Catching Up with Caroline

Posted by Bruce Miller

In a previous blog entry (When Off Broadway Began, Barksdale Was There [Aug 5]), I wrote about the late, great Josie Abady, mentioning her as one of the Richmond connections to the legendary Off Broadway company, Circle in the Square. A thoughtful anonymous commenter subsequently wrote: “I am so sorry to learn of Josie Abady’s death. I knew her in her youth, and had no idea that she had died. What a wonderful and inspirational family. Such strong women. What’s happening with her sister Caroline, do you know? I appeared with her years ago in a Dogwood Dell production of Winnie the Pooh.”

I’m going to try to get in touch with Caroline, pictured above and to the left with co-stars Kevin Spacey and William Ullrich at the NYC premiere of Beyond the Sea, to see if she’ll write a blog entry to bring her Richmond fans up to date. I'm afraid I don't know or remember anything about this particular production of Winnie the Pooh, but if it's true, and I have no reason to doubt that it is, then here's a GREAT example of a Dell alum moving onward and upward to become a NYC and Hollywood success.

Until I'm able to contact Caroline (if I'm able), here’s what I know (sorta).

Caroline Abady was born and spent her entire youth in Richmond. If memory serves, she went to Douglas Freeman High School. I think I met her maybe once or twice; she's a couple of years younger than me, but we were teen theatre enthusiasts in Richmond at the same time. Kind of like Chase Kniffen and Gray Crenshaw about five years ago. As I've mentioned earlier, I knew her mother Nina very well.

Caroline has had the kind of long term career success that most actors only dream of. She may not be a household name, but she works constantly in high profile projects with our nation's top tier of theatre artists. Her professional name is Caroline Aaron. If you go to http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000715/ , you can access a complete list of her film and TV credits. Or if you go to http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?id=74908 , you can access a complete list of her Broadway credits.

The great news is that Caroline is scheduled to be back on Broadway this fall for the first time in 16 or so years, opening in October at Studio 54 in Roundabout’s upcoming revival of The Ritz, written by Terrance McNally and directed by Joe Mantello (pictured to the right). You gotta be impressed by the company she keeps.

Here’s more information that I pulled from Caroline’s bio on the IMDb site:

Caroline Aaron “performed a one-woman, two-character play, Call Waiting, in 1994 and again in 2001. She later filmed it in 2004. The 87-minute film won the Best Comedy Jury Prize at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.”

Ms. Aaron is an “earthy, plump-figured stage actress of Broadway (Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean; Social Security; I Hate Hamlet) who appeared as a character actress on film and TV. She was a main ensemble player in several of Woody Allen's films during the late 80s and 90s, essaying many of his typical Jewish relatives, neighbors and/or friends in traditional New York settings.

Her late mother, Nina Friedman Abady, was a Selma, Alabama civil rights activist who walked with Martin Luther King in the 60s. She had to endure cross-burnings on her Virginia front lawn. More tragically, the family suffered the loss of their husband and father when he was 38.

Her older sister was Josephine R. Abady, a prominent artistic director of the Cleveland Playhouse (1988-1994) and Circle in the Square Theater (1994-1996). A noted stage producer, director and theater owner, Abady resisted employing her younger sister because they were related. This caused resentment and sibling friction for a period of time until Abady was diagnosed with breast cancer. Abady battled the disease for several years and died on May 25, 2002, at age 52. The Los Angeles-based Caroline returned to New York frequently to aid in her sister's illness.

Aaron did appear under her sister's stage direction in The Boys Next Door, co-starring David Strathairn and John Amos. Abady also cast Aaron in To Catch a Tiger, a 1994 AFI film which told the story of their mother's civil rights work. Caroline played their mother in the film and Abady's husband, Michael Krawitz, wrote the screenplay.”

For those who share my penchant for exploring connections, it's fun to note that not too long ago Caroline starred at George Street Playhouse in a reading of Spine, one of the new plays by Bill C. Davis (pictured to the right), playwright of Austin's Bridge.

