InDepth InterView: Roslyn Hart & NEVER SLEEP ALONE

Fiercely idiosyncratic and refreshingly impassioned, actress and performance artist Roslyn Hart is entirely her own entity unto herself - and with this year's previous hit solo show, SHELLS, and, now, next week's NEVER SLEEP ALONE, she is carving out a distinctively hip and edgy corner of the new 21st Century Theatre world as she takes her unique one-woman-shows around the world - and, always, back to New York. Talking all aspects of her new dating seminar-style spoof show, NEVER SLEEP ALONE, as well as its origins and inspirations - an engagement that defies description and which arrives with ample audience participation opportunities; as Hart is wont to offer so that all involved may relish her uproarious responses - Hart and I delve into the deep, dark depths of the dating pool in 2011 and discuss the finer aspects of the densely detailed characters she creates in her solo spotlight shows, new and old. Additionally, Hart also shares exciting news about SHELLS being developed into a television comedy, as well as her experience appearing earlier this year on HBO's BORED TO DEATH. Plus, what audiences can expect from NEVER SLEEP ALONE and the future appearances she may make as her freshly-born alter-ego, sexual psychologist and music therapist Dr. Alex Schiller - and much, much more!

NEVER SLEEP ALONE premieres on November 10 with an encore performance on December 1, both at 9:30 PM at Joe's Pub. More information is available here.

NSA/PDA

PC: When last we spoke, you were off to Europe to bring SHELLS to Italy, I believe. How was it?

RH: Yeah, I just got back. I kind of got obsessed with Italy while I was there. I mean, I've always wanted to go and now that I have, I definitely want to bring my new show there. I loved it so much being there.

PC: What was it about the experience that really won you over?

RH: Well, first of all, everyone is absolutely gorgeous! And, they believe in making everything gorgeous. So, you go to the grocery store and you get cheese that would, you know, cost you $30 at Eataly and it is $4 there, and, they say, [Italian Accent.] "Oh, let me wrap that up for you! You're going to have a beautiful day!" And then they wrap it up beautifully - just to make it gorgeous. They talk with their hands and have such an irreverent sense of humor, too - and they are so quick-witted. And, the air is so clean because all of those crazy pine trees grow everywhere - even in a city like Rome or Florence, you are surrounded by countryside and the pine trees and it just makes the air smell so gorgeous.

PC: Sounds heavenly. What drew you there in the first place?

RH: Well, the first time I went was for fun and I am going to be going back in December. I have actually sort of done Dr. Alex at some bars and parties and things while I was there. I did a little guest performance at a bar while I was there and I would really, really love to take it on tour - maybe at college towns, like Florence. There are a lot of English speakers there and they really respond to the characters and the content - and, also, Italians are really starting to be more open in talking about sex and dating. It's the SEX & THE CITY thing, I think.

PC: Isn't there a FRIENDS fever in Europe right now, as well?

RH: Yes! They love that and they love HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. I met so many people who say, [Italian Accent.] "Oh, that Neil Patrick Harris is brilliant! He is brilliant!"

PC: Your performance style is sort of new to them, I bet. Did they take it more seriously and earnestly there perhaps?

RH: Well, they definitely respect stand-up comedy there, I'll tell you that - more than they do here.

PC: It probably comes out of commedia dell'arte origins, I would imagine.

RH: Oh, yeah. Definitely. They have a great respect and understanding for comedy. So, yeah - I am trying. I am definitely trying to bring my stuff there. Who knows? I could end up being a crossover American cabaret star there! [Laughs.]

PC: So, you did SHELLS while you were there?

RH: Well, I performed it at a private party there, but it was for people who had been New Yorkers so they already get it, you know? And, I guess Shells is kind of a more universal and more adaptable character. So, that's another reason I want to spend more time in Italy and see what is important to them - in the same that Shells responds to the truth of New Yorkers, I want to respond to the truth of whatever place I am in and make comedy out of that.

PC: From where did this new character - Dr. Alex - arise? Is this, then, an entirely new experience independent from SHELLS?

RH: Yes, this is a whole new character and a whole new show.

PC: Who is Dr. Alex, exactly?

RH: Well, I always say that she is like a Suzie Orman of sex.

PC: That sounds hilarious already.

RH: She is a sexual televangelist - so, her goal is, basically, to get her audience laid.

