Publicity Photo / Faith Prince
Faith Prince is known for films like "Dave" and "Picture Perfect," as well as many stand-out roles on TV shows such as "Drop Dead Diva," "Spin City," and "Huff." But, her roots run deep as one of Broadway's beloved leading ladies, where she's thrilled audiences since the early 1990's, starring in Guys and Dolls, Bells are Ringing and Little Me, just to name a few. Fans have seen her take on roles that run the gamut from her home in comedy, to drama. Now, with her latest return to Broadway in Disaster!, Prince has joined a fellow all-star lineup who is reorienting theatergoers in the delicious -- and when done right, as this cast proves -- knee-slappingly hysterical art form known as "camp."
Prince plays "Shirley," an aging retiree who has found herself on a floating casino headed for certain doom. A jukebox musical send up to the disaster films of the 1970's, full of pop tunes from the era, Prince's role resembles Shelley Winters' Academy Award-nominated turn as "Belle Rosen" in the 1972 classic, "The Poseidon Adventure."
Being careful not to reveal spoilers though, let's simply say that Shirley is a woman with a dark secret. She's out for one more night with her adoring husband before her demise at the hands of a terminal, and yes hysterical, illness. It causes her to curse like a sailor and is one of three symptoms that Shirley is plagued by, which get more severe (and laugh out loud funny) as the show rolls on.
Pictured (l to r): Faith Prince, Kevin Chamberlin, Kerry Butler
Photo credit: Jeremy Dainel
Prince has brought Shirley vividly to life, but there are hints of other characters she has created that come through - in her vocal tone as well as in her interactions with husband, Maury (played by Kevin Chamberlin). There are also hints in a funny and fantastic dance number, where one might swear Shirley was Adelaide assuming a pseudonym, her Tony-winning role in the 1992 production of Guys and Dolls.
"You know what? She does sneak through!" Prince said, in reflection. "There is a little bit of her," she added, "It's almost like a compilation of everybody I've ever played. It's bizarre."
But, not so. Many great actors, like Prince, pull elements from past characters to create new ones, and she admits, "I'm a layerer."
That's an important insight about designing effective camp, and into Prince's approach to taking Shirley, a boisterous retiree, through to the audience's revelation that she suffers from a terminal illness -- and its related vulgarity -- while all the while maintaining the hilarity of it all.
"I go with the innocent part of the character," Prince said of her starting point and added that it was co-author and director, Jack Plotnick, who pushed her to go for the darker touches. "She was sweet and happy and laughed all the time, but she has this secret that she's dying," Prince shared. "Then these symptoms emerge from her that she can't control. He gave me the permission to really go for it. Go for the darkness."
But let's lighten the mood. This is comedy after all, and outrageous comedy at that. "It's just got to be right on that edge," Prince pointed out. "I do have a scarf shoved in my mouth [a coping mechanism for "Shirley's" vulgar outbursts], but every once in a while I want you to hear exactly what it is. It was really fun finding all that sort of specificity."
"I love seeing how far is needed and how far I can push it without going over the edge," she added. "It's still exciting for me."
But, she keeps the comedy rooted in the character's life, as the audience members find themselves -- whether they realize it consciously or not -- laughing at a woman, Shirley, with whom they also empathize because of her illness. Broken down it can sound cruel. But, great comedy often keeps one foot in reality to help the audience relate to a character, therefore helping amplify other elements.
For instance, Prince shares, "I make a reaction every time I say something, like 'Sh*t, I can't believe that came out of my mouth, oh God. How did that fly out? Why can't I control it?' It's not just like somebody choosing to say, 'Hey, you co*ksucker!" It's being done to her [because of the illness], so in a way it gives me a lot more permission."
Shirley, like Prince's "Belinda Blair" in the 2001 production of Noises Off, is a critical role within a larger, star-driven ensemble. About this, she says, "Sometimes it's really better to just be part of a whole." She's joined on stage by fellow pros and fan favorites including Adam Pascal, Kerry Butler, Roger Bart, Rachel York, and Seth Rudetsky [who also co-authored the show], among others. With Disaster!, Jennifer Simard has secured her spot as Broadway's latest comedic superstar as "Sister Mary," a nun out for some fun.
"In an ensemble, you have your own sort of arc throughout the piece. The two things I said to Seth Rudetsky were, 'Make sure it was played committedly,' because I've seen camp where people wink," Prince said. "I don't like it. The other thing I said was, 'make sure everybody has a payoff because then it's a happy company.' I think everybody does."
That joy ensures that the comedy doesn't just happen on stage, too. "It has been amazing to be with all these people every night, and we come together," Prince said with a chuckle. "We laugh. We laugh before the show. We laugh during the show. We watch each other. I must have seen those bits a million times... I cannot just go back to my dressing room. I've got to sit in the wings and watch Roger Bart, watch Rachel do her thing. I watch Adam, watch Kerry, watch the nun... I am fricking addicted!"
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Faith Prince sings "Adelaide's Lament" from Guys and Dolls during the curtain call at Disaster! to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids
Plus, as they laugh, so too do they need to do it as things go awry. As with any live theater, they risk the chance of things going wrong - and facing a disaster of their own.
"One night, my tap pants didn't rip off," she shared. "But you know what, we shoot for perfection but I secretly think the audience likes watching me deal with that awkwardness,'" she admits. "Because then they feel like, 'Oh my God, this is live theater. Anything could happen.'"
"One time the body didn't drop," she added, throwing out another example - about a scene where two cast members toss a corpse overboard. "I'm not sure if it got stuck or if somebody up there just missed a cue. It was during previews and everybody's looking up and Seth's going, 'Should we count again!?'"
Their collaboration is palpable, and mixed with the book and '70 score, it makes Disaster! delirious fun. Prince said, "It's great to see that level of talent with that humanity, working together as an ensemble. I think it comes across the footlights." It certainly does, Faith.
Steve Schonberg is the editor-in-chief of www.centerontheaisle.com and is seen regularly on NBC's "Weekend Today in New York."