TV's Soon-To-Be Breakout Stars of 2014: Masters of Sex Actress Helene Yorke
by Alicia Lutes
After going through the motions of highlighting everything that was good, bad, amazing, or generally confounding about the year that was 2013, we felt it was time to move on, to look ahead; to not only make note of things we want in the form of resolutions, but to set a course for the deserved to get their due course. So we’ve decided to highlight these perfect TV storms to let you know who’s on the cusp of making it big in 2014. To kick off this series we’ve chosen Masters of Sex actress Heléne Yorke as one to watch, and one who deserves to have 2014 be her breakout year.
If you haven’t seen Showtime’s incredible new drama Masters of Sex, remedy that immediately. The series is at the top of most people’s best of lists, mostly thanks to the brilliant work of its creator Michelle Ashford and the stars Lizzy Caplan and Michael Sheen (if it’s not on your binge-watch list, remedy that immediately). But their work would be for naught if not for an impressive roster of supporting players, of which Yorke has proven herself the top of the heap.
As the trailblazing and honorable secretary Jane Martin, a progressive woman that holds a pivitol role in Masters and Johnson’s sex study, Yorke shines. Her portrayal of Jane is rich with a nuanced honesty that’s both exciting and engaging to watch her on screen. Conversations with Caplan’s Virginia Johnson and study-paramour Dr. Austin Langham (played by Teddy Sears), play up the societally-rich themes of love, lust, progress, and self-identity in an ever-changing world with a frank and disarming charm.
Her budding relationship with socially awkward AV director Lester Linden feels natural and authentic — and you really, really root for them to make it work. And no, we’re not talking about her sex scenes — although there are several moments that find Yorke in the literal nude. Her vulnerability is palpable, and proves that she’s no one-note actress.
Which is also evidenced in her appearance in the hilarious web series, High Maintenance. On Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair’s web series, Yorke plays the roll of an overindulgent and narcissistic party princess with the sort of realism that makes you wonder about whether or not the actor is just playing him or herself. And, as a former inhabitant of New York City I can say with swift certainty that I was exposed to far too many of these types — perhaps maybe even a bit of an expert. Regardless Yorke nails it with comedic aplomb. Her affected apathy feels picked up off the bathroom floor of the Boom Boom Room (and yes that is totally a compliment in this instance).
Oh, and did we mention that Yorke is also an accomplished Broadway actress? In addition to performing in the tour of Wicked, she’s also danced around the Times Square stages of Grease and will star alongside Zach Braff in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway, which looks like far too much fun and a way-glamorous turn for the actress.
Besides, her Twitter photo is surrounded by cheese and goddamn if cheese isn’t the greatest thing in the world. So lets have another TV win for the cheese lovers — night cheese happened in 2009, after all.
The new musical, written by Allen and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath for the 1994 film, will be directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award® winner Susan Stroman. As previously announced, Bullets Over Broadway will star Brooks Ashmanskas as "Warner Purcell," Zach Braff as "David Shayne," Marin Mazzie as "Helen Sinclair," Nick Cordero as "Cheech," Vincent Pastore as "Nick Valenti," Betsy Wolfe as "Ellen," Lenny Wolpe as "Julian Marx" and Heléne Yorke as "Olive Neal."
BULLETS OVER BROADWAY will also feature Clyde Alves (Nice Work if You Can Get It), Jim Borstelmann (Chaplin), Janet Dickinson (How The Grinch Stole Christmas), Kimberly Fauré (Anything Goes), Paige Faure (Cinderella), Casey Garvin (Bare), Sarah Lin Johnson (Broadway debut), Andy Jones (Cinderella),Amanda Kloots-Larsen (Follies), Kevin Ligon (The Chosen), Brittany Marcin(Anything Goes), James Moye (Million Dollar Quartet), Beth Johnson Nicely(Irving Berlin's White Christmas) and Eric Santagata (Chaplin) among the ensemble cast of 29.
BULLETS OVER BROADWAY will begin preview performances on Tuesday, March 11 and officially open Thursday, April 10, 2014 at The St. James Theatre(246 West 44th Street).
BULLETS OVER BROADWAY tells the story of an aspiring young playwright (Braff) newly arrived on Broadway in 1920's New York who is forced to cast a mobster's (Pastore) talentless girlfriend (Yorke) in his latest drama in order to get it produced.
Five time Tony Award® winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman will bring the new musical to the stage with a Tony Award® winning design team of Broadway veterans including Santo Loquasto (scenic design), William Ivey Long (costume design), Donald Holder (lighting design), Peter Hylenski (sound design), Paul Huntley (wig and hair design), William Berloni (animal training), Glen Kelly (music supervision and adaptation / additional Lyrics), Doug Besterman (orchestrations) and Andy Einhorn (music direction/conductor and vocal arrangements).
The Broadway production of Bullets Over Broadway will feature existing music of the period.
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