Love or hate the ABBA this summer there is no escaping it. And while the trailer watching America is awaiting with baited breath the arrival of the Meryl Streep/Christine Baranski movie production
(cue the insane trailer)
as of tomorrow (Tuesday) National Theatre is hosting a 3 week run of “Mamma Mia” the musical that started it all.
Rose Sezniak, a CUA grad, plays Sophie. Andrea caught up with her before the opening tonight for a brief chit chat.
What year did you graduate?
2005
What other shows have you been in?
Mamma Mia is really my first big break as far as performing at this level, however other professional
productions include… national tour: Junie B. Jones, Theatreworks USA; regional theatre: The Snow Queen, Prince Music Theatre.
When did you start acting?
I began performing in community theatre when I was 8 or 9 years old. I started to train as an actor when I was 14.
How’s the tour been treating you so far?
I am so happy to be out here doing what I love and getting to see the country all at the same time. There is something about being in an entirely new place every week and living out of a suitcase that really gives me a a sense of freedom and adventure. I love it!
Any juicy road stories?
haha… not that i want plastered on the internet!!
Favorite American city?
Well for me it will always be NYC, but my favorite that we have toured through so far is Seattle… by far!
Did you consider auditioning for the film version of Mamma Mia coming out this summer starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan [who is undoubtedly temptation enough]?
I didn’t even know it was being made until it was already in production… so no. But I am psyched to see it!!
Do you think you’ll ever care to hear another ABBA song once you’re done with the show?
To be honest, I have kind of learned to love ABBA. I really didn’t know any of their music other than Dancing Queen before I got cast, but now I kinda like it all… you have to admit its pretty catchy stuff… But get back to me in ten months!
Did you always dream of a big, girly wedding, like your character, Sophie? I think that I’ve gone through phases of what I’d like my wedding to be like. There was definitely a time when I wanted a big poofy ball gown type dress, and a huge elegant reception (more along the lines of what Sophie has planned). Now, when I imagine my wedding, its much more casual. I think I’d like it to be outside, with a simple white sundress and flowers in my hair.
As a recent Catholic U. grad, what are your favorite DC romping grounds that you’ll definitely revisit?
I am going to make sure that everyone gets to Pizzeria Paradiso on P Street. The best pizza in the world!! And then we should head over to Brickskellar around the corner for some microbrews. I’d also love to get back to ThaiPhoon near Dupont Circle! Its the first place I ever had Thai… and still the best phad thai I’ve ever had!!
It seems like Catholic U. students get to experience a part of the city that most college students in DC are pretty isolated from. What was it like going to school in Brookland and how do you perceive DC as a result?
I did have a much wider perspective of DC having spent my time there in a more urban area such as Brookland. Unlike many other DC universities, Catholic U is set in a very culturally diverse neighborhood. So my experience of DC wasn’t all upper middle class diplomats or college students. Unfortunately, Catholic does often seem like a small island of upper middle class privileged kids situated in this lower incomeneighborhood. So my perspective of Catholic was more narrow.
Did going to Catholic University limit the kinds of productions you acted in during college?
It didn’t really occur to me that our productions were chosen in compliance with the moral code of the Catholic church. Now that you ask, I am sure that there was some control over this from the University hierarchy, but I think that our department chairs were savvy enough to choose productions that didn’t rock the boat too much, but still didn’t stifle our artistic freedom. And it wasn’t something that trickled down into every aspect of my artistic education. I know I had some controversial pieces in my recitals and student run productions weren’t as closely regulated.
What’s your dream role?
Ophelia in Hamlet.
Favorite Swedish band?
I would be lying to say that I really know any swedish bands other than
ABBA. So I can hardly claim to have a favorite. I do like “the comeback”,
but I didn’t even know Shout Out Louds were Swedish…. so that doesn’t
count.
Favorite ABBA song?
I think it’d be S.O.S. or The Winner Takes it All.
want more:
catch Rose at the National Theatre till July 13th
sure you’d like to
ABBA still rox
so much that Madonna used their hook in Hung up
SOS is their best jam, agreed
June 24, 2008 at 2:00 pmActually, Lily, they’re thieving assholes, or at least Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson are. See? My Dad wrote The Winner Takes it All way back in the 1970s. Abba got ahold of it and recorded it, jumped ship out of the country to ignore subpoenas once my dad heard about it (on the radio, no less), hired a team of lawyers to defend themselves, drove dad broke trying to keep up with the tens of thousands they were pouring into defending the lawsuit, and finally settled out of court for about $20K plus the rights to the song. He got to keep $10K, the rest went to lawyer fees and, of course, they kept all future royalties for anytime the song was released, played, used in a commercial, television, or movie. Could he have won? Absolutely, if someone had been willing to match them dollar for dollar in the attorney spending war.
All he’s got is the original copyright framed on his wall to the lyrics and music. Which doesn’t mean squat anymore since he had to sell the rights to it to pay off the debts.
The Wiki page captures it pretty well: “”The Winner Takes It All” was something of a deviation from ABBA’s previous singles. Earlier ABBA songs focusing on break-ups and relationship problems (e.g. “Knowing Me, Knowing You”) tended to have a very happy and upbeat quality to (at least) the music. “The Winner Takes It All”, however, was a more sorrowful & poignant song, very much unlike anything that ABBA had done before. The lyrics are one of ABBA’s most dramatic and are said to accurately describe the heartbreak and pain of a marriage that has ended. The song consists of several subdued sections in the verse, contrasted with a hugely dramatic build-up to the powerful chorus.”
Well no shit it didn’t sound like anything they ever did, or anything they did after, because they didn’t write the fucking thing.
Again: Fuck Abba.
June 24, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Fuck Abba.
June 24, 2008 at 10:17 am