by Talya Kingston, WAM Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director
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There is a palpable sense of excitement in the LADY RANDY rehearsal studio. It’s the buzz of a world premiere; of being the first interpreters of a new script.
Playwright Anne Undeland is in the center of the room: making script changes and then shifting into character as the enigmatic Jennie Jerome. She has described this play as a fever dream that hurls Jennie through various stages of her life in an attempt to make sense of it all. Every so often, after stumbling over a line, she’ll exclaim “who wrote this thing!” A joke that never grows old.
Her co-star on this journey is the actor Mark Zeisler who had the unenviable task of playing all the other characters in Jennie’s life. Watching him navigate the distinct physicality and dialect of each role is a master class.
Director Jim Frangione has an intimate relationship with the play having dramaturged the emerging script, and in between jumping up to praise the actor’s discoveries and give blocking notes, he secretly passes snacks to stage manager Fran Rubenstein’s little dog Bowie!
In the corner, Costume Designer Brittney Belz hand sews a sparkly corset specifically for Anne’s Jennie and the whole room is now dominated by an imposing wooden dining table (designed by WAM Associate Artist Juliana Haubrich) that takes us into the regal space of Blenheim Palace before abruptly breaking apart in order to facilitate other parts of Jennie’s life. (Read about our designers’ process and see some of their sketches and models in their recent blog post!)
The world of LADY RANDY is coming together for the very first time!
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