From Madame Morrible to 'Mame'

Barbara Robertson, one of the mainstays of the Chicago theater scene, is going to play one of the great female roles in American music theater: the unstoppable auntie in Jerry Herman's brilliant "Mame"(currently in previews at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace; opening Oct. 16). Robertson admits she's "a little nervous".

"The story is so amazing," Robertson says. "Our cast is amazing. The score is amazing. And Auntie Mame is an incredible person. She is very bold; I love her philosophy that you have to soak up life. But I keep asking myself would this show fit in my voice."

Robertson's daughter encouraged her, saying, "You can do this mom, you can do this."

Which is all in the spirit of the uplifting show. "Mame," after all, is the musical version of a strong-willed, eccentric, always-inspiring woman, who adopts her brother's son and raises him as her own.

"It is such a fabulous story," Robertson says, "It begins with loss and two people coping with loss. And then she and the little boy become soul mates. It's a love story in the truest sense of the word love."

Based on Patrick Dennis' beloved novel, "Auntie Mame," made into a hit movie in 1958, the show is arguably one of Jerry Herman's best scores, containing such music-theater hits as "If He Walked into my Life," "Mame," and a song we could use right this very minute, "We Need a Little Christmas."

"I was excited to get the part," Robertson says. "As soon as I knew I had it, I read Dennis' book, got the CD from the library and started listening to it over and over. I also watched the movie starring Rosalind Russell. She is so brilliant."

The word brilliant could be applied to Robertson, who has proved herself equally at home in musicals, in Shakespeare, and in serious contemporary plays.

"Chicago has been just heaven for me," Robertson says. "I have been able to do so much in this town. It has such a diverse theater scene. I have had so many opportunities, been able to play so many different roles."

Most recently, Robertson stepped into the role of Madame Morrible in the long-running musical "Wicked."

But until now she has not had the opportunity to tackle Auntie Mame.

Robertson believes her experience as both a mother and an actor has made her ready for the role.

"It is funny," Robertson says. "After my first child was born it was like, if you think of your soul as a well, it quadrupled in size. My capacity for love just multiplied a thousand fold. I am very much in love with my husband, but after I had my baby I just -" In an Auntie Mame moment, Robertson is suddenly so moved, so filled by all that life offers, she can't finish her sentence.

For Robertson, as it is for Mame, life is clearly a banquet.

Mame opens Thursday, Oct. 16 at Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. For tickets call (630) 530-0111 or see www.drurylaneoakbrook.com/live_theatre/tickets.shtml.