THE COMPANY ONSTAGE

Presents

THE SISTERS ROSENSWEIG

by
Wendy Wasserstein

Directed by Michael Massey

Joyce Randall McNally and Patti Lindloff
Artistic Directors

CAST


Director Michael Massey (seated in the middle) with The Cast of Sisters Rosensweig



Sara Goode................................Patti Lindloff
Tess Goode...............................Elizabeth Seabolt
Pfeni Rosensweig.....................Jayne Hansen
Geoffrey Duncan.......................Tom Eschbacher
Marvyn Kant..............................R.K. Hansen
Gorgeous Teitelbaum................Janet Hansen
Tom Valiunus..............................Kevin Tully
Nicholas Pym..............................Keith Lindloff
 

INTERVIEWS PART II 

Interview with Janet Hansen
Gorgeous Teitelbaum in Sisters Rosensweig

by Theresa Hyde
Theresahyd@aol.com

Janet Hansen most recently performed the role of Patty in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown at The Company OnStage. Ms. Hansen was also seen in the title roles in Frosty, The Snowman, and Charlotte's Web. She is the business manager and serves on the Board of Directors for The Company OnStage.

Ms. Hansen plays the spunky, funny, beautiful Jewish "sweetzie" Dr. Gorgeous. She is very pretty, petite, and has an energetic and youthful appearance. She is the wife of RK Hansen, the one whom he lovingly refers to as his "princess". She explains how she contacted me through e-mail..........

Janet: I got involved with the publicity, helping out, and I was looking through the internet........
Theresa: This is a Nice Theatre. I was really impressed last night, when I was watching the show, really nice space, clean, comfortable........
Janet: Thank you......it's been here twenty years. Not in this space exactly, but they've been here for 15 years.

Theresa: Tell us about the part you're playing......
Janet: I play the part of an approximately, 46 year old housewife from Newton Massachusetts. She's a radio talk show host, a real character (laughs). She sort of fell into this through her work with the Synagogue that she attends. She's a nut, she wears imitation Ferragamo shoes. She deprives herself of everything she could possibly deprive herself of, but she really doesn't. I think she's great, I love her.


(L-R) The Sisters Rosensweig: Jayne Hansen as Pfeni, Patti Lindloff as Sara, and Janet Hansen as Gorgeous



Theresa: I love that part, last night I kept saying......Manolo Blahnik, Blahnik shoes. Get it right!
Janet: I know, it's a very funny role. She's a wonderful wonderful part to play, I like her.

Theresa: How did you become a part of this play?
Janet: It's just a matter of auditioning.....at the regular times when we have auditions. The way I got involved with this theatre, was really.......I had been involved in theatre when I was in High School, and in College. And of course, I went to work, and so many years passed by, a lot of them, and I was sitting at my desk one day, about 1989, I was getting off at work, about Friday afternoon, and I was thinking, Golly, I need something to do now, you know, cause work has kinda settled down. And I saw a note in the paper for auditions here. So I came over here, and I auditioned, and I got the part of the Good Fairy in the Beauty and the Beast. And that was my first role since College.

Theresa: Children's Theatre......Here on Company OnStage?
Janet: Right. And I've just been at The Company ever since. You know, I'm on the Board......

Theresa: Tell us about your past Acting Background.......
Janet: Well, in High School, we had a really good program, I grew up in Buffalo New York. And we had a really good program where we did Musicals. We did 3 plays a year, and so, I got involved right off the bat, when I was a freshman in High School, and was in all the plays every year, and then just continued a little bit in College.

Theresa: What qualities do you look for in an actor?
Janet: I guess, Versatile is the word. The actresses that I like to see are people still themselves even when they're also being another character or another person.

Theresa: Who influenced you as an artist?
Janet: I can't really say there was any one person. It was the exposure to theatre that I got in High School. So, I guess I could thank my High School teacher.

Theresa: What would you like the audience to gain from watching this play?
Janet: I would like them to walk away and say, that theatre does a good job. We're very very concerned about quality here.

Theresa: What would you like to say to the Houston Theatre-going audience?
Janet: Don't dis-count Community Theatre. You can really see some good shows. And it's fun. You just have to be able to venture out. That's all. We're not located in the most prime areas of town.

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COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE
by Theresa Hyde
Theresahyd@aol.com

I interviewed some of the theatre-goers during Intermission and found some really interesting
Comments about Sisters Rosensweig and The Company OnStage:

Joyce Barron, Theatre Contributor and Season Subscriber for 20 years:

I think it's a very serious essay of world conditions of the time. It'll be interesting to see how it unfolds, see how the lady, the lead actress, Sara Goode will unfold her petals, and be more responsive to people around her.

We love Theatre, we love The Company OnStage. We've been coming for 20 years, we think they do very ambitious work, and it's always well directed and well acted. Even right down to the lesser parts.

So many people who are involved with newspapers as Critics, think that just the word Critic means to say nothing Nice. That every comment has to be very very critical. So much of the time, people will take the advice of a writer or a newspaper, and they will actually stay away from Theatre. When, really, people should be allowed to form their own opinions.



