Interview: Kristine Nielsen Cooks Up Some Dark Comedy in Archduke

One of the theater world’s not-so-secret weapons, Kristine Nielsen has been delighting audiences for over 40 years, earning two Tony Award nominations and numerous other theatrical honors along the way.

Only time will tell if there’s an award in her future for her riotous work as the often-outrageous cook Sladjana in Rajiv Joseph’s Archduke, a clever spin on the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (the catalyst for World War I), now at Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theatre.

TheaterMania spoke to Nielsen about getting the role, working with co-star Patrick Page, what she taught her castmates, and the playwrights she still wants to work with.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Sladjana feels like it was written just for you, but I assume it wasn’t given the show’s long history. How did the role come about for you?

I had worked with Darko Tresnjak, our director, on many plays in Williamstown and The Killer at TFANA, which is another crazy play. So, I assume he just thought of me. I would do anything for Darko; he has such a unique mind and he’s so theatrical. Also. Patrick Page and I work together on The Gilded Age, and one day, he cornered me and said there would be a script coming my way and he wanted me to consider it. I figured there would be a fun ride ahead, so I said yes immediately once I read it.

You have great chemistry with Patrick. Are you two considering another onstage collaboration? 

I love working with “Mr. Shakespeare,” and he has such a grand mind for theatrical analysis, so I’d absolutely want to share the stage again. Darko said he’d find a farce for us, but I think I am too old for that much running around. Honestly, I’d love to do Peter Shaffer’s Black Comedy. There are great parts for so many of my friends. And maybe Patrick and I could do [August Strindberg’s] Dance of Death. It’s a bit of downer, but it can be funny. Actually, making it funny is the secret of Strindberg.

We only learn a little bit about Sladjana during the play. Did you create a full back story for her?

I definitely did. I know I made fun out of that in Smash, but I think a back story gives you something to rely on when you don’t know what you’re doing. Darko even encouraged it. I know Sladjana has to be the captain’s servant, not his equal—so when I am undercutting him, I must do it in a way he can’t see or he’ll have me killed. The other part of my back story is that Sladjana has a personal investment in the conflict going on because her whole family died during that period. It helps!

So much of what makes your performances special is your line readings. Did you practice ways of saying things like “special box” before the first rehearsal, or do you develop your readings during the rehearsal process?

I am not someone who can memorize and work on things before I start rehearsals. For one thing, I would be afraid I would get locked into my own interpretation. But I find so much comes from what other people give you, both in rehearsal and in performance. It’s especially true of Patrick; we have to listen to each other every night. I really love that something different can be generated with everyone [every performance], even it falls flat sometimes.

You also have three co-stars—Jake Berne, Adrien Rolet, and Jason Sanchez—making their off-Broadway debuts. Did they come to you for guidance?

I do talk to them a little about training. I teach them breathing exercises, so they can project their voices in that weird-shaped theater. You never want to strain your voice. I have to add that because they are newcomers, they work so hard and try to seize this moment. They’re there 10 minutes before everyone and are so excited to be in the theater. The only thing I’ve learned is I don’t go down memory lane with them because they don’t know anyone I know. We were talking about when I did The Iceman Cometh, and while they knew Eugene O’Neill, they didn’t know Jason Robards or José Quintero. So, I stopped talking.

You’ve acted in plays by O’Neill, Shakespeare, Williams, Annie Baker, and, of course, Christopher Durang. Is there a playwright whose work you haven’t done who is on your bucket list?

I’ve always wanted to do something by Richard Nelson; he was my literary manager at the Guthrie Theater, and I’ve always enjoyed his work. I would also love to do something by Tracy Letts. Because I work with his wife [Carrie Coon] on The Gilded Age, we often sit next to each other at awards shows. He’s so smart and so funny, but I’ve never asked him to be in one of his shows. As actors, we’re all put in a box, and I know most writers and directors just want me to go wild. Sometimes, though, I would love to communicate in a different way and go much simpler than usual.