Theater Geek
Page 23
Yes, the Our Time Cabaret. What was that like?
It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. We performed for a lot of grandparents at hotels. I think they were excited to see these kids who were doing all right. I was the youngest one in the Our Time Cabaret. I fell asleep during rehearsal. But I was so inspired by the older kids. These were some of the best voices I’d ever heard. In my mind, they were nearly professionals. I looked up to so many of them. I felt like an audience member. I was lucky to get to listen to those voices.
Natalie Portman was there at the same time. Did you know she’d be a star?
She’d been making movies. There was some buzz. But I was so unaware of that. Natalie was Sally Bowles in Cabaret. I remember thinking she was excellent. But the girl who played the Narrator in Joseph? She was immensely talented. [pause] Stagedoor feels like a million years ago. I wish they had Stagedoor for adults. That would be wildly successful.
Do you remember much about the classes you took at Stagedoor? Or was there something else you took with you?
The rehearsal period was so concentrated, it ingrained a work ethic. I’m not sure I learned so much in class, as much as the experience solidified that I wanted to do this in some way professionally: to sing and act in my life. If anything, I learned to feel comfortable in my body. I didn’t have to feel different because I didn’t know the songs on the radio.
You dated Zach Braff, another Stagedoor alum—and the two of you went to the camp’s thirtieth anniversary celebration together.
He had gone there and had made some good friends. I was living on the East Coast at the time, so we drove up with some friends. I knew how much the experience meant to me. So I wanted to be at the reunion.
Did you give a speech there? I know some people spoke.
I got up and said a few words. I’m shy. It was a roomful of strangers. I was on the younger end of alumni coming back. It was interesting to see people who are established in their lives, and realizing how much Stagedoor meant to them. There was something comforting about that.
Do you run into Stagedoor alums often in Hollywood? What do you make of the so-called Stagedoor Mafia?
[laughs] I don’t want to call it a mafia. It’s more like a secret society. It’s this knowing look you get from people. Ah . . . Loch Sheldrake. I’ve seen Natalie. I think I’ve mentioned something to her about camp. She wouldn’t remember me. I’m not sure she came to see The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall.
What was the last night of the summer like for you? It tends to be dramatic.
I cried! I cried. I’ve always been emotional. It was hard for that bubble to burst. And to have to go back to school.
You’ve flirted with musical theater since. Would you do a Broadway show?
Oh yeah. But theater means so much to me. It has to be the right show and the right moment. I don’t want to just jump in. I take it too seriously to jump in. I want it to be special.
9.
Name: Ally Hilfiger
How you know her: Starred in a 2003 MTV reality show, Rich Girls; is the daughter of designer Tommy Hilfiger.
Summers at Stagedoor Manor: One. “It was definitely the nineties.”
Memorable role: The old woman in Brecht’s The Good Person of Szechwan
When did you come to Stagedoor?
When I was fourteen going on fifteen. It was definitely the nineties.
How can you be so sure?
Because I remember the tank tops I used to wear—those spaghetti strap tank tops with built-in bras. I took the modeling class at Stagedoor. I wore a tube-top dress in the runway show.
Very few alumni have mentioned Stagedoor’s modeling class. Did you learn anything valuable there? Anything you couldn’t learn from, you know, your dad?
I remember they taught me how to put duct tape under your shoes, so you don’t slip on the stage. I asked to style the runway show. I knew the fashion. I was like, “Can I dress everybody?”
Had you been to summer camp before?
I went to a camp in Nantucket. But I didn’t like being away from home. I’d been to horseback riding camp, and camps where there were swimming activities and boating and tennis. I thought, Fuck this. Excuse my French. I liked acting. I was in a play, Abby’s Song, that went to Broadway. It was a Christmas story. And my parents sent me to Stagedoor.
What was the first day of camp like?
I was nervous that people would know who I was because of my last name.
And did they?
On the first day, my next-door neighbor in the dorm came in, and said to me, “I hear Tommy Hilfiger’s daughter is here!” I said, “You did? Wow!” I lied to her face.
That’s funny.
But I remember being immediately comfortable. People were in the halls singing and dancing.
Was that what you were like as a kid? Were you a theater geek?
