Actor's Insight: All Days with Morrie

When I first heard I would be getting a roommate I was a little nervous. Of course I am no stranger to sharing my living space, especially at the actor’s house, where it is normal to see eight or ten people living there at once. This living situation, however, would be different.

My soon to be roommate, a man named Jay Doolittle, was cast as the title character in the Renaissance Center’s production of Tuesdays With Morrie. Without giving away the show’s ending, Morrie is terminally ill with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Judging from the script, I figured Jay was going to be old. I worried he would be out of touch with contemporary society, that we would have nothing to talk about, that it would be awkward. My “worst-case scenario” mind frame kicked in, and I began to picture myself living with my grandfather... talk about awkward.

Then one night, shortly before Jay moved in, I thought about the situation in a more positive light. Another central aspect of the script is that Morrie is Mitch’s (my character’s) former college professor. I began to get excited for his move in as I recalled the many great relationships I had developed with my professors. I thought about a certain theatre instructor of mine, Gary Gisselman, a man who would be well suited to play Morrie himself. If Mr. Doolittle turned out to be anything like Gary, I knew it couldn’t be so bad.

Now Jay has been here for about three weeks and the living situation couldn’t be better. My expectations were exceeded to the highest degree. As it turns out, our cohabitation is not a real life Odd Couple scenario. Jay is not old. He is not out of touch. His interests resemble mine on so many levels. He plays rock music loudly late at night and drinks beer with me on Saturday afternoons.

Jay is, after all, an actor. He has spent a life in the theatre, and his career is one that I hope to emulate. He is very creative minded and his sense of artistry is youthful and current, but also wise and experienced. In our short time living together, he already has taught me so many life lessons regarding the theatre and acting that I can’t put a price on them. He is also a fantastic sounding board. I tell him my ideas and he listens to them and offers advice. I ask him questions, and he answers them... exactly as they do in Tuesdays With Morrie.

Because of this, our “rooming” together has been incredible for real-life character study. We have developed a relationship just like the one in the play; Jay is the teacher, I am the student. I can count on a fascinating life story every time I talk to him, and I automatically become totally engrossed in what he is saying. I think this chemistry has translated to the stage very successfully. The only difference is, in the play Mitch only gets to visit Morrie once a week. In real life, we get to spend several hours of every day together. It is like the crash course version of Morrie and Mitch’s 16 year relationship. Every day is treated like a Tuesday.

As Mitch says in Act II, “I’m excited before I get on the plane (to visit you),” I am excited every time I drive home from work to find Jay sitting in the living room, watching the news, and ready to strike up a conversation. In the same way that Mitch is “sad or quiet... but better” after his visits with Morrie, I find myself going to bed longing for more of Jay’s stories. But I sleep well knowing that I have another life lesson in the bank, that I’ve gained another morsel of experience by simply listening to Jay.-- Colin Christie

Tuesdays with Morrie runs now through May 16th in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre.
Tuesdays-Friday Senior Matinees at noon: $25
Friday and Saturday Evening Performances at 6:30pm: $35