Hoofin' at the Puddin'

When Terry Ray Robinson graduates today, he will leave behind about a dozen alter egos: suave singer, town floozie and betrayer of Christ--just to name a few. Four four years, Robinson has brought these characters to life on various Harvard stages, earning a reputation as one of the college's most talented performers.

Best known for his roles in the farcical Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Robinson receives praise for his acting and dancing but considers himself a singer trying to learn those new trades. "Singing is my forte," he explains. "My acting still needs a lot of work, but I think that my voice--thank God--is strong enough and people enjoy it enough that I can get over those things...People say that I look good [dancing], but I feel terrible all the time. Dancing and acting are something that I have to think about too much, whereas singing just comes naturally."

His colleagues are unanimous in their assessments of Robinson's talent. "His voice is so rich and so powerful," says Chris Charron '85, who directed the performer in this year's Kirkland House performance of "Jesus Christ Superstar." Adds Hasty Pudding President Adam Issacs '84: "You get chills listening to him sing."

Robinson has generally avoided serious acting roles, opting for the famous Pudding burlesques not only because they include music, but also for the "silliness, antics and gadgetry" that traditionally go with the Pudding production. "Although we have storylines and plots, weak though they may be," he says, "the audience is usually with us most of the time and salvage a storyline for the sake of having a good time and seeing people just go out and really ham it up." He adds "There's something about the immediate reactions that you get from an audience while on stage that seems to be stronger at the Pudding than at any of the theaters around."

The multi-talented Texas native made a successful non-Pudding appearance last fall which demonstrated his ability to perform without tomfoolery. He played Judas in the well received version of "Superstar"--what he calls his "most challenging role."

"I hadn't played a serious role in a long time, and I had programmed myself to be happy, gay, and jolly," he explains, insisting that he never felt comfortable playing the ancient betrayer. Reviewers nonetheless praised his performance, as did his director. "He will tell you what he's feeling inside and on stage," says Charron.

Most of Robinson's stage characters have little in common with his real-life persons, says the actor, pointing, for example, to his most recent role as Helen Highwater, the brash hooker of this year's Pudding show, "Of Mines and Men." He explains how he developed the Highwater character: "I decided that my girlfriend's roommate best suited Helen. She's a pretty brazen, brash, real tough mama--if you'll excuse my French. I clued her in later, but she would catch me staring at her when I was visiting and she'd say, 'What are you doing?' when actually, I was trying to develop Helen through her."

"When I get into a character, I try to find mannerisms that would be appropriate to the way this person is speaking," says Robinson. "If I can't find it in myself. I usually draw on something that I've seen or heard or really like, and then I try to recreate through the character."

One disappointment that some Robinson fans express about his career here is that he never played the Loeb Main Stage. "He could have shown them what he had," says Charron. But Robinson says he preferred working at the Pudding and on House shows: "Harvard drama takes itself too damn seriously...People who are not fortunate enough to be recognized as an actor or a singer, but who have raw talent that needs to be developed, and could be developed in a lot of the Harvard shows, are denied that privilege because of the snobishness that takes place in a lot of the theaters."

Robinson, who has been rejected for a role only once here, says that he realizes that "luck has been on my side." He adds, "I have not had that much competition...and that's good; that makes me feel good. But on the other hand, it makes me a bit lazy at times. I don't necessarily get the feedback that I need."

One person who has helped Robinson improve his work at Harvard is Michael Rapposelli '84, "I have been able to look to him for inspiration these last two years more than anyone else," says Robinson. "He understands my personality. He's a trained singer and a damn good actor. Thousands of times I've done things wrong and no one other than Michael had the insight to realize that it was wrong. And he's called me on it."

Off the stage, Robinson majored in English but continued to concentrate on his vocal talents. He began singing in church choirs at home in Houston and remains a devotee of gospel music. "Unfortunately, you don't get a lot of that in an academic community," he says. As a result, he has worked off campus, singing at weddings and in church choirs, and he helped to start a gospel choir group of his own.

Robinson says he will continue to sing after leaving Harvard. He plans to return to Texas for a year to work in a small publishing firm and save money for a shot at Broadway--his "ultimate goal." In Texas, Robinson plans to sing in church choirs and work with an outdoor theater. He says he has considered going to law school to guarantee a secure future, but has decided to put all his energy into trying to make it as a singer and actor.

He recalls a sophomore year meeting with John Travolta, who had come to Cambridge as the Hasty Pudding's Man of the Year. "He said to all aspiring actors and actresses, if there was anything else in the world that we thought we could do outside of acting then we should do it. Then I said, We'll Terry if you want to act you have to decide that is the only thing that you can do, If not, you'll never make it."