A-LISTS theatre
Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound Old Globe Theatre
Now through November 7
oldglobe.org 619.234.5623
STARRING AS KATE JEROME IN NEIL SIMONS’ By lisa lipsey BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS AND BROADWAY BOUND
KAREN ZIEMBA The ever-exploratory Old Globe is treating audiences to two of Neil Simon’s best semi-autobiographical shows
Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound, in tandem. Best of all, beloved Tony Award-winning actress Karen Ziemba is playing the role of the mother, Kate Jerome, in both Simon shows. You’ve likely seen Ziemba before, she starred in the Old Globe’s Six Degrees of Separation and in The First Wives Club—a new musical. If not, don’t miss this chance. This woman has got mad skills and Simon’s work allows her to showcase them all.
Austyn Myers as Eugene Jerome and Karen Ziemba as Kate Jerome in Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs. Photography by Henry DiRocco.
The Rage Monthly: How in the world are you juggling two shows at once? Karen Ziemba: It’s a real mind twister; keeping abreast of all the information, the changes in show. I have to compartmentalize things in my brain. It’s pretty intense, back to back shows. When I do Brighton Beach Memoirs I take 12 years off Kate’s life and go back, then flip-flop forward 12 years later in Broadway Bound. It’s the same family, but a whole other story. It’s major work but it is fantastic.
RAGE: Tell us about your character. KZ: I enjoy Kate Jerome, she is always taking care of everybody else. There is no back talk and she shoots straight from the hip. She is in control—when her house is in order, every problem is solved; she feels good about herself and her world—home and family.
RAGE: Have you settled into the role of Kate? KZ: I’m still working at it. The other day, I got into clothes and hair and that process
informs you so much. I had full foundation, garters with stockings and a bullet bra, curls, a vintage watch and sensible shoes, gloves and a hat. It does something to your whole demeanor—how you walk, feel, the constriction, the propriety of the character. I love when you finally get into the real garb.
RAGE: You’ve done a lot of work with the Globe of late; remarkable work in Six Degrees of Separation last season. Are you considering making San Diego your home? KZ: Well, I live in New York. Going back to Broadway would be wonderful, but roles are
few and far between for women of a certain age. Broadway roles are being performed by either people who originated the role in Britain or by television and film stars—a name people would come to see no matter what the show was about. I like the freedom of being somebody who can pick-up and come to San Diego to be in a great play. It’s
not about the roles you play, but the people you work with. It’s a great group and Scott Schwartz is one of the best directors I’ve ever worked with. The shows the Globe pro- duces are top-notch all across the board. They take good care of me here and San Diego is a beautiful, cosmopolitan city.
RAGE: How did you get your start in theatre? KZ: My maternal grandmother, Winifred Height, was in the NYC Opera (1938 -1958), then she became a straight [non-singing] actress. My mother was infatuated with the theatre and was interested in dance and movies. I took to theatre work like a duck to water. I was a dancer at six years old. I kept working at music, singing, dance, and then acting and comedy. When I graduated, I moved out to New York.
RAGE: What are your thoughts on Neil Simon’s work? KZ: I’ve always enjoyed him so much, He’s the greatest playwright of the 20th Cen-
tury. A master and a great artist. His writing will grab you by the emotional gut and then he’ll have you come around the corner laughing.
RAGE: What really works about seeing these two shows in tandem? KZ: In these two plays, Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound, there isn’t one person who couldn’t see something familiar in this… you’ll think, I remember when this happened when I was a kid. That’s what I love about Neil Simon. His plays make you feel something when you come out of the theatre. I mean, isn’t that why you go to the theatre, to feel something? Whether it is a feeling of elation or tears welling up inside. The play helps us remember what it was like when a sibling left home for college… remember love, death, family… everybody can relate. You get to be a voyeur and get a close-up into somebody else’s life, without getting too close.
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RAGE monthly | OCTOBER 2010
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