Larry Neumann, Jr.

The Joseph Jeff Awards are nothing new to Larry. Many of the productions that he's lead have received nominations and been identified as outstanding by the Jeff committees, but his performances have been recognized three times over the years. Now, he's been nominated for his work in The Puppetmaster at Lodz. But another nomination for an award is not news for anyone who follows Larry's career.

Larry Neumann, Jr. has been described as a "Chicago treasure" or with similar praise in virtually every review he's received. When I sent out the notice that I was looking for talent to work with, I was thrilled when Larry expressed interest. What better way to start a venture than with a treasure?

I first saw Larry perform in an adaptation of Oedipus. A few years later, I saw him play Iago, but I didn't get to know Larry though until he married Sandy Borglum (who is also a brilliant, passionate performer.) I've seen him perform several times since those initial, classical roles, but his performances are so specific, so fresh, that I remember details from both all these years later. And it doesn't hurt that Larry is one of the nicest people I've ever met in the Chicago performing industry.

We met in a coffee shop to talk about career goals and how we might update his marketing images. He started off by modestly calculating that he works an average forty weeks a year as an actor. Those are paying weeks! He's listed exclusively with Geddes and he's very happy with the number and quality of auditions they set up for him. If there's something filming in town that needs a homeless man, a crazy man, or a world-weary detective, Larry seems to be the go-to guy. He loves to play the characters that are out on the edge, and we definitely needed an image that keeps in those markets.

But, by nature actors are dreamers and every successful actor I've ever worked with has set goals in terms of roles they want to play, companies they want to be part of, industries they want to crack, and Larry's no different. Larry loves working in Chicago and he recognizes that he'd be a fool to complain about the roles he gets, he has a definite taste for the classics and feels like he's just at the point where he'd love to tackle the great classic roles again. We talked briefly about Iago. He performed that role at The Theatre Building, and as was my habit for that show I sat in the front row on the aisle. I remember all of the actors in the lead roles. It was a simple production, and for some reason I'm remembering it all in blues and greys. At one point, Larry as Iago appeared next to me, startling me, and began one of his soliloquies. He was electric.

I think there isn't a great Shakespearean role that Larry in which he wouldn't be brilliant. He mentioned Richard III as a particular favorite. I'd love to see his Lear.

As expected, Larry showed up for the shoot simply, and fully prepared, open for anything. His existing shots, in my opinion, were over lit and lacked color. We did several set ups and lighting arrangements. We still had about thirty shots left and that's when I suggested something darker, what I called "the Iago shot." Of all the shots we took that day, and there were a lot of great ones, I'm particularly excited about it because it captures Larry's depth and showcases him in a light quite different from his current headshots. I think it shows Larry to the Chicago performance community in a way that they might not ordinarily think of him. Wouldn't you cast this actor as Iago? Yet, it is absolutely and completely Larry.

That's the goal of any good headshot, especially one as established within a market as Larry Neumann, Jr.