Report by Elaine DeBerardine
Many thanks to Elaine for sharing it with
Totally Kate!
I saw Kate in the History Girls Shakespeare
Society performance last night. It was a wonderful evening.
Kate was wearing a cranberry corduroy blazer
and skirt. Her hair was up in a loose bun. She was wearing
black lace-up boots with a substantial heel. She looked lovely.
After the introduction by one of the producers,
the lecturer and the six actors came out on stage. The other two
actresses, Kathleen Chalfant and Marian Seldes, I recognized from guest
roles in television or small parts in movies. The three actors were Brian
Murray, Joe Plummer and Christopher Evan Welch.
Kate participated in three of the scenes.
She played Constance in "King John" in two scenes and the Duchess of York
in "Richard III" in one scene.
The lecturer would set the scene with some
historic background, some discussion of what the Elizabethan audience might
have thought or felt about the play and its characters, and then would
discuss Shakespeare's motivations and uses of the characters. Then
when she was finished the actors would let loose - well as loose as they
could standing in front of lecterns.
Kate's "King John" scenes were performed
first.
Act III, scene i - Constance is enraged
that her young son, Arthur, has been passed over to be king of England.
Kate was on fire! Her performance was nuanced and powerful. She used
that wonderful voice to draw her audience in and then - boom - she'd flatten
you with the wrath pouring off her in waves. When she delivered the
line,"War! war! no peace! peace is to me a war", a chill ran right down
my spine.
Act III, scene iv - Constance's son Arthur
has been captured by opposing forces, is tortured and killed.
Kate made Constance's grief palpable.
I don't know how else to describe it. Kate made Constance's anguish
real - tears welled in my eyes as I watched this woman mourn her son's
torture and death.
Richard III
Act IV, scene iv - Kate played the Duchess
of York. This was more of a supporting role to Marian Seldes, who
was playing Queen Margaret. Kate was just as committed to this smaller
part as she had been to the bigger role.
Now for the voyeuristic part - I was about
100 feet away from the where Kate was sitting and I kept stealing glances
at her while the lecturer and other actors were on stage. She was
very engaged with everything going on; either following the other actors'
speeches in her own copy of the script or intently watching and listening
to the other participants. Kate is a very active listener - crossing
and uncrossing her legs, bobbing her foot, twisting an earring, resting
her chin on her fist, nodding in agreement to a performance or the lecturer's
comment.
It was quite fun to watch her and try to
get a read on her while she wasn't performing. I'm so used to seeing
her in character and I'm sure she's very active and engaging at the conventions,
but to see her just sitting, listening and appreciating the performances
and lecture was quite a unique experience.
It was a marvelous experience! |
The
Shakespeare Society (Michael Sexton, Artistic Director) presents HISTORY
GIRLS: Three great women of the American theater take on three epic roles
from Shakespeare's history plays. Kathleen Chalfant (Wit, Angels In America),
Marian Seldes (Three Tall Women, Dinner at Eight, A Delicate Balance) and
Kate Mulgrew (Tea at Five, Star Trek: Voyager, upcoming Manhattan Theatre
Club’s Our Leading Lady) give vivid life to three of the most spirited
women in history: Constance (King John), Elizabeth (Richard III), and Margaret
(Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III). Shakespeare clearly had a taste for
passionate, furious, eloquent women, and these extraordinary actresses
serve up a feast of language. They are joined on stage by Christopher Evan
Welch (The Scene, Festen), Joe Plummer and Brian Murray. Commentary provided
by Dympna Callaghan (Professor, Syracuse University and editor of The Feminist
Companion to Shakespeare).
