Actor’s plan is working
out just fine

By Rita Charleston
For the Times

Was it fate? Fabulous good fortune? Or simply the influence of his fine Italian family that got Christopher Innvar involved in the world of acting?
Whatever it was, Innvar, who said he majored in business at Syracuse University and had no intention of becoming an actor until well after graduation, is certainly glad it all came together and ultimately allowed him to pursue a newfound ambition.
Several years out of college, Innvar was living in Moorestown, N.J., when he saw an ad in a local newspaper that would forever change his life.
"It was an ad for a community theater production of The Hobbit. I had read all of those books as a kid, so something in me made me decide to try out for the production," he explained. "I ended up playing the wizard with a bunch of little kids, and that’s it. I got so excited about acting I decided to continue pursuing it."
Innvar had a brief brush with it in college while working with the campus cable station, and he wonders if perhaps that experience was lodged somewhere in the back of his brain when his career path came into focus.
"My mother’s father and all his brothers are professional musicians, so our big family parties always consisted of a lot of singing and everyone ‘on,’ everybody up and entertaining each other," he said. "There was always a lot of music and fun, and I think the seeds of probability also may have been planted there."
Whatever it was, his excitement with the theater ultimately ended up with Innvar not only pursuing the actor’s life but enjoying the fruits of his labor. Some of his credits include the Broadway productions of Les Miserables and Victor/Victoria. He also has appeared in many productions off-Broadway and at the Lincoln Center in New York, the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington , D.C., and with Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, among others.
Currently, Innvar takes the role of Gallimard, the diplomat in M. Butterfly, whose life takes a turn when the person he falls in love with turns out to be much more than she seems to be. M. Butterfly, the multiple award-winning play by David Henry Hwang, is being presented Jan. 18 to Feb. 24 at the Philadelphia Theatre Company’s new home, the Suzanne Roberts Theater, at Broad and Lombard streets.
Originally presented on Broadway in 1988, the play is a provocative and captivating story of lust, politics and betrayal. It is based on the true story of a French diplomat who carried on a 20-year affair with a Chinese opera singer, not realizing that his "butterfly" was in fact a man masquerading as a woman.
Weaving parallels with Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, Hwang explores the stereotypes that underlie and distort relations between Eastern and Western culture, and between men and women.
"This is a very complicated play," Innvar explained. "First, because it’s not a linear story. It’s a memory play and it keeps jumping back and forth in time. Sometimes it’s fantasy, sometimes it’s present-day reality, and sometimes it’s memory. So it’s very difficult for me, and I barely leave the stage because I’m narrating my own life story. For me, that’s the most difficult part of the play. Also, it’s a love story, so there are complications with that as well."
Written two decades ago, M. Butterfly continues to draw audiences, and Innvar believes it may be "because it breaks a lot of rules, and almost anything magical could happen onstage."
"Also, because it’s never been done in Philadelphia before, I think it’s fantastic that it’s about to be introduced to a whole new group of people," he added.
Looking back, this actor is very happy to have been influenced in many ways and is thoroughly enjoying his craft.
"Sometimes, in our society, we’re encouraged to do the safe thing. And this profession is certainly not ‘safe,’" he said. "But I think if you can find passion in whatever field you choose, that’s where you’ll find the most happiness." ••
For more information about tickets and the show schedule, call 215-985-0420.