I hope this helps inform Caroline’s childhood friends of her current success. As I mentioned, I’ll try to contact Caroline and see if she’ll give us more information. Along with Emily Skinner and Blair Underwood, she’s one of the Richmond theatre alum who has earned a lifetime of national success.

Thanks to our anonymous commenter for prompting this post.

--Bruce Miller

Wichmann Steps Up to the Plate and Answers Lipton's Questionnaire (Is that a long title? I'll work on it.)

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

So...once upon a time...wait...Into the Woods just closed (that was the first line of the show)...umm...Seems to me this old arbor has shrunk...ok...so maybe the first line of Carson McCullers' beautiful play, The Member of the Wedding, also isn't the best way to start this post, even though this post bears a strong connection to Barksdale's upcoming production of said play in our very exciting Signature Season at Willow Lawn.

So, scratch all that, I'm just gonna jump right in: Marcel Proust used to do this questionnaire thing that inspired Bernard Pivot, who among other things was a French talk show host, he himself being French as well, not just the talk show...anyway...at the end of his show, Bouillon de Culture(1990-2001), he would ask all of his guests a set of questions. James Lipton, host of Inside the Actor's Studio, was inspired by this and decided to adapt it (just slightly) to end all of his shows. (Inside the Actor's Studio airs on Sundays at 8 pm, I believe, and is often incredibly interesting. You can also find a lot of the episodes with some really great stars-Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Teri Hatcher, the cast of Will & Grace-on YouTube...oh how I love YouTube.)

But what I thought would be way cool would be to put those same questions to some our Richmond artists and have a sort of series of these posts. In the coming weeks, leading up to and during the run of The Member of the Wedding, you will get to read what these actors, designers, technicians, etc. had to say in response the questionnaire. Today...I'm getting goosebumps, I'm so excited...we have director Scott Wichmann's responses to the Bernard-Pivot-Slightly-Adapted-for-Inside-the-Actor's-Studio- Questionnaire (I keep spelling questionnaire wrong...oh, how I also love spell check- which it is now telling me is two words).

LET THE FUN BEGIN!
(Oh, wait, before the fun begins, I suppose we should note that all comments and opinions expressed in these responses are the sole opinion of the interviewee and do not represent the opinions of Barksdale Theatre or its affiliates, blah blah blah:)

And now the fun!:

1. What is your favorite word?
MUKLUKS!! The eskimo footwear made popular by the Sketch Comedy troupe 'Radio Free Vestibule' in their classic four-minute sketch 'Bulbous Bouffant' back in 1994. You can listen to the audio of 'Bulbous Bouffant' at http://www.ferin.com/words.mp3/ it is HILARIOUS. Having fun with words and their goofy sounds always makes me happy.

2. What is your least favorite word?
NO. I think I've always been averse to that one. Especially when it is in answer to my query, "Honey, are there any more cookies left?"

3. What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?
I really get a charge out of being plugged into the creative process with other committed artists who are not afraid to take risks and fall on their faces. I think as I get older, and hopefully more emotionally mature, I'm learning that it is best to just put yourself out there (whether onstage or off) and let yourself respond honestly and fearlessly. That's where the good stuff always is, and that is how you learn to evolve as a human being.

4. What turns you off?
The perpetuation of willfull ignorance, the current info-tainment based political and cultural scene, Brussels sprouts, and the New York Yankees.

5. What sound or noise do you love?
My dog Elliot's hound-dog bay, the crack of a wooden bat, the lightsaber noise, the Godzilla roar, and the meditation bell. Oh, and the words "The Red Sox Win!"

6. What sound or noise do you hate?
Styrofoam. I absolutely cannot stand it. It's like my kryptonite. I hear it, and I'm like, "If.. just...can..reach...utility belt..."

7. What is your favorite curse word?
It isn't a curse word, per se, but my father used to say "You can just go pound sand" whenever he was really upset at someone for something. The futile image of someone 'Pounding sand' was just hilarious to me as a kid. Every now and then I'll use that one, keeping in mind that I hope one day I can turn out to be the kind of gentleman my father is.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I would seriously love to go into politics one day. I'm very concerned about the state of the country right now, and I feel that to a large extent, the people in Washington don't really address the pressing concerns of everyday Americans. I continually find that people of all party affiliations deeply share that view. It is really sad that one has to be a quadrillionaire to run for President in this day and age. I could probably talk politics all day long with anyone, anywhere. I love it.

