Steve Burbridge In Conversation With . . . Maureen Nolan
By Steve Burbridge
For thirty years Maureen Nolan was always in the mood for
dancing. As a member of The Nolans, she travelled the world and
enjoyed phenomenal success with her sisters. Now she has traded
her place at the top of the charts for a life on “the
never-never” to reprise her iconic role in Blood
Brothers. She tells STEVE BURBRIDGE about the play, her
hugely successful solo career and why sisterhood means more than
anything else.
Three decades ago she and her sisters rocked the nation.
That wholesome brand of pop, personified by The Nolans, preceded
The Saturdays, Girls Aloud and The Spice Girls and earned the
Irish sisters a place in British chart history as one of the most
successful girl groups ever.
Now Maureen Nolan, the sibling who stayed in the group longer than any other, has carved out a successful solo career for herself and is, once again, starring in the smash-hit musical, Blood Brothers, which plays in Sunderland until the end of the week.
‘I think for a woman of my age Mrs Johnstone is the absolute best role, really’ says Maureen. It’s got everything – comedy, tragedy and beautiful haunting melodies. I absolutely love playing her.’
It was in 2005 that she became the fourth Nolan sister to don the care-worn smile and cross-over pinny and take on the iconic role in Willy Russell’s legendary musical. In doing so she earned them a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the most siblings to have played the same role in the same show at different times.
‘Before I was in it I had seen it 18 times!’ she says. ‘When I joined, I actually apologised to the cast for being such a stalker.’
Maureen admits that, initially, she was daunted by the prospect of taking on such a demanding and emotionally-charged role but was also determined to make the most of the opportunity.
‘I had big shoes to fill, not only from my sisters –
Bernie, Linda and Denise - but also from all those other
wonderful actresses who’ve played her, too, and I remember
thinking: “If I get this role I will never short-change anyone by
just walking through it because I’ve been in it for a long time.”
And I hope I never have.’
Blood Brothers tells the captivating and moving tale of twins who, having been separated at birth, grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with tragic consequences. Such is the dramatic power and cultural impact of the show that the role of Mrs Johnstone is one of the most coveted in musical theatre. However, it demands a portrayal that forces the actress playing her to ride an emotional rollercoaster and the rigours of performing in at least eight shows a week can, sometimes, take their toll.
‘I did the show for two years in the West End and cried at
the end every night. Sometimes I look back and think: “How did I
do that?” because it just drains you,’ admits Maureen.
At the beginning of the play, Mrs Johnstone is the twenty-something Liverpudlian single mother ‘with seven hungry mouths to feed and one more nearly due’ but, by the final curtain, she’s a down-trodden, distraught grandmother who is struggling to comprehend the most tragic of situations. So, how does she convincingly descend to the depths of Mrs Johnstone’s despair?
‘There’s no other way, for me anyway, than to think of horrible things,’ she reveals. ‘I have one son and I just think about how I’d feel if I were in the same position. That part of it’s not great, really.’
Maureen admits that, initially, she struggled to leave her character behind in the theatre after each performance.
‘I used to be an emotional wreck for up to an hour or two
afterwards because the writing is so amazing,’ she says. ‘But
then you have to learn how to snap out of it quickly.’
Blood Brothers is not the first
production in which Maureen has starred as a strong female
character. She began her acting career in 2004 by taking the role
of Jill in Mum’s The Word, a series of monologues about
motherhood. She also played Sadie in Girls Behind, in
2007, then reprised the role of Jill, alongside her sister,
Bernie, in another tour of Mum’s The Word the following
year. She has also toured extensively as Viv in
Footloose and as Barbara in Over The Rainbow: The
Eva Cassidy Story.
However, one of the most challenging parts she accepted was that of Sarah, a woman who is diagnosed with breast cancer, in The Naked Truth. Surely, given the fact that three of Maureen’s sisters, Anne, Linda and Bernie, have battled breast cancer during the last decade, this must have been a difficult role for her to accept?
‘We talked about it first and agreed that it was quite spooky that, at that particular time in my life, I was offered the opportunity to play such a character,’ she admits. ‘But then we all laughed and nobody said they’d rather I didn’t do it or anything like that.’
The sisters sparked a showbiz sensation in 2009 when a family feud erupted as a result of their reunion tour.
‘Universal, the record company, only wanted to use the four of us who had had the big hits together,’ Maureen explains. ‘That meant that Anne and Denise wouldn’t be part of the line-up, which was disappointing. I thought they’d understand but I couldn’t have been more wrong.’
The rift between the sisters almost drove Maureen to the verge of a breakdown but, fortunately, she is once again on speaking terms with them all.
‘I’m very close to all my sisters and nothing is ever worth falling out over,’ she says, adamantly. ‘With what we’ve all been through, you come to realise that life is short and that family is the most important thing.’
