BWW Interviews: Marilyn Caskey as Madame Morrible in Montreal

INTERVIEW WITH Marilyn Caskey :: Madame Morrible in the WICKED national tour

Marilyn CASKEY has such a sweet and reassuring voice; hard to believe that she plays this larger-than-life role. The phone line was bad from her hotel in Ottawa, but she took time out of her busy schedule to talk about her path as an actress.

The actress has been with the North American tour for 3 years. Fifty american cities later, she crosses the Canadian border, and she is thrilled about it.

CASKEY studied at the University of Utah, and at the American Conservatory Theater. She considers herself as a classical actress - she studied “straight acting”, as she said. She wanted to play Shakespeare and Moliere. She quickly realized that she had a very malleable voice, which permitted her to play very colorful characters. A voice that would later become her singing voice. The exact same voice that allowed her to play Carlotta AND Madame Giri in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway for a little bit more than four years. She admits to going back to her vocal coach on a regular basis as he stirs her back in the right direction. “Every actor should keep training to keep on top of their craft”, says Marilyn.

Caskey considers herself as a very quiet and quaint person, even though she is often attracted by eccentric and commanding roles. In this production, Madame Morrible is an extraordinary character to play, on top of having the most beautiful costumes of the show. She refers to working with Joe Mantello, the original show director, as being “such a chance” and “such a thrill”, and she admits that the more she works with the material, the more she is impressed with the multi-faceted aspects and the depth of the work. As an artist, she is devoted to warming up. It’s her way of getting oxygen in the brain, relaxing and getting into character. She is adept of the ritual, and this is what gets her going.

She affirms being delighted and excited about playing in front of a French audience. She thinks that the arts - the marvels of the theatre - especially this masterpiece, will break frontiers and the language barrier and will touch everyone. She expects a few delayed reactions during the scenes, but this is great as an actor, as you have to constantly be aware and present. 

The tour will pass by Kitchener, ON before going back to the USA. Marilyn Caskey is looking forward to spend time with her family.

Marilyn Caskey plays Madame Morrible in the north american tour of WICKED.

Place des arts - 1-26 August 2012

pda.qc.ca or 514 842-2112

Presented by Broadway Across Canada and evenko

Jack Latulippe is a strong combination of an idea man and a passionate at heart. Its by his training in musical theatre performance, and by his degree in advertising that he has become this unique creative. After completing a degree in Administration at St-Lawrence College, he then went on to Georges Brown College in Toronto to complete a degree in Musical Theatre Performance. After an injury, he went back to Laval University and did a Certificate in Visual Arts and a Bachelors in Graphic Design and Communications. After 9 years working in advertising agencies, Jack founded Master class a Montreal, a training studio in musical theatre offering master classes, casting services and development of the community related to the field. His website, with its daily news, is one of the most visited sites, and an important reference, in theatre in the province of Quebec.

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