Roger, Desiree, and Florence!
Roger: Musical lyrics you relate to, or lyrics that hold a special meaning for you?
All of āMaybe (Next to Normal).ā All I have to do is think the lyrics āFor all those years I prayed that youād go away for good, / half the time afraid that you really would. / When I thought you might be dying, / I cried for all weād never be, / but thereāll be no more crying, / not for me, not for me, not for me!ā and I tear up. Iām crying a little right now because I typed that.
And āā¦a girl full of anger and hope, / a girl with a mother who just couldnāt cope, / a girl who felt caught and thought no one could see, / but maybe one day sheāll be free.ā
DesirĆ©e: An actor youād like to see perform in your favourite musical?
Iāve actually been thinking a lot about how I would die if Essie Davis ever played DesirĆ©e in A Little Night Music. Sheās an elegant, savvy woman with a irrepressible spirit, and near the end of the show, we see her break down utterly in the most subtle, controlled, understated way. She reminds me of Phryne in a lot of ways actually - a glorious, larger than life character whose most heartbreaking moments are breathtakingly simple and unaffected.
Florence: A musical you have fallen out of love with?
Phantom of the Opera, maybe? It was my first musical, but I havenāt listened to it in forever. I want to again soon, though, and I still think the music is great. I just donāt see the Phantom as a romantic character anymore. A complicated man whose darkness was created by circumstance, definitely. But just because a person has been through awful shit, itās not an excuse to stalk and terrorize and manipulate someone else.