By Andrew Gans
10 Jul 2009

	Celina Carvajal (center) with "Woods" hopefuls Emma and Lauren
	photo by © 2009 MTV Networks

Question: You were also in the Legally Blonde reality casting series. How did you get involved in that?
Carvajal: I got a phone call from my agent saying that Jerry Mitchell wanted me to come in for it. Originally I had been in for the show a million times, and they were like, "Well, you're just not one or the other. We can't figure out where to put you in the show. We really like you." And then I got the call to be on the reality show. I milled it over for a while. I was like, "I don't know…" And then I decided to do it because I thought it would be a really fun experience. It ended up being extremely rewarding in a weird way, and I'm so happy I did it. To this day I'm so happy I did it.

Question: In what way would you say it was rewarding?
Carvajal: It really gave me a chance to sit outside of myself and watch myself as an auditioner. We got to see every audition on camera. It was all posted online, so we got to see our whole audition. It was amazing to watch me and go, "What the hell am I singing? What are you doing?" [Laughs.] I met some amazing people. Bailey [Hanks] and I are still really good friends. And, also it's been helpful in a weird way for my career because people can look at that and say, "Oh, my God, I remember her! She was in that show." It helps in some strange way. It takes you a little bit further out of obscurity. Even though I didn't win and I didn't get the winner's edit — they edited me so I looked really bad on the show — it still was helpful.

Question: Do you think the clips they showed portrayed you fairly?
Carvajal: Oh, good God no. The way they edited it for MTV, and I was fully aware of that, was they edited it so you wanted Bailey to win. They don't show the good parts. They'll show the bad parts so people want you to leave. You know what I mean? Editing is done to make the audience feel the way they want them to feel.

Question: If there were a similar casting show for a big Broadway role, would you do it again?
Carvajal: I would only do it again if it was a part that I was right for. I was not right for Elle Woods at all in any way, shape or form. That's the one thing I look at and go, "What was I thinking?" I was not right for that part. I should have gone in with blonde hair and been all tan and everything. Why I went in with my red hair . . . . If they did something where they were casting a role that I was right for, then I'd do it again if I knew I had a really good shot at it.

Question: Where would you like to see your career go from here?
Carvajal: Well, I did a movie called "The Big Gay Musical." We're doing an album release in July. I would love to do movie musicals. I would love to be a recording artist as well. I just want to keep doing new projects. As far as Broadway is concerned, I want to do new projects and actually bring new projects, so I'm also producing some things.

Question: Tell me about those if you can.
Carvajal: I wrote a musical with all the music of Heart. Actually just my friend [and I] were like, "Alright we're doing a reading. . . I'm gonna produce a reading." So I produced the reading, and it was a real success. Right now we're pursuing the rights. I was handed [another] project by my friend Maggie Levin, who is Tony Levin's daughter. Tony Levin is a very famous bass player— he's Peter Gabriel's bass player. I had booked this reading over a year ago to star in this new Peter Gabriel musical, and the funding had dropped out. The writer and I had become really good friends because I had asked her to help me write the Heart musical. Finally I was just like, "Look, I'll produce the reading of your Peter Gabriel musical because it needs to happen because it's really good." So I produced that reading, and it went really, really well. We're actually talking to bigger producers. I'm just a baby producer. I'll do readings and stuff like that and get things going.

Question: That's great. You're getting projects together as well as being in them.
Carvajal: I hope to be someone like Sarah Jessica Parker who produces the things that she loves and also is in them. Why can't an actor on Broadway also help produce the show? I'm kind of trying to be in all aspects of it.

[New World Stages is located in Manhattan at 340 West 50th Street. For tickets visit www.telecharge.com; for more information visit www.TheToxicAvengerMusical.com.]

	Idina Menzel (center) with Josh Groban and Adam Pascal in "Chess"
	photo by Tristram Kenton

FOR THE RECORD: "Chess in Concert" (Reprise Records)
The history of Chess may be as complicated as the evolution of the game itself: Following a hit 1984 concept album, the musical had a respectable run in London in 1986 despite a change in directors (the late Michael Bennett became ill during rehearsals and was succeeded by Trevor Nunn), but New York critics were mostly underwhelmed, and the show ran just 17 previews and 68 regular performances at the Imperial Theatre in 1988. Yet, what has always been evident is the strength of the Chess score, which was penned by ABBA's Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus (music) and Evita 's Tim Rice (lyrics). Perhaps this is why the musical may work best in concert format: The Actors Fund offered a wonderful concert in 2003 that featured Julia Murney, Adam Pascal and Josh Groban as, respectively, Florence Vassy, Frederick Trumper and Anatoly Sergievsky. And, Pascal and Groban — joined by Tony Award winner Idina Menzel — repeated their work for London audiences in May 2008. Those concerts at the Royal Albert Hall were recorded and recently released on both DVD and CD.

If anyone doubts that Pascal — of Broadway's Rent and Aida — possesses one of the great rock tenors of his generation, just listen to his passionate rendition of "Pity the Child" and the ease in which he sings the rangy, powerful ballad. Groban also boasts one of the richest voices around, and the theatre newcomer does exceedingly well as the conflicted Russian chess champion: His version of "Anthem" is especially thrilling. Menzel, who is best known for her touching (and award-winning) performance as the green-faced, misunderstood Elphaba in Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's Wicked, may not be perfectly suited for the role — it's hard to forget the golden tones of original London Chess star Elaine Paige or the silvery vibrato of her Broadway counterpart, Judy Kuhn — yet much of Menzel's singing is exciting it its own way. She is at her best in the plaintive ballad "Heaven Help My Heart" near the very end of the show's first act. Menzel and Kerry Ellis, playing the role of Svetlana, also score with the well-known duet, "I Know Him So Well," and Ellis brings her own powerful belt to "Someone Else's Story," the ballad added to the show for its Broadway debut. Among the other highlights of Chess in Concert are Pascal's "One Night in Bangkok" and the reprise of "You and I" (Menzel and Groban).

