Tonight and tomorrow are your last chances to catch Titanic the Musical at Huntington's City Hall auditorium!
Here's our final e-interview - this one with the talented and lovely Jane Modlin, who plays the part of Kate McGowan, an Irish lass traveling in third-class on the Titanic.
Q: Tell us about Titanic.
Jane: Unlike the movie, which focused on the fictional Jack and Rose, the musical version tells the stories of the real people who were on the ship, from the captain, owner and designer, to the passengers in the various classes. It does a wonderful job of showing the differences between the classes, while at the same time allowing the audience to connect with the real people who were involved with this tragedy.
Q: This is a huge show - big set, big event. How does that make it challenging for the cast?
Jane: First of all, it's actually an opera, so it's extremely challenging vocally. In addition, the opening scene involving the entire cast as they board the boat is daunting to stage - that theatre axiom about 'finding your window' comes into play constantly. We have to be able to see the audience or they can't see us - plus, we have to be able to see Chris Bowling, the musical director, or we're not with the orchestra. So there are the usual musical theatre challenges that are found in every show.
But even more challenging than that is the idea that these are real people, real people we're representing in a way that is unusual in theatre. If you're doing, say, 1776, Benjamin Franklin can be almost a caricature. When you're playing a real live honest-to-goodness person about whom very little is known, it's important to do justice to them. They have to seem real to the audience or the audience won't care whether they survive the sinking or not.
Q: Why did you want to be part of this show?
Jane: I love my character. The three Irish Kates (Kate McGowan, Kate Murphy, Kate Mullins) provide some of the humor in the show, plus they are such a contrast to the stuffy, upper-crust first class. They sing a wonderful song about how their lives will be different in the new world. It's full of hope and life and optimism. They're going to take on the world! When they're trapped below deck with the flood waters rising, they're determined to climb out and survive, somehow. Their situation makes the sinking more tragic - no one is looking out for them. These ladies provide a poignant contrast to those above decks climbing into the lifeboats complaining about not having their diamonds or having to leave their furs behind.
And getting to work with this wonderful cast, especially Jen Fuller and Peri Law (Kate Mullins and Kate Murphy), has been fantastic.
Q: What's your favorite part of the show?
Jane: The opening number is so energetic and happy - it just makes it so much fun. And the song set in third class, "Ladies Maid," is positive and uplifting - it's an anthem full of hope crossed with an Irish jig.
But for me, "We'll Meet Tomorrow," sung as the last lifeboat is lowered, is amazing. It starts with the mother (Marisa Miller in her debut role as Marion Thayer) putting her children on the lifeboat and saying goodbye to her husband, and if there's a dry eye in the house after that, I'm always amazed. It makes some of the cast cry every night!
Q: Why would you urge our readers to attend?
Jane: Titanic is a gorgeous musical, a tribute to the survivors and the brave souls who went down with the ship - the musicians who played right 'til the very end, the captain, the crew, and all the poor souls who couldn't escape.
The music is amazing, there are some unbelievably talented cast members, and it's an unforgettable experience.
Q: Tell us when and where the show is staged.
Jane: Titanic the Musical sets sail Saturday, May 7, at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 8, at 2:30 p.m., departing from the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium at Huntington's City Hall
Bon Voyage!
No comments:
Post a Comment