Kate Fleetwood on Wearing 'Posh Frocks' in London’s High Society & Starring In Her Husband's Medea

Kate Fleetwood was a 2008 Tony nominee for her performance opposite Patrick Stewart in Macbeth and a 2012 Olivier nominee for the hit National Theatre production of London Road. But her current starring role at the Old Vic as the sought-after Long Island socialite Tracy Lord in the Cole Porter-scored High Society, running through August 22, marks the first time Fleetwood has taken on such a well-known musical title. Broadway.com caught the charming performer one recent evening to talk about testing her voice, moving on to Medea, and her memories of Tony night.

What is it like to star in a musical when you’re known for the classics?
Well, I have to say I never thought I would play Tracy Lord. I sang as a child in choirs and all of that and when I was 18, I started singing in a band. But I never thought it would be something I would do in my career partly because I loved it so much that I didn’t want it to be scrutinized! My friends knew I sang but I didn’t want to put myself in that hot seat, I suppose.

Though you got an Olivier nomination for a musical London Road, did this require a different kind of preparation?
Yes, that was such a special piece and very different in its discipline and form. I knew if I was going to do a full-on musical that I had better get some singing lessons and see what’s going on with my voice. Jenna Russell suggested [vocal coach] Mark Meylan so I had four or five lessons from him and then the offer came to audition.

What made you take the plunge?
First off, I knew it was Cole Porter, and I used to sing Cole Porter at home in my bedroom and had all the Ella Fitzgerald recordings.

Ah, you started with the best!
I did, I did. Also, the movie of High Society was my grandmother’s favorite film. She died during the second week of our rehearsals so I went up and sang “True Love” to her on her deathbed. It’s very moving, that song, in a lot of ways. This is a play about love and loss and loneliness and yearning and that song plumbs those depths.

What appeals to you about playing Tracy Lord?
I’ve been utterly taken over by this character to the extent that I think [Tracy] is one of the most complex women I have ever played. There is so much depth in her back story and in the assumptions that people make about her—the way she’s perceived and also how she wants to be understood.

Having spent considerable time with the Royal Shakespeare Company, do you regard musicals as a lesser form?
Not at all. This is one of the hardest disciplines I have ever had to do, and it absolutely sucks that musical theater culture is seen as second-rate; I think that’s appalling. The discipline and dedication and intelligence that people bring to musicals are in every way as laudable as with a straight play; I have absolutely loved this.

How do you get through eight shows a week?
You do have to look after your voice more. I’m always gargling with aspirin and have to drink three liters of water a day. I’m already at the end of my second liter today. So I have to hydrate and all that but the other thing is because I am being directed by [multiple Olivier winner] Maria Friedman, I’ve had her teaching me how to sing these songs on stage, which has been a glorious gift.

Did she give you any practical advice?
One thing was that I not test my voice until midday. If you can’t hit those high notes at 8AM, it’s not worth spending all day feeling terrible when by the evening you will actually feel fine. Maria taught me that the sleep you require for your voice to be in good nick means that your vocal cords are very, very slack in the morning whereas there I was hollering at my children at 9AM just to check that my voice was there!

Did you get inspiration from Grace Kelly, who played Tracy in the movie and Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story, on which High Society is based?
I have a massive picture of [Hepburn] that someone gave me on the first night above me as we speak. But the thing is, I tend not to care how other people have done the parts, even if they were as iconic as Katharine Hepburn. I could have worried about that when I played Lady Macbeth if I had thought about Judi Dench [a famous interpreter of the same role] but then you wouldn’t get out of bed, would you? As an actor, we’re all following other actors.

Tell me about your next project: Medea at the Almeida Theatre, directed by your husband Rupert Goold.
I already knew Medea was happening when High Society came along, so maybe the appeal of this was subconscious—I mean, there’s my husband doing some of the edgiest work around and here I am skipping to work in High Society in posh frocks. But I’m only half joking when I say that there are some similarities between the two having to do with loss and loneliness and devastation in the wake of a relationship going sour.

What are your memories of being nominated for a Tony Award for playing Lady Macbeth?
The whole experience was incredible. I remember the day I got nominated getting a message saying, “Would Kate like to come and choose some jewelry from Tiffany’s?” My son was still very little—about 2-1/2—so I went into Tiffany’s pushing a buggy and I felt like slummy mummy: it was so unglamorous.