Quick Wit: Edward Hibbert
Edward Hibbert is probably best known as the persnickety restaurant critic Gil Chesterton on Frasier and from such other TV shows as Caroline in the City and Mad About You. But Hibbert, classically trained at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, also known to American and British audiences for his brilliant stage portrayal of Oscar Wilde in Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and for his role in Paul Rudnick’s play Jeffrey (the latter won Hibbert an Obie, an L.A. Drama-Logue Award, and a Los Angeles Critics Circle nomination). He has also received critical praise for his work in productions of Love! Valour! Compassion!, Candide, Lend Me a Tenor, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and The Mystery of Irma Vep.
As in Irma Vep, Hibbert deliciously dons a dress for his role as the Queen Mother in The Green Bird, currently running on Broadway at the Cort Theatre. His performance as Tartagliona is as hilarious as it is convincing, transforming what could have merely been a gimmicky star turn into a completely believable character. That’s called acting.
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If you were a glass of wine, how would you be best described?
Rich and Fruity.
Who are your three favorite actors?
Sir Alec Guinness, Dame Maggie Smith, and the staggeringly good Sean Penn.
What is the most important thing in your refrigerator?
Champagne.
What is your favorite cocktail?
Skyy vodka martini, straight up, with a twist.
What is the first thing you reach for in the morning?
Coffee.
On what do you splurge?
Eating out and clothes.
What is your favorite television show?
Well, Frasier; it really does have the greatest writing.
Who is your favorite author?
As a literary agent I’d have to say: all the great authors whom I represent.
What is your favorite line that you’ve ever said on stage?
It’s a line from Jeffrey, where I played an interior designer. One of the actors asks me “Who is Ann Miller?” and I say “Leave this house.”
What is your greatest temptation?
Excess.
What do you most mask?
Hopefully, my vulnerabilities and boredom.
What product would you most enjoy endorsing?
French Champagne–specifically, Veuve Clicquot.
What are your favorite shows of this season?
Dirty Blonde and The Laramie Project.
What are the three finest performances you’ve ever seen on stage?
Laurence Olivier in Long Day’s Journey into Night, Maggie Smith in Private Lives, and, when I was 13, I saw Angela Lansbury in Gypsy.
What country would you most love to visit?
Australia.
George W. Bush is a) a moron, b) frightening, c) a jackass.
I really think he’s frightening, but I’ll choose “A” and “C.”
How is your home decorated?
Elegantly.
What word grates on your nerves?
After someone sees a show and they say it was “nice”–it’s so patronizing.
Altruism or misanthropy?
I’m not misanthropic, so I’d say altruism.
Spring or autumn?
Spring.
Morning or night?
Night.
Hillary or Rudy?
Hillary.
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