By Andrew Gans
17 Apr 2009

	Nancy Opel in The Drowsy Chaperone
	photo by Joan Marcus

Question: And then you were in the Gypsy revival at City Center. Was it a difficult decision not to continue with it to Broadway?
Opel: You know, I really didn't have a decision, honestly. There really wasn't a decision because we closed the City Center production, and there was a whisper of a Broadway transfer but never anything concrete. So what's a girl to do? At the same time I had auditioned for the Drowsy Chaperone tour — I think it was maybe our second day of rehearsal at the City Center Gypsy. Just about the second day of rehearsal, I auditioned for Drowsy Chaperone. I got an offer for Drowsy Chaperone, I rehearsed Drowsy Chaperone in town, and I left to do a couple of cities. I did Cleveland, I did Toronto. By the time I got to St. Louis, I got the Gypsy offer. The choice has been made for you. I was sorry that I wasn't there to be in it [on Broadway], because it was so wonderful to be in that production. It really, really was. It was so wonderful to be a part of it. I was sad that I couldn't be, but I had done that, and then I was doing something else. It's just the way it happened. You can't wring your hands over things like that.

Question: I loved Drowsy when I saw it on Broadway. How was it received around the country? It's not a typical musical.
Opel: It isn't typical. And I'll tell you, I think, had I been the creators of Drowsy Chaperone, I might have called it something else. I'm serious. I think that when you write something and you go, "I can't think of anything else to call it. I think this is perfect…" I think that was right. I think that I might have thought the same thing. Except the problem is, The Drowsy Chaperone… first of all, people can't remember [the title], and then they don't know what to think once they've said it. I think that was part of the problem because literally everyone who came to see it said, "I didn't know what to expect, and I was so thoroughly and pleasantly surprised." But that's hard when you're on tour, when you only have a week and there is no recognition before your tour comes in. They go, "Drowsy Chaperone? What's that?" By the time some of their friends call them and tell them, "Well, I saw it Monday night and I loved it," we're basically out of town again. There were some places that were savvy, and they kind of knew what they were getting into, and there were some places not so much. They didn't know what to expect. Some places thoroughly surprised me. Orlando went absolutely crazy over the show. That kind of surprised me, pleasantly so. And there were other places where — it's not that we weren't well received — it just wasn't that well attended. But then you also have to figure that it has to do with economic conditions sometimes, too, wherever it is you're going.

Question: Did you like playing that role? I would think it would be such a good fit for you.
Opel: It was really fun. I had a great time. I had a lovely time with the company. I had a great time with the show. My costumes were the most glorious things I believe I've almost ever worn. If we have to talk about costumes, I would say my best costumes in my entire life were Drowsy Chaperone and Evita, which was also absolutely glorious. And, another show that basically no one ever saw: Teddy & Alice. Theoni Aldredge designed the clothes, and they were absolutely stunning.

Question: Do you have a favorite theatrical experience so far, or is it too difficult to pick?
Opel: It's kind of hard. It wouldn't be fair to any of the projects that I've done to say that I had something favorite. Honestly, there's other stuff, too. Some of my Off-Broadway stuff, some of my plays, some of the stuff I've done with David Ives I've enjoyed so much. All in the Timing was an amazing, fun, challenging evening. There was also another show of his, a group of plays that he called Mere Mortals. There was a show called Dr. Fritz, which was the craziest thing I've ever done because I literally flipped from one character to another, standing onstage. I literally turned into different people — one little play that was kind of a beautiful, weird play. I really cherish all my moments with David, because I've done a ton of his stuff, too.

Question: Do you find you miss the singing when you're doing a non-musical?
Opel: No, I don't miss it, not because I don't like to sing. Luckily [with] most of my experiences in plays I've not felt the need to sing — because they're completely fulfilling as plays. You just do what you need to do and, whatever you need to bring — well you're never going to see me in a big dance role! But, barring that, you bring what you need. But in David's plays, to give an example, David's plays are very musical. They're very rhythmic, very musical. I think that musicianship comes into play.

Question: Do you have any other projects in the works?
Opel: At the moment, [Toxic Avenger] is what I'm doing. I have my coaching business on the side, which I love. I love working with clients. I also find that very gratifying.

