They are two late 20th-century pop culture icons renowned for their artistic and narrative flair. But in a video age, something else also set them apart: their distinct, well-known speaking styles.
The icons are Andy Warhol and Truman Capote. The new play WARHOLCAPOTE by Rob Roth at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, draws from 75 hours of taped conversations that the two men had in the 1970s, in which they discussed everything from the trials of fame to鈥攊n a case of life mirroring art鈥攃reating their own play based on their talks.
The challenge for any actor is how to capture the character he or she portrays. Often that process begins with mastering the voice. Meeting that challenge at the A.R.T. is Erika Bailey, the theatre鈥檚 vocal coach, who guides actors through breathing exercises and accents and teaches techniques that help them preserve their voices from the strain of nightly performances.
To prepare actors properly, Bailey starts with research, with this play a more complex concern than usual because the public images of both Capote and Warhol were shaped in part by how they sounded. For WARHOLCAPOTE, which plays through October 13, Bailey turned to taped interviews of each artist. To grasp Warhol鈥檚 speaking style, she focused on a series of interviews the artist had with gossip columnist R. Couri Hay and one particular exchange between Warhol and writer William Burroughs, in which the two chatted over dinner.
鈥淭hat gave us some good insights into him in a more relaxed place, in a more enthusiastic place, and what happens to his voice in those environments,鈥� said Bailey, who holds a master鈥檚 degree in voice studies from London鈥檚 Central School of Voice and Drama.
Capote was a regular on television talk shows鈥攚here he was sometimes sober, sometimes not. But even watching and listening to the author under the influence of alcohol was informative, said Bailey, and offered a look at what Capote was like 鈥渋n a more emotional and less controlled place.鈥�
Capote grew up in Alabama and had a distinct Southern accent. He also had a lisp. Working with Leslie Jordan (who was replaced by Dan Butler just before previews), Bailey explored that Southern dialect, as well as ways to help Jordan introduce a speech impediment into his lines. She helped him think about not 鈥渨orking the tongue in a really detailed way,鈥� to make certain words sound 鈥渁 little slushy.鈥�
While Warhol lacked a distinct accent, what he did have was 鈥渁 stillness to his face, a lack of expressivity鈥� when he was speaking, said Bailey. 鈥淥ne very simple thing we鈥檝e been working on is he doesn鈥檛 round his lips 鈥�.We鈥檝e been working on sort of stilling some muscular effort for some vowels.鈥�
That may sound simple, but it鈥檚 anything but, according to Tony Award-winning actor Stephen Spinella, who plays Warhol in the 75-minute, two-person show.
鈥淭he way his voice is constructed is it鈥檚 back in his mouth and a little high through his nose, but at the same time swallowed,鈥� said Spinella, adding that Warhol routinely dropped his Rs and hardly opened his mouth to speak. 鈥淭he jaw barely moves. The lips don鈥檛 round at the corner.鈥�
That stillness takes a toll on an actor. 鈥淭here were times where my jaw would just ache at the end of rehearsal because it just never got the relaxation of being stretched and open,鈥� Spinella recalled.
Still, Spinella acknowledged that for a man who didn鈥檛 move his mouth much when he talked, Warhol鈥檚 speech was filled with emotion.
鈥淚t鈥檚 sort of this strange place in the voice where he sits on his emotion, his heartbreak. You can kind of hear it in the voice, but it鈥檚 not expressed. He doesn鈥檛 allow it to be expressed. That was another thing that is kind of surprising and in keeping in a sad way with his reputation of having very little affect.鈥�
Bailey, Spinella, and Roth agree that they aren鈥檛 trying to bring Warhol or Capote back to life onstage. Instead, their aim and that of the play is to help viewers 鈥渞eally get to know them,鈥� said Roth.
They were really smart, funny, compelling people, Roth added.
鈥淭he play, literally every word of it, is from their mouths. There鈥檚 a level of intelligence that鈥檚 compelling, and I think the audience will think so too.鈥�
The actors鈥� dedication is winning over audiences. When Butler, who used a script during early performances as he worked to master the new role, realized that a page of dialogue was missing, Spinella rose from his chair, calmly walked to the prompter, and asked for the missing page, as Warhol.
The crowd went wild.
Even when he鈥檚 not performing, Spinella said that talking like Warhol can be hard to shake. On a brief break from rehearsals, a friend pointed to him and said 鈥淥h, my god, stop,鈥� as Spinella made a series of comments in Warhol鈥檚 voice. He鈥檚 not alone. "Even members of the backstage crew say, 'Now do Andy,'鈥� Spinella said, adding, 鈥淗e鈥檚 infectious.鈥�
This feature has been edited and condensed for clarity. A version of this piece appears in . For tickets more information about WARHOLCAPOTE, visit .