PC: How useful!

RH: [Laughs.] The show is called NEVER SLEEP ALONE and it is styled like a live seminar that is based on her book, GET LAID OR DIE TRYING.

PC: What a title - 50 Cent would probably be proud!

RH: I hope so! [Laughs.] So, she leads audiences through an annex-style seminar, except with music - because she believes in auditory reinforcement. So, every chapter from the book that she is going over has a corresponding pop song.

PC: So, each chapter is punctuated by music.

RH: Yes. It is a lecture punctuated by music - and, there are demonstrations, as well!

PC: Such as?

RH: Well, the audience is divided into singles and voyeurs - singles sit in the front; and, voyeurs - people who are in monogamous relationships or people not sure if they want to participate in the interactive portion of the show. So, the voyeurs sit in the top tier of Joe's Pub and watch everything. In addition to going over lessons - which, really, is funny to everybody; whether you are in a relationship or not - there are also some interactive demonstrations. After all, you have to remember that everything Dr. Alex says is absurd, but somehow does actually apply to sexual and emotional relationships. [Laughs.]

PC: How are the singles involved in the onstage action with Dr. Alex?

RH: If you are sitting in the singles section you are sitting at communal tables - so, right from the beginning, you are already sitting with strangers which is its own experience. So, then, Dr. Alex leads the audience through a number of different demonstrations where people from the audience come up onstage and become involved in a sort of speed-dating experience. So, the show is really, really interactive - and, also, straight-up hilarious, if I may say so. And, the songs are amazing and I have a great, great band, too.

PC: NEVER SLEEP ALONE has it all, it seems!

RH: Yeah, it has this mega-church feel mixed with a lecture - but, actually, it's a comedy cabaret show. And, it's also a hook-up event. So, if you are tired of boring internet dating, you can come to an event where people are there for the same reason as you - because they are looking for a hook-up.

PC: Like minds…

RH: Yeah - and, there is an after-party! Secret location announced at the end of every show. So, if you meet someone at the show, you can continue that… [Dr. Alex Voice.] romantic and sexual energy… at the after party.

PC: It's really an interactive experience to the nth, then. It's like a 60s happening. Was the idea to do a show that was a bit of an expansion in size from the intimacy of SHELLS? Your audiences are always so responsive and fun.

RH: Yes. Exactly. I saw a lot of people were coming to SHELLS for the social component - as well as the theatrical component. I wanted to create a new character and a new one-woman-show that could respond to them more directly - especially after doing SHELLS for three years. And, SHELLS is being developed for TV right now, too.

PC: How exciting!

RH: Yeah, we are talking to people about that. It's very exciting. So, I wanted to do something new and something that I could take internationally, and, I thought, "What's important to everybody? [Pause.] Everybody wants to hook up!" I mean, it's Thursday night - why are you going out? You are looking to meet somebody! And, you might also want to be entertained, too. So, I wanted to do a show that combined both - a social event that is also a great night out. And, it just seems to me that people are very unsatisfied with this whole internet dating thing - you are just getting to know people based on online profiles, so when you finally meet someone it never lives up to your expectations. But, if you put a group of strangers in a room together and everyone is there for the same reason - magic can happen.

PC: Have you tried out the character of Dr. Alex on these shores yet?

RH: Well, I tried it out a little bit at my friend Tom's show a little while ago - MEET THE LADIES; which is amazing - at the 92nd Y. People really responded to it. People loved it. You know, it is this excuse to meet new people while laughing your ass off. I mean, you actually meet another human being face-to-face, too - imagine that! Yes, you can actually see and feel if there is chemistry before you build expectations. How strange! [Laughs.] And, if there is no chemistry, well, then you were at a great music and comedy show - and, if there is chemistry, you will see them at the after party.

PC: Would you recommend singles bring their friends, too?

RH: Even if you do, you may be separated at certain points  because it is very interactive. I want to do a very good job of creating a really great group dynamic - with anonymity within the group. Whether you are there with friends or not, you can become autonomous. You can come with friends and it will be fun, but it is not necessary.

PC: What can we expect from the musical selections? SHELLS had Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People", among others - what covers will you be doing in NEVER SLEEP ALONE?

RH: Oh, I can tell you a few of the cover songs - we're doing the Killers; and, we're also doing a really big song called "Give Me Everything Tonight" by Pitbull.