And that, you can be sure is a sentiment which is shared by her current stage character, the indomitable Mrs Johnstone!
Blood Brothers is at Sunderland Empire Theatre until Saturday February 11. Tickets cost from £15.50. To book, call 0844 871 3022 (Booking fees apply) or log on to www.sunderlandempire.org.uk
ALL BLACK ‘WAITING FOR GODOT’ TOURS THE UK
By Douglas McFarlane
ALL BLACK ‘WAITING FOR GODOT’ TOURS THE UK
The Albany Theatre – London (6 – 10 March 2012)
Birmingham Old Rep (13 – 17 March 2012)
Theatre Royal – Winchester (27 – 31 March 2012)
New Wolsey Theatre – Ipswich (3 – 7 April 2012)
After a premiere at The West Yorkshire Playhouse (Friday 3 to Thursday 23 February), Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece Waiting For Godot will tour the UK from 6 March. Co produced with Talawa Theatre Company and directed by Artistic Director Ian Brown, the production stars Jeffery Kissoon and Patrick Robinson as Vladimir and Estragon - two men waiting hopelessly, helplessly, haplessly for the elusive Godot. This is the first Waiting For Godot to be produced in the UK with an all-Black British cast and will visit London’s Albany Theatre, Birmingham Old Rep, Theatre Royal in Winchester and the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich.
Vladimir and Estragon are waiting. Two old men whose compulsion to wait for a visit from the indescribable Godot forces them to pass the time in the only way they can; with and for each other. Stories are told, boots are abandoned, religion is debated, memories of better days are shared, jokes are made, suicide is contemplated, the fear of being alone is overwhelming – and time passes. Chance meetings happen, arguments take place, thinking occurs, violence is advocated, hats are exchanged, friendship is venerated – and time passes. On a road with a single tree two old friends wait…and pass the time.
Trinidadian stage actor Jeffery Kissoon (Vladimir) works regularly with the RSC and will play Caesar in its all-black cast production of Julius Caesar this summer. He performed opposite Kim Cattrall in Antony and Cleopatra (Liverpool Everyman), and has previously played Mark Anthony in Talawa’s 1991 all-black cast production. He also worked with Talawa in its 1989 production The Gods are not to Blame. Direct from War Horse in the West End, Patrick Robinson plays Estragon. An actor whose work spans stage and screen, Patrick has previously performed at the Playhouse, playing the lead Thomas Peters in 2007’s Rough Crossings, a powerful drama about 18th century slavery written by historian Simon Schama. His television credits include popular and long-running roles in The BILL and Casualty. Fisayo Akinada, Guy Burgess and Cornell S. John complete the ensemble.
Following on from his critically acclaimed production of King Lear with Tim Pigott-Smith, Ian Brown directs Waiting for Godot, a more intimate but no less challenging play. His recent credits for the Playhouse include As You Like It, Hay Fever for which Maggie Steed won a TMA award, When we are Married with Les Dennis, a new musical version of The Secret Garden, Steve Waters’ Fast Labour and the award-winning How Many Miles to Basra?
A novelist, playwright, poet and theatre director Beckett wrote in both English and French and penned some of the most important works of Twentieth Century literature. The mysterious and universal Waiting for Godot, which was first performed in the UK in 1955 remains one of his most famous and important works. Its true meaning is constantly debated and searched for, yet Beckett was clear in his belief that all you need to know is there in the play.
ENDS
For further Information, images and press tickets for the tour please contact James Lever at Target Live
(e): james.lever@target-live.co.uk (t): 020 3372 0956
LISTINGS INFORMATION
West Yorkshire Playhouse and Talawa Theatre Company Present
Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett
Director - Ian Brown
Designer - Paul Wills
Lighting Designer - Chris Davey
Sound Designer - Ian Trollope
Movement - Aline David
Cast: Fisayo Akinada; Guy Burgess; Jeffery Kissoon; Cornell S. John; Patrick Robinson
Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 March 2012 Tuesday 27 – Saturday 31 March 2012
The Albany Theatre, London Theatre Royal, Winchester
020 8692 4446 01962 840 440
www.thealbany.org.uk www.theatre-royal-winchester.co.uk
Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 March 2012 Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 April
Birmingham Old Rep New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
0121 236 4455 01473 295 900
www.birmingham-rep.co.uk www.wolseytheatre.co.uk
Waiting For Godot premieres at The West Yorkshire Playhouse from Friday 3 – Thursday 23 February www.wyp.org.uk / 0113 213 7700
An Interview with Pauline Fleming
By Steve Burbridge
Her big break came when she was cast as Val Walker, Sinbad’s
fiancé, in Brookside, but she’s probably best remembered
for playing Mike Baldwin’s long-suffering girlfriend, Penny King,
in Coronation Street. Now, though, Pauline Fleming has
returned to her stage roots to take on the role of Barbara
Cassidy in Over The Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story. She
took time out from her hectic rehearsal schedule to tell Lucy
Hammond about her latest role.
