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[Kathleen Marshall is fast becoming one of Broadway's busiest choreographers and, with the success of WONDERFUL TOWN, her directing career is taking off, as well. Kathleen did her own typing and only a few typos have been corrected for the sake of clarity.] [RobertArmin] Good evening and welcome to the Fynsworth Alley chat room. [RobertArmin] I have been meaning to have a few directors here over the past year, but haven't gotten around to it. [RobertArmin] So tonight, I am very pleased to welcome one of the most exciting "new" directors in the musical theatre -- Kathleen Marshall. [RobertArmin] I say "new" because she recently made her Broadway debut as a director with the revival of Wonderful Town... [RobertArmin] which is wonderful. [RobertArmin] Good evening, Kathleen, and thank you for joining us tonight! [KathleenMarshall] Thanks Robert -- I hope my typing can keep up with yours [RobertArmin] Well, we're not grading... [RobertArmin] You are new to Broadway as a director, perhaps, but certainly not as a choreographer. [RobertArmin] We have been enjoying your work for a number of years -- and I think that your dances for Kiss Me, Kate were some of the best in the last decade. [KathleenMarshall] That's incredibly generous of you [RobertArmin] I'm so glad that we have a DVD available of Kiss Me, Kate, but I'm wondering if the London dancers posed any problems for you? [KathleenMarshall] In terms of West End dancers, we had a great bunch and some of the London reviews mentioned how strong our dancers were. But they were not as strong as the New York company and I wish the original folks had been on that DVD [RobertArmin] Of course, Michael Berresse was in both London and New York -- fortunately, because his dance movements were certainly unique to him, I think. [RobertArmin] How do go about matching the dancer with the steps? [KathleenMarshall] Michael's movement in Kiss Me, Kate was based on Gene Kelly -- athletic, masculine, grounded [KathleenMarshall] His climbing the set at the end of "Bianca" was sort of an homage to Kelly in "The Pirate" [RobertArmin] I've always wondered what Harold Lang's original dance looked like -- Harold was a friend and teacher when I was in college. Have you ever found TV video of the original dances -- other than the 1958 TV broadcast that it? [KathleenMarshall] In a way it was good not to know a lot about Hanya Holm's original choreography for Kate [KathleenMarshall] For instance, in Tom, Dick or Harry, they sang the song and then Harold Lang did a solo variation, we changed that to incorporate all the suitors into the dance like in the film [RobertArmin] Which came first -- the set design with multiple floors -- or did you discover Michael's gymnastic skills and say "how can we build a set for this?" [KathleenMarshall] Robin Wagner wanted the sets for the "real" world of backstage to be made of real stuff -- steel, etc. -- so when I saw his design I asked if it was all practical [KathleenMarshall] We knew that Michael was going to climb the wall at the end to reach Lois/Bianca and to win her back, but we didn't know how that was going to happen until we were on the set. It was really Michael who figured out the exact climb [RobertArmin] It was one of the most thrilling choreographic moments for me in 40 years of theatergoing. [KathleenMarshall] The first time Michael tried going upside down, I almost had a heart attack [KathleenMarshall] We actually had to get special permission from Actors Equity for that [RobertArmin] Was it difficult when the new actor took over? [KathleenMarshall] Some of the others who played that role had the gymnastic ability to do what Michael did, but we had alternate versions as well [RobertArmin] h0lly00d1 has a question: Kathleen I have a crazy Seussical question - at the end of the show Horton and Maizey have a basket with the elephant bird in it- there was one for sale on Ebay that was orange not blue like the one I saw, it is round, orange and has a white elephant trunk sticking out. Was that a rehearsal basket? [KathleenMarshall] I'm not sure what that was -- perhaps it was created for a promotional event [RobertArmin] You gotta be careful on eBay! [RobertArmin] Speaking of Seussical, that was a difficult development process. And a long one. [RobertArmin] Can you talk about the process of putting that show together? [KathleenMarshall] I tell you, after my experience with Seussical, I'm not a big fan of workshops [KathleenMarshall] We did a staged