A theater actor for all seasons

Young Chang

The chances of you walking into the Trilogy Playhouse in Costa

Mesa, on whatever night and for whatever show, and seeing actor James

Mulligan on stage are pretty high.

He’s almost as involved as director Alicia Butler and as reliable

as the promise of a fun show, albeit in a small space.

Last October, the Laguna Hills resident sent shivers through the

house as the sufficiently crazed and freaky Dr. Frankenstein in

Trilogy’s production of “Frankenstein 1930.” A quick month later he

crooned “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful” as the ever-charming

prince in the playhouse’s family production “Cinderella.”

Once the weather got colder, Mulligan got paternal as Max

Detweiler in Trilogy’s “The Sound of Music” last February. And once

the flowers started blooming, he played the melodramatic Lenny Ganz

in Trilogy’s production of Neil Simon’s “Rumors.”

Most recently, Mulligan slipped into raggy overalls and a western

accent portraying the fun-loving and innocently mischievous Huck Finn

in the playhouse’s musical run of “Big River.” He sang and pretended

to row a makeshift raft.

Behind the scenes, Mulligan also designed the set and painted the

river mural on the back wall.

“He has a very wide age range and he is at ease with many

different types of characters,” said Butler, director at Trilogy. “He

adapts very easily.”

Mulligan makes it clear that his longtime relationship with the

playhouse doesn’t mean he gets favored.

“I have to audition just like everybody else,” he said. “I go up

there embarrassed and sweat and worry and wring my hands.”

When asked what has kept him dedicated to the small theater for

more than 10 years, Mulligan said it’s the people he works with.

“These people are my family,” Mulligan said. “I’ve known them for

so long, it’s tremendous fun. Sometimes I go a little insane with it,

but it keeps me sane.”

Which is telling proof that this committed performer really does

escape to the stage for refuge from reality.

During the day, he runs a company called Mulligan Pictorial, where

his services include painting murals and scenic designs (hence his

ability to design sets at the playhouse). When a show is running, he

comes to the playhouse after work and stays often until the morning

hours.

“It’s a tremendous amount of time and effort,” Butler said. “He’s

a very creative man ... it’s an outlet for him and one that he enjoys

a lot. He doesn’t have to worry about his paychecks. He does this out

of love.”

Mulligan first started working with Butler a little more than a

decade ago, when he was in high school in south Orange County. The

director visited his school and held auditions for “Aladdin,” which

was to be staged at the Laguna Niguel Playhouse (which became the

Trilogy Playhouse almost four years ago, upon moving to Costa Mesa.)

“She saw me and foolishly cast me in it,” the actor said, of

landing the title role.

Since then, he has become a member of the theater’s adult

repertory and become a frequent face both on stage and behind the

scenes, helping out with building sets whenever he can. Mulligan

built the scenery for “Rumors,” “Sound of Music,” “Big River” and is

now working on the set for the children’s show “The Little Princess,”

which opens on Aug. 23 and in which he has about seven lines.