My favorite direction for the day

I'm doing a 15 minute peformance of a new opera tomorrow called La Ribalta, and the scene is quite passionate, so the writer/director said to me, "Think Tony Soprano..."

"... and Gina Lollobrigida."

That made me laugh, because I'm often cast in characters like this: sexy powerhouses who have a sense of drive and tenacity like that of a freight train! Unstoppable!

It reminds me of Rita, the mafia mistress whom I played in the musical Lucky Stiff.

Granted, Elena in La Ribalta is the long-suffering wife of an actor, akin to the wife in NINE, but she's also got the fire of the mistress in that same musical film, so it's an incredible combination to play with. So much fun!