Q & A
[Bye, Bye Birdie] at 16
while still living at home.
I went to college in New
York. I always had my
crew, my family, my whole
life around me. I remem-
ber sitting down at the
piano my first night in
San Francisco with no one
in the audience I knew.
Singing those words, I
thought, “Wow, I get it
now.” Carole wrote that
song on tour, about
missing her family.
What was your child-
hood in Far Lawn like?
My parents are both
actors. I grew up in their
theater company, St. Anne
Stages. Some of my earli-
est memories are of them
doing theater and of sitting
in the audience and
watching my mom play
Cinderella, my dad play
the Wolf in Into the
Woods. I grew up sur-
rounded by creative people
and listening to Broadway
show soundtracks and
seeing theater. It gave me
an incredible background
when I decided what I
wanted to do with my life.
When did it click that
this was what you
wanted to do? It was
never a thing that I was
going to be a child actor.
That’s the greatest gift my
44
SOUNDTRACK FOR A GENERATION The musical tells the inspiring true story of Carole King’s remark-
able rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to
her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming
one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history.
parents gave me, because
it can create a monster or
somebody who ends up
resenting the business. I
did it for joy, did it for fun.
It was this wonderful part
of my life. We were always
doing shows at their the-
ater company. So, I always
knew I wanted to do it.
I just didn’t know if it
would be possible.
How proud are your
mom and dad of you?
They’re so proud. Every
time I was on for Carole at
the Sondheim, which is a
small house, my parents
sat in the house seats,
which are pretty close to
the stage. Everybody’s
favorite thing to do when
the lights came up after
bows, and we were singing
that last song, was to find
my parents in the audience
FALL 2017 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE
and giggle because they
were hysterically crying.
They were puddles of
tears. They’re the most-
proud, most-supportive
and most-wonderful
parents. I couldn’t do it
without them.
You’ve already
achieved more than
many people achieve
in their entire careers.
Next for you? I’m at that
crossroads right now, try-
ing to figure out what I
want next. I don’t know if
anything can fill the shoes
of playing Carole King,
because it’s the role of
a lifetime, and to have
played her at such a young
age, at the start of my
career, is something I’ll
never, ever take for grant-
ed. Going forward, my
next step, hopefully, would
be to originate a role in a
Broadway show. That’d be
my dream next step, help-
ing create a role from the
ground up, with a wonder-
ful group of people.
You live in Manhattan
now, but when you’re
back in Bergen County,
where do you like to
eat? I love, love, love
Green Papaya in River
Edge. It’s my favorite Thai
food. Whenever my dad
picks me up in New York
– and I was living on
55th Street before I left for
the tour – he’ll drive over
the George Washington
Bridge, get off Route 4 and
stop at Green Papaya.
We’ll get a bunch of Thai
food, go home, grab a bot-
tle of wine, and hang out.
Nothing in New York com-
pares to this Thai food. ■
What feedback did you
get from Carole King?
I am very lucky, because
she loved it. She was very
emotional after the show. I
think she always is because
we’re showcasing the hard-
est time of her entire life.
She loved my take. She
had some really kind,
wonderful things to say,
and a big hug to give.