"I didn't really have a male actor that excited me in mind, and yet there had been a couple of phenomenal females — Helen Mirren being one of them — who [made me think]: "My God, does this play change? What happens if you make that role into a female role?" … We did a reading to see if it was just a gimmick, and it worked so beautifully. The potential was there to enhance the play for people who know it — and for others it will just seem natural."