A Conversation with Playwright/Actor Maegan Mandarino, "BIG HAIR: A Rad and Wild Love Affair", Whitefire Theatre, by James Scarborough

In "BIG HAIR: A Rad and Wild Love Affair," Maegan Mandarino balances homage and innovation, crafting a one-hour production that transcends biographical storytelling. Through her exploration of comedy legends Gilda Radner and Gene Wilder, Mandarino weaves a tapestry of vaudeville-inspired musical numbers and absurdist theater that speaks to both the heart and mind.

The production deploys a layered approach to storytelling, utilizing rare film footage and interview clips as punctuation marks in a larger narrative about love, comedy, and human connection. Mandarino's decision to focus on the personas of these comedy icons, rather than simply their biographical details, allows for a deeper examination of the masks we wear and the truth that lies beneath them.

What emerges is a meditation on the intersection of public performance and private emotion. The show's musical elements serve as both entertainment and emotional waypoints, guiding us through the complex terrain of Radner and Wilder's relationship. This fusion of forms - absurdist theater, vaudeville, and documentary elements - creates a rich theatrical language that honors its subjects while pushing the boundaries of contemporary storytelling.

Below follows an email conversation with Maegan Mandarino.

JS: Your choice to explore Gilda Radner and Gene Wilder through their personas rather than strictly biographical details suggests a deeper theoretical approach to character. Elaborate on this creative decision.

MM: My initial thought when writing this piece was that I would love to see what these two characters would be like in a room together. The energy of their on screen personas, the large hair, and their dynamic presence is what common movie folk like me enjoy watching. We want spectacle! To me there is a lot of Gilda Radner in Roseannadana, and a lot of Gene Wilder in Dr. Frankenstein. They’re just heightened versions of themselves. These larger-than-life personas are masks, and we’re all guilty of having our own masks that we present to the public each day. I thought that would be an interesting take on this lovable couples love affair. In portraying their likeness, I don’t know that I would do them the justice that they deserve. As their movie counterparts, I’m hoping for the Pierrot-type “one-size-fits-all” character to transcend the stage.

JS: The integration of vaudeville-inspired musical numbers with absurdist theater creates an interesting tension. How does this formal choice reflect the relationship dynamics between Radner and Wilder?

MM: There was something dark to me about the Vaudevillian era. It was a wonderful time for comedy, but harsh conditions seemed to give it a more harrowing tone. I thought this blended well with the Theater of the Absurd, giving it a slightly less polished look than your main stage musical. I wanted it to be gritty, slightly improvisational, and in a similar vein to the comedy of Gene & Gilda. They were clowns of the theater and of the screen. There was darkness in their comedy. To me, the Vaudevillian tone just worked.

JS: In developing the piece, how did you navigate the balance between historical accuracy and theatrical interpretation?

MM: There are monologues in the play and there are dialogues. The monologues are where the truth is. It’s the character’s personal space, the time where they speak unabashedly about what is happening in their world. The monologues are where I’ve layered the truth about their lives, beneath the characters they portray. Then you have a dialogue that occurs with another character offstage. That’s where I put my interpreter hat on and wrote the scenes as I thought they would’ve played out with their eccentric characters. It’s broad comedy in the end, but I hope I’ve succeeded in relaying the heart of the story.

JS: The production incorporates rare film and interview clips. How did these archival elements influence your performance choices?

MM: The film clips, at first, served as a way to allot time for quick costume changes. As a one woman show, I needed a way to transform into each character while still keeping the audience engaged with the storyline. What ended up happening is that it served as a way of introducing audiences, perhaps not as familiar with Gene and Gilda, to their relationship through their own words in interviews and the screen time they shared. It provides a small, more concrete snapshot of their lives.

JS: Discuss the role of music in the show. How does it function as both narrative device and emotional underpinning?

MM: The show is filled will various songs, some familiar and some not. We wanted to tie in key themes that resonated with each individual character, such as the beloved “Transylvanian Lullaby”. I’ve always considered Big Hair to be “a play with music”, not quite enough however to be a musical. Gene and Gilda were known to sing every now and then, so I felt it would be remiss of me to not include that part of them into the show. We wanted to repurpose the original intention of the songs and have them pertain more to the characters’ lives, giving insight to their mindset.

JS: What influenced your decision to structure this as a one-person show rather than employing multiple performers?

MM: Honestly, it was 100% for selfish reasons. I love Gilda, I love Gene, and so I wanted to introduce audiences to my interpretation as an actor. It’s such a struggle to switch between characters, and many times I wondered what the hell I was thinking. In the end, however, I don’t know that I would’ve been satisfied writing a script that I couldn’t flesh out initially for myself. I’ve always thought this would be great as a two person show though! Someday, perhaps. But for now, I’m all I got.

JS: How does your background in comedy inform your approach to portraying these comedy legends?

MM: It starts way back! My grandpa was a circus performer, a clown to be precise. He’d come down the stairs on his hands to entertain us. My entire life I wanted to be a clown like him.

My prior training in Commedia Del Arte certainly contributed to the style of the show. The art form is BIG, with familiar archetypes, much like vaudeville. I like living in a character’s shoes and dialing it up a bit, so it becomes larger than life. After all, isn’t that what we go to the theater for? We want to see our truths reflected back at us, only with more pizazz and maybe some Zigfield-esque dance numbers. I’ve always been obsessed with the high art comedy of the Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton, Jack Benny, and it feels like the world needs some of that right now. Most of what I write, I’ve penned as Modville - Vaudeville for the modern viewer. I hope it sticks.

JS: The show touches on themes of public persona versus private life. How do you see this dichotomy playing out in contemporary entertainment?

MM: Simply put, I think we know too much. Every moment of an actor’s life is on virtual display through social media, which, I believe, hinders performances. We’re not always capable, myself included, of separating the actor from the character. It would be a thing of beauty if we walked into a movie or show unbiased, opened minded, and simply able to view the art objectively. In today’s world, however, that’s not always so easy. I think Gene and Gilda felt a similar weight on their shoulders. I think their lives were on display, and it forced them to live while constantly trying to maintain this public persona. I couldn’t imagine a life like that. 

JS: What role did your musical background with Cheap Sentiment play in shaping the show's soundscape?

MM: The show is incredibly audio-centric. My Cheap Sentiment partner, who also happens to be my husband, is the sound engineer for the show. We have so many sound cues happening in BIG HAIR because to me, having a very sound heavy show is a great way to envelope an audience and make the show seem larger than just one person standing on the stage. Timing has to be perfect!

JS: How do you see this production contributing to the broader discourse on comedy's role in American theater?

MM: In all the performances I’ve done of this show, the one thing I’ve always noticed is it’s relevance with multigenerational audiences. Young theatergoers are discovering artists from the past while witnessing moments from a relationship they can identify with. The themes are not singular. They can resonate with a variety of audiences in that there is something for everyone to enjoy. A lot of comedy has become niche these days, but I’m all for a good pie in the face. Everybody loves to see someone slip on a banana peel.

In the end, there’s a story with heart. People have cried at the end of this show. Not tears of laughter, but genuine heartache for the characters. I think I’ve succeeded as a comedian if I’ve provided an audience with a good belly laugh. I think I‘ve succeeded as a writer if I’ve done that and made them wipe away a tear.

The performances is on Friday, January 31st at 8 PM. Tickets are $25 plus $3 service fee. The Whitefire Theatre is located at 13500 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. For more information, click here.