Interview: 6 Questions & a Plug with SOUTH PACIFIC's Christine Toy Johnson

Christine Toy Johnson has come full circle in a career with many facets: from her first Equity role to her current stint as Bloody Mary in Guthrie Theater's SOUTH PACIFIC, this Rodgers & Hammerstein musical has been important to her. Guthrie Artistic Director Joseph Haj takes the reigns in this summer musical on the Minneapolis riverfront in his first full production since joining the company last year. Johnson comments on Haj's approach to a timeless yet time-bound production and her own career in this 6 Questions & a Plug:

SOUTH PACIFIC is a classic and Bloody Mary is a well-known character; what can you tell our readers about this new Guthrie production and playing Mary?

Our director Joe Haj talked to us a lot about honoring the text of the show while also looking at it through a lens that makes sense in 2016.

To me, that means approaching the piece with as much authenticity and humanity as possible, with a finely tuned eye to the issues that resound in different (and similar) ways as they did almost 70 years ago. As a company, we spent a lot of time during the rehearsal process (with the assistance of the Guthrie's amazing dramaturg Jo Holcomb) studying the given historical circumstances of the play; the time period, what was happening in the world, the war, and also the Michener stories upon which the musical is based. This grounds the production in an authenticity that I believe makes the story even deeper and richer than it already is, and definitely very satisfying to play. Our design team (John Lee Beatty who did the sets, Justin Townsend who did the lighting, Jennifer Caprio who did the costumes and Scott Edwards who did the sound) has given us a gorgeous backdrop for all of this.

Joe had this idea that "Bloody Mary" was a kind of "Mother Courage" character. That image, coupled with the inspiration I'm drawing on from women I have observed in that part of the world (specifically in Cambodia and China), definitely have made our "Bloody Mary" into a woman who lives and breathes survival; navigating her way through the given historical circumstances of the play in the best way she knows how and doing whatever it takes to make sure her family thrives. I love playing her because of the joie de vivre that informs everything she does; her perseverance, her commitment to making a good life for her daughter, and the deep sense she has of being fully present in every moment - whether that moment is full of joy or pain or annoyance from a "stingy bastard" who refuses to buy a grass skirt from her. And then there are those songs! This score sweeps me away every single night.

Do you feel the theme of racism in the musical will resonate with today's audiences in light of the various instances of current-day racism still happening around us, and how much (or little) has changed since Rodgers & Hammerstein's show premiered in 1949?

I believe that though many things have changed since 1949, we as a society are still struggling with fear of those who are perceived as "other" and the ensuing prejudice and racism that can come from that. Some of it is subtle, but much of it is blatant. The theatre has this incredible power to shift the lens through which we see each other and ourselves - and that's why a musical like SOUTH PACIFIC still resonates with today's audiences. Though we're transported to another time and place theatrically, the humanity and the lessons learned by the various characters that we collectively witness are timeless - and they grab a hold of us, put a mirror up to us, make us think and feel and laugh and cry, and don't let go until after the curtain comes down. That's a classic for you!

You are a lovely woman, but Bloody Mary's reputation is sort of unattractive - like a caricature; are you doing a major make up and costume transformation or playing it differently?

There have been many portrayals of this character (including stereotypical tropes) that don't match up with our production. Our Bloody Mary is intentionally human, not a caricature -- so I am not doing major make up. As for costumes, our brilliant costume designer, the aforementioned Jennifer Caprio, has based all of Mary's clothing on what women in that part of the world at that time in history would have possibly worn - in combination with some things that might have been picked up from her friends, the Seabees, so there is a very authentic look to her (and all the characters in our production). I'm certainly not glamorous by any means, but there was never an intention to make me into a hideous and/or cartoonish representation of the character. Also, there was a discussion about Liat, Bloody Mary's daughter, coming from somewhere, and subsequently, we intentionally are not playing Bloody Mary as any sort of sight gag, or as the butt of her own jokes.

This is your Guthrie debut but you've performed locally with the Minnesota Orchestra and more recently in the Ordway's THE SOUND OF MUSIC. What do you think of Minneapolis-Saint Paul audiences, our theatres and the area?

