August 1997 Issue 11 £2.50 Matt Wolf meets a Hollywood Superstar The thinking man's actor Prolific, precocious, provocative Making his mark Also in this issue... 08 9771364763009 i EDITOR'S LETTER n the very first imre of Applause, Matt Wolf wrote a piece in which he com/Jared the 'softness' of London's theatre critics to their more bmtal New York cmm ter/Jam. As CI group (or 'scathe', if you like) of critics , our tolerance ratio, Wolf maintained, WdS felr higher than Broadway's bwchers who, at the risk of reducing the number of Brnw:ltuF siln us, m any season, to single figure s, would blast to oblivion the equivalent of the maJ1\ h<'luw-par /nodlfctions that find their way into the Wes t End. Well, if the last re i< mrdlths are an),thing to go by, London's reviewers wmrld a/Jpear to hal'e taken \CU/,;"5oh'C'T!'llt/ons to heart. The majority of them gave the thumbs down to Terrence ,'vfc.'\'alh s mmrd-lvinninf,; Mas[er C lass, Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl, and to the 10hn Demp,c\-I)ana Rowe musical The Fix - all American in ori?;in, incidentally. Marlene also hl1d 11 rOI/!;h ride from some of the more disceminf,; reviewers bw, ~mlike the first two, it has manl1!;.;:,j 0 hong in on the strength of Sian Phillips' marvellous central performance. Blood has also recentl)' been drawn from Always, whose critical reception was the jO/tnwlistic eqHit>aient of Resen'Olr Dogs. In cases such as this, there is not a great deal a producer can do excC'pt sink some more money into the show and hope audiences prove the Clitics \( rong . Shlll iU ,ilm , indeed , wm ow to be the case (as happened many )'ears ago, with rhe origntlll _harhe Girl. which, despite its critical matrling, ran fil'e and a half years) , there con hI " \a .:.'t<'r l'c' l enge And talking of revenge, [he best story I know conceming a cri tic's come-u{)pJllc,: 1m o/t'CS the great George Jean Nathan, one of the mos t feared and brilliantly en ltlir II -,Ill Sell' 'z"ork's legendar), aisle-s itters. (I [ was Nathan, who, reviewing a production of The \ [1 KaJu, ll" ted that all [he girls were so ugly it was impossible to tell which was Katisha dill! H hid! tlClSn '[ And i[ was Nathan who ended a review of a musical by saying he'd knocked 14 claSSically traineclrnale from ~York who are just tutu divine ! cl'e)'\' (h ing in the show except the choms girls knees - 'and God took care of that' ,) Nothan , the DIREU FROM NORTH AMERICA ' fn n g, 'eS, wished to meet the deaf, dHmb and blind Helen Keller, and an appointment was se t liP In Keller's 'minder' Annie SHllivan, A few mimltes into the visit, Keller tapped out 'ome thinf,; into the palm of S~tllivcm's hand. Miss SHllivan relayed the contents bock to Nathan : ':'vii" Keller,' she said, 'remembers ver), well a ret·iew you tvrote of a play in which )'0" said tilat tht' costf.tmes looked as though [hey ilad been made by Helen Keller.' Oops - and touche I .>.,U C ST 1997 4PP1<-\USE 3 aflPlause AUGUST 1997 ISSUE 11 content REGULARS OFFSTAGE GOSSIP 6 ONSTAGE REVIEWS 15 DIARY 20 APPLAUSE THEATRE CLUB 23 The Ihinking nwn '.