PC: Pitbull? Way to stay au currant!

RH: Yeah! Dr. Alex believes that by using pop music she will tap into the audience's collective unconscious. It's all about bringing the audience together and reinforcing the themes of the lecture. Let me give you a line…

PC: Please do.

RH: [Dr. Alex Voice.] "By singing together, we tap into The Collective Unconscious, thus becoming in synch with each other - mentally, orally, emotionally and genitally connected. Like church, but with better results."

PC: That's so funny. What did you think of the prevalent Catholicism and religion in Italy while you were there?

RH: I actually went to Catholic school, myself, and I was raised Catholic - but, I cleansed myself of it at a certain point.

PC: Nothing is more theatrical than Roman Catholic mass, though, is it?

RH: That is so true! And, I thank the Catholic Church for that. They gave me such a strong sense of pageantry and theatricality - my church was very, very good at doing that. They definitely managed to spice it up! [Laughs.]

PC: Did you do any shows at church growing up?

RH: Oh, yeah - we did JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and we did JOSEPH, as well. [Laughs.] You know, the Catholic Church has to keep their audience, too!

PC: Are you an Andrew Lloyd Webber fan?

RH: Yes - I will tell you the truth. I am a PHANTOM junkie. [Laughs.]

PC: What have you seen recently in New York that you liked?

RH: I have barely seen anything! I just got back. I want to see FOLLIES, but I haven't gotten to yet. I loved JERUSALEM so much, though, a few months back.

PC: Tell me about your music director for this new show.

RH: Oh, he is so great - his name is Adam Rhodes. I worked with him at a summer camp when he was super-young, actually - and he is just so, so talented.

PC: What is NSA?

RH: Well, one of Dr. Alex's catchphrases is NSA - Never Sleep Alone, and, also, No Strings Attached. That's really her number one principal - if you want to never sleep alone, you have to believe in no strings attached. Everything that happens at the show - [Dr. Alex Voice.] no strings attached; no risks, no reluctance; only rewards!

PC: How would you compare NEVER SLEEP ALONE to SHELLS?

RH: Oh, it's a party as well as a show - and there are a lot more elements involved.

PC: To say the least.

RH: I actually have five interns helping me organize it all! They are all so wonderful.

PC: Very few people have had your success with one-person-shows, do you feel lucky? Do you have any advice to offer?

RH: You know, I did a show with Beth Grant - she's a very famous character actress and she told a story and she said, "You know, I almost gave up." She talked about giving herself one last push - one last push at 33 - and she got RAIN MAIN.

PC: What a break.

RH: Yeah, you just can't give up - just keep working. Always. I mean, if people tell you you suck? Then, give up. [Laughs.] But, if no one tells you you suck - or fewer than say that you are good - then definitely keep at it. [Laughs.] Seriously, though, if the audiences are really responding well to you, then you have to keep at it no matter what.

PC: How is NEVER SLEEP ALONE unique in your career?

RH: Well, this is the first show I am doing all alone since my stand up days and I am really, really proud of it, too. It's gonna be awesome.

PC: I'd love to ask you about some of your fellow comedic women in entertainment who have done this column. First: Joan Rivers.

RH: Oh, Joan Rivers is my absolute favorite female stand-up of all time. I think she is absolutely brilliant and I think she was, certainly, a pioneer. I think she is still one of the most irreverent comedians out there - and, she is still gigging all the time and always has new material she is trying out. The fact that she is still sharper and better and is still doing it is so amazing to me. And her improvisations? Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

PC: Is Shells a Melissa Rivers-esque type in any way, do you think?

RH: [Big Laugh.] I can definitely see why you would say that, but, no - I think Shells is much, much less self-aware than Melissa is. [Laughs.] Definitely not.

PC: What do you think of Kathy Griffin?

RH: I think she is great, too. I actually have never gotten to see her live and I am not anywhere near as familiar with her material, but she is definitely pushing envelopes and getting big results. I definitely admire her as a businesswoman and as a female stand-up.

PC: Would you ever want to do a full Broadway show like she just did last season at an actual Broadway theater?

RH: Oh, I don't know! Maybe…

PC: Are your shows too downtown to translate, do you think?

