INTERVIEW: Johanna Day has some new ‘Scene Partners,’ including Dianne Wiest
Photo: From left, Johanna Day and Dianne Wiest star in Scene Partners at the Vineyard Theatre. Photo courtesy of Carol Rosegg / Provided by The Press Room with permission.
The new play Scene Partners, written by John J. Caswell, Jr. and directed by Rachel Chavkin, is currently enjoying an acclaimed extended run at off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre, located near Union Square in Manhattan. The show stars two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest as the character of Meryl Kowalski, a 75-year-old woman who has decided to capture her dreams and become a movie star in Los Angeles. She takes this mission seriously, even if those around her believe she’s being naïve and headed toward failure.
One of Meryl’s big supporters — though admittedly their relationship is complicated — is her sister, Charlize, played by Johanna Day, who has previously appeared in the Vineyard’s How I Learned to Drive and Middletown, in addition to Broadway’s Sweat and Proof. These last two shows each scored her a Tony nomination.
Day first heard of this project when she received Caswell’s play in her inbox. The problem was that she only had her phone on her.
“I was on my way back from Virginia on a train, and my agent sent me the play,” Day said in a recent phone interview. “And I had to read it on my phone, so that makes my eyes pop out of my head. So when I got home, I read it on my computer, and I was like, oh, this speaks to me. At first, I was hesitant because of my character. I was like, oh no, everybody gets to be funny and crazy, and I’m this grounded, realistic part of the play. But first day of rehearsal, just hearing everybody read it, I was just in love with it. I really like bringing it all together and being able to look at Dianne in a very realistic way. … I love it, and working with Dianne is just fantastic. We just have more and more fun every time we do it. She’s so easy to work with.”
As rehearsals continued, and Scene Partners progressed through different versions, the connection between the characters of Meryl and Charlize changed — slightly some days, drastically other days. When Meryl moves to Los Angeles, she stays with her sister, which is difficult for both of them because there’s a lot of distance between the two. Meryl still holds anger and confusion over Charlize not coming to her defense when they were children; issues of connection, disconnection, good times and bad times are explored. Even seemingly small things are discussed or left to linger in the air, like when Meryl commandeers Charlize’s voicemail in order to sound professional and start racking up those job offers.
“There were different versions of the play that brought up how long it’s been since they’ve seen each other, what was their childhood like,” Day said about the characters’ backgrounds. “They’re stepsisters, but they only had each other. There are little hints you get. … There are no reasons why they can’t truly love each other.”
Charlize is a voice of reason, but sometimes that comes across as yet another voice in Meryl’s life who is telling her that these grand plans will amount to nothing. Still, Charlize confronts her sister in a compassionate, understanding way, and she ultimately becomes a supporter.
“At the beginning, she doesn’t see anything wrong with her sister, other than the fact that she’s going to pursue an acting career and wants to be a giant star at 75 years old,” Day said. “But I think Charlize is a really nice person and a good sister, and I think she is very happy with her life at the moment. So it’s easier for her to not feel resentment.”
Scene Partners, which is eclectic and nontraditional in how it showcases Meryl’s journey, features many hilarious and heartbreaking scenes of this woman trying her best with actors and agents. She’s determined and kind, even if the people she speaks to don’t quite understand her motives. By the end of these 100 minutes, one realizes there’s a running commentary about the entertainment business as a whole and how it treats women a particular age.
“In that scene with [Meryl] and the agent, it’s very funny, but it is very true,” Day said. “In this business if you turn 42, you’re sort of invisible. You’re looked over, and it’s very frustrating because I feel like … the more you live the more interesting you are. How could you not be?”
By John Soltes / Publisher/ John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Scene Partners, featuring Dianne Wiest and Johanna Day, continues through Dec. 17 at the Vineyard Theatre. Click here for more information and tickets.