The "cold and warm at the same time" Sara Goode


Kristina Vaquero, University of Houston Student comments, "Best Acting I've seen all year, by Merv and Gorgeous!"

"Quite delightful --- a real hoot!" says Patrick Hansen, real estate consultant.

"I think it's very well directed, the set is excellent. It's been very well cast, a great ensemble, I think all the actors work very well together. A very funny show, very topical, I think it's a really smart, hip show. I think it's something that a lot of people would enjoy." says Tiffany Grant, Actor.
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Interview with Tom Eschbacher
Geoffrey Duncan in Sisters Rosensweig

by Theresa Hyde
TheresaHyd@aol.com

Tom Eschbacher directed this Season's Production of Absurd Person Singular and was last seen on the COS stage in Harvey. For Theatre Southwest, he appeared in the production of Run For Your Wife. Other Company Onstage roles have been in Rumors, Inspecting Carol, Lend Me a Tenor, Bad Habits, and The Mousetrap, among others.

Theresa: Tell us about the part that you're playing......
Tom: Well, he's English. He's a director for Theatre and some film. And, it turns out that he's bisexual (laughs). He likes to talk, I know that.

Theresa: You've got that British accent down so well........so felt like, I knew I was in London, somewhere......
Tom: Oh, Thank you. Thank you very much.

Theresa: How did you become a part of this play?
Tom: I auditioned. We have open auditions. I've been involved here in Company OnStage for 15 years, since 1985. I'm on the Board of Directors. Been on the Board for like, 7 years.

Theresa: Tell us about your past acting background......
Tom: Well, I've done this here since '85, and before that, I did stuff in College. Maybe 2 shows a year in College and High School. So, I kinda started when I was a sophomore in High School.

Theresa: By the way, you don't look like Geoffrey at all. I feel like, am I talking to the same person I saw onstage last night? It seems like a lot of actors go through this transformation, when they get into character or go onstage. Right now, as I'm talking to you, you don't seem like Geoffrey at all. (Laughs) You did such a good job.......
Tom: Oh, it's the glasses. I'm better when I can't see. I can't see good enough that I can't tell any faces in the audience, which is good.

Theresa: Plus the dancing........just a totally different personality......
Tom: Oh, well, don't mention the dancing. It's not my forte.



Mother and daughter sing a duet


Theresa: Who influenced you as an Artist?
Tom: My mother, I guess (laughs). My mother.....she was always.....she encouraged me, I guess. She was very supportive and encouraging. And I guess that gave me the confidence.

Theresa: What would you like the audience to gain from watching this play?
Tom: Mostly, that they want to come back to this theatre (laughs). And that they enjoy themselves. As far as getting anything more out of it, I think that people of the Jewish faith might relate to some of the characters. Just to enjoy themselves and know that we put out a good product, and hopefully they come back.

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Interview with Patti Lindloff
Sara Goode in Sisters Rosensweig

by Theresa Hyde
TheresaHyd@aol.com

Patti Lindloff (Sara) last appeared in the holiday production of Absurd Person Singular. She has been seen on the stage in a number of productions including The Little Foxes, Inspecting Carol, How the Other Half Loves, Pack Of Lies and many more. She has directed many fine productions at COS including Jake's Women, The Great Sebastians, Sherlock's Last Case, and Lend Me a Tenor.

Theresa: Tell us about the part that you're playing.......
Patti: Sara Rosensweig. She's a 54-year old Jewish Banker living in London with her daughter. Her sisters are coming to her birthday. She's been running away from her Jewishness all her adult life. This is sort of a time when.......you know, her mom has died, she's had a hysterectomy, just one of those times to sort of look at her life. And she's realizing that she really can't run away......



"That was not French, Ms. Goode," says Tom


Theresa: How did you become a part of this play?
Patti: Through Auditions. I've been with Company OnStage since the beginning. I think we did our first show in '79(?), I think.......


Mother and Daughter share a moment



Theresa: Tell us about your past Acting background.........
Patti: I've acted ever since I can remember, since I was six years old. You know, was a Class Actress in High School, and majored in Drama at UT, but only stayed there a semester. Married, and had kids, and then when I wanted to get back into Acting, I joined and took Joyce's Acting Class (Joyce Randall McNally). She is the Artistic Director for The Company, and she was with the Alley Theatre. She has kids, and it's hard to do theatre if you have little children, but you know as they got older, she wanted to get back into it. She offered Acting Classes, and I took her class, and then she started this Theatre.

Theresa: As a director and as an actress, what qualities do you look for in an actor?
Patti: Intelligence, I really think that's the most important. As a director, I look for the ability to communicate across the stage to the audience.

Theresa: Who influenced you as an artist?
Patti: When I was a kid, I was always in love with Bette Davis, and so......(laughs). Maybe she did. I've just always been fascinated with the idea of being able to just communicate with people. I think that's what Acting is, just Communicating.