‘Anything she can do ...'

Press, 25 February 1980, Page 5

‘Anything she can do ...'

“If Carol Channing in ‘Hello Dolly’ can do it, so can I, and she’s been playing Dolly for 18 years,” said the Sydney actress, Valerie Newstead, soon after her arrival in Christchurch on Friday.

Mrs Newstead has played the Jewish mother in “Same Difference” in Sydney theatre since 1972, and Nora in “Slam the Door Quietly” since 1977. She will play the roles again for Christchurch audiencw during the Arts Festival. Mrs Newstead is Jewish. As in “Same Difference,” her son became involved with an “outsider” and married a Christian, although he is now divorced. (But not through religious incompatibility, Mrs Newstead -said).

“But I hope I’m not too strongly identified with the role, as she is a nagging, boisterous prototype of a Jewish mother, which I hope I’m not,” she said. “Let’s hope I’m a nicer Jewish mother than she is. I would be more subtle in my approach to my son, and he would be more likely to tell me what to do, anyway.”

Mrs Newstead has recently begun a theatre-in-the-home project, and is forming

the Australian Repertory Theatre for lunch-time performances in Sydney. Besides acting, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and -sewing. She and her husband, who is a hairdresser, press' flowers on greeting cards for sale. “Same Difference,” which was written by . Morry Swerdlin and also stars Edward Lansdowne, will play at the Repertory Theatre from March 8 to 15.

“Slam the Door Softly” will show from March 10 to 14, from 12.10 p.m. to 12.50 p.m. daily. People are invited to bring their lunch. Coffee will be supplied free.