thing worth exploring there for
you. I think this play has its mo-
ments of beauty and there’s ob-
viously something in there you
don’t always know what. You
can’t necessarily express it all
the time, but there’s something
that compels you to make a cer-
tain choice, which is kind of what
the play is about.”
The interview unexpectedly
caused a stir on West Wing fan
sites when Schiff revealed that
he didn’t leave the show on his
own and wasn’t pleased with
how his character left. “They
came up with firing him... That
wasn’t my idea! Between you
and me - and you can print this -
Toby wouldn’t have done that in
ten million years! But, you know,
it’s not my show.”
The Value Of Names (2006)
And now my favorite memory
of George Street… perhaps my
favorite moment as a writer - in-
NJ STAGE 2017 - Vol. 4 No. 5
terviewing Jack Klugman inside
the theatre’s side lobby. Writ-
ten by Jeffery Sweet, Klugman
portrayed Benny Silverman, a
retired actor whose career was
derailed when Leo Gershen
(played by Dan Lauria) named
him in front of the House Un-
American Activities Committee.
Years later, Silverman is faced
with the prospect of his daugh-
ter performing in a play directed
by Gershen.
Jack Klugman as Oscar Madi-
son on The Odd Couple was one
of my main inspirations for be-
coming a writer, so getting the
opportunity to interview him was
extremely special. We talked
about the play and its parallels
to his own life, about his health,
and about his former co-star and
close friend Tony Randall who
passed away in 2004. He told
me about a special performance
of The Odd Couple with Ran-
dall that was set up as a major
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