Meet the cast of “A Woman of No Importance” – part 3, + review

A Woman of No Importance enjoyed a bang-up opening weekend, with near-sold out, enthusiastic houses.  I had a chance to chat with cast member Kathleen Pollard at the post-show reception on opening night, and urged her to respond to the questions I sent the cast a couple of weeks ago.   So here are her answers.

Archdeacon Daubeny (Jason Thompson- far right) expounds about his saintly wife to anyone who will listen – Farquhar the butler (Daniel Staseff, left), Frances the maid (Kathleen Pollard), and Lady Hunstanton (Andy Fraser): “Her deafness is a great privation to her. She can’t even hear my sermons now.”
Photo: Bruce Peters

Q#1:      Who do you play in A Woman of No Importance?  Tell us a little about your character.

KATHLEEN POLLARD:  I play two characters in the show:  the first is a pretentious maid named Frances – servant to Lady Hunstanton; and the second is a shy tenant of Mrs. Arbuthnot’s house – who also essentially acts as her servant.

Q#2:      Director Paul Hardy has changed the setting of the play from the 1890’s (which is when Oscar Wilde wrote it) to the 1980’s.  What surprised you about making the time switch?  Did you discover issues or social mores that were surprisingly similar (or not) almost 100 years apart?  

KATHLEEN POLLARD:  I was surprised at first when Paul announced his intention to change the setting…but I’ve been totally amazed at how timely the play really feels.  Paul made some strategic cuts to the script, and the way the dialogue flows between the characters feels very modern and I think it lends itself well to the new setting.  Gender biases and the social expectations of men and women haven’t changed that much, it would seem. The actors have also done a tremendous job of finding a rhythm to their way of speaking, which also really brings out the humour.

Q#3:      Can you relate any anecdotes from rehearsal (e.g. : another actor – in character or out – doing something unexpected)?

KATHLEEN POLLARD:  Hmm, well…an embarrassing moment for me happened during a run of the show in our last week of rehearsal before opening night.  We were deep into the run, and partway through Act 4, when suddenly my cellphone alarm started going off.  The phone was in my jacket pocket, which I’d left in the audience seating…and even though the ringer was on silent, the alarm went off at full volume.  The thing is, my alarm ringtone is set to a dog barking.  So for the first minute or so, Paul, Margot [stage manager Margot Devlin] and Angus [sound designer Angus Barlow] are looking around wondering whose dog is outside the theatre and why it won’t shut up.  Then gradually it dawns on them that this “dog” has an awfully mechanical way of barking, and realized that someone, somewhere, had let their phone go off.  I couldn’t hear it backstage, and there was about 7 or 8 minutes left of the show, so everyone soldiered on.  But I certainly had to face the music once we finished the run.

Q#4:      Do you have a favourite line or moment from the play – yours or anyone else’s?

KATHLEEN POLLARD:  There are so many witty lines spoken throughout the play.  My characters only have about 4 lines between them…but I think one of my favourite lines is Lady Hunstanton’s:  “He died almost immediately of joy…or gout; I forget which.”.

Kathleen also filled me in on a little tidbit about Gillian English’s  costume: the gold pleather pants that Lady Caroline Pontefract wears (Lady C  apparently shares the wacky fashion sense of Eddie [Jennifer Saunders] in the Britcom Absolutely Fabulous)  are very noisy to walk in.  So Gillian has to carefully position her legs apart, or the pants will squeak!

The production has already garnered a couple of excellent reviews – see FAB’s at  http://www.fabmagazine.com/fab-blog/next-gay-theatre-review-a-woman-of-no-importance and Life With More Cowebell’s at http://lifewithmorecowbell.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/a-woman-of-no-importance-time-travels-to-1985-alumnae-theatre/

A Woman of No Importance runs to Feb 9 – see http://www.alumnaetheatre.com/1213woman.html  for showtimes and reservation info.  You can purchase tickets online in advance (Thu – Sat shows only) at www.totix.ca  Day-of discounts are available in person at T.O. Tix booth in Yonge-Dundas Square.

