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by Nancy Rosati
MS: I always liked to think that I was in control of my fate, but that’s not really true at all. I’ve been very, very lucky in that I’ve been able to live in New York, work probably an average of seven months a year without having to do anything else, except for occasionally spraying a little perfume at department stores. Unemployment has stepped in and helped out at times. At this point in my life, in terms of the last 20 years, I couldn’t be more thankful in the sense that I’ve been a working professional in the business that I probably love. NR: Probably love? You’re not sure?
NR: Do you mean that there have been difficulties all along, but the recent problems have just been more public? MS: Exactly. I thought that when we got to Broadway there would be a pot of gold sitting here. That aspect of it didn’t happen, but in beginning to do a lot of soul searching in terms of “Who am I? What am I doing in this business? Where is my place?” I’m learning a lot about the value of theater in everyone’s lives, and myself, and how it all fits in. I’m doing a lot of good work right now in terms of assessing the last six years of Jane Eyre. Even though it’s a loss in terms of the show closing, I think that it’s filled with a wonderful, rich tapestry of people and experiences, and people believing in something and being committed. Most of this cast have been in the show all along. We lost a couple along the way, but I’d say at least half the cast was in the original Toronto cast. It’s been a long journey. It’s gotten better. The show has gotten much, much better. It really came a long way. It was a very different show in Toronto. It was the same length but it’s much more developed now. NR: Is it very different now from when it opened in December? MS: Oh yes. Not in terms of the actual written material, but people who come see it now say, “I don’t know why I saw an early preview. This is a totally different show.” I think it just has to do with people investing their hearts and souls in things, which is wonderful. It can be hurtful but there are a lot of shows that have had similar journeys. It’s not unlike Side Show. That was a show where they felt very close, they had such a good cast, such a good group of people. They were so committed and believed that there was such a heart and soul in that show as well. It’s not at all unlike that. The producers were as passionate, the audience was very passionate. But neither show can go beyond a certain level, I think, because they can’t figure out how to market them. I think that’s the bottom line. Our producers began to call Jane Eyre “spinach.” NR: Why is that? MS: Because spinach is good for you. People know that spinach is good for you, but not everybody wants to try it. A lot of people just don’t want it, so it became like marketing spinach if you really think about it. One of our producers said to me the other night, “I think that 90% of our problem is marketing.” We began to take a lighter approach later in the run. This spring they started to think that we shouldn’t take ourselves quite so seriously. They felt that if they had started that way right from the beginning, they might have been able to do it. I don’t know. Who knows? There have been disappointments for me this spring and they’ve been tough, but I’ll get through them and I’ll get right back out there and start doing it again. If you couple the journey that the show has made with the emotional journey the show itself embodies, it’s a hard show. We were dealing with a roller coaster of a show in itself. It’s filled with a lot of emotion and doing it over a long period of time, thinking “if we can just get ... ” I was one of the people who believed from the get-go that it was going to make it to Broadway. I did. I was totally sold on it. I said, “If people can see me do this, they’re going to take me seriously as an actress” because it’s a classic and I worked very, very hard to make this character believable. I can always do shtick. I can always do comedy but I wanted her to be a real person, grounded in that period. NR: Do you think that’s going to make a difference now, or is it too early to answer that? MS: It’s too early. I relish having a little time off, although you never know about this business. It’s so classic, that maybe they won’t think of me in a contemporary way. Casting directors think, “Mary doesn’t sing pop” and I say, “Ask me!” NR: You did a cabaret show called Lighter Than Eyre not too long ago. MS: I know, and I sang pop in that! NR: Why don’t you tell me about that? Are you going to try that again? MS: Probably. I don’t have anything on the fire yet but my music director called me and he said, “I just loved working on it and I think we need to do something else.” That’s coming from him and he’s a busy man. NR: Would it be similar to the one you already did? MS: Similar, but maybe a little more intimate. I did Lighter Than Eyre as a benefit for the Marcia Shew Fund for Pediatric AIDS. I didn’t want to make money on it, I just wanted