BREAKING KAYFABE: Interview with writer Temar Underwood!

Nerd Caliber readers! I’m about to take you to the top of Space Mountain! Wooooo! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, TONIGHT, I proudly brings to you an interview with Temar Underwood, the writer of a new wrestling play starring… The “Road Dogg” Adam Swiderski! The “Bad Ass” Aldous Davidson! AND The New Age Outlaws: Luke Guldan*, Brian Silliman*, Christopher Baron, Dale Thomas Krupla! The play? BREAKING KAYFABE! LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

BREAKING KAYFABE tells the story of Barry Dorchester who was one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, but after the Nassau Coliseum Incident, his career was over. After years of silence, The Suicide Bomber finally tells all in this multimedia docudrama with live in-ring action. BREAKING KAYFABE, a new play by Temar Underwood, premiering at the 17th annual NY Int’l Fringe Festival. August 9-25, 2013

I met Temar a few years ago in the hilarious play “Galactic Girl (in: Attack of the Starbarians)” as the devilishly funny General Foo Foo. He is not only a talented actor and a wonderful musician but you can literally talk to him for hours on the art of Professional Wrestling, so when I heard about his newest play dealing with the sport I wanted to interview him.

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How long have you been a fan of professional wrestling?

I’ve been a wrestling fan for 27 years.

What is your earliest match that you can remember?

My earliest memory of wrestling was when King Kong Bundy attacked Hulk Hogan on Saturday Night’s Main Event, I believe. Hogan was in a match with Don Morrocco and Bundy, with Bobby Heenan by his side, ran down and attacked the Hulkster. He splashed him like 6 times and Hogan had to be carted away on a stretcher with broken ribs. A few weeks later, Hogan and Bundy had a match at Wrestlemania 2 in a steel cage. Hogan, of course, got his revenge.

What is your all time favorite match?

Very hard to say, but I’m particularly fond of Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 21, and also The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 25. If you want to go old school, I would say Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage at Wrestlemania 5.

Who are your top two favorite wrestlers of all time and why?

Shawn Michaels is my favorite. I maintain he is the greatest of all time. He could work any style from brawling to technical to comedic to lucha. And he was great on the mic. So good at just about everything.

As a kid, I was a Hulkamaniac through and through. I cried when he lost to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 6.

Did a particular match or wrestler inspire you to write this play? If not, what made you want to tell the story of “Breaking Kayfabe?”

I’m a fan of the genre. As I grew into a theatre artist, pro-wrestling, I discovered, is an absolute performance art. The men and women that are professional wrestlers are performers by and by. I felt a distant connection to them and I wanted to tell their story. I wanted to share what they do for love. They are sometimes flawed, ugly, silly, and downright ridiculous. But they are also talented, graceful, magical, and…beautiful. Breaking Kayfabe is my valentine to sports entertainers.

This is the only play that I have heard about that is not only about professional wrestling but has an actual ring on stage. Why did you feel that having a ring and showing matches live during the show was important?

Well, we were actually beat by a play called “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety”, which is a lovely comedy and social commentary with wrestling as a backdrop. I wanted to tell a different story, again about wrestlers as artists, and the pride and tragedy that comes along with suffering for their art. There was no wrestling on stage in the first draft, but my friend and colleague, Jon Hoche, after reading it said that he would be very disappointed if he went to see a wrestling play that had no wrestling, so I added numerous flashback sequences. Jon was right.

Why do you feel that some folks still mock the world of professional wrestling? The fact that these men and women have to memorize lines within hours, plus choreograph high flying matches deserves respect alone.

As a fan, that’s hard to answer. And I guess this play tries to kind of shine a light on how talented these men and women are and how hard they work and all the sacrifices they make. I think more and more people, while maybe not becoming big fans of the genre, are starting to respect what they do.

What would be your dream match in the WWE?

The Undertaker vs John Cena at Wrestlemania. – It just can’t get more epic than that. Can you imagine the moment when John Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment and covers the Undertaker and everyone’s heart stops, thinking Cena is about to end the streak. Oh boy!

If you could be a wrestler, what would your name be and what would your character be like?

“Chocolate Thunder” Tay Tay Under – A dirty comedic heel that toes the line of Kayfabe. “YEAH! Keep booing me. The more you boo me…the more money I make!”

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Be sure to check out BREAKING KAYFABE at The Lynn Redgrave Theater VENUE #14

45 Bleecker St New York, NY 10012

Showtimes:

Wednesday, August 14, 2013 at 8:15pm

Saturday, August 17, 2013 at 7:00pm

Monday, August 19, 2013 at 4:15pm

Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 4:45pm

$15 IN ADVANCE, $18 AT THE DOOR

AND THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE, CAUSE STONE CONN SAID SO!