Lauren Hennessy (photo by Cathryn Lynne / WWW.CATHRYNLYNNEPHOTO.COM)

It’s no secret that Mariah MacCarthy’s beautiful Ampersand: A Romeo & Juliet Story struck a deep chord with me; I loved so many things about it.  For me it was one of the highlights of this season’s Fringe Festival.  So when the wonderful Lauren Hennessy was the recipient of an award for overall excellence for her work as Romeo I was thrilled that this talented woman was being recognized for her remarkable skills as not only an actress but as an overall performer.  In MacCarthy’s Ampersand Romeo is a rock singer with a devoted following … and the minute Hennessy takes the stage there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that she’s got the goods to pull it off.

The Fringe dust has settled, and I was able to chat with Lauren to find out how much of Romeo is really Lauren, how she feels about working with the talent Mariah MacCarthy … and just which role she’d love to play if anything were possible.  Read on …

Lauren!  First of all, congratulations on winning the FringeNYC 2011 Overall Excellence Award for Performance! I was lucky enough to see your show and I was captivated by your performance – so I know how well deserved this award is. I’d love to know a little more about your character and the journey that you, as an actor, took.

Ampersand is “A Romeo & Juliet Story” … and you embodied the character of Romeo. Tell me who this updated Romeo is to you personally.

LH: It’s funny you ask…This Romeo is essentially me if I were driven solely on emotional reaction alone. You’ve heard of id, ego and superego? Romeo is the personification of my id. From wearing her heart on her sleeve, to being carried away by romantic distractions, to murdering in a flash of anger, to feeling and living out the extremities of love, hatred, anger, rage, sex and joy. Some filters are good and I have to work every day to keep my impulses under control as not to affect other people negatively. For as we saw with Romeo, it could be detrimental to my life. So yeah, Romeo hits home with me and was not a tough suit to try on.

Lauren Hennessy and Brigitte Choura. Photo by Kacey Anisa

Romeo is a singer – and obviously so are you … Romeo is charismatic, charming and it would seem (by the way you adlibbed) so are you. You see where I’m going with this. How much of Romeo is pure Lauren and how much was already on the page?

Hahaaaaaaa I suppose I answered this question above. When I was a kid, I always wanted to be the Fonz. Mariah just helped me live my dream. I know that sounds douchey. I just loved the charisma and charm of James Dean, Marlon Brando and 50′s era cool-cats. In some way I identified with them at a very young age. Romeo reminds me of these guys very much so. Mariah has a weird way of writing me.

You’ve worked with writer Mariah MacCarthy and Purple Rep before. How important is it as an actor to create a dynamic with a playwright? What does it wind up doing for the character?

Mariah and I have found each other. Thats how I see it. She writes characters very relatable to me in terms of speaking and personality but also in terms of parallel lives. Many experiences that my characters have had, I’ve had. The characters that I’ve played in Mariah’s work always have a mental and emotional struggle with themselves. I constantly am thinking too much and putting too much pressure on myself to do what I think is the right thing. So does Romeo, Devon and Cindy (all characters I’ve played in Mariah’s plays). These characters, like me, are their own best friends and their own worst enemy.

Because I’m able to embody and portray Mariah’s characters so comfortably, we’ve developed a trust to a point where she lets me take some artistic license with the character’s choices, lines and development. This is a gift I’ve never experienced before. I can’t say I’ve even met most of the playwrights whose work I’ve done. This is a true artistic partnership and we’ve vowed to make each other famous.

Of all the roles in the world, written or unwritten, what would be your next dream role?

Damn this question is like: what’s your favorite song or book? … I’d love to play Nancy in a Broadway revival of Oliver! Probably not my dream role but it’s the first thing that popped into my head just now. Oh, I know! Whatever role gets me a TONY. Can I say Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar…? I’m thinking of other roles now. You said just one. Nevermind. Skip?? I’ll get back to you!!

You just won an award … I think you can give me two.  And if there’s anyone who can play Nancy AND Stanley Kowalski, dang – Lauren … it’s you.

Bonus question – no holds barred! Feel free to tell me anything at all … More about Ampersand, tell me a joke, give me the lyrics of your favorite song, explain what you’re most passionate about, plug a project (or a friend’s project!) The Mic is yours!

