By Michael Buckley
27 Jul 2008

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Currently, Mary McCormack is enjoying professional double exposure, portraying characters from 20th- and 21st-century experiences. On Broadway, she's Gretchen, an early 1960s German airline hostess (the term used then), in 2008's Tony-winning Best Revival Boeing-Boeing. She's a character who lives in Paris, and demonstrates what Times critic Ben Brantley termed a "wide-legged, take-no-prisoners stance."

Meanwhile, on TV, McCormack displays what could be called "a sure-footed, take-all-prisoners stance" in the cable series "In Plain Sight" (USA, Sundays, 10 PM ET), starring as Mary Shannon, a U.S. marshal, described by Times reviewer Alessandra Stanley as a "hardboiled-but-dedicated babe with a badge," assigned to an Albuquerque witness-protection program.

Serving passengers and justice is all in a season's work for McCormack — though her law officer might be on the trail of a longer tenure. Says McCormack, "The characters are so alike, it's weird. They're both strong on the outside, soft on the inside. They hide their vulnerabilities with toughness." Multi-tasking McCormack also manages to juggle her professional lives with marriage (since 2003, to "Brothers and Sisters" producer Michael Morris) and motherhood (Margaret, 3; Rose, 1).

Boeing-Boeing, claimed Brantley, "has no earthly right to be as funny as it is." Admits McCormack, "Onstage, my biggest challenge [in her Tony-nominated turn] is not breaking up. Everyone's so funny."

The action revolves around two Americans in Paris — a visitor (Mark Rylance) and an architect (Bradley Whitford), the latter's harried housekeeper (Christine Baranski), and his three fiancées — none of whom knows that the others exist. Flying in and out of the City of Light, the trio is part of the designer's hectic holding pattern.

	Christine Baranski and Mary McCormack in Boeing-Boeing
	photo by Joan Marcus

One of McCormack's best moments pairs her with Tony winner Rylance. She strikes such Teutonic terror in him that he literally crash lands in her wake. Gretchen describes herself as "passionate," is fiercely proud of her native land ("Germany is a great country, too!"), and has low tolerance for sweet-nothings: "Don't you Liebchen me!" At one point, she hurls Rylance across the set.

McCormack feels "blessed" to have been able to do both play and series, especially since she was pregnant with her second child when the pilot was picked up. "But they waited for me. I've been very lucky." And she was amazed at USA's ad-campaign. "I've done a lot of work, but never had anything so big."

Part of the campaign featured posters of McCormack on the sides of buses. How did her three-year-old react to that? "She found it a little confusing. I'm not sure if she understands TV, but she knows theatre. She has a sense of it. She'll ask, 'Is this a two-show day?' She knows I wear a wig [as Gretchen], and she's seen me do the curtain calls [where the actors dance to Kathleen Marshall's choreography].

"Margaret understands about putting on a show, because she's done [pre-k] school plays." Like Long Day's Journey, I jokingly suggest. "No," replies McCormack. "Man of La Mancha." Convinced that she's going along with the joke, I inquire again (and later even send an e-mail), but McCormack insists, "It was a scaled-down, pre-school version. Bless her, she played a gypsy. She was two. But there will be no professional acting for my daughters."

During our telephone interview, McCormack admits that she's on her way to the beauty parlor. "I'm on the 'Tonight' show [July 17] and I don't want my roots to show," she says with a laughs. On her day off, she flies to L.A. to promote the play and the series. Later, she tells me, "I flew out on Sunday night and back late Monday night. It was pretty exciting."

Born in Plainfield, NJ, McCormack has an older sister, Bridget ("a criminal-defense attorney, a professor, and Dean of the University of Michigan"), and a younger brother, Will ("an actor"). She's wanted to perform since childhood. I'd see Broadway shows for my birthday, or on class trips."

Looking back, she vividly recalls seeing a (1979) revival of Oklahoma!. "I remember not believing all the fun those adults were having." At 12, she started to join in the fun. Though IMDb.com lists her as being in a 1978 TV production of "Amahl and the Night Visitors," it's incorrect. "Once it's on there, you can't seem to change it." She did switch genders to play Amahl ("I looked like an eight-year-old boy") in a regional production of Gian Carlo Menotti's Christmas opera. "None of the boys in town could sing, so I got the part, and wore a hat."

Working regionally throughout New Jersey, she continued her education, attending Trinity College in Hartford, CT. At Trinity, she majored in English and painting, and continued her stage work in musicals.

McCormack's credits range from Sally Bowles in Broadway's most-recent Cabaret revival to playing Howard Stern's wife in 1997's "Private Parts" ("He's kind, funny, talented — and a million things people don't think he is") to being a cast member on three TV series.

"Doing theatre in New York is how I began. When I was cast in 'Murder One' (as Justine Appleton, 1995-97), I was working three restaurant jobs — in one day. I was thrilled to get it. I learned so much doing that series. I'd never been to L.A. I used to watch dailies [scenes shot that day] then; now they drive me crazy. 'Murder One' led to more TV and movies."

Next up was "K-Street" (as Maggie Morris, 2003). "It was 100 percent improvised, the hardest thing I've ever done. George Clooney produced it. It was really different, a challenge."

Kate Harper was the character she played (2004-06) on "The West Wing." Remembers McCormack, "It was a great experience — great actors, great writing."

A favorite moment as Gretchen in Boeing-Boeing "is when she's furious at Mark." Thanks to Matthew Warchus' deft direction, she and Rylance play off each other wonderfully. "Honestly, I'm having so much fun — it's like when I was a little girl and couldn't believe those were adults [in Oklahoma!] — and that was their job!"

