Charlotte County Florida Weekly

Bernie Broyles returns to direct Charlotte Players’ show




BROYLES

BROYLES

Bernie Boyles is a show business Renaissance man — actor, director, singer, musician and acting teacher. He has labored on stage and screen — and behind the scenes — for more than 30 years.

His association with the Charlotte Players dates back to 2001, when he succeeded Judy Malbuisson as executive director. He remained a resident of Florida after his official stint ended, and he returned to the Players this spring to join the cast of “Things My Mother Taught Me,” a heartfelt comedy whose success reinforced the Players commitment to diversity.

Now Mr. Broyles is directing the

Players’ annual New

Year’s Eve show at the Cultural Center of Charlotte County Theater.

“This is a chance to show off area artists, some from local theaters, some from churches, some from clubs,” Mr. Broyles said. “We’ve got a wide variety of talent. It’s going to be magnificent night.”

Bernie Broyles and production assistant Linda Lowther confer during rehearsals for the New Year’s Eve show. COURTESY PHOTO

Bernie Broyles and production assistant Linda Lowther confer during rehearsals for the New Year’s Eve show. COURTESY PHOTO

The director will be playing piano and singing with the “house band” he has assembled with friends on bass and drums with vocals by Kim Nakach-Burke. Other singers taking the stage will include some familiar to Charlotte Players audiences, along with some new faces. Some will be accompanying themselves on the guitar, others will sing with the band or with recorded instrumental tracks.

Mr. Broyles’ successful run as butler Hoke Colburn opposite the late Rita Cohen in “Driving Miss Daisy” at Lemon Bay Playhouse.jpg

Mr. Broyles’ successful run as butler Hoke Colburn opposite the late Rita Cohen in “Driving Miss Daisy” at Lemon Bay Playhouse.jpg

“Every song’s a timepiece that’s going to take you to a different place,” Mr. Broyles said. “You might want to bring a tissue or two, since a couple of songs will make you cry.”

In addition to the music, Mr. Broyles has booked a surprise comedy act. He said he didn’t want to “let the cat out of the bag,” but promised a “phenomenal local comedian.”

At the end of evening, audience members are invited to join in the singing of “Auld Lang Syne” as an early celebration of the New Year.

Art: Bernie Broyles and his wife, Sally, have their own ministry.

Art: Bernie Broyles and his wife, Sally, have their own ministry.

“It’s going to be a great night to come out and laugh, sing and make some memories,” he said, “and you’ll be out in plenty of time to celebrate your own New Year’s Eve.”

“We are very excited about the large group of talented vocalists and musicians Bernie has put together for the evening,” said Sherrie Moody, current executive director of the Charlotte Players. “We’re looking forward to ringing in the year with this year’s cast.”

Life under the lights

Mr. Broyles has been an acting coach and a mentor to many young performers, including those in the New Year’s Eve showcase. To those who seek a career in show business, he offers a bit of wisdom borne of vast experience.

 

 

“You’ve got to have that fire inside to keep going,” he said. “It’s about getting your eyes on the prize and following through. A lot of talented people don’t make it because they don’t really try. They wait for it to come to them.”

Mr. Broyles didn’t wait to be “discovered.” Bitten by the theater bug from the time he played the lead in his first play in high school, “Black Elk Speaks,” he made himself available and let everyone know it. During six years in the Army, he produced and performed in shows for the USO.

After the service, he went New York and studied under Martin Harvey Friedberg, who was known as “the Lee Strasberg of contemporary improvisational comedy” and who worked with Richard Pryor, Peter Boyle, David Steinberg, the Belushi brothers, Eddie Murphy and others.

Mr. Broyles got his first movie work in New York as an extra in “The Best Man,” a 1999 African-American romantic comedy-drama starring Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut and Terrence Howard.

The best-known movies in which he subsequently appeared include the action-comedy “Killing Values” (2008), musical drama “Beautiful Noise” (2011) and the family-sports drama “The Investigator” (2013), each of which is listed on Mr. Broyles’ International Movie Database page at www.imdb.com.

He plays police Capt. Forde in “The Investigator,” which tells the story of a veteran police detective who becomes a criminal justice teacher and baseball coach at a local high school. The events are based on the real life story of actor-comedian Ray Romano. The full movie is available on YouTube.

Mr. Broyles abandoned agents and talent agencies years ago. He deals directly with producers in New York and Hollywood.

“When you’re a seasoned enough actor, you’ll be OK without an agent,” he said. “I get a lot of calls directly from New York and directly from California. I don’t want to give anybody any advice about agents, but you have to really bond with that person. Agencies are always working for who knows how many people. An agent works directly for you, but both are very expensive.”

Mr. Broyles said he has several movie offers for 2018 and is weighing them now. As for his stage career, it would take a significant amount of space to chronicle all of his performances. Suffice to say he has acted in may classics of the theater, including “The Odd Couple,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “The Wiz,” “Bus Stop,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Wait Until Dark,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “State Fair,” “Purlie” and many more.

Locally, he played butler Hoke Colburn opposite the late Rita Cohen as Daisy Werthan in “Driving Miss Daisy” during the 2006-07 season at Lemon Bay Playhouse.

“It was supposed to be only a couple of weeks, but it ran for two months, every night,” Mr. Broyles recalled.

That is a favorite performance of Mr. Broyles’ wife, Sally, an educator who retired in 2016 after 42 years of working with special needs children, most recently with Charlotte High School.

They met at a “Do the Right Thing” ceremony some 16 years ago, when Sally’s class was honored for raising money from recycling aluminum cans to support 9/11 recovery efforts in New York. Married for 12 years, the couple shares work in the ministry, with Bernie playing piano and singing while Sally interprets in sign language. They have performed at First Alliance Church for 10 years.

Despite his far-flung entertainment activities, rubbing elbows with the power players of Hollywood and New York, Mr. Broyles remains basically a Port Charlotte guy.

“No matter where I go, I always come back to Port Charlotte,” he said. “This is my hometown, and I’m here to stay.”

That’s good news for the area theatrical community, particularly the Charlotte Players.

“I’m excited for the community,” he said. “From working on this show, I can tell you Port Charlotte can be almost like Broadway and Hollywood. That’s the quality we have.

“This New Year’s show will be a great time,” he added. “You definitely don’t want to miss it.” ¦

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