"YEP, STILL GOT IT! PROVOKES LAUGHTER, STILLNESS, APPLAUSE AND CHEERS" - Theatreview
This week on drama on the waterfront, Jane Keller, the star of Yep, Still Got It!, delves deep into her creative process and her long working relationship with Michael Nicholas Williams.
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| Jane Keller, star of Yep, Still Got It! |
Q: Yep, Still Got It! It’s a wonderful title
where did it come from?
JK:
Years ago, probably 10 years or so, I
saw a greeting card with a flamboyant old lady on the cover. She had grey hair and she was very
round. She was wearing black fishnet
stockings and a purple feather boa. She had stylish black glasses and very red
lipstick. The caption inside the cover
was "Yep, Still Got It!". I
thought that would be a fabulous title for a show.
Q: Where did you get the idea for this show and
how much change has there been since its original concept?
JK: This show has completely changed from its
original concept. I had intended on
making a show about aging. I wanted to
explore how some people embrace aging and others completely fight it. I did
lots of research and started looking for appropriate songs. As Sandy Brewer and I started writing and as
Michael Nicholas Williams and I started looking at songs, the show moved in a
new direction. I decided that I wanted
to embrace my life at 63. I will make a
show about aging, just not yet.
Q: Does the script come first or the songs?
JK:
In my shows, the songs come first. I find songs that I want to sing – some of
which I know will work into the concept of the show. Other songs I make to fit by writing
appropriate linking dialogue.
Q: There are about twenty songs in the show -
how did you choose which to use?
JK:
We must have looked at over 50
songs. We chose our favourites and the
ones that really tell a story.
Q: There are quite a few unknown songs – how did
you source these?
JK:
I have the reputation of having unknown
songs in my show. I look far and wide
for these songs. I listen to CDs, look through my vast library of music, and
spend hours searching on YouTube. I have written to composers, and gone onto
artist's websites to get these songs.
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| Jane Keller mid-song in Yep, Still Got It! |
Q: Working once again with Michael Nicholas
Williams must bring a familiarity and ease especially during the performance.
JK:
Michael and I are a great team. He is so instrumental in the early stages of
putting the show together. He is very good at making cuts in songs as well as
linking songs together in medleys. He is very funny and comes up with many
great concepts for our shows. He plays beautifully and I know here is always
there for me in performance. If I make a
mistake, he goes with me.
Q: This is your fourth solo show – was it is easier
or harder to develop?
JK:
This is our fourth show together. It was easier to develop. Michael and I know how each other works. We have a good track record.
Q: A favourite song in the show?
JK:
The songs are mostly funny in the
show. There is a medley of four songs in
the second half that is serious. There
is no dialogue - the story is told through these four songs. That is my favourite part of the show. I love it when someone is so touched by a
song that they tear up.
Q: You are originally from Ohio, USA – how long
have you been here and have you returned to
the USA to work?
JK:
I have been in NZ almost 27 years. When I was first here, I went back to
Columbus every year to sing with Columbus Light Opera. We were a professional
Gilbert & Sullivan company. I
premiered by first show BIGGER IS BETTER in Columbus four days after 9/11. I have also done DO I HAVE TO GET NAKED? in
the US.
Q: And your next project – any plans?
JK:
I know I will do a show about ageing, but I'm not sure when. I want to keep honing and
perfecting this show. Then I want to
perform it all around NZ and anywhere else that will have me.
