John Tartaglia is Sold on 'Buyer and Cellar'

More than 50 years since she triumphed on Broadway in "Funny Girl," Barbra Streisand remains one of the most fascinating entertainment figures in the world (and not just in gay culture). That turns out to be true even when she's simply a character in a play like Jonathan Tolins' "Buyer & Cellar," which has become a huge national hit over the past few years.

The solo, multi-character piece details the fictional story of Alex More, an underemployed Los Angeles actor who takes on the unexpectedly daunting, and surprisingly rewarding, job of running the shops Streisand has built for her collectibles in the basement of her Malibu, California home. It has previously attracted such A-list actors as "Ugly Betty" star Michael Urie and "NCIS: LA" star and Broadway veteran Barrett Foa.

Now, the multi-talented John Tartaglia, best known for his work in "Avenue Q," is taking his shot at the show at New Brunswick's George Street Playhouse, March 3-29. "I actually never got a chance to see the Off-Broadway production, although I wanted to," he admits. "But I did become aware of the book that inspired Jonathan's play, called 'Barbra Streisand: My Passion for Design,' and I just couldn't get over her lifestyle. I want a private tour of that house," he laughs.

"So when the folks at George Street asked me to do this play, I immediately thought, 'yes, I'll do it!' I had never done a one-man play. I thought it would be such a great challenge. I always worry about becoming pigeonholed. First, I was thought of only as a puppeteer, then a musical comedy performer. I have more pigeonholes than I can count!" he says. "And after reading it, while I knew it would be funny, I was surprised how touching it would turn out to be. There's a real message of finding out who you really are and embracing that. I think that's really wonderful."

Intriguingly, Tartaglia says he's not your typical male Streisand fan. "I didn't grow up 'Barbra gay,' he notes. "It's only over the last years that I've begun to really appreciate her and her impact on the culture, as a singer, actor, and film director. She's become this one-named legend everyone knows. The part of her I'm fascinated most by, though, is the entrepreneur. "

Like all of his predecessors in the show, Tartaglia was initially daunted by the script, in which he plays all the parts (including La Streisand, her husband James Brolin, and Alex's on-again, off-again boyfriend). "At first, I was horrified by what I had agreed to," he says. "Luckily, Jonathan's writing is so smart that it doesn't feel that hard to remember. There's nothing harder to memorize than badly-written dialogue; but this piece is like how real people speak."

Not to mention that the role calls on many of Tartaglia's previously showcased talents. "It is in my wheelhouse of having to switch voices very quickly," he admits. "But unlike in 'Avenue Q," where I had puppets to work with, or in projects where I've had costume changes, this time, it's me and only me. It's really just a conversation with myself, so you have to find a gesture or a stance or a slight change in your voice to make each character feel real to both you and the audience."

What about the pressure of having to imitate Streisand, one of the most famous voices on the planet? "Fortunately, in the beginning of the show, Jonathan sets up the story saying that Alex will not be doing a strict impression of her, and that's so helpful," he says. "But I've been listening to her and I'm trying to catch her speaking patterns -- the lilt in her voice, how she emphasizes certain words. Oddly, it would've been easier to just try to imitate her voice, but I want the audience to pay attention to the story. I'm not doing Barbra as a nightclub act - although that might be my next gig."

In fact, Tartaglia is enjoying not having to actually sing in the show, even though he calls the script 'musical.'' "It's so lovely not panicking if I wake up and I have a slight frog in my throat," he says. "As challenging as this is, there's a lot less pressure being onstage and not worrying about hitting the perfect note."