There can’t be many actresses who’d sound as chirpy as Pauline Fleming does at ten o’clock in the evening, having just completed an eleven hour day in rehearsals. With less than twenty-four hours to go before the curtain rises on the first performance of the latest nationwide tour of Over The Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story, she conveys no sign of nerves at all.
‘Don’t be fooled by that,’ she laughs. ‘I do have massive butterflies, believe me. But, if I didn’t I wouldn’t trust myself. I never become complacent about my performance and anyone who does shouldn’t be up there on that stage.’
Although Over The Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy Story has toured regularly since 2004, Pauline is brand new to the cast and, in taking over the role of Eva’s mother, she follows in the footsteps of performers including Rose Marie and Maureen Nolan. So, how did she prepare herself to play a character based upon a real person who is still alive?
‘There wasn’t a lot written about Barbara when I googled her and tried to do some internet research,’ she reveals. ‘However, Stephen Leatherland – our producer and director – is extremely passionate about this particular play and he has actually been over to America and met members of Eva’s family, so his insights were really interesting and very useful.’
Pauline is adamant that Stephen’s direction has been hugely instrumental in the way in which her portrayal of Barbara has developed.
‘On the first day of rehearsals, before we even got the play on the floor, we discussed all the family relationships and Barbara’s input into the family. We talked about how and why she left Germany to settle in America, her connection with Hugh Cassidy (her husband and Eva’s father), and Barbara’s part in introducing Eva to nature and encouraging her to develop a respect for the world around her and all the gorgeousness in it. That was absolutely fascinating and so invaluable.’
Indeed, Pauline genuinely feels that the show offers a truthful and heartfelt tribute to Eva Cassidy’s life and talents as an artist.
‘It’s extremely heart-rending from the perspective that Eva dies during the play, but it’s also a really lovely insight into the family dynamic and the bonding that went on between them,’ she says. ‘It’s actually a very uplifting piece of theatre, but do be prepared to have a little cry at the end.’
Since its first performance in 2004, the award-winning production has received rapturous receptions, garnered five-star reviews, and inspired cathartic outpourings of emotion. Journeying through Eva’s life from her idyllic childhood, to her studio work with boyfriend and mentor Chris Biondo, and finally to her tragically premature death at the age of only 33 years, the play poignantly captures the qualities of an artist with absolutely no interest in finding fame or fortune.
By the time of her death, in 1996, Eva was unknown outside her native Washington DC but, within four years, Terry Wogan had discovered and promoted her haunting interpretation of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ to the British public. A camcorder recording of her performing the song at the Blues Alley jazz club was shown on the BBC’s Top of The Pops 2 and, subsequently, sales of her album ‘Songbird’ outstripped top stars including Madonna, Craig David and Robbie Williams.
‘During her life, Eva didn’t really promote herself as a performer,’ says Pauline. ‘So, although she was an extremely confident and competent performer, she didn’t really achieve the recognition she so richly deserved until after she died.’
Pauline also has a great deal of respect and admiration for the actress who plays the leading role.
‘Sarah Jane Buckley plays Eva Cassidy absolutely beautifully and with such honesty. Because I am a Mum in real life, sometimes in the rehearsal room, playing out those mother and daughter scenes, I have found myself wondering how I would cope if I found myself in the same situation as Barbara. So, from that point of view, it’s very hard to detach myself from the story. But, anything that’s a challenge means you have to search deep into yourself to portray the situation properly.’
During her stint in Coronation Street, Pauline found herself being emotionally drawn into the storyline in a similar way.
‘I played Mike Baldwin’s last girlfriend and was privileged to be part of that massive storyline on Alzheimer's. I did a lot of research into the condition and worked very closely with the charity during the storyline and for a long time afterwards. It was a very moving experience, especially in the way that it touched the nation.’
A love of work and a burning desire to stretch herself as an actress has meant that Pauline is always on the lookout for the next challenge. Having already trained as an actress at drama school, she went back to university to study English Literature, as a mature student, and has since delivered many workshops based upon Shakespeare’s texts. She has also written her first comedy play, which she hopes will tour the country later this year.
‘Every job brings its own challenge but it also brings its own joy, too. I just love working, to be honest,’ she says.
Over The Rainbow – The Eva Cassidy
Story is touring nationally.
See www.theatre-productions.com for more information.
Les Miserables - Another attempt in the making
By Douglas McFarlaneThe 1998 version with Liam Neeson was a box office failure, so what has Cameron Mackintosh got in store for us this time ?
