I am so excited to be catching up with acclaimed Actor & Singer Brian Charles Rooney.

It has been seven years since our last interview, at which time Brian was starring as "The Witch" in Out of the Box Theatrics' immersive production of Into The Woods.

Now, for 3 PERFORMANCES ONLY, under the umbrella of Witches and Aliens, Brian is casting a spell in Kit Goldstein Grant’s Christmas Eve in Dikanka at New York City's The Duplex. 

In this NEW interview, Brian once again answered my call, but this time around he shares:

• Why someone should come see Christmas Eve in Dikanka
• How he prepares for playing the role of the Narrator
• The fanciest shoes he has ever worn
• What questions he would ask a Witch and an Alien
• So much more

Connect with Brian: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Double Bill: Witches and Aliens, a comedic, entertaining and otherworldly evening of two hysterical theatrical works.

Kit Goldstein Grant’s Christmas Eve in Dikanka: A Musical In-Concert is based on the story by Ukrainian novelist Nikolai Gogol. It’s Christmas Eve in Dikanka, and a blacksmith must find fancy shoes like those worn by the Czarina in the next few hours or lose the heart of his lady love. But when the Devil comes to town, will he give up his soul for a sole? And what will he do about his mother, who is a promiscuous witch? No really, an actual witch.

This loosely adapted take on Nikolai Gogol’s story sets the show in a meta-theatrical universe which combines a Ukrainian 19th-century absurdist tone and a modern sensibility, plus a lotta slapstick.

Christmas Eve in Dikanka: A Musical In-Concert will play 3 NIGHTS ONLY at The Duplex in New York City's West Village from June 12-14, 2025 at 7pm EST. Click here for tickets!

1. This June you are going to be the Narrator in Christmas Eve in Dikanka at The Duplex in NYC's West Village. What made you want to be part of this show? One of the main reasons I wanted to be a part of this presentation is the fact that it is being directed by Jen Wineman. I’ve known her for a long time; she is incredibly talented. She’s also just a wonderful human being.

I like to think that she and I have a similar sensibility when it comes to taste in theatre. I trust her judgment, and I have always enjoyed working with her. So the idea of having the chance to work with her again was exciting, and I knew the show would be a good one with her at the helm.

2. With so many events happening in NYC during the month of June, why do you feel someone should come see Christmas Eve in Dikanka?  It’s a new work, and in my opinion, that’s reason enough! It’s a privilege to live in or to visit New York City, and have exciting, new work available to see and enjoy!! 

In this case, the work IS truly fantastic. The songs are beautiful, the lyrics are intelligent and funny, and the characters are outrageous! I have done a lot of new work throughout my career, especially the type that one might include in the “Theatre of the Ridiculous” genre. I do think this show falls into that category, and I love that!

It’s being presented by a very talented group of people, and we are all committed to making sure the audience not only has a wonderful time, but also leaves thinking a bit differently about their own lives.

Another reason people should come to see this show is the fact that theatre needs the support of the community right now. We hear a lot about how things are not normal, or how things are tricky right now… That’s absolutely true…But the fact is things are just plain scary.

When you come together with a group of people to see theatre, you are creating a little bit of community… It is that community that can help to make things easier if you are suffering…it is that community that can help make a person feel that they have the courage to face the challenges so many of us are facing today.

I hate to sound self-important, but I do think it is the responsibility of performing artists, writers, designers, producers, directors, and other creators to provide not only wonderful new material, but a space in which people can come see that with a sense of emotional safety.

3. As I just mentioned, you are playing the Narrator in the show. How do you prepare for this kind of role as opposed to, if you were playing, one of the other characters in the show? In the case of the Narrator, the actor is required to play many different contrasting roles. This is something I enjoy, and have done in many other shows in the past; and it is one of the reasons, I think, I was asked to be a part of this show.

Those who know me know that my vocal range is rather wide, and my command of tone and various vocal styles allows me to play many different types of characters. With 4 octaves, I can easily shift from one character to another, regardless of age, gender, or personality traits. Frankly, it’s a lot of fun for me!

But preparing those characters can be challenging… in one scene, three of them sing, altogether, in one song, so the differences must be acutely specific, so that the audience understands that they are different people.

They also need to quickly understand as much as they can about each character’s circumstances. I believe that the writing, the direction, and the choices I’ve made all help to clearly define these differences; and that has been the result of a really nice collaborative effort!

