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From Westchester To Great White Way: Nick Kroll Says Hello To Broadway

RYE, N.Y. --  For a kid raised in Rye, who grew up going to shows at Tarrytown Music Hall, Mamaroneck's Sandbox Theater, The Cap in Port Chester, as well as riding Metro North to see shows in the City, getting to star on Broadway is a pretty big deal.

Nick Kroll and John Mulaney star in a limited engagement of "Oh, Hello on Broadway."

Photo Credit: Oh Hello Show
Nick Kroll, left, and John Mulaney, right, play crocthety old men in "Oh, Hello on Broadway."

Nick Kroll, left, and John Mulaney, right, play crocthety old men in "Oh, Hello on Broadway."

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus
Nick Kroll grew up in Rye and now stars in "Oh, Hello on Broadway."

Nick Kroll grew up in Rye and now stars in "Oh, Hello on Broadway."

Photo Credit: Albert Sanchez

Which is why Nick Kroll, who's known primarily for his role as Rodney Ruxin in the FXX comedy series "The League," and for creating and starring in the Comedy Central series "Kroll Show," opening in "Oh, Hello on Broadway," just a short ride from where he grew up, is "pretty cool." Especially because it's something he never expected to do.

"The idea that I can come back and play this thing that feels so different, but yet so familiar and have everyone I grew up with so close that they can come see me, seals a long held tradition," he said.

He expects a gaggle of childhood friends and family -- many of which live in the area (his parents are still in Rye) -- to be in the audience when the show has its official opening Monday, Oct. 10 at The Lyceum Theatre.

"Oh, Hello on Broadway," centered around two Upper West Side crotchety men who kvetch and prank celebrity guests with inordinate amounts of tuna fish, is already getting rave reviews, thanks to various media outlets.

Kroll plays his aged alter ego, Gil Faizon, while fellow comedian John Mulaney plays George St. Geegland. The two, known as much for their uneven white wigs as they are for their comedic chops, have been playing Gil and George in live shows since the mid-2000s.

Despite the Upper West Side back story, Kroll said he knew a lot of "Gil Fazions" growing up in the suburbs as well as from his jaunts to Manhattan. "Gil and George are everywhere," he told Daily Voice. "I think a lot of people can relate to them because they've known or seen someone like them in their lives.

"I have to say, growing up in the tristate area, I love this kind of person and this moment in New York where people complain about their rent or the price of tuna."

New York, it seems, is never far from his mind. In fact, Kroll has an animated show based on growing up in Westchester coming out on Netflix next year that he created with his childhood friend Andrew Goldberg from White Plains. "Big Mouth" is about "the beautiful nightmare that is adolescence," he explained.

And while no scenes are set at Dock Deli in Rye, Nautilus Diner in Mamaroneck or at the DMV in White Plains, Kroll said he has fond memories of his years growing up in the Sound Shore and the places he frequented. "I never refuse a Walter's hot dog," he said. "And I love the sandwiches at Cosmo's Deli."

As for where he gets his tunafish locally? "I’m surround by tuna almost all the time now," he said. "So, to be honest, it's not the sandwich I run to."

"Oh, Hello On Broadway" runs through January 8, 2017. Tickets are on sale at the Lyceum Theatre Box Office, or through www.telecharge.com, (212) 239-6200.

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