~ t ll·lrlY . (1.35 CD REVIEW 37 BOOK REVIEW 38 NEW FACES DOMINIC WEST 41 SPECTRUM DANCE, TV & OPERA 42 NED SHERRIN 46 PEOPLE WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE THElMA HOLT 47 OFFSTAGE BROADWAY GOSSIP 49 COMPENDIUM 50 SHOWS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE 50 CLARE RAYNER TURNER PRIZE KATHLEEN TURNER BARBICAN'S LOST MUSICALS: JUBILEE THE APOCALYPSE OF THE HORSEMAN EDINBURGH FESTIVAL REMARKABLE CAREER JULIE WILSON ALAN BATES PROFILE 3 MARTIN McDONAGH INTERVIEW ' ,... . l'l . ~ ,"1 • IAN COOl( -'I,., G US- 1997 I"Pt USE 5 -stage THE C;REAT PETE PO~nETHWAITE is to st,]f <IS (orced to abandon its attcmr ts to mount Fiona TJ IE ML"'IlAL \'ER~ION of Jean de F[oreClc ,md its Macheth in the Briswl Old Vic production Laird's production o( Oh, \\!hac A Lovei )' \X!(lT ' ,equel lv(anun des Sources is LlllCe ; I~,lin bei ng which may he heading to London in the ~nd the National Theatre will present it as a 111l)()ted for a West End presenrati,;n. The score Winter. The unlikely Hollywood St,l[ returns to touring production next year. T he :;h(1I1', which 'l'cm, rn h;l\'c heen awund (ore\'er, rerhars the O ld Vic having worked tbere with Adrian was created by Theatre Workshop '35 \T,lI'S ag(1, e\'en SinCl' dOing a mUSical b~lsed ,\11 Jam de Noble on v<ltiuus productions including The will also come to London. E"rlier this year, FJllrcccc'ccmed like ,I gopd kkJ. The films ca me Recnlitlng Officer. Rumour has it that he gO[ his Nunn managed to secure the performance nut on:'1" a decade (lgl) JnJ une thing i" fL~r ::j urI:" hig break when Daniel Day-Lewis introduced rights fL)r OJdahoma!, stealing them fl'(lm under Ernanuelle Beart wi II not he rq'c,1ClI1g her him to the rwducers of In the Nam e of the the nose of the Open Air which thought it lI'a.S pcrfllrmance as lvL1I1()n. I-Iowe\'er J CYlllGll Father ,15 ~n Irishman and Pete held the act in the clear to mount a production this summer. ,1gent i:; h"und rn ,uggest (;1sting Estelle together long enough for them w cast him as The National is likely to present ,1 majm re\'i\'al Skornik - ye" her pf the Renault C lio adn'[[S­ Giuseppe. Unlike D8n D8y-Lc\\'is, he manc1ged in Autumn 1998. and expanding all the nude scenes. [0 give up the accent \\'hen he stopped fi lming • • • • • • and didn't think It was necessary to apply for an Irish passport. A nFR THr SHOCK OF HL .\RI~U that the • • • l11<1gici,1lI Paul Daniels had been cast In Th e SchulJl f;)r W'Il 'c'.I, we now h,11'c to LIce the even SO~IE rEorLE ARE CALLING Trevors Nunn's first ~m~!~T:GE Wl)rSe rwspect ()( seeing Luke Goss, once of seas,m in ch<1fge of tbe Nmional Theatre daring 8fLlS, in Cireel.'c. The ",rt ()f peuple who hClught and rrovocJtive while orhers are saying it's far 8ms records alllhnse ye,lrs ,l~O are npw in their MUSICAL cuo safe - which suggests thar he's prohahly twentic:; and \\'()uld he I1wrrified if ~ny,)(1e (" und the right balance. His own rroduction of disc,))'cred their d,lrk, teen;'ge secret. Just wlw Ibsen's An Enemy of the Peo/)Ie defini tely comes the pn)ciuccrs think wlluld cough ur muney t,; APPRECIATION SOCIETY inw the safe G1tegory, while rutting Bulgah lV's ,Cl' thiS (allen ,rar is hc),()nd cllll1rrehenslon. rather ubscure Flil(Ju into the large Olivier lvk anll'hile, the same proJucers \\'Ish to (;l.,t an Thl'<ltre in February seems a little deranged. unknown for the lead role of Tony in So w dm' For all those who enjoy the Ho\\,e\'er, it's gener" lly agreed that asking Night Fever at the Londoll Pall,1dlllln. Luke', musicals but would like to Deborah Warner to direct Noel Coward's b[(lthcr Mart w ines tn mind. Arlene Phillips, Private Li,'es is an absolutely inspired idea, but learn more and share their the choreogr;Jpiler o( Hnl (io" lr , <Inc! tn'WC it's likely th,1t she thuught of it herself. interest with others, recently the ,1(mel1lenti, Inc,l