Glover, Brochtrup and Aquino reveal Tolins’ Secrets of the Trade

by Christopher Cappiello

It’s the afternoon before Bette Midler’s big opening in The Showgirl Must Go On at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Writer Jonathan Tolins (Twilight of the Golds, Queer as Folk) was summoned by Midler two weeks before to focus his expert eyes and ears on the patter created by Bette vets Eric Kornfeld and Bruce Vilanch. In spite of the hype and high profile of his sudden new gig, however, a big part of Tolins’ heart is in a tiny theater on Pico Boulevard, where his semi-autobiographical play, Secrets of the Trade, is getting its long-awaited world premiere.

“It’s funny that, at the same time, I’m working at a theater with 30 seats and a theater with 4,100,” Tolins jokes.

The 30-seater is the Black Dahlia Theatre, a cozy storefront where Artistic Director Matt Shakman’s company has established a reputation for superlative productions, primarily of new plays. While Secrets of the Trade might not get the media attention given to the Divine Miss M’s latest endeavor, the cast belies the production’s Equity Waiver contract; John Glover, Bill Brochtrup and Amy Aquino were all convinced by Tolins’ script to work for pocket change at Pico and Hauser.

“The play is about a specific kind of theatrical mentorship between an older man and a younger up-and-comer,” Tolins says. “It’s a very specific thing that happens when an ambitious young kid writes a letter to a hero of his, and the hero—the mentor—responds. I had a number of experiences like that, and I’ve met so many people who had similar experiences.”

Glover plays Martin Kerner, a legendary Broadway writer/director who is contacted by Andy Lipman (Brochtrup), a young man with big dreams.

When asked if Kerner is based on anyone in particular, Tolins says, “He’s sort of a composite of all of those guys—all of those short Jewish men who created Broadway, many of them gay.”

Kerner is gay and, without giving away too much, Tolins reveals that Andy comes out in the course of the play’s events.

Tolins has had Secrets on the back burner for years, and wrote the play with Brochtrup—an old friend—in mind. “This play took a long time to get a production, partly because it needs a really terrific actor, someone of the stature of John Glover, to play Martin Kerner, and that’s not easy to find,” the writer says.

Taking nothing away from the experience of contributing to a splashy Vegas show, Tolins says plainly, “[Secrets] is my favorite thing that I ever wrote. And it means so much to me that it’s finally getting done in the right way.” The production gives audiences “an amazing opportunity to see a cast like this work in a 30-seat theater,” he adds, laughing almost in disbelief. “It’s going to be really good.”

Secrets of the Trade runs March 12-April 20 at the Black Dahlia Theatre, 5453 W. Pico Blvd., L.A. For tickets and more information, visit www.thedahlia.com.