WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW"!

MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT IS A VERY FUNNY MAN YOU KNOW FROM "IN

LIVING COLOR."

HE NOW STARS IN "A SOLDIER'S PLAY" ON BROADWAY.

PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," DAVID ALAN GRIER!

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )

>> HERE WE ARE!

>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK.

NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> YEAH, MAN.

WHAT'S UP?

>> Stephen: ALWAYS NICE TO HANG WITH DAVID ALAN GRIER.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> Stephen: YOU'RE STARRING ON BROADWAY, AS I SAID BEFORE, IN

"A SOLDIER'S PLAY."

>> MM-HMM.

>> Stephen: YOU WERE IN THE ORIGINAL 1981 PRODUCTION.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: AND HERE WE GO.

HELP ME POINT OUT THESE PEOPLE HERE.

POINT OUT YOU, FIRST OF ALL.

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> THAT'S ME.

FIRST OF ALL, LOOK HOW HAPPY I AM.

THAT'S SIDNEY POITIER.

THAT'S SAM JACKSON.

THAT'S DENZEL WASHINGTON.

THIS IS DOUGLAS TURNER WARD.

AND THAT'S ROSALIND CASH.

SO HAPPY.

( APPLAUSE ) YEAH.

>> Stephen: WAS THIS YOUR BROADWAY DEBUT?

>> IT WASN'T.

MY BROADWAY DEBUT WAS CALLED "THE FIRST" AND IT WAS ABOUT

JACKIE ROBINSON, THE FIRST BLACK BALL PLAYER.

BY THE WAY, I TOLD YOU IT WAS A MUSICAL, AND WE --

♪ I CAN PLAY THIS GAME ♪ ♪ AS WELL AS THE WHITE MAN ♪

YOU KNOW, STUFF LIKE THAT.

>> Stephen: WOW.

WAS THAT AN ACTUAL SONG OR ARE YOU JUST VAMPING RIGHT NOW?

>> JUST VAMPING.

( LAUGHTER ) IT DIDN'T LAST LONG.

I TOOK OVER FOR LARRY RILEY, WHO HAD ALREADY DEPARTED, AND THAT'S

HOW I CAME INTO THE PLAY AND MET SAM JACKSON AND ALL THOSE GUYS,

DENZEL, AND WE SHARED A BIG HUGE DRESSING ROOM.

>> Stephen: WHAT WAS THAT LIKE SHARE AGO DRESSING ROOM WITH

THOSE GUYS?

>> IT WAS MORE LIKE BEING ON A FOOTBALL TEAM.

SAM WAS THE DOMINANT MALE IN THAT ROOM.

>> Stephen: OH, REALLY?

O SAM JACKSON WAS FULLY SAM JACKSON THEN.

ONLY NOBODY KNEW IT.

SO THERE WAS A SMALL BLACK AND WHITE 12-INCH TV THAT WAS, LIKE,

IN THE CORNER, AND, FOR SOME REASON, FAMILY FEUD WAS ON HEAVY

ROTATION, AND THEY'D WATCH IT AS IF WE WERE WATCHING A FOOTBALL

GAME, AND SAM WAS THE ARBITER.

IT WOULD BE, LIKE, FAVORITE CAKE!

PITCH, YOU SAID AVOCADO!

WHAT THE ( BLEEP )!

( LAUGHTER ) YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

AND I WAS THE NEW GUY.

>> Stephen: SURE.

AND I WAS, LIKE, YEAH, THAT'S A CRAZY ANSWER!

( LAUGHTER ) AND ADOLPH CAESAR WAS THERE, AND

ADOLPH WAS, LIKE, AN OLD SHAKESPEAREAN ACTOR.

HE WAS LIKE THE HIGH LIGHT THE NOSE BRINGS OUT THE MELON COLLIE

OF THE CHARACTER.

AND SAM SAID ( BLEEP ) WE AIN' DOING KABOOGIE!

WHY ARE YOU PUTTING ALL THAT MAKEUP ON?!