For a start, he's hired the best director he could get, Oscar Winner Tom Hooper, he's also working with the UK's top production house Working Title and Hugh Jackman (Valjean) and Russell Crowe (Javert) will begin rehearsals on Monday. So, a good start to making a successful film.
For theatre fans everywhere, the original Jean Valjean, Colm Wilkinson has also been cast but this time as the Bishop who sings to Valjean "I have bought your soul for God". Cue long note that Colm does best. With him is the actress who created the part of Eponine, Frances Ruffelle, who has been cast as one of the gang of "lovely ladies".
Other names in the frame are Anne Hathway (Fantine), Eddie Redmayne (Marius), Amanda Seyfried (Cosette), Aaron Tveit (Enjolras).
Let's hope this time, the film will turn into as much a classic as the theatre production, now in it's 27th year.
Douglas McFarlane
Editor, UK Film Network
UK FILM & THEATRE WEEKLY
By Douglas McFarlane
UK FILM & THEATRE WEEKLY
- Meryl Streep wins BEST ACTRESS award at Golden Globes Tue, 01/17/2012 - 13:27 from UK Film Network
- My view on the BAFTA shortlist Tue, 01/17/2012 - 15:49 from UK Film Network
- ORANGE BRITISH ACADEMY FILM AWARDS in 2012 - NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED Tue, 01/17/2012 - 10:57 from UK Film Network
- A Future For British Film - The full 66-page official film report mentioned by David Cameron Tue, 01/17/2012 - 11:49 from UK Film Network
- Corey Feldman and Edward Furlong to appear in UK film Tue, 01/17/2012 - 11:36 from UK Film Network
- Man in the Middle- Theatre 503 Sun, 01/15/2012 - 23:11 from UK Theatre Network
- SLEEPING WITH STRAIGHT MEN ABOVE THE STAG THEATRE Wed, 01/18/2012 - 19:11 from UK Theatre Network
- Greenwich Playhouse to close after 20 years Tue, 01/17/2012 - 11:28 from UK Theatre Network
- Sometimes I Laugh Like My Sister at the Finborough Theatre by Carolin Kopplin Mon, 01/16/2012 - 19:39 from UK Theatre Network
- Oliver Award-winning Our Country’s Good tours UK theatres Mon, 01/16/2012 - 16:43 from UK Theatre Network
- Murder on the Nile at the Theatre Royal Windsor Fri, 01/13/2012 - 16:10 from UK Theatre Network
Theatre Tickets - SALE NOW ON
By Douglas McFarlane
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Greenwich Playhouse to close after 20 years
By Douglas McFarlaneThe Greenwich Playhouse will close its doors on the 10th April 2012 after twenty years of service to theatre and following a final production by Galleon Theatre Company of the great John Webster classic The Duchess of Malfi.
The Greenwich Playhouse will close in April 2012 as the theatre’s landlords - Beds and Bars - have decided not to renew this popular South East London venue’s lease in order to exploit commercial opportunities offered by the Olympics. Theatre landlord’s Beds and Bars, run hostels throughout Europe, offering cheap bunk-bed facilities for backpackers.
The Greenwich Playhouse is located in a building which has housed a studio theatre since 1989. Galleon Theatre Company took residency at the venue in 1995 and has since staged an incomparable body of work. The Greenwich Playhouse is Greenwich’s all year producing theatre. Annually it stages in the region of 12-14 theatre productions and these generate work and entertainment for some 15,000 people.
The venue and resident company’s artistic director, Alice de Sousa, said:
“The Greenwich Playhouse and Galleon Theatre Company have over two decades made an immeasurable contribution to our capital’s cultural infrastructure. The Greenwich Playhouse is one of London’s most established small scale theatres. The work shown at this critically acclaimed venue draws annually from all over the world and the immediate community many, many thousands of people. The Greenwich Playhouse has been a platform for celebrating theatrical excellence since 1995, when Galleon Theatre Company became resident. It has staged hundreds of high quality theatre productions which have entertained and created work for hundreds of thousands of people. It is regrettable that the theatre’s landlord Beds and Bars, who have benefitted for eleven years from generous revenue generated by the theatre’s substantial trade, should have their sights focused on such short term objectives as the Olympics.’
The Greenwich Playhouse and Galleon Theatre Company are in discussions with Greenwich Council, who have been active supporters of the organisation’s efforts to find a new home in a borough where they have been resident for over sixteen years.
The Greenwich Playhouse’s final production:
THE DUCHESS OF MALFI
by JOHN WEBSTER
Dates: 21st February - 18th March 2012
Directed by Bruce Jamieson;
Produced by Alice de Sousa;
Presented by Galleon Theatre Company at the Greenwich Playhouse
Costumes by Natasha Piper; Scenery by Charlotte Randell; Lighting by Philip Jones.