a lot of people to see it. I did a fairly large venue - upstairs at Studio 54. Two hundred and forty people saw the show in the two performances. That’s pretty big for a club act. I wanted to really mesh where I was in my career in terms of what I wanted to show. I wanted to do the funny songs that I’ve been singing for years. I turned some corners on it. I did some ballads and some interesting things. I involved a lot of songwriters - it's great that people are willing to write for me, or give me songs. It was a little big for a club act. There’s nothing wrong with that ... it was just a little bit more theatrical and I used it as a publicity event, to get myself out there. I think it was highly successful. We got some lovely notices and it was a good springboard for me. I need a little time to kind of sit back and decide where I want to go with this. NR: How about a CD? MS: That’s a possibility. I have to get somebody interested. As for the cabaret act, the next venue will be a little smaller, not without some of the same material, but I want to make it a little more intimate. I want to take people on a journey, and if I can do that while doing the kinds of things that I know and have fun with ... About 16 years ago I did something and I talked about it in Lighter Than Eyre. A friend of mine was music directing and he said, “It’s like a therapy.” It was very “'80s,” very “angst-driven” and this time I said, “No, I don’t want to do that!” I want to have fun and I want to share the fun things that I sing. Plus it gives me a chance to show that I can sing. I don’t know if you know Polly Pen’s work at all. I did The Night Governess with her at the McCarter. It’s a very classic, very Victorian piece - another Victorian piece, but I was the matriarch, which was nice. Danny Gurwin was my son. Robbie Sella was my son. Danielle Ferland was my daughter. Here I was playing this old lady. I had a wonderful time. The first time I auditioned, Polly Pen came up to me and said, “Mary, I had no idea that you sang.” I think she knew I could sing shtick and character roles, but I don’t think she realized that I really can sing. I’m not sure people would realize from watching Jane Eyre. So the act gives me a chance to show that. NR: What do you want to do in the future?
NR: Did you enjoy doing the Disney movies? MS: I loved that. I didn’t work for very long. Hunchback was only about 20 minutes of work. I did a pilot of a show called Lunatic Theatre that FX is interested in. It was co-written by Jerry Seinfeld. Supposedly the buzz is that the president of FX is nuts about it. I did an episode of Criminal Intent, a new Law and Order series that will air in the fall. I’d like to do a little more TV. I’d like to do more theater, of course. And film, of course. Anything - and go on with this career, go on and learn more, and do more. I’d like to do plays. I’d like to do more serious work. I’d LOVE to do something that’s more serious. Maybe that has shown through a little in Jane Eyre. I hope. It would be nice if that’s true. I don’t know if people are going to pick up on that or not. You never know. But you know what? I’m being seen for something tomorrow and it’s a play. The last thing I was seen for was a Romeo and Juliet, so maybe. But you see the realm I’m in right now. They’re thinking classic, they’re thinking period work, which is something I have an affinity for. They’re thinking (indicating her costumes) long black dresses and black shoes. I’d like to do varied things. I’d like to do something happy, and something serious. As much as I think the business is not what I thought it was ... NR: It’s not what you thought it was? In what way? MS: When you get to this level, it’s a lot more commercially ... (searching for the right word) NR: A lot more “business” and a lot less “show?” MS: Yes. NR: I’ve heard that from many people. MS: It makes me sad. But you know what? It is the business that I am obviously choosing, and I just need to learn from it and keep going, and keep growing. Being an artist is hard because it’s an ephemeral business. One minute it’s there and the next minute it’s gone. What’s important is what we as artists can carry with us to the next venture. Everything’s a learning experience, but I guess that’s true of almost any business. It’s hard ... and yet, it isn’t. There are a lot of people who will be standing outside that stage door today after the show, and it lives for them. It really lives. One woman’s seen the show 32 or 33 times so it means something to her. NR: That’s wonderful. Thank you so much and I wish you and the cast the best for the remaining performances. MS: Thank you. Jane Eyre may have closed, but it’s certainly not the last you’ll hear of Mary Stout. I’m eagerly anticipating her next cabaret act, seeing her create a new character, hopefully in something other than a long black dress, and maybe even a CD. One thing is certain - this extremely resilient woman will land on her feet and hopefully entertain new audiences for many years to come.
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