Beauty News NYC has been following actor Matt de Rogatis since July 2022, when we covered his role in a Ruth Stage production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” We were then happy enough to report that the show was so successful that it was extended so more audiences would get the chance to experience it. So when Matt reached out about his new show, “Lone Star,” another Ruth Stage production, we knew we wanted to hear straight from Matt about all of the details. Beauty News NYC asked Matt directly about his journey playing Roy in “Lone Star,” what he hopes audiences take away from the show, and more!
How has your portrayal of the Roy character in Lone Star evolved since you started in 2010, especially with the current grand-scale production?
That’s really a great question. I would say it has evolved in the same way that a human being evolves. Even though I have played Roy in three other separate productions, he is not the character I have played the most. “Brick” in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is the character that I’ve played the most, close to 100 times. But all of those performances took place within a 6-month window.
With Roy, 13 years have passed since I’ve played him for the very first time. I am a much different person now than I was in 2010, and as I have evolved as a person and an actor, so has Roy along with me. We didn’t videotape that first production back in 2010, but I wish we had. I’d love to see it. I’m sure I was terrible, haha. I know for certain it would be nowhere near the performance I will give starting this Saturday. I feel as though I’ve lived with this person for 13 years. He’s in my bones at this point. Even the 2017 and 2019 productions, I feel, will be vastly different from the interpretation I will be giving in this current run. So much has happened to me personally since 2019, and because of that, I am able to bring those experiences and emotions into this current rendition of Roy. These would be things I would not have been capable of bringing to the past productions because I simply had not experienced them and, therefore, would not have access to those memories.
I’d like to think I’m also a more mature and wiser, smarter person than I was back when I played him in the best. And a better actor, too. So, I bring all of that into this new production, which will make the performance wildly different.
Can you share how the collaboration with Veterans’ organizations for Opening Night came about and its significance in conveying the play’s message?
My friends always joke around with me that no one loves the play Lone Star more than I do. I think that’s probably true. In 2017, the family of the late playwright, James McLure, flew up from Florida to see our production. Afterwards we all went out for drinks and since then have remained in close contact. One thing that the family of James McLure and I had always talked about was – if my company, Ruth Stage, had ever staged Lone Star again, that we try to honor veterans. So this has been something that has been in the works, in my thought process for years. But if I was going to do it, I wanted it to make an impact.
I’m thrilled that we have partnered not only with two veterans organizations (Warrior Rising and VetLinks.org) but also with Iraqi war veteran and advocate Magda Khalifa. The play is about a Vietnam War veteran suffering from PTSD, but we aren’t looking to honor just the veterans from Vietnam. It is our intention to honor all the vets. They have given so much, many of them their lives and limbs, to fight for our country, and too often, their contributions are overlooked. Too often, they come back from war, messed up, and suffering, many in silence. This play and this production are aiming to try and make people more aware that so many veterans, like Roy, are suffering and that something can be done about it.
On Opening Night, December 3rd, we had a talkback with Magda and the Vet organizations after the show. We hope that kickstarted a chain of positive events for everyone. Raising awareness for PTSD and honoring the fallen soldiers is something, as I said, we always wanted to do. A portion of all proceeds from the show will be donated to the organizations. It’s really a great cause, and you’re not really seeing a lot of this type of stuff being done right now in New York City theatre. The more the show succeeds, the more awareness we can raise. There’s definitely a plan in place. Right now, though, we have to clear this first hurdle. I think Opening Night will be a special event.
Balancing dark comedy and poignant moments in Lone Star seems challenging. What’s your approach, and what rewards or challenges does it bring as an actor?