Tues-Sat @ 7.30pm & Sun @ 4pm
Tickets: £13, £10 (concs)
boxoffice@galleontheatre.co.uk
Greenwich Playhouse, Greenwich Station Forecourt, 189 Greenwich High Road, London SE10 8JA
UK Theatre Director receives Accolade
By Douglas McFarlaneIt was a nice surprise this morning to read the Variety magazine. Apart from the usual Oscar/BAFTA film focus there was a full column on the inside front page about UK Theater. More specifically the Finborough Theatre and Blanche McIntrye.
"More unexpectedly, "Accolade" a forgotten 1950 play about private behavior and political life, was given a revelatory revival by new kid on the block Blanche McIntyre at the Finborough Theater, a tiny but terrific venue that consistently punches above its weight. McIntyre was the discovery of the year. Still in her 20s, she combines dynamic visual strength with acute sensitivity to actors and textual detail and flow. There's talk of a 2012 West End transfer for "Accolade" -- the National Theater wanted it too -- but she'll have to fit that around other commitments, including a double-bill of new plays at the Bush Theater and, intriguingly, a revival of "The Seven Year Itch" at regional theater Salisbury Playhouse."
A big WELL DONE to Blanche.
Leading Lady announced for 2012 UK Tour of Blood Brothers
By Steve Burbridge
MAUREEN NOLAN TO RETURN TO ‘LIVING ON THE NEVER NEVER’ IN ‘BLOOD
BROTHERS’
It has been confirmed that singing sensation Maureen Nolan is to return in the coveted lead role of Mrs Johnstone for the 2012 National Tour of Blood Brothers, reprising a role she performed for two years in 2005/2006 and again in 2009.
Blood Brothers tells the captivating and moving story of twin boys separated at birth, only to be re-united by a twist of fate and a mother's haunting secret. The memorable score includes A Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me It's Not True. The celebrated role of Mrs Johnstone has previously been played by such well-known actresses as Barbara Dickson, Stephanie Lawrence, Clodagh Rodgers, Kiki Dee, Helen Reddy, Lyn Paul, Siobhan McCarthy, Petula Clark, Marti Webb and three of Maureen’s sisters (Linda, Bernie and Denise).
The production has been running in London's West End since July 1988. In the USA, it has had a record-breaking Broadway run, a hugely successful coast-to-coast tour, and was nominated for seven Tony Awards. The current tour of Bill Kenwright’s acclaimed production opened in Sheffield, starring Niki Evans. However, Vivienne Carlyle will perform the role of Mrs Johnstone for the final two venues on the 2011 National Tour, Dundee and Dunfermline, with Maureen Nolan making her first appearance in Bournemouth on 17th January 2012.
She said: “I think for a woman of my age it’s the absolute best role, really. It’s got everything – comedy, tragedy and beautiful haunting melodies. I absolutely love Mrs Johnstone.”
An Interview with Brent Spiner
By Carolin Kopplin
Best
known for his role as the android Data on Star
Trek: The Next Generation, Brent Spiner is a versatile and
multi-talented performer who started his career in the theatre.
Born in Houston, Texas, Spiner first began pursuing his interest
in acting while in high school, where his inspirational drama
teacher, Cecil Pickett, started the careers of a group of young
actors and directors including Spiner, Randy Quaid, Dennis Quaid,
Thomas Schlamme, and Trey Wilson. When Pickett went on to teach
at the University of Houston, Spiner followed, but he quit
university before completing his degree and moved to New York.
Brent then appeared in various Broadway and off-Broadway
productions, such as A History of the American
Film (1978), The
Seagull (1980) at the New York
Shakespeare Festival, Sunday in the Park with
George (1984), The Three
Musketeers (1984),and Big
River (1985). After starring in
the play Little Shop of Horrors, he moved to Los Angeles, where
he played a number of character parts in television films and
series such as Hill Street Blues,
Cheers, and the
recurring guest role of Bob Wheeler (1985-1987) in the popular
NBC sitcom Night Court. In 1987, Spiner landed the role
of Data in Star Trek: The Next
Generation.Following a seven-year run on
television, he appeared in the Star
Trek feature
films Generations, First Contact,
and Resurrection, and appeared in and co-wrote
the story for Star Trek: Nemesis. He also co-starred with Halle
Berry inIntroducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), for which he was
nominated for a Golden Satellite Award, and appeared in films
like Independence Day, Out to
Sea, Phenomenon, and The
Aviator. On
stage, he played Ivanov in the touring production
of Every Good Boy Deserves
Favour (1992)
and was nominated for a Drama Desk award as Best Actor in a
Musical when he returned to Broadway playing the role of John
Adams in the Roundabout revival
of 1776 (1997). A few years
later, Spiner co-starred in Yasmina Reza’s
play Life x 3 (2003) at the Circle in the
Square Theater and played the title role in Man
of La Mancha(2009) at the Freud Playhouse. In
2008, Spiner developed a new concept for a “musical of the mind”
and released the intriguing
CD Dreamland, an audio “film” beautifully
performed by Spiner and Maude Maggart. Recently, Brent has done
voice work on The Simpsons and Young
Justice and
has appeared inAlphas and The Big
Bang Theory. He is currently filming ten
new episodes of the web series Fresh
Hell, which
Spiner describes as a “sit-trag”—a comedy with elements of
tragedy, highly comical but also touching on very serious
issues: http://www.youtube.com/user/freshhellseries?blend=13&ob=5
I talked to Brent Spiner at the Star Trek convention in Chicago
in October 2011.
