From “Jersey Boys” to James Joyce is quite the journey, but Matt Bogart is happy to have taken it.
After seven years on Broadway as Nick Massi, the late, laconic member of the Four Seasons, Bogart’s starring in “Himself and Nora,” a musical about the lusty love affair between Joyce and his muse, Nora Barnacle. Nearly 11 years in the making, the show recently opened at the Minetta Lane Theatre.
“Joyce and Nora didn’t marry for 27 years,” says Bogart, who also had a memorable turn in HBO’s “Vinyl” as Robert Goulet. “At one point, Nora walked out on him . . . Joyce pushed everyone around him almost to the point where they didn’t want anything to do with him. That takes a lot of bravery.” Indeed.
Here’s what’s in this actor’s library:
A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man by James Joyce
I went to Catholic schools for years, and at some point thought I wanted to be a priest then realized, as [Joyce’s hero] Stephen Dedalus did, that there’s a side of yourself you can’t deny . . . Joyce brings in characters from this novel into “Ulysses,” “Dubliners” and “Finnegans Wake.” It’s as though he saw the big picture the entire time. To me, that’s genius!
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
I was watching all of Daniel Day-Lewis’ movies and saw this, then gave the book a read. It’s about a man who’s dating several women, who comes to realize he has no duty to anyone except himself. At least, that’s what I got out of it!
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
These are Rilke’s responses to a poet who’d written him asking for advice. I love this book because it’s so simple. It speaks to artists who are attempting to find their own voice. It’s a reminder to accept yourself and what comes forth . . . Joyce said, “In the particulars, the universal.” That’s what Rilke was trying to tell this young artist.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I have a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old, and I love reading books to them. This one they really love. It’s an allegory about a young man on a search. He thinks everything is one way, but with each encounter, he learns to open up his own world. Teach your children well, and hopefully we’ll avoid tragedies like the murders in Orlando.