A-LISTS theatre
A CHAT WITH THE FEMALE LEADS OF CYGNET THEATRE ‘S NEW PRODUCTION:
CABARET Winner of eight Tony Awards®, including Best Musical,
Composer and Lyricist, for Kander and Ebb, Cabaret comes to town this month at the Cygnet Theatre. Set on the eve of Hitler’s rise to power, the play weaves through the lives of Cabaret stars and Kit Kat Klub patrons. Cabaret is always a provocative and intriguing world but this production promises some new twists from the unique vision of Director Sean Murray. As the two leading ladies can tell you, this Kit Kat Klub is on fire! Cabaret runs March 17 – May 15 at the Cygnet’s Old Town
Theatre. For tickets and more information call 619.337.1525. by lisa lipsey
Joy Yandell as Sally Bowles:
How’s it going so far, working on Cabaret? So good! It already feels like we are deep into rehearsals.
Tell me a little bit about your theatre background. I grew up in San Diego. My parents still live in the same house where I was born. From the time I was little I wanted to be in theatre. My first performance was at what was the Fox Theatre, now called Copley Symphony Hall. I love performing, I’m not one of those who has gone off to New York, I’ve been a San Diego girl my whole life. I’ve performed at North Coast Reparatory Theatre, Starlight, La Jolla Playhouse. Recently I played the Luca role in MixTape for Lamb’s Players Theatre. Will this Sally feel familiar, similar to Liza Minnelli’s portrayal? I admire Liza—her commitment to everything— but I will not be doing the “Liza”
Sally in any way shape or form. Tell me what you see in Sally Bowles. She’s high as a kite half the time and a glorious performer. She’s having sex all the time,
gets kicked out of the club and falls in love with a man who is gay. She has to make so many decisions and fight against her feelings and determine if she is having this baby or not. She is also so beautiful; there is a light about her. She’s letting me explore some of my own darkness. She wants to be loved, to be adored but she is self-destructive. For some reason, she destroys the things she could really enjoy in life. You seem very open minded. I remember my mom told me, before I started to work in my first show at Starlight
Theatre, ‘I just want you to know, boys love girls, girls love girls, boys love boys. It’s all love.’ I was never raised with any stigma. I want my children to watch the shows I’m in. I plan to tell them you are going to see things that might make you go ‘huh?’ but it’s all good. Have you worked under Sean Murray’s direction before? I have worked with Sean before, but not as a director. My first professional play was
Annie at Starlight, Sean was 18 or 19 and playing Rooster. I played an orphan named Molly, I was six and I was fascinated with him. During the breaks he’d give us little kids piggy back rides. Oooh, I think I still have a picture! I’m at my parents’ house today, maybe I can dig it up - he’s gonna hate me. It’s kind of neat to come full-circle and be an adult working with him for the first time. It’s funny to acknowledge, I was a little older than Waverly when I worked with Sean
for the first time. Sometimes I think, I’m a mom? What? When did I grow-up? It’s spooky to see myself through someone else. Waverly’s got all these songs coming from her. Sean feeds you. He’s an actor’s director. He lets you explore in new ways, to throw it all away and be that character. So far rehearsals have included history lessons and dialect
courses, a look at why the set and costumes are designed the way they are. He shows how Cabaret is beautiful and dark and real. And Sally is really an incredible role with all the great Kander & Ebb songs. Yes! I am learning the choreography to great songs like “Don’t Tell Mam,” “Money” and
“Mein Herr”—Power songs, amazing songs. I’m inspired by “Maybe this time”. I won’t give it away, but it is going to be totally different than any other version, it’s so exciting! This is my job, to tell her story and make it honest. How do you know when you have succeeded in doing that? What we do as performers is let somebody go into this pool of magic where they
forget everything and become part of another life. We are gifting the audience this. I don’t think it’s just entertainment. If when they leave, they feel like they are coming back to reality, we have done our job. I hear there is a unique twist to the Emcee role. Yes, it is being played by actress Karson St. John. She is fierce, I’m kind of in awe.
Interesting. Can you give us a teaser? How much of the set have you seen? Cygnet is doing this show at the theatre in Old Town and they are transforming that
space. From the second you walk in the door you are in the club. That’s it, you are on the ride, if you have a problem with anything, too bad. What do you like to do in your free time? I like to go to the gym, which I never would have thought that I would. I like to hang out with friends, I also like playing instruments. I play piano and a little guitar, I know five cords. I’ve been making a record, I’m recording other people’s songs. Give me the music, I am not a prolific writer. When will the record debut? Oh, it’s not really that kind of thing, I am mostly doing it for myself, for my family. I
want to have a ‘document’ for my kids and my grandkids. This is what your grandma sounds like. Know what I mean? It maybe sounds a little selfish, but I think it’s important. I totally get it. I work in eldercare and I see all the time that my residents want to know they will be remembered and that families crave those memories, tangible momentos. My mom was a dance instructor and my dad had an amazing singing voice. Really he
was raised with nothing, but my grandma wanted to record the family singing. They recorded an album, both sacred and secular. On one side are all these great hymns and I can hear my dad on this record. I’m gonna have this forever, a record of my daddy sing- ing when he was in his prime. My grandparents had something very special to leave to their children. At 35 here I am worrying, my grandparents passed away so young. I guess that’s the point, enjoy life and come to the Cabaret.
18
RAGE monthly | MARCH 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84