Actor juggles serious, silly in Lake theaters

Brendon Rogers’ summer is both silly and serious.

The Tavares actor is hard at work on two plays that couldn’t be more different. For the Bay Street Players in Eustis, Rogers is directing “The Producers.” That’s the goofy Mel Brooks musical comedy with singing Nazis and other assorted nonsense. At the same time, he is acting in “Race” for the Moonlight Players in Clermont. That’s playwright David Mamet’s serious drama about society’s views on sex, power, gender and, yes, race.

“Oh, they have such different material,” he says with a laugh. “‘The Producers’ is such a music-heavy and dance-heavy show. It’s been pure fun.” He’s observing what theater owners and producers have long known: Name recognition and the promise of singing go a long way toward attracting an audience.

“‘The Producers’ sells itself,” says Rogers, pointing out that groups from communities such as The Villages already have tickets. “I’m more worried about ‘Race.’”

Mamet’s 2009 play sets up a puzzle for the audience. A wealthy white man is charged with a sex crime involving a young black woman. He approaches his white friend Jack, a lawyer, to help him. Jack’s black colleagues, one male and one female, bring their own perspectives to the situation.

Rogers has long been a fan of the playwright, also known for “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “Speed-thePlow.” “I like to buy Mamet scripts and just read them,” he says. “Race” didn’t disappoint him.

“It’s a good story and surprisingly funny,” he says. “There’s a naked honesty about how this situation falls on the heads of these characters.”

Also in the cast are Valensky Sylvain, Regan Krause and Camila Camilo. Kent Vanderberg is directing.

“The cast bonded ridiculously quickly,” Rogers says. “We knew it was going to be one of those shows that deals with uncomfortable subjects, but we were never uncomfortable.”

He thinks the audience will be intrigued by the characters’ choices as the lawyers try to defend their client.

“It’s not a show that solves social problems, it’s not a preachy show, but it provokes questions,” Rogers says. “It’s entertaining.”

Juggling “Race” and “The Producers” has created a, shall we say, interesting internet search history on his computer.

“I’m looking up Nazi stuff, then racial stuff,” he says, laughing. “I must be on an FBI watch list.”

Then he turns more serious.

“It’s been a lot of work,” Rogers says. “But it has been nice getting the variety of two different shows at the same time.”