Branching Out

Danny Gurwin and

Eddie Sugarman

have followed similar

acting paths through

high school and

college. Their careers

are about to part.

SUZANNE CHESSLER

SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Eddie Sugarman

13

anny Gurwin
and Eddie Sugar-
man — both cast
in the recent Uni-
versity of Michi-
gan production of
Quilt — find many common
threads woven into their the-
atrical interests.
Seniors in the U-M musical
theater program, they look back
on stage experiences patched
into their years as fellow stu-
dents at Southfield-Lathrup
High School, and they look
ahead to different patterns of
opportunities anticipated after
spring graduation.
While Mr. Gurwin hopes to
land work that will bring him
face-to-face with audiences, Mr.
Sugarman would be very
pleased to stay behind the
scenes if that means he has a
producer for a children's musi-
cal he has written with college
friend Bruce Kiesling.
"Eddie and I have a long his-
tory together," said Mr. Gurwin,
who recalls a competitive edge
during the times they wanted
the same roles in serious pur-
suit of entertainment careers.
"We did a couple of shows to-
gether in high school. We did
Little Shop of Horrors, and they
added a tap number for the two
of us. We also did Oklahoma to-
gether.

Danny Gurwin

"Since we've gotten to college,
we've grown in different direc-
tions. I respect Eddie's work,
and I'm the first one to say it's
great to watch
Mr. Gurwin, who already has
appeared in regional theater in
Michigan and other states, got
an early professional start. Tak-
ing a cue from his mother, who
administers Nancy Gurwin Pro-
ductions, he was first cast at age
6 in a dinner theater presenta-
tion ofAnnie Get Your Gun.
"It was a lot of fun and some-
thing I just kept doing," recalled
Mr. Gurwin, the only one of five
children in his family setting
entertainment as a goal. He
made his decision in 10th grade,
already performing at school,
temple, the Jewish Community
Center and local theaters.
"I think theater is a wonder-
ful way to reach people," he ex-
plained. "I like to do projects
that affect people in a positive
way, and I want to work in any
and every medium I can."
After spending three sum-
mers at Stage Door Manor, a
performing arts camp in New
York, Mr. Gurwin secured parts
in Gypsy at the Music Theatre
of Wichita, Moby Dick at the
Massachusetts Repertory The-
atre and West Side Story for
Stage One Productions in New
Hampshire.

"The role that I've done most
is Tony in West Side Story," said
Mr. Gurwin, who also would
like to audition for dramas. "I
like doing Tony because he
wants something more than
what he has. He's always
dreaming and reaching out, and
I actually find myself stretch-
ing my arm out as he would."
Mr. Gurwin, who particu-
larly enjoys singing, is planning
a cabaret act for his senior
recital. His singing talent grew

They have followed
each other through
Southfield-Lathrup
and U-M.

as he participated in public
school and Temple Israel choirs,
where he also served as a junior
cantor.
"My next big round of audi-
tions will be in February and
March for summer stock," he re-
ported. "I'll be in Chicago and
New York, and I'll be going
around to different theaters."
Mr. Sugarman, who also has
enjoyed professional roles in
Michigan and other states,
reached high school before be-
coming interested in theater

and before getting some men-
Wring from Mr. Gurwin.
'When our theater program
did West Side Story in my
sophomore year, I tried out at
the urging of a friend and got
the part of Baby John," he re-
called. "It was like nothing I had
done before. It was a lot of fun
and a lot of camaraderie.
"Danny was applying to pro-
grams, and I asked how to do
that."
Mr. Sugarman followed Mr.
Gurwin into the Peanut Butter
Players, a theater group of
young people performing for
young people. Also part of a
school choir, he enjoyed a
United Hebrew Schools class
encouraging students to act out
Jewish folk tales.
"I find the escapism of the-
ater very exciting," said Mr.
Sugarman, whose only family
ties to the stage reach to a dis-
tant cousin, who has met with
some success as a playwright.
"I like finding a different way
to live with every show without
losing what is basically me. If
plays are a step away from re-
ality, then musicals are a step
beyond that."
Mr. Sugarman's profession-
al engagements have cast him
in Godspell with the Birming-
ham Theatre and the Dorset
Theatre Festival in Vermont,

The Merry Widow with the
Michigan Opera Theatre and
Kiss Me _Kate with Center Stage
Productions in Adrian.
King of the Playground, a
children's musical for which he
wrote the book and lyrics, re-
mains a constant project as he
prepares for a staged reading
and a workshop, where it will
be critiqued by professionals.
Depending on the reactions,
Mr. Sugarman will spend next
summer doing some rewriting,
performing in summer stock or
interning with a dance company
in Chicago.
Although both young actors
are very optimistic about the fu-
ture, they also are preparing for
alternative careers. Mr. Gurwin
has earned credits for an art
history major, and Mr. Sugar-
man has completed prerequi-
sites to enter a year-long
nursing curriculum at Wayne
State University next fall.
Before graduation, a bit of
their professional rivalry may
surface again as both audition
for an upcoming U-M produc-
tion, The Most Happy Fella.
But whether or not they win
roles in that play, the two make
one common outlook very clear.
As long as they are connected
to the world of theater, they
both will remain most happy
fellows. El