workshop that everyone went crazy for, but I think that staged workshops in a rehearsal setting give you a false sense of what you have [KathleenMarshall] You come with creative solutions for a workshop with no set -- for instance, Horton sitting on a rolling ladder to represent his nest -- and then everyone falls in love with the creative solutions [RobertArmin] Ironically, the biggest problem with the Broadway production of Seussical was easily remedied. But too late to salvage the show. You simply needed a more charming and likable Cat In The Hat to pull the audience in. [RobertArmin] Sort of like the opening of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum... It was a failure until “Comedy Tonight” went in in D.C. [KathleenMarshall] one of the restrictions from the Seuss estate was that we could use the Cat character, but he could not be inserted into another story -- so the only choice was to have that character be a narrator [RobertArmin] I see... Sadly, I think David Shiner would have been great if the "concept" had been full utilized -- by that I mean, a friendly host, rather than ironic. [KathleenMarshall] I think David Shiner is immensely talented -- I loved him in Fool Moon. Andrea Martin played the Cat in the workshop, but was unavailable for the production. That might have given you that different feeling [RobertArmin] You were not involved with the tour I take it. Did you see it? [KathleenMarshall] no the tour had a different team -- I never saw it. But I love the score so much I'm glad that it has had a life out there for people to see [RobertArmin] It must be so frustrating to put together such a wonderful show -- and it was -- and simply see it die prematurely... [KathleenMarshall] Well, you go into everything optimistically. No one sets out to have a bad season. [RobertArmin] That's true. Let's talk about your early years. [RobertArmin] You fell in love with the musical theatre very early... [RobertArmin] Like when? [KathleenMarshall] Growing up in Pittsburgh, my folks took my brother and sister and me to see everything -- I saw Shakespeare at age 5, opera at 6. But we loved the musicals especially [RobertArmin] You must have seen a lot of Lenora Nemetz! [RobertArmin] She's the darling of Pittsburgh musical theatre. [KathleenMarshall] Well, actually, you are talking to a member of the LNFCWP. The Lenora Nemetz Fan Club of Western Pennsylvania! [RobertArmin] That's great! [KathleenMarshall] There were three members -- my brother, my sister and me [RobertArmin] I became a fan during the tour of Bye Bye Birdie when she took over for Ann Reinking. [RobertArmin] Growing up in L.A., I didn't get to see much of her. [KathleenMarshall] The first thing we saw her do was Adelaide. Then Winifred [RobertArmin] So, when did you first start performing in musicals? [KathleenMarshall] When I was ten, we saw an ad in the paper for kids in The Sound of Music. My parents said, we'll take you, but you guys have no experience-- you just do shows at school. And all three of us got in -- Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera [RobertArmin] I think of the song in A Chorus Line when Bobby sings "I Can Do That," only in reverse. Did you try on your brother's dancing shoes? [KathleenMarshall] I started taking ballet and a year later, Rob started taking jazz and then we showed each other the steps [RobertArmin] Ah, so you're the one who got HIM started. Good for you. [KathleenMarshall] I didn't start dancing till I was 13 --Rob when he was 16 [RobertArmin] So what other shows did you do in Pittsburgh? [KathleenMarshall] As a kid, I was a non-traditional Ngana in South Pacific -- an Irish girl in lots of pancake [RobertArmin] Sandy Duncan got her start as a kid in The King and I!!! [KathleenMarshall] Then, when I was in college, I got my Equity card at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera in the chorus -- directed by Susan Schulman [RobertArmin] Did you find yourself interested in playing roles or were you happy in the dancing ensemble? [KathleenMarshall] I was always interested in the whole. As Susan says, I would look around the room and say, "Aren't we all supposed to be doing this?" [RobertArmin] What "speaking parts" did you do? [RobertArmin] By that I mean principal roles? [KathleenMarshall] At CLO, I did stuff like Jean in Brigadoon. Later, I came back to the Pittsburgh Playhouse to do Val in A Chorus Line and Velma in Chicago [RobertArmin] Great stuff. So, at what point did you say to yourself, I can choreograph, too? [KathleenMarshall] I