This Kansas City actor became a TV star. Now he’s back home for ‘fascinating work’

Appearing in the musical “A Chorus Line” might seem like a major departure for Kansas City acting icon Nathan Darrow, even if the role doesn’t require him to sing.

But Darrow, best known to most of the public — especially outside of Kansas City — for his TV roles in “House of Cards,” “Gotham” and “Billions,” was a stage actor long before TV producers came calling.

So which is his first love, the stage or the screen?

“I consider myself an actor who will do whatever,” Darrow said. “Thank goodness this is a hypothetical question. But if somebody came and put a gun to my head, I would say I would do theater.”

His credits support that. The Shawnee Mission North High School graduate has been a stalwart on Kansas City’s stages for years.

In fact, when “A Chorus Line” opens Aug. 10 at Music Theater Heritage, Darrow will complete what is akin to hitting for the cycle in Kansas City theater. He has starred in productions at the big six of local professional theaters: Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Actors Theatre, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Unicorn Theatre, New Theatre Restaurant and now MTH. (We don’t include Starlight Theatre because almost all of its shows are national tours.)

His local parts, which date back almost 20 years, have ranged from the seriousness of “King Henry V” to the silliness of “Leading Ladies” (which required acting in drag). He also starred in the oddball comedy “Duck Hunter Shoots Angel” at a seventh area professional theater, the now defunct American Heartland Theatre.

Darrow, who now lives with his wife and two dogs in South Orange, New Jersey, most recently returned to his hometown for “Hamlet” at the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in 2017 and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at KC Rep in 2019.

So maybe a musical at MTH isn’t so far-fetched.

“I love the play and I love Kansas City,” he said.

“Also, the practical reality is that the theater reached out and asked me if I wanted to do it.”

The timing was fortuitous given that the Screen Actors Guild strike has shut down TV work. He is also a member of Actors Equity, so he can still work in live theater.

The strike comes on the heels of the pandemic, which shut down both screen and stage work for months, so it hasn’t been a great time for professional actors. During the fallow time of the pandemic, Darrow worked as an emergency medical technician.

“Even when there’s no strike, that doesn’t mean I’m not grateful for the work,” Darrow said. “As this play brings to light, it’s kind of a brutal life.

“When people see you on TV a few times, they think you’ve got this whole thing planned out and your career is all set. That’s not the way it is. Even some very big actors I’ve talked to say the same thing. … You can’t be sure what’s coming next.”

Before the pandemic, Darrow had a solid run on TV, first in his signature role as Secret Service agent Edward Meechum on Netflix’s “House of Cards” (2013-16), then as the villain Mr. Freeze in “Gotham” (2015-18), as well as recurring parts in “Billions” (2016-19) and “Preacher” (2016-19). His most recent TV credits were guest spots on “FBI” (2020) and “Law & Order” (2022).

Meanwhile, he has done plays at Lincoln Center Theater in New York, the Old Vic Theatre in London and American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, among many other venues. In the past year, he appeared in a world-premiere adaptation of “Dial M for Murder” at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego and in Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” at the Hartford Stage in Connecticut.

Darrow said he doesn’t have any TV or stage jobs on the horizon, but he’s developing a one-man show in which he replicates every word and gesture from “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part II.” He’d like to bring that to Kansas City, too.

“I want to do it anywhere and everywhere,” he said.

For now, he’s enthused being part of the cast of a professional musical for the first time in “A Chorus Line.”

Featuring music by Marvin Hamlisch with classic songs such as “What I Did for Love” and “One” (singular sensation), it won nine Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1976. Darrow plays Zach, a director and choreographer who is auditioning dancers for a show.

“What draws me to this role is the play itself,” he said. “It’s really a fascinating work about making art in all its aspects, and how the actors are drawn to the work and need to do it.”

Zach, who was portrayed by Michael Douglas in the 1985 movie adaptation, is a non-singing role with a bit of dancing. Darrow doesn’t rule out the idea of taking on a full singing part one day.

“I sure love singing, and I love musicals,” he said. “I now love very much being with this group of people.”

‘A Chorus Line’

The musical, starring Nathan Darrow, runs Aug. 10-27 at Music Theater Heritage in Crown Center. $39-$65. musictheaterheritage.com.

Nathan Darrow in Kansas City

Before starring in “A Chorus Line,” Nathan Darrow starred in a string of professional productions in Kansas City:

“Bright Ideas,” Unicorn Theatre, 2004

“Painted Alice,” Unicorn Theatre, 2005

“The Retreat From Moscow,” Unicorn Theatre, 2005

“The Pillowman,” Unicorn Theater, 2006

“Duck Hunter Shoots Angel,” American Heartland Theatre, 2006

“King Henry V,” Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, 2006

“Leading Ladies,” New Theatre Restaurant, 2006

“Iron Kisses,” Unicorn Theatre, 2007

“Romeo and Juliet,” Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, 2007

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” Kansas City Actors Theatre, 2007

“Translations,” Kansas City Actors Theatre, 2008

“The Little Dog Laughed,” Unicorn Theatre, 2008

“Hamlet,” Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, 2017

“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” Kansas City Repertory Theatre, 2019