David Kelly (The Barricade): Most recently you took the female lead in 'Out of the Blue'. Did you enjoy creating the role of Hideko?
Meredith Braun: I loved it. It was great to play a really strong leading character, not an Eponine or love interest. It was lovely playing the mother of a 5 year old too.
DK: The 'Out of the Blue' Company contained a lot of familiar names,including Les Miz stars Michael McCarthy, Simon Burke and David Burt. What are they like to work with?
MB: The strange thing was that so many of us knew, and had worked with, each other already. They are such nice peope and we worked really well together
DK: How would you compare the music of Out of the Blue with the music of Les Miz ?
MB: It's a lot more modern than Les Miz. I would probably compare it more with somthing like 'Beauty and the Beast'. Some of the music is really lovely.
DK: I particularly like the finale of 'Out of the Blue'. Do you have a favourite scene ?
MB: Probably the prisoner of War camp scene. A favourite song ? "Only Believe"
DK: The early closure of 'Out of the Blue' must have come as a great disappointment to the cast ?
MB: Overall I think it deserved a longer run; even just into January or February. Such a lot of work had gone into the production and it had developed so much since the first previews. If you look at some otrher shows, they run longer, but they are stereotyped; overall. They say nothing new and do nothing for the development of musical theatre. 'Out of the Blue', at least, tried to be, and say, something new. One other point: If a show can genuinely, make people cry its achieving a lot. "Out of the Blue" had that ability.
DK: Can you tell us anything why it closed ?
MB: A lot of it must go down to lack of publicity; whatever the reasons for that. If you don't have publicity you can't expect to generate audiences.
DK: Might a recording be released ?
MB: We made a recording just after the show closed. Unforunately there are no plans to release it at this stage
DK: How will you look back on 'Out of the Blue', and the role of Hideko?
MB: It was great fun. It was, probably good for me too, because it is such an acting role. I had to develop a method, to create the role of Hideko, and I am now confident that I could get into any new role through this method. That alone is invaluable
"Interview with Meredith Braun by David S Kelly, The Barricade. Spring 1996"