think like all choreographers, you come up through the ranks. Dancer, dance captain, assistant, associate [RobertArmin] broadwaynut8023 asks: Who was or is your favorite choreographer? [KathleenMarshall] I really admire Jerome Robbins for the shear breadth of his work. And I love Michael Kidd for his speed and humor and athleticism. Oh, and I love a guy named Rob Marshall [RobertArmin] Yeah, he's pretty good, too. [RobertArmin] I always loved Michael Kidd's work, too, and Robbins, well no question. [KathleenMarshall] I think that Cabaret was extraordinary. He created his own vocabulary that was unique [RobertArmin] I've heard lots of good things about the New York version being better choreographically than the London production. [KathleenMarshall] I tell you, the first time I saw "Two Ladies", I couldn't believe my brother knew all that stuff! [RobertArmin] ! [RobertArmin] You recently had the chance to choreograph a TV movie of The Music Man... [RobertArmin] Are there offers for you to follow in Rob's footsteps cinematically speaking? [KathleenMarshall] I'm in development to direct and choreograph "Once Upon a Mattress" for ABC. But we aren't green lit -- we'll see if it happens. [RobertArmin] With Carol Burnett as the Queen. [KathleenMarshall] Exactly. One of my heroes [RobertArmin] I hear that Marissa has a sitcom offer, so she may, in fact, not be doing the movie? [KathleenMarshall] Well, since we aren't green lit, there actually is no one attached to the project right now except Carol, who is also a producer [RobertArmin] Here's a choreographer question from h0lly00d1: Kathleen, what do you do with someone who doesn't follow your choreography and fights you to do their own thing? [KathleenMarshall] When you are creating for an individual, you have to work in collaboration with them -- as opposed to a dance ensemble. You may like the idea of something, but if it doesn't fit the person who has to really do it, you need to be flexible. After all, [KathleenMarshall] I'm not the one who has to go out there every night. I find that the shows that stay in the best shape are the ones where the actors feel like they've been part of creating it [RobertArmin] Working on a show like 1776, with people who are not principally dancers, is a different challenge. [KathleenMarshall] I remember staging “Molasses to Rum” with Gregg Edelman. At first he was hesitant like-- uh-oh here comes the choreographer and she's going to make me jump around. But we worked through the song as a scene, a monologue, and then he loved it [RobertArmin] Unlike Fosse or Bennett, you do not necessarily have a specific "look." Do you try to rethink things for each show or are there certain moves that you like to repeat? [KathleenMarshall] I think that's why I love Robbins. He developed a style for each show. But if you do a similar music style, swing, for instance, there are certain steps and lifts that I might use again in a different context [RobertArmin] I consider it a compliment to you when I say that each show seems to have come from a different mindset. [RobertArmin] 1776 doesn't look like Kiss Me, Kate and Carnival doesn't look like House of Flowers. [KathleenMarshall] I think it's my job to serve the show and the music and not put my handprints all over it [RobertArmin] What shows are you hoping to work on in the future -- either revivals or new? [KathleenMarshall] I would love to develop a new show from the beginning -- it's finding that source material that is crucial -- any ideas out there? [RobertArmin] Well... [RobertArmin] How about a show with Vernon Duke songs... [RobertArmin] That's what you call a promotional announcement. [RobertArmin] Or self-serving... [KathleenMarshall] I love Duke -- we did his Ziegfeld Follies at City Center -- great composer [RobertArmin] I think that was THE most important show Encores! did. [RobertArmin] That was a show that would NEVER get done elsewhere. [RobertArmin] But it was a treasure none the less. [KathleenMarshall] It really was a discovery for us and for our audiences. And it got recorded -- yippee! [RobertArmin] Thank God it was recorded. [RobertArmin] Yes, yes, yes. [RobertArmin] There are actually, I think three or four songs in my show that were introduced in Ziegfeld Follies of 1936. [RobertArmin] So I was delighted. [RobertArmin] broadwaynut8023 asks: What was your favorite show to choreograph. [KathleenMarshall] I think Kiss Me, Kate because it was the first Broadway show I did that had a lot of dancing with a big