Sorry, ladies (and some gents). In the upcoming Roundabout Theatre Company revival of “The Philanthropist,” British actor Jonathan Cake does not — I repeat, does not — take his clothes off.
Cake is an accomplished classical actor who quickly established himself on these shores with his performance as Jason in the British production of “Medea” that was seen at both the Brooklyn Academy of Music and on Broadway.
Since then, the performer has appeared in a large number of theatrical roles, many of which have required him to doff his clothes. Both Lincoln Center’s “Cymbeline” and Ethan Coen’s “Almost an Evening” had him lounging in a steam bath, clad only in a towel. And for “Parlour Song” at the Atlantic, he was required to perform calisthenics while wearing a pair of briefs.
“People ask this like it’s in my contract,” he jokes.
“Like I’ll only take a part if they can guarantee I’ll be in a steam bath.”
On the other hand, it beats the period in his career when he got cast, as he puts it, “as monster after monster,” including the role of the notorious Josef Mengele in a Showtime television movie, for which the director decreed him perfect even before he had the chance to audition.
“I thought, what is it about this face that qualifies me to play one of the most unpleasant people in history?” he says ruefully.
He’s currently in rehearsals for “The Philanthropist,” a sort of inversion of Moliere’s “The Misanthrope” starring Matthew Broderick. He plays Braham, a novelist who, much to the actor’s delight, sports “a huge ’70s porn star moustache.”
Since “The Philanthropist” contains no scenes set in a steam bath, it’s safe to say that Cake will be keeping his shirt on: “I’m thrilled to say that the chance to slump on a sofa with a cigarette and a brandy, fully clothed, is quite refreshing.”
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