CK: First of all, I’d like to thank you for your time because I know you’re busy.
BS: Never too busy to do this.
CK: That’s very nice. Right. What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?
BS: The most beautiful thing I’ve seen. (sings to the tune of “Maria,” West Side Story) The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen…. (talks) It’s really hard. You know, it’s like “What’s your favourite food?” in a way.
CK: Let’s change it to “one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen”. That might be easier.
BS: Well, my son. He looks just like me. He’s incredibly beautiful. (Ponders the question.) I like Clare Danes a lot too, by the way.
CK: Ah! So let’s talk about something related to your career.
BS: All right.
CK: You’ve done so much, so many different things, on stage, on TV, films—Star Trek, Threshold, The Aviator, Independence Day; in the theatre, 1776. What was your best experience about doing 1776?
BS: It was actually being on Broadway again. There were many wonderful experiences doing that show. I worked with some amazing people. Everyone connected with the show was just great - Peter Stone, who wrote it, Pat Hingle and Tom Aldrich, and all these other wonderful people. Working at the Roundabout, which is a great organization. It was a magic experience. But I hadn’t been on Broadway at that point in twelve years.
CK: How did you cope with the fact that that you were being back on stage? You have to project on stage, it is a different medium.
BS: Right. Particularly that show, which requires a lot of volume because it’s all about arguing. You’re debating the entire show and it’s a long show, it’s three hours. My character, I played John Adams, had eight songs and lots of debate. There is a time in the show, forty-five minutes without a song because this debate is going on and I’m at the centre of it. So I was really worried about my voice. It got to a point in rehearsal where Paul Gemignani, who is the greatest conductor in the musical theatre now, he was doing the show, came up to me and said: “Be careful of your voice.” And I went: “What?” He said: “You could lose your voice, I can hear it.” And I thought: “Oh my God.” So I got really scared. It was at a point when we’re just going into the theatre, when we’d been given dressing room assignments. I was in the dressing room with two guys, Tom Aldrich, who just passed away, he was a fantastic actor, and Jerry Lanning. Jerry happened to be a voice teacher and I said to him, “Jerry, I am really worried I’m gonna lose my voice.” He said, “You’re not.” I said: “Really?” And he said: “Your vocal chords are really challenged right now because every day you wake up you’re stronger than you were the day before. Don’t worry, you’re getting stronger, you’re not getting weaker.” Everything turned for me at that moment. I knew I wasn’t going to lose my voice. I knew I was fine. He was dead right and I got stronger every night. I did the show for eight months and I never missed a performance. I did 250 performances. And I never came close to losing my voice. By the end I was stronger than I was in the beginning. It was just a psychological thing.
(A couple of teenagers approach Brent.)
Teenage Boy: We have a question.
BS: You know what, we’re really right in the middle of an interview. We’ve got a recorder going.
Teenage Boy: Sorry.
CK: You’re on it now. You’ll be online, you know.
Teenage Boy: Me and my friends were wondering. What would Data eat at McDonalds?
BS: This is the stupidest thing anyone has ever asked me. The single dumbest thing anyone’s ever said. Would Data eat at McDonalds? Data wouldn’t be so stupid to eat at McDonalds. Data would go, “I want something nutritious. I don’t wanna kill myself, I wanna live, right?”
Teenage Girl: What if you were starving?
BS: He would just starve.
Teenage Boy: Sorry to bother you.
BS: Don’t worry about it. See you in a bit.
(The teenagers leave.)
BS: There you go. It was interesting that you were taping and involved in that. If you say to somebody: “I’m sorry, I’m in the middle of an interview”, they barrelled right through that as if I hadn’t said anything. People have their own agendas. If they want something, they will go for it. It does not matter what you said.
CK: That’s really rude.
BS: Rudeness is just, you know, it’s part of the human condition, right?
CK: I think you enjoy doing new things and challenges. You are doing Fresh Hell, which is very different because it is an online series on YouTube.
BS: Right.
CK: Why did you choose to do it online? To reach a new audience? Because more young people will watch things on YouTube?
