Actress sees role of Joan of Arc as ‘calling’
The historical Joan of Arc was a peasant, a soldier, a mystic and a martyr.
A shepherdess who heard the voices of saints in the sound of church bells, she led the French army toward decisive victories in the Hundred Years’ War before being tried for heresy, witchcraft and cross-dressing. In 1431, she was burned at the stake and then burned again.
With abiding faith, unflappable courage and a vision of what she wanted to accomplish, she demanded the respect of the men around her, and she won it. Her conviction was overturned posthumously, her sainthood confirmed.
Now she is back on Broadway in George Bernard Shaw’s “Saint Joan,” opening April 25 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater, produced by Manhattan Theater Club and starring the threetime Tony nominee Condola Rashad.
The role beckons any actress with a line in zeal