I’d gone to the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Connecticut. I was in Abby’s Song then and missing school a lot. I was failing every test. Everyone was into sports and high test scores and difficult math and that wasn’t me. They would say, “There goes Ally, dancing down the hallway! Doing some accent!” There was a lot of judgment. Then I went to the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan. It reminded me of Stagedoor. Everyone was happy, creative, deep. Kids who are actors are deep and wise. There’s a weird wisdom that comes with being a child actor. I was watching Miley Cyrus speak at the
Oscars. Someone said to me, “She’s stupid.” I said, “No, she’s not! She may play stupid for the Disney Channel, but this girl is smart. And deep.”
You were at Stagedoor for only one session. What show were you in?
The Good Person of Szechwan.
Brecht!
The director’s name was James Bond. James. Bond. He had longish, blondish shaggy hair. He was like a hefty teddy bear.
What role did you play?
I was the old lady. I let my son flee, or something like that. I don’t remember the exact details. They put me in makeup to look old. I had to wear this dowdy dress. Sometimes I love acting in nonglamorous clothing and makeup. It’s very raw.
Were you impressed with the talent level at Stagedoor?
There were a couple of incredible actors there. There was this kid from England. And he was really passionate about Death of a Salesman. But he was poor! I found out he was coming to New York for his birthday. Death of a Salesman was playing on Broadway. So I bought him tickets and sent them to him anonymously.
That’s an oddly sweet story. Speaking of boys, did you do much dating at Stagedoor?
I was tiny. I’m five-feet now, ninety-five pounds. I was about the same size then. But I was getting a feminine body. I always hung out with older kids—with the sixteen- or seventeen-year-olds. They accepted me. This is an embarrassing story, and I don’t get embarrassed easily. But I was fifteen. I met a boy. He was so cute. There was a dance one night and we kissed! The next day I heard a rumor that he was much younger than he said he was.
What happened?
I confronted him.
And?
It turned out he was twelve. I freaked out.
Was it hard for you leave at the end of the summer?
My dad came to pick me up. I was crying. I didn’t want to leave.
But you only went for one session. Why not go back?
I got really busy. I wasn’t acting. I wanted a summer job. I wanted to make money. So I worked in two stores in Nantucket, and I worked as a babysitter. And then, when I was also in Nantucket, I produced a TV show.
10.
Name: Lea Michele
How you know her: In 2006, she created the role of Wendla in Spring Awakening off-Broadway, and then opened the show on Broadway; later scored a best actress Golden Globe nomination for her work as the overachiever Rachel Berry in Fox’s Glee.
Summers at Stagedoor: 2000-2002
Memorable role: “Pinball Wizard” soloist in The Who’s Tommy
You’d been in L
es Misérables on Broadway as a kid, playing young Cosette. But then you came to Stagedoor in 2000—and you didn’t get a lead! Were you upset?
I’d also done Ragtime on Broadway. I went to school in New Jersey but was living in Manhattan. I was basically in Broadway shows from when I was eight years old on.
And yet!
I didn’t expect them to automatically give me a lead role. I wasn’t like, “I’ve been on Broadway! Give me the lead!” I didn’t really care. I didn’t want the pressure of being a lead. I appreciated the normalcy of being at camp.
Normalcy? I don’t think I’d use that word for Stagedoor. What did you audition with?
I sang “On My Own.”
Cliché alert!
It’s so funny. I thought I did a great job. Then, on the third day, we were sitting in the lobby. When they were going to announce the shows, Konnie [the head of the camp’s casting committee] came out onstage and said, “Raise your hand if you auditioned with ‘All That Jazz’ or ‘On My Own.’” I threw up my hand. And she said, “You should never audition with one of those songs. Those are the typical Broadway songs.” I felt so ashamed.
Why go to theater camp if you were already working? What did you take away from the experience?
I was uncomfortable with my singing. I was in the Our Time Cabaret—
The camp’s all-star touring troupe?
Yes. And everybody was so talented. I looked up to the older kids. Going to the hotels to perform? We felt so cool!
Did you have a solo in the Cabaret?
My second year, they needed someone to sing the solo to “Tomorrow.”
From Annie?
