In brief: Tony, 31, has gotten paid for acting since he was 10, when he played a Page in the 1991 national tour of Camelot at the Fox Theatre with Stacy Keach as Arthur. He’s taller now and at Georgia Ensemble Theatre through Sept. 23 in The Man Who Came to Dinner, then in Synchronicity Theatre’s world premiere of The Minotaur (Oct. 26-Nov. 11). He’s the Minotaur.
Hometown: Atlanta. Morningside neighborhood.
Lives now: Atlanta. East Atlanta/Edgewood neighborhood.
Did he ever leave home? Yes! He went to college at Florida State University, exiting in 2003 with a BFA in acting. He spent four years in New York, performing at such theaters the Bank Street, Theater for the New City, Acorn, the Studio Theatre on Theatre Row, and the Mitzi E. Newhouse at Lincoln Center.
Where you’ve seen him: As nervous painter Leo Irving in In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play at Synchronicity, as Don McCorkle in the world premiere of Sarah Gubbins’ Fair Use at Actor’s Express, and as singing, dancing bad guy Ray Hamilton in the musical Clyde ‘n Bonnie: A Folktale at Aurora Theatre. He’s also worked at the Alliance Theatre, Georgia Shakespeare, Jewish Theatre of the South and Theatre in the Square, among others.
First time onstage: At Christ the King School in Buckhead, where, as part of his classwork, he helped write an adaptation of Snow White. He played the Prince; his buddy Drew played Snow White. He won the award for best actor; Drew, a guy, did not win best actress.
Why theater: “Because I grew up in it and also because I have a deep love for it. It’s the only thing I love this much and the only thing I feel this good at and the only thing I think is worth my time. I’m in love with it. All aspects. It drives me crazy, but it’s also my reason for being.”
He comes by it honestly: His mom, Susan Shalhoub-Larkin, was the first actor in the family and an Atlanta theater pioneer, co-founding the Center for Puppetry Arts and being an original company member of Theatre Atlanta (which evolved into the Alliance) and GET. See her onstage in October and November in Two Drink Minimum at Theatrical Outfit.)
Next: In addition to The Minotaur, Tony’s doing Robin Hood as part of the Aurora Theatre Learning Library, also in October; It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (Nov. 30-Dec. 16) at Stage Door Players; and Lovers and Lunatics: 3 Farces de Feydeau (Feb. 1-24) with Théâtre du Rêve. He doesn’t speak French. Yet.
The naked truth: He’s seriously funny. He emceed the 2012 Suzi Award nominations (Atlanta’s version of the Tonys) on Sept. 10 with fellow actors Bryan Brendle, Bart Hansard, Anthony Rodriguez and Scott Warren. They took turns removing an item of clothing as each category was announced. By the end they appeared in nothing but bikini briefs, each with a letter spelling out S-U-Z-I-S on their chests (or behind, in Brendle’s case). Tony was the “Z.” Photographic evidence does exist.
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Encore Atlanta’s managing editor Kathy Janich has been seeing, editing, writing about or working in the performing arts for most of her life. Full disclosure: She’s affiliated with Synchronicity Theatre, mentioned above. To suggest someone for this column, please email kathy@atlantametropub.com.
