Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Brian Mackey’s acting bucket list

Self-discovery, transformation, and charismatic villainy are all enticing to the Craig Noel Award-winner.

Brian Mackey as Hovstad in An Enemy of the People.
Brian Mackey as Hovstad in An Enemy of the People.

I’m asking veteran local actors to name five dream roles and say why. The answers not only reveal aspirations, they may put an idea in the minds of artistic directors and producers — even choices that may seem outside the box.


Brian Mackey

Craig Noel Award-winner Brian Mackey

“This list was more difficult to put together than I figured. Every time I thought it was finished, some other play or character would pop into my head and I’d have to redo the whole thing! But this is what I ended up with.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

1.) Iago, Othello, by William Shakespeare. “One of the most fascinating characters ever written. Iago has always pulled at me. His ability to be charming and smooth while engineering the deaths and downfalls of so many people who trusted him is what makes him stand out among Shakespeare’s villains. That he never apologizes or asks forgiveness deepens the intrigue.”

2.) Harold Hill, The Music Man, by Meredith Willson. “Few musicals stick in my head like this one. To play Harold Hill would be an absolute blast! Not only does he have some tremendous songs, his journey of self-discovery is so beautifully told that I would want to play the part even if it had no music.”

Brian Mackey as Jack in Jack Goes Boating.

3.) Padraic, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, by Martin McDonagh. “McDonagh’s one of my favorite playwrights. I would honestly love to work on any one of his plays, but this is probably my favorite because Padraic is the perfect incarnation of McDonagh’s dark humor. We first meet him in the middle of a torture session with a drug dealer, only to see him break down into tears later, when he finds out his cat is sick. Who wouldn’t want to play that range?”

4.) Ebeneezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. “I revisit this book every Christmas, and Scrooge has always been a character I have longed to play. Few characters go through such a full transformation on stage. To be able to do that while using Dickens’ beautiful language would be a real treat.”

5.) Captain James Hook, Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie. “Who doesn’t want to play a pirate? Honestly, I am infatuated with the character of Hook. Not the Disney Hook, or the movie Hooks (other than Dustin Hoffman’s), but the original Hook, as written by J.M. Barrie. Here’s a man who was raised well, and educated by the best, with a vendetta against a boy who cut off his hand and fed it to a crocodile. No playwright has written that Hook yet. I would love to see one explore this smart, sinister, sexy character more deeply.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Classical Classical at The San Diego Symphony Orchestra

A concert I didn't know I needed
Brian Mackey as Hovstad in An Enemy of the People.
Brian Mackey as Hovstad in An Enemy of the People.

I’m asking veteran local actors to name five dream roles and say why. The answers not only reveal aspirations, they may put an idea in the minds of artistic directors and producers — even choices that may seem outside the box.


Brian Mackey

Craig Noel Award-winner Brian Mackey

“This list was more difficult to put together than I figured. Every time I thought it was finished, some other play or character would pop into my head and I’d have to redo the whole thing! But this is what I ended up with.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

1.) Iago, Othello, by William Shakespeare. “One of the most fascinating characters ever written. Iago has always pulled at me. His ability to be charming and smooth while engineering the deaths and downfalls of so many people who trusted him is what makes him stand out among Shakespeare’s villains. That he never apologizes or asks forgiveness deepens the intrigue.”

2.) Harold Hill, The Music Man, by Meredith Willson. “Few musicals stick in my head like this one. To play Harold Hill would be an absolute blast! Not only does he have some tremendous songs, his journey of self-discovery is so beautifully told that I would want to play the part even if it had no music.”

Brian Mackey as Jack in Jack Goes Boating.

3.) Padraic, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, by Martin McDonagh. “McDonagh’s one of my favorite playwrights. I would honestly love to work on any one of his plays, but this is probably my favorite because Padraic is the perfect incarnation of McDonagh’s dark humor. We first meet him in the middle of a torture session with a drug dealer, only to see him break down into tears later, when he finds out his cat is sick. Who wouldn’t want to play that range?”

4.) Ebeneezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. “I revisit this book every Christmas, and Scrooge has always been a character I have longed to play. Few characters go through such a full transformation on stage. To be able to do that while using Dickens’ beautiful language would be a real treat.”

5.) Captain James Hook, Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie. “Who doesn’t want to play a pirate? Honestly, I am infatuated with the character of Hook. Not the Disney Hook, or the movie Hooks (other than Dustin Hoffman’s), but the original Hook, as written by J.M. Barrie. Here’s a man who was raised well, and educated by the best, with a vendetta against a boy who cut off his hand and fed it to a crocodile. No playwright has written that Hook yet. I would love to see one explore this smart, sinister, sexy character more deeply.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Poway’s schools, faced with money squeeze, fined for voter mailing

$105 million bond required payback of nearly 10 times that amount
Next Article

Escondido planners nix office building switch to apartments

Not enough open space, not enough closets for Hickory Street plans
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader