One could say that the first time Luke Bradford “L.B.” Fisher got bitten by the acting bug was on the bimah during his bar mitzvah. But whereas most teens giving their bar mitzvah speeches experience severe cases of sweaty palms and butterflies, Fisher got a performance high.
“When I was done with my speech I turned to my father and said, ‘Wow — I really had them in the palm of my hand,'” said Fisher during a recent phone interview form his Los Angeles home. “I told the synagogue about my grandparents’ ordeal during the Holocaust, and I really felt that the audience connected on a powerful, emotional level with me.”
A year later at 14, he was cast in the off-Broadway play “Conversing with Eugene,” and his acting career began.
Now Fisher will have an opportunity to connect with an audience utilizing an entirely different persona — as a disaffected drag queen named Sugar. He is part of the ensemble cast of “Doing Judy!” a “whodunit” comedy that focuses on a serial killer targeting San Francisco’s foremost Judy Garland impersonators. The show at the Alcazar Theatre in San Francisco opens tonight with a preview performance.
Fisher’s character and the play itself involve themes that resonate with the “twentysomething” actor. (The youthful-looking actor demurred when asked about his age or sexual orientation, saying neither was germane to essaying the part.)
Garland’s 1969 death sparked a spontaneous outpouring of grief in the gay and Jewish communities. What was originally intended to be a rally and memorial service for Garland at a New York City bar called the Stonewall Inn turned into a riot when police tried to roust the mostly gay patrons. Legend has it that the people at the forefront of the riot — widely considered the event that sparked the gay liberation movement — were drag queens and “butch” lesbians.
Fisher, who wasn’t aware of Stonewall’s significance before performing in the play, said that growing up Jewish helped him understand the protestors’ mentality.
“I think that you had a whole bunch of people who weren’t going to allow themselves to be harassed and persecuted anymore. They were really brave and amazing people. And Jewish history is full of examples of people finding strength in the face of adversity, so I could really appreciate the role. Not only that, but just like Sugar, Judy Garland was somebody both incredibly strong and vulnerable, and led a very bittersweet life.”
The New York-born actor, who graduated with honors from New York University and studied with famed acting coach Stella Adler, has made a career out of playing people facing tremendous odds, including a transgender student on an episode of “Boston Public.” He also portrayed rock singer Peter Tork in “Daydream Believers: The Monkees’ Story” on VH1.
“I really try to choose characters based on their honesty and personal growth. That doesn’t mean that I always play characters that I like — because Sugar can be really nasty — but there’s always a rawness to the characters that I appreciate.”
Ironically, the characters Fisher now portrays are the antithesis of who he was growing up. “Let’s put it this way,” he said. “I wouldn’t raise my hand to answer a question if I didn’t see all the other hands go up before mine.”
Fisher, who taught Jewish cooking classes during Hebrew school, cites his rabbi as one of his original theatrical inspirations: “He loved to tell stories and be the center of attention,” he recalls. Fisher also cites another influence on his career: Tom Cruise, though Fisher doesn’t necessarily want to launch himself into stardom by parading around in his underwear or by having a tabloid marriage. But he does admire Cruise’s business acumen.
“I want to have my hand in all the elements of a show, from producing to acting,” said Fisher, whose nascent company is actually producing “Doing Judy!”
“Basically, I want other people to audition for me, instead of auditioning for them. I can see myself as a small-scale Tom Cruise, without the tabloid headaches.”