ensemble. Sort of the biggest canvas I had ever had. [RobertArmin] What sort of homework do you do for each show? [KathleenMarshall] First, if it's a revival, find out what you can about the original -- original production photos, how it changed out of town, etc. [KathleenMarshall] Then I research the time period and styles of dances from that era [RobertArmin] Encores! has given you a WIDE range of styles to work in, practically a lifetime education in a few years. [KathleenMarshall] I think of Encores as my post-graduate education [RobertArmin] Given the choice, what one or two musicals would you most like to direct at Encores! [KathleenMarshall] Hard to say -- there are so many that City Center had done -- and so many revivals on Broadway as well. I do love Finian's Rainbow, however [RobertArmin] Yes, I did the show when I was 17 and I found nothing wrong with the original book, but I don't suppose I'm going to see that book on Broadway ever again. [KathleenMarshall] I think it's always interesting to see something that was progressive in it's time and how it holds up [RobertArmin] Yes, I suppose the issue of the Senator turning black is the only "iffy" thing in the show. I don't know quite how I would address it. [RobertArmin] Have you read Peter Stone's new script? [KathleenMarshall] I haven't read Peter's script [KathleenMarshall] When we did "Babes in Arms" at Encores, the heart of the show is about equality, but there was a song called "All Dark People is Light on Their Feet" that we just did as an instrumental -- a different era with different sensibilities [RobertArmin] Right, no one is even allowed to record that song today, apparently. [RobertArmin] I guess I can't argue with the R&H estate over that one song. [RobertArmin] I want to address two of your most important works -- your current directing assignment, Wonderful Town, and your first New York directing gig, Stephen Sondheim's Saturday Night [RobertArmin] Were you restricted to a presentational style with Wonderful Town (i.e., like Encores!) or was that your choice? [KathleenMarshall] No. All options were open to us and we discussed all the possibilities. But the whole team -- designers, producers, Betty, Donna -- everyone agreed that we wanted to keep the orchestra on stage, to make the music one of the stars of the show [RobertArmin] I think that within the confines of a semi-concert staging, Wonderful Town is tremendously successful. The characters are beautifully developed and the ensemble is one of the best working on Broadway at the moment. [KathleenMarshall] I love our ensemble -- they are all actors [RobertArmin] And, that orchestra is FABULOUS. [RobertArmin] I'm am anxious to hear the new cast album. [KathleenMarshall] I think the music represents New York -- it's pace , it's energy, it's population. I mean by "Wrong Note Rag' there are fifty people on stage [KathleenMarshall] Cast album comes out tomorrow -- the cast is signing albums at FYE tomorrow I think [RobertArmin] Neato keeno. [RobertArmin] As I've mentioned here before, I saw Little Shop of Horrors in Florida, and I thought it was terrific. [RobertArmin] I don't suppose you want to comment on any of the politics... [RobertArmin] but I am glad that you were chosen to work on the New York production, as well. [KathleenMarshall] I was one of the last people on board with Little Shop. Jerry Mitchell was originally going to do it. So it was all cast when I first came on -- I really liked the Florida group, but somehow the stars didn't come into alignment on that one and the producers wanted to make big changes [RobertArmin] Were there any specific changes that you were asked to make or were you able to use much of your Florida choreography? [KathleenMarshall] Almost everything changed to fit the new cast [RobertArmin] Well, I have heard the cast album to that one, and it is a great improvement on the original in terms of material included. [RobertArmin] But, of course, we don't get to see your choreography. [KathleenMarshall] And we've got a ten piece band -- very snazzy [RobertArmin] That must be the biggest frustration with working in the theatre -- choreography is so fleeting. [RobertArmin] The songs get recorded, but the dances don't linger on. [KathleenMarshall] It's also the thrill of live theatre -- you have to be in the room to experience it [RobertArmin] Okay, in what time we have, let's chat a bit about Saturday Night. That must have been a thrill to get to direct Stephen Sondheim's very first show -- some forty years