Two-time Tony-nominated actress Alison Fraser chatted about starring in the Off-Broadway production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”
Portraying Big Mama
She stars as Big Mama in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” which is playing at the Theater at St. Clement’s. “It has been a wild ride,” she admitted. “It has had its challenges and triumphs. We’ve had some sound issues but they have been partially resolved.”
“I love playing Big Mama,” she said. “Joe Rosario is a visionary. He has reimagined this piece in a very contemporary and exciting way. Brick is so brilliantly done by Matt de Rogatis in such a psychologically complex performance. He has physically transformed himself for this role. His actively sexual persona on stage can really fuel the frustration that the obviously sexual Maggie (Sonoya Mizuno) feels in the production. It’s an amazing performance.”
She expressed her love for three-time Emmy winner Christian LeBlanc, who plays Big Daddy. “I love Christian Le Blanc,” she said. “A large part of my joy in Big Mama, in addition to loving her precious baby Brick, is that this couple was not a dysfunctional couple until Big Daddy’s sickness hit. They had a very lively sex life, he brought her diamonds and considered her an attractive woman. The fact that Big Daddy calls Big Mama ‘old and fat’ is masking his own insecurities due to his sickness.”
Fraser praised the late but great playwright Tennessee Williams for having a reason for his verbiage (and use of words) in the play. “When I started rehearsing this show Matt was reluctant to sing, and I told him that he can sing and second of all, Tennessee Williams put that song in there for a reason. That kicks Big Mama into thinking about Brick as a little boy. That is one of the most beautiful moments in the play when we sing that together. It is just stunning,” she said.
“I hope people come to see it with an open mind. Bring water because it is just under three hours, that’s how Tennessee Williams wrote it, and every word counts for something. It’s a very innovative take on one of the best plays ever written,” she added.
Tony nominations
Fraser is a two-time Tony Award nominee for “The Secret Garden” and “Romance/Romance.” “I lucked into getting these two original shows, and I brought the same type of dramaturgical gift to these pieces. I was very lucky to work with Barry Harman and the late Keith Herrmann on the beautiful musical ‘Romance/Romance,’ which was one of the most challenging parts that any musical theatre actress can ever wish for. It really was like a fairytale. Within months, I was starring in a Broadway show and I had a Tony nomination and a brilliant cast album recorded.”
“The same thing happened with ‘The Secret Garden,’ it was one of the most beloved books ever written. I was surprised I got the part of Martha. It was the most loving and warm character and I got to sing the shattering song ‘Hold On’ in it,” she added.
Her other Broadway roles include Dorine in “Tartuffe, Helena in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” and Tessie Tura in Arthur Laurents’ production of “Gypsy” starring Patti LuPone.
Fraser has created many roles Off-Broadway including Arsinoé in David Ives’ The School For Lies, Sister Walburga in Charles Busch’s The Divine Sister, Jessie in Terrence McNally’s Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams, The Matron (opposite Shirley Knight) in the world premiere of Tennessee Williams’ “In Masks Outrageous and Austere.” “I was in the New York premiere with the great Shirley Knight,” she said.
She continued, “I feel like my Tennessee Williams arc started with my disastrous15-year-old Blanche, improved mightily with ‘Dirty Shorts,’ the two erotic short stories Michael Urie and I performed for the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival hit a peak with David Kaplan’s masterful ‘Tennessee Williams: Words and Music,’ went on a wild ride with the World premiere of Tennessee Williams’ last play ‘In Masks Outrageous and Austere,’ and is beautifully finished for now with Ruth Stage’s reimagining of ‘Cat On A Hot Tin Roof’.”
“Joe Rosario gave me free rein to just look at those words. I give him credit for trusting me,” she added.
Success
She defined the word success as “having a goal and reaching it.” “I really do believe that in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ with Matt and Joe, it was quite astonishing that they got the first Off-Broadway rights to this production from the Tennessee Williams estate. It’s a perfect fit for the root stage, and Joe is a great director for this because he hired people that had a specific idea of what they wanted to do. It worked out splendidly for all of us,” she said.
To learn more about Alison Fraser, check out her official website.
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