How much leeway does Pseudolus get?

It's a combination of things. First, with Whoopi's comedy experience, I think Jerry wanted to give her leeway to find things in the show that would be comfortable for her. So the script was there but she was allowed to wander around a little bit. But nothing happens on the stage without the approval of the director and the playwright and composer.

So, there's no improv from night to night if she feels...?

At a moment she may improvise but after her performance is over, there will be a discussion whether it was good or not, whether it was right for the show.

Her ad-libs to latecomers at the beginning of the show - and Nathan did this also - really serve two purposes. The audience has to settle down before the play begins. The show is so complicated and so much happens. Ad libbing with the inevitable latecomers as they are sitting down enables the audience to settle, and then, once everybody's in their seat, we genuinely begin. How people figure out what the three houses are - well I suppose, eventually they figure it out. But weve had people come in 45 minutes late, even an hour late. These people have got to be lost!

But [the ad libs] give the audience an opportunity to settle down so they can start listening to the show. It also gives the show a lift. This way each audience feels that they've experienced something unique. And to a certain extent, it is unique. But also anticipated because you don't want to leave too much to chance. Whoopi has been playing around with it and she's always open to the odd circumstance that will lead her to fresher fields.

I'm surprised they didn't change the name to Pseudola. Knowing how particular Sondheim is, and with him having studied Latin, I figured he would know that the feminine case ends with -a not -us.

Changing he to she became so hard. It's so difficult making a small change like that. Changing the character's name would have been like what happened in Gypsy. When they were playing out of town they hadn't had June Havoc's permission yet, and they changed her character's name to Baby Claire. I think they said that at opening night out of town most people said Baby Cloon because people just couldn't remember.

Tell us about when you were covering Nathan.

With Nathan the challenge was to try to keep up with him. He's a genius!

Are there any lines that were Nathan's that just didn't work for you?

Never having gone on for Nathan, I don't have that experience so I can't really tell you... yet! There were certain things that I think were unique to Nathan just as there are contributions that Bob Amaral (the other Pseudolus Cover) made when he was on that then became absorbed into the show. If you recall the Macarena, that was Bob's idea originally. He did it when he was on and it got such a response Nathan picked it up and now it's been refined even further for Whoopi.

What I try to do as an understudy in general is to cause the least havoc to the production around me. At least that's what I've tried to do. But Pseudolus is a whole different plate of fish. It's such an enormous role that people will have to accommodate me to a great extent. But with regard to the other covers I have [Senex, that dirty old man, and Miles Gloriousus, the braggart captain] I really try to do precisely what the guys I cover are doing. This is a show that requires more precision than any show that I've ever done. But as far as Pseudolus is concerned, we're still in the realm of theory as regards to me.

But you do rehearse it?

I've had a couple of rehearsals.

With the cast?

No, always with the other Standbys. If you're going into the show, they'll give you a rehearsal with the cast. But generally, as a Standby, you don't get that luxury. Miles was the first role that I performed in Forum. That happened the week we opened. There was no costume made for me yet and I didn't fit in Cris's [Groenendaal] costume. I had one rehearsal as I recall. At any rate, they sort of laced me into Cris's costume and somehow or another we got through the show. But again it's from watching the show as frequently as we did in rehearsal, and watching it change and grow and watching it in performance that you get to know the character. It's almost like doing it, but of course not quite. Since then I have been on in that role almost fifty times!

The first time I went on for Senex I did have a couple of rehearsals. I was very nervous about that one. Lewis Stadlen and Nathan are so close and they do so much together on stage of such an intimate nature comically that I really didn't want to upset Nathan's apple cart. My big fear was that somehow or another I'd hurt his performance. As it turned out he was lovely and supportive and so helpful and generous. I went on as Senex about twenty times as Lewis was shooting a movie at the time. Nathan was so extraordinary and so helpful everytime I went on. It was an incredibly positive experience for me each time.

How far in advance do they let you know you're covering?

It varies. One night, for Senex, I found out fifteen minutes before the curtain went up. But it varies dramatically.

What do you do for preparation?

There is no adequate preparation.

Because you've got three roles in your head?

When we were in rehearsal the stage manager told me Miles would be my primary responsibility because there wasn't and still isn't another Miles cover. I'm the only one. So that one had to be learned first.

For Senex there was another cover so that was my second role to learn. Pseudolus comes just from watching the show. Pseudolus is in every scene and it begins to seep it's way in subliminally. But you have to have an order of priorities otherwise you'd go crazy. There was one time that I was on for Senex that I almost said a Miles line. It's odd when that happens. Miles and Senex and Pseudolus are three incredibly different roles. Once you get your head moving in the right direction it's very difficult for the needle to skip over into another band and pick up another part.

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