Grcd'c, h,1> I'ecn Meanwhile, Terry Johnson's nell' rroduction of given the ,1of, "I' dir<' Lnnf,! \ mn.:LI\· ,\:Ip,Jl l Fever. T he London Clickulds is certain to be interesting Whether you perform in local This b,)des we ll f" the ,l,mee numher> but h'1rdly - Ed\\'ard Ra\'enscroft's neglected reswration shows, go to the theatre or Sllg~C'~ t5 t hlH lh~ :'~)(il..l·rct1h"ll1 o( the urigln~l l filn1 comedy \\'as <1 gem of its time and was is gUlfl !.! , ) tl~Llr~ ill th~ .,LJge \'er~inn. just listen to musicals on CD l'er(prmed on e\'ery Lord Mayor's Day fur ••• or tape, "SMASH" aims to :;e\'ent\, YC<1fS until David Garrick rut 8 stop to it. Nunn':; n,1tural conservcHism truly reveals enhance your understanding \ '1 TFh \'- "R,~I'U.ER MICH.'\ EL CPI)RllN is set to itself If) rhe progr<lmming (or the Corresloe In and enjoyment of the shows hr I !! Simon Brett's ne\\' thriller Silhullccce to \\'I"'t would arpear to he a buld and exciting and keep you in touch with all lhe \Vc't End this wintcr. The pwc\uction will decision he has earmarked the venue (or a long the news. (e,llurc (u n n t'f D)'na.IC), .'tar Stephanie :;tring o( \",)rld rremieres. Ht1Wever, new rial'S Beacham, Tlte L'pper Hand." Joe McGann and from established writers such as Frank Hugh Dennis, half ,,( Punt & De nnis Clnd For further information write to ­ McGuinness, Kevin Elyot, Sebastian Barry former member c)f The M8I'y \\!hitchouse SMASH, PO Box 148, and Michael Frayn hardly suggest that this is a Experience. Denl1ls h,15 decided to take a hrcolk venture into the unknown - there doesn't Guildford, frum comedy although Il1Jny \\'llul,1 cI,)lm Ill " appear w be room for a single play hy a new or Surrey, GU1 2FF he did til,l[ ye;lrs 'lgO. young writer Not Aboul Night ingales, an early rial' by Tennessee Wi lliams which Vanessa Redgrave claims to have discovered clnd that Nunn hil1lsel( will direct, is <lisu included in this list o( wmld premieres C\'en though some claim IT 1$ NOT SURf'RISIN(, TH:\T Em ily Lloyd, Whll that the play ))';:I S performed in St Louis in the has had one of the most regrt'rful careers in late 1930s. living memory since the carll' "'rumise d IXli.lh ••• YO LI Were Here, has left Bill Kenwright's ne\\' production of George Bernard Shaw's P),gll1£1Jion under a cloud. It seems thm Roy Marsden's Thedtrt' seems to h,1)'e had an effect on greatest problem in rlaying Professor I-liggim productiLll1s at ()ther \·enues. For one reason and \Vas nor so much getting Eliza Dolitrlc [(l talk another, the Greenwich Theatre has heen proper, hut w get Emily U(lyd to acr. 6 f.FP .... US E .i,UGUST 1997 interview KATHLEEN TURNER She has an aura of the Hollywood greats, having been compared to Bacall, Stanwyck and Lombard. Now, this movie goddess smoulders her way onto the British stage with a homage to another legend Tallulah! and in Somerset Maugham's Our Betters Matt Wolf talked to her at Chichester. Photographs by Ian Cook. Y \lU knn'" her as Mmry W<1lker, selling the sizzle in Bud\' Hcm n(ltil1n of ct sexy-looking wom~n in llliJJle age "'h" IS in wuch with her rh8t went on to make her a st,)r. Or as the repressed Jpan scnsuality. In the theatre, the roles get hetter anJ hetter.' And while she Wi Ider in RomanclnRIhe SlOne ,md Th e Jewel oj the Nile, f(lr worries ~b()ur wh~t an olJer Chichester ruhlic might m<lke (,fTaliulah's whl>m he[(lism ,,",15 just ,1 jlln!;(le ,1JI'enrllre away. But wilen unbridled 1;111guage (,I Jon't knolV how they'll tilke [(l it.' Turner