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::TV NEWS::
LE Newsletter - February 2, 2012
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Debra Messing Explores Her Dramatic Chops In New Series
Source:
www.globeandmail.com - By Andrew Ryan
(Jan 31, 2012)
Debra Messing
is determined to bring Broadway to the
North American viewing public, one show tune at a time.
The Emmy-winning star of Will & Grace returns to network
television on the much-anticipated midseason series
Smash.
The brainchild of Steven Spielberg, the show is being dubbed a
Glee for grownups, and getting major media buzz.
Messing plays the lyricist who co-writes a musical based on the
life of Marilyn Monroe and then inherits all the headaches and
heartaches that come with mounting any Broadway production.
She spoke to The Globe during a recent stop in Toronto.
How do you attract viewers to Smash when 99 per cent of your
audience have never seen and will never see a Broadway musical?
That's turned out to the best thing about this show: It's
structured as a full ensemble drama with other characters and
stories for the viewer to care about besides the musical aspect.
We give just a taste of what it would be like to sit through a
three-hour musical. The one Broadway song they experience each
episode is like the cherry on the cake.
Did you once hold musical-theatre ambitions?
From the time I was 3, I desperately wanted to be a singer and
dancer. I took the singing lessons and the dancing lessons. I
went through auditions for summer stock. Eventually I learned I
wasn't good enough to be a musical star on Broadway. In recent
years, I've been given opportunities to be on Broadway and sing,
but it's generally because I'm more well-known now and for more
comic roles. But I still love to sing.
How does one prepare to play a lyricist?
It's a world in which I have no experience, but I wanted it to
be authentic as possible. I've read several books about famous
lyricists, including Betty Comden and Ira Gershwin. It's been
interesting to see how much love of poetry plays in songwriting.
I also bought a rhyming dictionary.
Does the fate of any Broadway musical hinge on the
composer-lyricist relationship?
I think it does. In some ways it's like you're shackled to each
other. You can't do what you love to do without this other
person. It's like a marriage in that sometimes you just want to
say to your partner: Get out of my face.
Any hesitation about diving back into the grind of a weekly
series?
At this stage in my life committing to a TV show is a pretty
complicated thing. I gave birth to my son during the sixth
season of Will & Grace and he's 7 now. I've been grateful
for the privilege to not work, but at some point it always kicks
back in that I have to act. Nothing else in my life can fulfill
that specific need.
You've had multiple sitcom offers in recent years. Why a
drama?
I always said I would never do a drama because of the hours you
have to work. It's like a movie that never ends and it's nearly
impossible to have a balanced life. But on Smash there
are 11 characters that need to be serviced, so in a perfect
world I can work less, hopefully just a few days a week. I can
be an active mother and still be satisfied creatively when I get
to work each day. At least that's the plan.
There's a strong American Idol vibe to the first episode of
Smash. Are you a fan?
Oh, I am completely obsessed with all those talent shows.
Specifically the ones that highlight new and extraordinary
talent that would otherwise never be seen. I don't watch
Dancing with the Stars, but So You Think You Can Dance
and American Idol I am positively obsessed with. When I
watch those shows sometimes I see my younger self.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
Smash launches Feb. 6 on NBC and CTV. |
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::ENTERTAINMENT NEWS WITH A CANADAN TWIST::