The greatest thing about this play is that it all happens in real time. My character and the other characters in the production, as well, are just spiraling out of control. When we did the show in 2019, a reviewer called it “A personal apocalypse.” It really is. You go on this journey with this character who, at the start of the play, is drunk, and it only gets worse as the night wears on. And he’s got a bad case of PTSD. His brother is trying to pull him out of the doldrums, but Roy is basically just stuck. Stuck in the past. However, as the night wears on – again – all of it happening in real-time, he gets the ultimate wake-up call and realizes that his only path is to let go and move forward. Amidst it all, there are some really sad moments – as I said, the PTSD, a marriage that is falling apart. And then there are some absolutely hilarious moments. Roy’s hatred for another character in the play, Cletis. Roy’s love for his car, a 1959 Pink Thunderbird Convertible. The play takes place in Texas circa 1972, and it’s easy to read the script and interpret these characters as buffoonish cowboys. But to go back to one of your earlier questions – that’s the beauty of playing this character and living with this play for so long. You find the layers. Layers upon layers. Roy is a wonderful character. He’s like a Stanley Kowalski type only, dare I say it, a richer and more full character.
The challenge is always discovering more about him after all this time and keeping it fresh and exciting every night. Luckily, I have a great director in Joe Rosario and brilliant scene partners in Dan Amboyer, Ryan McCartan, and Ana Isabelle. Being involved with all of them is the reward.
With the success of your previous productions and the upcoming Times Square billboard for Lone Star, what excites you about showcasing the play on a larger scale?
Another great question. This play is so personal to me. I remember years ago, when we did a run of this play that was like four performances, I thought to myself, “God, I wish I could find a way to bring it Off-Broadway. I wish I could run it for a few weeks, maybe 20 performances! Wouldn’t that be awesome?” Money – the ability to produce it on this level was always stopping me. Or slowing me down, I should say. But things changed, and we persevered, and now – here we are – at Theatre Row, on the precipice of a 35-show run with the possibility of a 30-show extension as well as the Broadway rights. It’s just like a promise I made to myself years ago, that one day, I’d find a way to put the show up on this level. And to be able to do it, and not just say it or think it – is special. And I’m surrounded by such awesome talent on the stage and off. I really encourage everyone to go to our website, ruthstage.org/lonestar, and take a look at the whole crew. It’s impossible to do this without them. This show started with a little spark. We lit a little match 13 years ago, and now, as you said, we’re going up on a Times Square billboard. It’s thrilling, but also, as the lead producer and someone who also does the marketing and bits of PR, on top of the acting, it’s difficult to stop and smell the roses. It’s difficult to stop at all.
Having played this character over the years, how do you find resonance in Lone Star today, and what do you hope the audience takes away from its exploration of brotherhood and the impact of war? Could you also share a brief synopsis of the show in your own words? And where can audiences catch the show and purchase tickets?
So, most importantly, the audience can catch the show running from November 25th until December 23rd, for now. We hope there will be more. We’re playing at Theatre Row on 42nd Street, and tickets can be purchased at ruthstage.org/lonestar. If you use promo code STAR23, you get a Texas-sized discount!
The play is relevant. It’s about the effects of war. Look what’s happening in the world today. The play is about mental health. Can’t we all relate to that? It’s about alcoholism. Don’t we all know someone who suffers from that? It’s about family. It’s about a broken marriage. It’s about not wanting to get old or grow up. It’s about holding onto our youth, our innocence. Can’t we all relate to that? There’s so much beauty in this play, and EVERYONE will find something relatable.
Most of all, it’s about two brothers. Sharing a moment out back behind a dive bar in Texas. Secrets come out, people almost get killed, and things get destroyed. A lot of alcohol gets ingested, and a lot of junk food is eaten. On the Theatre Row website, the synopsis reads:
“Lone Star takes place in the cluttered backyard of a small-town Texas bar. Roy, a brawny macho type, is back in town, battling symptoms of PTSD after a hitch in Vietnam. Joined by his younger brother Ray, this hilarious and poignant study of a pair of Texas “good ole boys” explores the depths of brotherhood and the scars to be dealt with from battles fought at home and abroad.”
Honestly, though. It’s all of that and so much more. Come see the play, and if you don’t laugh or cry or both – full refunds!
