Q&A with Lynn Berg ('Uncle Peck') in HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE

TIC Theater is thrilled to produce a 3-week run this fall of How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel, running Oct. 17-19, 24-26, 31-Nov. 2 at 8 pm at The Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios (244 W. 54 St., 12th Fl.).  Tickets are $18 online and 212-868-4444.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this play follows precocious Li'l Bit's formative teenage years in rural Maryland in the 1960s.  Only her Uncle Peck seems to get her, and shows her the ways of the world.

We sat down with actor Lynn Berg* ('Uncle Peck') to talk cars, drinks and the 60s.

What's your favorite line from the show?

Merlin Berg's '55 Bel Air.

Uncle Peck says, "Of course, my favorite car will always be the '56 Bel Air Sports Coupe.  Chevy sold more '55's, but the '56!"

The first car I owed was a '55 Chevy Bel Air.  My dad is a well-known car customizer and he bought me a rusty, two-toned green '55.  We restored it together and it was sweet!  I loved that car, and now, years later, I regret selling it.  Oh, well.  My pop has a '55 that he's had since before I was born.  And over the years, it's gone through several stages of customizing and colors. 

A lot of people, including me and my pop, say the '55 is the real gem of the Bel Airs.  I think Peck loves the '56 partly because of his affinity for the underdog.

Who do you think is Peck's favorite pop icon of the 1960's?
Peck's favorite character from the 60's, and really starting in the 50's would be James Bond.  Peck loves new gadgets, drinks and women.  And he likes to think of himself as a classy playboy.  He would envy Bond's above-the-law status and secret agent life.  Peck would live vicariously through James Bond's adventures, like readers and audiences have for over 50 years.

If Peck were entertaining, what drink might he fix?
The drink Peck would offer to mix lady guests visiting his den would be a Harpoon.  It is a precursor to the Cosmopolitan and we would learn to mix it from Playboy's Bar Guide by Thomas Mario (not Hugh Hefner).

Check Lynn out as 'Uncle Peck' this fall at the Bridge Theatre @ Shetler Studios.

TIC is thrilled to have sold out its last 2 seasons of plays, so please do buy your ticket in advance.  http://www.smarttix.com/Show.aspx?ShowCode=HOW27

For more about the cast, crew, and Tongue in Cheek, please visit www.tictheater.com and like us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/tictheater

*Appears courtesy of the Actors Equity Association.  How I Learned to Drive is an Actors Equity-approved showcase.