By
THIRSTY
Randy Graff won a Tony Award and a Drama
Desk Awards for her role in City of
Angels and was nominated for an Outer Critics, Drama Desk and Tony Award
for her work in A Class Act. She
has the distinction of creating the role of Fantine in the original Broadway
production of Les Misérables. A
Broadway veteran, she has also worked extensively in regional theatre,
television and film, appeared at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Town Hall
and The Kennedy Center and can be heard on the original cast albums of many
Broadway shows. She received an Honorary Doctorate in Performing Arts from
Wagner College and is on the musical theatre faculty of Manhattan School of
Music.
Stay
Thirsty Magazine visited with Randy Graff at her home in New York for
this Conversation about her life on Broadway and beyond.
STAY THIRSTY: From your early success as Fantine in the original
production of Les Misérables to
your recent solo shows, you have led a storied, award-winning Broadway life. As
you look back, what roles most exemplified who you really are and which ones
were the most challenging?
RANDY GRAFF: There’s a piece of me in every role I play. Fantine
was the most removed and challenging because of the life she led during that
time period. Do I know what it’s like to cut all my hair off and become a
prostitute? No! However, Les Mis is
so powerful, it takes you there every night. The roles that felt the closest to
me were Golde in Fiddler because of
my Jewish heritage, and Trina in Falsettos
because of its’ themes of family, (I’m very close to mine) and the AIDS
epidemic. I lost many friends in the eighties and early nineties, and that show
stayed with me for a while after I left. City
of Angels was pure fun because I’ve always felt an affinity for the 1940’s.
I loved researching that show and wearing the clothes. And the shoes!
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| Randy Graff at Birdland |
STAY THIRSTY: How has the focus on women in Broadway musical theatre
changed during the past 25 years?
RANDY GRAFF: Well, there certainly are more female writers,
directors, designers, and producers. I think the most recent and exciting
change is the female composers bringing their music to Broadway. Cyndi Lauper,
Sarah Bareillis, Alanis Morissette and The Go Go’s. Who am I leaving out? These
women are changing the demographic of the theatre going audience, the way
Jonathan Larson did with Rent.
STAY THIRSTY: You have said that the way women on Broadway sing
changed during your career. What are the vocal demands on female singers today
compared to when you started in musical theatre?
RANDY GRAFF: Ah, the high belting epidemic. The music has changed
so the vocal demands are different. When I was coming up, women did not have to
belt above a C, mostly. Now, especially with the younger composers, the vocal range
pops up to D, E’s and F’ and G’s. So young singers must train their mix, to
achieve healthy belting. I love the sound up there as long as it’s healthy and
not screaming at me. What I take issue with is when the vocal range does not
match the actual age of a character. If you’re going up for a woman in her
60’s, you should not have to sing E’s F’s and G’s. I like to sing where I talk
as the character.
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| Randy Graff |
STAY THIRSTY: You have starred opposite performers like Alfred
Molina, Nathan Lane, Sean Hayes and with Carol Burnett. What is the process you
go through when you are cast in a new show when you know some of the other
actors and when you don’t? How difficult is it for you when your chemistry with
the other leading actors is off?
RANDY GRAFF: I have been so fortunate to work with great actors who
happen to be generous people. My process is the same with all actors, chemistry
or no chemistry, pals or not. Just do the work and things will eventually fall
into place. I’ve learned to be patient when working with actors with whom I
don’t see eye to eye.
I try not to take anything
personally. Everyone has their own way of working. Sometimes, we come together
and sometimes we don’t. I try my best to do my job and feel grateful for it.
STAY THIRSTY: You have said when you are teaching that a key focus
is “the importance of acting the lyric” and that the actor has to “get in touch
with what activates the moment.” What prompted your discovery and understanding
of these guiding principles?
RANDY GRAFF: Pretty much everything I teach I learned from my
acting teacher, Fred Kareman. I experienced true living in the moment in his
class. Real listening and working off another actor. When you are in touch with
the impulses that motivate you, and activate you, and sometimes they can be
uncomfortable, only then are you out of your head and free to do your best
work. We call it “the actor’s high.”
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| Randy Graff |
STAY THIRSTY: When you look back at your original performances of “I
Dreamed a Dream,” what do you think about? How would you today have instructed
the Randy Graff of then?
RANDY GRAFF: Ha! I would have told her to relax and not over sing.
When I listen to that recording, my mature self says stop pushing! But, I was
singing in performance mode on the recording and Fantine was in a living hell.
I guess my version of “I Dreamed A Dream” is raw, and that’s what people
continue to tell me they like about it.
STAY THIRSTY: As a member of the teaching faculty of Manhattan
School of Music (MSM), how important is it for students to interact with
Broadway veterans? How influential are these contacts in shaping musical
theatre students’ aspirations?
RANDY GRAFF: We have a group of superb teachers at MSM who happen
to be Broadway vets, and our students appreciate the importance of learning
from those who have and are still performing for many, many years. I, myself,
continue to be inspired by my favorite actors. I watch them and study them and
steal from them!
STAY THIRSTY: What are the three most important concepts aspiring
Broadway performers should keep in mind when planning for a career in musical
theatre?
RANDY GRAFF: Be you! Not who you think they want you to be. Go to
the theatre to see where the bar is, and hold on to the love for what you do.
(Photo of Randy Graff at Birdland credit: Kevin Alvey)
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