grins, Kathleen Turner last shifteJ from cinema tp the St"~,,, befllre rec iting the rlay's opening expletive), she ,1t least has the II1heming Sheila Gish's part as the Jrugged-out Yvpnne in Indiscretions, advantage of 8 trJns-Arianric remove from ~ street where the glare has Vincent Canby of The Ncw York Times issued a rrescient cheer: 'When i1L1t CllwClYS heen g!t)wing. M< Turner opens up and lets fl y with th,n sexy, near-bmiwne delil'ery, she Turner has appearecl three times e1n BwaJII'ay, (irst <JS a replacement threatens the swbility of the house like no one ,ince T,lllulah Bankhc,hl. in the long-running C\lmcJy Gemini <lnJ, much later and with ,1[) Osc~r In fact, .<he's a hetter cpmeciienne than Bankheild, ilS \\'ell ,IS ,m actress of nominatinn (f(lr Pegg\' Sue Gor MC/I,ied) hI' then behind her, 8S Maggie in gutS and daring.' Cal On A HOI Tin Uooj" an,i as the mllther from HeLl in Jean Cocteau's Le.1 Two years later, the 43-ye<lHlld film stm IS returning to her I"l>ots, Parents Terrihles, Jully renameJ Indiscretions by its Francorhnbic plaYJf1g B,mkheaJ in S<lnJra Ryan Heyw,lrd's one-woman show '1:,.'/./ "-:;;., Broadw<1Y backers. As M<Jggie, Turner got ll1(lstiy excellent reviews (The the first of:J Chichester d(luhle-header. By the time you reaJ this, her New Y<lrk Times' Fr~nk Rich thought her ' r~diant') ,mJ a Tony Brimh stage debut will have come ,mel gone, anJ she wi ll be immer.sed in nomination for best ~ctress in what was hasically a transplilnred rlilY mllnber twO, Ollr Bet/ers, a little-known Somerset Maugham comedy Americ~n versill[) of the earlier Hnwmd Davies pruJuC[l(l[) seen at the that cast, the American cinel11~'s le8ding '80s v<lmp elpposite local Natilln,ll, with Lindsay Duncan as Maggie. At that year'; Tony ceremony, (~\'(lurite, Rul~ Lensb. 'l've hardly thought of it,' she S,lyS of rhe Turner herself rl~yccl host - anJ deserveJ ct medal of sorts for keering ~ MaU!2il8m play, in which she plays American ,1tisrocr~1[ bdy Crayst(ln. slllile on her lir' ,1S Maggie Snmh (Leuice and Lurage) scoopeJ the best She C(lmpares it to Les Liaisons lJangercl<ses: 'It's quite cyniGiI in ,elme actress prize. way" th(lugh the 1c8J is nowhere ne<lr <1S malicious.' indisC1"ellollS was anl)ther srory. BudgeteJ ~t over $2 million, the How did the siren who shot to f,une when she was only 25 in Bod) Sean Mathias staging seemed to have everything going for it: 8 Londlln Hear enJ up spending the summer in S ussex, where 1 watched her ",,11k ped'gree; 'l scintillating line-up comprised of Turner. twel English pros virtually unnoticed through Chichester w\\'n centre one Silturday (Roger Rees and Eileen AtkillS) anJ two hot young ascending stars ,lftertHlon, a tll1)' black kn,lpsack enJe,uingly helisted on her hack ov("r rl (BJ"()Cldw<lYbabe Cynrhl<l Nixe1n anJ London golJen boy juJe L;!\I l: .mJ ., light hlue Armani rancsuit' 'I'm cpming inw my own,' Turner smiles over story of famdial dysfun cti(ln to make the (bdy rel'el,1[ion' clJl U!,r,.): ,1 relaxcJ lunch III thc rheatre rest<lut<1I1t as ~ wom full of Chichester's arrear, well, genteel. finest (anJ " Idest) he'lJ off [() the Blithe Spirit matinee. For ),e,HS, Turner Inste~d, ,dth(lugh the p18\, gPt ninc Tel'1\" nnlllin.HI, r)' \ ,r~~,'rJ fdr a ,,01. ,md producer Duncan Weldon had been pursuing various options: \'(1110'5 nem-musical), Turner herself \\as n"t incl\lJ~J jl~ lh~m, I[) mJignity Aj"wid oj Virginia \'(I()olf' IV,\S a leading canJidate, hut, says Turner, 'I'm wmpellrnded by the fact that It \\',1 ,he' (.d'>I\t! \\lIltJere 11' Irons) \\"ho reilll)' t(lO y(lung at the moment for Manha'; and when HeywarJ's scrirt \\';15 ~skeel w reaJ the nll'llll1eeS (m TV ,,'rll th It hri~hl :-V18,- In(lrning. CHTiveJ unsoliciteJ frolll C alifornia, Turner bwught it [(l Weldol1. 