A Conversation with Actor Dan Frischman, "Hughie", Two Roads Theatre, by James Scarborough

Eugene O'Neill's "Hughie" shines as a masterful study in human loneliness, brought to life in Two Roads Productions' intimate staging. Set in a seedy 1928 New York hotel lobby, this one-act play strips away the veneer of social pretense to reveal raw human need. Dan Frischman embodies Erie Smith, a small-time gambler whose façade of success crumbles as he confronts the death of Hughie, the night clerk who validated his existence through patient listening.

The play's power lies in its simplicity. Director Bill Sehres allows the text to breathe in Katherine Bulovic's stark set design, creating a space where Erie's desperation echoes off empty walls. Written during a break from "Long Day's Journey into Night," this shorter work carries O'Neill's trademark exploration of human desolation, though in a more concentrated form.

Frischman, known for lighter television roles, brings exceptional depth to Erie. His portrayal reveals the character's psychological unraveling through subtle shifts in bravado rather than melodramatic displays. The alternating roles of Charlie Hughes, played by Andy Forrest and Scott MacDonell, create different dynamics with Erie, emphasizing the transient nature of human connection.

This production illuminates O'Neill's insight into the human need for witness and validation; it makes the familiar themes of loneliness and loss feel all the more contemporary.

Below follows an email conversation with Dan Frischman.

JS: How did you approach the role of Erie Smith, given your background in comedy and television?

DF: There's certainly a lot of humor involved with the characters and the play in general, and I do expect our audiences to laugh in spots. That said, however, Hughie is a rich study of the human struggle for connection, so I've put my old sitcom instincts aside to better internal dig into character's emotional journey and depth. Finding Erie has been all about researching the era and its colorful characters, and, of course, using large doses of imagination.

JS: What challenges did you face in portraying a character wrestling with grief and loneliness?

DF: I basically feel like a content, fulfilled person, so getting to the depths of the wreck Erie's life has become has been a months-long exercise. His degradation and solitude may not be a part of my personal experience, but I can see how he got to that place, and I can empathize with his position in life. We all know people who have "sure hit the high spots" and then fell to earth in a painful, seemingly unending way. Connecting with that place is what my exploration of the show and the character is really all about.

JS: How does Katherine Bulovic's set design influence your performance and movement within the space?

DF: We're renting real 1920s set pieces from the Warner Brothers Prop Shop, which I'm very excited about! Just strolling through the shop's three floors at the studio helped me jumpstart my work on Erie, imagining him using the furniture and items they have from the Jazz Age. And Katherine has really been picking and choosing wisely, to create an authentic, seedy 1920s Manhattan hotel lobby. It's really another character in the piece, to be frank, and it speaks to me as Erie in ways I can't really put into words. It's more of an intuitive kind of a thing that seeps into my psyche.

JS: Discuss your collaboration with Director Bill Sehres in developing Erie's character arc throughout the piece.

DF: I've known Bill since the 80s, and even though we hadn't been in touch of late, I had a strong feeling that he'd be a smart, creative director who would connect with the play and with me as an actor. He's worked with a local company called Theatre West for years and taught acting in the LA school district for decades.  Our work has been a true give and take experience that has not disappointed. We offer each other the space we need to keep our work on track and fulfilling, and I think we're on to something special.

JS: What's your interpretation of the relationship between Erie and the new night clerk?

DF: The clerk is largely a dope! — and, perhaps, the sole key to Erie's salvation. Hughie himself, as you know, was the hotel's previous night clerk, who was really Erie's only friend, even if Erie didn't generally see it that way. But now with Hughie's passing, Erie will come to understand the power of his connection to Hughie, to a point where he'll discover it was really a necessary partnership for him — his gambler, with his monetary volatility and loneliness, and the night clerk, whose boring, wee-hour job is routinely interrupted with Erie's fanciful musings about his "dolls," his bets, and his life.  It's the Prohibition era, and Erie knows all the gangsters, too — though, as he says, he's "cagey about gettin' in where it ain't healthy."

JS: How do you maintain the audience's engagement during Erie's extended monologues?

DF: My charm and brilliance, of course! But seriously, it's my hope that in bringing the audience along in experiencing Erie's late night odyssey, with its exploration of the human condition, they'll be entranced for the hour and also enriched and entertained.  And we have a few tricks up our sleeve that I don't think any other Hughie productions have thought of!

JS: How does O'Neill's writing style inform your delivery and timing?

DF: It's like Shakespeare to me! The text is so rich and specific that just learning it puts me right where I think O'Neill wants Erie to be. My aim is to present the play exactly as written, with every comma and structurally mangled piece of dialogue in place. I think the language alone will add greatly to the audience's enjoyment of the play. There are many spots wherein just saying the line is more than enough to convey the feeling I think O'Neill is after.

JS: How do you view the play's treatment of self-deception and human connection?

DF: It's easy to see that Erie has spent his life kidding himself into thinking that he "gets along just fine!" by using bravado and outright lies. It's only in his four a.m. inebriated state that he'll let the veil drop, revealing his real self to...well, mostly himself. It should be somewhat uncomfortable to watch him realize the depths to which he's fallen.

JS: What parallels do you see between Erie's situation and contemporary social isolation?

DF: There are a lot! We're so connected to our phones today, for instance — even in the gym, where I used to know and chat it up with a lot more people in the pre-smart-phone era — that we keep ourselves more inside our bubbles than ever. The current political situation is doing nothing to unite people, of course, other than to those who believe as we do. The politics of the Erie's Jazz Age era, with its Prohibition laws, societal rules and mores also divided America and made especially woman, who were largely kept in a place of outright subservience, feeling isolated and hungry for connection.

JS: How has your understanding of the character evolved throughout the rehearsal process?

DF: These past few months have been a daily learning experience! Erie may be a loser overall, but I connect with his gambling instinct, for one thing. I love playing in poker tournaments, including, for a few years running, at the World Series of Poker in Vegas! And I'm actually envious of the manner in which Erie proclaims his solid opinions — right or wrong — with confidence and vigor, and in doing so, he makes no apologies for who his is. I look forward to adopting more of that confidence and conviction for myself. I don't need to make his choices! —but I feel I'm getting to know him more and more as I travel through his colorful journey.

Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 7:00pm, from March 29th through April 20th, 2025 (Preview: March 28th). Tickets are $35 for General Admission and $25 for Students/Seniors (Use Promo Code: 410). The Two Roads Theatre is located at 4348 Tujunga Avenue, Studio City, California. For more information, click here.