“A Woman of No Importance” Stage Manager’s Dec 19 rehearsal notes – it’s all about the sex

More from Margot Devlin, the most excellent Stage Manager of A Woman of No Importance.  As you know, she is shocked and appalled by all the sexy innuendo (smut, I tell you; SMUT!) to be found in Oscar Wilde.  Excerpts from her notes:

 -        [Act 1, scene 4] this is a seduction scene.

-       Lord Illingworth [played by Andrew Batten] is a sex addict – exhaust all hedonistic pleasures because that is all that is left.

-       Wilde put all his negative feelings about hedonism into Illingworth.

-       Addict or no, there is something like that in Mrs. Allonby [played by Paula Schultz] – she is disappointed in sex itself.

-       The anticipation is the fun part for Allonby

-       The more “at risk” they are the better.

-       Illingworth is so revolting to Mrs. Arbuthnot  [Áine Magennis].

-       Paul [director Paul Hardy] discussed his banquet burger dinner and how it was affecting him.

The cast will be put through their paces tonight (Thu Dec 20):  a full run is scheduled, along with a costume parade!  The first run-through is often a terrifying but necessary step.  This is when the actors experience the full shape of the play (which up to now has been rehearsed in non-sequential bits), and in a large cast like this, probably see other actors that they haven’t worked with since the early stages.  And now, the director can finally judge whether what he has envisioned will translate into live action.  Break legs, folks!

“A Woman of No Importance” Stage Manager’s notes from rehearsal, Dec 8 – sex, sex all the time

You know, as much as she claims to be shocked by it, Margot Devlin, the very proper Stage Manager of A Woman of No Importance, faithfully reports all instances of sex-related topics that come up in rehearsal.  To wit, here are some excerpts from her notes on Saturday’s rehearsal  (Dec 8) – they were working on the end of the play:

 -       Paul [director Paul Hardy] was discussing the “sexual” relationship between Mrs. Arbuthnot and Lord Illingworth.

-       He used words such as carnal, hot, sexy.

-       He directed Andrew [Batten, playing the lascivious Lord Illingworth] to look Aine [Magennis, playing the virtuous Mrs. Arbuthnot] up and down like a piece of meat.

-       The more physical the scene is, the more that Arbuthnot will change and react to Illingworth.

-       Paul asked if Aine could poke Gerald [Mrs. Arbuthnot’s son, played by Nicholas Porteous] and then he yelled at me to get his mind out of the gutter – the nerve of him!

-       Gerald said later that any poking would be above swim-suit level.

To see the final product in all its sexy Dynasty-style 1980’s  glory (costume designer Brandon Kleiman is having a wonderful time with glitz and shoulder pads), come check out A Woman of No Importance when it opens January 25.

“A Woman of No Importance”: Stage Manager’s notes from rehearsal, Dec 6

Margot Devlin, the very proper Stage Manager of A Woman of No Importance, is convinced that everyone connected with this play is sex-mad – most particularly director Paul Hardy.

Here are some excerpts from her rehearsal notes of Dec 6:

 -       “worn to shadows” (Lady Hunstanton [Andy Fraser] uses this phrase to Mrs. Allonby [Paula Schultz] – they are talking about husbands and the Ideal Man) – Paul is suggesting that this may be a sexual joke (good grief – does it never end?)

-       “…but you do renew him from time to time” (Lady Caroline [Gillian English] to Mrs. Allonby) – Paul has asked yet again: “Is this a sexual reference?” (I am beginning to think that I read a different play)

-       Amy pointed out that it is gray sweater day – picture attached was taken by ASM Neena Ahmad: The Ladies Strike a Pose (Gillian English [Lady Caroline Pontefract], Paula Schultz [Mrs. Allonby], Amy Zuch [Lady Stutfield]).

-       Nicholas [Porteous, playing Illingworth’s would-be protégé Gerald] arrived “shorn” of hair, said Andrew [Batten, playing the cad Lord Illingworth].

