Two at the Heart of Arsenic & Old Lace, Part 2

Tonight, when Arsenic and Old Lace officially opens at CENTERSTAGE, Brynn O'Malley will be making her debut, of sorts.  Not only will tonight mark her debut at this Baltimore venue, she will also be appearing in her very first professional play.

"It's funny how it worked out.  I found out after my audition that CENTERSTAGE really didn't want to see me - not for any bad reason - it's just that they saw me as a 'non-play' actor.  Boy, I'm glad I didn't know that before.  It would have affected everything I was trying to do!  But it worked out, and I am thrilled to be here doing this!" 

"So am I!" enthuses her co-star, Ian Kahn.  "She is really wonderful to work with." 

Given her last experience with regional theatre (she was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for her Amalia in Arena Stage's She Loves Me), it is no surprise that this vivacious actress is here.  "I was doing Hairspray on Broadway, and was nearing the end of my contract.  So, I had a choice - re-sign or do something else.  Well, I had the time of my life at She Loves Me, so I was really looking for something on the east coast.  And regional theatre?  It is unlike any other experience. This is not a re-creation of a part someone else had, and it isn't a copy of the original production.  I love working with people to create something new.  Anyway, my agent got me an appointment for my first play - Arsenic and Old Lace at CENTERSTAGE.  And here I am." 

When I asked her about how different it is to be in a play versus a musical, O'Malley didn't even pause.  "This is the most relaxed I've ever been.  I mean, it doesn't feel like a huge departure - it is a lot of work - but it is how you work that is so different.  With this show, a huge weight is gone.  I can focus on what I need to do - work on the story.  All we are working on is the story.  There aren't separate sessions to learn songs, or dances, and working out how to hit your marks to beats and all that timing!  There is just so much to learn for a musical, besides the acting.  It is important, the most important, really, but with a play that is ALL you really have to worry about." 

That the acting profession is a lot of work is a concern of hers; she fears that the public, which only sees the end product, will get the impression that "anyone can do this."  She admits to watching last season's "Grease: You're The One That I Want", even predicting one of the contestants would end up replacing her as Amber in Hairspray.  She was right; Grease finalist Ashley Spencer actually did!  And while she doesn't doubt the contestants are talented and work hard, Brynn is concerned that people think Broadway is as easy as going off to a camp and then becoming a star.  "I remember something from Jerry Seinfeld's video, Comedian.  In it, he makes the realization that to make stand up his career, he really needed to work on it 8 hours a day like a job.  That is so true about this business." 

O'Malley, in fact, has had the opportunity to work with a wide range of Broadway actors and actors who come to Broadway.  "The big difference," she says, very seriously, "is the attitudes [stars] have about being on Broadway.  For some, it is all about the credit, being able to say forever, 'I was in a Broadway show.'  For them, they don't think it'll make or break them, and really don't put in the effort to learn or become part of the company."  Luckily, Ms. O'Malley has had mostly good luck in this area. 

"I came into Hairspray with Ashley Parker Angel, who only knew about being in a boy band.  He is the NICEST guy in the world.  From the very beginning he wanted to learn everything, and was worried he'd mess everyone up.  He really had no idea what he was getting into, so he did extra rehearsals and everything he could."  She smiles fondly, "After the show at the end of his first week, the doorman said, 'See ya, Tuesday!' and Ashley asked me, 'What do we so on Monday?'  It was so sweet.  And boy, is he good as Link Larkin!"  (I agree, having seen him in the role, I think he is the best one I've seen, too.) 

"I also got to work with two different Pennys," she recalls, "and neither were 'Broadway' people.  Diana DeGarmo was so great to work with!  She really became a Broadway girl - she did all kinds of promotional stuff and benefits.  And what a natural actress and physical comedian.  She was so gracious, helping anyone that ever came in new, and she'd even adjust her performance to fit in with others that came and went."  The other Penny was film actress Alexa Vega.  "She came in not knowing exactly what was up, the whole picture of the show every night, not bits and pieces.  Then, she saw the movie, and it clicked!  Talk about a hard worker.  She got really good, and even did some nice things with her singing voice [that added to the character]." 

"But the best Hairspray story is Jerry Mathers, you know, from Leave It to Beaver.  He really wanted to learn and do his very best.  He saw Broadway as a peak in his career, and knew he knew nothing about it.  Well, he is such a sweet man.  He'd practice "You Can't Stop the Beat" over and over, even during intermission.  He got better each time, but still wasn't getting it.  One day, during intermission, the stage manager called him to the stage.  Next thing I know, he's standing in my dressing room doorway."  O'Malley goes immediately into a dead on impression of Mathers, aw shucks voice and all, "I guess I stopped the beat."  She also has nothing but praise for co-stars Tevin Campbell and Darlene Love, both of whom she says were the hardest working, most professional people.  "Darlene is a real role model for success in this business." 

Ms. O'Malley played Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, a role she enjoyed very much, especially because of the kids in the audience who recognized her instantly and would yell out, "Belle!"  She also is an Avenue Q veteran, originating the roles of Kate Monster and Lucy T. Slut in the Las Vegas production.  That experience, she says, was very humbling. "I'm not a puppeteer, and I need to keep learning," was her mantra during her run.  "There I was with Rick Lyon, the 'God of puppetry' and [Tony nominee] Johnny Tartaglia, and they held 'puppet school'.  We spent hours in front of the mirror moving our hands while saying the alphabet.  It turns out it is natural to close your hand with each letter or syllable, but you have to do just the opposite, so the puppet's mouth is open, not closed for each word.  It was like learning to play an instrument.  Actually, it was helpful that I knew how to play one.  It is difficult, but so rewarding to express emotion through an entirely different medium.  Think about it.  In Avenue Q, you only use your face and sometimes feet to fill in the blanks for the audience, while you hold up a 'person' who can only use their mouth, c*cktheir head and maybe an arm movement or two.  That's what makes the whole thing so special.  It really instilled in me that puppetry is an art form, and Avenue Q has helped bring it back.  And now, look at Johnny!  He has that new show on the Disney Channel (Johnny and the Sprites) and that is full of puppets!" 

Right now, though, Brynn O'Malley is concentrating on her straight play debut, and is very happy doing it.  What's next?  Another musical, Meet Me in St. Louis at Papermill Playhouse.  "I'm so glad they got everything straightened out," she says of that venue's recent, much publicized money problems.  She'll be playing Esther, the "Trolley Song" girl, a role made famous on film by Judy Garland.  After that, who knows?  Let's hope it includes more visits to Baltimore. 

"My mother always keeps me grounded.  She tells me not to feel too high about the highs or too low about the lows.  Happiness is great.  Disappointment is hard.  It is hard work to stay on an even keel."  That perspective, I bet, has much to do with this talented young actress's already remarkable career. 

Arsenic and Old Lace opens officially tonight, and runs through October 14.  Go to www.centerstage.org for details and ticket information.

PHOTOS: TOP to BOTTOM: Brynn O'Malley; Ian Kahn and Brynn O'Malley in Arsenic and Old Lace at CENTERSTAGE (photo by Richard Anderson); Brynn O'Malley in She Loves Me; Hairspray: O'Malley and Diana DeGarmo, O'Malley (lower left, center) and Ashley Parker Angel (upper left, center) ;Brynn O'Malley as Belle in Beauty and the Beast; Avenue Q: Princeton and Kate Monster, with John Tartaglia and Brynn O'Malley. 

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