Amateur actor gets his shot in Edinburgh

By SCOTT McMILLION

Chronicle Staff Writer

LIVINGSTON - Okay. So it's not Broadway.

But it's still pretty cool.

Tim Williams is taking the show on the road. All the way to London, then to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he'll tread the boards before some big audiences and a ton of reviewers.

Not bad for an amateur actor, a 55-year-old carpenter whose thespian experience didn't begin until he was 35.

He's even getting paid, though he's not sure how much.

"I don't know this stuff," he said in a recent interview, with a bottle of Pabst, a shot of Jamison's and a pack of Marlboros on the bar in front of him. "I'm an amateur."

Perhaps. But a talented one. And that talent is taking him to Britain, where he'll star in author/comedian Rich Hall's newest play, "Best Western."

The trip begins in July, with rehearsals and three performances in London. Then it's off to Edinburgh for the Fringe Fest, the biggest arts festival on the planet.

That event lasts most of the month of August. Last year, it offered 28,000 performances of all types, staged at 261 venues in that venerable city.

But there's not much chance of being overlooked, even amid all that hubbub.

Hall, an Emmy winner best known in this country for his appearances on "Saturday Night Live" and "David Letterman," is even more popular in England, where he makes frequent BBC specials.

His first play, "Levelland," attracted dozens of reviews at last year's Fringe Fest. Though the reactions were mixed -- some reviewers clearly expected more laughs from Hall, and "Levelland" isn't a comedy -- the sheer number of them spelled out one thing: Hall draws a lot of attention in Britain.

And that means Williams, as the star of "Best Western," will be getting some, too.

He swears up and down he's not nervous, though this is his first trip overseas -- "I've seen all the biggest cities in Montana," he quipped -- and his first shot at a professional acting gig.

Local theatergoers know Williams well. He's a frequent performer in community theater productions at both the Blue Slipper and Firehouse Five playhouses.

He first got started about 1985, when he dropped into the Blue Slipper during auditions and offered to help build some sets.

"But only two other guys showed up, so I got the lead," he said.

That show was Neil Simon's "Prisoner of 2nd Avenue." Since then, he's tackled ambitious roles in difficult plays like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "True West" and "The Elephant Man." He's portrayed everything from Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady" to his current role as Early Graves, in "Best Western."

In that role, Williams plays a crusty rancher, a man who's scrambled all his life to keep his operation together, only to be faced with heart surgery and a lack of insurance.

"He's still working his ass off, and now he's got to mortgage the place to pay for surgery," Williams said.

Then he prepares for that surgery by getting a bottle of booze and a cheap motel room.

"He realizes he hasn't seen a TV in 30 years," Williams said of Early. "And he sees 'Brokeback Mountain.' He finds that kind of disturbing."

Early also sees his estranged son, a new daughter-in-law and his former wife. He wants to make things right with them, but it's not easy for a guy like Early.

The play -- which debuted earlier this year in Livingston, where Hall has a home -- is both compelling and engaging, and it revolves around Early, the struggles he endures and the ones he causes.

He's crusty, crabby and stubborn. And Williams, with his craggy good looks and work-hardened demeanor, nails the role.

Which is why he's going to Britain.

When Hall offered the part, Williams jumped on it immediately.

A lifelong Livingston resident who's never taken a formal acting class, Williams credits the town's vibrant arts culture with helping him learn his craft. Park County draws talented people, and Williams worked hard, learning from them everything he could, whenever he could.

"I got to work with people who actually knew about method, what it takes to get from point A to point B," he said.

Now point B is on the other side of the Atlantic. And he's waiting to see where point C might be.

"I've never expected anything to come of this, other than mere enjoyment," he said. "I think I'll get to come back to Livingston in September. But I'll have some cool stories to tell."

Then a fan interrupted the conversation, offering high praise for Williams portrayal of Early Graves.

Williams grinned.

"I like that," he said. "I guess I'm doing an okay job convincing people I'm not who I am."

Scott McMillion is at scottm@dailychronicle.com

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