{"id":80398,"date":"2013-07-12T07:54:47","date_gmt":"2013-07-12T11:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=80398"},"modified":"2013-07-19T10:41:07","modified_gmt":"2013-07-19T14:41:07","slug":"ncis-la-star-leads-the-music-man-in-nutmeg-summer-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2013\/07\/ncis-la-star-leads-the-music-man-in-nutmeg-summer-series\/","title":{"rendered":"‘NCIS: LA’ Star Leads \u2018The Music Man\u2019 in Nutmeg Summer Series"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Barrett<\/a>
Barrett Foa, who plays Eric Beale in the hit TV series NCIS: Los Angeles, during a break from rehearsals of ‘The Music Man’ on campus. (Ken Best\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Backstage at the Tony Awards earlier this year, Barrett Foa was talking with acclaimed Broadway star Terrence Mann and mentioned that he would be performing this summer as Harold Hill in the Nutmeg Summer Series production of \u201cThe Music Man<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mann, who spent the past two summers in Storrs acting in and directing in Nutmeg Summer Series productions staged by the Connecticut Repertory Theatre, told Foa he would enjoy the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just lit up and told me: \u2018You\u2019re just going to have so much fun,\u2019\u201d says Foa, one of the stars of \u201cNCIS: Los Angeles<\/a>,\u201d which will begin its fifth season in the fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel comfortable here,\u201d he adds. \u201cThe cast is incredibly talented. They\u2019re supportive of me and I\u2019m supportive of them. It\u2019s a lovely and comfortable place to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Barrett<\/a>
Barrett Foa as Harold Hill alongside Courtney Balan, who plays Marian the Librarian, in the American musical classic, ‘The Music Man,’ the final show in CRT’s 2013 Nutmeg Summer Series. (Bob Copley for UConn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A veteran of Broadway musicals, Foa says that having the lead role in a production like \u201cThe Music Man,\u201d which runs July 11-21 at the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, presents a new challenge and greater responsibility, since his previous roles in other productions of the musical were as part of the ensemble.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in \u2018The Music Man\u2019 three times as a dancing teenager and I never thought I\u2019d be old enough to play Harold Hill,\u201d Foa said during a break from rehearsals last week. \u201cI don\u2019t know that Harold Hill has to be old. I think he can be in his 30s and at the peak of his game both in the way of getting away with conning these towns and sleeping with as many women as he possibly can in each one. If he\u2019s at the apex, I think that gives it a sexier sheen to the whole show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foa has performed in Connecticut before, including as Frederic in \u201cPirates!\u201d at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, and as Claudio in the Shakespeare Theatre Company\u2019s production of \u201cMuch Ado About Nothing\u201d at the Hartford Stage.<\/p>\n

A native of New York City, Foa spent his summers during high school at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, later graduating with a degree in theater from the University of Michigan. He made his Broadway debut as part of the original cast of \u201cMama Mia!\u201d in 2001. He says he first learned about UConn in 2003, when he auditioned for the Broadway production of \u201cAvenue Q,\u201d the hit musical that features puppets. One of the puppeteers featured in the production was Jennifer Barnhart \u201998 (SFA).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a bit of a scary experience going into a room full of puppeteers and saying: \u2018I\u2019m going to be your new lead.\u2019 They put me into an intensive two-day course and I proved at the audition I could fit in with everyone else. I got to be the understudy for a year and learn from everyone,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Taking the risk of seeking a new challenge is something Foa enjoys. After establishing his credentials on the stage in New York, he decided to take the suggestion of friends and head to Los Angeles for a move into television. Not long after his arrival in Hollywood, he landed guest spots on established shows including \u201cNumb3rs,\u201d \u201cThe Closer,\u201d and HBO\u2019s \u201cEntourage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foa thought that, given his extensive background in musicals and musical comedy, he would likely find comedic roles in television. However, he learned that opportunities for guest stars are more plentiful in dramas. Not long after two turns on \u201cEntourage\u201d and one on \u201cThe Closer,\u201d Foa was cast in an episode of \u201cNCIS\u201d that introduced the Los Angeles office of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. At the time, \u201cNCIS\u201d was the No. 2-rated television program, and CBS decided to spin off a second show, \u201cNCIS: Los Angeles,\u201d with Foa reprising his role as computer tech analyst Eric Beale.<\/p>\n

Foa says he was fortunate to land a network series so quickly: \u201cI never went through a pilot season, which is sort of the living hell that LA actors have to go through every year. Somehow I avoided that and struck the lottery.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says the show\u2019s writers continue to evolve the ensemble cast of \u201cNCIS: Los Angeles,\u201d a drama that emphasizes the relationships between the pairing of agents and staff and among the entire group.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what distinguishes our show from a lot of the other procedural crime dramas is there\u2019s a dramatic story each week but at the same time there\u2019s kind of a workplace comedy going on,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s comedy where people are teasing each other a lot. It\u2019s great because the characters are so comfortable with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foa looks forward to his performances in Storrs this week, when he will be able to perform before an audience again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I do theater. Yeah, I\u2019m in your living room [each week], but you\u2019re not in mine,\u201d he says. “I\u2019m used to having a live connection with an audience on a stage, and also after the show. Fans stick around and wait to say \u2018Hi.\u2019 I get to say \u2018Hi\u2019 back. There\u2019s more of an immediate personal touch. I want to do this because I want to meet the fans halfway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to Foa discussing the role of Harold Hill<\/a> and why he enjoys theater<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Music Man\u201d is part of the Nutmeg Summer Series 2013, and will run July 11-21 at the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre. For information call 860-486-1629 or go to the CRT website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barrett Foa talks about his career and his summertime role as Henry Hill in the Connecticut Repertory Theatre production.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":80337,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[55],"class_list":["post-80398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-03 08:07:14","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80398"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80901,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80398\/revisions\/80901"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/80337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80398"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=80398"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=80398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}