'Th,1[ hurt; ir hutt, it really diJ,' recalls Turner, running a brush through '1 know peuple are ~Iways am,lzed that Americans who do 111()('ies her honey-wloured hair. 'I got all rhese letters ('( "pology (rom rhe Tony (c1n t'\'~ 11 w;:l lk on (1..1 il stage,' SClyS Turner, Whl)St' early ~[age cred its nomil1<lting commirree, and there W,15 Eileen (Atkins) storming ~tllund incluJc Nina in The ScaRltll opposite TOITl Hulce's Konstantin and backst,lge, shouting imrrecmions, But, Y(lU know, it lVas a great ye~r for Hirrolyra/Titania in A Midsum mer Nighl '.1 Dream, 'hut yell! knoll', th,u's women.' Wurst' than getting (lverlookeJ, she says, was heing chosen 'ro where rt lelt (,f us really fcd at hllille. In Ho ll ywooJ, Yllu' re used up hI' the .1nm)unce the n(ll11inatio[1S, knowing that all my casr had heen time Y(lU're 40; we in Arneric<l Jon't knll'" how [(l accllml1l<ld,ue the nmnin,lteJ excert me. .It maJe me feel ill-used.' >­ 8 p/'L4U :.>E AUGU ST 199 7 ':' UG'JST 1997 ,.Ipp ,.lUSt: 9 The eight-month, financially unsuccessful run posed irs cllvn and money-men. J['S really saJ: [hey don't rake chances the way they u~ed problems. Atk l11s Jropped our [(1 he treated for cancer, and Turner was ((). I read these scripts and! rhink, 'what abour rhe charactersI Has fighring her own healrh war, corning our of a lengrhy rrearment for anyone borhered to think of rhem l' Of the generarion following on rheum,)wIJ arrhrJris thar lefr her bloareJ and rired, anJ leJ ro rumours behind her, Turner speaks of 'feel( ing) sorry in parr for rhem because rhm she haJ raken ro Jnnk: during rhe worsr of rhe illness, she couldn't rhey're fighring a much harder banie. When I was srarring, we were mClre e\'en hold a cup. 'I haJ been on all rhose anribimics, ,md ler me rell you, willing ro rake chances. Now, rhere's less respecr for acrors; you're nor ,)frer rhm, rhe sraircase was ,) killer,' says rhe actress, who missed encouraged ro develop your own indi \'iduality' numerous puform<1nccs and came Nor does she have much rime rn dread rhe floor-tn-ceiling spiral for rhe dismiSSive arriruJe srairs [har prc1\'ided [he aesrheric [O\\'ards rhe press rbar centrepiece of designer Srephen char,1Ctertse~ all roo lTIany Brimson Lewis's exrramdin,ny set. celebriries. '\\ie're inrerdepenciem ; 'Then, when Eileen lefr, we had an I've ne\'er seen ira, us \'ersus undersrudy fm ages because rhey rhern, unless rhey say ' l)me[hing rhoughr she mighr come back. By maliciuuo, in which case you rhe [lme Dana I vel', who "';:1S don'r ralk to rhem again. !\'c wonJerful, came in, we'd alllosr always felr rhey had rherr jobs ro l11omenrum; rhe play never really do, as well .' Turner gives recovered. Believe me, killing generously of her time, hur al,o yc)urself elghr rimes a week is makes clear when thar rime is ur. nor easy. 'Wirh rhe New Y(lrk Srill, Turner is il fighrer, <lI1d phorographers, I ha\'e a trick. rhe day I meer her she looks in I tell them, "1'm wunrmg back­ ~"'elte, flghring trinl, having wards from 20 and ,1f. .) \\'U S[()r· '" slimmed down since IndisCl"erions And woe h,'ride rhe rhnrc)grarher ilnd displaying in rhe course of a will' kee~" c' n lickin~. 