Actress Ann Morrison debuted on Broadway in 1981 in the Stephen Sondheim musical, 'Merrily We Roll Along.'
She’s since played everyone from Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard" to Sally in "Cabaret." Now, she's starring in a tour of the musical, "Kimberly Akimbo."
WUSF's Cathy Carter caught up with the Sarasota-based actress before her upcoming shows at The Straz Center in Tampa.
The interview below is lightly edited for clarity.
Ann, in "Kimberly Akimbo," you play a girl who suffers from a condition that causes her to age at a more rapid pace than usual, giving her the appearance of an older woman, even though she's just 15 years old.
And in the course of the play, she is actually aging and is aware that she has a short life because the life expectancy — average age is 16. That's something that's on her mind.
She's dealing with a dysfunctional family, which is delightfully, hilariously funny, and navigating being in a new high school, looking like a 70-year-old woman, and trying to make friends.
This is a very heartfelt show, extremely funny and very quirky. I can't tell you how much fun I'm having.
Is it a really physical role?
Well, I am 70, so yes, I really do hurt! It's actually made for me in some strange way. I really am a 16-year-old in a 70-year-old body.
So, I'm not really acting. I just show up. There's skating involved in the show, and we're on real ice skates. I have not been on ice skates since I was 15.
Luckily, Kimberly is not a great skater. She doesn't have to be. So, I thought, okay, now I want to see if I can do a camel on stage. I'm getting really good.
You did have a lot to learn in a really short period of time. You actually booked this gig when you were already performing in another, "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota. I did see that show, and the audience just loved you. After your big number, they just erupted. And I'm wondering, when you're on stage, are you aware when you're firing on all cylinders?
I think so. I'm a very spiritual person, and for years and years as a younger actor, I was very aware of this energy that happened. You cannot see my hands, but I'm arcing my hand up way above my head and going out into the audience. And the audience would have this arc of energy that would meet you in the middle, and it was gold.
And over the years, it's harder to do that because people are so used to television, but now that Covid happened, and we've gone back to live theater again, I'm feeling that arc.
You know, Ann, much has been written about "Merrily We Roll Along," which was your first show. It closed after only 16 performances. It was considered Sondheim's only flop, but it has since become legend among Broadway fans, with a really devoted following, and you actually created a one-woman show based on your experiences of that time.
I call it a solo musical because I'm the kind of Cabaret performer that believes in good storytelling.
I cringe when I hear someone say, "This next song was written by," because I want singers to create a really good story that can lead into the song, just like a musical.
And Merrily from Center Stage tells the story of those six weeks of previews that I think is the most interesting part of that story, while I sing the score of the 1981 musical. And one of the things I love when I try and teach people, when they put together a show, is to find those a-ha moments.
So, you’ve played so many different parts, had so many different characters. Let's talk a little bit more about Kimberly Akimbo. What is special about this part that you're going to be telling stories about five years from now?
How can I speak to you without crying tears of hard stuff? Because it's such a beautiful…all right, you get to the second act, and I don't want to spoil it, but there is an incredible song called "Before I Go," because Kim realizes, throughout the play, she's been trying to fix her family, and she finally realizes that she can't, and the only way for any healing for any of them is for her to go away, and they have to let her go.
And it's such a beautiful, beautiful moment in the show. And then it continues. There's more to the show than just that, but I don't want to give it away.
"Kimberly Akimbo" plays at the Straz Center in Tampa from Nov.18-23.
