Michael Esper (‘Appropriate’) on the ‘perfect storm’ of performing in an ‘insane highwire act of a play’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
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“It’s just a kind of perfect storm,” reveals Michael Esper of the new play “Appropriate.” Not only does the family drama provide the actor with juicy material to play, but it has proven to be one of the biggest surprise hits this Broadway season. The play completed a limited run at the Hayes Theater, produced by the non-profit Second Stage Theater, but its massive success led to a quick commercial transfer to the Belasco Theatre. “I’m very aware of how special this kind of moment is,” says the Broadway veteran. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Esper portrays Franz in the play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, and has spent roughly a decade removed from his family. But when his father passes away, the patriarch leaves behind a large plantation house in Arkansas. Franz slinks into the property one night to find that his siblings Toni (Sarah Paulson) and Bo (Corey Stoll) have already arrived to settle their father’s estate. But each sibling arrives at the house with grudges and unfinished business, while a shocking family secret threatens to dismantle the entire clan.
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Franz harbors a dark past, but Esper isn’t concerned with character judgements from the audience. “Worrying about likability is a tricky thing, and it can take you down some really twisted paths,” admits the actor. The actor is instead more concerned with portraying the truth of the character, and his conviction to change for the better. “The primary thing that I think about is connecting, is being felt,” he explains, noting that the tactic was endorsed by Jacobs-Jenkins and director Lila Neugebauer. “We all sort of made the decision early on to invest in his best intentions.”
It would be a mistake to paint Esper’s character, or the play as a whole, as deadly serious. The script sees the actors careening from intense drama to laugh-out-loud comedy on a dime. “It is this kind of insane highwire act of a play and walks this real razor’s edge between the funny and the awful, the hysterical and the horrible,” notes Esper.
One moment that has audiences laughing through their horror is Franz’s apology to his siblings. The moment carries great weight for the character, who earnestly needs to make amends for his past sins and find forgiveness from his siblings. But Toni squashes Franz’s moment with a venomous screed. “There is just nothing better than being on stage with Sarah Paulson,” admits Esper. “I just wish that everybody could feel what it’s like…She’s incredible, an incredible force to be on stage with and to play with.” These moments provide a daily dose of excitement for the actor, even if it results in a “worst case” scenario for Esper’s character. “I think he takes what she says really hard and it sort of propels him through the rest of the play,” he explains, alluding to Franz’s surprising actions in the second act, “I think he believes her.”
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