Randy Milliner plays neighborhood doctor Jim Bayliss in "All My Sons," closing this weekend at the Vam York!
GCP Girl: Tell me a bit about your character.
RM: I play Dr. Jim Bayliss. Jim, by nature, is a dreamer, but circumstance and situation have given him a rude awakening and forced him to deal with life’s mundane matters, such as money. While he is a devoted husband, he’s more of a thinker than a “doer,” and this causes a great deal of friction in his marriage to his much more pragmatic wife, Sue.
GCP Girl: Tell me about some of your previous shows, either at GCP or another theater.
RM: I’ve only done one other show at GCP, as Sheriff Heck Tate in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I’ve done several shows at the High Springs Community Theater, including “The Odd Couple,” where I was cast as the fastidious, hypochondriac Felix Unger; “Moon Over Buffalo” (which was a great deal of fun); “Hound of the Baskervilles,” where I was Sir Henry Baskerville; and “Butterflies are Free,” in which I played a blind man. “Butterflies” was probably my most challenging role to date, not because of the blind thing, but because I had to play the guitar and sing at the same time…in my skivvies. Also, I’m rehearsing for “Dracula” there, which opens on October 6th.
GCP Girl: Why did you audition for "All My Sons"?
RM: I really enjoyed my experience as part of the “Mockingbird” cast. Everyone does such a good job and the theater is a really nice space in which to work. I’m looking forward to more auditions here at GCP.
GCP Girl: What is your favorite scene in the show, and why?
RM: I like the scene in Act 3 between Jim and Kate. In it, Jim describes how everyone, at some point, must decide either follow their “star of Honesty” or sacrifice it, through compromise, in order to follow a more comfortable path. We are told, often flippantly, to “be true to ourselves,” but the reality is that doing so is not always easy. Most everything in life is a trade-off. You give up one thing to have another, and I think this scene really brings that message home.
GCP Girl: What about this show has challenged or inspired you, as an actor and as a person?
RM: Arthur Miller’s characters are very complex; there’s a lot of subtext for each of them, and it’s challenging to show that to the audience. Also, the overall tone of the show is very somber, and bringing out the moments of levity written for my character has been difficult.
GCP Girl: Why should people see "All My Sons"?
RM: “All My Sons” is an excellent exploration of the often tragic effects of lying. Just about every one of the characters in the show had, at some point, been presented with an opportunity to deal honestly with a crisis, and nearly every one of them chose to seek shelter from the painful consequences by rebuilding their lives on a foundation of lies – told to each other and to themselves. For a while, things returned to almost to normal, but as it is wont to do, the harsh light of Truth eventually shone down and burned away the darkness of mendacity, causing their false lives to come crashing down around the characters.
The propensity of dishonesty is not unique to the Kellers and their neighbors – it is something everyone must take care to avoid on a daily basis. So “All My Sons” serves as a reminder that honesty, no matter how uncomfortable, really is the best policy.
GCP Girl: What plays or musicals would you like to see GCP produce in an upcoming season?
RM: I would like to see some Shakespeare done at the theater. I know it’s difficult to do well, but I’m sure there are people in the community who have the ability and inclination to take on such an endeavor. Also, as preview of the next question: “Waiting for Godot.”
GCP Girl: What is your dream role?
RM: I don’t know that I have a dream role yet – I’m a theatre noob. However, the first monologue I ever studied in an acting class was from “Waiting for Godot.” I was very intrigued by the lack of structure and would very much like the part of Vladimir.
GCP Girl: Tell me something you'd like everyone to know!
RM: I love rollercoasters! One year, maybe next, I’d really like to go on a U.S. Rollercoaster Tour and ride all of America’s finest coasters. The Millennium Force at Cedar Point in Ohio is the one I’m most looking forward to right now.
Thanks, Randy! This is the final weekend for "All My Sons" - see it tonight, Saturday or Sunday!
xo xo GCP Girl
