Elaborate Life

Some people have a tremendous passion for theatre. Talking with Matt Lenz, you get a clear sense that he's one of them.

"I've been doing theatre since the seventh grade. I did summer theatre in my hometown, then went to Wagner, a small liberal arts school on Staten Island. I just wanted to get to New York City ASAP, but I was this scared little kid from Illinois – so at least I could see Manhattan from my dorm room. I went to Circle in the Square after Wagner and acted for a long time in tours and some commercials. The last acting I did was the Off-Broadway run of Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. A year and a half, eight shows a week. Doing the show over and over like that made me think, 'Wow, this is really hard, but this is the goal, right?' It was one of the things that spurred me into directing more."

Lenz has directed in Austin before, notably Dirty Blonde and Love! Valour! Compassion!, both for the Zachary Scott Theatre Center.

"Around the time I turned 30, I gave myself permission to direct full-time. The more I did it, the more I knew it was right for me. I eventually went to work for Disney, re-creating and maintaining their shows on Broadway and on tour. That kind of associate director gig has been my bread and butter, and Disney was like my grad school. It made sense because my goal had always been to direct musicals on Broadway. Disney gave me amazing hands-on experience, so I spent eight years with them. When I left, Jack O'Brien – somebody at the top of his game, an amazing director and an amazing man, absolutely one of the best people working in the business anywhere in the world – asked me to be his associate director on Hairspray. So you know, I couldn't turn that down."

Lenz will be directing Hairspray himself in London's West End this fall, but right now he's back in Austin, directing Zach's production of the musical Aida, by Elton John and Tim Rice. Through his association with Disney, he has a long history with the show.

"I was the associate director for Aida – then titled Elaborate Lives – through its first three workshops and its initial out-of-town tryout in Atlanta. It was a really powerful experience for me, but it's been sort of an unrequited journey. Atlanta was big technically, and we ran into major snafus. Consequently, changes were made in the creative team, and I didn't make it to Broadway with the show. It was hard having developed it and then missing that last 15 percent of its journey. So it's great to have the chance to look at it again, interesting to try it out on my own, especially for this different-shaped venue. I decided to rethink it in a fun and interesting way, peel away all the stuff and make it about the people. About human connections that can last lifetime after lifetime. About the passionate, tragic, and beautiful love triangle that it is."

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Aida runs Jan. 27-April 3 at the Zachary Scott Theatre Center Kleberg Stage, 1421 W. Riverside. For more information, call 476-0541 or visit www.zachscott.com.