Op Playbill staat een interessant interview met Jill Paice over onder andere ‘Gone With The Wind’
Question: Was it difficult to leave Curtains to go do Gone with the Wind?
Paice: It was. From an emotional point of view, leaving this group that I had spent a year-and-a-half of my life with was difficult, but when you’re offered Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, I don’t think you can say no. [Laughs.]
Question: Did Gone with the Wind come about because you had worked with Trevor?
Paice: Yeah. Well, actually, when I was doing Woman in White in London, I happened to be at a dinner party one night with Trevor and just asked what he was doing next. He said, “Well I’m going to be workshopping a production of Gone with the Wind,” and I just about fell out of my chair! I did fall out of my chair because I’m in love with “Gone with the Wind.” I’ve always been such a fan of it. So, Trevor and I were just talking about ideas. He said, “You know I can’t have you do it. You’re here doing Woman in White. [The workshop] would be 10-6, and that’s a big role to take on.” And I said, “No, no, no I completely understand.” And then a couple of weeks later, he called and asked if I would do it. I had workshopped it, and then they had flown me over again to do the demo, and Trevor is very faithful. Aldo Scrofani, who was one of our producers, was willing to be very faithful. Here I am, a no-name really. I’m not a Hollywood star. They brought me back over to London to do Gone with the Wind.
Question: What do you think were the problems with the show, and what do you think were its strengths? Do you think it could have another life?
Paice: It’s a fantastic piece. It really is, and there are some beautiful, brilliant moments. It’s a great story. . . . We were just in previews as they trimmed it down and got it down to three hours and 15 minutes. We were just getting better and better audience reaction, and we were really fueled by that, and we were excited by that. We got to opening night and had standing ovations, which in London you just don’t get standing ovations. They are very reserved with their ovations over there. In no way were we shielded or protected from what then happened. We weren’t expecting those kinds of reviews. I didn’t think we would get amazing reviews because, for heaven’s sake, we’re trying to put “Gone with the Wind” onstage. But I think the press over there had, weeks before, months before, decided that Trevor Nunn was not going to succeed putting the greatest novel, the greatest film, up on stage. It wouldn’t have mattered, I don’t think, what we had presented. They weren’t going to have liked anything about it, and that’s exactly what happened.
Question: That must have been really disheartening after working so hard.
Paice: Absolutely. For any actor, you pour your heart and your soul into these pieces because you cannot dare question them because you’re up there doing them eight times a week. And you’re not watching it, you’re just trying to make it work – constantly trying to make it work. Even if there are moments that you know aren’t working, every night you get to them, and you continue to try. You do not question. So, yes, when that happened we were crushed. There was an energy at the theatre. You would walk in, and you could feel this cloud hanging over everybody. But thank God – Aldo Scrofani got out there and raised more money, did a whole new publicity push… I’m sure anybody else would have closed us the next day! They kept us going for nearly another two months, whatever it was, because he believed in the piece. We all did, and that was the problem, because none of us were up for that sort of disappointment. So, as our run continued, that cloud sort of disappeared and we said, “Well, we don’t know how long we’re here, but let’s make the most of it.” And we managed to have a great time together. And, again, we bonded because it just felt like we were fighting this uphill battle with the press. The press wouldn’t let it go. They kept mentioning it in their papers every once in awhile. A new show would open up, and they’d say, “Well, it’s not as long as Gone with the Wind .” They just kept digging at us for no reason. And that’s what I mean by . . . we weren’t going to make it because they were ready to tear us down, and they were going to continue to tear us down even if we made it through the summer. They kept doing things like that to us, and I think it’s unfair and uncalled for. That didn’t have anything to do with the piece. That was just a dig.
Question: Did you get to record the score?
Paice: No, and we didn’t get to do a souvenir program. We sort of have our memories that live on with the cast and the people who came to see it. The nice thing is Turner Classic Movies did a documentary on the making of it, which played over in London, and they did give us a copy. It’s sort of sad to go back and watch now because we were all so excited. [Laughs.] But, at the same time, it’s a great memory of the show, and they did tape some footage of the actual show. To have somebody following you around through the rehearsal process is a nice memento to have. It’s just not available to everybody right now.
Question: Do you think that the show will get done elsewhere?
Paice: I think they are talking about it, but I don’t what their plans are. I think there is still hope for it yet, but I’m not sure where or when.
