Park Ridge actor finds success with Stephen Schartz musicals

This has been Park Ridge resident Gene Weygandt's year for doing Stephen Schwartz musicals.

He started the year touring in “Wicked,” playing the Wizard of Oz. Then, he was cast in a local revival of “Working,” Schwartz's musical revue adapted from Studs Terkel's book of the same name.

And now, Weygandt is in Schwartz's latest project, Northlight Theatre's production of “Snapshots.” Subtitled a musical scrapbook, it is a hybrid show that takes classic songs from Schwartz's past shows and retrofits them into a new musical about a middle-aged couple dealing with marriage issues. Weygandt plays a workaholic husband who may be losing his wife.

The casting director at Northlight, Lynn Baber, asked Weygandt to audition for the role, in part because she knew his past work, and in part because he seemed to be on a Stephen Schwartz roll. As luck would have it, Weygandt was asked to audition with an old friend of his, Susie McMonagle.

“She is so wonderful and adorable,” Weygandt says. “That made it very easy to audition.”

Thanks in part to their onstage chemistry, they both landed the leads in the show.

“We have a great deal of trust and confidence together,” Weygandt explains. “That makes it fun to play the scenes.”

And a good thing, too, because for much of the show, Weygandt and McMonagle play a couple who have lost their way in their marriage. They look through a box of photographs (hence the show's title) wondering where the spark went.

Weygandt and McMonagle are able to portray the darker side of a marriage without becoming too depressing precisely because they seem to enjoy each other's presence on stage.

“It's like we can have this fight and this disagreement, but we know this is not the deal breaker,” Weygandt says.

Because “Snapshots” is a show Schwartz is still tinkering with, he came in to watch rehearsals and tweak the material.

“He worked extensively with us,” Weygandt says. “He came in to the rehearsals. He also came in for a benefit they had done for Northlight. He was here for one day early on, working with us. And then he was with us for a run-through and sent some notes and suggestions. He was back here for maybe three or four days during previews.

“He is the most delightful, pleasant, easygoing guy you would want to meet,” Weygandt continues. “The most down-to-earth genius. He has such a deft touch at making small tweaks to a show that make such a difference.”

As he rounds out his year of Stephen Schwartz, Weygandt says he likes the composer/lyricist's work more than ever.

“I don't think there is anyone writing for the musical theater who exposes their heart the way that he does,” Weygandt enthuses. “It is wonderful material. Every night I see how people are so touched by these songs.”

“Snapshots”

<b>Location: </b>Northlight Theatre, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, (847) 673-6300, <a href="http://www.northlight.org" target="_blank">northlight.org</a>

<b>Showtimes: </b>1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday through Sunday, Oct. 23. No 7 p.m. show Oct. 23.

<b>Tickets: </b>$30-$50