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From InTheater* Magazine (May 3rd, 1999 issue)

Who he plays: Private Sam Taylor, a young soldier who fights for the South against his own brother.

Why you should know him: Well, he did play Chris in Miss Saigon for two and a half years on the road and on Broadway. However, Bogart is probably more recognizable to the masses as the hunky centerpiece of the Jockey Broadway underwear billboard that stopped Times Square traffic for most of 1998. "I had to audition for it. I had to drop my pants for this guy at Grey Advertising. I said, 'Fine, but I'm wearing Hanes.' He just wanted to see our bodies, our forms. It wasn't about the package or anything!"

On getting Saigon: "I came to New York after school, got an agent, and told him, 'Get me an audition for Saigon. I know I can do it.' Luckily, I got cast in the tour, but I had to wait five months for the tour to start. It was weird; I was selling shoes knowing that I was gonna be playing Chris."

On his ever-changing character: "Jerry [Zaks] tried to cut away the fat. But I've changed the most. I went from Union to Confederate, from living to dying. At one part, my character was seen throughout the show, then just in the first act. Now, my part is mostly in the beginning, so it's become a shorter journey, but I enjoy it."

Little known fact: Bogart, who hails from Piqua, Ohio, has three younger brothers (Dan, Dominic and Kevin) who are training to become actors. Look out, Baldwins!

 

*InTheater is no longer published and available to the public.

 

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Matt was involved from the beginning in Frank Wildhorn's The Civil War from the readings, workshops, and pre-Broadway tryouts to the Broadway Production, where he was given the opportunity to originate his first Broadway role.  The regional tryout took place at the Tony Award winning Alley Theatre in Houston, TX, where it was such a great success that its run was extended twice.  The Broadway Production officially opened at the St. James Theater on April 22, 1999.  Although the show was a crowd pleaser and gained a loyal following, it closed just a few months later on June 13, 1999.  The show still lives on in a national tour, for which you can check out its different stops and dates on the TCWfans website.

 

 

 

Production Photos Slide Show

The Civil War