-       Hester [the young American Puritan, played by Sophia Fabiilli] is putting on suntan lotion in Act 1, Scene 1.  Mike [Vitorovich, as Lady Caroline’s henpecked husband Sir John Pontefract] suggested we should get a bottle of sun cream and label it Pur-i-Tan.

Margot’s actual note for the suntan lotion scene reads: Hester is putting on suntan lotion in a Puritan manner – Caroline and John are staring at her.  Hmmm –what does a “Puritan manner” of applying  suntan lotion look like?  Regular readers of this blog may recognize the name Mike Vitorovich – he played the manic opera enthusiast Roy in last season’s Così, and was previously directed by Paul Hardy in Daniel MacIvor’s You Are Here (Alumnae, Theatre, September 2010).  “Pur-i-Tan” – ha!

And because Paul is modernizing the setting of the play to the 1980’s, there’s a note to Props that Hester will require a Walkman…

“A Woman of No Importance”- Stage Manager’s marathon story

The most excellent Stage Manager of A Woman of No Importance, Margot Devlin, has hidden talents.  Oh, yes.  A few weeks ago (on Nov 10) she ran a half-marathon (that’s 13 miles, folks!  I’m happy if I can run up the stairs from the subway without panting) at Disney World, so I asked her how it went.  In her own words:

 The race started at 10pm after the Disney parks had closed.  We ran through Hollywood Studios which was all lit up for Christmas,* and through the Animal Kingdom which has the big Tree of Life all lit up and they also had a big Christmas tree.  We also ran through Epcot Centre and finished up there. The really cool, cool thing about the race was that my “bib” with the number on it also had a GPS.  The GPS tracked me on the course and at every mile marker, it sent an email to Shaun’s [Margot’s husband Shaun Devlin] BlackBerry.  So Shaun relaxed at the hotel, had a nice meal, read a book, etc., and when I got to the 13-mile mark, he received the email saying that I was at the finish and then he walked over to meet me.  It was so nice!!!  I finished [the race] with a smile on my face.  I am slow but steady and at the end, Mickey Mouse was waiting for me to give me the high 5!!  Then Disney had a party for us until 4 am in Epcot.  It was fantastic!  I also got to go to Harry Potter World while we were in Florida – so fun!!!

“A Woman of No Importance” stage manager Margot Devlin runs a half-marathon at Disney World in Florida, Nov 10, 2012.
Photo courtesy of RunDisney.

In the photo (taken by a photographer from RunDisney), Margot claims “I am racing along at such a high speed that I look a bit blurry.“

*Wait – doesn’t the U.S. wait until after their Thanksgiving – which was Nov 22 this year – to put up Christmas decorations?  Margot responded:  “I think Disneyworld goes from Halloween decorations to Christmas decorations, so Christmas was everywhere but it was 80 degrees (so lovely!).”

“A Woman of No Importance”: Stage Manager’s notes from rehearsal, Nov 25

Margot Devlin, the most excellent Stage Manager of A Woman of No Importance, is very concerned with propriety and modesty at all times.  Hence, these entries from her rehearsal notes of this past weekend.  Oh, yes, and she thinks that “Mr. Hardy should have an ‘R’ rating as a Director”.

What SM thinks Director should come with.

Words of the Day – blushing & cad & titillating.

-       There was an inappropriate discussion about sex and blushing that I did NOT record.

-       Paul Hardy does not disappoint – everything is about sex, including blushing – I shall never blush again.

-       How Mr. Hardy can equate titillating and blushing is beyond this scribe BUT at least he kept his shoes on.

In other news, Andy Fraser (producer of the currently-running The Drowning Girls; also an actor in such Alumnae shows as The Real Inspector Hound   and The Memory of Water) joins the cast as Lady Hunstanton, replacing Renee Stein.