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Anything that harms animals or makes me have to juggle fire. Or chainsaws.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
MUKLUKS!!! Then I'd know we're cool with each other.

So come check out Scott's direction of Carson McCuller's The Member of the Wedding, September 21 through October 28 at Barksdale Theatre at Willow Lawn. I'm really excited about seeing this production for several reasons, not the least of which is that I think it's a marvelous, beautifully written play. Another being that once upon a time, I worked on Theatre IV's production of Ben Franklin and His Kite (Shout out to BFK'04!) that Scott wrote and directed, creating a really fantastic production. Oh, I should mention that to get tickets to The Member of the Wedding, you can call the box office at 282-2620 (or you can order them online, but my recommendation is that you call and speak with one of the fabulous box office staff)!

-- Billy Christopher Maupin
w/Scott Wichmann's illuminating responses

Mr. Tuggle Goes to NYC

It is not often that you are able to say you don’t mind having dirt kicked on you, but when it’s being kicked by Kevin Spacey and Eve Best, it’s a little different. Let it never be said that you can’t find a good discount in New York, as this weekend I went to see Talk Radio and A Moon for the Misbegotten both as part of the theatres’ student rush ticket programs. For “Moon” we ended up in row AA, the row that was added on IN FRONT of the front row, specifically for student rush tickets. To give you an idea of how close we were, the stage was sitting over my legs like a desk. It was quiet an experience.

We saw Talk Radio on Friday night, and it lived up to all of its hype. I am very skeptical about “movie stars” moving onto the Broadway stage, and this was no exception, in spite the fact that Liev Schreiber (The Manchurian Candidate, The Omen) had some notable stage credentials. He of course got entrance applause when he entered onstage for the first time, which always irks me. I would prefer not to applaud an actor on his previous accomplishments and disrupt his current labors, but give them a hearty ovation once I have seen the work.

The play is about a talk radio host, and is virtually a one man show, with other actors stepping in momentarily for brief witty retorts, or to give information about their relationship with the central character, for really no other reason that to build the dynamic protagonist. All of these things lead to the fact that the “hero”, or “anti-hero” in this case, must be a very strong performer. I would not rank it amongst the best productions I have ever seen, but it was well worth the time and meager price.


A Moon for the Misbegotten on the other hand trumps virtually ever other play I have seen, in the realm of artistic merit. Taking on a Eugene O’Neill opus is a hearty task, but through their intensive energy, and conscious effort to not make it melancholy to the point of gloom, the cast and director developed a fantastic product.

The play was staged by the Old Vic Theatre, based in London, and then transported to Broadway after a great run in its home theatre. Kevin Spacey is not only one of the stars of the play, but also the Artistic Director of the theatre. He put on a fantastic performance, as would be expected, but was outshined remarkably by the shows heroin Eve Best.

Looking through Eve Best’s credits in the playbill looks more like a theatre history reading list, than a career. She has played some of the toughest roles for a modern actor, and this experience was evident in performance. Her ability to take the tough bull like qualities of Josie, which are apparent in the script, and intertwine them with humor and light heartedness is what made her such a lovable character capable of so much pathos. She moved the audience with her, from giddy child-like love, to the deep anguishes of a wasted life, without a single misstep.

Both shows, and the trip as a whole were fantastic. A Moon for the Misbegotten only has an eight-week run, so if you are in New York soon and have a chance to see it, do not pass it up at any cost. It will give you a love for O’Neill you never thought possible.

Brad Tuggle
Assistant to the Managing Director
Barksdale Theatre / Theatre IV


**Here is a great interview with Kevin Spacey about A Moon for the Misbegotten. In the interview he also talks about what an amazing experience live theatre is-not only for the actor but for the audience as well.

Kevin Spacey Interview