OLD FRIENDS
In ‘The Boys of Autumn,’ Pat Sajak and Joe Moore tell a tale much like the one they share. I want to set the record straight. I was never the weeping ninny Mark Twain made me out to be in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I knew Samuel Clemens before he was “Mark Twain,”
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Del.icio.usoften ... maybe that’s why we’re such good friends (laughs). I don’t really remember my first impression of Pat in Vietnam. He was the morning DJ on American Forces Vietnam Network radio and I did radio and TV news. We roomed together with one other fellow in a Saigon hotel that was run by the Army. I left the Army a couple of months before he did, and somehow we lost track of each other. Years later he saw me on an episode of Hawaii Five-0, sent me a letter, and we started corresponding again. I think when he saw me on a nationally televised series, he thought, “If he can do that, I ought to at least be able to be a game show host or sell used cars.” And he is such a natural B.S.‘er, that’s what he did. Well, he settled for the Wheel after failing as a car salesman. It’s not much for a grown man to claim as a career, but he’s a nice guy.
How did you prepare for this play?
Moore: Obviously, the first order of business is to memorize the lines, and there is a ton of dialogue. Not blessed with a photographic mind, I’ve never found an easy way to memorize lines. It’s just a process of repeating them over and over until they stick. Then the challenge becomes making sure they stick. My wife Teresa and son Bryce have been a big help in going over the material.
Pat and I used Skype on our computers every couple of weeks to help us cement the lines and get familiar with each other’s delivery and timing. The real rehearsals started June 12 under the direction of Glenn Cannon. We’ve had marathon rehearsal sessions on the weekends and twice a day on weekdays.
I love working with Glenn. He really knows his stuff. This will be the third time he’s directed me in a play, following The Heydrich Covenant and Prophecy and Honor - 2007 version. It will be the first time he’s directed Pat and me together, although the three of us did share the stage as actors in the first run of Prophecy in 1993 at Diamond Head Theatre.
Why Hawaii Theatre? Moore: We chose Hawaii Theatre as the beneficiary because we really like the people there, have enjoyed our past productions there and thought it was about time we tried to bring in some money for this great nonprofit organization. It’s no secret that performing arts venues need all the help they can get to survive.
We hope to sell out all five performances and raise all we can for the theater. We both realize this play probably won’t appeal to a younger audience, but we think adults will appreciate and enjoy it.
When Broadway playwright Bernard Sabath learned that Pat and I were donating our time and efforts to do this play as a benefit for Hawaii Theatre, he wrote us a letter saying that he was going to donate his $500 royalty fee to the theater. What a generous thing to do!
Do you prefer stage or TV as a creative medium?
Sajak: They’re so different, it’s hard to compare. Virtually everything I do on TV is off-the-cuff, and I love working that way. But there’s a great deal of satisfaction in taking a script, learning it, rehearsing, refining and perfecting it, and then, finally, performing it. There is a special thrill in doing live theatre that I haven’t experienced in any other part of my career.
Moore: Live theatre is challenging, because I don’t do it that often, usually a play every couple of years. But I enjoy it. Working before a live audience is obviously a rush, and satisfying when the performance goes well. There are a lot of things that go into a good production, the actors just being the most visible part. Fortunately for us, Pat and I have been blessed to work with outstanding production crews on our projects, and we’re delighted to have most of the ol’ gang back for this play.
What’s new with you? Sajak: Not much. I’ve been at Wheel since 1981 and it’s still going strong. This fall, we’ll start our 28th season of the nighttime show and it’s still the No. 1 show in syndicated television. And we’re just spinning a wheel and playing hangman. Is this a great country or what?
Moore: Professionally, Pat and I talk about such things as signing new contracts over the years, and the ups and downs we’ve experienced (mostly ups). I think we both just assume we’ll retire about the same time ... when the public gets tired of us. Of course, he has a slightly bigger audience to worry about than I do (chuckles). He’s almost a year older than me, although he looks much older (laughs).
We do kid each other about what an easy job the other has, but the truth is we both know there’s a lot more to what each of us does than meets the eye. When we talk about the state of modern-day broadcasting we’re coming at it as old-timers, and as such lament the preponderance of “flash” over substance.
Sajak: We both realize we’re pretty lucky when it comes to long runs, especially the way television has changed. We might act a little silly when we’re together, but we’re both very serious about our jobs, and I think it’s safe to say we each understand what it takes to be successful over the long haul. We do talk about show business, but, now that we’re getting a little older, much of what we say about the current state of affairs is not too complimentary.
Moore: I think we’ve blathered on enough.
The Boys in Autumn runs Thursday, June 24, through Sunday, June 27, 7:30 p.m. (2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 26, followed by post-show cast chat in courtyard). Tickets cost $17-$72; call 528-0506 or go online to www.hawaiitheatre.com.
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