Fast Chat: The devil-may-care André De Shields

Why would stage vet André De Shields want to spend nearly two hours commuting from his home in Manhattan to Northport five times a week, and then make the same trip back? The devil made him do it.

De Shields, who's been wowing audiences for more than three decades in Broadway smashes such as "The Wiz" (in which he played the title role), "Ain't Misbehavin' " and "The Full Monty," couldn't resist the chance to play Mr. Applegate, the devil in thin disguise, in "Damn Yankees," which runs at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport through Aug. 29.

Newsday's Daniel Bubbeo recently chatted with De Shields, 64, at a coffee shop across from the Engeman about being part of the winning "Yankees."

Your number "Those Were the Good Old Days" was a real showstopper, especially in that red tuxedo. How does it feel getting to wear the flashiest costumes in the show?

It really helps me to have great fun, and it helps the character not to be one- dimensional, which the devil can be sometimes.

And you look wonderful in red.

Not often does an actor have an opportunity to collaborate with the costume designer. . . . She said to me, "What do you like to wear?" "What's your favorite color?" "What kind of shoes do you like to wear?" In cases where we couldn't find something in the costume collection, I was able to supplement from my own wardrobe. Another reason why I'm having so much fun is because I'm comfortable in my own clothes.

Which of the clothes were yours?

The red tuxedo.

You just happen to own one?

It's not by accident. It was designed for me in 1984 and tailored for me by Valentino. That's his handiwork. Because I am a lifelong physically fit man, it's 2010 and I can still wear it. And the silver shoes are mine.

The idea is that the devil should have, at the very least, if not cloven hoofs, pointy feet. And since he's so associated with brimstone and eternal fire - he comes from the bowels of the Earth - red is his color. The costume designer almost squealed when I said I'd love to do that number in red. I said, "I have the perfect costume." She said, "Really, well, I'll take a look at it." When I brought it in, she was like, "I can't believe it!"

Have you performed much on Long Island before this?

In the summer of 1980, I performed [at Guild Hall] in East Hampton, so this is my second time. But I've already had talks with Richard Dolce about coming back. . . . A show that would be amazingly showcased in this venue is "Ain't Misbehavin'." . . . I said to him, "You can even get one of the original cast members in it," so we'll see if the seed that was planted falls into place.

You seem to be one of those people who's always doing a few things at once, like your one-man show as Frederick Douglass.

During the first hiatus after the opening weekend of "Damn Yankees," I was able to take my Frederick Douglass piece up to Nantucket, which was totally exciting for me because that's where he started his career as an abolitionist orator in 1841. I was able to rehearse on the very stage in the very hall where he spoke.

How did that show come about?

At the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009, so many historical precedents were converging in this country, not the least of which was that we had our first black president. . . . In a matter of four months, there were five historical elements that were converging, including the bicentennial of [the birth of] Abraham Lincoln. So I thought, what one historical icon could encompass all of this burgeoning history? And like a bulb going off in my head, I went, "Frederick Douglass." So I started doing my research and did my first performance Feb. 9, 2009.

What other roles would you love to play?

I would love to do "My Fair Lady," but there's another role that I covet. . . . If I don't do "My Fair Lady," that would be OK, but if I start nearing the end of my life and I haven't done the King in "The King and I," I would be unhappy. I've also suggested that to Richard.