Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

A Timeless Fairytale, a 75-Year-Old Tragedy, and a Show 20 Years in the Making

Center Theatre Group — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 14:51:00 -0800

The most striking aspect of this retelling of the Cinderella story is the setting. Why did you choose to set the world’s most famous fairy tale during the London Blitz in 1940?: Matthew Bourne: I first fell in love with Prokofiev’s score through watching Frederick Ashton’s version of the ballet for The Royal Ballet. Although composed as a fairy-tale piece, in the style of the great Tchaikovsky ballets, such as The Sleeping Beauty, it has Prokofiev’s particular 20^th century musical personality stamped all over it. True, it has Grand Waltzes, Fairy variations, mazurkas, and “national” dances, in the manner of Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballet works, but lurking beneath the fairy-tale magic, there beats a darker heart with real emotions and dramatic longing. These are the features of Prokofiev’s music that keep you coming back for more and insinuate their way inside you with every listening.

Prokofiev’s Cinderella was premiered at the Bolshoi in 1946 and Ashton’s much performed version followed in 1948, but I was intrigued to hear that Prokofiev had actually written the score during the Second World War, and this got me thinking. Was this dark period in our history somehow captured within the music? I felt that it was, and the more I delved into the Cinderella story, it seemed to work so well in the wartime setting. Darkly romantic in tone, it speaks of a period when time was everything, love was found and lost suddenly, and the world danced as if there was no tomorrow.
Do you use the entire Prokofiev score?: When I first created the piece in 1997, I attempted to choreograph the entire three-act score with no re-ordering or cuts. This was in no small part due to the fact that Prokofiev’s artist son, Oleg, had asked if he could come to rehearsals and sketch the dancers. Although I was wary of making any changes to his father's music whilst he was in the room with us, he, of course, turned out to be a delightful man, full of enthusiasm for what we were doing, even saying how much his father would have loved our interpretation. I have since made a few small cuts and revisions, to help our story, but am proud to say that our Act Three remains completely intact, full of wonderful music that Ashton had cut from his famous version.
Your love of classic films is well known. Were there any particular movies that inspired this re-telling of the story?: My guiding light with this production has always been the incredible Powell and Pressburger classic A Matter Of Life and Death (1946) starring David Niven and Kim Hunter. Niven’s character, Peter Carter, an RAF pilot, miraculously survives almost certain death when his plane crashes into the sea. It soon becomes clear that he has cheated death and the heavenly agents and angels have made a mistake. He hovers between life and death, but guided by a male guardian angel and the woman he loves, he is given a second chance. In essence he is saved by the power of love. My Cinderella does not tell this exact story, by any means, but its fanciful, and particularly English whimsy and romance is, I hope, captured in our story of wartime love and conflict. Our “Angel” is also male, rather than the usual “Fairy Godmother,” but he is based more on Cary Grant (The Bishop's Wife 1947) and Fred Astaire, who played a dancing angel on several occasions.

Look out also for glimpses of other classic movies in the production, such as Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard from Brief Encounter (1945) in our final railway station scene, and the prostitutes from the Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor classic Waterloo Bridge (1940) in our London Underground sequence. I must also pay tribute to one of my favorite ’40s actresses, Joan Crawford, who inspired Lez Brotherston and myself to create Sybil, our glamorous Stepmother.
How historically accurate is your Blitz in Cinderella? Does it refer to any actual incidents that took place in London at the time?: We have tried to be as accurate as possible; Lez Brotherston, the company, and I have spent many hours researching the period and characters through old movies, documentaries, and public information films. I will admit here to at least one historical inaccuracy, though. We do have a GI American soldier character called “Buster,” who I couldn’t resist putting in for the sake of variety. The Americans, however, did not enter the war until the beginning of 1942.

The crucial incident for us is the famous bombing of the legendary Café de Paris on March 8, 1941. On this particular night, the club received a direct hit, killing or seriously injuring nearly 100 dancing couples, cabaret artists, and staff, including the 26-year-old bandleader, Ken “Snake-hips” Johnson. Our magical Act Two bombed ballroom, with its ghostly dancing couples and the haunting waltzes of Prokofiev, owes much to this tragic night. It represents Cinderella’s dream, as well as her nightmare.
Your regular collaborator, designer Lez Brotherston, won an Olivier Award for his original Cinderella designs in 1997. Has the concept changed substantially for this new production?: The “war-time” setting has obviously been retained, but our original production has been completely lost, and Lez and I have had a chance to take a fresh look at the piece from every angle. This is essentially a new production created to tour throughout the UK and beyond. It is designed very much like a silver screen classic in black and white (and gray!) and the magic and color is added through the lighting designs of Neil Austin. Lez is always very thorough when it comes to period designs, and therefore our costume designs are a mix of the everyday wear of ordinary Londoners and servicemen and women, as well as the more flamboyant designs of 1940s movie stars. It beautifully captures the realism of our “darkest hour” along with the escapism and glamour of Hollywood.
Tell us about the innovative idea of presenting this production in “surround sound”?: As I have said, my original idea to create this Blitz Cinderella came from the particular power, foreboding, and magic of Prokofiev’s score. I was also drawn to its cinematic quality and how this related to the films that were inspiring the project. I wanted both the power of a full orchestra, along with the sounds and feelings of a full cinematic experience. I spoke to our sound designer, Paul Groothuis, on how we might achieve this, and he suggested that we present the production in surround sound. We both figured that much of our audience are so used to the best where sound is concerned; both at home, with the new generation of HD TVs, at the cinema, and even watching musical theatre and arena concerts. To create that cinema experience we felt that Cinderella was the production on which to experiment with this exciting idea.

