A New Twist

Meet Brandon Ruckdashel, an acclaimed, rising young actor with a sexy take on the famous Dickens pickpocket

By Jonathan Riggs

FRONTIERS: Your very first acting role was as Westley (“As you wish!”) in a high school play adaptation of The Princess Bride. Say what?

BRANDON RUCKDASHEL: Honestly, it was one of my favorite movies growing up. We actually staged the entire performance throughout the auditorium using stairs as the great cliffs and small sets within the audience for the different stages in the journey. I always liked playing with swords growing up so I was allowed to stage the sword fights.

What do you miss most about your hometown?

The snow and cold. [Laughs] I loved Minnesota. Growing up in the Midwest gives you a certain perspective on the practical. By the time I hit college, though, I had already spent two years in Utah and two years in Virginia. People are different all across America, and I had the pleasure of experiencing that firsthand.

It must've taken some guts to pack your bags and move to New York, fresh out of school, to pursue acting.

New York is wild. I loved every second of it. I think some people are just meant to live in the big city and gravitate towards it.

Let's talk about the new, Drama Desk-nominated and award-winning pop-rock musical that you're starring in: Twist.

This is not your mother's Oliver! [Laughs] I think most people think of Twist as a child. My Twist is a budding young man exploring both his dark and light sides. Many of the Disney-like qualities have been stripped out, and many in this cast feel that this is closer to the original book.

Except with a sexy, shirtless Oliver and Fagin as a male dominatrix, right?

Yes. [Laughs] There is bondage, kink, and, of course, there's a bit of an exploration of Oliver's masochistic side. But what I'm drawn to most about this character is that he is still exploring and finding out who he is as a person, a position I also find myself in.

For your Off-Broadway debut as a dark angel in Ascension, you got rave reviews, including some that compared you to Brad Pitt, Marlon Brando, and James Dean.

That blew my mind! They are my idols. I want to be part of their heritage of realism in the theater.

When you’re not working, what's your favorite hobby?

Photography. There's something about capturing a frame of beauty that keeps me going.

What's a good cause that's dear to your heart?

Charities such as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. They're important to me because they allow us to use the stage not only for the public's pleasure, but also for making the public aware of some of the challenges that face us all as human beings.

Twist (www.themusicaltwist.com) opens Saturday, Dec. 1, and plays each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through Dec. 30 at the Avery Schreiber Theatre (11050 Magnolia Blvd. in the NoHo Arts District). For tickets, call 866.811.4111 or www.theatremania.com. For more on Ruckdashel, visit www.brandonruckdashel.com.

LIMITED RUN

LONE STARS

Groundlings comics Mindy Sterling (Frau Farbissina from Austin Powers) and Patrick Bristow (Ellen, Showgirls) star in A Tuna Christmas, a two-person, costume-changing extravaganza capturing the 24 hours before Christmas. Through Jan. 6. Theatre Asylum. $25. 8 p.m. 323/960-7779.

HISTORY LESSONS

The History Boys," the smash hit play by Alan Bennett, centers on an unruly history class of bright, funny teenage boys in pursuit of sex, sport and a college degree. Ahmanson Theatre. $30.-$80. 213/628-2772. www.centertheatregroup.org.

PHOENIX RISING

The Charles Phoenix Holiday Jubilee features singing, dancing, music, cooking and the best of Phoenix's unique retro holiday show that has developed a loyal cult following. Redcat Theater. Through Dec. 20. 8 p.m. $35. 213/237-2800. www.charlesphoenix.com.

SLICE OF GAY HEAVEN

All This & Heaven Too explores the lives of middle-aged gay men who celebrate, through song and dance and laughter, the universal themes of aging, relationships and the undying kinship of true friends. Macha Theatre. $30. 323/960-7776. www.machatheatre.org.

WHAT THE DICKENS?

Twist, a pop-rock musical based on Oliver Twist, weaves Victorian erotica, dark comedy, arch wit and gender-bending. The Avery Schreiber Theatre. $20. 866/811-4111. www.theatremania.com.

HOMO MUST

A GAY OLE CHRISTMAS

A Christmas Carol is retold as Ebenezer Scrooge, a world famous fashion designer, takes a downward spiral into an abyss of drugs, money and depression after the death of his partner Jake Marley. It also has ghosts... and they're gay! Celebration Theatre. $25. 8 p.m. www.celebrationtheatre.com.