Ok selfish moment…GO: I won an Icelandic Academy Award [for the movie 'Clean'] this year and an ‘Overall excellence in performance’ from NYC Fringe…I am currently seeking representation!!! LaurenHennessy.com.

C’mon!  Someone represent this chick already!

Lauren … it was great to find out more about you, and I hope as your star keeps rising we can keep checking in with you.  Again, congratulations on all this wonderful (and well deserved!) success.  You’re a rockstar.

Related Posts:

• Ampersand: A Romeo & Juliet Story (Fringe Festival 2011)
• The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret – Equal Opportunity Exploration
• FringeNYC 2011 Announces Overall Excellence Award Winners
• The Team Behind “Gay Plays For Straight People (And Also Gay People)” Gives Me Some Straight Answers (And Also Some Gay Answers)
• Mariah MacCarthy’s New Play Looks For Laughs In All The Dark Places: Lysistrata Rape Play

I have to hand it to Emerging Artists Theatre Company‘s artistic director, Paul Adams – when putting together the program for the Spring EATFest  he perfectly chose the one-acts that comprise the evening of theatre – they managed to tell three great stories and still have you out of the theatre in about an hour.

There are two series in this Spring’s offering; I attended Series A but can only imagine that Series B packs as big of a punch.  If there could have been a theme for Series A it might have been called Behind the Platitudes – because each one-act was a beautifully crafted little gem of a story that, on the surface, could have been subtitled (respectively) “You Can’t Go Home Again” / “Out With The Old, In With The New” / “He Was Right There All Along”.  But that’s the thing behind idioms and platitudes – really, they’re easily repeatable phrases that often boil down a much more difficult concept.   Come to Series A of EATFest and you’ll get a trio of heartfelt stories that illustrate each of these ideas, some times with humor, some times with frustration, but always with heart.

In Staying Put written by Kathleen Warnock and directed by Vivian Meisner we find a woman, Ferro (Laura Fois) who has come home to deal with the death of her parent, and sort out what remains of the last few strands of her life back in the town she once called home.  As she sits on the porch with Stuckey (Desmond Dutcher), the companionable conversation moves from “back then” to what could happen now, what should happen and what will happen.  Ultimately while there’s something to be said for going back to what’s familiar it’s also obvious that once too much time has past even what was once familiar isn’t the same anymore.   However, we’re not always looking to revisit something expecting it to be exactly the same.

In The Takeover written by Barbara Lindsay and directed by Kelly Johnston we come upon a secretary (yes, a secretary) who is retiring after giving her entire life to the company.  Margaret (Blanche Choler) is noticeably perplexed at how young, casual about titles (“His name is “Mr. McChesney” she scolds) and distracted by cell phones her new replacement is.  Margaret is the definition of “old school”, she knows where everything is because she’s the one who put it  there.  As Mr. McChesney (Richard Cottrell) chides “This place will fall apart after you leave!” but of course it’s all just for display;  the new Administrative Assistant – correction – Executive Administrative Assistant – is just what the old boy needs.  Heather (Caitlin Johnston) has already fit right in, bringing a new spark, a shot of energy and even a new system for bringing everything into this century.  But the truth is – while change is always going to happen, it’s hardly ever easy.  For anyone.

Lastly, Clean written by Audrey Cefaly and directed by Troy Miller is an almost Frankie and Johnny-like tale set in a diner after hours.  Marisol (Glory Gallo) is a waitress at the diner; when we meet her she’s flat on her back after having fallen while cleaning up.  Roberto (Matt Stapleton) the dishwasher comes upon her and at first tries to help but after being told to not bother calling anyone decides to sit and keep Marisol company till she feels ready to move.  In order to pass the time the two coworkers who have known each other for years but have had hardly more than ten words with each other, begin to trade anecdotes about their past.  What unfolds is a sweet, tender, lovely story that explains how what we need from another person may be just there, under the surface.

While each of these one-acts are strong on their own taken together they make for a powerful, touching night of theatre.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Kathleen Warnock
• The Sensational Josephine Baker
• Blind Date Project – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• Ampersand’s Rockstar – A Chat With Lauren Hennessy