A long time ago, in a city just outside Pittsburgh, a young man with the challenging name of Troy Bruchwalkski gave up hockey and found his calling in musical theater. On Facebook, he listed his five dream roles -- and now, at 25, he's already played two of them: Inspector Javert in "Les Miserables" and he's currently on tour as Father in "Ragtime."
The production comes to the ArcBest Corporation Performing Arts Center Monday for one night only as part of the UAFS Season of Entertainment. Bruchwalkski and his co-stars are still new to their roles, having been on the road since only Oct. 27.
FAQ
‘Ragtime’
WHEN — 7:30 p.m. Monday
WHERE — ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center in Fort Smith
COST — $37-$40
INFO — 788-7300
Based on the acclaimed novel by E.L. Doctorow, "Ragtime" merges the stories of an upper-class white family, determined Jewish immigrants and an aspiring Harlem musician in early 19th-century New York, set to a Tony Award-winning score.
"'Ragtime' is one of the classics of modern American theater," says Stacey Jones, associate vice chancellor for campus and community events at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. "It has the perfect recipe for a great musical -- lively music, a gripping story and stunning performances by the cast."
Bruchwalkski says his character "really represents a feeling that the high-class white population had toward the other races. He's very human -- and he may have the biggest change out of any of the characters. He ends the show completely different than he starts it."
The same might be said of Bruchwalkski's aspirations. A longtime trumpet player who intended to make music his career, he says "everything changed" in 10th grade, when a teacher convinced him to play the tuba. He also joined the school choir and wound up portraying Gaston in "Beauty and the Beast." After that came voice lessons, studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, King Arthur in a national tour of "Camelot" and Harbison in "South Pacific."
On his web page, Bruchwalkski says "all that you really need to know about me is that I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa., and I bleed black and gold!" But it's also interested to note he roller skates, juggles, plays the guitar and would be Sherlock Holmes if he could be a fictional character.
"You've got to be a jack of all trades to make it in this business," he says, laughing. "I love life on the road. It's a wonderful thing to be able to see the country and travel with people you genuinely like. Your job is to perform. You wake up, you work out, and then you perform. It's a wonderful way to live."
-- Becca Martin-Brown
NAN What's Up on 11/20/2015