This September, Caroline O’Connor will take to the stage in the world premiere of Dream Lover – The Bobby Darin Musical, playing the dual roles of Polly (Bobby Darin’s mother) and Mary (Sandra Dee’s mother). I asked this Australian musical theatre icon what drew her to the project and about the challenges of playing two roles in one show…
Aside from being a new Australian musical, what made you want to be part of this production?
It really is so exciting because it is a brand new show! But I was also very attracted to the project because it meant I’d be working with Simon (Director, Simon Phillips) again, whom I really regard so highly. I’m such a fan.
We’ve done two original plays together before (Bombshells, written by Joanna Murray-Smith, and Scarlett O’Hara at the Crimson Parrot, by David Williamson) and so we’ve had these fun, creative processes in the past, but this is the first time we’ve done a musical together, so that’s kind of interesting!
And of course David Campbell (who plays Bobby Darin), because he’s such a talent. It’s amazing to be in the room with him. His voice is extraordinary and his work ethic and discipline is wonderful; I find that incredibly inspiring.
Bobby’s gift and his legacy was his music. So the routines are amazing and the music’s fantastic. It’s going to be so great to get into the theatre!
And the band! Imagine what that’s going to sound like! (Dream Lover features an 18-piece big band live on stage.) My husband is in the orchestra (he plays saxophone) so he’ll be up there showing off in the bandstand. They’re some of the best musicians you could ever dream of hearing.
I’ve done a few shows where the orchestra has been on stage, Chicago being one. And I’ve jokingly said to my husband: ‘Now why can’t you just stay in the pit where you belong?’ But it’s nice for people to realise where the music is live. It’s a bit of a treat for the audience.
To get the opportunity to work with people you admire and love, it’s such a wonderful experience. I’ve worked with so many of these people before – I’ve been around for a long time – but I still love the process. I’m very honoured to have been asked to be a part of this.
You’ve had an incredibly long and distinguished career in the theatre, both here and overseas. What keeps you coming back to the stage?
I literally am that girl who is so excited that she packs her bag the night before going to school – I still feel that way about being on stage. It’s an incredible thing to think that you can enjoy something so much, and that it’s your job!
There’s a line at the end of Dream Lover that really sums it up. “To think that I get paid for this.” It’s the last line that David sings in the show and I always get a lump in my throat, thinking, “I feel exactly the same way”. And I’m sure most of us in the room do, even those of us who’ve been lucky enough to do this for some time.
But you have to keep working. You have to work hard. I’ve never felt like resting on my laurels. I love it when people throw me a challenge. I think that’s what keeps you going.
Speaking of challenges, in Dream Lover you play two very interesting characters – Polly, a grandmother who pretends her daughter’s son is her own to avoid a scandal, and Mary, a notorious ‘stage mother’ to one of the biggest stars of the era – how on earth do you manage the dual roles?
They’re very diverse characters, and I suppose that’s probably why Simon thought it would be a really interesting thing for one actor to do. We’d worked previously on a one-woman play where I had to play six different women, so I guess he thought given I’d had some experience prior that maybe I’d enjoy it! There’s certainly less pressure this time with only two!
It’s also always interesting playing real people. When you play a fictional character you have to come up with the background and make up a story for them, but that’s not the case with real-life people.
Do you see any similarities between the characters?
I think the two characters are miles apart, particularly because of their lifestyles. Bobby’s mother/grandmother (Polly) was struggling on her own to survive. That’s why I think Bobby adored her so much – because he knew what sacrifices she’d made.
With the other character, Sandra Dee’s mother, Mary, I think she really enjoyed being around the Hollywood glitz and glamour. She’s living vicariously through her daughter and loving being a part of it all. It’s really an escape for her from her troubled marriage.
Sandra Dee’s step-father, Mary’s new husband, was accused of sexually abusing Sandra as a teenager. That must be difficult ground to cover as an actor…
It’s incredible that a mother would cover-up such a thing.
I don’t think there’s much very likable about her, to be honest. She was on the set with her daughter, poking and prodding her; I think that she was probably a pest. But because Sandra Dee was so young – she was only 16 when she got into movies – her mother had to be part of it. And then she couldn’t get rid of her!
There’s something very unlikable about a woman like that. But there’s always a vulnerability about those women as well. I truly believe that there’s a troubled person within them that makes them that way.
You can’t just approach characters like that as one-dimensional – you have to look below the surface, to realise that they behave a certain way because they’re hiding something. It’s my third week of rehearsal and I still feel that this character is extremely interesting. I haven’t quite got there yet.
I guess the only real similarity (between the two characters) is that they were both covering up secrets. It’s interesting to think that both of them possessed those qualities, and went for deception instead of going for the truth.
I’d like to come back to Polly, Bobby’s mother/grandmother, and finish up with a little ‘Character Assassination’…
Firstly, how would you describe Polly in three words:
Loving, supportive, jolly. I don’t see her as a downtrodden character at all – she’s quite effervescent. And the way that the Howson’s (writers Frank and John Michael Howson) have written it, she comes across as a ‘glass half full’ kind of person.
What is your favourite line to deliver as Polly and why?
“Go screw yourself. Some people just don’t appreciate genius!”
It’s said in response to a neighbour banging on the walls. Bobby’s practising the drums and the neighbour bangs on the wall and she screams it at them and I just love that.
When I was a kid I used to practise Irish dancing in the kitchen. My mum would move back all the furniture and I’d be doing my dancing and the neighbours used to do that to us – they’d be banging on the walls with a broom! My mother would be like: (in an easy Irish lilt) ‘Be quiet! She’s a champion!’
What would Polly’s favourite flavour of ice cream have been?
Chocolate gelato. Cassotto (Polly and Bobby’s surname) rhymes with gelato so I think chocolate gelato for sure.
If you could give Polly one piece of advice, what would it be?
She should have told the truth. She should have. I believe honesty really is the best policy.
Finally, if you saw Polly in real life, would you kiss her, kill her or cross the street?
Kiss her. I’d hug her too, I’d squeeze her! She’d be like: ‘Let go!’ I do like her, very much.
You can catch Caroline O’Connor and David Campbell in Dream Lover – The Bobby Darin Musical at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre from 22nd September.
For more information or to book tickets, go to: dreamlover.com.au
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