By Eva Trieger
SOLANA BEACH, California– Omri Schein, lyricist/writer and actor is currently starring as Benjamin Cohen (who tells his German landlord the name is spelled with a ‘K’) in North Coast Rep Theater’s The Underpants.
This play, written by Carl Sternheim, was adapted by Steve Martin whose trademark wit and timing are eminently evident. This is Schein’s fourth engagement with this intimate venue and audiences couldn’t be more appreciative. While Schein, 31, is diminutive in stature, he is gargantuan in characterization.
We apartment-sat with him in The Big Bang, took first place with him in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, waited tables with him in Five Course Love and now we experience his quirky, awkward struggle as he yearns for, yet tries to protect his landlady’s honor, and submerge his Jewish identity as a boarder in pre-World War I Germany.
Schein was born in Switzerland, and a week later traveled to Israel just in time for his bris. The family stayed only a short while before moving to South Africa, where Omri spent his first decade. Omri’s father’s medical career brought the family to the United States, where they made their home not far from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Graduating from SUNY Oneonta with a double major in Theater and English, Schein had gotten a taste of writing and producing through his play Sandwich. This play was entered in a competition of the American College Theater Festival and was adjudicated. Schein went on to earn his Masters of Fine Arts at San Diego State University in 2006. He returned to New York and took up residence in the Bronx and eventually migrated to Manhattan.
As an impressionable six-year-old in South Africa, Omri was cast in the school Christmas play, and Schein was assigned the role of the innkeeper who turned Mary and Joseph away. Coincidence that the single Jewish kid in class was cast in this role? Schein thinks not! When asked if his Jewish identity colors his characterizations, Omri replied “I think I address contemporary issues with a Borsht Belt slant”.
His Yiddishe accent is indeed impeccable and precise.
Schein’s earliest career goal centered on running a circus. He was especially enamored with magic acts, and enchanted his classmates and peers with his sleight of hand. This masked his somewhat shy demeanor and took him out of himself. This dream was shattered when, at 9 years old, Omri, hoping for a tent for his neighborhood magic shows, was presented with a set of encyclopedias for his birthday present. Fortunately, he didn’t cast an evil spell on his well intentioned, if misdirected, parents.
Schein aspires to headline on Broadway but in the interim he is enjoying writing and creating opportunities for playwrights, lyricists and actors to “workshop” their ideas.
To this end, Schein has collaborated with a few other artists to create the Contemporary Traditionalists.
This company was born of a need that Schein observed in New York City. He told me that “there are so many musical writers in New York City” and he wanted to provide an opportunity for their ideas to be tried to see “what works and what doesn’t.”
Thus far they have publicized through word of mouth and local advertising but to date have gotten few submissions. Schein is optimistic that more artists will find his company and try out their ideas.
“Are your parents supportive of your career choice?” was met with, “They are very supportive, but of course they worry. They don’t want to see me struggling. They’re my parents!” Schein stated that while his parents would have liked him to pursue a more predictable path with a health plan and a 401K, they have always helped him work toward his dream of acting, writing and creating musical theater.
Schein admitted that he did not write for several years because he felt unequal to his competition, but when he observed what others were producing he thought, “I could so do that”. And so he does!
When Omri has not been on stage in San Diego or working in New York, he has been touring in Germany, performing Grease before international audiences. This actor’s facility with language and his ability to imbue himself with a character’s idiosyncrasies and foibles render him nearly peerless. Even in his comic roles, Schein’s characters have depth, emotion, and a complexity rarely observed.
Schein’s project “Gary Goldfarb: Master Escapist” will be done in a private reading workshop this fall in New York. Omri will not be appearing on the stage, but I am quite certain the audiences will recognize his accurate and tangible depiction of a pubescent magician and an overbearing mother, replete with all the angst and humor. Witty lyrics and relatable characters will charm and delight every musical maven.
Schein is a gifted chameleon who delivers each character in a way that makes viewers form an immediate and permanent bond with him. Whether he’s William Barfé, asthmatic twelve year old, or Cohen (with a K) a barber with odd proclivities about the placement of his bed, his passion for his craft is palpable and leaves us clamoring for more! The
Underpants will only be at North Coast Rep until September 23. Don’t miss this chance to see Omri Schein illuminate the stage.
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Trieger is a freelance writer who focuses on the arts. She may be contacted at eva.trieger@sdjewishworld.com