INTERVIEW: George Street Playhouse streams ‘Bad Dates’ starring Andréa Burns
Photo: Andréa Burns stars in the virtual production of Bad Dates. Photo courtesy of George Street Playhouse / Provided by press agent with permission.
The George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey, much like other theaters in the United States, has shut its doors to paying customers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped the creativity. The playhouse has taken their act online for virtual productions, and their latest one is Theresa Rebeck’s Bad Dates starring Andréa Burns.
The streaming production is available until March 14. In the show, Burns plays a single mother of a teenage daughter who is searching for “cute shoes, the perfect dress and a romantic table for two,” according to press notes. The play features direction by Peter Flynn, Burns’ husband.
Burns is well known to theater audiences. She received a Drama Desk Award for Broadway’s In the Heights, and she also originated the role of Gloria Fajardo in On Your Feet. Other credits: The Nance on Broadway with Nathan Lane and the upcoming West Side Story directed by Steven Spielberg.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Burns about her new role and what it is like to act in a virtual production. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What attracted you to taking on this role in Bad Dates?
I was really drawn to the character of Haley, who is equal parts grit, humor and hope. I have a fondness for New Yorkers who are originally from Texas and was curious to explore that winning combination. Also, I personally think women over 40 have the best stories to tell, and Haley’s are priceless!
What do you like about the words of Theresa Rebeck?
I love the authenticity and dimensions of Theresa’s characters. Theresa created Haley as a fully fleshed woman, flaws and all. Haley is all at once idealistic and practical, indignant and self-deprecating. What I love about her most is that, when she makes mistakes (and she does often!), she finds her resilience by owning up to them with humor and moving forward with hope.
What do you think the show says about dating and society in 2021?
It’s a tricky business. We are all ultimately looking to love and be loved, but we all come with our own pesky egos, perspectives and tough experiences that can get in the way of finding that. Maybe that’s why falling in love always feels like a miracle.
How different was the rehearsal process for this show? Was the process very different compared to traditional live theater?
The main difference is that there is no current template to rehearse a piece like this. Is it a play? Is it a film? A TV show starring only one character who speaks the whole time?
I’m usually very comfortable in a one-woman show setting, but without an audience, how do you know where the laughs are? How do you do TV and film as the only actor in every scene? I had to develop new skills set on the spot. Despite 30 years of experience, I could only succeed if I came to this experience with a beginner’s mind.
I counted a lot on my husband, Peter Flynn, who is a director I trust implicitly. After a take, Peter would affirm my choices when the jokes had landed, and when I needed guidance, he’d steer me in the right direction. In addition, our son, Hudson, was the cinematographer, and his visual storyteller perspective as a young filmmaker was invaluable. The three of us made a great team.
When you think back to your New York theater credits — like In the Heights, On Your Feet — what are your memories? Do you still cherish those roles
I cherish every role I get to do. I love being an actor and seeing the world through the eyes of all kinds of humans. Daniela in In the Heights and Gloria Fajardo in On Your Feet are especially dear to me because they were roles I created in the first two Broadway musicals written about Latin people by Latin people. I grew up in a bi-cultural household (Venezuelan on one side, Borscht Belt Jewish on the other), and I’m always incredibly proud to represent the people and traditions that made me who I am.
When do you think the theater world will get back on track?
I pray that it’s soon. We all need it. There is nothing like sitting in a dark theatre full of people knowing you are witnessing art together in real time, and that it will never exist in the same way again. It’s my version of holy communion … and I can’t wait to get back to church!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Bad Dates, starring Andréa Burns, is available to stream through March 14 courtesy of George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Click here for more information and tickets.
