ANDY DRACHENBERG: How has your Broadway debut treated you so far??
KRISTIN DAVIS: It’s been great. It’s very scary to come into a show that you know is so great. I’ve seen the show knew it was incredible and wonderful and that the cast was of a very high-caliber. I was very nervous during my rehearsal period, but everyone was so supportive and sweet – they’ll catch you if you fall. That helps a lot, and it’s been really fun once we got it up and on its feet!
AD: Has there been anything about it that’s surprised you about the cast?
KD: They’re all incredibly lovely and gracious and VERY supportive. James Earl will sometimes say these little things casually, and then you’ll go off and be like, “That’s a really great idea! I might try that!” I think he knows exactly what he’s doing, but he does it in a kind of relaxed manner – just little ideas. Everybody’s kind of like that; they’re operating at a very, very high level in terms of their work and the show, honoring this story and Gore’s writing. You’re just always inspired by everyone.
AD: Have you noticed a huge difference between working in film or television and working in the theatre?
KD: Well, sure, there’s a huge difference (she giggles). I mean, it’s all still acting… But its an interesting transition when you realize that you have more freedom; no one’s going to edit you. You also have the pressure of doing the whole scene from beginning to end and hoping that it’s great because (obviously) in film and television you can say, “Cut!” if you mess up. You can’t really do that in theatre. And then there’s the energy from the audience…especially with The Best Man, the audience is so involved and they’re always so amazing. They laugh and they gasp; you get so much energy from that. Mabel (Ms. Davis’ character) and Joe (played by John Stamos) have such an interesting journey through the play. Mabel to me is so much fun and she has so much energy, and I get so much energy back from the audience. It’s been great.
AD: What’s your connection with Mabel? Have you discovered any similarities between you two?
KD: (laughs) The only similarity that I have with Mabel is that I’m from South Carolina and she’s southern. But other than that, we’re not that similar. She’s a very, very ambitious politician’s wife and I’m pretty much the opposite of that. But she has a lot of energy. She’s very devoted to her husband. In her own way, she’s just trying to succeed and succeed for him. Obviously you can look at Joe and Mabel and think that they might be the villains, but when we’re playing them, I just focus on John (Stamos) and what our characters want. Of course we think that we’re the best thing for the country, and we want to succeed because we think we have a lot to give. I love my children, obviously. I talk about my children in every scene. I want what’s right for them. I want my husband to do well. That’s who Mabel is.
AD: Do you think Mabel stands out in different ways than other characters in the show?
KD: I think everyone in the show has their own journey, and that’s what’s so beautiful about it. It’s such an interesting piece in that everybody, every single character, is just great. There’s no lesser, uninteresting characters. Everyone has their own battle that they’re fighting in their own way. With Mabel, she tries to win through charm and planning and plotting with Joe. Everybody has their own version of that, and watching how those characters interact with each other is incredible. Every scene is a negotiation.
AD: What do you think is the most surprising element of the play for the audience when they walk into the theatre?
KD: The way Michael (Wilson) has directed it and really included the audience as though they’re at the convention, with the monitors and the bunting and the music. It’s very smart, and the audience starts the night from a very high-energy place, which is really nice. The first time I saw it, people just gasped! It’s so interactive, and you really don’t expect that. It’s really exciting and it makes it fun every night because every night is different.
AD: What is your favorite moment every night when you’re on stage?
KD: That is a really tough choice. Probably when I’m on stage with James Earl Jones and John Stamos. I have a great scene with Larroquette, but he’s so mean to me in it that I can’t really say that’s my favorite. But I think when James Earl is there and I get to come in and interrupt. Just to be on stage with him and John.
KRISTIN DAVIS (Mabel Cantwell) is thrilled to be making her Broadway debut in The Best Man.
She is best known for playing Charlotte York in HBO’s “Sex and the City.” The show won Emmy Awards and Golden Globes. The two films and the original series still enjoy success around the world, for which Kristin is very thankful. Kristin earned a B.F.A. in Acting from Mason Gross School for the Arts at Rutgers University. She did regional theater after graduation, performing at Berkeley Repertory Theater and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Later Kristin played Sunny Jacobs in The Exonerated off-Broadway and in London. Kristin’s film credits include Sex and the City 1 & 2, Journey 2: Mysterious Island, Couples Retreat, The Shaggy Dog and Deck the Halls. Television credits include “Seinfeld,” “Friends,” “ER,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “Will & Grace,” “Melrose Place.” Most recently, she Executive Produced and starred in Of Two Minds for Lifetime.