Carl Clemons-Hopkins Returns ‘Home’ to the Theatre in THE BALUSTERS
A new play by David Lindsay-Abaire? Yes, please!
Chock full of big characters and big feelings, The Balusters, set to open April 21, tells the story of the Vernon Point Neighborhood Association and the drama that unfolds when a newcomer suggests installing a stop sign on the prettiest block in the neighborhood.
We spoke with Emmy Award nominee Carl Clemons-Hopkins about what it’s like working with some of Broadway’s best and their love of the theater.
Tell me about the play and tell me about the character you play.
The play is called The Balusters. It's a new play and it is a very American play. It is about a sort of upper-class neighborhood with an HOA board. And it's telling a story of colliding, flawed characters in an ever-changing American social landscape. It's really funny and revelatory. There's plenty of humor, plenty of heart, but it's also an interesting character study. There are so many people in current society either trying to do the right thing or running from doing the right thing or not knowing what the right thing is. We've all been through a lot in the last five to six years, and we've all had a lot of social reckoning. Some people have found themselves more educated on truths than others. Some people are realizing that these truths are hard. Harder for others.
My character, Brooks Duncan, he's been in the neighborhood for a couple of years now. He is a bit dissatisfied with the way that things are running. He also has some things going on at home that we get to explore in the play. I love him. I think he's wonderfully wicked in the best ways and I also love the way that he deflects certain things, the armor he chooses, how he uses certain wit and certain humor to find his way in this group.
It sounds like the perfect play for our time. You have a top-tier creative team: David Lindsay-Abaire, Kenny Leon. You're one of a cast full of veterans. What is that energy like in the rehearsal room?
It is a brilliant group to work with. I can't speak for everybody, but I think we're all really excited for people. It's definitely a play that needs an audience. I'm excited to see how it ebbs and flows and grows and develops in that, you know, it's still very much a new work. It's developing until we freeze it. It's an exciting place to be. It's a very scary place to be, but it is a very exciting place to be.
I want to congratulate you on making your Broadway debut. That's huge. I know that in between all of your projects, including between being Emmy-nominated for Hacks, you've done theater and that's been a consistent part of your career. How does it feel to be back? How does it compare to the other media that you work in?
Of course, you know, I'm an actor who likes to work. So, I'm grateful for any other medium I get to do that in, but I'm so happy to be home. I'm so happy to be back in the theater. I've been doing this since I was six and film and television has kind of been, in the last decade, a bit more of what I'm doing because, honestly, as much as I love the theater, there's often a lack of presence and awareness as to how Black and queer people are treated, worked with, respected, et cetera. I mean, that's kind of across the board, so you're just kind of just hopping where you can. But I am happy to be back in theater. I'm happy to be back in a practice that I know, a practice I want to get better at. I think it's the greatest thing you can do as an actor for your craft, for yourself, for your mind. And I'm just really excited to be back.
You mentioned home. Theater feels like a home for you?
Oh, yes. I was in New York for the longest time and then I left in 2016 to do Hamilton in Chicago. And then, from that, got some work in LA. So, it's nice to return to a home base.
Welcome back. As you know, here at Theatrely we write for a Gen Z audience. What do you hope a younger audience might take away from The Balusters?
What I would hope a younger audience takes from this is that no one has it all together. No one really knows fully what they're doing. The hope is that we're all trying to be better people and there will be mistakes, there will be flaws. Perfection is an illusion. And I hope they take a sense of shared humanity in what they are inheriting. You're going to see a well-written, really sharp and humorous version of this cross-section of humanity, but recognize that it does not exclude you. And there are so many wonderful things to learn, so many horrible things to let go of and so many places to grow. I hope that that is seen by all the audiences, but specifically younger audiences who come to the show.
That's such a strong and powerful message. I think that's what makes David Lindsay-Abaire such a good playwright: to wrap up a message like that in a comedic but sharp bow. It must be such a treat to work on one of his plays.
It's always a joy when you have a living playwright in the room, but David is so wonderful and collaborative and intelligent and so open to hearing how our lived experiences can help shape certain things. It's still very much his play, but it's been really helpful and productive getting to work with him in the development of this.
Have you ever worked that way before with a living playwright in the room?
I have. I've gotten to work on some plays by James Ijames, who is a very dear friend and collaborator. Years and years ago, I got to work with, it wasn't a new work, but with Suzan-Lori Parks. She was in the room and offered a lot of insight as to what we were working on. I'm glad that this one is with David and that he is allowing us, allowing all of us, inside his mind and to be able to tell this story.
Are there any shows opening this spring that you're excited to see?
It's a very packed season. I was able to see The Monsters, which was phenomenal. I was able to see Bigfoot, which was perfect. I saw Buena Vista Social Club finally and just enjoyed every bit of it. I have some friends in Proof, I have some friends in Fear of 13, so I hope maybe I’ll have some type of ability to see them. Never thought I'd be in New York with Cats, but here we are. I am excited to see what this production holds because Cats definitely needed something, and I think this might be it.
Is there anything we haven't mentioned about the play that you want to say before we wrap up?
All I can say is come see it. Come see it, see it more than once if you can, and I hope it sparks helpful conversations. I hope you see people that you disagree with, I hope you see people that you can't stand, I hope you see people you never thought you would agree with, but most importantly, I hope that you see people. I guess the call to action is to see the shared humanity in an effort to move us forward.
