An Interview with Isabel Rose

As an actress, Isabel Rose starred both off-Broadway and regionally in Beau Jest and played the role of Tess Kittridge in the national tour of Six Degrees of Separation with Marlo Thomas. In addition, she co-wrote and starred in the successful 2003 film "Anything But Love," opposite Andrew McCarthy and Eartha Kitt. The film won Audience Awards and Best Film awards at numerous festivals; Rose even picked up the Best Up and Coming Actress award. She performs frequently all over New York City, selling out Joe's Pub, Opia, Makor and Helen's. Rose is working on her debut CD, "Boy Wanted," which is due out in stores this October. Now, this multi-talented performer can add author to her many credits and talents. Her first novel, The J.A.P. Chronicles, was published in May, 2005; the paperback is due out on May 9th. Not only did she write this novel, but has turned it into a musical, composed the music and adapted the lyrics from the book. The result is J.A.P. Chronicles, the Musical.

According to press notes, J.A.P Chronicles, the Musical is about "a group of six bunkmates 20 years later. Starting as a homogenous group of girls many years ago, they all come to find the divergent paths that each has taken in her life. It's a sharp, biting, and hilarious story and in her stage adaptation, [Rose] plays all the women."

I recently had the chance to speak with Rose on her upcoming production.

Nick Orlando: Isabel, it's a pleasure to speak with you. How was it adapting your novel for the stage?

Isabel Rose: Fun! It was really a great, creative exercise for me. It combines the things I love most – music, theatre, and writing. This was my first time putting them all together. I wrote the entire thing in six weeks. The process was insane; I wrote a 90 minute musical in six weeks! We performed it at Joe's Pub and Keith Sherman [Rose's publicist] has always wanted to produce, so he begged me to do this off-Broadway and here we are!

Nick Orlando: You are going to be playing six characters on stage. How are you preparing?

Isabel Rose: By rehearsing! The characters are really specific to me because I had created them. I knew who these characters were going in. It's all natural. I created it all. I have faith in my career at this point.

Nick Orlando: How do you relate to these women and why did you decide to bring them to life on stage?

Isabel Rose: I really adore them. I love their flaws. I am really interested in flawed people. People's flaws define them. I focus on the psyche of each individual. I felt that there was a misunderstanding about my book. Neither the book, nor the show, is about what you would expect. It's not Jewtopia, it's not a stand-up routine.

Nick Orlando: Which is the most challenging character?

Isabel Rose: None of them. The whole show is a challenge.

Nick Orlando: Talk to me about the fortunes, misfortunes, the expectations and regrets these women have.

Isabel Rose: A Jewish expectation is to marry well and have children. Whom you marry is very important. There is one character that I left out of the show because there is only so much I could do. The character was this woman who I ran into from camp and she had long hair; her hair was down to her butt. I mentioned that it looked like she had not cut her hair since we were in camp together in the '80s. She informed me that it wasn't hers, she has cancer. She proceeded to tell me that she's doing great otherwise, but her parents are in jail. With that, a taxi pulled up, she waved goodbye, and off she went. I wondered how our lives, once so in synch, became so far apart. I did realize no matter how much money you have, it doesn't shield you from tragedy.

Nick Orlando: What inspired you to write this novel?

Isabel Rose: Well, the above stories inspired me; plus a girl in sixth or seventh grade that brutalized a fellow classmate. It was rumored that she had shoved a mascara wand into this girl's anus in addition to shoving her head into the toilet and flushing, not to mention the more standard daily taunts all bullies dish out to their victims. This bully was now a social worker. In her apartment, there was a picture of the victim hung on the wall above the telephone. When asked why the picture was there, the now-social worker answered: 'There isn't a day of my life that goes by that I don't regret what I did and I don't want there to be, either.' I took all of these events and put them together.

Nick Orlando: Tell me about your experience co-writing and starring in "Anything But Love."

Isabel Rose: All of my work is extraordinarily joyful. I created it with my best friend from college. Everyday on set was the happiest moment of my life. It was the first time I fulfilled my dream, from start to finish.

Nick Orlando: What was it like working with Eartha Kitt?