( LAUGHTER ) IT WAS BRUTAL.

SO I FELT A LOT OF PRESSURE.

YOU NEVER DROPPED A LINE YOUR WOULD BE PUBLICLY SCORNED.

>> Stephen: BY HIM?

HE WOULD TAKE YOU -- >> AMONG OTHERS.

>> Stephen: OKAY.

AND YOU'RE HOW OLD AT THIS POINT?

>> 24, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

>> Stephen: INTIMIDATED, I ASSUME?

>> I LOVED IT.

I MEAN, I WANTED TO BE ON THAT TEAM, YOU UNDERSTAND?

>> Stephen: SURE.

O I WAS VERY EXCITED TO BE THERE.

>> Stephen: WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DROP A LINE?

>> I'M GOING TO TELL YOU, MAN.

( LAUGHTER ) THERE WAS AN UNDERSTUDY WENT ON,

AND THIS WAS A PRETTY WELL-KNOWN ACTOR WHO WILL REMAIN NAMELESS.

HE WENT ON AND DIDN'T GO AWELL AS SAM FELT IT SHOULD.

WE CAME BACK TO THE DRESSING ROOM AFTER THE FIRST ACT AND HE

WAS LIKE, MOTHER ( BLEEP ), TH HELL WERE YOU DOING ON STAGE?

AND THIS ACTOR WAS VERY UPSET.

HE LOOKED AT SAM AND SAID ( BLEEP ) YOU, SAM.

AND SAM SAID BEFORE YOU PUT YOUR ( BLEEP ) IN ME, YOU NEED TO P

YOUR ( BLEEP ) IN THAT SECOND ACT.

( APPLAUSE ) ( LAUGHTER )

>> Stephen: SOMEONE WRITE THAT DOWN.

>> WELL, I'M STILL TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE ALL THESE YEARS LATER

WRITTEN IT DOWN -- I WAS LOOKING AROUND, LIKE, ME, HIM, THE DUDE,

WHERE DID EVERYBODY ELSE GO?

THIS IS BLACK HISTORY RIGHT HERE.

IT WAS AMAZING.

IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST ASTOUNDING CONVERSATIONS I EVER

WITNESSED, AND I'M JUST HAPPY -- >> Stephen: WISDOM RIGHT

THERE.

>> A LOT OF WISDOM, YEAH.

( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: GREAT TO SEE YOU.

YEAH, WELL, THAT'S IT.

>> Stephen: THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

WELL, LISTEN, YOU GOT MORE?

>> NO, YOU GOT THE HITS, BABY.

>> Stephen: I WAS GOING TO SAY, LET'S GO OUT ON -- YEAH.

>> I DID.

IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK ON BROADWAY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW,

YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT MY FIRST -- IT WAS MY FIRST PROFESSIONAL

JOB, AND, IN '81, WE HAD OUR OPENING NIGHT PARTY AT STUDIO

54, AND I WENT AROUND THE CORNER TO HAVE A DRINK WITH FRIENDS AND

CAME BACK TO TRY TO GET IN THE CLUB, AND THE DOOR MAN, I

SAID -- HE WOULDN'T LET ME IN.

SO MY BEST FRIEND AT THE TIME, REGGIE CATHY, MAY HE REST IN

PEACE, HE SAID, HE'S THE STAR OF THE MUSICAL.

AND THE BOUNCER SAID, I JUST READ YOUR REVIEWS, YOU DON'T

HAVE A MUSICAL.

( AUDIENCE REACTS ) SO I WAS, LIKE, NEW YORK CAN BE

A COLD WINCH WHEN PRODDED.

SO THIS IS A MUCH BETTER GO AROUND.

>> Stephen: DAVID LOVELY TO SEE YOU.

>> LOVELY TO BE HERE.

>> STEPHEN: "A SOLDIER'S PLAY" IS AT THE AMERICAN AIRLINES

THEATRE NOW.

DAVID ALAN GRIER, EVERYBODY!

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.