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Ellia English in ‘Love’

By Bram Fulk

While now recognized from shows such as The Jamie Foxx Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm, actress Ellia English has carved out a career stretching from Broadway to Hollywood. Before co-starring with Will Ferrell and Outkast’s Andre Benjamin next year in the movie Semi-Pro, Ellia is touring the country with Love in the Nick of Tyme, a new musical by the wildly successful playwright David Talbert starring Morris Chestnut.

First, can you just tell us a little bit about the play and your role in it?

It’s a beautiful love story, but it’s sort of a triangular, a “triangle of love” story. It takes place mostly in a salon. Tyme, Trenyce’s [of American Idol fame] character, is the salon owner and I play Phoebe, her best friend. Tyme is in one relationship, not necessarily the best relationship for her, and I can see that there is a better one for her, but she can’t see it. So, it’s kind of like me trying to talk to her about what’s happening in her life, and it ends up in sort of a beautiful fairy tale story. What I hear from a lot of the people that have seen the show is that, from women and men, they really do respond very well to it. A lot of men say “you know, I never thought about that” and then they say “I wonder how many women I need to go back and apologize to.” To me, that’s incredible. Women, you know, we’re like emotional anyway, so we’re going to get involved. When it come to men responding to things [like] “I need to think about some of my relationships,” then that makes it all worthwhile.

Talbert is such a successful playwright; what was it that originally drew you to this piece?

I heard about Dave Talbert before I met him. He actually knew one of the producers of a television show that I was involved in and that’s how his name came about. I had been wanting to meet him for over five years [so] when I heard he was doing this play, I said, “Even if I don’t do the play, I still want to meet him.” So I made sure I got to the audition just to meet him. What was very funny about the auditioning experience was that the two of us arrived at the audition at the very same time. He didn’t recognize me and I didn’t recognize him. We were climbing the stairs at the same time and talking about [how] it was another lovely day in California, then we went into these separate rooms. When they came for me to come in, we both looked at each other and [were] like “That was you!” It was absolutely a wonderful experience. He read with me and we just hit it off very well. We both decided we wanted to work together.

So what you’re telling me is that being “forced” to go through all of those long rehearsals with [co-stars] Avant and Morris Chestnut had absolutely nothing to do with your decision.

Well, now, that’s a different story. The beauty of it is that I have been listening to Avant’s music and he had actually seen me on television. So he and I actually had our introduction over the phone...and he was like “I just want you to know how much I love you” and I was like “Look, you don’t know how much I love you!” It was just wonderful to be able to meet him eventually, and we just embraced each other like we were old friends. Morris Chestnut, I mean come on. He’s like, just wonderful eye candy. I wish we had more scenes together. Believe me, it’s been a pleasure.

Oh, I’m sure they had to twist your arm.

That’s really what happened. After David and I got along very well, then [he said] Morris Chestnut and I was like, “Are you sure? Are you serious? [He’s] involved with it? Well, not until I see him will I believe you!”

You’ve done a lot of television and a lot of musical theater. Do you prefer one over the other?

Everybody asks me that!

Well, I have to be cliché for one question.

It’s okay. The reason that I hold on to theater is that it is really the hardest of them to do, especially when you’re traveling. The thing that I share with everyone about theater is that, once that curtain goes up, it’s on. Whatever happens happens. It’s not like on television where, if someone makes a mistake, they say “cut” and you start over. If there’s a mistake on stage, you gotta roll with it and get back on the story line. But trust me, they’re all work. None of it’s easy.

 

Love in the Nick of Tyme will be performed at the Palace Theatre on Tuesday, May 9 and Wednesday, May 10; all performances start at 8 pm. Tickets are $34 and $37. For more information please visit www.davidetalbert.com online.

Originally Published: May 2, 2007

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