This May, Chicago is in for a unique, impressive and effervescent theatrical treat. After garnering tremendous critical acclaim in New York, “Buyer & Cellar,” written by Jonathan Tolins and directed by Stephen Brackett, is making its way to the Windy City at last. I had the privilege of speaking with the incredibly talented star of this one-man show, Michael Urie, in order to learn more about the production and his involvement in it.

The DePaulia: Can you tell me a little bit about “Buyer & Cellar” and its premise in general? 

Michael Urie: “Buyer & Cellar” is a totally fictional tale about a totally fictional guy who works in the very real basement mall at Barbra Streisand’s house. She really does have a mall in her basement. She took pictures of it and talked about it in this book she wrote. Jonathan Tolins, the writer of the play, made a joke in a group at a party and said “how would you like to be the guy who worked down there?” and of course everyone laughed and then he created a play about it. What happens in the play is not real but it is based on a very real person.

DP: Can you tell me about your character, Alex? Are there any ways in which you relate to him on a personal level?

MU: Alex is a struggling actor who has most recently been fired from being a cast member at Disneyland and he needs a job. This job sort of comes to him and he doesn’t really know what he is getting himself into but sort of treats it like an acting job for a period of time but then also manages to become close to Barbra. While it is completely fake and totally made up and while I have never worked at Disneyland, I can totally relate to having to stretch the limits of what you consider to be acting in order to be an actor and make money. I have also been close to people with crazy amounts of fame and I understand that they are real people. I think part of what happens to Alex is he realizes that his icon, this legend who he ends up close to, is a totally real person just like everyone else who has their joys and their sadnesses.

DP: It is so incredible that no one has taken on this role but you. What is it like to originate a role rather than taking on a character that other actors have in the past?

MU: It’s a lot of trial and error when you are originating a part, especially in a play like this. There are other plays that you can compare it to, but I don’t know of any other play that is entirely like this with an actor who plays multiple roles and that one of those roles is a real person and that the story is completely made up. I’ve heard of other variations of that. People playing multiple parts – sure, people playing people from history, sure – but imagining the situation of a real person is pretty unique. So we didn’t know exactly how to do it. There was a lot of trial and error certainly in playing the roles and playing dialogue scenes with myself. There was quite a bit of failure in rehearsal. So I think on the one hand, that was very gratifying and I feel a great sense of ownership over the work I have created, but it is also exciting that other people are getting to do it. It is continuing to run in New York right now. I know that this play is going to be done so much, and that’s really thrilling to know that I helped to come up with a method behind the madness. I’ve also been in the other position where I have replaced people. In three different shows, I have filled in for an actor, and it is its own kind of thrill because you’re given a map and you see where all of the paths are and you can also see where other paths might be. It is a whole other kind of creativity but there is a great safety net to it and your imagination can be forced into very, very different and interesting things. The fact that a role can be so good and last really lays the groundwork for any actor.

DP: You have an incredible background in both on-screen and stage acting. Do you see these two things influencing each other in any specific ways?

MU: Yeah, for sure. When you act on screen it is very fragmented. You do little pieces here and there. You might be required to do a piece of a scene over and over again with the camera in different positions whereas in a play you really perfect the same way of doing it over time and you do the entire story in a given night. Acting on stage is very gratifying every night. Sometimes it’s painful and hard; it certainly has its highs and lows, but you get to tell the whole story so it’s more gratifying for you and more gratifying for the audience. When you are doing television, it is rewarding when you see it. When you’re doing it, it can be gratifying in moments, but overall, you are a piece of a whole. You are a cog in the wheel as opposed to being in the machine and making the thing while it is actually happening. While TV lives forever and the scope is immense, each individual stage performance is completely unique and singular for the actors and the audience. I’ve directed some films, as well, and directing a film is a lot more like acting on stage because a director has to follow instincts. Especially with low-budget movies, you have to follow your instincts to make the right decisions and you are dealing with all aspects of the film. When you are acting on stage specifically, I should probably say, in a one-man show, you have to deal with everything. You didn’t design the costumes or the lights but the pace, the timing and the trajectory of the show is in your hands every night. Those things are also in the director’s hands before the filming, while it is happening, and especially in post-production.

DP: If you had to pick one favorite aspect of “Buyer & Cellar,” what would it be?

MU: I think it would be the surprise that the audience experiences. When you do a play for a long time you can start to feel like a complete phony because you are recreating emotions night to night. Sometimes, in other plays I have felt like, “Wow, I am pretending that things are happening for the first time when they definitely aren’t, and I am a complete fraud by trying to make these emotions seem spontaneous.” There are lots of ways of keeping something spontaneous and keeping something real for you and when you are with other actors you have to make an effort to do that as a group. Sometimes, if you don’t do that together, it can get old. But when you are doing a play by yourself and you are telling the story to an audience, your costar is different every night and you have a completely new reaction to it every night. It not only keeps you from feeling like a phony because you don’t have to pretend that you aren’t telling the same story to the same person. You are telling the same story, but it is to a completely new person so it is brand new and their reactions are all brand new.

“Buyer & Cellar” will be at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place from May 6 to June 15.