehearsals most every week. I'm not called every week, but most every week and I'm always on top of what it is. For awhile there it got a little tricky because bits and pieces of some of the dialogue were changed and switched around, so you would say something at one point, or answer it a certain way, and then you wouldn't. Or, one of those two lines were cut and given to another actor, like Grappin would say something, so you really have to be on your toes and know which version you're doing. (laughs) It's been great fun and I would be surprised sometimes because friends would come to see the show unannounced. I didn't know they were coming and they didn't know I was on that evening and they would tell me that they didn't know that all those three characters were me.

NR: And, most people do not know that you're the Executioner in "The Rescue."

JD: No, they don't know that because what has happened is...(laughs) this is sort of funny. In the original version, I didn't wear a hood. With the second version, they decided that the Executioner would look more menacing all in black with a black hood, but I think it's because...(big smile)...being that Jessup and the Executioner are one, they didn't want people going out of the theater saying, "The butler did it."

Interview conducted and photographs by Nancy Rosati.