| Full given name: | Meredith Patterson |
| Hometown: | Pleasant Hill, CA |
| Audition song: | My first audition songs were Sondheim's "Broadway Baby" and Irving Berlin's "Steppin' Out With My Baby" (with a little tap break in the middle). I guess I loved the songs with "baby" in them. |
| Special skills: | I've been told I'm good with vocal impressions. In the last show I did (Gershwins' An American in Paris), I got a chance to use this skill impersonating many different movie stars from the 30's and 40's. |
| First Broadway show ever saw: | Crazy for You at The Shubert Theater starring Jodi Benson and Harry Groener. I remember watching the show and saying, "Ok, that's what I want to do!" This past summer I was fortunate enough to perform in a show with Harry playing his niece....what a tremendous full circle experience! |
| If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway show, what would it be? | This is the hardest question to answer! After some thought, I would love to have been in the audience of the history-making performance of The Pajama Game where an unknown chorus girl/understudy Shirley MacLaine went on for Carol Haney. |
| Current show you have been recommending to friends: | Shrek of course! Because my dear Brian d'Arcy James is in it! |
| Favorite show tune: | I couldn't possibly pick a favorite, there are too many. But I've always loved "Let Me Entertain You" from Gypsy...I just love that whole show! |
| MAC or PC? | I'm a PC girl. |
| Most played song on your iPod: | I love what I call My Cocktail Hour Playlist on my iPod that my husband and I put together. It has all of our favorite jazz artists, from Count Basie to Joe Williams! |
| One CD you couldn't live without: | My Ella Fitzgerald Verve Album. I grew up with it. It's like home to me. |
| Last book you read: | "The Mermaid Chair" by Sue Monk Kidd. She's a brilliant writer. |
| Must-see TV show: | "Countdown with Keith Olbermann"! |
| Last good movie you saw: | I am a huge Netflix fan. I just watched "The Maltese Falcon." Pure film-noir heaven. |
| Favorite board game: | I love a good ol' game of checkers. There's something so cool about it. What can I say, I'm old-fashioned. |
| Performer you would drop everything to go see: | My husband, Shonn Wiley |
| Pop culture guilty pleasure: | Madonna of course. I love my Madge!! |
| First stage kiss: | Ah! My first real stage kiss was my dear friend, Noah Racey. I don't even think he knows this? He and I starred in the national tour of Crazy for You back in '97. A lovely bus n' truck tour. What a great time that was. |
| How you got your Equity card: | I was working as a hostess of the St. Regis Hotel's Astor Court when I got a call on Friday night about an audition for an immediate replacement dancer in Madison Square Garden's A Christmas Carol the next morning. So, the very next day, I went in to audition for Susan Stroman and the creative team. That afternoon I got the call that I got the job! I went into The St. Regis that night to give my notice, and I thought they would be mad but instead they gave me a congratulatory champagne toast in the back kitchen. Then, Monday morning I started rehearsals with Susan Stroman! That day I paid my first union dues to join Equity. What a difference a weekend makes. |
| Worst onstage mishap: | Oh this is easy. I was playing Peggy Sawyer on Broadway in 42nd Street. There's a moment in the show where it's just Peggy, Julian Marsh, and Andy Lee on stage. Nothing else is going on, no music, just Peggy impressing Julian Marsh with her tap dancing skills. The line was "I can do any tap step ever invented!" then I show him how great I am with wings, crap rolls, etc. Well, this just set me up perfectly for a mishap. So, I said the line...and started to do a wing step and my foot hit a track in the stage and I fell backwards right on my bum! My legs up in the air! Michael Cumpsty (Julian Marsh) told me later that my behind must have been made of rubber cause I just bounced right back up and said, "Let's try that again!" and went on with the scene. Thank God the audience laughed right along with me! |
| Worst costume ever: | Well, it's a tie between the giant orange I danced inside of for MSG's A Christmas Carol, or the car (yes, a car) I had to wear on my head for Julie Taymor's The Green Bird. |
| Favorite cereal: | Crispix. I love that stuff! |
| Who would play you in the movie? | I have always loved Reese Witherspoon. I wonder if she'd be game to put on some tap shoes? |
| Worst job you ever had: | It's a tie between this horrible show I did in a basement where I actually stepped on a cockroach during a song or... cleaning the floors and toilets at Steps Dance Studio in exchange for dance classes. |
| TV or commercial gig you most enjoyed: | The best time I've had on television is working opposite Tom Selleck and Candice Bergen on ABC's "Boston Legal." I love that show. Pure class, all around. |
| Leading lady role you've been dying to play: | It's a tie between Roxie in Chicago & Lola in Damn Yankees. I'll just let the universe decide which one I'll (hopefully) play first. |
