How to go
Who: Sutton Foster
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Kuss Auditorium
Tickets: $30 to $50; visit springfieldarts council.org or call (937) 328-3874.
SPRINGFIELD — Everybody loves a story like this — a plucky chorus girl from Michigan rises up through the ranks to take her place as one of Broadway’s biggest stars.
Sutton Foster’s story is the stuff of show-biz legend.
When the 35-year-old Tony Award winner performs Saturday night at Kuss Auditorium — singing selections from her own shows — you’ll see a star who was born by paying her dues.
Long before her breakthrough role in “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” Foster was playing ensemble roles like “dog catcher” and, ironically, the “star to be” (both in the late ’90s revival of “Annie”).
She also worked the road with the touring companies of “Les Miserables” (as Eponine) and “Grease” (as Sandy).
Then came the Broadway production of “Millie,” the show in which she won the 2002 Tony for best actress.
The show also was named the year’s best musical.
That’s led to starring roles in “Little Women,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Young Frankenstein” and “Shrek the Musical” — along with three additional Tony nominations.
She’ll next follow in the footsteps of Ethel Merman and Patti LuPone by starring as Reno Sweeney in a spring revival of Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.”
Foster recently took the time to answer some questions via e-mail — so combine that with an enduring sense of awe about being on Broadway and you’re gonna get multiple exclamation points!!!
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0352 or amcginn@coxohio.com.
Q: You’re set to star in a 2011 revival of “Anything Goes” in the role once played by Ethel Merman and Patti LuPone. Just how nerve-wracking is that? Is it easier to originate roles, like you’ve done in recent years with “Shrek,” “The Drowsy Chaperone” and “Little Women”?
A:
“It’s totally nerve-wracking!!! I still think of myself sometimes as the 15-year-old kid dreaming of being on Broadway, and now it’s what I do for a living.
“I try not to ever take that for granted. I feel so lucky.
“To be able to play Reno Sweeney is a dream come true. It’s one of my dream roles and I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it’s happening.
“This is my first major revival, and of course there will be comparisons to the people who have played the role before, and from the productions done before this one, but I’m hoping that we will be able to make it our own, and I’ll be able to put my own stamp on it.
“I was talking to a friend and I was like, ‘I can’t be Ethel Merman or Patti LuPone!!’
“And he said, ‘How about being Sutton Foster?’ So I’m gonna try and do that.”
Q: With that said, how does it feel to be an official, no-questions-about-it Broadway star?
A:
“HA! Again, I still am like, REALLY??
“But I think it really hits me when I meet 15-year-olds now who are dreaming and wanting to be doing what I’m doing.
“When I meet kids at the stage door who have just done 'Millie' or 'Little Women' at their high school, then it all really sinks in. And it’s amazing.
“I have the best job in the world.”
Q: After winning the Tony for “Millie,” did your life change almost overnight?
A:
“My life and career did change — all of a sudden, I was on the map in a way I hadn’t been before.
“A lot of offers came my way, and my agents and I really tried to decide what it was that I wanted to do next. I’ve always been passionate about the theater and the stage, so that is where I decided to keep my focus.”
Q: I suppose I wouldn’t be the first person to note that you ironically made your Broadway debut as the “star to be” in “Annie” back in 1997. Did you ever think you’d break out of the chorus?
A:
“The competition is intense, but I was always this brave and fearless kid. My parents would say I was the kid who would jump into the swimming pool but didn’t know how to swim — and I think I’ve approached this business that way. I just leap and then try and figure it out as I go.
“I was honestly content to be in the chorus, thrilled to be working. I always aspired for more — but never imagined I’d be where I am.”
Q: What did you learn from your time on the road with “Les Mis” and “Grease”?
A:
“I only lasted one year at college. I went to Carnegie Mellon University — a great school, just not the right fit for me.
“So I think my early experiences touring really taught me so much about what it is like to work in this business — to do eight shows a week.”
Q: At age 35, you already have enough of a repertoire to do the kind of show you’ll be doing here in Springfield. Are you satisfied with stage work, or do you have a grand plan to break into movies or TV?
A:
“I am very curious about everything that is out there to do artistically/creatively.
“I will say that my heart truly belongs in the theater, but I am willing and ready to explore everything.”
Q: Is there one musical in particular you’d love to star in a revival of?
A:
“It used to be ‘Anything Goes.’ Now I’d say ‘Me and My Girl.’ ”
Q: With so many shows now based on movies — like “Shrek” — or built around pre-existing pop songs, do you think this has been a good era for Broadway? Critics say the level of creativity just isn’t where it used to be.
A:
“Well, as far as I’m concerned, it has.
“This has also been the era of shows like 'Drowsy Chaperone,' 'Spring Awakening,' 'In the Heights,' 'Passing Strange,' 'Light in the Piazza,' 'Spelling Bee' ... some of the greatest musicals and some of my favorites.”
Q: Growing up, was there any one particular actress you were most inspired by?
A:
“Then and now, Patti LuPone.”
About the Author