Yes. I remember being in the back of the room and I just raised my hand. I said, “I can do it.” I was a legit soprano. I’d auditioned for Annie in New York and never got it. They told me, “Your voice is too sweet.” I don’t know what it was about that moment. But I sang “Tomorrow” in front of the entire Cabaret and I discovered I could belt. I had a chest voice! My voice changed in that one minute, and I never went back. That was my turning point. It’s still one of my proudest moments. [pause] It’s really good. I have it on video.
You were born to be on Glee. What was your first show at Stage-door?
I was in a revue, Side by Side by Sondheim. Then I was in Tommy. I sang the “Pinball Wizard” solo. I remember looking up to the older kids. Julie Kleiner—she was Mrs. Walker in Tommy. She was totally confident with her talent. She was everything I wanted to be.
You really weren’t upset about not having a lead at camp?
My third summer I was supposed to be in Sweet Charity at Stagedoor. I was supposed to be one of Charity’s friends. Then I booked a job in New York. It was the workshop for Spring Awakening. The camp said, “You have to come back!” I was like, “No, I have to do a real job.”
That was the only reason? Because it was a real job?
A job where I made money.
And?
And I got to play the lead.
Speaking of Spring Awakening, your co-star in that show was Skylar Astin. He’s another Stagedoor alum. Had you been at camp together?
No, we just missed each other. I was at Stagedoor with Sebastian Stan.
From Gossip Girl.
He was the cutest boy ever. He wouldn’t remember me. I was a lot younger. He wouldn’t have looked at me.
Index
Abbott, George, 1–2, 150
Addams Family, The, 34
Agosto, Stephen, 157, 158
Aida, 51, 52, 159–160
Albert, Aaron, 23, 56, 104, 152
Allen, Debbie, 7, 24
Allen, Richard J., 41
American Camp Association, 9, 127
American Idol, 9, 138, 143
Annie, 84, 92
Applause, 124
Apple, Dani, 55
Arias, Yancey, 200–201
Aristophanes, 57
Armbrister, Chris, 49, 73, 115–118, 172, 173
Arthur, Beatrice, 131
Assassins, 199
Avenue Q, 118
Baby, 126
Barrymore, Drew, 13
Báthory, Elizabeth, 108
Baumgarten, Arielle, 156
Beginners Showcase Theatre and Music School/Camp, 38–43, 80, 86, 203
“Being Alive,” 157–158
Bergen, Erich, 69
Berkshire Showcase, 43–46, 76, 78
Bernstein, Carl, 129
Bernstein, Jacob, 129
Bernstein, Leonard, 42
Besson, Luc, 7
Bettelheim, Bruno, 69
Billy Elliot, 17
Black, Michael Ian, 11, 14–15, 88, 94, 100, 141, 143
Blackman, Ben, 185–187, 198
Blonsky, Nikki, 127
Blood Brothers, 2
Blood Wedding (García Lorca), 11
Blumenkrantz, Jeff, 43, 86–87, 95, 101
Borscht Belt, 90–91
Boston Conservatory, The, 34–35, 51, 205–206
Boys from Syracuse, The, 39
Braff, Zach, 3–4, 100, 141
Brandon, Bob, 38, 40–41, 43–45, 79
Brecht, Bertolt, 11, 202
Brent, Jacob, 11
Brice, Fanny, 35
Britten, Benjamin, 59
Brown, Jason Robert, 12
Brown, Lillian, 90–91
Brown’s Hotel, 91–93, 137
Brownstein, Amy, 145
Buchwald & Associates, 147
Bum & Kel’s Lakeside Tavern, 153
Buonopane, Todd, 124, 147
Burns, George, 92
Burris, Chelsea, 112–113
Busch, Charles, 40, 42, 43
Cabaret, 7, 44
