Interview with Broadway star and FCS teacher Mrs. Austin

I asked Mrs. Melissa Austin some questions about Broadway. How did I know she was in Les Miserables? She is the music and drama teacher at my school FCS. Here are the answers.

 

1. When you were on Broadway who did you play in Les Miserables? and how many shows did you do a week?
I started as a member of the ensemble, and I played lots of parts and had lots of costume changes. I was an understudy for the roles of Eponine and Cosette, which means that I was prepared to play either of those parts if one of those actresses was out sick or on vacation. The first time I played Eponine, I found out at 7:00 that I was going on, and the show started at 8:00!  I eventually became Cosette, and I played this role for one year and eight months. We performed 8 shows a week with one day off - usually Sunday or Monday.

 

2. Did you know from when you were a kid that you wanted to be on Broadway?           

I don't think I knew about Broadway when I was a kid.  I loved singing and dancing on stage, and I wanted to be a recording artist. But I did dream of being on Broadway after my first trip to New York in high school.

 

3. Did you audition? How did you get to be on Broadway?
One of the touring companies of "Les Miz" was in Nashville performing at TPAC, and the director, Richard Jay-Alexander, decided to hold an "open call". (This is an open audition where anyone can come without having an agent or an appointment.)  Richard enjoyed discovering young talent and giving them a chance. I showed up and had never seen the show or heard the music. But I had the "right look" and voice, and I was asked to come the next day for a call-back. They asked me to come without the make-up and high heels, because Les Miz is not a glamour show! However, being a pageant girl (I was Miss Belmont at the time), I thought that was how I should look for an audition. The next day I was asked to sing a few lines from the show, and within weeks, I received the phone call that there was a spot for me on the First National Tour of Les Miz. I withdrew from college during my senior year and joined the company in Boston, MA. Many people say that success in show business is "being in the right place at the right time", and that was certainly true for me! (Of course, you also must be right for the part.) Five months later, I was asked to come to New York and join the Broadway Company. I moved to New York, which was a little scary for a 22-year-old Southern girl. My best friend moved up a few weeks later, and we shared an apartment. She became a Broadway performer as well. I did eventually go back to Belmont and finish my college education.

 

4. What is it like being on Broadway?

Sometimes it was hard to believe, like when I would get off the subway in Times Square and walk to the theatre. I would think to myself, "I can't believe I'm here!". Other times it just felt like my job. When you do the same show over a thousand times, it can be hard to keep your mind from wandering when you're onstage.  You have to remind yourself that each audience deserves your best performance. It is thrilling to see how people are affected by a compelling story told through beautiful music.

 

5. Who ( except for you ) had the best voice or who did you admire?

I definitely did not have the best voice, in my opinion! I think the actresses who played the character Fantine had fantastic voices, because "I Dreamed a Dream" is a very challenging song. But I was constantly overwhelmed by the caliber of talent that I was surrounded by. Everyone was incredibly talented. 


6.Did you meet anyone famous?
I worked with some performers who were famous at the time. Sometimes celebrities would be brought in to play the role of Eponine. Lea Salonga was a Filipino Broadway star at the time, and we shared a dressing room and became friends. (She originated the lead role in Miss Saigon.) Also, Deborah (Debbie) Gibson, who had been a teen pop star, played Eponine and we became friends as well. She had personal assistants who would go to Little China for her and get her Ginsing and other herbs (and pretty much anything else she wanted). A famous actress named Lacey Chabert got her start in Les Miz as "Young Cosette",so I knew her as a little girl. She sang "Castle on a Cloud" so beautifully.

 

7. Did you get any fan mail?

I got some fan mail and signed a few autographs. 

 

8. What are some of your favorite musicals?
I love West Side Story. I've been in the show twice, and I love the music and dancing. I also love A Chorus Line for the same reasons, although I've never been in the show.