Search is on for actor who looks like Paul McCartney for lead role in Nowhere Man
Nowhere Man seeks actor to play Paul McCartney's double Nowhere Man, a new play by Claude Solnik based on a fictional story about a man hired as Paul McCartney’s double during the heyday of the Beatles’ popularity, is looking for an actor who looks like a young Paul McCartney. Theater for the New City Executive Director Crystal Field is presenting the play in June as part of its wide range of programming. The show is based on a fictional story in which the Beatles decide to hire a double to fill in for Paul in the public eye – after the singer/songwriter decides he wants some privacy. Theater for the New City recently presented Solnik's Imagine, directed by Thom O'Connor, a series of scenes inspired by Beatles songs. And it presented The Fare, his full-length play directed by Scott David Reeves about a conflict between a banker and a cabbie. Nowhere Man looks at what it might have been like if the Beatles decided to bring in someone not as a fifth Beatle, but to play the role of a Beatle. Andy Warhol actually sent a double – Alan Midgette – to events in part as a prank and in part because he may not have wanted to or been able to attend many events. Winston Churchill also is said to have used a double during World War II.
Nowhere Man focuses on what it might have been like if the Beatles went the same route. “We’re looking for a good actor who looks like Paul McCartney in the late 1960s,” Donna Mejia, who's directing the show, said. “We want someone who will bring the role, the play and the plot to life.” Solnik, who co-founded the Textile Company, an in-house theater group at Theater for the New City, has written numerous plays that tie in to history. Most recently, The Fare, which ran at Theater for the New City through March 26, was inspired by a real clash between a cabbie and a banker over a taxi cab fare. And Imagine includes scenes based on events drawn from the history of the Beatles as well as scenes that bring their songs to life. “I love the Beatles’ music,” Solnik said. “I liked the idea of a story about what it would be like for an ordinary person, even a studio musician, to get a chance to become part of the band, at least in the public's view.” Nowhere Man is asking actors who think they look like Paul McCartney to email
nowheremantheplaycasting@gmail.com.
The Beatles themselves are not characters in the play, although other characters are based on George Martin, the Beatles’ arranger and producer, and Neil Aspinall, the band’s road manager and assistant who went on to lead their record label.
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