Margo Martindale asserts that her Southern accent, mature years, and corpulent figure have served her well in theatre, now more than ever. Indeed, the 50ish Jacksonville, Tex. native has just made her Broadway debut, as a memorable Big Mama opposite Ned Beatty's Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." The Tennessee Williams play, with its signature family secrets, tormented relationships, and personal frustrations, bowed on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre, Sun., Nov. 2.
"Big Mama has never been cast the way she was written," says Martindale. "Williams describes Big Mama as a short, fat sumo wrestler, who is over 170 pounds. She is raucous and crude. Yet all the Big Mamas I've seen are quiet, severe women and forgettable."
Stripped of her Big Mama alter ego, what's most notable about Martindale is her straightforward, down-to-earth style. She speaks with a marked Southern drawl—has chosen not to lose it, she says—and is refreshingly devoid of pretension.
Consider this: She finds nothing sexist or objectionable in the word "actress," yet admits using the word "actor" because everyone else does. "I don't want to be seen as politically incorrect," an observation punctuated with a hearty laugh.
Regardless of what she calls herself—actor or actress—Martindale is a serious artist, having given Big Mama much thought, imaginatively filling in the gaps.
"We know that Big Mama comes from a family that is richer than Big Daddy's. She is also more educated than he is. But I think that this woman was bargained into the marriage." Martindale meets with us in her tiny, flower-filled dressing room between Wednesday matinee and evening performances. "Perhaps her father offered Big Daddy land in exchange for marrying his daughter. It's possible that she was already pregnant, not with Big Daddy's child, but someone else's. Or maybe she came to the marriage with a small child who was not hers either. I'm not sure."
But Martindale has little doubt that Big Mama loves Big Daddy, knowing and accepting that he was a philanderer. "Yes, Big Mama diminished herself and always deferred to Big Daddy. That's how it was in that culture. Still, I suspect they had fun. And in his way, he loved her.
"There's nothing in Big Mama or this play that I can't put a handle on. I'm from the South and I knew these women. The major challenge is the emotional swings, the way Big Mama bounces from denial to joy to tears. It's a fine line. You have to go to a certain point emotionally, but you can't go too far," Martindale continues. "The role is also a challenge vocally. And the poetry of the language is difficult; that's true for all Tennessee Williams. The trick is to make the poetic language sound like real speech. Again, it helps to be Southern because we tend to speak poetically."
That said, Martindale acknowledges that this role is a major departure for her. "In film and TV I play dramatic roles. In theatre I play comedy. In this role, it all comes together. There are aspects of Big Mama that are harrowing. Yet, when the stakes are emotionally high, it gets funny."
Martindale was most recently seen in New York in the role of Louise in "Always…Patsy Cline," although she is perhaps best known for playing Truvy in the original Off-Broadway cast of "Steel Magnolias," which she also toured nationally, earning a Helen Hayes Award nomination for her performance. She has appeared in more than 30 films, including "The Human Stain," "Dead Man Walking, "Nobody's Fool," and "Marvin's Room." Among her television credits are "The Laramie Project," "Lonesome Dove," and Sidney Lumet's "100 Centre Street."
Wanting to Play Edna Turnblad
Martindale grew up in a rural community, where her father owned and ran a lumber company. "I was a cheerleader and my goal was to have a boyfriend," Martindale recalls. "I didn't start acting until I was 16."
She studied acting for two years at a local college before trying out for the University/Resident Theatre Auditions, which are group auditions held by university drama programs. Her performance at those auditions was impressive, garnering Martindale scholarship offers from 22 university theatre departments nationwide.
"I chose to go to the University of Michigan because Jimmy Stewart and Helen Hayes were on the cover of the brochure, not that they attended the school," Martindale says. "I didn't know what I was doing, but the training was good because I got to do tons and tons of plays."
When Martindale landed an acting job three months before she graduated, she left the university—and to this day regrets that decision. "It preys on my mind."
Over the years, Martindale held a number of odd jobs—odd being the operative word—including private investigator and national spa consultant (meaning she booked vacationers into the spas). If she were not an actress, she says, "I might have been a mathematician or scientist." But throughout, her acting career has been marked by a dogged tenacity.
Example: When she started getting work following her appearance in "Laundry and Bourbon," a play written for her by Jim McClure, Martindale recalls, "I wrote to every regional theatre in the country that was going to do the play and pointed out that it had been written for me. I said I wanted to audition for it. As a result, I ended up getting seasons at the Alley Theatre in Houston, the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Florida, and the Actors Theatre of Louisville."
And she is not afraid to go after the most improbable roles. "I'd love to play the Harvey Fierstein character, Edna Turnblad, in 'Hairspray,' " she laughs. "Imagine: a woman playing a man playing a woman. The creative team didn't seem to like the idea." She adds, "I'd love to play Martha in 'Virginia Woolf.' "
At the moment, however, Martindale is happily ensconced in "Cat" and, always the consummate actress, she describes with pleasure how Big Mama has evolved over the weeks. "She has become more childlike, especially in the way she moves. Big Mama has developed a girlish quality. She is flirtatious and loves waving her wrists that are covered in charm bracelets. She reminds me of my mother's closest friend when I was a child."
Big Mama and, indeed, the whole play have personal resonance for Martindale, who is convinced that the themes are timeless, despite the fact that it is a period piece. " 'Cat' is a Southern Gothic melodrama with comic elements. But it is familiar to all families, anywhere and at any time, dealing with death and wills and money. There is nothing dated about the ugliness that erupts in families fighting over money. And I think it's still the women who are the most predatory, who assume that role in order to protect the men, who want to appear above it all."