An Interview with Nancy Johnston

You've performed this role before. What's it like to tackle it again? Any advantages or disadvantages to repeating the same role? How do you keep it fresh?

It's very fortunate that I have this role "under my belt," but I do believe I'm also fortunate that I last performed it two and a half years ago.  That's far enough away (for me at least) to feel that in the early rehearsals I had to depend on the text again.  I am still drawing from the script itself and not totally my brain.  For me, I'm glad it has felt like I'm starting over with this part.  It's going to automatically be fresh because I'm in this moment now, with the wonderful Sara as director and the delightful Carl.  They bring all new stuff to Madame J's Ritz Carlton suites and so...so will I.

You're an accomplished singer. Can you talk about how you approach the task of making Florence Foster Jenkins sound so terrible?

The "singing badly" aspect is first, purely technical.  It's like the song becomes a minefield and the right notes are the mines that you are avoiding.  But you have to pick which ones to avoid; all of them can't be off.  I listen to Florence Foster Jenkins' CD almost every day to reacquaint myself with her lack of support, her lack of focus, her phrasing choices.  I get her in my ear each day and then just launch on every song as best I can.  Here's the thing for me to remember:  she LOVED singing and thought she was touching the angels every time she did.  So that's what the actress must do.

What do you love about this character and this play? Maybe you could talk about your experience of seeing it for the first time.

I saw this production on Broadway with Judy Kaye its final week of the run.  The houses were packed and packed, of course, with a lot of "industry" people.  It was an amazing performance the night I saw it.  What I loved about Judy's Florence Foster Jenkins was her total conviction that she was right; that what she was singing was exactly what the composer intended to share.  She was very generous and if a task-master, it was all to serve her goal: artistry.  In the end, she was very vulnerable.  No human being is perfect in any effort of course and by the end of her journey, you realize that she is courageous.  Judy made me cry that night and when the lights came down, I promised myself I would do this part one day.  

This is your first visit to Vermont. What are your impressions so far?

I love Vermont.  It suits both of my temperaments: the artist and the Progressive.  You provide wonderful restaurants, shops, and places to see wonderful art at work.  And this season: "Snow, snow, snow!!"

Thanks for letting me come here and do what I look forward to doing more and more in theatre...tell compelling stories through powerful roles.  

January 13th, 2010