Committed to Broadway until the first week of September, McCormack's been asked to stay on. "I'd love to, but I have to wait to see what's happening with 'In Plain Sight.'"

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Nominated for 16 Emmy Awards for its first season (just released on DVD), "Mad Men" is three-quarters of the way through shooting season two. Among the cast of many characters is Bryan Batt, who plays art director Salvatore Romano, and is "loving it. It's great to be given an opportunity to work with top-notch writers, top-notch actors. Everyone's at the top of their game. It's a pleasure to be associated with it."

Taking place in the 1960s, at Madison Avenue's Sterling-Cooper ad agency, characters smoke ("the herbal cigarettes are awful," complains Batt), and drink (tea substituting for alcohol) heavily, and womanize frequently.

	Christina Hendricks with Bryan Batt in "Mad Men"
	photo by © AMC TV

Series work, says Batt, "is very different from theatre. Onstage, you have weeks of rehearsals. Then you have previews. You're honing, perfecting. Here, you get the script the day before the table read and then start shooting. In the meantime, there are rewrites. You block a scene. They light it. You put on makeup. They shoot it. It's completely different, but I'm having a ball."

Sal's most important episode last season was called "The Hobo Code," which referred to a childhood memory of Don Draper (Emmy nominee Jon Hamm). In it, Romano, a closeted gay man, has dinner with a visiting salesman (Paul Keeley) who wants Sal to come to his hotel room. But Sal leaves the restaurant.

"Many people in that era and many people today, still, feel they have to conform," Batt points out. "They have to deny their natural instincts and desires. In 2007-2008 [the first season's schedule], I want to say, 'What's the problem? Go to the man's room and have a good time.' But, in 1960, if Sal were found out, he'd lose his job. We forget the tight morality [of the time], especially dealing with that issue."

Batt has said previously that series creator Matthew Weiner "told me he was looking for a gay American actor to play this role and that he wasn't interested in someone 'playing gay.' All I want for my character is more juicy controversy. What I love about Matt's writing is that you can never really guess what is going to happen, and I know he has great ideas for Sal's journey."

The actor and his partner, Tom Cianfichi (they met in an Ohio production of Evita) co-own Hazelnut, a successful home-furnishing store on Magazine Street in Batt's native New Orleans.

On Broadway, Batt's roles include a candelabrum (Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast), a train (Starlight Express), and two felines — with a hat (Seussical) and without (Cats). Other appearances include two editions of Forbidden Broadway ("Strikes Back" and "Cleans Up Its Act"), Sunset Boulevard, and Saturday Night Fever.

When auditioning for Jeffrey, Batt was asked by playwright Paul Rudnick if he really had been in Cats. Said Batt, "yes, now and forever." Rudnick cast him as Darius (which he also played in the movie version), and which remained his favorite role until now. "I would have to put Sal at the top of the list."

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Various and Sundry

How to Succeed: Hats off and (in his character Bert Cooper's case) shoes off to Robert Morse on his Emmy nomination for "Mad Men". Last year, he told me, "It's a delight to go to work. Senior citizens belong to clubs...I go to the set — that's my club." Having earned a 1992 Emmy for reprising his Tony-winning portrayal of Truman Capote in "Tru", I'm sure he has space for two.

The 60th annual primetime Emmys will be telecast live (ABC, Sept. 21, 8 PM ET)...Nominated for reprising roles that earned them Tony Awards in "A Raisin in the Sun" are Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald...Though "Raisin" is up for Outstanding TV Movie, it was shortchanged in nominations.

Elaine Stritch could score back-to-back Emmys for "30 Rock", giving her a total of four...Bob Balaban is up twice: for his "Recount" performance, and as director of "Bernard and Doris"), which received 10 nominations, including TV Movie, Actor (Ralph Fiennes), Actress (Susan Sarandon).

Several other Emmy nominees have theatrical associations. Among them: Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins ("Cranford"), Kevin Spacey ("Recount"), Glenn Close and Zeljko Ivanek ("Damages"), Kristin Chenoweth ("Pushing Daisies"), Cynthia Nixon ("Law & Order: SVU"), Gabriel Byrne and Dianne Wiest ("In Treatment"), Laura Linney ("John Adams"), Mary-Louise Parker ("Weeds"), Ellen Burstyn ("Big Love"), Diahann Carroll ("Grey's Anatomy"), Michael C. Hall ("Dexter"), Michael Emerson ("Lost"), Jeremy Piven ("Entourage"), Lonny Price (director, "Company"), John Slattery ("Mad Men"), and Rip Torn ("30 Rock").

	Estelle Getty with Harvey Fierstein in Torch Song Trilogy
	photo by Ken Howard

A fond farewell to Estelle Getty, who died July 22, three days before her 85th birthday. An Emmy winner for her expert timing as Sophia (mom to Bea Arthur, who was 14 months Getty's senior) on "The Golden Girls" (1985-92), the role came her way while she was on tour in L.A. in Torch Song Trilogy (her sole Off-Broadway and Broadway credit), in which she was portraying Mrs. Beckoff, mother of Arnold (Harvey Fierstein).

Upcoming guest stars on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (USA cable, Sundays, 9 PM ET): Miguel Ferrer and Tony Roberts (July 27); Tony winner Jefferson Mays and John Shea (Aug. 3); Skipp Sudduth, currently Capt. Brackett in South Pacific (Aug. 10)...Chris Noth (Det. Mike Logan) makes his final appearance Aug. 17...Cast as the series' new detective is Jeff Goldblum, most recently on Broadway in The Pillowman.

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(Stage to Screens is Playbill.com's monthly column that connects the dots between artists who cross freely between theatre, film and television. Contact Michael Buckley at stagetoscreens@aol.com.)

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