Helen Schneider talks about starring in ‘Last Call’ show, playing Leonard Bernstein

Helen Schneider in ‘Last Call.’ Photo Credit: Maria Baranova.

Actress and singer Helen Schneider chatted about starring as Leonard Bernstein in the new play “Last Call,” which is being performed at New World Stages.

“Last Call” is a new play by Peter Danish and directed by Gil Mehmert. It will play a limited engagement through May 4.

Experience in ‘Last Call’

“I’m thoroughly enjoying the run and New York,” Schneider said. “I was very nervous about my return after thirty years. It’s been a bit of a walk ‘down memory lane’ for me. But, so much has remained the same and yet so much is different. I had forgotten how incredibly diverse New York is. The architecture is staggering.”

“I have to say that the New Yorkers I have encountered are, for the most part, friendly, helpful, and neighborly. Something I had not experienced since 9/11. Maybe our ever present Trump danger has once again pulled everyone together in an embrace of comradery,” she elaborated.

“As far as the play itself is concerned, I believe it’s relevance is even more acute than ever before,” she noted.

“For me, I am no longer examining two different points of view in the arts and politics but rather a small study in how things happen, how we, as people become involved and respond and how history insists on repeating itself,” she explained. 

Working with Gil Mehmert

On working with Gil Mehmert, she said, “I adore working with Gil (Mehmert). This is our fifth project together and as always I feel I am involved in a worthwhile, interesting collaboration.”

Mehmert continued, “He gives me a great deal of artistic space but is very present with direction.” 

Playing Leonard Bernstein in ‘Last Call’

On playing Leonard Bernstein, she remarked, “Attempting to embody the soul of an idol is not an easy task. I have gone through adoring him, disappointed in him and loving him once again ‘warts and all.’ It’s been a bit like finding out who your parents really are.”

The digital age

On being a part of the digital age, Schneider said, “First of all, I feel old. Then, I am curious and grateful for what digital technology accomplishes for me.”

“I even love being able to stream movies and series in the privacy and comfort of my own home. However, I do feel frustrated sometimes about the presence of so much of my past on the Internet,” she elaborated.

“Often, performances and recordings (sometimes privately filmed videos) of past works, are things that I would have rather had gotten lost in the fog of the past,” she said with a sigh.

“There was once a time when one had control of the information flow. That is now longer the case. And so it goes,” she added.

Advice for young and emerging actors

For young and aspiring actors, she said, “If you have to have it, do it! If you’re asking…”should I?”, forget it! The business is brutal. You have to need it like a drug, otherwise it’s not worth it.”

“Aside from that…build a skin that is, at once fragile and resilient. Surround yourself with the people you truly trust and believe in your instincts, listen to them. They will guide your choices. Choices that will enable you to grow old with your dignity intact,” she elaborated.

Norma in the German version of ‘Sunset Boulevard’

On playing Norma in the German version of “Sunset Boulevard,” “Norma was a study for me in who not to become. I am 72 years old.”

“I tackled Norma the first time when I was 42/43 and then again when I was 60,” she said.

“My inner architecture had dramatically changed later. But in both chapters of my life I found her refusal to embrace the truth sobering and edifying,” she added. 

Closing thoughts on ‘Last Call’

For her fans and supporters, Schneider expressed, “‘Last Call’ is a study of two divergent approaches to life and art. Both ideas represented in these two remarkable men are valid and effective.”

“Art embraces inner truths,” she admitted. “At the end of the day, we are all of the same human family and require the similar outcomes to our endeavors.” 

“To exchange ideas, to listen to each other, to try to understand one another, is the key to life,” she concluded.

To learn more about “Last Call” the play, check out its official website.