BWW Interviews: Lisa Marie Wright is NOT Kathy Griffin, but You'll Want her Autograph Anyway

Outspoken and controversial funny girl Kathy Griffin heads back to Tennessee on Thursday night, July 21, for an appearance at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall, bringing her outrageous brand of comedy with her. Nashville audiences are fairly giddy in anticipation, just wondering which pop culture flavors-of-the-moment she'll eviscerate with her wicked sense of humor, and trying to figure out how they'll be able to get a one-on-one meeting with her...

Griffin, whose life and career puts her smack-dab on the A-list - what with her numerous appearances on  America's favorite TV shows like Glee, Law and Order: SVU, CNN's New Year's Eve with Anderson Cooper, her Emmy-nominated Bravo reality series and her TV Guide Network special about this spring's royal wedding - returns to Nashville for the first time since her last sold-out performance at TPAC in 2009.

And while Griffin's enjoying her time in the spotlight, what must it be like for her Nashville-based doppelganger? Actress Lisa Marie Wright, whose spitfire personality and own outrageous ways have made her a favorite on local and regional stages (she played Christine Penmark in Street Theatre Company's critically acclaimed revival of The Bad Seed, and has delighted audiences in several Rhubarb Theater Company productions in the past few seasons) almost every day encounters someone who thinks she's Kathy Griffin. Let's face it: Lisa Marie Wright is a sexy, petite redhead with a flair for the dramatic, so it's easy to understand why people might, at first blush, take her for the allegedly more famous Griffin.

Seriously, it happens a lot - rarely a day goes by that Lisa Marie doesn't have a new story to add to her compendium of "You're not Kathy Griffin" stories - and it seems to occur more frequently these days, particularly since la Griffin became the queen of all media thanks to her burgeoning TV career, best-selling book and comedy tour. You can only imagine what will happen on Thursday, as Lisa Marie makes her way about town on the same day Kathy's cracking wise at TPAC.

With Griffin coming to Music City USA this week, you can be certain that Lisa Marie Wright will be asked to sign more autographs than normal, dodging the glare of television cameras and trying to elude the paparazzi. Luckily, she agreed to an interview with us from an undisclosed location where she whiles away her time eating bon-bons and reading movie magazines...either that, or she was at work, we forget...

So how often do you get mistaken for Kathy Griffin?

Frequently! More so, of course, since she's been back in the spotlight over the last few years. It is very rare that I meet someone new and they don't make the KG reference. It used to annoy me a little: I mean if people are going to think I look like a famous redhead, why not Nicole Kidman, right? I mean she's freakin' gorgeous and stuff! I guess it's that she's about nine feet tall, and really skinny. Bitch. Sorry, I digress. 

What's the funniest thing that's happened to you when someone thought you were Kathy Griffin?

It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but about nine years ago I did a show with ACT 1, Christopher Durang's Betty's Summer Vacation. (Loved that show, by the way)...Anywho, my hair was really short then and I think I was more blonde than red at that time. A woman approached me after the show and told me how much I reminded her of her friend in L.A. - Kathy Griffin. Clearly it's not just the hair. 

What's the most embarrassing moment you've had as Kathy?

I can't think of an embarrassing memory at the moment, but I can tell you the most recent frustrating moment! I was in a paint store and the guy "helping" me was treating me like I was a total idiot, I was getting so angry and decided to just leave before I lost my cool. Right as I reached the door he hollered at me "Hey! Who's that funny gal you look like?" I turned and replied "Kathy Griffin," through my gritted teeth. "Yeah! That's her! Heard that one afore huh?" And then he laughed as if something hysterical had just occurred. And yes, he did say "afore" right after he had been treating me as though I had the brain capacity of a rock. I managed to leave gracefully because I reminded myself that all of my friends are actors and are, therefore, poor - and I wouldn't have anyone to bail me out of jail. 

What does KG do that really makes you laugh?

I love when she recounts and reenacts meeting other famous people. One of my faves is when she met Celine Dion backstage at her show in Vegas. Hilarious!

What's next on your theatrical agenda?

Nothing on my agenda coming up other than the staged reading for First Night. [She will be playing Peggy Day in First Night: Clare Boothe Luce's The Women on Wednesday, August 31 at the Black Box Theatre at Belmont University.] And really, why would I need anything more than that?

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Kathy Griffin - the two-time Emmy Award-winner, New York Times best-selling author, and Grammy nominee, who just took Broadway by storm with her critically acclaimed Kathy Griffin Wants A Tony - is a multi-faceted performer with outrageous candor and rapid-fire wit - but still she can't get a man - and has been making audiences laugh for years with her unique perspective on such pop culture icons and sacred cows (no offense, Oprah!) as Ryan Seacrest, Lindsay Lohan, Bill O'Reilly, Kate Gosselin, the entire Palin family (especially that no-talent Bristol) and so many more.

The bawdy redhead recently won rave reviews for her Broadway show, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony (her Playbill bio alone was worth the price of a ticket - well, maybe we exaggerate) featuring two hours of hilarious Hollywood gossip and stand-up commentary on blunders of the rich and famous. Dishing on all things pop culture and shining a light on inappropriate water cooler talk, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony featured all new material about her hilarious observations and run-ins with celebrities.

In addition to her little comedy routine, Griffin is a tireless advocate on behalf of American veterans (she's made several trips to various Middle Eastern hotspots, entertaining American service people) and is an outspoken supporter of  lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender equality,

Tickets range from $39-$69, and may be purchased online at www.tpac.org, at the TPAC Box Office downtown or at the new TPAC Box Office in The Mall at Green Hills, or by calling (615) 782-4040.

 

 

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