“A Woman of No Importance”: notes from rehearsal, Nov 22

The most excellent Stage Manager of Alumnae’s January show,  A Woman of No Importance, Margot Devlin, e-mailed to report that there were no formal rehearsal notes from last night, because they were blocking.  You know:  at this line, move here; at that line, move there…  However, she reported that:

 Paul [director Paul Hardy] worked with shoes off last night. When he removed the shoes, I held my breath but no actors in his vicinity died, so I started breathing again.

Lady Stutfield [Lindsey Higgs], Lord Illingworth [Andrew Batten] and Mrs. Allonby [Paula Schultz] were blocked last night in Act 2.  They were at the “bar”.  I think they acted that they had a bit too much to drink as they all got a bad case of the giggles while Paul was blocking other actors.

Paul managed to get me some cookies from the cookie factory – I did not ask a lot of questions and no burglar alarms were ringing.  The cookies were very good.

That is it for last night.

Margot, I love your notes!

In other news, costume designer Brandon Kleiman plans to bring on the shoulder pads and sequins, Dynasty-style!  (Yes, this version of Woman will be set in the 1980′s)

“A Woman of No Importance” – notes from rehearsal, Nov 20

From the rehearsal notes for Alumnae’s January show,  A Woman of No Importance, provided by our most excellent Stage Manager, Margot Devlin:

-       rehearsing in a cookie factory but no samples.  [Ed Note:  Darn!]

-       Gillian English [playing snooty and much-married Lady Caroline Pontefract] thinks this location is the perfect site of a horror movie.

-       Bring rehearsal shoes (not street shoes) for Thursday rehearsal – sock feet ok unless feet emit odours like our Director.  [Ed Note: that would be Paul Hardy]

Keep the inside scoop coming, Margot!

“Così”: the little rituals

Tonight (April 20) will be the 7^th performance of Così, including the preview.  It’s been a wild ride!  Last Sunday evening, I was in a weird state when I went home after the matinee.  Feeling empty, lonely and restless.  What the heck was wrong with me?  Figured it out eventually:  it was separation anxiety from my stage “family”!

It’s such a strange process, making theatre.  You can become very close with the people you work with – it’s a brief but very intense relationship that sometimes carries on and develops long after the show closes.

Before the audience comes in, stage manager/lighting operator Margot Devlin and sound operator Emily Macnaughton run the cues to ensure everything is working smoothly, then let the actors have the stage for about 20 minutes to practice fights and the dance number.

Asylum inmate Henry (Christopher Kelk) is almost mute. But for "Cosi" he suddenly begins to sing - in Italian!

And what goes on in the dressing room during the run of a show, you wonder?  Well, in Così, there are a fair number of smokers in the cast, so the back door of the dressing room in the theatre basement is often propped open (there’s a below-ground stairwell outside) so the nicotine-addicted actors can grab a quick butt pre-show and during intermission.  On a typical night, Chris Kelk (stuttering former lawyer Henry) and James Warner (pill-popping musician Zac) entertain us with some really rude British limericks.  Get them to tell you the one about the bishop – it’s FILTHY!  PJ Hammond (sociopath Cherry) might step out into the hallway to practice her knife tricks.  Joanne Sarazen (Lewis’ girlfriend Lucy) powers up her laptop and works on a play she’s writing.  Jamieson Child (anxious director Lewis) plugs in his leaky iPod earbuds for some inspirational tunes.  We check out which of his collection of funny T-shirts Sean Speake (social worker Justin) is wearing.  There’s a cool Shaun of the Dead T-shirt, and my fave – especially for ‘80s music fans – five commas plus an image of a chameleon.  Get it?  While we’re getting dressed or putting on makeup, we will often run lines for certain complicated scenes where there are strategic interruptions.  Yes, we work hard to make it look effortless for the audience!

After Margot gives us the 5-minute warning, we do a brief, energizing warmup proposed by Laura Vincent (heroin addict Julie) – it involves shaking arms and legs alternately while counting down from 7, and yelling “Game Time!” in answer to Mike Vitorovich’s question, “What time is it?”.  Very appropriate for my counting-obsessed character Ruth!