later. [KathleenMarshall] Well, to get a call from Sondheim is a dream come true [RobertArmin] Why do you think he chose you. Did he say? [KathleenMarshall] I had just done "Babes in Arms" which also was about a young group of friends and their adventures and he liked the energy and sincerity of our approach [RobertArmin] The show had been staged in England and in Chicago, but your version had even more changes. [RobertArmin] Did Sondheim work with you to write the "definitive" version? [KathleenMarshall] We worked together to edit the book -- Julius Epstein was still around, but very feeble. I don't know if it's definitive, but I think it's what is now licensed out [RobertArmin] Did it feel close to writing a "new" show or was it still like a revival, since it had never played in New York before? [KathleenMarshall] Sondheim didn't want to "fix" it too much -- especially his own work -- he wanted it to remain the work of a young writer [RobertArmin] Interesting. So he was willing to let it go as is? I think that was a good choice, since anything newly added might stand out. [RobertArmin] It is a sweet show. Probably not right for the Broadway of today, but well worth doing in community and school shows, etc. If it isn't great Sondheim, it's better than a lot of things from that period. [KathleenMarshall] It was like working on a new show and a revival at the same time -- there's a blueprint there, but you're free to create a new production that's never been seen [RobertArmin] So, as a director, what was the biggest thing you learned? [KathleenMarshall] to trust the material -- to bring out it's inherent qualities rather than imposing some outside concept on it [RobertArmin] You mentioned before the chat that because of other commitments you will not be directing Bye Bye Birdie. Can you talk about any of those other commitments? [KathleenMarshall] I just recently pulled out of Birdie -- it killed me to do because I adore that show and think it's the perfect kind of Encores party [KathleenMarshall] But if Mattress happens (and that's a big if), it will conflict. So it's a big gamble, but I didn't want to get deeper into Birdie -- casting and everything -- and then have to drop out [RobertArmin] Well, let's hope it comes through. [KathleenMarshall] knock on everything [RobertArmin] I shall indeed. [RobertArmin] Well, I must say that I look forward to each of your projects a lot. I like your work [KathleenMarshall] Thanks Robert -- I think that you're a kindred spirit in terms of your respect and affection for American musicals [RobertArmin] And I suspect that while that brother of yours is off in Hollywood, you're going to be taking home a Tony Award for yourself within the next few years. [RobertArmin] So there. [KathleenMarshall] Turn around three times and spit! [RobertArmin] LOL [RobertArmin] And I'll throw some salt over my shoulder too [KathleenMarshall] I think that ultimately you can't worry about what you can't control -- reviews, nominations, awards --all you can control is what you create [RobertArmin] Maybe someday you can get him to come back to Broadway and choreograph one or your shows, Ms. Director! [KathleenMarshall] It makes me laugh when I see an article about Rob that refers to him as "Former Broadway Choreographer" - he'll be back; but first his "Memoirs of a Geisha" movie [RobertArmin] It sounds like he's pulling a Bob Fosse -- first Sweet Charity and then Lenny. [KathleenMarshall] I can't wait to see this movie -- so visual, so ritual and movement oriented, bringing another world to the screen [RobertArmin] Here's hoping he gets back to musicals soon! And, of course, that you continue to prove that as a talent you are in no one's shadow! [KathleenMarshall] I think it's just a miracle to get paid to do what you love -- and I’m so lucky to have a family member I can ask for advice [RobertArmin] Next week, I will be chatting with the incredible Harvey Evans, whose Broadway credits go back half a century! And he's still a young man. [RobertArmin] Figure that out. [KathleenMarshall] I love Harvey! the original everything! [RobertArmin] Like FOLLIES! [RobertArmin] And the movie of WEST SIDE STORY [RobertArmin] and so much more. [KathleenMarshall] I know him but haven't worked with him -- he is the Dolly Levi of New York theatre -- everyone knows him [RobertArmin] LOL. [RobertArmin] I'll tell him that. [RobertArmin] Thanks again and keep us informed of what you're up to. [KathleenMarshall] Absolutely -- thanks for the chat! [RobertArmin] Good night everyone. | |
