Interview: Kristen Hahn: The Many Layers of Sgt. Sarah Brown

"She's a wonderfully layered character," Kristen Hahn exclaims as she describes her newest role. "Most of all in her heart she wants to help people, but she is not quite cut out to rule with an iron fist like her mentor, General Cartwright. I think at first she is feeling a little lost and not willing to admit it. When she meets Sky Masterson, they go head-to-head. She is probably the first woman to challenge him. As the play develops, she realizes maybe she can have both her mission work and love. By letting her hair down a little when she discovers love, she realizes that she becomes of better use to the people she wants to help. It is very liberating for her. Sarah Brown is a strong lady, and that is a wonderful treat for an actress to play!" she concludes.

Hahn is waxing eloquent about her upcoming role and company debut in Maine State Music Theatre's production of Frank Loesser's classic, Guys and Dolls which runs at the Pickard Theater in Brunswick from June 28 - July 15th. The young actress who hails from Weston, Connecticut, says she is "so excited to be here [MSMT] for the first time and to work with director/choreographer D.J. Salisbury," whom she calls "the loveliest, most creative and collaborative man who has a fresh vision for this show." And she is enjoying the embracing, collaborative atmosphere of MSMT itself. especially likes the mixture of Equity professionals, non-Equity artists, and young interns who make up the cast. "There is such a feeling of equality here when you walk through the door. We are all here to create something good and special. We feel lucky to be working with these young artists; every single one is so talented and so positive. I can say without exaggeration that it is an unbridled joy to come to work."

Hahn has been enjoying exploring her character of the Save a Soul Mission Sergeant Sarah Brown with her co-star, Stephen Mark Lukas [who plays Sky Masterson] and with Salisbury. She praises not only the director's "efficient, joyful rehearsal process," but also says she is in awe of his choreography for this production where these incredibly talented dancers are executing all these fantastic numbers without even breaking a sweat. Sarah isn't a big dance role ; she doesn't have to do what those other fabulous dancers in the company are called upon to do, but I do get to dance a little in the Havana scene, which is great fun."

Then there is the magnificent Frank Loesser score. For Hahn whose degree from Carnegie Mellon is in opera performance, the Guys and Dolls music is stunningly beautiful. "Frank Loesser is one of our greatest musical writers. There are so many elements in the piece. There are the bouncy fun songs and the lush, soaring beautiful ones that are like vocal candy to sing. For Sarah, my favorite is 'I've Never Been in Love Before.'"

Like all the other actors who undertake these iconic roles, Hahn is aware of the responsibility that tradition imposes, but she says that while she grew up watching the big MGM musicals, "once I am cast in a part, I focus on the text and on any research that applies to the character and her context. I don't want to get bogged down with the inflection another actress might have used to deliver a line, for example. I want to avoid doing an impression of someone else rather than finding the truth of the character, her motivations, and what she is after in life. So I start with the text, and then I can be open to the director and the other actors."

Though she is only in her late twenties, Kristen Hahn has an impressive theatre resume that includes, Broadway and Off Broadway, national tours, regional theatre gigs, and film. Raised in Weston, CT, Hahn has memories of attending the nearby Westport Playhouse and participating in all her school's theatrical performances. "I always loved music, and my mom tells me I was singing in my crib before I learned to talk. I don't know if that's true," she giggles. What she does know is that "I never intended to become a child actress. It just happened because I was in the right place at the right time."

Hahn recounts how when she was twelve years old, Paul Newman, who had - with his wife JoAnne Woodward - helped restore the Westport Playhouse to its glory days, decided he wanted to play the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder's classic, Our Town. "He enlisted James Naughton to direct and cast many of the principal roles, including Emily and George, in New York. But Newman also wanted to create a community feel in the production, and he decided some of the other children's roles should be cast from local children. James Naughton's kids also went to my school, so he called the head of our theatre department and asked her to send some promising students to audition. I was cast as Rebecca Gibbs, George's younger sister. In December 2002 the show transferred to Broadway, and I got to make my debut with the company in the limited engagement run." Our Town was filmed by PBS Great Performances to air the following year.

After that momentous opportunity, Hahn and her family decided it was best for her to remain in school rather than pursue a professional career at that point. Hahn, who feels that she received an excellent arts education in high school, is a passionate advocate for the importance of keeping music, theatre, dance and art in young people's lives. "To me it is nothing short of a travesty to have the arts cut from the curriculum. The arts provide an outlet for our kids to find themselves and to be able to express themselves. It gives them the tools to deal with the many trials adolescents often face. And we have unfortunately seen what can happen when this outlet isn't there. In the gravest of circumstances it can lead to terrible violence."

Hahn did finish high school in Weston, CT, and then enrolled in the opera program at Carnegie Mellon where she developed her voice as a light lyric coloratura. She says the classical voice training has proved a valuable foundation for her in her musical theatre work. "It's the same idea as starting with ballet to get a good dance foundation before you branch off from there. I learned technique and now I can sing in different styles in a healthy way."

After graduation Hahn came to New York to live and pursue her dream. Several years after arriving she found herself returning to Broadway in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. "I began as an offstage swing; then I understudied the two female leads; then I was bumped up to an ensemble position while continuing to understudy the two leads, and when the show went on tour, I took over as Phoebe for six months." While on Broadway, Hahn did get to go on for each of the roles she understudied. She recalls the first time. "It was about a week after I had gotten the job, and the whole experience was such a thrill, I will never forget it! They had to make an announcement over the loud speaker because it was too late to do program inserts. There I was standing backstage. I heard my name, and I knew my parents and sister and brother-in-law were in the audience. It was an out of body experience - a blur, but a wonderful blur."

Recent years have seen Hahn doing shows like "the really beautiful and infrequently done" Maury Yeston work Death Takes a Holiday at the Arvada Playhouse, developmental readings such as a new musical version of Dracula [Westport Playhouse] in which she played Lucy Seward, and small roles in film. The variety inspires the actress. "It's fun to be able to change it up, and I hope to be able to continue to weave among these different challenges. Each type of work has its own joys and challenges. I love being able to work on a new play from the beginning and see how the piece is shaped and how it changes and grows. But I also love a long running experience or a fixed engagement like this one. Here, where you have only six weeks in total, you have to do a great deal of prep work to get your character down fast, so that you can portray her to the fullest in performances. Luckily we have fabulous support here at MSMT from our director and fellow actors!"

Asked to reflect on the perennial appeal of Guys and Dolls not only for the MSMT audience (which has seen 6 different productions over the years) but also for an entire new generation, Hahn talks about how well crafted the show is. "The book is so funny and clever. I still find myself looking at a line and being taken by the snarky fun of it all. Then there is a great element of female empowerment in the show. By the end of the musical, Adelaide and Sarah take matters into their own hands. And, of course, I am delighted that this music is going to be heard. It is absolutely stunning! I am confident that the audience is going to have a fantastic time."

But something else about Guys and Dolls excites Kristen Hahn as well. "I love the way these classic musicals always say something wonderful about exploring the human connection - about what can happen when you open your heart to love. This is something we certainly need in the world today."

Photos courtesy of MSMT, Roger Duncan, photographer; Kristen Hahn; Broadway World.

MSMT's Guys and Dolls runs at the Pickard Theater, 1 Bath Rd., Brunswick, ME, from June 28-July 15, 2017. www.msmt.org 207-725-8769

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