Interview: Ellyn Marie Marsh Gets 'Inappropriate' Before Her 54 Below Encore

Last week I spoke with KINKY BOOTS' Ellyn Marie Marsh about the encore performance of her sold-out solo show "Inappropriate" at 54 Below. In that article we talked about how the show came to be, the songs in the show, the stories in the show; you know, the normal stuff. However, in this article, things are about to get real.

In addition to being known as one of Broadway's most talented belters and hilarious comediennes, Ellyn is also known for having nearly no filter when it comes to what she shares with the world. So, consider this BroadwayWorld After Dark!

Below Ellyn talks about flashing a subway station full of commuters, how she gets out of tickets, and Justin Bieber's package. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, what are you waiting for? Visit the 54 Below website right now; this article will still be here when you are done.

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BWW: The promo shot for your concert is absolutely fabulous. It is you channeling a bit of the sexiness of Marilyn Monroe, but also having a bit of the awkwardness of your public persona. Where did that idea come from?

Marsh: The initial idea was that I wanted it to look like I was trying to be really glamorous, but I wanted to have my skirt "accidentally" blow up, and for me to be wearing granny panties. My dear friend Cortney Wolfson and her fiance Curtis Holbrook have a photography company, so I told them my idea, and they said, "That's hilarious, let's make it happen."

However, we couldn't find a grate that would create enough wind to actually blow my dress up. So, through a series of hilarious events, at about 1:00pm on a Saturday, before our respective half-hours, we went down to the E-Train, and every time a train would come, I would flip my dress up and wait for the wind from the train to hold it up.

We, of course, had to do it a couple of times, and I'm thinking, "This is Manhattan, no one is going to care. People will just be walking by me," which for the most part they did, except on the train platform across the tracks; we drew a crowd.

Well, I'm glad that you gave some random New Yorkers a thrill on a Saturday afternoon, but you weren't worried about any of the NYPD's finest having a problem with you flashing a bunch of strangers?

(Laughs) It never crossed my mind. I tend to be able to get out of trouble with a wink and a smile. "What do you mean I was speeding officer?"

Based on what you're working with in your promo shot, that doesn't surprise me at all! Have you ever accidentally, or even purposely, been caught in public wearing less than what might be considered socially acceptable? And for a show doesn't count.

I may have gotten a slap on the wrist when I was 19 for peeing in a bush in Boston. Tacky. Tacky, tacky, tacky.

Well, when you've gotta go, you've gotta go. Ok, following up on the theme of a slap on the wrist, have you ever been written up to Equity?

I have been late one time, and I technically had to be written up. It was last summer during the heat wave. That day it was 108°, in fact, it was July 9th. I know, because I hung my write up on my (dressing room) station, and it's still hanging there today. My bus coming in from New Jersey diverted to 12th Avenue. I got off and ran to the theater in short shorts and wedge platforms, crying and sweating. I signed in eight minutes late, and once I signed in, I turned to the garbage can and threw up (laughs). And they still wrote me up, those bastards.

Equity ain't no joke. What's the most "inappropriate" thing you've seen happen in a dressing room?

I'm not at liberty to say. If I were to say what happens in a Broadway dressing room, I would lose my self-respect and the respect of others. It's not pretty. I will just say this; girls are way dirtier than boys. Not dirty-cleanliness, I mean dirty minds. Do not get caught on a bad day in a girls' dressing room. That is some nasty $h!t.

We talked about your promo shot, but you've been doing some pretty funny videos to promote the shows too.

Yes, my producer, who is a dear friend, Katherine Paige, was a film major, and I always say she can basically do anything. She shot and edited the videos, in addition to doing everything else that a producer does. She did all of my teasers, which was just a fun way to get the word out there, and to be a total asshat in the process. I honestly don't think the girl sleeps.

Check out Ellyn's most recent teaser:

Rumor has it that you like lightning rounds. So, I've created an "inappropriate" lightning round, want to play?

Um... Sure...?

Most inappropriate KINKY BOOTS cast member:

Me... And Joey Taranto... And Cortney Wolfson... And Kyle Post... Everyone. They're all jerks.