Winslow Corbett: Co-Star to the Stars
appearing in The Graduate, Keller Auditorium, SW 3rd & Clay, 790-ARTS, Thurs-Sat 7:30 pm, Sat 2 pm, Sun 1 & 6:30 pm, $15-56, one week only

Morgan motherfucking Fairchild is coming to town! Reprising Mrs. Robinson, a role formerly played onstage by the likes of Kathleen Turner, Linda Gray, and Kelly McGillis, Ms. Fairchild has taken the baton for the final leg of the North American touring Broadway adaptation of Mike Nichols' The Graduate.

Lamentably, the laryngitic Morgan was not doing interviews, so instead I spoke with Winslow Corbett, who plays her nubile onstage counterpart Elaine. Winslow, a Portland-born actress who currently lives in New York, has worked with no less than four Mrs. Robinsons.

How long must one act in The Graduate to encounter four different Mrs. Robinsons?

I originally got the role of Elaine's understudy and I was the understudy from summer of 2003 through around March 2004. I took a bit of time off during the spring and summer to work with the Haven Project [a theater workshop for under-served children, conducted by local actress Gretchen Corbett, Winslow's mother]. I joined back up in October of this year.

Which Mrs. Robinson has been your favorite?

Without a doubt, Morgan. She is great--very professional, extremely alive. She is just an altogether adorable person.

Did you have to get used to working with someone who acts primarily for television and movies?

I never really had to think about it. Morgan researched the part so well ahead of time and arrived on set with such a focus that a tweaking of methods never really came about.

Would you ever accept a less serious role, such as Morgan's cameo in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure?

Absolutely.

Did Nell Carter's death last January affect your life in any way?

(Laughs) It's been really tough. Who is Nell Carter?

She starred in the TV show Gimme a Break.

Oh, she played a housekeeper, right?

Yes.

She's dead?