By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
PASADENA — Throughout his showbiz career, Alex Morris has achieved success as one of Los Angeles’ premier theater actors.
His 40 years of acting, spanning television, film, and stage has established Morris as a multifaceted thespian with dynamic acting chops.
During his theatrical tenure, Morris, a tall, strapping specimen with a salt and pepper mane, has portrayed complex characters in popular, classic productions at numerous established theaters in and around Los Angeles.
Up next for Morris, born in Chicago, and raised in a rural town (Pembroke Township) outside of the city, is A Noise Within’s production of August Wilson’s “Piano Lesson,” set to open Oct. 19.
“The Piano Lesson” is A Noise Within’s fifth August Wilson production, coming on the heels of “Gem of the Ocean,” “Seven Guitars,” “Radio Golf” and “King Hedley II.”
“The Piano Lesson” is the fourth play in Wilson’s 10-play “American Century Cycle;” the second to win a Pulitzer Prize; and the fifth in A Noise Within’s commitment to stage them all.
Morris, who will be 70 in December, has appeared in all 10 of Wilson’s American Century Cycle plays. In this incarnation of “The Piano Lesson,” he portrays Doaker Charles, the patriarch of the family.
The play delves into the legacy of slavery and family history through the conflict over a prized piano. It’s the third time Morris has played Doaker.
“He is the storyteller,” said Morris, a married father of two, and great-grandfather of one (His grandson was murdered in 2022). “He has the family history. He is the spiritual center. He’s the one everyone looks up to. Everyone is living in his house. He’s that moral center. One character is always the center in August’s plays.”
Wilson’s work is celebrated for its exploration of the African American experience.
Each time he’s played Doaker, Morris said he discovers something fresh.
“I don’t necessarily change how I play him,” he said. “But it’s different because the director has a different vision. Every time I get to do it, I learn more about the character. Every time is a learning process. The beauty is … every time I do it … I learn something new.”
Gregg T. Daniel directs “The Piano Lesson.” He said he chose Morris to play the lead for a good reason.
“Experience,” Daniel said. “A vast amount of experience particularly with August Wilson’s work. It’s great to have him, and for the rest of the cast to experience that as well.”
Daniel said Morris possesses many qualities he was looking for in an actor playing the strong-willed Doaker.
“I was looking for a King Solomon-like wisdom that could be a steady, stable, calming influence between the brother and sister,” Daniel said. “Someone who would bring civility and fairness. A strong quality that he possesses.”
Of all the characters he’s played in Wilson’s canon, Morris said he most enjoys the role of Troy in “Fences” because it reminds him of his father.
“Troy is my father,” said Morris, who owns Sparkling City Entertainment Productions with his wife Vanessa. “Troy was so much my father. Troy was a brilliant man defeated by the system and by society.
“My father had the disease of alcoholism. Troy’s pain was my father’s pain. He loved his son but didn’t know how to show it. He was a troubled, complex man. He loved his wife and family hard. The racism of this system and how society treated him was difficult.”
When the Emmy-nominated actor (Ken in FX’s “Basket”), assesses what he’s accomplished in his career, which started in the mid-1980s, he is amazed.
“I have made a living at this for 40 years,” said Morris, a two-time Ovation Award winner, two-time L.A. Theater Critics Award recipient, and five-time NAACP Theater Award winner as an actor, producer and director. “I can’t believe it’s my life. I really can’t believe it. On top of that, for 30 years, I’ve been married to a woman (producer/actress Vanessa Paul) I’m crazy about. This third act of my life is great.”
Acting was not at the top of Morris’s bucket list when he was younger. He went to nursing school to become a licensed practical nurse.
“I had aspirations to be a paramedic,” said Morris, a company member of A Noise Within Theater. “I thought that was what I was going to do. My first wife was an artistic director at a large theater company in Houston. That’s where I did my first play. I toured with a show called, ‘The Diary of Black Men: How Do You Love A Black Woman?’ That’s where it all began.”
From there, Morris said it was full steam ahead. He immersed himself in all forms of acting. He has appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies, notable television series and independent films.
Today, his extensive film and television credits include “Abbott Elementary,” “Sunrise in Heaven,” “Blind Fury,” “Powder,” “Wishbone,” “Keys to Tulsa,” “Guess Who,” “Magnum P.I.,” “Malcolm in the Middle” and more.
Aside from Wilson’s canon of work, Morris has been seen in “The Bluest Eye,” “Boys Next Door,” “Antony and Cleopatra,” “All My Sons,” “Snowangel,” “T-Bone and Weasel,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Book of Will,” and more.
There is something about theater that continues to tug at Morris even after four decades of work.
“I love the theater,” he said. “I love the instant reaction from the crowd. Six weeks from now the play and my work in the play will grow.
“With TV and movies, the money is great. But there is nothing like a live audience. There are no second chances on stage. You can see when an actor goes blank. I love living on the edge every night. I’m so into it, it takes me a couple of hours to wind down when I get home.”
Every once in a while Morris likes to challenge himself. He appeared on the Netflix American crime family drama, “The Family Business,” and will appear in the spinoff, “The Family Business: New Orleans.”
“I loved every minute I got to play,” said Morris, whose vocal inflections add depth to his already impressive performances. “It started as one day, one scene. Now I’m in the spinoff. I play a total despicable character. It’s nothing like me. I get to do what I couldn’t do legally. The character curses and kills people. I usually play good guys, dads. It’s nice to play a guy who will shoot you.”
After decades of giving notable performances, Morris wants more.
“I pray the next thing I do will be the best thing I do,” he said. “It’ll be what I’m most proud of. I would like it if every time I get on stage, they say, ‘He’s still good.’”
For Morris, acting still fills him up.
“It makes me happy,” he said. “I love playing other people. I live to work. God has provided me with what I needed. He’s been so good to me. I want to continue to grow. I’m doing the kind of work I love. I’m so blessed. When I see God, I can shake his hand, and I can say, ‘Thank you, man.’”
“The Piano Lesson” is playing at A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, through Nov. 10. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; and 2 p.m. Sundays.
Tickets range from $20 to $51.50. Information: 626 356-3100 or www.anoisewithin.org.
The performance Oct. 24, is “Black Out Night,” an opportunity for an audience self-identifying as Black to experience the performance together. Tickets include a post-show reception (non-Black-identifying patrons are welcome to attend or select a different performance).
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.