Kevin Adams
Four-time Tony Award Winner, and Swept Away’s extraordinary Lighting Designer, Kevin Adams, joins us On The Couch this week. Some of his most successful credits include Funny Girl, A Beautiful Noise, The Cher Show, Spongebob Square Pants, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, American Idiot, Next to Normal and many more. Off Broadway credits include the original 1998 production of Hedwig, The Scottsboro Boys, Carrie and more.
A first for us: Kevin has added a question, and we can assure you it’s worth scrolling for.
Read our full interview below.
What do you consider to be your best asset?
My eye.
What was your proudest moment?
I was lighting this opera and it was looking pretty good and Richard Avedon came to see it. He told me afterward he loved the lighting and that “the shadows are so beautiful.” That was a good day.
What is your favorite drink?
Iced coffee
What is your favorite food?
Tom kha kai, which, if I can find good galangal and lime leaves, I know how to make! I love that soup.
What is your favorite condiment?
I’m from Texas. Hot sauce.
What is your current obsession?
Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance. I’ve seen it with audiences in movie theatres a few times and it’s a total trip. And I’m OBSESSED with Fargeat.
If you could give up one of your vices, what would it be?
Playing a numbers game on my phone.
What is the one professional accomplishment you long for most?
Duh. Best Actress Academy Award. But I don’t think it’s in the cards.
What is the one thing you waste too much money on?
Those seasonal birds at Target. I can’t resist and have years of them.
What is the one activity you waste too much time doing?
Watching Me Tv.
What do you consider to be the single greatest threat to your health?
RFK Jr.
What’s the single best trait you inherited or learned from your parents?
Saving every penny. There is artistic freedom in that.
What in the world most thrills you?
50’s rock ‘n roll makes my little heart just race.
What current trend in popular culture most irritates you?
That thing where people take their two hands and make a heart and place it over their heart. I can’t wait for that to be over.
What was the most embarrassing moment you’ve ever experienced on the job?
In an earlier part of my life I lived in Hollywood and I was a set designer for music videos. And I was designing a video for the Little River Band and I had to drive way out into the valley and buy two breakaway chairs for this barroom brawl scene. And these chairs were NICE and really expensive. And I was in the front office and they brought the chairs out and set them by the salesman’s desk and I pulled my checkbook out to pay for them and I…. sat on the breakaway chair. And it broke. And I fell to the ground and the sales lady was speechless. As was I. I was still on the ground when a guy from the shop opened the door and looked at me and silently shut the door. That was embarrassing. The better part was Berry Berenson SOMEHOW turned out to be on my crew for that video and that’s another much better story.
What’s your favorite place in the world?
There’s this large outdoor park in Singapore that has 1000s of painted plaster statutes of humans in various tableaus and the park is from decades ago and pretty much not visited by anyone. It’s THE campiest thing I’ve ever seen in my campy life. Amazing place.
What is the most important trait you seek in a romantic partner?
A sense of humor
Do you prefer the company of dogs or cats?
I do like the cats.
What would have to happen to make today the best day of your life?
A call from the Academy Award people re: the best actress thing.
What is your personal motto?
Make every day interesting. Try to do one new thing every day.
I added a question:
What was your favorite job?
I was a go-go dancer in Los Angeles in the mid-80s. I danced in a cage and was really good at it and I LOVED that job.