Jayne Atkinson :: from TV’s 24 to Broadway’s Blithe Spirit
As a woman in a man’s world on Fox’s hit series 24, actress Jayne Atkinson brought a strength to the intense world of counterterrorism as Homeland Security Director Karen Hayes. But Atkinson is also an accomplished theater veteran with Tony-nominated roles in The Rainmaker and Enchanted April.
Currently, she stars alongside Tony winner Angela Lansbury, Rupert Everett and Christine Ebersole in the revival of Noel Coward’s comedy Blithe Spirit on Broadway. Edge’s Jim Halterman talked to Atkinson about the show, Angela Lansbury’s kooky dancing and what roles she had yet to tackle in her career.
Meeting Angela
EDGE: Blithe Spirit is a really charming, funny play. How did the role of Ruth come about for you?
Jayne Atkinson: Jeffrey Richards is producing the show with a lot of other, producers. He and I had worked together about five or six years ago on Enchanted April. He called me up and invited me back to Broadway as Ruth in Blithe Spirit and it was perfect timing. I had done the play ten years earlier with my husband, Michel Gille, so I knew how much fun the play could be so that really helped and it was just a wonderful, timely event.
EDGE: Since you were born in the UK, is it generally easy for you to fall back into the British accent?
JA: It is because my parents are English so I’ve been hearing that sound since I was a little girl. It takes so little but I’m surrounded by three Brits [Lansbury, Everett and co-star Simon Jones] so I had a lot to help me back on board, so to speak.
EDGE: You said you did the play ten years ago so you’re pretty familiar with Noel Coward’s work?
JA: I’ve seen Hay Fever, but I haven’t seen a lot of his others but I was just very familiar with this play and I love it.
EDGE: I must ask how do you not break up every night when Angela Lansbury does her wacky little dances across the stage?
JA: Some nights I do! Sometimes I just have to and it fits in with my character.
EDGE: And she doesn’t do the same dance in every performance, right?
JA: No, it’s not the same thing at all. We never quite know and it’s just amazing to watch her create this. There is a framework because she has to get to the light at a certain time and over to the wall at a certain time but she makes it.
EDGE: Had you worked with her before?
JA: It was my first time? It’s been a dream.
EDGE: Were you intimidated at all when you first met? She is such a legend.
JA: If I was she dispelled that the minute I met her. She’s a working actress and respectful and commands the stage but doesn’t demand the stage. She’s terrific.
TV vs. Theater?
EDGE: How have audiences been reacting to Blithe Spirit? The night I saw it the audience was having a blast.
JA: That’s really the case. For the most part, what you experienced is how the audience receives this play and it’s a delight to do because you can hear people being surprised and delighted by how funny it is. People come in not necessarily knowing what it is but you can feel their mirth growing and their happiness growing and enjoy the comedic ride.
EDGE: I saw Next To Normal one night and then Blithe Spirit the next.
JA: That’s a good counter. It’s good in that order, too! I love it. Isn’t Alice [Ripley] amazing?
EDGE: I loved her and the play. She really blew me away. But since you’re performing in Blithe Spirit, have you had a chance to see any of the other shows or is that the drawback of doing a show?
JA: Yeah, I got to see Next To Normal but I haven’t been able to see a lot. I live in Great Barrington [Massachusetts] so in order for me to take time away from home I really have to weigh it out because otherwise I don’t get to see my husband or my son so actually when I am not doing the play, that is where my priority is.
EDGE: You’ve covered a lot of ground in theater, film and television. Do you have a preference?
JA: The preference is theater only because it’s such a visceral experience with an audience. I loved doing 24, however, because it was a great part, a great paycheck and I only worked three or four days every three weeks so that was terrific, too. I’m a Mom and a homemaker and that’s very supportive employment, I have to say. I work and I make the scenes happen and then I can forget about it until the next time. Theater is much more concentrated and it requires an energy and a focus that is more rewarding but there’s more work involved. The medium itself is my favorite.
EDGE: 24 has such a testosterone feel to it. How was it playing a woman with power in that setting?
JA: You know, I really went in with a very clear idea of who I wanted this woman to be. It was terrific because I wasn’t afraid of being strong because I knew what would be interesting for me to watch on that show would be a woman whose intuitive side was working. And that her grasp of power, if you can call it that...first of all, she believed she was the right person for the job and, two, when she did take charge she did it strongly and then when things started to move you got to see somebody thinking on their feet and not necessarily wanting to be a man in a man’s world but being a woman in a man’s world. I was interested in creating that type of a woman. I had watched other women on the show and, for me, that’s what was missing.
EDGE: Were you ever worried that all of a sudden you’d get a script saying you were now a villain? That’s a common trait of that show.
JA: I wasn’t. They were very generous in listening to where I wanted to go. I mean... I had someone next to [my character] who I knew was going to be the villain so it helped to know that. I knew it could change but they listened to me so I wasn’t really nervous about that.
EDGE: You’ve played so many great roles in your career but is there a role you haven’t played yet that you’d like to?
JA: Yeah, I’d first like to play a woman who is in a relationship and not the family type and sort of more romantic comedy but has a message. You know the kind of thing that Meryl Streep does. I’d love to have a role like that that kind of combines it all and shows my comedic side but also the emotional depth that I have.
EDGE: I’ve seen you do both comedy and drama. Do you enjoy one more than the other?
JA: I really want to do them both. What people haven’t seen in the mainstream, certainly on television, is me being comedic. I’d love for people in TV land to see how versatile I am. I’d like to do comedic and then I’d like to do the combo. I also sing and dance so I’d like to do that, too!
EDGE: Maybe if Alice Ripley takes a break?
JA: Not like Alice! Not like that! No, no, no, no.
Blithe Spirit continues at the Sam S. Shubert Theater in New York City.
