Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Harlem-Reared Actor Shares Path to Stardom at Chelsea Cabaret Show

By DNAinfo Staff on April 14, 2011 2:13pm  | Updated on April 14, 2011 2:15pm

The flyer for
The flyer for "Call Me Papo."
View Full Caption
Courtesy of Carmat Productions

By Tara Kyle

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

CHELSEA — Actor Hechter Ubarry's passion for show business brought him from the Harlem projects to Broadway and "Crocodile Dundee 2"— and now, for the first time, he's sharing his story.

In between songs, Ubarry will tell tales of life inside the St. Nicholas Houses in the 1950s and 1960s during two performances of "Call Me Papo," at the Metropolitan Room at 34 W. 22nd Street.

During those years, Puerto Rico-born Ubarry (whose childhood nickname was "Papo") dreamed of moving downtown and emulating childhood idols such as Errol Flynn, Alan Ladd and Jackie Wilson.

"People who meet me usually think I was born with a silver spoon — I'm just a boy from the ghetto," said Ubarry, who now lives in Chelsea. "I wanted to be an actor so badly, I just transformed myself."

That transformation began after Ubarry gained admission to the High School for the Performing Arts. Parts on stage and screen followed shortly after graduation.

In "Dundee," Ubarry played Paul Hogan's nemesis, Southern American drug kingpin "Rico." On Broadway, Ubarry's credits include a role in "Man of La Mancha." He has also sung back-up for Paul Simon and appeared on the 2009 NBC series "Kings."

But it's his childhood in Harlem, during a violent period in the neighborhood's history, that will inform most of the stories in "Call Me Papo."

Ubarry remembers neighbors like Pablo, a smartly-dressed bookie, and Lola, a loving mother who turned tricks to help feed her kids. He grew up without heating or air conditioning, hanging out on roof tops and singing doo-wop in hallways.

"The hallway had such a reverberation that we all sounded like stars."

The performance, which also includes songs such as "Downtown," "Spanish Harlem," "Mack the Knife" (in tribute to his gangster grandfather), and "Chattanooga Choo Choo" (for his grandmother), is a form of free therapy, Ubarry said.

It's also a way, he said, to finally reveal himself to a local audience that has supported him for decades.

"My whole world was a fantasy, it kept me out of trouble," Ubarry said. "It was a wonderful life, by the way."

"Call Me Papo" will play at the Metropolitan Room at 34 W. 22nd Street at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 23. Tickets run $20, plus a two-drink minimum.