One of my first New York theatre experiences was playing the title role in a misguided production of Bertolt Brecht's first play, Baal. And when I say misguided, I'm not kidding: We went through three directors, none of whom were well-versed in Brechtian or expressionistic theatre, but we had a large cast of game actors, and though what was onstage might not have been Brecht exactly, it was earnest and fun, and people enjoyed it. Plus, I got to sing and play the guitar onstage, and even wrote some music for the show.