I've had wonderful experiences with the theatres and audiences in the Twin Cities! It is such a vibrant artistic community and being here in the summer is fabulous! I have to say that working at the Guthrie and with Joe Haj has been beyond extraordinary and is already proving to be one of the top five favorite theatrical experiences of my career so far.

What is your background, training and where did you get your start in acting on stage and also in film and on TV?

I started modeling at age 4, and growing up in the suburbs of NYC, always had my eyes on Broadway. With that in mind, I started studying ballet (and every other kind of theatrical dance form), acting and singing starting at around age 11. I attended the Circle in the Square Acting School in NYC at 13 and continued to study through high school, college (I graduated from Sarah Lawrence College) and beyond. I consider most of my acting technique to be based in the Michael Chekhov technique and was fortunate enough to receive training from one of his own students, the wonderful Joanna Merlin.

The late director and teacher Lloyd Richards also continues to have a great influence on me. The summer I graduated high school, I got my Equity card playing "Liat" in a production of SOUTH PACIFIC (!) in Ohio and would spend summers during college working at various theatres across the country. After college I got an agent and started auditioning for film and television, too, and have been a working actor every since. I am incredibly grateful for my life in the theatre, which has had its ups and downs but has truly been bountiful.

You are also a writer with many credits of plays, musicals and screenplays. Is it challenging to balance your time between your pursuits?

I often tell people that I spend 100% of my time on my acting career, 100% of my time on my writing career, and 100% of my time fighting for diversity and inclusion in the arts. I also am part of the elected leaderships of both Actors' Equity Association and the Dramatists Guild, and have a husband and a dog that are at the heart of my life - so yes, it's challenging to balance everything, but really, really worth it. (Also - coffee helps a lot.)

Time to plug your next project post-SOUTH PACIFIC -- what are you working on next?

I am stepping off the plane in NYC on Aug. 29 and into a rehearsal for a play I wrote with Kevin Duda, called DIARY OF A DOMESTIC GODDESS. We're doing a big industry presentation of it in September, and have this incredible powerhouse cast: Ann Harada, Lewis Cleave, Rebecca Baxter, Wade McCollum and Jeanne lehman, with Alan Muraoka directing. It's a love fest, really, and a very, very funny one! I'm also looking forward to spending some time at the O'Neill Theatre Center this fall, developing a solo piece about Frank Lloyd Wright (that I wrote and am directing) with Alan Campbell (Tony nominee for SUNSET BLVD.) Lots of exciting things in the air! (P.S. I really am a "cockeyed optimist".)

Christine Toy Johnson bio:

Guthrie South Pacific. Theater Broadway: The Music Man, Grease!, Chu Chem, National tour: Bombay Dreams, Flower Drum Song, Cats; Off-Broadway (highlights): Merrily We Roll Along, Pacific Overtures, Philip Goes Forth (Mint), Genesis (Public); Minnesota Opera: Bok Choy Variations; Ordway: The Sound of Music. Television Nearly 100 appearances including "The Americans" (recurring), "Law and Order: SVU" (recurring), "Mr. Robot," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." Playwright/Librettist The Secret Wisdom of Trees, Barcelona, Diary of a Domestic Goddess and more; works included in the Library of Congress Asian Pacific American Performing Arts Collection. Awards Rosetta LeNoire, JACL Leadership, Asian American Arts Alliance Service in the Arts

More information:

Minneapolis and Saint Paul audiences have two months to check out this well received production on the west bank of the Mississippi. SOUTH PACIFIC plays through Aug. 28, 2016, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Single tickets start at $39 ($15 for select previews), and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

Photo:

CJ Eldred (Lt. Cable), Christine Toy Johnson (Bloody Mary) and Manna Nichols (Liat) in the Guthrie Theater's production of South Pacific, music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II,book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan, adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener and directed by Joseph Haj. Set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Jennifer Caprio and lighting design by Justin Townsend. June 18 - August 28, 2016 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

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