4. According to press notes, One part of Christmas Eve in Dikanka is about a blacksmith who must find fancy shoes like those worn by the Czarina in the next few hours or he will lose the heart of his lady love. What are the fanciest shoes you have ever worn? Oh my that’s a fun question! I think the fanciest shoes I’ve ever worn in a show were 7-inch gold stiletto heels for the finale of the musical Bedbugs, in which I played the heroic pop-star Dionne Salon. Gosh, I miss her! 

That show was such a hit, but its momentum was crushed by the pandemic. Hopefully it will rise again…You can’t keep a show with a “blank check review” from The New York Times down forever!

I will say that Christmas Eve in Dikanka reminds me a bit of Bedbugs, the musical, not because of its style, but because of its wonderful sense of fantasy. 

So if you were a fan of Bedbugs, or shows like it, you will definitely be a fan of this one!

5. When have you lost the heart of someone you loved? Honestly, it would probably be my mother’s heart, as she passed away in 2021, far too young…and I consider that the greatest loss I’ve known.

Brian Charles Rooney

6. The other part of Christmas Eve in Dikanka is when the devil comes to town, will the blacksmith give up his soul for a sole? My question to you is, when do you feel you've had to give something up in order to get something? There is always the sacrifice of giving up time with friends and family in order to continue to be a successful working actor in this industry.

I have lost count of the number of times I’ve had to give up being with someone important to me, or being at an important event, or even just taking a vacation that I have had planned, in order to accept an offer in a show. I can’t complain, because I’m working. But occasionally those sacrifices can be injurious.

7. Press notes also ask, what will the blacksmith do about his mother, who is a promiscuous witch? No really, an actual witch. As someone who has played a witch before, what advice would you give to the blacksmith about his witchy mother? Ha! Don’t ever NEVER ever mess around with her greens! (for those who don’t understand that answer…come to the show, and I’ll explain it to you afterwards).

8. Christmas Eve in Dikanka is part of a double evening, where the other show that night will be Encounter. What will you be doing while Encounter is on stage? I will probably be able to watch it! At least I hope I will!!

Brian Charles Rooney as The Witch
Out of the Box Theatrics'
Immersive production of Into The Woods

9. Both shows are under the main umbrella of Witches and Aliens. If you were to come in contact with a witch and an alien, what would you ask them? Well sometimes I consider myself both a witch and an alien; and I’m only sort of kidding!

I would ask an alien to take me with them so I could see their world. I’ve always felt a sense of sadness regarding the fact that humans just don’t have the physical ability to see, or even, perhaps, know what is out there. There is just so much beyond our world, and we have such a little access to any of it.

I would ask a witch to tell me her story…

10. Since you are playing the narrator in the show, if someone were to narrate your life, what would be the most surprising thing we would find out about you? I’m rather an open book, so I’m not sure there would be many surprises.

I wonder if people might be surprised by the depth of my sense of empathy. Empathy seems to be missing from the world lately…but my whole life has been marked by a sometimes overwhelming sense of empathy.

Though, I’d rather be me, in that respect, than someone who doesn’t feel anything for anyone else.

More Brian Charles Rooney Interviews:

2015 (Read Here): Getting Into Trouble at Feinstein's/54 Below
2017 (Read Here): NYMFerview: Miss Blanche Tells It All at NYMF
2018 (Read Here): Going Into The Woods Immersively with Out of the Box Theatrics

Brian Charles Rooney

More on Brian Charles Rooney:

In a critically acclaimed Broadway debut that Entertainment Weekly said "ignited the stage," Brian Charles Rooney appeared as Lucy Brown in The Threepenny Opera for The Roundabout Theatre Co., and subsequently won The Kurt Weill Foundation's Lys Symonette Award for Dramatic Excellence.

Brian was among the 2024 Grammy Nominees for Sondheim Unplugged, and has been lauded by The New York Times as Dionne Salon in the hit Off-Broadway musical, Bedbugs!!! 

Other credits: The Witch in the recent immersive Off-Broadway production of Into The Woods, The Emcee in Cabaret for Studio Tenn, as well as Buddy the Elf in Elf! The Musical and Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol, both for Nashville Rep.

Brian was featured with Kristin Chenoweth in I Am Harvey Milk (Lincoln Center); and with Nathan Lane & Megan Mullally in Guys & Dolls (Carnegie Hall).