Answer: : I use Tallulah's own motto. It was "press on," and she did. No matter what, she kept going. She had a great theater discipline. No matter how badly she wanted a drink, she'd wait until after the performance.
Question:: Tallulah has become a camp figure. How do you show that part of her without going over the top?
Answer: : When you do a real person, there's a responsibility. You owe them the respect of not doing a caricature. The challenge is to find the human being behind the extravagant dramatics and flamboyance.
Question: : Actors have to live and breathe a character for months or even years at a time. Was it difficult to keep the self-destructive or unappealing aspects of Tallulah from leaking through into real life?
Answer: : You do go through a period of living with a character. But I'm a theater baby; I've done this for a long time. I'm very much invested in Talullah, but I'm not governed by her. I can't say she's affected me adversely.
It's also easier to make a distinction between myself and the role I'm playing if I'm in a comedy and not a drama. There's a certain emotional distance that's built into comedies. They aren't as harrowing.
Question: : How has Looped changed since the California production last year?
Answer:: When the show ran in Pasadena, we got a lot of feedback that the first act was uproariously funny, and the second act was very, very dark. It was almost like two separate plays. Since then, the playwright, Matthew Lombardo, has added more depth and context to the first act, and more laugh lines to the second act. It's now a much more cohesive journey.
If you go
Looped runs through June 28 at Arena Stage at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. N.W., Washington. Show times vary. $27-$76. Call 202-488-3300, or go to arenastage.org.
