InterviewHow Ingrid Michaelson Created a Fresh Sonya for The Great Comet of 1812The singer-songwriter makes her Broadway debut with her own take on the show-stopping role.
By
Ruthie Fierberg
July 14, 2017
Ingrid Michaelson
Nathan Johnson
When indie/folk singerIngrid Michaelson heard Brittain Ashford sing 鈥淪onya Alone,鈥� sitting tableside at Broadway鈥檚 The Great Comet, the musical suddenly seemed to stop. 鈥淭hat song really got me,鈥� says Michaelson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very stripped down to this song about selfless love of a dear friend, which I think is such a lovely sentiment. There aren鈥檛 a lot of songs specifically about that.鈥�
The song struck Michaelson so strongly she immediately went home and learned it on the piano. 鈥淚t just was haunting me,鈥� she says. While she knew right away she wanted to step into Sonya鈥檚 shoes someday, she never thought it would happen so quickly. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥業 don鈥檛 want to do it until November, I need six months to practice,鈥欌� but when Ashford decided to take a break from the show this summer, Michaelson was tapped to play Natasha鈥檚 cousin.
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Making her Broadway debut in the show, Michaelson feels strongly about honoring Ashford and the 12-time Tony-nominated musical as a whole. 鈥淚 feel a very large weight and responsibility to do right by this role because the people in this show鈥攊ncluding Brittain Ashford鈥攈as put so much of their life and their time into this,鈥� she says. 鈥淗ere I am coming in, the new kid on the block.鈥�
But as the new kid, Michaelson brings a fresh perspective to the role. 鈥淪he鈥檚 goofier,鈥� Michaelson says of her take. 鈥淪he鈥檚 funny, she really wants Marya鈥檚 approval. 鈥楾he Prologue鈥� boils it all down to 鈥楽onya is good,鈥� and [director] Rachel [Chavkin] said, 鈥榃hen we say 鈥楽onya is good,鈥� we really mean 鈥楽onya is honest.鈥欌�
That nuance opened up the character for Michaelson. 鈥淪he鈥檚 17 years old and she likes boys and she is a kid who wants to have fun, but she鈥檚 a truthful person,鈥� says Michaelson. 鈥淪he believes in honesty above everything else, but that doesn鈥檛 mean she鈥檚 a goody two shoes.鈥�
In fact, there鈥檚 a little sly sass to Michaelson鈥檚 Sonya. 鈥淚 look at Grace [McClean who plays Marya] during certain numbers and I try and mimic what she鈥檚 doing to impress her, but at the same time when she leaves the room I鈥檓 going to make fun of her because she has a stick up her butt.鈥�
Michaelson also recognizes her pivotal role as the conduit for the audience鈥檚 reaction to Natasha鈥檚 fickle feelings for her betrothed and her sudden lust for playboy Anatole. 鈥淚t鈥檚 infuriating when you鈥檙e watching the show and Natasha鈥檚 like, 鈥業鈥檓 in love with him!鈥� and you鈥檙e like 鈥榊ou鈥檙e not in love with him! What are you, crazy?鈥欌� she exclaims. 鈥淪onya gets to say that and that鈥檚 very cathartic.鈥�
For the five-week stint, Michaelson is enjoying brushing up on her dormant acting skills. Great Comet may be Michaelson鈥檚 Broadway debut, but she grew up a theatre kid, taught theatre, and has close ties to the Broadway community through longtime boyfriend Will Chase. Still, there are things you can鈥檛 learn, you must simply do. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 be taught to trust yourself,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 learned all the music, I learned the blocking, I learned the choreography, I practiced it to death鈥� [but] the idea of trusting yourself and letting yourself have fun and explore is something I don鈥檛 think you can really be taught.鈥�
