Night Music with Hannah Waddingham
When it comes to tall, sexy, and someone as imposing of voice as she is of physique, Hannah Waddingham, very nearly six-feet tall, quite literally stands apart. An Olivier nominee for her role as The Lady of the Lake in Monty Python's Spamalot (in which she also appeared on Broadway), Waddingham has been busy for much of this season entrancing as Desiree Armfeldt in the Broadway-bound, Trevor Nunn-directed revival of A Little Night Music. Desiree, of course, is the itinerant actress who gets arguably the most celebrated of all Stephen Sondheim numbers in "Send In the Clowns." Broadway.com caught up with Waddingham recently to chat about her approach to that most beloved and frequently performed of songs, as well as her affection for Sondheim in general, acting in musicals as opposed to plays, and how finding love in her own life informed her take on the lovesick Desiree.
Let's start with "Send In the Clowns." How difficult is it to sing that particular song at this late date in its ongoing renown?
Well, I'd always avoided it as an audition song. When it came time for me to do it, I wrote the entire song out for myself and very purposefully didn't look at anyone else doing it. For each line, I wrote another line about what that meant to me. I thought, I don't want this to be the song that everybody knows. I want it to be a musically accompanied stream of consciousness so that if I were speaking it, it really wouldn't be about the song at all but about Desiree at that point—since everything indicates that she's a very smart, well-traveled, cheeky woman. So, what she's actually saying is, "What? A joke? Here we are again. How pathetic are we?" That's why I acknowledge every comma, every word. Every single one of those lines has a very strong meaning for me.
What's extraordinary is the level of self-criticism in the song.
Yes. Desiree is a glamour puss, but she doesn't think that of herself. She chooses men that are deliberately bumbling and/or bombastic, and it's very important during the song that Alex [Hanson, who plays Fredrik] doesn't look at me. It comes from some place very deep inside.
How surprising to find you in the role, given that the number was famously written for a non-singer (the late Glynis Johns).
That's why I took the part! I'd always been known for singing lots of ridiculous notes, and I thought, I don't want to play Petra: I've done the sexy, bawdy thing before. I had in fact been thinking I'd like to do a straight play but that this would be a nice middle ground, so when I went in for auditions, I did a Chekhov monologue—Yelena's speech from Uncle Vanya—for Trevor [Nunn].
But what about the age thing? When Judi Dench played Desiree at the National in the 1990s, she was 60. You're young enough to be her daughter.
From the beginning, I thought, I'm clearly not 55, but Trevor had said that he was thinking of aging down the whole production, in which case I would be able to play it. And then I thought, just because I'm not playing [Desiree] as a menopausal woman doesn't mean that I can't have had a wealth of angst and trauma. I've known loss, I've known desertion—this has been an unbelievable catharsis for me. In the end, there were only two reviewers that objected to my age, and one of them [Charles Spencer in The Daily Telegraph] ate his words, which was very nice. [Laughs]
Had you ever done a Sondheim show before?
No, never, though of course I knew of this show and loved it. In fact I have always loved the part of the Countess; I always thought of her as the lynchpin. I love Sunday in the Park with George: I went endlessly to [the Menier production] there [in New York] and endlessly to it here. For me, you couldn't have asked for a more beautiful performance.
What was it like to meet Sondheim when he came to see the performance at the Menier?
He came during previews once and after opening, and he's been to see us here at the Garrick, as well, and I've never been so starstruck in my entire life. The first time, I didn't know whether to hug him, kiss him, or bow down.
Do you miss not giving your voice more of a workout in Night Music?
Ha! I spent a whole year in Spamalot and didn't have one drop of alcohol. This has been a play for me, so I can have some fun. On Spamalot, there's always that constant fear that the voice is gone. With something like this, there's space for such ruminating. That's why I've been doing these late-night cabarets at the Delfont Room—just me and a great brass swing band. [The most recent one was June 27].
Well, and some of the best West End singers going as surprise guests, like Mazz Murray from We Will Rock You.
She's like Joan Rivers on acid [laughs]. She's 5' 3" and has the presence of a man that's 6'2".
It was very sweet watching the duet between you and your boyfriend, who's even taller than you!
Yes, Jamie [Kenna], who's 6'4" with that big, broken nose is about the sweetest man you could ever meet. And he's been so lovely with our cast. Jessie [Buckley, the Irish performer who plays Anne] calls Jamie "dad" because we really do look after her here. It's been amazing being with Jamie during this show—being in love during a show that is very much about love.
Height doesn't seem to be an issue for actors. Has it been one for you?
You may have noticed that my shoes come off at the end of "Send in the Clowns" and stay off! I was 6'3" when we started with my high-heel boots and bustle. When I did Spamalot, the joke was that I was a foot taller than Tim Curry. I can't really say my height has hindered me in the theater, though it really has hindered me in TV. It's just something you have to embrace, your height. My dad used to say, "Inhabit your height." [Laughs] I like to think that I offer more woman per square inch.
Now, with Night Music going to New York in December, there's the opportunity for you to return to Broadway. Is that an option?
It's a bit of a delicate thing that I wouldn't want to nudge. What's nice is that I'm getting offered things a lot more, particularly musical theater stuff, which isn't so much an arrogance as it is about knowing your worth. My mother always says that 30 to 35 is where you find your voice, and I'm 34, so I'm quite a late developer. I feel as if I'm very much going where the wind takes me, and it's an honor, believe me, to be in such a great and beautiful show.