RH: Yeah, I mean - I like keeping the intimacy of 200 or so. For NEVER SLEEP ALONE, at least - who knows what I will do next. For Dr. Alex, since it has that mega-church feel, it would probably work in a Broadway house, too, actually. But, I wanted this to be a place where people could have a genuine human experience and be entertained at the same time. If that could logistically work on Broadway - if some wise producers could make it work - that would be absolutely amazing. But, I would eventually like to make this character into a TV entity, too; sort of like the Stephen Colbert of dating! [Laughs.]

PC: That sounds like a hit!

RH: Yeah - Dr. Alex is satire, after all. It would be, like, a satirical sex and dating show.

PC: If Ricki Lake is coming back - as she just told me herself - then anything can happen in 2012!

RH: Ricki Lake is coming back? I didn't know that!

PC: Indeed. So, what do you think of Wanda Sykes?

RH: She's a brilliant actress, first of all - and a brilliant improviser. She's so quick and so funny - she's so great.

PC: Who do you look up as a live performance/cabaret artist?

RH: Joan Rivers, of course. John Cameron Mitchell.

PC: Are you a HEDWIG fan, then, I take it?

RH: Oh, yeah. Oh, my God - I just think it's so, so great. I love that he created a character that was so absurd - but, also, hit everybody on an emotional level, too. Everybody. That's kind of what I like to do - to create these heightened characters that you think would be inaccessible who are actually totally accessible to everybody.

PC: And Stephen Trask's songs are absolutely unbelievable.

RH: Oh, I am such a fan of his - now and always.

PC: Who was the initial inspiration for Dr. Alex herself?

RH: Well, [Laughs.] there is this televangelist that my crazy sister has made me listen to and I would say that she is a bit of the inspiration for Dr. Alex.

PC: Who is it?

RH: Joyce Meyer. My older sister is obsessed with her and every time she comes stay with me she has me listen to Dr. Joyce Meyer.

PC: Is Dr. Alex is a little Tammy Faye Bakker, too?

RH: Oh, yeah, lots of Tammy Faye, too! It's televangelism meets an annex dating seminar.

PC: Is the title a riff on SLEEP NO MORE?

RH: Well, SLEEP NO MORE is kind of the opposite because no one is allowed to talk to each other - and, at mine, there are points where people have to talk to each other. So, it is sort of the opposite in a way, I think.

PC: So, how many shows do you have coming up?

RH: We are going to do it every month. We are doing it this month and next month and then I might have to go to LA to do SHELLS, so we will see what happens after that. But, the plan is to do it every month for the rest of this year and next year.

PC: Is NEVER SLEEP ALONE open to everyone?

RH: Oh, yeah - it's a really sexy, fun event for everyone. Gay, straight, men, women - everyone. I'd say that most people in the singles section are ages 21-51. If people want to come and they are not sure if they want to interact, they can sit in the voyeur section this time and come back to the next show if they want to participate. The show will be constantly changing and new chapters to GET LAID OR DIE TRYING will be added. New conflicts!

PC: What are some of the original songs you will be doing?

RH: "Sober Sex With A Stranger". "Mr. Id, Mr. Ego And Mr. Super-Ego".

PC: Who did you write the songs with?

RH: Adam and I wrote some songs together and I wrote with some other people, as well - some songs we wrote for SHELLS, too, actually; like "Mr. Id, Mr. Ego And Mr. Super-Ego".

PC: Will there be drinks served at the event?

RH: Oh, yes! There will be lots and lots of booze! Of course!

PC: I was curious: did you have a good experience filming BORED TO DEATH? Who did you play?

RH: Well, I play this sort of junkie in the first episode of Season Two… [Laughs.] It was really fun to shoot. It shoots here in New York, too, which is great.

PC: So, what's next for you in between and after the next two NEVER SLEEP ALONE shows?

RH: Well, we will have to see what happens early next year with SHELLS, but NEVER SLEEP ALONE will be the first Thursday of every month at Joe's Pub for at least 2011. You can get tickets on NeverSleepAlone.com! Everybody bring somebody - it is especially important for women bring a straight man they may have dated before; remember - as Dr. Alex says - one woman's trash is another woman's free calamari.

PC: What a line to go out on! This was so great, Roslyn. I wish you all the best and I can't wait to see what character you come up with next!

RH: Thanks so much, Pat. It is always so much fun talking to you! Bye bye.