A Golden Night with the New York Pops: Margo Seibert on Honoring EVER AFTER Director Kathleen Marshall

By: May. 04, 2015
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Margo Seibert is just coming off of living life "princess by day, rocker by night."

In recent weeks, Seibert, who made her Broadway debut last season in the stage adaptation of ROCKY, would check into rehearsals for the world premiere of the new musical EVER AFTER. Afterwards, she'd pick up and head to the Village for Rattlestick Playwrights Theater and Women's Project Theater's THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW, set in the underground rock scene of early '90s Chicago, written SEX WITH STRANGERS and HOUSE OF CARDS scribe Laura Eason.

Eason isn't the only major female player in the theatre industry Seibert's been working alongside: EVER AFTER, based upon the 1998 film starring Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston, features Tony winner Christine Ebersole, and direction and choreography by three-time Tony winner Katheen Marshall.

As previously celebrated throughout the week on BroadwayWorld, the New York Pops will salute Marshall and her brother, Rob, at their annual gala tonight, May 4. Seibert recently spoke with BWW, eager to share her excitement on joining the starry lineup of performers in honoring her.

"I've never been inside Carnegie Hall!" Seibert confessed. "So this will my first time singing there and attending. As soon as [the Pops] said it was to honor Katheen and Rob, I said yes. To be a part of something honoring our director right at the beginning of this relationship, is just really fun."

EVER AFTER, a show pushing classicism into the modern musical age, begins performances later this month at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. Though most details on the production are being kept under wraps, Seibert said it's taking an interesting spin in terms of character and tone.

"The characters do a little tightrope dance between living in a fairytale world and being very grounded," she said. "It feels quite modern, quite real. We're not poking fun at this kind of [fairytale] story, but there's a lot of humor in it."

So far, the "fantastic" process of prepping for a first performance has been a "madcap," full of "crazy experiences," meeting the cast and Marshall being one of the best.

On working with the choreographer/director so far, Seibert said: "It's actually been really refreshing. She is so amazingly clear and patient. And very calm. She's incredibly prepared, and she's always working. There's never a moment where she's not focused on planning the next thing we're doing, managing people's time really well. I don't know that I've worked with a director/choreographer before, which is naturally fun, too. She's very clear about what she wants, but she's also open to suggestions, as well. If something feels wonky or unnatural, we change it. She's not necessarily married to anything. It's lovely to know the structure is there, but there's also flexibility."

It comes with the territory of a new musical, which Seibert said is her ongoing dream to be a part of. "Things are being re-written everyday. A scene we block might not be there tomorrow. We get to play around and fill in the gaps. I love new work. I really applaud anyone brave enough to tackle new work [like Marshall.] But it feels really open, it feels really collaborative. And that's always what I'm looking for in a team. Being a part of the conversation...is a really great opportunity."

And as Kelli O'Hara previously told BroadwayWorld, Marshall is a master at understanding her performers, knowing how to get the best possible results from each individual day-to-day, while being a prime example of an industry member who knows how to do it all.

"Kathleen is also really intuitive," Seibert said. "If she can see that I'm getting exhausted, she doesn't fight it. She can tell what's going on with everyone, and can change her approach to fit how everyone is feeling in a given moment. We all want to please, right? We want to deliver. But we all learn differently. But Kathleen is agile, she knows that we all learn and communicate differently."

Seibert, a self-professed actor-dancer (not the other way around,) wasn't exactly expected to nail the "thrilling" choreography like Marshall's in ROCKY or 'UNDENIABLE SOUND.'

"I was petrified to be thrown in the air, and all of this stuff," Seibert said. "But she gave this speech the other day, where she said: the only way to learn this, is to do it. This is a level playing field. We're all here, and we're just going to do it over and over again. Don't beat yourself up. Don't be angry. You're all going to get it, and this is the only way to do it."

Regardless of whether EVER AFTER ultimately makes the trek across the Hudson and into Manhattan, Seibert seems satisfied with what's she taking away from the opportunity to study and learn alongside Broadway's best.

"Obviously everyone works incredibly hard in our business," she said. "But I look at Kathleen, and she was doing double-duty on shows [LIVING ON LOVE and EVER AFTER,] up until a hot second ago. And she has a family! There's never an excuse, never a problem, never frazzled! She's there, ready to work. She works set a wonderful example for women in the business."

Below, check out a first teaser for the world premiere of EVER AFTER, starring Seibert and directed by Marshall!

Single tickets for the concert range from $65 to $160 and are available at http://www.carnegiehall.org/, by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, at 57th Street and 7th Avenue.



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