Van Kaplan is the executive producer for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. Kaplan, who was hired by the Civic Light Opera in 1997, has 28 years of experience in the arts as producer, director and actor. He has worked with actors such as Carol Channing, Bill Cosby, Hal Holbrook, Jeff Goldblum, Shirley Jones and Sally Struthers. He produced the touring productions of "Camelot," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "Phantom" and "Singin' in the Rain." His directorial credits include Kopit & Yeston's "Phantom," "On the Town," "Sweeny Todd," "South Pacific," "Shear Madness" and "Guys and Dolls." Kaplan took time out of his busy summer schedule to take the Trib's Personality Test. The star who would play me in the movie version of my life and why: Can he be dead• Zero Mostel, because he would mine the comic absurdity of my life. Understudy would be Groucho Marx. Pick your favorite captain: • A. Kirk • B. Kangaroo • C. Crunch • D. Jack Sparrow A. Still one of my favorite TV shows. If the TV is on at 2 a.m., I'm watching: "Family Guy." Three people I'd love to have dinner with: If it's three at once, the Clintons. Alternately, Jerry Lewis, Mel Brooks, Larry David. After a long day, I like to relax with a: • A. Martini • B. Cold beer • C. Cabernet • D. Herbal tea E. Amarone in winter, and in summer, a homemade mojito with mint from my garden. My quirkiest inherited trait: Sneezing in threes. Celebrity crush: Used to be Julia Roberts until I saw her in the Broadway play "Three Days of Rain." The oldest thing in my refrigerator is: Flashlight batteries. My required snack in a movie theater is: Mary Jane's neck. When I was 10, I wanted to be: 11. Exercise I hate most: Biking. If I were auditioning for "American Idol," my song would be: "If I Could Turn Back Time." The first band I saw in concert: Stevie Nicks, Reunion Arena in Dallas in the early '80s. TV marathon you could watch all day and why: "Family Guy," because its silly humor makes me laugh, or "The Sopranos," because it explores the dark side of human existence. The person I'm most often mistaken for: Who is Paul Reiser• And occasionally Art Garfunkel. Choose one: • A. Dogs • B. Cats A. Maybe because I've seen the musical "Cats" once too many. The worst advice I ever received: Color between the lines. I own 10 pairs of shoes. My favorites are: Flip-flops. Pick one: • A. Boxers • B. Briefs Not telling. In high school, I was: Blessedly young. The most famous person I ever became friends with: Let's go with Henny Youngman, who was my second cousin. Choose one: • A. John • B. Paul • C. George • D. Ringo Yoko• My most recent eBay purchase: A video camera recorder. Pick one: • A. "Ugly Betty" • B. "America's Next Top Model" • C. "What Not to Wear" • D. "Extreme Makeover" A. "Ugly Betty," because the writers have that "Will & Grace" sensibility. My most treasured fashion accessory is: My iPhone. What you'll always find in my glove compartment: Gloves. And a very thick manual on how to operate my very complicated car. If I weren't a producer/director/actor, I'd be: Head of Pittsburgh CLO. The last book I read: "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. It's not pizza without: Basil, beer and someone to share it with. Pick one: • A. Original Hot Dog Shop fries • B. Primanti Brothers fries • C. Potato Patch fries • D. Pommes frites D. Preferably with truffle oil. My favorite Web site: The upcoming relaunch of PittsburghCLO.org Pick a Bond: • A. Sean Connery • B. Timothy Dalton • C. Pierce Brosnan • D. Daniel Craig A. For me, it is still all about Connery. My favorite "bad" movie is: The original "Little Shop of Horrors." My best karaoke song: "Copacabana." My first job: 7-Eleven. My worst job: 7-Eleven. Pick one: • A. Ketchup • B. Mustard B. My favorite cable channel: HBO. Life would be better without: The Iraq occupation, Darfur, and warring anywhere. I never travel without my: Electronic gadgetry: iPhone, DVD player, iPod, Bose headphones. People would be surprised to know that I: Have a black belt in tae kwon do. What was the first play you ever saw? "Scapino" on Broadway, whereby the actor Jim Dale climbed up the walls of the theater and rendered me speechless. Some people might think Pittsburgh is not a theater and arts kind of town, what do you think about that? They need to spend more time in Pittsburgh!

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