Struts & Frets: Interviews with the Cast & Crew of Love's Labour's Lost - Samantha Maurice

Fact: This is an article about Samantha Maurice. Fact: She plays Katherine and Holofernes in Hamlet Isn't Dead's Love's Labour's Lost. Fact: She is amazing at it.

It's time to face the facts as we near the end of this production's Struts & Frets series and the end of LLL's run. And the fact is, this fun, fast, farcical romp wouldn't have been nearly as successful without Sam's involvement. Whether she's lisping her way through Latin, mimicking and mocking the dudes of Navarre, or scurrying through a quick change from one character to the next, she does it all while looking absolutely fabulous.

And, yesh, that is a tear-away shkirt.
Why do you ashk?

 HID: First thing’s first: What’re Katherine and Holofernes’ favorite color and why?

SM: Katherine is one sassy lady and she likes a sassy pink--not a barbie pink but more of like a hot fuchsia: bold, notice me and a little dark.

     Holofernes is a fan of rainbow print. I dunno if you're familiar with Lisa Frank, but I think of a rainbow-maned and -tailed unicorn as Holofernes' spirit animal. She definitely decorates her binders with those stickers. 

HID: Holofernes is obviously one for pontification. What’s your favorite big or obscure word, and can you use it in a sentence?

SM: Holofernes and I are of the same mind in this regard. We both exult the written word. My current project is reading all of the Pulitzer Prize winners for fiction (I've currently read everything written after 1990 to 2014 and about half of the winners from 1980), and in that pursuit I've come across a lot of big and obscure words that I didn't know existed until reading that book.

     My current favorite is from Tinkers by Paul Harding and the word is susurrus, which means something murmuring or whispering, particularly associated with moving water. As in, "the susurrus of the ocean tide calmed her frazzled nerves." There's something onomatopoeic about that word that really appeals to me, plus I'm very connected to the sound of water moving as something calming; it reminds me of home. This has taken a turn for the far too serious. 


HID: Can you give us a list of the physical and mental ailments afflicting Holofernes? In any order.

SM: ...I don't think there's time. Poor Holofernes. Her biggest problem is that she is simultaneously incredibly insecure and incredibly vain about her intellect. Physically she's two scoops pigeon-toes, a dash of scoliosis, a cup of near-sightedness, a massive serving of perpetual sinus infection, a hint of an overbite and a noticeable lisp. Maybe she'll surprise us all and become the ugly duckling who becomes a swan--I think if you take of those glasses and let her hair down...well, she'll still be a mess. But who doesn't love a makeover? 

HID: It also seems Holofernes has a bit of a crush on Nathaniel. Who’s your celebrity crush at the moment?

SM: I'm certainly not kicking any of the Avengers (or any of their non-superhero buddies) out of bed--except maybe Mark Ruffalo--sorry dude. Chris Pratt, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Oliver. 

HID: We'll make sure Mark doesn't get ahold of this. Anything else we need to know about you or the show itself?

SM: I can rap all the lyrics to 'Loser' by Beck--a 90s band that I think should be more represented in this show.

Well, it's too late for that, but you can come and watch Sam belt out some Hootie & the Blowfish, along with all the 90s nostalgia you can stomach. Join us dudes and dudettes for Love's Labour's Lost!
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