Nicole Ansari: Rock-ing to a Broadway Debut

About the author:
Among the many subplots in Tom Stoppard's new play Rock 'n' Roll is a flirtation and eventual romance between a Marxist professor at Cambridge played by Brian Cox and a free-spirited Czech poetry student played by Nicole Ansari. Both give skilled performances, but their personal chemistry came naturally: In real life, Cox and Ansari are married and the parents of two sons, ages three and five. The German-born actress has performed in plays and movies all over the world, but Rock 'n' Roll marks her Broadway debut, a happy event she says she never dreamed possible when she met her future husband almost a decade ago backstage at the Jacobs Theatre—the very Broadway house where they're now appearing together. Ansari shared her journey toward being a Rock star with Broadway.com.

Arriving on Broadway is more than a dream come true. I was a successful actress in Europe for many years, doing loads of international theater as well as film and television, from Vienna to Venice to Paris. Since non-English-speaking productions have very little chance of moving to the Broadway stage, it was a dream that I could not even consider.

After I got married, I put my career on hold for a few years so I could concentrate on raising my family. Just before Rock 'n' Roll came to be, I began to refocus a bit more on acting. My boys were getting older, and we were settled in one place, Los Angeles. I began doing some theater in L.A. and eventually landed a part on Deadwood. But acting in Rock 'n' Roll in the West End—never mind Broadway—was the furthest thing from my mind.

My husband, Brian Cox, plays the central character Max in Rock 'n' Roll. Tom Stoppard actually wrote the part with him in mind. When Brian received a copy of the play, he asked me to read it. Since playing Max meant uprooting our family with a move back to London, he wanted to be sure both of us agreed that the play was worthwhile. Needless to say, I loved the play—I thought it was just brilliant.

While reading Rock 'n' Roll, I found myself completely drawn to the character of Lenka, a Czech student of philology. She is both passionate and an intellectual, a completely fearless woman who has total freedom of thought and action. I saw a bit of myself in Lenka, and I also looked at her as someone I aspired to be like.

As I read the play, I kept thinking, "Wow, I would love a chance to play this part." But the situation was too delicate, and I never mentioned it to my husband. When Brian made the decision to take the role of Max in the Royal Court and West End productions, he said to me, "You know, there is a role here you should go up for." To which I said, "Thank God you noticed!"

My agent in London submitted me for an audition, but it seemed completely unlikely. At the time, I was still working on Deadwood and would not be back in London until just before rehearsals were set to start. If they found a Lenka early in the audition process, I would never have a shot. But I moved forward with my preparations, in hopes that I would get a chance.

I wanted to be really, really prepared for my audition! I called the Czech embassy in L.A. and found someone to work with on my accent. When I was a student, I was a big fan of Sappho poetry. So I brought out all my old Sappho notebooks and read and re-read the poems and the scholarly research. I read the script so many times, I had Lenka's part committed to memory.

Deadwood wrapped, and by the time I got back to London, they still had not found a Lenka. I auditioned first for Trevor Nunn and was called back a week later to audition for Trevor as well as Tom Stoppard. I was exceedingly nervous. I felt like my audition was strong, but of course did not receive any immediate feedback. But two hours later, my agent called and told me I got the part! I was thrilled. This was on a Friday. Rehearsals began the following Monday.

On the first day of rehearsal, I realized that some might question whether I actually belonged in that room. For example, while we were doing the show in the West End, Brian and I were at a party with a big Hollywood star who shall remain unnamed who, when he heard that I was doing the play as well, said, "We know how you got the role!" That sort of response from my fellow cast members was what I feared the most. But that morning, Trevor pulled me aside and said, "I want to assure you that your husband has nothing to do with your being here. You got this role all yourself." At that moment, my nervousness and fears just completely melted away.

Being a part of the Rock 'n' Roll journey has been an experience that rivals all others. Rarely have I loved a role so much. It has been such an honor to work with amazing theatrical brains like Tom and Trevor, not to mention my husband.

Working with Brian is just brilliant. He is a wonderful, intelligent, generous and giving actor—the same qualities that drew me to him in the first place. Our characters in the play fall in love, and it has been a joy to fall in love with him on stage and then be able to go home with him every night.

Ironically, my dressing room at the Jacobs Theatre is the same room where I met Brian almost a decade ago, while he was doing Art on Broadway. It feels like a sort of homecoming for both of us, but now with our family in tow, making my Broadway debut beside my husband in the theater where we initially met and in the city where our romance first blossomed. I feel as if we have come full circle—where, as in the play, at the end of the journey, love remains.