Turning a Few of Life’s Major Crises Into a Program of Dramatic Theater

It’s been a dramatic year for Jan Munroe. Last fall, his father died of injuries sustained in a bicycle accident. Two months ago, he got married for the first time. Three days ago, he turned 40.

The story of his father’s death is at the heart of Munroe’s solo show, “Nothing Human Disgusts Me,” at the Burbage Theatre. “We all have different ways of grieving,” says the writer-performer, who takes audiences through his Southern childhood, his father’s homosexuality and a tragicomic visit with his certifiably crazy mother. “You can deal with these large moments through tears, feeling horrible--or by doing something creative.”

Although he doesn’t deal with it in the show, another potent issue in Munroe’s life is his April marriage to New York-based actress Frances Conroy. After eight years together, the reluctant newlyweds are still sticking to their respective cities. “We’re kind of playing chicken with each other,” the actor says. “ ‘Are you gonna move here? Am I gonna move there?’ ”

Munroe began his training in the ‘60s in Paris with Marcel Marceau and Etienne Decroux, then came to L.A. as a member of Oingo Boingo (originally the Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo). “Our impetus wasn’t music for a while,” he says. “It was completely crazy theater: breathing fire, swinging on ropes.” He later put his circus training to use working as a clown, stilt-walker, tightrope-walker and acrobat.

On TV, Munroe has plugged everything from Nissan to Healthnet Insurance; his local theater work includes “Alligator Tales,” “Notes: On Performance” and the group-written “Plato’s Symposium.” His cushiest job was a six-week shoot in the upcoming Tom Cruise-Jack Nicholson film, “A Few Good Men,” playing the jury foreman. Although his face is on screen a good deal, Munroe has just one line: “We have, sir.”

“On a per-word basis,” he says with a laugh, “I was probably the highest-paid actor there.”