Believe it or not, the last time I was in Boston with the Gold Dust Orphans, I was playing a virginal high school girl. I guess I was 39 at the time. The hardest words for A YOUNG INGENUE to hear are that it’s time to play a mother role. But there’s a lot more roles this way, and there’s a lot of pressure off. You don’t have to waist-cinch anymore, which is really nice.

This is such a great role. Mildred is doing everything she can to PLEASE HER CHILDREN, but the funny thing Ryan does is: She loves only one of her daughters. She can’t remember the name of the other one. It’s so sick. I don’t have a daughter, and I don’t think legally anyone would ever let me have one, but I do have a dog, so I’m reading all my lines out to my dog, Mrs. Danvers. She seems to be quite bored right now.