Brad-of-All-Trades

Boehlke chose correctly again when he cast Greenwald for I Am My Own Wife, a one-man play in which the actor performs more than thirty roles, predominately Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a man who survived, in drag, both the Nazis and the East German Stasi. Greenwald’s was a breathtaking portrayal, most notably for its delicacy. There was no self-consciousness, just a fully committed virtuosic performance. And it should be no surprise that the former German major nailed all the dialects.

The run of the popular Wife was extended, but what made the production a special joy for Greenwald was the rare opportunity to work closely with John Novak, production stage manager at the Jungle and his partner of fifteen years. “Trust was a given,” Greenwald says. “I was very aware of his presence. As it would be when I sing with a piano, it felt like a duet, not a solo performance.”

Despite all his theater work, Greenwald remains committed to performing classical music. Earlier this fall, he sang in a concert with Lyra Baroque Orchestra, and this spring he performs with Vocal-Essence in its festival of William Bolcom works.

Though Greenwald doesn’t have a favorite style of music or type of theater (“They’re all fascinating in some way to me,” he says), he understands the different challenges they present: “In music, the canvas of emotional content is set out for you. With theater, you have to musicalize the text yourself, using the rhythm and the music of the words.

“It’s also a challenge playing a character everyone knows so well,” he says of the Grinch. “You want to leave the audience satisfied, but still make the character your own.” He’s unsure what his personal stamp on the Christmas icon will be, but it’s safe to say his vocal skills will play a part. “It’s a music-heavy show, and there are eleven shows a week with me rarely offstage,” he says. “It demands stamina. That’s where the vocal training comes in.”

“He is one of those extraordinary actors who combines a brilliant voice and an incredible instinct with a wonderful comic sense and sense of character,” says Brosius. “It’s wonderful to watch an artist who doesn’t stop challenging himself, pushing the limits. He never relies on old tricks.”

When Greenwald contemplates his hectic schedule, he is sometimes a little overwhelmed. Together, he and Novak renovated the kitchen in their south Minneapolis house, but the yard is Greenwald’s domain. There is little lawn in the front of the house, the grass replaced by elaborate terraced gardens. “Gardening is my therapy,” he says, proud to point out that “Bradley” is Old English for “broad meadow” and “Greenwald” is German for “green forest.”

“But I need to eat and have a roof over my head, so it’s still a mad scramble to keep working. I tackle, tackle, tackle,” he says. “The fact that I have tried to do my best at every challenge presented is exhausting, but made me a better performer. Still, over the years, I have wearied of challenges, being thrown into something new. But it’s the only way I’ve been able to stay employed.”

Serrand cannot imagine Greenwald ever changing: “He’s so interested in so many things. That’s one of his extraordinary qualities. His curiosity is one of his greatest gifts to us. He makes us more curious ourselves. His curiosity will lead him.”

William Randall Beard is the opera columnist for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.