CELLAR Man - A Chat With Actor Josh Rigo, star of BUYER AND CELLAR

We pitched a few questions to actor Josh Rigo as he prepares to open BBT's newest comedy, Jonathan Tolins' BUYER AND CELLAR, a funny rift on the notion of working in America, the price of fame, and the search for the truth. Rigo plays actor Alex More who takes a job working as a shop keeper in Barbra Streisand's basement - which happens to contain a well-stocked Main Street of doll shops, antique shops, yogurt machines, and popcorn makers. Alex strikes up a relationship with the lady of the house. But can their friendship survive when it moves upstairs? BUYER AND CELLAR opens July 6.

BBT: Tell us a little about the character of Alex More and his experience in this story.

RIGO: Alex is a genuine guy from the Midwest, trying to live the life of an actor in the craziness that is Los Angeles. After getting fired from Disneyland, he gets a job working in the mall in Barbra Streisand's basement. He handles this outrageous situation extremely well, and begins to peel back the many layers of Babs. His experience through this play is a quest for truth - trying to find out what's real and not real, who he is, and what life is all about.

What is the most challenging aspect of working on a one-man show?

In this case, it was the sheer amount of words to memorize. 90 minutes worth of lines is a whole lot of text. There were many times when I was trying to memorize where it felt like I was trying to achieve the truly impossible. Especially in the beginning - I would work so hard to get a page in my brain, only to be reminded that I still had 30 pages left to memorize. But like Dory says, "Just keep swimming." I just had to focus on page at a time and trust that I would get there.

What is the most rewarding aspect?

For me, it's a bit of a tie between two really rewarding aspects of doing this show. One is the relationship with the audience. The fourth wall is completely broken down in this play, and getting to have constant interaction with the audience during the show is quite the unique and amazing experience. The second rewarding aspect is just proving to myself that I could do it. I've done a two person show before, but this is my first one man show. I would compare it to climbing a mountain or running a marathon - you prepare, you encounter road blocks, you doubt yourself. But you keep on pushing through, and the end result is worth all the effort.

How have you prepared for the challenge of being the only actor on stage?

While preparing for this huge challenge, I've really had to work on building up stamina. There's no letting my brain rest while another actor has a monologue, or taking a break backstage when I'm not in a scene... It's just me, the whole time. So I've been working hard on keeping my energy up while rehearsing so that each page of the show is as energetic and engaging as the first page.

Why should people come to see this production?

The playwright, Jonathan Tolins, has really written a gem of a script with Buyer and Cellar. The jokes keep on coming with every page, but the show also has a lot of heart, with characters that you end up really caring about. The show will make you laugh out loud, but also make you think. The show really covers all the things you'd want from a night out at the theatre.

What do you hope audiences will "take away" from this show?

Alex's character has this great line at the end of the play where he spins in a circle with his arms outstretched and says how he thinks the stuff inside of that circle is more important than the stuff that you put around it. I hope that audiences really see and feel this as the big "take-away" from this show - that finding your own truth and living that truth is really the best way to live a happy life.