It suddenly occurred to me that Rainbow Stage had produced Annie a number of years ago in the summer of 1987... So, who was the girl playing Annie in '87, and where is she today? This question led me to do some investigating in the "Rainbow Stage Archives". It wasn't to long till I found the answer to my question. JAYNE PATERSON, played Annie in '87, she was a young and emerging actress who was making her professional acting debut with Rainbow Stage. She was a resident of North Kildonan who was preparing to attend her first year at Chief Peguis Junior High School. Further research showed she also starred as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz at Rainbow in '91.
So where is she now? A quick internet search revealed the final answer to my question. I posted the article that I found below:
Jayne Paterson - A Canadian Steps Into Ms. Zeta-Jones's Shoes
Originally posted in the Globe and Mail. Written by - J. Kelly Nestruck
(June 11, 2010) Catherine Zeta-Jones is the big draw for director Trevor Nunn’s production of A Little Night Music, currently on Broadway. That’s not just because she’s a movie star – Zeta-Jones has earned excellent reviews as aging actress Desirée in the Stephen Sondheim musical and is up for a Tony Award tomorrow night for her performance.
So how difficult must it be to step up in front of a disappointed audience as Desirée when Zeta-Jones is unexpectedly absent? That’s exactly what her Canadian understudy Jayne Paterson had to do when the star was sidelined with a virus last month, just as many out-of-town Tony voters arrived in New York to judge the production, which is up for four Tony awards in total.
At one of those performances, Paterson – whose other Broadway credits include Fantine in Les Misérables and Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot – made at least this theatre critic quickly forget about Zeta-Jones’s absence. Her touching rendition of Send in the Clowns, the most famous song in the show, choked me up.
After returning from New York, I asked Paterson a few questions about her tough gig over e-mail.
Can you give me a little background on how you went from growing up in Winnipeg to working on Broadway?
I had great teachers who gave me a lot of opportunities to sing at school in my early years. I was then cast on CTV’s Let’s Go at the age of nine. I started working professionally at a very early age at Rainbow Stage, a great training ground, as they brought in fantastic performers from all over the country to play various roles in their season… I fast tracked through high school to head to the Charlottetown Festival to do Anne of Green Gables. That led me to Montreal, then to Vancouver, where I continued to do musicals as well as film, TV and voice-over work. I was cast in Jane Eyre in Toronto with Mirvish Productions. That show eventually brought me to Broadway in 2000. Five Broadway shows later… here I am!
How often have you had to step up to play Desirée during the run of A Little Night Music?
I’ve done about three weeks of performances as Desirée.
Many audience members are going to the show specifically to see Catherine Zeta-Jones. Is it hard to win them over?
Of course people are surprised, but I’m so happy to say that it doesn’t take any time to get them back into the show. In my opinion, Night Music is one of the most sophisticated, gorgeous, structurally sound book musicals there is.
Do you try in any way to play the role as Zeta-Jones does it, or do you offer up a completely different interpretation?
There are certain requirements in the staging that need to be maintained due to lighting etc., but within that there is a lot of room to make things your own. A great director never wants a mimic. I’ve been lucky to have that freedom.
What’s it like playing opposite Angela Lansbury as Desirée’s mother, Madame Armfeldt?
Just dreamy. Her relationship with the audience is one I’ve never had the honour of experiencing. She can read them like they were her most favourite novel, and shift and shape, snuggle and squeeze them as she sees necessary. And she is always right! Her show evolves every night! It’s a rare and amazing gift. I feel so lucky to share a stage with her.
Do you have any plans to rejoin Billy Elliot any time? Would you come up to the Toronto production to play Mrs. Wilkinson next year?
Billy Elliot was one of the greatest, collaborative experiences of my career. Stephen Daldry is a genius! It’s a great family over there. They have asked me back a few times but it hasn’t worked out due to conflicts. I’m sure I’ll be back at some point.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
