When Kelli O'Hara took the stage at New York City鈥檚 Town Hall January 14, she had just finished a full day of rehearsal for Roundabout Theatre Company鈥檚 upcoming Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate. As a mom back on Broadway, O鈥橦ara said that she was careful about scheduling too many outside things, but that a concert with Rudetsky is too special to turn down.
O鈥橦ara joined Seth Rudetsky in another evening of unfettered conversation and unrivaled musicality in Broadway at The Town Hall. Through his long history with the Tony-winning actor (a six-time Tony nominee) and his quick wit, Rudetsky put O鈥橦ara at ease鈥攎uch as he did Audra McDonald at his inaugural concert in the series鈥攁nd it was the audience鈥檚 gain. In between her soaring soprano (singing tunes like 鈥淚 Could Have Danced All Night,鈥� 鈥淭his Nearly Was Mine,鈥� and 鈥淭he Light in the Piazza,鈥�) O鈥橦ara revealed some gems from the beginning of her career through today.
1. O鈥橦ara played two roles in Follies in the same performance.
As part of the 2001 Broadway revival of Follies, O鈥橦ara played Young Hattie and understudied the roles of Young Sally, Young Phyllis, and Young Heidi. When the actor who played Young Phyllis left the show, O鈥橦ara fought to be officially moved up to the role. (The powers that be had wanted to keep her as the cover and train a new actor in one role, rather than a new cover and teach them four.) O鈥橦ara won the battle and replaced as Young Phyllis, but in one performance the actor who was Young Heidi was out and the new cover hadn鈥檛 learned that role yet. So O鈥橦ara played Young Heidi and Young Phyllis in the same performance.
2. She earned the part of Susan in Sweet Smell of Success after snapping at Marvin Hamlisch.
O鈥橦ara dashed to the audition for Sweet Smell of Success while on her lunch break from working on another show. She pounded on the door until someone answered and begged to be seen, even though everyone was technically on their lunch break. (Remember this is before she was 鈥淜elli O鈥橦ara.鈥�) The creative team agreed but the accompanist had gone to lunch. So the composer said, 鈥淚鈥檒l just have to play for you.鈥� (It was Marvin Hamlisch.) O鈥橦ara didn鈥檛 recognize Hamlisch by face, and when she started singing and he played too slowly, she snapped to get him up to speed! She got the role and it was a story Hamlisch often told when the two of them performed together at future symphony concerts.
3. Though she wound up with a Tony nomination for The Pajama Game, she was not the first person offered the role of Babe opposite Harry Connick, Jr.
Mary Stuart Masterson (Nine, Fried Green Tomatoes, Benny & Joon) was originally offered the role of Babe Williams in the 2006 revival of The Pajama Game. O鈥橦ara believes that Masterson decided not to move forward with the role鈥攆eeling she wasn鈥檛 the right choice. Director Kathleen Marshall called O鈥橦ara, who decided to leave The Light in the Piazza to take the role. Marshall wasn鈥檛 the only one to call her. While walking in the village, O鈥橦ara got a call from an unknown number and answered. 鈥淗ey Babe鈥� said a deep voice. Taken aback O鈥橦ara remarked, 鈥淲ho is this?鈥� and hung up鈥攏ot realizing it was Harry Connick Jr. calling her by the character's name!
4. South Pacific looked a lot like The Light in the Piazza.
In the earliest workshops of Adam Guettel鈥檚 The Light in the Piazza, O鈥橦ara played Franca, Celia Keenan-Bolger played Clara, and Victoria Clark played her mother Margaret. (When the show debuted on Broadway, O鈥橦ara originated the role of Clara and earned a Tony nomination.) Years later, when O鈥橦ara was up for the role of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific she learned she was up against Keenan-Bolger and Clark for the role as the creative team waited to see what age their Emile de Becque would be.
5. Years before she starred in The Bridges of Madison County, one of O鈥橦ara鈥檚 first professional offers was a different Jason Robert Brown show.
In 2014, O鈥橦ara bowed as Francesca in The Bridges of Madison County, a role Tony-winning composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown wrote for her. But, early in her career, one of O鈥橦ara鈥檚 first offers was an out-of-town production of The Last Five Years鈥攖hough she did not end up playing the role.
Seth Rudetsky returns for another Broadway at the Town Hall concert with Jeremy Jordan March 11. for tickets and information.
