Brian Mackey’s acting bucket list

I’m asking veteran local actors to name five dream roles and say why. The answers not only reveal aspirations, they may put an idea in the minds of artistic directors and producers — even choices that may seem outside the box.

Craig Noel Award-winner Brian Mackey

“This list was more difficult to put together than I figured. Every time I thought it was finished, some other play or character would pop into my head and I’d have to redo the whole thing! But this is what I ended up with.”

1.) Iago, Othello, by William Shakespeare. “One of the most fascinating characters ever written. Iago has always pulled at me. His ability to be charming and smooth while engineering the deaths and downfalls of so many people who trusted him is what makes him stand out among Shakespeare’s villains. That he never apologizes or asks forgiveness deepens the intrigue.”

2.) Harold Hill, The Music Man, by Meredith Willson. “Few musicals stick in my head like this one. To play Harold Hill would be an absolute blast! Not only does he have some tremendous songs, his journey of self-discovery is so beautifully told that I would want to play the part even if it had no music.”

3.) Padraic, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, by Martin McDonagh. “McDonagh’s one of my favorite playwrights. I would honestly love to work on any one of his plays, but this is probably my favorite because Padraic is the perfect incarnation of McDonagh’s dark humor. We first meet him in the middle of a torture session with a drug dealer, only to see him break down into tears later, when he finds out his cat is sick. Who wouldn’t want to play that range?”

4.) Ebeneezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. “I revisit this book every Christmas, and Scrooge has always been a character I have longed to play. Few characters go through such a full transformation on stage. To be able to do that while using Dickens’ beautiful language would be a real treat.”

5.) Captain James Hook, Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie. “Who doesn’t want to play a pirate? Honestly, I am infatuated with the character of Hook. Not the Disney Hook, or the movie Hooks (other than Dustin Hoffman’s), but the original Hook, as written by J.M. Barrie. Here’s a man who was raised well, and educated by the best, with a vendetta against a boy who cut off his hand and fed it to a crocodile. No playwright has written that Hook yet. I would love to see one explore this smart, sinister, sexy character more deeply.”