Earlier this year, our regular conductor, the brilliant Brett Morris, guided an 82-piece orchestra through a beautiful and highly theatrical new interpretation of the score, which will be heard in the theatre much like you would hear a great score at the cinema. Add to this the sounds and atmosphere of war-torn London and we have a thrilling aural as well as visual performance.
Even though the events depicted in Cinderella happened over 75 years ago, the Blitz experience will still resonate with many audience members as part of their family history. Do you have your own family connections?: I dedicated the original production of Cinderella to my grandparents, who kept their families together, in London, during the Blitz. My parents, living streets away from each other in the East End, survived the nightly onslaught, I’m happy to say, and they both loved to tell me stories from this time: the excitement, the fear, and the friendships made.

Now they are all gone, but I hope that the spirit and courage of not just my family, but of everyone who made sacrifices, or who found or lost love during this time are captured in this piece, which has been made in tribute to them.

Meet the Actors ‘Fearlessly Exploring the Human Condition’ with Tracy Letts

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 14:19:00 -0800

With the addition of a new ensemble member, Barford, along with most of the original Steppenwolf cast, reprise their roles in Tracy Letts’ play at the Taper January 9 – February 17, 2019. We asked the actors playing alongside Barford how they prepared for their roles and what it means for them to be a part of this production in Los Angeles.

Chantal Thuy, Minnie

What did you think when you first read the script?: I was thrilled that a young Vietnamese girl was being represented in the play. There are very few plays with a Vietnamese-specific character that’s also written with so much human complexity, humor, and one that defies stereotypes. I can also relate very deeply to the themes and issues discussed in the play, so I connected immediately to it.
How did you approach the role of Minnie?: Minnie is a version of me in my early 20s, with obvious differences, but not a far cry from experiences I’ve had in my life. So on a human level, I can connect to her experiences. She’s also different from me in many ways, so I rely deeply on my imagination when putting myself in her circumstances. The costumes, hair, and makeup has really informed me on the overall physical behavior, mannerisms, and gait of Minnie.
What is it like joining the Steppenwolf cast?: A dream come true. I watched half of this cast on stage during the Broadway run of August: Osage County while I was in theatre school, so I am in awe to be sharing the stage with them. Not only is everyone incredibly talented, they are all so supportive as people on and off the stage. You really feel like you are part of an ensemble where you have each other’s back, and I think that’s what makes the Steppenwolf ensemble so great. Everyone works together, and this generosity of spirit holds you up and connects you to each other and the play. Actually, Tracy told me that one day, and I realized it as I started experiencing it directly.

A Mostly Candid Tracy Letts on His Career Wins and Woes

Center Theatre Group — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 16:57:00 -0800

So perhaps you should read the below—a collection of interviews and profiles that shine a light on his impressive body of work, including Linda Vista (onstage at the Mark Taper Forum January 9 – February 17, 2019)—with that caveat in mind. Nonetheless, the actor-writer has often been frank about the many ups and downs over his three-decade-long career.

As a child, Letts often felt isolated from other kids and turned to the arts—an interest he inherited from his writer mother (Billie Letts, author of Where the Heart Is) and actor father (Dennis Letts, who originated the role of Beverly Weston in August: Osage County). But their path to creative success wasn’t exactly traditional, as Letts explained in a 2017 interview:

When I was growing up, [my parents] both taught college English. Those careers, acting for my dad and writing for my mom, were aspirational. They were creative people and they needed a way to get their creativity out. My mom, I mean, I don’t know how the hell she did it, working a full-time job and raising two kids in a pretty traditional household where she did all the cooking and cleaning, and finding time to get in her office and write! I don’t know how the hell she did it. She had an incredible work ethic. And then my dad, the first play I ever remember seeing was To Kill a Mockingbird at our local college, with my dad playing Atticus.