Question: Is it acting coaching?
Opel: Acting and vocals. Whatever anybody needs, they come and we work on stuff. Obviously, an incredible amount of audition material, and I love that. Also, I'm in the middle of working on a piece as a director of a little musical, a five-woman musical. . . . It's sort of about — and I use it loosely because, of course, it isn't about this. It always sounds simplistic. It's five women who are putting a child into first grade. The two women who are writing it are terrific, Pamela Lobley and Tina deVaron. I'm working on the show with them, and we've been working off and on for quite some time now, but me going out of town for a year slowed us down a little bit. But we're gearing up again, and it's also a lovely project, and I'm working in sort of a different vein, which is also quite enjoyable.

[The Toxic Avenger plays New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street. For tickets call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.telecharge.com. For more information visit www.TheToxicAvengerMusical.com.]

	Idina Menzel

DIVA TIDBITS
Chess in Concert, the two-night, star-studded event that was presented at London's Royal Albert Hall May 12-13, 2008, will air on PBS stations around the country in June. According to a "Great Performances" spokesperson, the concert of the Benny Anderson-Tim Rice-Björn Ulvaeus musical will air on PBS stations beginning June 17 at 9 PM ET; check local listings. Chess in Concert was directed for telecast by David Horn and produced by Austin Shaw. A CD and DVD of the concert will also be available this summer. Chess in Concert boasted Tony Award winner Idina Menzel as Florence, Tony nominee Adam Pascal as Frederick Trumper with internationally acclaimed vocalist Josh Groban as Anatoly Sergievsky, London Wicked star Kerry Ellis as Svetlana, David Bedella as Molokov, Clarke Peters as Walter and Marti Pellow as The Arbiter.

Symphony Space's free Wall to Wall Broadway: A Century of Musicals, a 12-hour celebration of the music of Broadway, will be presented May 16 beginning at 11 AM. Hosted and staged by Symphony Space artistic director and co-founder Isaiah Sheffer, the annual event will feature an array of works from Broadway — songs, overtures, dance music — performed by hundreds of well known and emerging artists. Among those currently scheduled to entertain are Ivy Austin, Kate Baldwin, D'Ambrose Boyd, Mary Brienza, Kevin Burdette, Liz Callaway, Charlotte d'Amboise, Gregg Edelman, Melissa Errico, Raul Esparza, Lisa Flanagan, Alexander Gemignani, Randy Graff, Debbie Gravitte, David Greene, Jonathan Hadary, Mary Cleere Haran, George S. Irving, Mark Kudisch, Emily Loesser, Jo Sullivan Loesser, Terrence Mann, Kathryn Markey, Rob Marx, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Donna Murphy, James Naughton, Kelli O'Hara, Leenya Rideout, Vale Rideout, Tony Roberts, Jeffrey Schecter, Martin Vidnovic, Thom Christopher Warren, Julie Wilson, B.D. Wong, Chip Zien and artistic director Sheffer, who will perform "Don Jose from Far Rockaway" from Wish You Were Here. Tony Award-winning musical director Paul Gemignani will conduct the orchestra for the "Broadway Classics" segment, which closes the marathon beginning at 8 PM. This year's event will also feature a chat with Tony winner Harold Prince; segments titled "Musicals That Inspired Me" and "Gems From Flops" hosted by musical theatre scholar and author Leonard Fleischer and president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization Theodore Chapin; and a chat with In the Heights' Lin-Manuel Miranda hosted by Sheldon Harnick. Young composers from the ASCAP and BMI Workshops will participate, and the current casts of Broadway's West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Shrek and South Pacific will also perform. Peter Norton Symphony Space is located in Manhattan at 2537 Broadway (at 95th Street). For more information visit www.symphonyspace.org.

Tony Award winners Cynthia Nixon (Rabbit Hole) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights) will announce the nominations for the 2009 Tony Awards May 5 beginning at 8:30 AM at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The nominations for the 63rd Annual Tony Awards will be broadcast live in Times Square on the Clear Channel Spectacolor HD Video Screen. Playbill.com will also post the full list of nominations as soon as it becomes available. The 2009 Tony Awards will be held at Radio City Music Hall June 7. CBS-TV will broadcast the event live. For more information visit www.tonyawards.com.

