STAGE TO SCREENS: A Chat with Wicked Nominee and TV Veteran Winnie Holzman
By Michael Buckley
06 Jun 2004
For Broadway, the part of the Wizard (played in San Francisco by Robert
Morse, who withdrew following the engagement) was recast with Joel Grey.
"He's a treasure, a lovely, sweet man. We all feel lucky to have him. That
he's not nominated [for a Tony] is incomprehensible."
Of course, now Holzman knows how easy it is to write a Broadway musical.
"Oh, yeah," she admits, laughing. "The only mystery is why people don't do
them more often." In addition to writing, the amiable Holzman has acted and
produced. "I consider myself a writer. I always wanted to act, and as a teen
I studied acting devotedly. Eventually, I got writing work, but very little
acting work.
"I realized later how much my acting experience influenced my writing, and
how it helped me to write for other actors. I care about actors, and I
understand them in a very personal way. I'm not saying every writer has to
do that, but in my case it's been helpful. I can put myself into the scene
and think, 'What would it be like to act this?' Any writer who's really good
probably does that to some extent.
"I don't think of myself as a producer. In television, it's part of the
business — if you progress, and become successful as a writer, you're
called a writer-producer. What that means is that you have a lot of say in
casting and behind-the-scenes stuff. But I'm just a writer." Does she have a
desire to direct? She laughs. "Well, I tell 'ya, I think I'd like to try it
at some point. It would be a very good learning experience. But that's so
not my personality. Who knows?"
Holzman has worked with producers Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick in
her three successful TV series to date. Her "first big thing" in writing for
TV was "thirtysomething," the 1987-91 comedy-drama that followed the lives of seven friends (two couples, three singles) in Philadelphia.
Next, she created "My So-Called Life," the 1994-95 drama about high-school
students. "That was a wonderful experience. It was a group of people who
just loved each other." Her most recent TV success was "Once and Again," a
1999-2002 drama about two divorced parents who start a life together.
Currently, Holzman is working "on a new pilot that [Herskovitz and Zwick]
would hopefully produce with me."
The aforementioned Birds of Paradise ("which was originally called
Amateurs") was directed by Arthur Laurents. "He was not just my
director, he was my teacher. I met him when he was teaching an NYU
musical-theatre program. To this day, he's my teacher. He has a special
place in my life. I love him very much!"
Aside from Murphy, the cast of Birds, which played at the Promenade, included Crista Moore, Mary Beth Peil, Barbara Walsh, John Cunningham and J.K. Simmons. Holzman wrote lyrics to music by David Evans, and co-authored the book with the composer. Evans, she tells me, "has written a score for a new musical, Children's Letters to God, which is going to open Off-Broadway at the Lamb's Theatre. A lot of people don't know I write lyrics." Who's her favorite lyricist? "Stephen Schwartz. [Laughs] I really mean it. Next to Stephen would be Oscar Hammerstein. I also really like Ira Gershwin and Yip Harburg."
She's sure "there will be some tiny changes" for the upcoming tour of
Wicked. "I'll do whatever it is that I need to do. Eugene is
streamlining the set, in order to make the show 'tourable.' Of course, I'll
be in on the casting. Casting is everything." I ask if Rosie O'Donnell and
Harvey Fierstein might play Glinda and Elphaba on the road. Claims Holzman,
"You're reading my mind."
When I question how a woman who grew up on Long Island happened to name her daughter Savannah, Holzman replies, "She married Paul Dooley [whose
extensive film roles include the father in 'Breaking Away' and Wimpy in
'Popeye']. He had a friend who was in the movie 'Savannah Smiles,' which was
about a little girl, and thought it would be a nice name for a daughter."
How did she meet her husband? "In an improv class, with a little group of
actors. Over the course of a year, we improvised our way into love. We'll be
married 20 years this fall."
If, as expected, Winnie Holzman takes home a Tony tonight, she must write
herself a very short speech. "They told me that I'd have only 45 seconds [to speak]. That's very little time." When you consider it took four
years to write the show, that seems especially Wicked.
***
As usual, the Tony Awards telecast (CBS, 8-11 PM/ET) will probably take
(rather than score) a hit in the ratings — particularly due to a Tony
Soprano other than Kristin Chenoweth. Cable subscribers who own a DVR or
Tivo are able to tape the season finale of "The Sopranos" and Bette Midler
on "Inside the Actors Studio," and not tune out Broadway's big night.
If I were a Tony voter, my choices would be: (Play) I Am My Own Wife;
(Musical) Avenue Q, though Wicked will win; (Revivals) A
Raisin in the Sun and Wonderful Town, though Assassins
will win; (Actor, Play) Jefferson Mays; (Actor, Musical) Hugh Jackman;
(Actress, Play) Phylicia Rashad; (Actress, Musical) Donna Murphy; (Featured
Actor, Play) Omar Metwally, though Brian F. O'Byrne will win; (Featured
Actor, Musical) Raul Esparza; (Featured Actress, Play) Audra McDonald;
(Featured Actress, Musical) Isabel Keating, though Anika Noni Rose will
win.
(Directors) Moises Kaufman and Kathleen Marshall, though Jack O'Brien and
Joe Mantello will win; (Score) Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx; (Book) Winnie
Holzman; (Choreography) Kathleen Marshall; (Orchestrations) Michael
Starobin; (Costumes) Susan Hilferty; (Lighting) Jules Fisher, Peggy
Eisenhauer; (Scenic Design) Eugene Lee. Congratulations to the winners, and
here's hoping for a great ceremony.
***
The answer to the May 9 question — In the 1965-66 CBS-TV series, "The
Trials of O'Brien," Elaine Stritch played Miss G, secretary to Manhattan
attorney Daniel J. O'Brien. Who played the title character: a) Pat O'Brien;
b) Peter Falk; c) George C. Scott? — is b.
Michael Buckley also writes for TheaterMania.com, and is the author of
"Between Takes (Interviews with Hollywood Legends)," to be published in
spring 2005.
