Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Jessie Mueller makes good on Broadway
SCOTTISH PLAY SCOTT
by Scott C. Morgan, Windy City Times
2014-07-23

This article shared 5761 times since Wed Jul 23, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


There's no doubt that when Jessie Mueller won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the title role of the Broadway jukebox show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, her entire Evanston family of talented actors was overflowing with pride and admiration. The same could also be said for local theater fans who had seen Mueller triumph in leading lady roles throughout the Chicago area in shows like Meet Me in St. Louis at Drury Lane Theatre, She Loves Me at Writers Theatre, and All Shook Up and Guys and Dolls at the Marriott Theatre before she headed east to New York to triumph on and off Broadway.

Mueller's debut on Broadway was in an unfortunate 2011 flop: a revised revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever starring Harry Connick Jr. Yet Mueller managed to walk away from the production with stellar reviews and her first Tony nomination. Since then, Mueller has found continual work in New York and drawn plenty of critical raves as Cinderella in a Central Park revival of Into the Woods, as Carrie in a televised New York Philharmonic production of Carousel, as Helena Landless in the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood and as a replacement Billie Bendix in the Broadway musical Nice Work if You Can Get It, opposite Matthew Broderick.

But it was starring as Carole King in Beautiful that has truly catapulted Mueller to Broadway-star status. Featuring songs by King and her colleagues Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, Beautiful follows the songwriting career of King through marriage and divorce to her collaborator, Gerry Goffin, before she ultimately becomes a sensation as a pop performer herself with the best-selling album Tapestry.

Mueller granted the Windy City Times an interview, but only via email so she could help rest her voice for doing eight shows a week of Beautiful. First of all, we had to ask about her Tony Awards experience at Radio City Music Hall on June 8.

"That night was crazy because most of the performers and nominees were running back and forth between sitting in their seats and getting prepped and un-prepped to perform," Mueller responded. "Some of my favorite memories are from the dressing rooms backstage—everyone going back and forth from their red carpet looks to their costumes and watching their friends and colleagues on the broadcast on monitors backstage."

Mueller said she has gone back to watch some of the Tony Award TV clips, and that she's happy about how Beautiful came off during its performance and how being able to watch herself perform a duet with Carole King "was a trip."

"My folks were there, with my boyfriend, up front. But my sister and best friend were also there, just farther back," said Mueller, happy at the fact that the agent to her father, Roger Mueller, specifically wrote a clause into his Goodman Theatre contract allowing him to skip a day of Brigadoon rehearsals and attend the Tony Awards if his daughter was nominated for Beautiful. "When I mentioned Abby's name ( my sister ) she screamed! It was awesome. I could hear it all the way on the stage. I think my family and I are still a bit in shock. I remember it happening and fully experienced it but at times it feels like that was another person."

Now Carole King herself very publicly distanced herself initially from the creation of Beautiful, leaving many of the artistic matters to her daughter, Sherry Groffin Kondor. Mueller reflected on the creation of Beautiful by saying "this was the most intense and ultimately collaborative process I've ever been on with a show."

"It really was built from the ground up. Our book writer, Doug McGrath, did a brilliant job interviewing the four songwriters—Barry, Cynthia, Gerry and Carole. And it was through those interviews that he created the events of the play," Mueller stated. "What was wonderful was the combination of that with a group of actors who had done their 'homework' and were extremely committed to bringing these REAL people to authentic life onstage. Everyone was committed to making it great. We had rewrites every day. Song choices changed, were rearranged, scrapped, brought back.

"It was a living breathing changing thing. And at times that was exhilarating but by the time we were hitting previews in New York, I think we were all craving some things to lock in—which thankfully, they did. And I'm really proud of the end result. As far as Carole being reluctant to see it, that always made sense to me. I saw that as an essential part of her—believing in the work but not wanting to be the 'front man.'"

"Just seeing what's she's doing in Beautiful, it's different from her," said Roger Mueller about his daughter's performance in Beautiful, adding that he was speaking as a fellow actor rather than an admiring parent. "The way she puts the voice is very different than her normal sweet spot of voice. The way she's crafted it, I'm still not sure how she's created that sound. It's just enough of Carole King to give you the impression, but she's still able to sing with her voice coming through."

Jessie Mueller scoffed at the question of whether she was able to work on any other projects concurrently with her run of Beautiful on Broadway, nor did she specify on how long she is contracted with the show. Mueller also said that she misses Chicago often and is bummed out that she won't be able to see Brigadoon at the Goodman—not only because her father is in it, but because she's also previously worked before with director Rachel Rockwell and Liza Lerner of the Alan Jay Lerner estate. Mueller also added that she would love to return to Chicago if the project was right, like a pre-Broadway tryout or perhaps a limited run like one of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals lined up at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

"New York can be a very stressful and high octane kind of place, but it has been very good to me," Mueller said. "I've been extremely blessed in the opportunities I've had and the amazing people I've met."

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical continues on Broadway in New York in an open run at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. For more information, visit www.beautifulonbroadway.com .


This article shared 5761 times since Wed Jul 23, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted hosts 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show 2024-03-03
- On the evening of Feb. 29, Center on Halsted held its 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show in front of a packed audience at the Hoover-Leppen Theater. The event brought together participants of the Center's youth and senior ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical 2024-02-19
- Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...


Gay News

'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show 2024-02-19
- In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...


Gay News

Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree 2024-02-16
- In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...


Gay News

Carisa Hendrix mesmerizes as Lucy Darling in Teatro ZinZanni 2024-02-12
- Since 2019, Teatro ZinZanni has gathered together amazing performers from all over the world to create an experience in Chicago under the Spiegeltent in the Cambria Hotel building, 32 W. Randolph St. Over the years, ticket ...


Gay News

THEATER Dot-Marie Jones talks Goodman production, 'Glee,' 'Bros' 2024-02-12
- Running through Feb. 18 at the the Goodman Theatre, the production Highway Patrol works with a script conceived entirely from Emmy-winning actor Dana Delany's (TV's China Beach) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages ...


Gay News

Dr. Lady J explains how opera can be a drag 2024-02-10
- On Feb. 8, Center on Halsted, in partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago, presented a lecture by historian, drag activist, podcaster and curator Dr. Lady J. The event, titled "Castrated Superstars, Cross Dressed Divas, and Queer ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Raven-Symone, women's sports, Wayne Brady, Jinkx Monsoon, British Vogue 2024-02-09
- In celebration of Black History Month, the LA LGBT Center announced that lesbian entertainer Raven-Symone will be presented with the Center's Bayard Rustin Award at its new event, Highly Favored, per a press release. She joins ...


Gay News

Chicago-based production company to host all-inclusive, LGBTQ-focused Valentine's Day event 2024-02-07
--From a press release - CHICAGO — Second Glance Productions will host the LGBTQupid Soiree this Valentines Day, Wednesday, February 14, 2024. The event will be held at the iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., from 6 pm to 11 pm ...


Gay News

THEATER Nostalgic 'Sunsets' still offers a timely reflection of LGBTQ+ community 2024-02-07
- Nostalgia reigned on a variety of scales this past weekend in Chicago. During her Celebration tour, at a majestically packed United Center, Madonna acknowledged the last 40 years of her career, highlighting her '80s interactions with ...


Gay News

The Jeff Awards announces the 50th-anniversary non-Equity theater nominations 2024-02-06
--From a press release - (Feb. 6, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the Joseph Jefferson Awards announces its nominations for theater excellence among Non-Equity theater during the ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.