✍️ Paul, Unscripted
A note from Paul, in his own words.
I felt a lot of pressure to get this right.
The role I’m playing now — Nick Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company — is one of the most famous characters in one of the most famous works of theater, so I knew finding an original way in wasn’t exactly going to be in the cards.
The best I could hope for was having ideas that were interesting and playable. I started with this: the show is about love, all forms of it. My Nick Bottom feels a deep sense of familial love for his fellow Mechanicals — which I hope makes his return to them, after the donkey-man transformation, all the more rewarding and emotional.
Of course, there’s still a reason why Bottom is transformed into an ass. I hope audiences enjoy watching him crow and beat his chest.
Speaking of love and family, it’s been quite emotional returning to the CSC stage during their 30th anniversary season. It was 20 years ago that CSC gave me my first professional role in Boston theater. I thought I would feel alien out on the stage after some time away, yet I feel right at home.
Side note: it’s going to be a busy upcoming season of Boston theater, but I can’t share any details just yet. Stay tuned to find out what’s coming for fall and beyond. 🤫
Peace and love,
Paul
✨ The Headliner
Onstage, onscreen, and what’s coming up.
Paul Makes an Ass of Himself in CSC’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
📸 Photo credit: Nile Scott Studios
Image description: Paul as Nick Bottom, center, has transformed into a donkey and is surrounded by a group of fairies in neon costumes, who fawn over him. Nora Eschenheimer as fairy queen Titania, at left, holds her hands in front of her in a beseeching gesture to Bottom.
🎭 Free Shakespeare in the park: Playing now on the Boston Common, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company is staging A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of its 30th anniversary season.
🫏 Ever found yourself accidentally dating the fairy queen? Paul plays Nick Bottom, a working-class weaver who finds himself in a very strange fairy tale after the mischievous Puck (Nick Cearley) transforms him into a donkey. Fairy queen Titania (Nora Eschenheimer) promptly falls head over heels. We ship it.
😍 Critics ass-essment: Critics are falling head over heels, too. Bob Abelman of The Boston Globe praises Paul’s “animated” turn as Bottom, writing that the Rude Mechanicals "nearly steal the show," while WBUR’s Jacquinn Sinclair credits Paul as “the consummate wielder of physical comedy.”
📍 When and where: Parkman Bandstand, Boston Common, now through August 9 (this weekend!). Bring a picnic blanket and friends and come dream with Paul.
👏 The Applause Line
Press mentions and recent highlights—standing ovations optional.
Audiences Finally Get a Look at At the Sea
📸 Image credit: ATS Production.
Image description: Actor Amy Adams as Laura floats on her back in water, staring straight upward with a blank expression on her face. Her hair floats in a halo around her and black spaghetti straps are visible at her shoulders.
It’s been quite awhile since Paul filmed At the Sea with Amy Adams in August 2024, but after nearly two years, the film has finally had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.
At the Sea stars Amy Adams as Laura, a former dancer and director of a dance company returning to her family's beach home after rehab, where she struggles to chart a new path forward.
Paul plays Frank, a dancer in Laura’s company who’s eager to share his ideas for the company’s future. At the Sea also stars Dan Levy, Rainn Wilson, and Murray Bartlett.
The film’s U.S. release date has yet to be announced (Paul will keep you posted!), but in the meantime, you can watch a scene here.
If you know someone who might enjoy this, feel free to pass it along.
Curtain down. Thanks for being here.