By Christine Chang SNAP TO IT: Former ‘Murphy Brown’ star Joe Regalbuto is an accomplished photographer who fell in love with the medium while he and William H. Macy were struggling actors in Minnesota. found passion for photography blossomed amid his love of theater.
“I kind of had a love affair with it for a long time,” said Regalbuto.
Macy and the 25-year-old Regalbuto used to duck into Macy’s darkroom to develop head shots for their young acting careers. At the time, they were performing with a traveling theater troupe at the Gutherie Theater in Minneapolis, Minn.
After years of acting and directing, Regalbuto has turned his ear to his daughter Gina, who convinced him to direct an abridged “Romeo and Juliet” story and cast her in the leading role for his next project.
“It’s always been her dream to play Juliet,” said Rosemary, Regalbuto’s wife of 35 years. “He’s given her dream.”
“Romeo and Juliet” opened on Saturday at the Art/Works Theatre at 6569 Santa Monica Blvd. in the Hollywood Theatre District. Regalbuto’s version is a single act set in modern times, drawing the feud between political parties rather than Montagues and Capulets.
“You look at a classic and you say, ‘Why would I want to do this again?’ Then you realize how relevant the themes are today,” said Regalbuto, sitting in his North of Montana home. “Everybody knows the story. The trick is to not dust it off and make this a museum piece.”
The creativity needed to recreate a Shakespeare play would seem to run in the family. Both of Regalbuto’s sons are writers, with Gina having worked on her brother’s thesis film. The family business, Loaded Media Productions, helped produce “Romeo and Juliet.”
“It’s wonderful to see Joe and Gina work together, to see your child doing something she loves to do,” said Rosemary. “The more they do it, the more cohesive they become.”
Rosemary, who is the president and CEO of Meals on Wheels West, said she was blown away at how well her daughter fit into her husband’s interpretation of Juliet.
While Regalbuto has dedicated his last several years to directing television shows such as “Friends,”“The George Lopez Show” and “Veronica’s Closet,”he wants to act again.
“Live theater is precious,” Regalbuto said. “It’s really an act of love. It’s taking these great words and trying to make them your own.”
Regalbuto’s skills as a director stem from his background acting on the stage. He said his ability to connect with the people the audience sees provides him an “insightful advantage” into his job.
He first knew that he wanted to enter the theater world when he saw Brigadoon in high school.
“I loved it when the audience laughed,” Regalbuto said. “I caught the bug.”
Regalbuto was born in New Jersey and grew up in Brooklyn, New York, studying acting at New York University. He moved with Rosemary to Santa Monica 27 years ago to begin work on a television series.
In his spare time, Regalbuto enjoys golfing at Riviera County Club, editing photos on his computer and playing the saxophone.
While traveling through Amsterdam, Italy, Tokyo and Bangkok, Regalbuto grabbed his camera and ended up publishing some travel photos.
“When you go to a place like that, everything is new to the eye,” Regalbuto said.
Regalbuto said he loves to capture faces on camera and watch how the light plays off different features. When used correctly, cameras let the viewer discover a sliver about the person’s character, he said.
There are two waves of discovery, says Regalbuto, one that arrives while taking the picture and another unexpected one when you revisit the shots later on.
“You might discover something you might not have noticed at the click,” Regalbuto said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 12, 2007. Read the original PDF.