Also this issue: Fall guide -Debra Auspitz Feeding Frenzy An off-Broadway hit about the restaurant biz comes to Philadelphia -- and hits close to home. -Toby Zinman photos by michael t. regan Gearing Up: Tara Keating -Debra Auspitz Bittersweet Inspiration Soul/R&B singer Vivian Green draws power from the pain. -A.D. Amorosi Photo By Michael T. Regan Wherever, Whenever A peek behind the scenes at the dream world of Cirque du Soleil's Varekai. -Deni Kasrel Gearing Up: James Valenti -Debra Auspitz Gearing Up: Sandra Blakely -Debra Auspitz Down To Zero Bad-boy artist Neil Bernstein tries to do some good in a gallery near Ground Zero. -David Warner photo by Jay Muhlin“

September 19-25, 2002

cover story

Gearing Up: John Lumia

by David Warner

Last season, with the critically acclaimed Amputation Nation, John Lumia took on one of the biggest challenges an actor can face: his own multicharacter one-man show. Now he’s in rehearsals for something even more daunting: the role of the villainous Iago in Othello, among the toughest roles in the Shakespearean canon. The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival production opens Oct. 4 with Brian Anthony Wilson (pictured, left, with Lumia) in the title role.

What he does before the show

Being onstage scares the living hell out of me. [So] one thing I absolutely, automatically do before every show is spend a few minutes in the space -- walking through the house, contacting all of the seats in the house, and standing on the stage and facing the seats. It helps eliminate my fear of facing the audience... [and] it makes me feel excited about contacting them.

Quiet time

Iago is huge. I'm never offstage. I have to have that 10 minutes of solitude to breathe and collect my energy. With my solo show there's nothing else to fall back on if I'm sucking that night, and that's a very scary feeling.

What he doesn't do anymore

One thing I don't do which I used to do earlier in my career is try to plan what the performance is going to be. I try now to trust myself a little more and plan for surprises.

On playing Iago

How do you connect all the dots on this guy? What I'm finding is that his motivations are simple: He hates Othello -- it doesn't matter why. He's somebody who unhatches a plan and improvises his way through it. In a sense I'm finding he's just an incredible actor.... I have to look at Iago as the hero of the play or else it doesn't work.