SPOTLIGHT ON: Loretta Swit, Star of Theater of the Stars' Production of 42nd Street at the Fabulous Fox Theatre

Come and Meet, Those Dancing Feet... Words sung in the title song of the perennial favorite, 42^nd Street, and in the latest production of this toe-tapping show (pun intended) produced by Theater of the Stars and performing this week at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, that is exactly what the audience gets to experience. A talented cast giving every last ounce of energy to entertain, and this dazzling production does just that.

Starring in this new production of 42^nd Street is Loretta Swit, who is most famous for her dramatic and comedic roles on television and on film, but in this production she gets to strut her stuff in true Broadway diva fashion as Dorothy Brock, a true Broadway diva, and does an amazing job conveying the character and emotion of the role.

I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Ms. Swit last week about her experience with this production.

Tell us a little about this production of 42^nd Street.

It is my pleasure to talk about this gifted and wonderful company that I am part of. Anyone coming to see the show is in for a really great treat. Our director, Norb Joerder has many gifts, and one of them is casting. He surrounds himself with extraordinary people, directs them and then something extra special happens. This cast is having a blast and just cannot wait to get to the theatre and have the fun we are having. It is hard work, but through this hard work you are having a blast.  And this cast has really bonded, and you can't just make that happen, but with our cast it was pyrotechnical and immediate. I look out at the line and see them doing a tap dance, and they are having the time of their lives and that's infectious. Our audiences have been standing up and cheering and applauding and screaming, and that is a rush unlike any other.

Let's talk about your character Dorothy Brock. What do you do to prepare for a role like hers?

The gift of Dorothy is that she is underwritten. My job is to really flesh her out. On the surface she is a diva, deservedly so, if you can deserve being a diva. She has been in the theatre with successes for 10 years. In the show we are in the middle of the depression, money is tight, her boyfriend of all those years is broke and he doesn't want to take a dollar from her, so she has taken on a sugar daddy who is backing the show, the director doesn't treat her all that well and she has to fight for a compliment from him. So these are surface things that we see. But I love her evolution during this show. On the surface she seems like a prima donna, but as we go through the show we get to know her better and see that this is a generous heart and a heart that loves the theatre. That is the part that is not really written. She's fun and delightful, she has some great songs, but I think that giving her more makes her more interesting and more fun for the audience.

Is this the first time you have been a part of 42^nd Street?

Yes, but many of the cast have done the show before with different companies, which has got to be difficult, with differences between the staging, but they are brilliant, it is like a well-oiled machine. They get out there and wail, and it is wonderful.

42^nd Street is about a production being mounted during the Depression. Do you think this has resonance with audiences today?

Yes, I believe it is very important to be doing it now, because it is so full of hope and sensitivity. People are moved by song and dance and beauty and art, and they need it for their soul. Actors, musicians, and artists provide a service to help heal, and that, in itself, is noble. We as a nation must never stop feeling. You watch the news from morning to night and by the end of the day you are numb from the bad news of the day, but with music and theatre or literature or artwork, you get feeling, we allow you to feel and not be numbed by the troubles of the day. This, when you go back to the Depression, is exactly what they were trying to do. It is all about that. Lifting the spirit to where it can be. It's also about identifying. There is always someone up there on that stage that if you don't identify with them you have someone in your life that does. After 9/11 I was in NY doing a play and when we went back after the disaster our producer asked me to talk to the audience and that is what I spoke about. I said I want to say thank you for being here with us so we can all share these moments, that we must heal ourselves together, and that we are here for us to make you laugh or release tears. The arts allow us to feel. You are here to feel with us, whether its pain or joy or whatever emotion you might be feeling.

With this production you had a very quick start up time. Do you find that exciting? Does it create challenges for you as an actor or does it energize you?

It is exciting. I think the most exciting part of it is preparing, the rehearsal process, where you are growing every day, taking baby steps, but with a sense of urgency. I love learning fast. I don't want to be rushed, but I do love the immediacy of delivery. By the time you get to performances you really need an audience. We can't do this in a vacuum. We need to hear an audience breathing out there and know that they want to see us. With this show, from the get go we get a response. The curtain goes up and these kids are tapping and there is a rush that you can feel from the audience. There is a connection and they are with you. The audience helps you navigate, they accept, they love, so it frees you in a way that you cannot achieve in rehearsal. You need them to fulfill you and vice-versa, which is why I call it a big love affair. The actors must have the audience and the audience must have the actors.

Many people who know you from your many other roles don't realize that you are also a singer, do you seek out singing roles in particular?

My agent knows I love to sing and that I love doing musicals. I love musical comedy, but I also love drama, straight plays, and comedy. I don't define what I want by what it is, I define it by my work. I love my work and I love what I do. I stay with stuff I love, I just can't get enough of it.

42^nd STREET is now playing at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta through August 2, 2009.  Performances are Tuesday-Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 2 pm and 8 pm and Sunday at 1:30 pm and 7 pm. Tickets are on sale NOW at all Ticketmaster outlets, at 800-982-2787 and online at www.ticketmaster.com  Ticket prices range from $20-$67.50.  Special group rates are available through the Fox Group Sales Dept. at 404-881-2000.

 

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