Michael Urie - Lessons From a Master Shopper - NYTimes.com Elizabeth D. Herman for The New York Times The actor Michael Urie, who stars in the one-man Off Broadway play "Buyer & Cellar," about Barbra Streisand's underground display of collectibles, visits a dollhouse at the Pier Antique Show. On a recent Saturday morning, the actor Michael Urie was part of the throng filtering past the ticket takers in the opening hours of the Pier Antique Show on the West Side of Manhattan. The reed-thin Mr. Urie, who is around six feet tall ("I say 5-11, so not to get typecast as tall") seemed to feel at home among the sharp-eyed shoppers, being a frequent visitor to flea markets and vintage clothing stores. But this particular pilgrimage was kind of a busman's holiday. Eight times a week, Mr. Urie is on stage at the Barrow Street Theater, in "Buyer & Cellar," playing an out-of-work actor who has been hired by Barbra Streisand to be the watchful custodian of the mall-like shops she has had installed in the basement of a barn on her Malibu estate. Mr. Urie's character in the one-man play is fictional. The underground display of collectibles, described in a book by Ms. Streisand, "My Passion for Design," is real. As he walked through the show, which had more than 500 exhibitors of antiques, vintage clothes, fine arts, a smattering of kitsch and a mind-boggling display of collectibles, it was evident that Mr. Urie, 33, was attracted to what he called "quirk." At various points, he focused on a collection of swizzle sticks, vintage lighters and flasks, and towers of interlocking orange bowls. Actually, anything orange. Mr. Urie credited his partner, the actor and writer Ryan Spahn, with offering a steadying aesthetic hand in furnishing their apartment. "I have an orange problem," he said. Running on parallel tracks, Mr. Urie picked out what he would personally like for his colorful, sun-drenched Midtown apartment and what he imagined would catch Ms. Streisand's refined eye, and what would be lovingly curated in the basement mall. "I wonder if I had unlimited financial means, like she does, if I would just go nuts," he said. My partner and I recently got a new chandelier. It's a bicycle tire with Mason jars hanging from it. It's amazing. It's gorgeous. When we got it and put it up, we suddenly got the urge to change everything, change the entire look of the apartment. As he headed in the direction of a booth full of Tiffany lamps, mentioned in the play, Mr. Urie was reminded of a story: Ms. Streisand had approached the comedy writer Bruce Vilanch to write jokes for one of her concerts. After hearing the price, Ms. Streisand started to negotiate. Mr. Urie slipped into the distinctive and beloved voice with a touch of nasal Brooklyn and acted out the moment: " "Oh, I can't pay that." And he's like, "I'm sorry, Barbra but that's what I charge." " At this point Mr. Urie, who is in a one-man play after all, had slipped into both roles. "She's like: "That's too much. I can't pay that. What can I do? And he goes, "Sell a lamp." " In a stroll down the fashion alley, Mr. Urie spotted a mannequin displaying a 1920s-looking dropped-waist dress, prompting a reference to the Antique Clothes Boutique in the play, described as "a dress shop in "Gigi" stocked with clothes from "Funny Girl." " Later, he proved himself an adept spotter of dollhouses (perhaps a reflection of the time he spends onstage as the salesclerk at Bee's Doll Shop, negotiating with "Barbra" over an antique French doll she already owns). Mr. Urie checked out a German Gottschalk dollhouse (1890-1900) that was priced at $1,100. He leaned down and peered inside. "Look: It's a dollhouse in a dollhouse, it's so meta," he said. The indefatigable Mr. Urie did not miss a booth. He was scheduled to perform the 100-minute show in a few hours. "I have two shows today and two shows tomorrow," he said. Can you imagine? I've done it 235 times now. Not that he is complaining. He will continue in the role through March 16, then move on to Chicago and Los Angeles. The play is on sale in New York through April 13. MR. URIE HAS WORKED steadily since graduating from Juilliard, most notably on the TV show "Ugly Betty" and on stage in "Angels in America." He directed Mr. Spahn in a movie, "He's Way More Famous Than You, " which Mr. Spahn wrote. Mr. Urie's next obsession was antique fire extinguisher lamps. "Oh, my God," he said. Do they still put out fires? Very cool. The price seemed negotiable. "The haggle is very interesting to me: it's like civilized dishonesty," he said. Why don't you just write the price down? Still, he added, "I guess it is something people get a kick out of. Certainly, in the play Barbra gets a kick out of it. Smack in the middle of the aisle, Mr. Urie ran into the actor Harvey Fierstein, who had hosted the Casting Society of America's annual Artios Awards earlier that week. The two exchanged pleasantries before returning to their respective treasure hunts. "He's a smart man, such a talented man," said Mr. Urie, who started listing Mr. Fierstein's many credits, including the makeup artist brother of "Mrs. Doubtfire." A little free association brought Mr. Urie to the scene in which Robin Williams briefly appeared as Barbra Streisand in the movie. It always comes back to Barbra. "It really does," he acknowledged. And now I'm in the tornado. I am in the Streisand tornado. I know when she is in town because someone will be texting me: "I saw Barbra at "Pippin" " or "Barbra has a reservation at my restaurant." " In the corner is an exhibitor displaying beautiful large Oriental rugs. Mr. Urie is reminded of the Aubusson rugs that Ms. Streisand described in her book. "She always wanted to have this elaborate dinner party, but she says in the book that she never will because she is afraid of getting dirt on the Aubusson rugs," he said. "So, I know someone who said "I was in a dinner party in that room." And I said, "Are you kidding? What about the Aubusson rugs? She goes, "There were no rugs." Barbra had them rolled up. He laughed and shrugged - of course the diva had a solution - as he checked out one of the rug prices: $9,500. "I'd have to run on Off Broadway for a long time," he sighed.