The remarkable John Lithgow

  UCLA Performing Arts Actor John Lithgow
returns to UCLA’s Royce Hall this Sunday night with a full symphony
orchestra in his west coast premiere of "Farkle and Friends," a
child’s guide to the orchestra.

By Howard Ho
Daily Bruin Contributor

John Lithgow is a Bruin.

Sure he hails from Harvard and won a Fulbright Scholarship to
the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. But if those places
served him as a cultural center in the past, now UCLA has taken on
that role in his life. Of course, it also helps that his wife is a
history professor here.

Giving back to the UCLA campus, Lithgow will be performing
children’s songs as well as his new children’s book,
“The Remarkable Farkle McBride,” at Royce Hall on Oct.
15. “Farkle,” essentially a children’s guide to
the symphony orchestra, will be under the direction of Bill
Elliot.

“Farkle” is about a young boy who becomes a virtuoso
on one instrument in each section of the orchestra, rejecting each
instrument successively until he realizes his true love of
conducting. While the book is filled with rhymes and onomatopoeia
to stimulate children, it achieves its further goal of making the
modern symphony orchestra more accessible to a generation of
children.

  Illustration by ERICA PINTO/Daily Bruin In fact, Lithgow
infuses his work with more sophistication than one might expect.
His story of Farkle is written in iambic pentameter, the scourge of
high school English classes.

“There’s not a meter out of place,” Lithgow
says.

Very true, as the book does actually read quite poetically and
lyrically. Additionally, Lithgow didn’t even originally write
the story as a book.

“I wrote it to be a piece for storyteller and
orchestra,” he said. “I thought it would be good to add
to the loopy songs that I do for kids. Once I wrote the text, I
realized it was perfect for a children’s book.”

Lithgow called up his friend, C.F. Payne, who illustrated
Lithgow’s “Singin’ in the Bathtub” album,
to illustrate it. Together they approached Simon and Schuster,
resulting in the publication of Lithgow’s first book.

Payne is an experienced artist whose illustrations have appeared
in “Time” and “The New Yorker,” Lithgow
referred to him as “the successor to Norman
Rockwell.”

Lithgow, who performed his “Bathtub” album last year
at Royce, is best known for his role as Dick Solomon on the NBC
series, “3rd Rock from the Sun.” Even though he has
finally found mainstream success with the sitcom, it’s been a
long road. He has appeared in films as diverse as the
family-friendly “Harry and the Hendersons” and the
morbid “Ricochet.” In that film, as well as
“Cliffhanger,” he played horrific villains.

 

“It’s not the real me, but it’s also not
supposed to be. That’s the fun of being a character actor. I
get to surprise people,” Lithgow says of his bad-guy
casting.

Lithgow has also done extensive stage work, performing a
different show on Broadway each season and garnering a Tony Award
in the process. He has also been nominated for an Academy Award
twice and won three of his four Emmys for his portrayal of an alien
high commander in “3rd Rock From the Sun.”

In addition to performing at Royce, Lithgow plans to give back
in a more substantive way. “Farkle” is being used to
sound a call for music education in schools. Lithgow plans to
personally present music instruments to Los Angeles schools and his
book will be donated to participating schools.

“One thing has led to another,” said Lithgow.
“The fun of entertaining kids has led to a book and this book
has led to Simon and Schuster suggesting a donation to the
community. I’ve become a poster boy for arts
education.”

Lithgow, however, is not resting on his laurels. Several more
children’s books involving animals are in the works. Since he
followed last year’s concert with one this year, it seems
likely that an annual tradition may also be developing.

“I’d like to think so,” says Lithgow. “I
absolutely love to do (concerts at Royce). There isn’t much
in the way of live entertainment for kids and it feels good to know
that you fill a demand. Besides, I love making the kids squeal like
fans at a Beatles concert.”

PERFORMANCE: Lithgow will be performing children’s songs
and reading his new children’s book, “The Remarkable
Farkle McBride,” at Royce Hall on Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. For
ticketing information, call the CTO at (310) 825-2101.