Darrell Hammond has become a comic legend thanks to his 14 years at Saturday Night Live. He holds the SNL record as the longest running cast member, and he has impersonated the most people, including John McCain, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Dick Cheney, Regis Philbin, and Donald Trump. Since leaving Saturday Night Live in 2009, Hammond is expanding his horizons. While his stand-up comedy is still an instrumental part of his career, he has gone on to do Broadway, television (both comedy and drama), and is returning for another summer at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor to be a part of both their Comedy Club series, as well as star in their Mainstage production of Romance by David Mamet.
If you're not familiar, Bay Street Theatre is a not-for-profit 299-seat professional regional theatre founded in 1991 by Sybil Christopher (Artistic Director), Stephen Hamilton and Emma Walton. It is a year-round theatre presenting new, classic, and contemporary works. Year after year, Bay Street attracts the cream of the crop in acting, directing, playwriting and more. This is evident in the members listed as part of their newly developed Artistic Associates Committee which include Alan Alda, Joy Behar, Mario Cantone, Kim Cattrall, Richard Kind and Darrell Hammond, to name a few. This group, all great friends to Bay Street over the years, not only performs on stage but also appears at fundraising events and is committed to the on-going support of the theatre.
Darrell Hammond's relationship with Bay Street began in 2008 when he starred in the Mainstage production, Beyond Therapy, as a zany and psychotic therapist; a role for which he received great reviews. He went on to perform in the Comedy Club showcase which he will return to do this summer on July 5th. I spoke with the actor and comedian about his exit from Saturday Night Live, his stand-up and acting career, and his experience at Bay Street Theatre.
Hammond decided it was time to hang up his SNL boots last year after a fantastic run. Coming to terms with his so-called retirement was definitely, he says, "a difficult process". With the exception of the time he spent in New York shooting a commercial with Donald Trump, he spent his first several months off debriefing and coming to terms with his decision in his home state of Florida. He said it took a good year to feel like he was back to normal, or to find a new normal.
Prior to his exit from SNL, he made his Broadway debut in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for a limited run in 2007. That, he says, "was an amazing and extraordinary experience. I was on stage for about 30 seconds, in the middle of lines, when it hit me, Broadway was before me. Panic set in. I had spent all this time on Saturday Night Live where panic was not an option and I had to get a hold of myself. There was never a moment when I wasn't mindful that I was on Broadway." As for a return to Broadway, it is definitely in the plan for Hammond. While he is not at liberty to talk about any specific upcoming project, it is definitely something he wants to do again.
Hammond has also had the opportunity to play several dramatic roles on television, including parts on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and Damages, something the public isn't really used to seeing him do. That was a difficult transition for the actor. He welcomed and sought out help in preparing for the roles by taking classes. He had to be mindful of keeping restrained and making things as small as possible which is quite the opposite of comedy where the objective is to always make things larger and louder.
Larger and louder is definitely what he brought to his role in Bay Street's production of Beyond Therapy. Hammond actually brought an acting coach with him to Sag Harbor in preparation for the role. He was determined to work hard and challenge himself. "I knew I was surrounded by some of the greatest acting talent in the world," he says. When Bay Street nabbed Hammond to play the part in Beyond Therapy they were ecstatic to have him, in part, due to his notoriety from Saturday Night Live. Artistic Director, Murphy Davis was "beyond" impressed with the actor. "When you work with an actor for the first time and the actual experience goes beyond the production itself – you truly enjoy the performer – you want to have that performer back," says Davis.
Returning to Bay Street this season is very exciting for Hammond and the theatre. Fans of this comic genius can catch his act the evening after the Fourth of July holiday. I actually asked Hammond if he planned on spending that weekend in the Hamptons and he said he hadn't made any plans yet but since I mentioned it, it sounded like a good idea. Glad I could be of service! Like everyone else who goes out to the East End, he mostly enjoys the peacefulness of the countryside and he loves to ride his bike throughout the area, as well as sample some of the fine restaurants.
Beginning August 10th, the public will be able to see Hammond on the Bay Street stage again, this time performing in Romance playing the Bailiff in a hilarious, definitely not politically correct, courtroom comedy. When looking for someone for this role, the artistic team at Bay Street knew they needed to find someone who would really be a presence on stage since so much of his comedy is in reaction to others. That is what they knew they would have in Hammond. Davis says, "Sybil and I are so thrilled to have Darrell Hammond back with us this summer." What enticed the actor to take this role? "Much of the comedy for the Bailiff is non-verbal," he says. "Most of his role revolves around his relationship with the Judge (played by Richard Kind) who is always involved in what is going on." This non-verbal comedy is something he has never really done before; something he says is fascinating as well as challenging for him. "I'm looking forward to working with such a great cast and will work hard to hold my own" says Hammond. A cast that includes aforementioned Richard Kind, Reg Rogers, Joey Slotnik, Matt McGrath, and Chris Bauer. Something tells me he'll fit right in.
Hammond is intent on continuing to learn and grow as an actor, of which Bay Street Theatre is proud to be a part. One thing is clear, while his Saturday Night Live career has come to an end (with the exception of a guest appearance here and there); Darrell Hammond has no intention of fading into the backdrop. Good thing, we are all much better off with him on our screens and stages!
