He’s a titan of the American stage whose deep bass voice, whether speaking or singing, seems to emanate from the pits of hell.
And that’s fitting, since Patrick Page’s Broadway roles include the underworld overlord Hades in “Hadestown” and the Grinch in “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” He also played the Green Goblin in “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” and Scar in “The Lion King.”
Notice a pattern?
While he has become known for characters that thrive in wickedness, Page has not fretted about being typecast. In fact, he relishes playing baddies so much that he leans into it in his solo show, “All the Devils Are Here,” which opens Thursday at Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater.
The play chronicles villains in Shakespeare and speaks to the singer, actor and playwright’s own love affair with the Bard.
“My father [Robert Page] was an actor at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival when I was 3 or 4, and there was always fun to be had onstage,” Page said, noting his early and enduring influences. “Shakespeare holds up a mirror to nature, and as he does that, he finds himself in all these characters, like the man who would take a pound of flesh or the man who would murder his own brother in order to have the kingdom and marry the woman he loves.”
We caught up with Page at his home in New York City by phone just before he jetted off to Minneapolis. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: How did “Devils” come about?