 |
| Kelli James in Gypsy photo by John Groseclose |
Kelli James is a stage mother for the ages at Theater Works in
Peoria. Playing the historical Mama Rose
to Gypsy Rose Lee in a fresh presentation of a Broadway musical favorite, James
visited with PHX Stages about her "ultimate role."
"If this is going to be my swan song, what a way to go out! In Gypsy as Mama Rose!" said
James, who came into the theatre world ostensibly as Broadway's first American
Eponine in the original New York production of Les Miserables.
"This is a massive role that you need to bring enough life experience to."
Describing the classic musical that opened on Broadway in 1959 through
her character’s eyes, James said, “Mama believes she would have been a
star. When she had children, she swore
‘I’m going to get my kids what I didn’t rightfully get. I’m going to make them stars.”
Period signage and vintage photos bring a sense of the 1920s time
period to the set, according to James. She also noted how new life has been breathed into the script, crediting
the production’s director.
“Rusty Ferracane [director] happened! He coached us all to come from our own,
personal place,” James said, noting how huge names like Angela Lansbury and
Patti Lupone have played the role she's tasked with re-creating. “No copycat
characters. No cookie cutter
scenes. He asked, ‘What can Kelli bring
to Rose?”
James’ answer as she created Mama Rose was two-fold. First, she revealed she had her very own,
real-life Mama Rose who fought and won many theatre battles on her behalf in
her early career.
“I came from humble beginnings.
Very humble,” she said of growing up in a tiny Iowa town with no
theatre. “People in my town didn’t know how to help a girl who always knew she
wanted to be a performer. I learned to
always have a plan. And I was very fortunate to meet someone—a
producer/writer/director--who made sure I was in the right place meeting the
right people. There were times I
would be so embarrassed about the things he would demand.”
Her second set of preparatory experiences drew on what the Phoenix Valley knows Kelli James for best. For nearly 20 years she has owned an acting and music studio.
“As
a teacher, I do things for my students that I would never do for myself. I call producers. I call casting directors,” she said about the
natural bonds her experiences invite as she fleshes out Mama Rose each night.
They’ve helped fuel powerful monologues and stirred emotions that surge
out into the audience. For James, another part of her unique creation
translates to having a complete mental breakdown on stage.
“I started my career getting to die on stage every night as Eponine,”
said James. “Now, I get to fall apart every performance as Rose.”
The central human desire that has driven James’ life path is also a
driving motivator for Rose in the Gypsy production that audiences at
Peoria’s Theater Works are lucky enough to see this month. She summed it up in simple terms that spoke
volumes.
“I think it’s true of so many artists. We’ve got something inside us
that needs to get out, needs to be seen and understood.” James said at last, “I guess I just wanted to
be noticed.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
In order to avoid spam, comments will be moderated. Anonymous comments no longer will be allowed. If your comment is from an actual person it will be approved and posted in a timely manner.