‘The one who’s getting the gift’
The Friday, May 12, performance of “Rob Lowe: Stories I Only Tell My Friends – Live” will be the world premiere. No other productions are scheduled.
“Now, that may change,” Lowe says. “My hope is that if I enjoy this as much as I think I’m going to, and if the audience enjoys it, I will likely do more of them. But those are both ifs.”
The show brings together elements from Lowe’s two bestselling memoirs, “Stories I Only Tell My Friends” (2011) and “Love Life” (2014). And, yes, for those out of the Lowe loop: The man is a bestselling author who has done the whole book-tour circuit.
That’s sort of how the show came about. He was going to write a third when his plans changed.
“I decided to put what would be the third book into a show where I could go out directly to an audience and share and sort of have that exchange you have at a book-signing,” he says. “Frankly, I love meeting people, being out in front of them, hearing their comments. It’s really fun.”
Not a ‘regurgitation of the books’
There will be a Q&A segment during the show, and he promises to bring film clips and photos. But, for the most part, it truly is a scripted piece. Do not expect the actor to stand onstage, reading about his relationship with Princess Stephanie. Or Nastassja Kinski. Or Melissa Gilbert. Or … well, you get the idea.
“This isn’t a regurgitation of the books, because that wouldn’t be very much fun,” he says. “This is very much its own beast, but it does have some of the same feel of the books.”
And even if you’ve read Lowe’s books, both delightfully essential reading for fans of show-biz bios, you won’t feel like you’re hearing stories you already know.
“The way I look at it is this is sort of the director’s cut,” he says. “It’s been a number of years since I finished ‘Love Life,’ and there’s so much stuff to talk about. ‘Parks and Recreation,’ ‘The Grinder.’ I just went on an eight-week adventure tour around the country with my sons. There’s been a lot going on.”
That longevity is perhaps the most impressive thing about Lowe’s career. Even he admits it: No one would have predicted that he would still be going strong after launching his career as an ‘80s teen dream in such fare “The Outsiders,” “Oxford Blues” and “St. Elmo’s Fire.” Or that he would he prove to be such a sly comic actor, in fare ranging from “Wayne’s World” to the current “How to Be a Latin Lover.”
“I think everybody grows into their work and finds their voice,” says Lowe, 53. “There was a time in my career when I got a lot of girl fans and that was great. I started as a teenager, and that’s what teen idols get.
“But now it’s anyone and everyone. People come up to me and they may want to talk about ‘The Outsiders’ or it could be ‘The West Wing.’ It could be ‘Californication’ or ‘Austin Powers’ or my DirecTV commercials. And you never know if the question is going to come from an 8-year-old or an 80-year-old. I take a ton of satisfaction from that.”
And Lowe is delightfully sincere. Maybe it’s the actor in him, but he seems genuinely engaged in whatever he’s doing at the moment. He also seems very humbled by the success he has enjoyed.
“One of the great things about doing the show is it really is a chance to go out and say thank you to the people who have supported me since I was a 15-year-old kid,” he says. “This sounds really weird, but the relationship I have with fans is almost the longest consistent relationship with anybody in my life. So while they’re going to see a great show, laugh, have fun, maybe shed a tear or two, I’m the one who’s getting the gift.”
Still, that doesn’t mean he won’t be nervous before he gets in front of the audience.
Though Lowe is no stranger to the stage, he last tread the boards in 2006 in Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men” in London.
“When you walk out on the stage and have Aaron Sorkin to fall back on, that’s one thing,” he says, laughing. “That’s a lot better than having me to fall back on.”