Caldwell, Zoe, 47
Callas, Maria, 96
Camp (movie), 43, 137
Camper Showcase, 116–117
Capote, Truman, 41
Cariou, Len, 156, 164
Carnegie Mellon University, 28, 174, 194
Caroline, or Change, 86, 95
Carrie: The Musical, 11
Carson, Nancy, 22, 128, 147
Castillo, Ana del, 77–78
Castillo, Reina del, 79
Catskill Mountains, 4, 90–91
Caucasian Chalk Circle (Brecht), 11
Cemetery Club, The (Menchell), 94
Chaikelson, Steven, 100
Charles, Josh, 8, 77
Chenoweth, Kristin, 53, 138
Chicago, 148
Children of Eden, 50, 112, 165–166
Children’s Hour, The, 50
Chorus Line, A, 5, 25, 39, 97, 155
Close, Glenn, 128, 156
Cobain, Frances Bean, 13
College-Conservatory of Music, 169
“Comedy Tonight,” 67–68, 111–112, 184
Company, 21, 37, 62, 157
“Corner of the Sky,” 201
Cosgrove, Miranda, 56
Covington, Bucky, 9
Creel, Gavin, 24
Cry ‘Havoc’, 50
Cryer, Jon, 8, 76, 92, 101, 126, 130, 200
Cuba, 79–80
Dark of the Moon, 27
Davis, Sammy, Jr., 91, 92
Dench, Judi, 59, 61
Dent, Roberta, 42–43
Diary of Anne Frank, The, 7, 99
Dirty Dancing, 4
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, 63
Disney Theatricals, 33, 34, 146, 195
Doherty, Katherine Lee, 73, 194
Donmar Warehouse, 60
Doubt (Shanley), 152–153
Downey, Robert, Jr., 7, 76, 99, 126
Doyle, John, 37, 54
Dramafest, Stagedoor Manor, 144, 155–156
Dreyfoos School of the Arts, 31
Dreyfuss, Richard, 128
Drowsy Chaperone, The, 50, 154
Dunaway, Faye, 126
Duncan, Sandy, 97
Edelstein, David, 39–41
Eisenhower, Jennie, 129
Electric Youth, 10
Elliott, Drew, 124, 128, 132, 141
Elon University, 169
Ephron, Nora, 129
Equus (Shaffer), 84
Evita, 77–78, 130
Fallon, Jimmy, 126
Fame, 7
“Family Solicitor, The,” 159
Federer, Michelle, 97, 100, 123
Feldsott, Irving, 96–98, 100
Ferber, Jackie, 46
Festival Week, Stagedoor Manor, 94, 144
Fickinger, Steve, 146
Fiddler on the Roof, 63–64
Fierstein, Harvey, 88
Finchley Children’s Music Group, 59
Fine, Howard, 10
Finian’s Rainbow, 17, 42–43
Firstman, Jordan, 55, 155, 157–158, 160–162, 196
Fishbaugh, Leah, 73, 156, 172
Fisher, Pam, 133, 136
Fitzmaurice, Dorothea P., 38
42nd Street, 51
Foster, Ben, 8, 144
Foster, Jon, 8, 144
Fox, Jean, 126
“Free,” 166–167
Fremantle-Media, 9
French Woods camp, 10, 12, 90
Fuentes, Daniel, 52
Funny Thing Happened on the Wayto the Forum, A, 38, 50, 57, 66–68, 111–112, 114–115, 151, 165–168, 171, 180–181, 184–188
Gallo, Joey, 134
García Lorca, Federico, 11, 84
Gateway Playhouse, Long Island, 80
Gay students, 17, 42, 88, 129, 134–135, 147–148
Geisler, Rachel, 64
Gemignani, Alexander, 24
Gere, Richard, 148
Gibson, Deborah, 10
Gilbert, Melissa, 28, 120
Glass Menagerie, The (Williams), 8, 199
Glave, Jeff, 75–76, 95
Glee, 17
Glist, Taryn, 148
Goldman, William, 30, 150
Good Person of Szechwan, The (Brecht), 202
Gooding-Silverwood, Morgaine, 27
Graff, Todd, 6, 43–44, 125–126, 137, 199
Grand Hotel, 22
Grant, Shirley, 15
Grease, 50, 61, 201
Great Barrington, Massachusetts, 43
Green, Peter, 38–39, 43
Greenberg, Caroline, 91
Greenberg, Gordon, 77, 91
Greene, Billy, 25–26, 28
Greif, Michael, 11
Greisler, Travis, 11
Grigsby, Kim, 128–129
Gurwin, Danny, 123
Guys & Dolls, 59, 63, 169–170