So Acts 2 and 3 were set, but what to do for a curtain raiser? Mr. Wittrock deliberated.

“That place, Empire Szechuan, was like the Chinese place,” he said, and pointed across the road at a maroon awning. His expression did not exude confidence.

Pizza-less, Mr. Wittrock walked south to take a look at Juilliard. He spoke fondly of his “rat’s nest” apartment, where rent included cockroaches. “Three bedrooms in what was the size of a studio apartment,” he said, cheerfully. “But I was 21, first time in New York, and I was with my two best friends from school.”

At Columbus and West 66th Street, Mr. Wittrock pointed to the broad glass expanse of his alma mater. “There it is,” he said. “It was this huge monolith back then. It wasn’t all glass, it wasn’t this fancy.”

It’s not only Juilliard that has gotten fancy since. Mr. Wittrock has, too, with a compact résumé of diverse stage and screen roles, most notably as one of Ryan Murphy’s eclectic ensemble, playing Fun House psychos and scrummy vampires in the campy fright fest “American Horror Show.” Mr. Wittrock’s latest role is as Judy Garland’s fifth husband, Mickey Deans, in “Judy,” the biopic that has been mentioned as an Oscar contender.