ON STAGE

Little Secrets

The Space, through Dec. 16
***

Larry Marviglia has set his claustrophobic psychological drama in a college dorm, probably one of the more open and fluid environments in existence unless, as here, the place seems weirdly abandoned. When the amiable Don (Patrick Cavanaugh) arrives on campus, he finds he's sharing quarters with the insufferably controlling Jarrett (Peter Berube) but inexplicably fails to make other living arrangements, much to his eventual chagrin. Director Alex Sol is able to make this premise work until late in the first act, when Jarrett goes all Mommie Dearest and starts issuing a list of forbidden behaviors. Don's subsequent abandonment of personality is hard to buy since he has access to both people and places beyond the dorm, and avails himself of both. The actors are quite appealing, however, and the fact that the play holds our interest as long as it does is a testament to their expertise. —WENZEL JONES

Point Break Live!

Charlie O's at the Alexandria Hotel, Oct. 12-indefinite
***

Damp young men in board shorts. Need I say more? Creator Jamie Keeling has gone to the well of pretension and bad acting that was Point Break and returned with an interactive celebration of bad taste and homoeroticism tempered with blood, beer, and fluids shot randomly and with vigor over nearby audience members. Fans of the film will easily recognize the characters expertly flayed by David Simons (Special Agent Harp), George Spielvogel (Angelo Pappas), and Tobias Jelinek (Bodhi). The Keanu Reeves role, and herein lies the brilliance of the enterprise, is cast from the audience at each production and played off of cue cards, thus recreating the somnambulistic magic of the Master. I imply nothing, but it should be noted that the night reviewed, the Johnny Utah candidate who dropped his trousers during the audition captured the role. This show might be the most messy fun you'll have outside of the confines of your, well, messy fun zone. —W.J.

AISLE SAY

Move Over, Ebenezer

This year, there seem to be fewer staple holiday offerings like multiple A Christmas Carol rehashes in favor of less conventional fare, which is refreshing, though I’m looking forward to the Celebration Theatre’s new gay adaptation of Carol (opening Dec. 7). One perennial treat that never wears out its welcome is the annual visit of Joe Keyes and Rob Elk's uproarious paean to Midwest madness, Bob’s Holiday Office Party (Lounge Theatre, through Dec. 22; 323/960-7714) (left), directed by Justin Tanner. The offbeat fare is led by Troubadour Theatre Company's A Charlie James Brown Christmas (Falcon Theatre, through Jan. 8; 818/955-8101), serving up the company's trademark mix of rock music and sharp satire. More madcap mirth is available in Gay Mafia: Nu-Queer Winter (Lounge Theatre through Jan. 23; 323/634-2820), featuring the popular improv-sketch troupe. Family audiences will enjoy Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate's Christmas, a new musical by Scott DeTurk and James J. Mellon of Dorian fame (NoHo Arts Center, through Dec. 30; 818/508-7101). Roger Bean's smash LADCC and Ovation-winning musical The Marvelous Wonderettes temporarily makes way for a holiday sequel, Winter Wonderettes (El Portal Theatre, through Dec. 31; 888/505-7469). And who could resist an antidote for a good-cheer overdose in A Very Grand Guignol Christmas, featuring the French troupe Grand Guignolers de Paris (Art/Works Theatre, through Dec. 22; 323/871-1912). There's much more, but these sound the most appealing.

Upright Remains Stalwart

That terrific company, Upright Cabaret, faced a challenging year, becoming itinerant during the summer while its venue, La Bohéme in West Hollywood underwent renovations. Producer Shane Scheel spoke of the latest unfortunate development: “Sadly, Upright lost one of its biggest champions in Brian O'Connor, who passed away short of seeing Café La Bohéme to fruition. Brian was a class act who treated every evening as if it was a Broadway production. He will be missed.” A return to La Bohéme could happen later. Meanwhile, a recent engagement of Honky Tonk Nights kept the troupe active at Mark's Restaurant, and there will be a desert cabaret in Palm Springs, Dec. 13-14, with reservations available at 760/318-3016. The upbeat and talented entrepreneur Scheel—who's also a kickass singer—and his delightful partners, co-producer Chris Isaacson and music director Trapper Felides keep signing up stellar singer-actors for their glittering shows. Scheel asks fans to stay tuned at www.myspace.com/uprightcabaret or www.uprightcabaret.com. If you haven't checked out this smashingly successful group, make a New Year's resolution to do so. And happy holidays to all. — LES SPINDLE