Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis has fascinated the world since her engagement to a young stock broker was published in The New York Times in 1952. From Jaclyn Smith in the 1981 television movie Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy to Natalie Portman鈥檚 2016 portrayal in Jackie, artists have mined her story鈥攁s the First Lady, as a style maven, as a mother, as a widow, as an icon鈥攁nd enthralled the public for decades. An endlessly complex woman, she is now the subject of award-winning playwright Tom Dugan鈥檚 new work Jackie Unveiled, starring Saffron Burrows, which opens February 28 at Los Angeles鈥� Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Despite the plethora of portraits out there, Burrows feels confident Jackie is worth yet another look. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have known, perhaps, the answer to that until I read Tom鈥檚 play,鈥� says Burrows. Dugan鈥檚 solo script places Jackie at two different moments of her life鈥攖he first on the night Robert F. Kennedy was shot in 1968. A constant source of support (after a miscarriage early in her marriage and after his brother鈥檚 1963 assassination), Robert remained a friend and confidant鈥攅ven a surrogate father to her children鈥攊n the year鈥檚 following the President鈥檚 death.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really about existence and love and how the people you love either help you survive or don鈥檛 when they鈥檙e gone,鈥� says Burrows of the 90-minute story.
What鈥檚 different about Dugan鈥檚 play is the specificity of the moments in time and the breadth between them. 鈥淸Other stories] that I鈥檝e seen have really focused on a specific moment or week or month,鈥� says Burrows. 鈥淭his is just another canvas to add to the gallery of Jackie.鈥�
The solo conceit affords a rare intimacy when it comes to a woman who was seemingly always surrounded by people. 鈥淸She鈥檚] so often in relation to the men and the patriarchy of that family,鈥� Burrows reflects. 鈥淸This] just feels incredibly private, which is a funny thing to say about a piece of theatre where you invite an audience to watch it.鈥�
What has resonated with Burrows is the depth with which Dugan has captured Jackie. 鈥淲hat really drew me to it was the intimacy of the writing and the passion and the sort of messiness and the beauty of it and the fact that his writing encompasses the complexity of a person,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd I think that鈥檚 quite rare to find a woman written that way.鈥�
To play such a complete character, Burrows pulls from her r茅sum茅. 鈥淭he things I鈥檝e done before felt like they were building blocks [for this],鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen I was younger I was playing roles that didn鈥檛 feel quite old enough and now I鈥檓 a mother of two children. So the breadth of Jackie鈥檚 life鈥y biography鈥� It鈥檚 an interesting age because I鈥檓 going back a bit to play the younger part and then forward.鈥�
Thanks to director Jenny Sullivan (and dialect coach Liz Himmelstein), Burrows also feels prepared and excited to go to a place of rawness, humanity, and exposure: 鈥淭here鈥檚 an element of reveal鈥攚hich I obviously love to play鈥攊n theatre and that鈥檚 what I come across working on this.鈥�
Jackie Unveiled runs February 28鈥揗arch 11 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, California. for tickets and information.
Ruthie Fierberg is the Senior Features Editor of 半岛体育 covering all things theatre and co-hosting the Opening Night Red Carpet livestreams on 半岛体育's Facebook. Follow her on Twitter @RuthiesATrain, on Instagram @ruthiefierceberg, or via .