BS: No, not really. I would love to have a television series, but nobody has offered me one and so the Internet allows you to do whatever you want.
CK: That’s true.
BS: If you’re creative.
CK: It’s an interesting idea to do it on YouTube.
BS: It’s not staying on YouTube. We’ve a got a new website that’s been designed for the next episodes.
CK: Oh yes, I saw that. But to do it online, in this format….
BS: There are people who say to me, why would you do that, and my answer would really be, why not do it? Everyone was saying, “Do a web series ,” years ago, “that’s the future.”
CK: Yes, that’s what I think. You think there’ll be TV forever?
BS: There will be TV but it will come off the Web.
CK: Fresh Hell, it’s about celebrity. What are your experiences when people meet you for the first time? Do they project ideas onto you because they don’t really know you?
BS: Right. Certainly.
CK: I expect many people think you’re like Data.
BS: That’s right. And of course I’m not. Because I’m an actual person from Texas. So obviously I’m nothing like Data except that I’m incredibly brilliant….
CK: That goes without saying.
BS: Exactly. I mean, we do have some similarities. I look a bit like him, too.
CK: Yes, you do.
BS: But I do have emotions.
CK: When you first met your fans and they approached you as if you were Data, how did you react?
BS: I tried to be nice about it, but….
CK: What did you feel?
BS: Well, it’s not like I’m not a fan of other people. I like a lot of actors, I like a lot of performances. When I met William Shatner or Leonard Nimoy for the first time, I didn’t talk to them like they were Spock and Kirk, I didn’t think they were. I kind of got the idea they were actors who were playing those parts. It is kind of peculiar. Even to this day, if I write something on Twitter that is so counter to what Data would have been, if it’s ironic or if it’s sarcastic, whatever, the things that I am, people think: “Oh man, I don’t really like you. You’re not like I thought you were.” And my reaction is: “That’s too bad! You know, you’re not like I thought you were either! I thought you were an adult.” (Laughs.)
CK: Well, I think, just because you don’t know anything other than the character you play and some of the interviews you give, people have a certain image of you and….
BS: Right. But I’m not responsible for that. I’m responsible for being me. And being honest. And you know what? You can’t please all the people all the time.
CK: Of course not, who wants that?
BS: Exactly.
CK: But, let’s get back to the theatre. Would you like to do something in England?
BS: I’m dying to do something in England. I’ve wanted to forever. I’ve had a couple of opportunities. Didn’t work out at all. When I was 24 years old, 23 years old, I auditioned for a play in London and the producers wanted me for the part and British Equity wouldn’t let me do it. And then, years later, I was offered a play in London and I couldn’t go because I’d just bought a house. It was in the middle of being remodelled so I couldn’t leave. And so I’m waiting. I’m ready to go.
CK: Do you like London?
BS: Love London.
CK: What do you like about it?
BS: Well, I like that there is so much history. I’m a big history buff. I’m not too much into the future. My preference is not sci-fi or even fiction, for that matter. I like history, documentaries…I am reading David McCullough’s book about Paris in the 1830s right now. I love the book. I love the idea that people experienced in 1830 the same thing I do when I go to Paris, how beautiful it is. And London for me is the same. We did a convention in London, at the Royal Albert Hall, and I walked out on stage, and I thought about the people who had walked on that stage before me. Unbelievable! I love the theatre; I love just the whole feel of London. I love the way London smells. It smells different than most towns.
CK: Yeah.
BS: I like it.
CK: What kind of play would you like to do if you had the choice?
BS: I’m not that picky. I’d just like it to be good.
CK: Yes, that’s the first thing. Are you interested in doing modern plays? For example, this “in-yer-face” kind of theatre, like Sarah Kane, or Jez Butterworth, or Anthony Neilson?
BS: Do people enjoy those plays?
CK: It depends on the people. I like them.
BS: Well.
CK: But…I mean, you have the audience that goes to the West End and the audience that goes to the alternative kind….
BS: Yes, but there is the audience that goes to both. I think I like just interesting theatre. If you look at what I’ve done in my life, it’s all kinds of things. There are musicals, there are straight plays, there are old plays, there are new plays. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s interesting and involving.
CK: Do you go to the theatre often?
BS: I don’t go that often. I go occasionally in Los Angeles. Whenever I’m in New York I go to the theatre. Whenever I am in London I go to the theatre. Well, not whenever, but most of the time.
CK: You, as a member of the audience, what do you like best?
BS: I like it if it’s short. (Laughs)
CK: No four-hour plays….
BS: No, a nice hour and a half, no intermission.
CK: That’s rare.
BS: A play that I really enjoyed. Did you see Red? Red was John Logan’s play? It was at the Donmar Warehouse? Alfred Molina and Eddie (Redmayne)….
CK: The play about Rothko.
