A "tour-de-force performance". It's a phrase often bandied about in the world of theater. But what does it really mean? In the case of All The Ways to Say I Love You, it means a revered actress pushed to the height of her talents through a creative partnership with a masterful director, via a formidable piece of modern drama. It's Judith Light -- who has come to be one of Broadway's most respected actors after making a name for herself on the small screen (Transparent, Who's The Boss, Ugly Betty, One Life to Live) -- bringing the full heft of her gifts to a thrilling new play worthy of her time and effort.
Audible Theater editor Preston Copley sat down with Judith Light to discuss what it means to give a solo performance in a full-length play -- on stage and in the audio recording booth. With the stakes of the show entirely on her shoulders, and hers alone, it's not a feat just any actor could pull off.
Note: Text has been edited and may not match audio exactly.
Preston Copley: Judith, thank you for sitting down with me, and welcome to Audible.
Judith Light: Thank you. I'm very happy to be here.
PC: You originally performed this role in its world premiere production in New York City more than a year ago. How has it been revisiting the piece in preparation for your performance at Audible?
JL: Really surprisingly different, because I realized that we're doing it so that people will just be hearing it. So, when I went back to work with [director] Leigh Silverman, who had directed it originally, and who is also directing it for Audible, coming back to it is very exciting. Coming back to it fresh, and new, and finding new things in it.
PC: So, you found some revelations in the character?
JL: Well, I've had a very complicated year. My longtime manager of 37 years passed away, and there's something very different in me because of the life circumstances, and how I have been relating to them, that feels very different to me. And so I'm bringing more of that into this [audio] performance. People are going to hear what, in some ways, we did before [on stage], but also things that are fresh and new.
PC: That's so interesting, and I'm sorry to hear about the passing of your manager.
JL: Thank you, thank you.
PC: Have there been technical aspects that you've been working on with the great theater director, Leigh Silverman?
JL: Interestingly enough, we weren't able to get to the studio to rehearse, so Leigh and I rehearsed over the phone, which was incredibly helpful because she could hear things in the way that I was doing them, and give me notes on those things, so that it made it more applicable for the audio performance.
