Interview: 6 Questions & a Plug with THE COCOANUTS' Ann Michels

Whether she's in the lead role or in the chorus of the latest musical, Ann Michels is a Twin Cities actor/singer who stands out and who finds a connection with her audiences. BWW Minneapolis got to know her a little better as she plays Penelope Martin in the 1920s romp, THE COCOANUTS at the Guthrie's Procenium Stage in 6 Questions & a Plug:

Tell me about Penelope -- who is she in THE COCOANUTS, and what's her role in the plot?

Penelope Martin is one of two villains in THE COCOANUTS. She's a grifter who's spent her life conning and stealing from the rich. She just happens to run into Harvey Yates, a former partner in crime, at the Cocoanut Hotel, and she hatches a plan with him to steal a very valuable necklace from a wealthy hotel guest. The Marx Brothers are famous for satirizing the rich and bungling the plans of the corrupt, and Penelope and Harvey's actions play right into their hands.

So, Penelope is the bad apple in this show -- but she's also got a couple songs, which I understand is different than the film version -- does that play well with her role as a criminal? How do you see it?

During Penelope and Groucho's number "Hit With the Ladies" we see both characters in action, doing their thing, and actually furthering the plot, which doesn't always happen with musicals. Quite often songs are just an expansion of an idea or a feeling. But this song is active and fun, and we see both characters for exactly who they are; Penelope as a sneaky, manipulative woman using her sex appeal to get what she wants, and Hammer (Groucho), throwing his comedic wrench into her plans.

This show is from the 1920s -- is it relevant today, and if so, how? Or is it just light, old-fashioned entertainment like the Marx Brothers are known for?

The Marx Brothers were famous for satirizing the rich and famous, in entertainment or politics, also for challenging authority in almost absurdist ways. I think our current society, in its distaste for the huge division between the rich and the poor, the highly contentious and bitter political climate, the unhealthy fascination and adoration of the rich and famous, is hungry for the underdogs to have their day. I also believe there is great value in the power of laughter, and to just spend a night, away from your troubles at the moment, and let 'er rip. This is raucous good fun.

Do people need to know the Marx Bros. or can viewers of today who did not watch the old films pick up on this show without that background?

I'm actually VERY excited for audience members who don't know the Marx Brothers to have their first real taste of them in this show. They were brilliant comedians, both verbally and physically and their work is an artform in and of itself. Mark Bedard, who adapted the script and plays the Groucho character, worked very hard to make this George Kaufman/Irving Berlin piece more accessible to current audiences. Mark, John Tufts (Chico) and Brent Hinkley (Harpo), have mastered their portrayals of these iconic characters and it's a treat to see them live.

You've got an extensive resume at the Guthrie, Chanhassen and other local theatres, including just wrapping up a long stint as Mary Poppins. Was that the highlight of your career? Tell me more about your time as Mary.

Mary Poppins at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres was definitely a highlight of my career and I'll be forever grateful for the honor of portraying her. But I have to say that I've often felt that way about shows that I have done. I felt that way about playing Dot in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE with Theater Latte Da, or Aldonza in MAN OF LA MANCHA with Nautilus Music Theater or Yitzhak in two different productions of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, (Outward Spiral Theater Company and The Jungle, respectively). The truth is, I'm a sucker for a good story with a gift. I can be working in the ensemble of a show and feel my job is incredibly important and worthwhile if that story is making a real and meaningful impact on an audience. And sometimes that real and meaningful experience is merely to bring a multitude of discouraged and exhausted people to unbridled belly laughs, as is the case with THE COCOANUTS. We have an important job to do as performers and I take it very seriously. People are counting on us to make sense of this beautiful yet complicated world we live in, and it's a privilege to try to do so.

Where did you get your start in theatre -- and, are you from the area, where did you go to college, etc.?

I grew up in Faribault, Minn., and my first play was in third grade, playing Laura Ingalls' teacher, Miss Beadle, in a play based on ON THE BANKS OF PLUM CREEK. My mom made my costume, and I was IN LOVE with this acting thing. We didn't have a theater program till high school, and that is where I got my first big shot as a sophomore, landing the role of Eliza Doolittle in MY FAIR LADY. Actually, I've attributed much of my success as a performer to the years upon years I spent training and competing as a gymnast. You learn to have mastery of your body, self discipline, performing with poise under pressure and in front of crowds of people. Plus, some of those tricks come in handy on stage! Upon graduation I attended University of MN Morris and got degrees in English, Theater and Secondary Education with a coaching certification. I studied opera and art song, I sang in the choir and was the lead singer with our jazz program's big band. But music was separate from the theater discipline, so I had a chance to really hone my acting skills, tackling playwrights like Moliere, John Guare and Shakespeare. My interests were quite varied in college (I even pitched for the UMM Cougars fastpitch softball team for two years), and I've always believed in a liberal arts education making for well-rounded citizens of the world. After graduation I taught seventh grade English for two years before my voice teacher convinced me that I should move to the Twin Cities and give this performing thing a go. I did, and never looked back.

What's next for you on stage or off?
I'm looking forward to singing with the George Maurer Group over the holidays. We're a jazz band that has been together for almost 18 years now, and we do an annual Holiday Concert at The Paramount Theater in St Cloud. In early January I'll be participating at the History Theater in a RAW STAGES reading of SWEETLAND, which is a project I've been part of for many years now and we are on our way to finalizing the material for a full production in the next year or so. After that, I'm taking a much needed vacation up north with my husband, Matt, and our two crazy mutts, Millie and Lucy. We'll romp in the snow, and sit by a fire and have some peace for a while. Right after that I'll be playing Babette, the feather duster, in Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST starting in February 2016.

Ann Michels Bio:

Guthrie My Fair Lady, The Primrose Path, Roman Holiday, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Christmas Carol, She Loves Me, The Pirates of Penzance; "A Midsummer Night's Celebration," 2006 Guthrie Gala. Chanhassen Dinner Theatres: Mary Poppins, Bye Bye Birdie, The Little Mermaid, Jesus Christ Superstar, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Easter Parade, Joseph ..., Anything Goes; Children's Theatre: A Wrinkle in Time, Mr. McGee and the Biting Flea; Jungle Theater: Hedwig and the Angry Inch; Theater Latté Da: Parade, A Man of No Importance, Sunday in the Park with George, Wings; Nautilus Music-Theater: Man of La Mancha, The Last Five Years; Pantages: Hair; Illusion Theater; Old Log Theatre; History Theatre; Theatre de la Jeune Lune

More on THE COCOANUTS:

music and lyrics by Irving Berlin
book by George S. Kaufman
adapted by Mark Bedard
musical adaptation by Gregg Coffin
directed by David Ivers

The service stinks at the Cocoanut Hotel, but the gags are four-star in this Marx Brothers romp, a jazz-age musical with songs by Irving Berlin. Groucho owns a bum hotel in Florida and peddles dubious real estate to gullible Northerners seeking a place in the sun. He's after a rich society dame, who's after an eligible match for her daughter, who's in love with the hotel's head clerk. Trouble rolls in when the other Marx Brothers arrive and mama's eligible match turns out to be anything but. This deliciously silly musical is perfect holiday entertainment.

Playing through Jan. 3, 2016, on the Guthrie's Procenium Stage, tickets are available at http://www.guthrietheater.org/plays_events/plays/_cocoanuts. Audience members are invited to bring a non-perishable donation of food or household products to be collected by The Food Group (formerly Emergency FoodShelf Network). Collection bins are located in the Level One lobby, Nov.11 - Dec. 31, 2015.

Photo by Jenny Graham.

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