By Anthony Rifilato
- that of a budding drama student singing in an ethereal, angelic voice in front of an undulating blue backdrop. The actors and the student were rehearsing for the opening night of the critically acclaimed play "Agnes of God," fine-tuning the opening scene.
As it grew late, the cast and director discussed how to tweak the beginning of John Pelmeier's drama, which would debut the next evening - March 24 - at Hofstra's 50-year-old John Cranford Adams Playhouse Theater. The actress Talia Shire, best known for her performances in the "Rocky" films and the "Godfather" trilogy, sat 10 rows from the stage, soaking in the performance by Hofstra junior Missy Dowse, a novice actress who landed the coveted role of Agnes.
Not far away, highlighting passages in the play's script, sat Susan Sullivan, whose enormous body of work includes major roles on TV shows like "Falcon Crest" and "Dharma and Greg" as well as films such as "My Best Friend's Wedding." The three actresses were preparing for a reading of the 1982 hit Broadway play, a three-character tragedy, directed by Bob Spiotto, executive producer of Hofstra Entertainment. The reading was part benefit for Hofstra's Department of Drama and Dance, part commemoration of the play's 25th anniversary and part 50th anniversary celebration of the Cranford Adams Playhouse.
For Dowse, surrounded by Hollywood royalty, this was the chance of a lifetime. "I'm shocked," she said of the chance to act with her famous co-stars. "Bob and Susan and Talia were a main draw. I'm really happy to be a part of it. I wanted the chance to stretch my acting chops, to go out on a limb and try something with this."
Hofstra connections
It's no coincidence that Shire and Sullivan were on stage together, since each has a unique tie to Hofstra. Shire's brother, the acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola, was once a student in the drama department. Sullivan is a Hofstra alumna, and she and Shire thought that including an aspiring actress would make for an interesting cast. Dowse was one of 20 drama students who auditioned for the role.
"I thought it would be nice to have a Hofstra student involved," Sullivan said. "She's very charming. She knew the theater and is from the neighborhood, so to speak."
Though Shire and Sullivan - who met for the first time at Sullivan's Los Angeles home a few weeks before rehearsals began to discuss the play - are accustomed to the lavish productions of Hollywood films, two both said that smaller theater pieces such as this one are often more challenging.
"I started out in theater," Sullivan said. "The material is richer and deeper. As opposed to acting on television, there's a connection to the audience. That's why it's a joy to be an actor - you're having an immediate reaction."
Sullivan was referring to her role as Dr. Martha Livingston, a psychiatrist who sets out to learn the mysterious circumstances surrounding a young nun, Sister Agnes, who is accused of murdering her newborn child while claiming she is a virgin. Shire assumed the role of the overprotective mother superior who believes Agnes is something of a saint and has immaculately conceived the child.
"It's a piece that stimulates conversation after you leave the theater," Spiotto said. "I'm hoping people are talking about this production after they experience it ... It's what good theater does: It makes you question things, makes you feel."
The play explores intense, emotional subject matter, with its themes of morality and faith still resonating today. "I found the play very timely, considering what's going on in the world. I think it allows people to think from all points of view," Sullivan said. "People really need to keep an open mind, and I think that's what the arts do."
Even for such seasoned performers as Shire and Sullivan, the chance to delve into such starkly engaging material was an opportunity not to be missed, especially since, they said, it meant coming back to Long Island for a good cause, to benefit the arts. And Sullivan is no stranger to "Agnes." She took part in a reading several years ago in L.A., playing the mother superior.
"We were anxious to bring her back to do something," said Spiotto. "Someone said, 'What about Talia Shire?' and I thought it would be fabulous if we could get her. It turns out both Susan and Talia have Long Island roots and connections. I thought it would be incredible to wind up with a Hofstra alumnus, a current Hofstra student and someone who has a family connection to the school."
Long Island natives
Shire described returning to her brother's alma mater as a "re-birth." "I have not done theater work in over 30 years," she said. "... Of course, to work with Susan is really fun, and to do it at the Hofstra Playhouse, where my brother enjoyed being, where he was sort of creatively born, is fabulous."
Shire is 60 but looks years younger, and her disposition belies both the timid Adrian in "Rocky" and the histrionic Connie Corleone in "The Godfather." She is intellectually challenging, direct and funny. Lately she has turned to producing films, but for now her focus was on "Agnes" and her role as the formidable Mother Miriam Ruth. Being on stage is not easy, Shire said, recalling that a live performance with other actors last year at a Cure Autism Now Foundation fund-raiser in L.A. was nerve-racking.
"I got up on the stage and didn't fall off of it, so I figured, I may as well try it again," she said. "It's hard to do it. This was something kind of wonderful to commit myself to. I intend to do more of these."
And Shire said she is happy to be back on the East Coast, especially as a former Long Islander, a child of first-generation Italian-Americans. With her mother, Italia, and father, Carmine, a well-known composer, Shire and her brothers moved around Long Island in their youth, spending time in Long Beach, Island Park, Bayside and Great Neck, among other towns. "I was born on Long Island, so how appropriate for me to be reborn here," she said.
Shire attended the Yale School of Drama, and after starring in "The Godfather," she went on to receive numerous acting awards, including Academy Award nominations for both of her most memorable characters.
Not only did Coppola attend Hofstra, but Shire's eldest brother, August - a professor and novelist - earned a master's degree from the university.
Shire's three sons have made names for themselves as well - most notably Jason Schwartzman, who has starred in the films "Rushmore," "I Heart Huckabees" and "Marie Antoinette." When she decided to try her hand at theater, Shire said, her family and children were more than supportive. "They understand that it's a rite of passage for me," she said. "They're behind me, and I think that's great."
A drive down memory lane
Sullivan has fond memories of Long Island as well, having spent part of her youth in Baldwin. She said she drove through the town not long ago, when she received an honorary doctorate from Hofstra, and said it was fun to "see all the old places." Though she was born in New York City in 1942, she lived on McKinley Street in Baldwin for about five years, attending Harbor School and spending a year at Baldwin High School before transferring to Freeport High, where she graduated.
"I remember that there would be high tides and water would come all the way up to our house," Sullivan recalled.
As a young girl, she put on plays in the neighborhood, and knew at an early age that she wanted to act. "When I was a little girl, I remember my brother played an Indian in a school play," she said. "I could see he was looking at my parents, but I also remember everyone looking at him, and I said, 'I want to do that.'"
After college, Sullivan worked at the National Repertory Theatre in Washington, D.C., alongside actors such as Dustin Hoffman, and went on to star in numerous television shows, most notably "Another World" and "Falcon Crest." She received a Golden Globe nomination in 1998 for her role as the uptight Kitty on "Dharma and Greg," and recently starred in an episode of "Brothers and Sisters."
Throughout her career, Sullivan said, she has remained committed to the theater. Though "Agnes of God" was turned into a film starring Jane Fonda in 1985, Sullivan said the work is best interpreted on the stage. "I think it works much better as a play and a reading," she said.
Spiotto wanted to begin the play with a clip of the 1936 Greta Garbo film "Camille" as a backdrop, since it has a symbolic connection to the opening of the piece. Sullivan seemed to like the idea, but felt it was a bit lengthy. "Talia, I need your input," Sullivan said from the stage. "I think the opening is way too long. What if it played over and over as the audience entered the theater, as a back-round?"
"OK, the clip will begin - no sound - while the people come in," Spiotto said. "Let the images tell the story. Then Missy will begin singing and Susan comes in."
"Perfect," Sullivan said.
"Good," said Shire.
Comments about this story? Arifilato@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