Letts forged his own path as an artist by moving to Chicago in the late 1980s, where he worked as a stage actor for over a decade before moving to Los Angeles to turn his attention to television. But he didn’t find the same satisfaction in onscreen work, and he moved back to Chicago a few years later and became a Steppenwolf company member. Letts reflected on the moves in The New York Times:

When I came back to Chicago from L.A., a lot of people said, It seemed like you were doing pretty good out there—you were on Seinfeld and you did this TV show or that TV show. But none of it was pleasing to me. I dreaded it when I got the job even more than when I didn’t get the job. So you recalibrate.

I walked into that rehearsal room at Steppenwolf and felt completely at home. I knew I was never going to make any money, but I’d be damned if I was going to spend my best, most creative years in Los Angeles waiting for the phone to ring.

At the same time, he was becoming an acclaimed professional playwright beginning in 1993 with Killer Joe—a dark comedy that premiered in Chicago then transferred internationally to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and London. Letts followed this with Bug in 1996, Pulitzer Prize finalist Man from Nebraska in 2003, and August: Osage County, which opened on Broadway in late 2007. August: Osage County earned Letts his first Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play, but it was also a bittersweet moment:

After the opening in Chicago in the summer of 2007, I thought August was done. Then we were going to Broadway. We were supposed to start rehearsals there in October, and between the summer and October, my father was diagnosed [with lung cancer]. So we knew he was going to die.

Dad was great in the play. I doubt anybody else has been as good. …

Anyway, in November the stagehands went on strike, and we couldn’t open until December. I thought he might die before we got a chance to open the show. It was a terrible time. He went pretty quickly, really. He was diagnosed in September, and he died in February. He was still doing the play in January. Six weeks after he died, I won the Pulitzer Prize, and it was devastating. It was so exciting of course to win it, again beyond my wildest dreams, but my father, because of his education and his love of the written word, that would have meant so much to him.

August: Osage County was inspired by his grandfather’s suicide, and Letts is not shy about drawing from his personal experiences in his writing. Along with exploring complicated relationships and the feeling of anger, the recurring theme of control—or, often, the lack of it—has also come to define many plays in his canon of work. In a Slant interview, Letts explained:

Perhaps I just think it’s the stuff of drama, but perhaps it’s something from my own life as well. I mean, I’ve been sober for over 20 years, and I’m a subscriber of AA and its philosophies. So there probably is something in there about my belief that a certain giving up of control is good for the soul.

Many of Letts’ plays are also driven by an ensemble of memorable characters rather than a single lead. As he told Slate, this method of storytelling was influenced by his experiences at Steppenwolf:

Ensemble, to me, is everything. It’s just what I know. Aesthetically, it’s what pleases me. It’s what I think makes for the best theater, the theater that draws people in.

The story has primacy. The story is above all other considerations. “What is the best way to tell our story?” is the governing question, I think, for most Chicago actors. Not “what is the best way to feature this actor?” Not “what is the best way to make our point?”

Letts also practices this ensemble approach in the rehearsal room, including rehearsals for Linda Vista at the Taper, as he discussed on KPCC’s The Frame:

There are four female characters in Linda Vista. I think they’re well drawn characters, and I have some exceptional actresses playing these parts. As I say, everybody contributes to this process for me. These women were huge, monumental for me in creating this work in the humanity they brought to this and their ability to voice their own experiences in rehearsal throughout the process.

Over the last decade, Letts has earned acclaim acting in a number of high-profile productions both onstage and onscreen—including two seasons of Homeland, the Academy Award-nominated films Lady Bird and The Post, and the Broadway revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in 2013. In an interview with The Atlantic, Letts explained how he chooses his roles:

There were certainly times in my life as a younger actor where I would have done anything. Now, I don’t have to do that anymore, and I don’t have any other method for choosing a project other than the quality of the writing. There are probably other people who’d say, Well, the script isn’t strong, but it’s got x, y, and z, and therefore I’m gonna roll the dice. I’m not smart enough to do that. All I know to do is say, The script is good, and therefore I will participate. So far, that’s proven to be the right way to go, for me.

In the end, the skills he has learned from both acting and writing have been the recipe to his successes. Letts recently told the Los Angeles Times:

They use some of the same skills: powers of observation, mimicry, sense of humor, deciding the best way to tell the story. I think the work I do as an actor helps me write good roles for actors. I know the things that actors want and respond to. And when I get up onstage to act, I think about the times actors have driven me crazy when they’re acting my writing, so hopefully it’s made me better as a writer.

I don’t think I would be as good at either job if I were trying to do them both at the same time. I would certainly be too be self-conscious. I would feel like a show off. I wouldn’t enjoy that.

Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

A Timeless Fairytale, a 75-Year-Old Tragedy, and a Show 20 Years in the Making

Meet the Actors ‘Fearlessly Exploring the Human Condition’ with Tracy Letts

Chantal Thuy, Minnie

Troy West, Michael

Cora Vander Broek, Jules

Tim Hopper, Paul

Sally Murphy, Margaret

Caroline Neff, Anita

A Mostly Candid Tracy Letts on His Career Wins and Woes