BS: Yes, about Rothko. Eddie was great. A two-character play, an hour and twenty minutes, but it did its job efficiently and it left you provoked by the whole thing, thought provoked, interested in art and the nature of art. It was fantastic!
CK: What is one of the biggest challenges as an actor?
BS: To get hired is the only challenge, really. You have to think, if you get hired, it’s because the people who hired you think you can do the job and that’s pretty reassuring.
CK: That’s true. But once you have the job what was….
BS: What was the challenge?
CK: For example. It’s always difficult….
BS: Yeah, it is always difficult, I think. It is a series of problems to solve and that’s how I approach things. How do I solve this and turn it into something that people can receive, understand and relate to?
CK: If you went to London to do a play, would you just do it in the West End or would you be interested in doing it in other venues?
BS: I would like to work at some place where people would come. My friend Saul Rubinek wrote a play that Scott Bakula is doing right now at the Menier Chocolate Factory, that’s a fine venue.
CK: Yes, they do a lot of musicals.
BS: This is not a musical they’re doing, though. I know they do musicals. They do a lot of Sondheim.
CK: You were in Sunday in the Park with George.
BS: I was.
CK: Is Sondheim one of your favourites?
BS: Sondheim is the only genius in the last forty years working in the theatre. There are some young guys coming up that are really good but in terms of Broadway and Broadway musicals, Sondheim is the only true genius. He is an amazing man and a once-in-a-life-time talent.
CK: How much influence do you think theatre has? Say, if you do a political play to make people aware of something? Do you think this is preaching to the converted or do you think it actually….
BS: Changes minds?
CK: Yes.
BS: I don’t think any minds change ever, by anything. I think occasionally somebody will change their mind. But I think it’s very rare that you can actually change somebody’s mind about something. How many times have you been in an argument with someone and they stopped and said, “You know what, I think you’re right. I’m wrong.” Almost never.
CK: It depends. If it’s politics….
BS: If it’s politics they never change their mind.
CK: There is going to be a fight.
BS: Yes.
CK: What about verbatim theatre? Do you think it’s a good thing? Because it can be dangerous if it’s selective. I saw a play called Lines about a verbatim play that led to the death of an actor because he was making fun of a real person. He didn’t have anything to work with so he tried that, the director was an idiot, so he ended up getting knifed. Because this person who he portrayed was not a public figure and he was made fun of on stage every day, every night.
BS: Well, I guess you have to be careful, but that’s kind of silly to kill somebody for any reason.
CK: Somebody who was disturbed already.
BS: Then you have to be really careful. I don’t know that theatre influences anything. Maybe young people go to the theatre and think: “Oh my God, that’s illuminating to me.” But that it changes everything that I ever thought….
CK: Maybe not to that extent but to a certain extent….
BS: Yes, I hope it changes minds and enlightens. But I’m really of the mind primarily to entertain and if it happens to enlighten, well, that’s nice, too. But like Star Trek, for example, there’s a—I wouldn’t call it cult, necessarily, but there is a large number of people who take it very, very seriously and build their lives around it. It’s a religion to them almost.
CK: I met a guy who told me that The Next Generation was the Bible to him.
BS: Well, there you are. To me, it’s basically a western set in space and we’re trying to entertain people. And, yes, there is a little bit of a kind of philosophy running through it that’s kind of tame.
CK: You’re accepting everybody, the way a person is, which I like.
BS: I do, too. I like that about it, too. But I think there is an illusion about it. You know, if you ask somebody, why has Star Trek lasted so long, they always say the same thing: because it has a positive vision of the future. But to tell you the truth, I don’t know what is so positive about it. We are still blowing people away. We carry guns. It’s a joke. It’s like that illusion that it is somehow all about peace. It’s really not. It is a western, it is a shoot’em up. But it does have elements that are nice, like the fact that all people are celebrated for who they are, their differences rather than their similarities, and I think that’s a very positive thing. The positive thing about it is just that it depicts a future, and that is somehow reassuring, that there is going to be a future. I don’t think it necessarily depicts a future that’s better or worse than where we live right now.
CK: But people think if you don’t have the blowing people away there probably isn’t any conflict.
BS: There is conflict. Again, that’s what they say, but there is conflict. How is it that we are always blowing people up and blasting our phasers?
CK: I don’t like that, either. That’s my least favourite part of the show.
BS: That’s the shoot’em up, that’s the western. They asked Gene Roddenberry, he said, “Well, it’s ‘Wagon Train to the stars’.”
CK: That’s why it’s called “Trek.”
BS: Right, that’s what he designed. He did not design something that he thought would become a religion of any sort.
CK: Thank you very much for your time.
BS:
I’m
delighted. Okay. This is Brent Spiner signing
off.
The interview was conducted by Carolin
Kopplin.
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