Road Show Host Greg Maraio

On Monday, November 14th at 7:30pm, SpeakEasy’s friends and family will gather at the Calderwood Pavilion for our entertaining and hilarious third-annual fall benefit performance!  This year’s show, The SpeakEasy Traveling Road Show Spectacular, pairs some of Boston’s favorite artists with SpeakEasy supporters in a wild night of vaudevillian-style twists and turns where absolutely anything can happen!

A traveling road show is nothing without a fearless leader, so with less than a week until curtain, we asked Greg Maraio, host of the Traveling Road Show and star of Significant Other, for the inside scoop.

Outside of “Greg the Stage Manager”, what’s your dream role?

Greg the Stage Manager really is at the top of the list. You know, my character Jordan in Significant Other was one of the dreamiest roles I could have ever imagined. I could have played him forever. I’m still only just realizing how lucky I was to be part of that show. Another all-time favorite play of mine is Doubt by John Patrick Shanley. I would love to be in that show one day.

Tell us about the character you are playing in The SpeakEasy Traveling Road Show Spectacular.

Greg is the loyal stage manager for the traveling road show, but I also like to think of him as the moral compass of the whole company. He’s trustworthy, determined, sexy, and reserved… but harbors a secret desire for a life on the stage. I am modeling him after the greats like Dawn Saglio and Arkansas Light. Stage managers truly are the glue of every show. This is my not so subtle tribute to them.

What can you tell us about this mythical H.J. Piccadilly character?

Well, if I had to pick a dilly, I’d pick him every time. Oh my god, he looks like Clark Gable, he sounds like Cary Grant, and moves like Gene Kelly. He is hands down the greatest entertainer of the early 1900s. With all his talent and charisma, you can easily see why people flock to THE SPEAKEASY TRAVELING ROAD SHOW SPECTACULAR. You won’t be disappointed when you see him perform on the 14th!

Which portion of Road Show is most fun to perform?

Where do I begin? The knife throwing? The juggling? The love scenes? Well, I love hearing and reacting to the various messages we receive throughout the show. From telegrams to carrier pigeons, they are hilarious. Walt McGough is one of my favorite playwrights. I also love working with “the diva”. It’s all so much fun.