90-l11l11ure char a candid, funk y \\'hich h:'inc:> us full circle [() humuur ar odds wirh rhe sometimes C hich,:, er. \\·here she has spent regaL e\'en imperious impression 111 "s ,.r· c',e mo rning rn l,h()[o she com·eys. (More rhan thar, she I.ooks delighred when our waiter shoors and will rerum [0 her renteJ tb rh'lr afternoon ro run her info rms her rhat Undercover Blues, a flop she did wirh Dennis Quaid, is on Tallulah ! lines. Larer on, 'once I\ 'e ~Ilr the lines Jown, and we're ralkmg TV rhar evening. ) People may compare her ro Bacall, or Sranwyck or 97 minures of dialogue ,' she "ill he ),HneJ m EnglanJ by husbanJ Jay HaY\\'orrh or ,my of a half-Jozen mher gc)ddesses from Ho llywood's Weiss, a N ew York real-e'r<ue ,ie\'el, Iper, and their nine-year-old heyd,)\, (Cmole Lombard remains her favourire ); bur Turner emerges as daughter, Rachel, ,,·ho Turner ,I" ume, will become an actress. 'My far more 8ppwach<1ble rhan rhose e~rlier icons ever could have been, daughrer's a sc)prano. God hell' her.' laughs Turner, 'rhough how, I can'r expbinlng a quick rrip [0 rhe 100 w)[h an unexpecred acimission: imagine; in school. I uscJ to sing \\'lrh rhe boys.' The family, who have a 'J'm ha\'ing a rough period.' Emlier, she had done a delicious summer home near Amaganserr on Long Island, will spend rhe resr of impersonarion of \\'har ir is like ro he on an airplane when rhe in-flighr Turner's Chichesrer renure renring a place by rhe sea. Says Turner, 'I Itke fi 1m srar~ you. to be near warer.' Back <lr rhe rilf,le anJ, afrer lunch, smoking CanaJian Exporr A For rhe rnomenr, she sounds happy ro be near rheatre, and sreaks clgarerre~ our hy rhe C hlchesrer lawn ('I'm one of rhose few Americans wirh genuIne regret of having ro rerum from London w MiSSOlJl"l a, a who smllkes.' she deadpans); Turner reflects on a career rhar has redefined sragesrruck adolescent follc)wing rhe unexrecred dearh when she \\'as jusr irself of Iare, jusr as rhe Holl\'\\'ood rhm launcheJ her has alrered, 17 of her career diplomar farher: 'he was mowing rhe lawn and jusr fell probably forever. 'I. don'r think my career is over,' she says, speaking over; you can imagine how l felr.' Thar meanr an end to rhe rheatre she m,1[rer-of-f~lCrly r'lther than Jefenslvely abour <l heady '80s spare of roles haJ been seeing, Angela Lansbury in Mame anJ an Old Vic Danton's rh,1[, during rhe '90s, trickled [U only one nOta hIe film, John Warers' Death among rhem, as \Veil as nipping in the bud full-rime enrolmenr ar Serial Mom. (Three Turner frlms a\\'air release larer rhis year.) 'The rhe Cenrral School of Speech and Drama, where she audired courses gre<1rness \vas [() wllrk wirh ex traordinary acrors. On rhe orher hand, I during high sc hool. And as movies relegare her [() supporring or characrer ha\'e enough work, enough success, rhar I now have respecr wirhoU[ roles, why nor seize upon rhe sragel (The parr, rhough, has to be righr­ hype, wlrhout sensationalislTI. Thar alluws me privacy for which I am very she rumed down rhe recent [Ouring revi val of Applause as well as a rhankful; 1don't wanr w be tl,1\'uur uf rhe month forever.' chance co do MISSjrr.ile oppc,sire Frank Langella.) 'As a rheatre acrress, In ,my Cilse, she Cllntinues, who would want [0 be part of the so­ Yl)u're either an ingenue, which I never was, or you wait until you come calleJ 'new Holly\\\lml'? 'The inJustry now is complerely run by bankers m[cl the gre<1 t role~. And rhar's about now.' • 10 4. PPt 1.." £ AUG ST 1997