Fit for a Prince

by Les Spindle

Prolific young actor Steve Coombs has offered fine performances in several stage productions since he moved to L.A. from New York four years ago. He has played diverse roles, such as the enigmatic title character in an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s A Picture of Dorian Gray and the doomed romantic hero in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. He’s now playing a major role in yet another classic—well, sort of. The character is called Mama’s Boy but the inspiration for the new play God Save Gertrude (written by Jessica Stein, and featuring songs by Stein and David Hanbury) is Hamlet, and Coombs’ role is a modern variation on the titular prince from that Shakespeare tragedy.

This is Shakespeare in a punk-rock, modern-day vernacular. It affords Coombs the opportunity to cast aside the all-American matinee-idol appearance he generally sports in favor of the grungy, counter-culture countenance of a coke-snorting social rebel. He also gets to sing on stage for the first time, and to work once again with a director he greatly respects, Michael Michetti, who guided him through Dorian Gray and a more traditional version of Hamlet, in which he played Horatio. “Working with Michael I enjoy every step of the process,” said Coombs. “And Boston Court is such an amazing space. It’s an intimate 99-seat facility that allows you to bring things together that usually only a larger house could pull off. Here you get the power of a more equipped facility, as well as the closeness of the audience. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Coombs noted that it’s hard to encapsulate the offbeat Gertrude. He said, “The author [Stein] has essentially broken down one of the most famous literary texts, making the characters into archetypes. Hamlet [aka Mama’s Boy] is a coddled poet/kid.” Coombs noted that this work mixes comedic sensibilities with far darker ones. “Punk rock music stems from the oppression, censorship and all those things that come from a war-torn region,” he remarked. “The Sex Pistols were screaming about the bullshit of their socialist government. In this play, the author sort of creates a great artistic collage of politics and art. It’s through the art that you express yourself. It’s like saying ‘screw the system.’”

Coombs said though his singing in the show is relatively minor—three songs that blend into other scenes—he has worked hard, taking singing lessons to prepare. “The first time I worked at Boston Court [in Dorian Gray], the role challenged me more than anything I have ever done, and it changed my life,” added Coombs. “Now it’s happening here a second time, so it’s amazing.”

Between acting gigs, the ever-ambitious Coombs has been traveling to places like Africa and the Philippines for a documentary film he’s making and he donates his time and skills to running an organization called Inspiring Players, which provides acting classes for disabled citizens, as a means to nurture their self-esteem and creative impulses. Combining the hard-driving energy of a punk rocker with the heart and soul of a philanthropist and a dedicated creative artist, Coombs has forged a career that keeps getting more rewarding with each role.

the details

God Save Gertrude
Through Nov. 8.
Tickets $27-32.
The Theatre @ Boston Court,
70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena.
bostoncourt.org