BWW Interviews: Olivera and Dodge Revive a Classic with Ford's 110 IN THE SHADE

Combined together, the resumes of actress Tracy Lynn Olivera and director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge feature just about every great musical from the golden age of Broadway, except one.

That changed last week when Ford's Theatre's new production of 110 in the Shade opened with Olivera in the lead role of Lizzie Curry under Dodge's direction. The limited run of the 1963 musical may be just two months long and yet it has been a production two years in the making.

"It [110 in the Shade] is one of those musicals that may not be so familiar however, when you talk with true, diehard musical theatre fans, it instantly ranks as one of their favorite scores," says Dodge shortly before opening night.

Set in drought-stricken Texas, the musical centers around strong willed Lizzie Curry who dreams of love and a mysterious stranger who comes to town promising to make it rain.

"It's kind of a Music Man-like story where you have this con man who promises to make it rain and shakes up the town," says Olivera. "The score has been one of my favorites for forever and the role of Lizzie, it's written in a way - there weren't many roles like this for women written before 1975."

110 in the Shade is based on the play The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash, who also wrote the musical's book. It features music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones, authors of the long running musical The Fantasticks. The production was the result of a lunch between Olivera and Ford's Theatre Director Paul Tetreault.

"Paul and I had been talking since I did Hello, Dolly! And he said that he wanted to do a project for me. And I said 110 in the Shade, which surprised him because if you've seen me you don't think of me as brassy. We then thought who'd be a good director and Marcia seemed like an obvious choice," said Olivera.

"I didn't know 110 in the Shade and that was exciting to me, because it's always thrilling to do something I've never done before," said Dodge. "When I met Paul I asked who do you have for Lizzie? When he said Tracy, I said wonderful and that I wanted to do it. This was in 2014, and so I blocked it on my calendar."

The relationship between the two goes back to when Dodge directed Olivera in the Kennedy Center's 2009 revival of Ragtime. "I love Marcia because she's not interested in treating anything with kid gloves. She calls it getting messy. For people that know the show, or think they know the show, this production is not what you think," says Olivera.

Originally, the show was set in 1936; whereas this production is set in the fifties when Texas was going through a severe draught that was just as harsh as the Dust Bowl. Furthermore, she wanted to channel the emotions of the production's young company. Dodge says movies like 1956's Giant were influential in terms of style.

"We have a young company with everyone in their mid-thirties, that time in life when you think about wanting love and feeling the expectations of others," says Dodge. "I also wanted to examine how the show would work in the time it was written and provide a little more heat to the tone of the piece."

With two years to prepare for the production, Dodge says it's really important to work from the character's perspective. Ultimately, 110 in the Shade is about both a community and a woman who wants to be loved for who she is and not feel forced to conform to society's rules. It's a story, says Dodge, that's quite contemporary and a perfect fit for Tracy.

"Tracy is authentic, honest and there are so many things about Lizzie that feel so comfortable in her skin," says Dodge. "The beautiful thing about Tracy is that she's a zaftig woman and not afraid to tell you. It's that type of authenticity that gives Lizzie her uniqueness."

"What I love about DC is that people like Paul Tetreault, and Eric Schaeffer at Signature, don't care about what you look like as long as you've got talent," says Olivera. "That frees me up to do what is truthful to the character and to be as honest as possible within the rules of the show."

Playing Lizzie is a dream come true for Olivera and it's a role she wanted to play for a long time. Dodge adds that like Rose in Gypsy and Dolly in Hello, Dolly!, Lizzie is one of the great roles for actresses and one that almost never leaves the stage.

"Tracy is a triple threat in the best sense and I'm so grateful to her, and so proud of her," says Dodge

"The cast is tremendous. It's nice to go to work with your friends every day. What much more can I say?" says Olivera.

110 in the Shade runs thru May 14 at Ford's Theatre: 511 10th St NW, Washington, DC 20004. For more information and to purchase tickets please call (800) 982-2787 or click here.

Photo: Kevin McAllister and Tracy Lynn Olivera. Credit: Carol Rosegg.

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