Actor Richard Thomas proving to be man for all seasons in Pittsburgh

Let’s be clear. Actor Richard Thomas loves performing in Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh audiences love seeing Thomas perform.

And they’re getting plenty of chances to watch the former “Waltons” star apply his craft.

Thomas is currently in Pittsburgh reprising his role as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Pittsburgh CLO’s “A Musical Christmas Carol,” which opened at the Byham Theater Dec. 17 and continues with performances through Thursday night.

Then, Thomas will be back in the ‘Burgh this spring playing Atticus Finch in the touring Broadway production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” So, in just a few months’ time, he’ll go from playing one of the most despicable characters ever conceived to one of the most virtuous ever brought to life on stage or screen.

After all, Atticus Finch, the protagonist in the novel the play is based on, defends a Black man accused of raping a white woman in the segregated south of the 1930s. He knows it’s not something that will make him popular, but he takes the case anyway.

It takes a certain kind of actor to leap from Scrooge to Atticus, and while Thomas is savoring the challenge, he isn’t about to take too much credit for testing his acting chops in such an extreme manner.

“We have it all in us,” he said. “We have Atticus and Scrooge inside. We all do. So, it’s just a question of looking through the attic and ‘Oh, there’s my Atticus, oh there’s my Scrooge.’ Cause they’re up there. They’re there for all of us.”

But not everyone has the willingness to channel them the way Thomas is doing.

He wore a fashionable scarf and an air of confidence as he breezed into the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Arts Education Center on Liberty Avenue Tuesday. At 70, Thomas retains his boyish good looks and doesn’t appear to be a whole lot older than he did when he starred as John-Boy in the CBS drama “The Waltons” half a century ago.

He won an Emmy Award and a nomination for another by pouring his heart into the role in a way that made America adore him – no easy feat during the cynical early ‘70s when Watergate and Vietnam dominated the headlines.

Being so strongly identified with a popular character can pose challenges for an actor looking to fulfill other ambitions. But Thomas overcame them.

“All of us who were lucky enough to find a role that has given us success, when you move on from that, there’s going to be a period of time where people are associating you with that – and you’re trying to break through that and you want to prove yourself doing other things,” he said. “It comes to everybody who has become successful because of a particular role that they played. It’s just ( a matter of) time and persistence.”

Which is not to say that Thomas has gone out of his way to distance himself from “The Waltons.”

“If I didn’t love that show and I wasn’t deeply proud of it, that would be a real problem,” he said. “But because I do love it and because it still means so much to people, I’m proud to be associated with it. So the older I get, the happier it makes me.”

Thomas has been able to move on to darker roles, none darker perhaps than the miserly, unfeeling Scrooge.

What Thomas likes most about playing Scrooge is the journey the role takes him on.

“I like the trip that Scrooge takes – from his deep unhappiness, which he’s taking out on everybody else, to the recovery of his joy as a human and, in the process of doing that, understanding how you can reduce the suffering in the rest of the world. It’s just a great trip to take every night.”

The trip Thomas will take as Atticus Finch may end up being the crowning achievement of an acting career that began as a child well before “The Waltons.”

The touring Broadway version of “To Kill a Mockingbird” stops in Pittsburgh from April 19 through April 24 at the Benedum Center.

Despite following in the tall shadows cast by actors like Gregory Peck, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus in the film version, and Jeff Daniels, who originated the role on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award, Thomas isn’t concerned about any comparisons people might make.

“You can’t help but be different, that’s what we do as actors. The only thing you can really bring is your presence, and your presence is going to be different than somebody else’s. So, it’s going to be different no matter what you try and do,” he said. “I think it’s a good part for me.”

For now, though, Thomas has two more performances as Scrooge with the Pittsburgh CLO. And even though it’s getting close to Christmas and he makes his home in Santa Fe, for the next two days, there is nowhere else he would rather be.

“This tells you how much I like this company,” said Thomas. “I don’t like being away from home coming up to Christmas and being away from my wife and all that. So, it’s a measure of how much I enjoy it.”