As an opening night gift, Margot installed a huge basket in the dressing room, filled with various bags of treats: pretzels, chocolate bars, chips, etc.  The accompanying card promised refills, and boy does she deliver!  The treats are stored overnight in the fridge (to foil the theatre’s sneaky rodent population), replaced in the basket for the next night, and magically replenished when hungry actors demolish them.  Margot, we love you!  See what I mean about family?

After the matinee this coming Sunday (April 22), stick around for a Talkback.  The cast, director, and designers will come onstage, and audience members are encouraged to ask questions or make comments.  There will also be a special guest expert:  Jennifer Chambers from the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health (CAMH)’s Empowerment Council.  This organization represents current and former clients of CAMH, so you can ask her opinion on the portrayals of people with mental health and/or addictions issues.

Così runs to April 28.  Check http://alumnaetheatre.com/1112cosi.html  for performance times and ticket prices.

“Così” cue to cue

Così cue to cue yesterday, 10 am – 5pm.  For anyone not familiar with theatre parlance, “cue to cue” is a literal description of the process.  It’s a rehearsal run by and for the tech crew, in consultation with director and designers, so that they can time the lighting and sound cues and adjust levels if necessary.  For the actors, it means that they only get to run the parts of scenes leading into and out of lighting or sound cues.  Cue to cue is preceded (for Così , the day prior – Saturday) by a day of setting levels and rough timings (without the actors), described by Stage Manager Margot Devlin as “a humdinger”.

For yesterday’s cue to cue, Assistant Director Seema Lakhani sat in the front row of the auditorium – “on book” in case any actors called for a line – which we did (but not too often).  Director Jane Carnwath sat at a production table set up in the centre of the house, along with Set & Lighting Designer Ed Rosing and Sound Designer Rick Jones.   Stage Manager Margot, also operating the lights, was up in the booth with Sound Operator Emily Macnaughton.   Backstage, Assistant Stage Manager Pona Tran was on headset with Margot, receiving directions on what to do in scene changes, etc.  Actors were instructed to wear our costumes so that Costume Designer Margaret Spence could see them under show lighting conditions.   Us girls wearing short skirts also checked that we weren’t flashing the audience whenever we sat down on stage!

Lewis (Jamieson Child), Cherry (Patricia Hammond) and Roy (Michael Vitorovich) performing in "Cosi Fan Tutte", the opera-within-the-play of "Cosi". Photo: Dahlia Katz, http://www.dahliakatz.com

 

At one point backstage, while waiting for instructions from Margot, I asked Laura Vincent, who plays heroin addict Julie, to clarify her gestures in one of the opera scenes, so I could mirror them.  Mike Vitorovich, who plays manic depressive ringleader Roy, was curious to know if I was asking as my character Ruth (an obsessive compulsive) or as myself.  And you know, I had to think about the answer!

Lunch was provided by the producers (Natalya Demberg, Ellen Green and Barbara Larose) – delish Greek salad and yummy little sandwiches, plus grapes and cookies for dessert.  Scenic painter Cathy McKim donated a box of Timbits –mmm.  It was decided that a peace sign would be added to the graffiti on the theatre walls – to “really set the period”, as Jane noted.

 

After a slow start – it took a lot of tries to set the timing and levels for the opening sequence of sound & light cues – kind of like “takes” in film – it was finally nailed down, and things proceeded fairly smoothly from there.  Well, except for the buzzy headsets, which must have been a literal pain to work around.  Margot was popping Tylenol  to stave off a major headache, I found out afterwards.

Most of the cast repaired to Alumnae Theatre’s “local” – a friendly nearby pub called Betty’s (http://www.bettysonking.com/) – for some adult beverages & snacks following the cue to cue.  We were joined in progress by two of the producers and the sound designer!  A fun evening was had by all.

Next:  movement coach Jen Johnson returns on Tuesday to polish choreography in the opera performance scene.