Veteran actor Lego Louis (center, with microphone) performs the role of Huck Finn’s sidekick Jim in the Lyric Repertory Company’s production of the bluegrass musical ‘Big River’ in 2012 (Image courtesy of the Lyric Repertory Company).
LOGAN – The casts and audiences of the Lyric Repertory Company are mourning the passing of Lego Louis, a fine actor and singer.
He was a mainstay of the Lyric Rep until about a decade ago, but to those who knew him well the veteran performer will never be forgotten.
“I grew up watching Lego in shows at the Lyric,” remembers Richie Call, the Lyric’s artistic director.
“He was like a supreme being. He was a force. His presence on-stage and off- was tremendous. To me — and anyone who worked with him — he was part uncle, part brother, part teacher, part chef and all those parts added up to one giant hero.”
A resident of St. George at the time of his death, Wayne “Lego” Louis Petersen (Sept. 24, 1960 to Oct. 16, 2023) was born in New Zealand and spent much of his youth in Australia and Hawaii.
He graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Fine Arts and, under the stage name Lego Louis, went on to perform the role of the King in The King and I for a national touring company and in Brazil. After relocating to Utah, he also played that same role and a leading part in Aida at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre.
To the delight of local audiences, Louis also memorably performed with the Lyric Repertory Company for decades.
Back in 2012, he was cast as Huck Finns’ sidekick Jim in the bluegrass musical Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In that role, Louis was a towering stage presence, providing an almost operatic resonance to his performances of the play’s most meaningful songs, “Worlds Apart” and “Free at Last.”
That same year, Lewis displayed his comedic and vocal chops in the role of opera star Tito Merelli in the bedroom farce Lend Me a Tenor.
The following year, he joined the Lyric cast of Neil Simon’s beloved The Odd Couple as the unapologetic slob Oscar.
Playing opposite William Grey Warren as Felix, the veteran Lyric performers delivered portrayals that were noteworthy in terms of their depth of characterization and comedic range.
Louis made Oscar particularly likable and sympathetic, by convincingly walking the often hilariously fine line that separates total annoyance with his exasperating roommate from heartfelt concern for Felix’s welfare.
He was also marvelously adept at listening in character and performing small bits of comic business without upstaging his fellow actors.
Lyric veteran Tamari Dunbar was privileged to be one of those “fellow actors,” performing opposite Lewis several times starting in the 1990s.
In The Odd Couple, she was one of the flighty Pigeon sisters, who earned big laughs during a disastrous dinner party, which was no mean feat when sharing the stage with Louis.
“He was hands-down one of my favorite actors,” she recalls. “(Lego) commanded the stage and yet had a generosity for his scene partners. He gave so much and elevated everyone around him … I will miss him greatly.”
Also in 2013, Lewis appeared in the Lyric production of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” a spoof of 1920s musicals. In the comic role of Aldopho, a self-proclaimed lady’s man, Louis was unforgettable in his last performance on the Lyric stage.
Wayne “Lego” Louis Petersen is survived by his wife Lynnette, his son Mason, his stepdaughter Lark, his granddaughter Callie, his sister Anne and many nieces and nephews.
“Lego had a profound influence on me,” Call says of the actor. “He will live on forever in those of us who had the pleasure to call him friend.”