Tony Award winner Jennifer Holliday, who created the role of Effie in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls, will join the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles for two concerts in June. The Tony-winning singer-actress will perform with the chorus at the Alex Theatre in an evening simply titled BROADWAY! The concerts are scheduled for June 27 at 3 and 8 PM and June 28 at 3 PM. Holliday will only be part of the June 27 at 8 PM and June 28 at 3 PM performances. The concert will feature both classic and recent musical theatre songs. Expect tunes from The Lion King, Young Frankenstein, Spring Awakening, Aida, The King and I, Zorba, Milk and Honey, South Pacific, Company, Passion, Follies, Steel Pier and Dreamgirls. Alex Theatre is located at 216 North Brand Blvd. in Glendale, CA. Tickets, priced $30, will go on sale May 1 by calling 818-243-ALEX (2539) or by visiting www.gmcla.org. Tickets, priced $100 (VIP), will be available by calling (323) 467-9741.

Several Broadway favorites will take part in "The Actors Fund Broadway Series" at Feinstein's at Loews Regency. The Monday-night concert series, which will raise funds for The Actors Fund, will kick off April 27 with recent Tale of Two Cities star James Barbour. Others scheduled for the series include Andréa Burns (May 4), the cast of [title of show] (Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Susan Blackwell and Heidi Blickenstaff on May 11), Julia Murney (May 18) and Norm Lewis (June 1). There is a $40 cover charge ($60 premium seats) and a $25 food-drink minimum. Feinstein's is located at 540 Park Avenue at 61st Street in New York City. For ticket reservations and club information, call (212) 339-4095 or visit feinsteinsatloewsregency.com or TicketWeb.com.

	Elaine Stritch

Tony and Emmy Award winner Elaine Stritch will star in the Paper Mill Playhouse's upcoming production of the Broadway musical The Full Monty, which is based on the film of the same name. Stritch will play the role of Jeanette Burmeister, which was originated on Broadway by the late Kathleen Freeman. No other casting has been announced. Directed by Mark S. Hoebee, musically directed by Tom Helm and choreographed by Denis Jones, Monty will play the New Jersey venue June 10-July 12. Paper Mill Playhouse is located at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, NJ. For tickets call (973) 376-4343 or visit www.papermill.org.

Two-time Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole, who co-stars in the Broadway revival of Blithe Spirit, will return to the famed jazz club Birdland in May. On May 4, as part of the Broadway at Birdland series, Ebersole will present a Garage Band Fantasy. Show time is 7 PM. Ebersole will join forces with musical director/pianist Bette Sussman to "celebrate and re-live her favorite pop songs of all time, composed and performed by The Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Michael MacDonald, Sting, Susan Werner, and more," according to press notes. She will be backed by Zev Katz on bass, Clint DeGannon on drums, Larry Saltzman on guitar and Tabitha Fair on vocals. Birdland is located in Manhattan at 315 West 44 Street. There is a $40-$50 cover charge and a $10 food/drink minimum. For reservations call (212) 581-3080 or visit www.BirdlandJazz.com.

Jay Rogers, Lina Koutrakos, Eric Michael Gillett and Devin Richards will host the Cabaret Cares gala, which will be presented May 17 at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. The evening, which will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Help Is On the Way Today, will feature the talents of Raissa Katona Bennett, Laura Osnes, Natalie Toro, Robert Fowler, Stacey Todd Holt, Sue Matsuki, Erin Shields, Tanya Holt, Tom Gamblin, David Colbert, Lorinda Lisitza and Susan Winter. David Shenton will be the concert's musical director. Cocktails will kick off the evening at 5 PM, followed by a buffet dinner at 6 PM and the show at 7 PM. Live and silent auctions will also be part of the festivities. The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located within the West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42nd Street. Tickets, priced $100, are available by calling (718) 672-6714 or (917) 589-6658 or by e-mailing jjmac249@aol.com.

Well, that's all for now. Happy diva-watching! E-mail questions or comments to agans@playbill.com.

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