The concert also boasted the 50-piece City of London Philharmonic, led by David Firman, and the 100-voice West End Chorus. David Bedella was Molokov with Clarke Peters as Walter and Marti Pellow as The Arbiter.

The two-CD set — on the Reprise Records label — features liners notes and synopsis by co-creator Tim Rice.

	Kate Baldwin

DIVA TIDBITS
Casting has been announced for the upcoming production of the Tony Award-winning Meredith Willson musical The Music Man, which begins performances July 20 at the St. Louis Muny, the nation's oldest and largest outdoor theatre. Directed by Marc Bruni with choreography by Liza Gennaro, the cast will be headed by James Clow as Harold Hill and Kate Baldwin as Marian Paroo with Anthony Cummings as Charlie Cowell, James Anthony as Mayor Shinn, Rich Knight as Ewart Dunlop, Eric Dalbey as Oliver Hix, Chris Hallam as Olin Britt, Tim Waurick as Jacey Squires, Jeb Brown as Marcellus Washburn, Drew Humphrey as Tommy Djilas, Donna English as Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn, Parker Donovan as Winthrop Paroo, Lora Lee Gayer as Ethel Toffelmier, Nicole Hren as Zanetta Shinn, Olivia Prosser as Amarylis, Georgia Engel as Mrs. Paroo and Alyssa Wolf as Gracie Shinn. For more information call (314) 361-1900, ext. 550 or visit www.muny.org.

The line-up for the 20th Annual Cabaret Convention — which will be held Oct. 7-9 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan — has been announced. The three-day convention, which salutes the best of New York cabaret, will kick off Oct. 7 with Celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate! The evening, which will include the presentation of the Dick Gallagher Award to Eric Michael Gillett, will feature the talents of Lucie Arnaz, Barbara Carroll, Matt Cavenaugh, Simon Green, LaTanya Hall, Mary Cleere Haran, Nicolas King, Andrea Marcovicci, Karen Mason, Amanda McBroom, Sidney Myer, Marian Seldes, Elaine Stritch, Wesla Whitfield and award recipient Gillett. All in the Family is the title of the Oct. 8 performance, which will boast the talents of Adam, Batyah, Kerry and Sheera Ben-David; Ann Hampton, Liz and Shirley Callaway; Eric Comstock; Tony DeSare; Kevin Dozier; Tim Draxl; Christine Ebersole; Barbara Fasano; Nicole Henry; Beckie Menzie; Tom Michael; Mark Nadler; Will and Anthony Nunziata; Elizabeth, Stacy and KT Sullivan; and Maria Teece. Sheera Ben-David will receive the Julie Wilson Award during the Family night. The convention will conclude Oct. 9 with Music Heals. In addition to the presentation of the Mabel Mercer Award to "A Very Special Artist," the concert will feature the vocals of Karen Akers, Baby Jane Dexter, Natalie Douglas, Jeff Harnar, Marilyn Maye, Phillip Officer, Barbara Rosene, Craig Rubano, Catherine Russell, Daryl Sherman, Billy Stritch, Marlene VerPlanck and Julie Wilson. All shows begin at 6 PM. Tickets are priced $20, $50 and $100. The Rose Theater is located at Frederick P. Rose Hall within Jazz at Lincoln Center at Broadway and 60th Street. For more information about the upcoming convention, visit www.mabelmercer.org or call (212) 980-3026.

Kristin Scott Thomas, the Academy Award-nominated actress who was seen on Broadway last season in a revival of The Seagull, will play Swedish actress Desiree Armfeldt in a new Paris production of A Little Night Music. The production of the classic Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical will play Paris' Théâtre du Châtelet Feb. 15-20, 2010, according to the theatre's official website. Scott Thomas previously told the New York Daily News that the production would be in English. The award-winning actress will sing "Send in the Clowns" in the haunting musical that was inspired by Ingmar Bergman's film "Smiles of a Summer Night." Directed by Jonathan Stockhammer with choreography by Andrew George, the cast will also feature David Curry as Henrik Egerman, Rebecca Bottone as Anne Egerman, Lambert Wilson as Fredrik Egerman, Francesca Jackson as Petra, Nicholas Garrett as Count Carl-Magnus Malclom, Deanne Meek as Countess Charlotte Malcolm, Celeste de Veazey as Fredrika Armfeldt, Leslie Caron as Madame Armfeldt, Damian Thantrey as Mr. Lindquist, Kate Valentine as Mrs. Nordstrom, James Edwards as Mr. Erlanson and Daphné Touchais as Mrs. Segstrom.

The annual The 24 Hour Plays Off-Broadway — featuring six new plays created in one day's time — will be held July 13 at the Atlantic Theater. Nikki Blonsky, who played Tracy Turnblad in the movie musical "Hairspray," will host the event, which will feature Laura Breckenridge ("Gossip Girl"), Joey Slotnick ("Nip/Tuck"), Julie Halston (Hairspray, "Sex and the City"), Patrick Heusinger (Next Fall, "Gossip Girl"), Max Casella ("The Sopranos") and Russell Jones (Ruined) as well as the At Play ensemble. The Atlantic Theater is located in Manhattan at 48 West 20th Street. For tickets call (212) 868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com. For more information go to www.atplayproductions.com.

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