BWW Interviews: Susan Cella Talks Texas Twirling in GYPSY at Maine State Music Theatre

There's an old saying in theatre: "There are no small roles, just small actors". Despite her featured role as Tessie Tura in GYPSY at Maine State Music Theatre, her talent and impressive resume prove that she is no "small" actress. From understudying Patti LuPone in the original Broadway production of Evita, success in films and sitcoms, to becoming an MSMT favorite, it is clear to see why as soon as you see her on stage. Though, the audiences at MSMT might have a hard time convincing her that Brunswick's crowds are bigger fans than she is of the midcoast town.

"I just love Brunswick", the Boston native tells me. "I love the people, I love the mall, I just fell in love with it to the extent where I actually bought a house here. I figured since I enjoy it here, and if I was going to keep working here every summer I might as well buy one!" MSMT audiences have thrilled to her performances in past seasons including Vera in Mame, Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Vicki in The Full Monty and Velma in Hairspray. "I'm just thrilled to be back here doing Gypsy, and in rehearsals for Mary Poppins". Though she returns because of her love of the town and for the ability to play some show stopping roles, it's her experience with the creative staff that keeps her coming back. "I just love Curt Dale [Clark] (Artistic Consultant) and Mark [Robbins] (Artistic Director of the Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, PA and director of MSMT's smash productions of Dreamgirls, Les Miserables and the upcoming Mary Poppins this summer). I've done a few shows for them at the Fulton as well. Mark is the kind of director that comes into rehearsals with everything mapped out; he's so organized and has such a clear vision, it's really refreshing. But, he always tells us that he has things mapped out and if there is something we aren't comfortable with he is willing to work with us on it. You don't always get that." Not unlike Greg Goodbrod whom I also interviewed this summer (Jean Valjean, Les Miserables) she feels that it's the professionalism of the staff along with the amazing productions they mount that makes MSMT such a great place to work. "It's just never stressful. Everyone is on top of what they are doing, and we just show up and work. It feels so easy. It isn't of course, but it's a very easy going, supportive atmosphere. You never feel pressured or under the gun."

Though her resume is extensive now, her beginnings in theatre were limited. "When I was graduating from high school and applying to colleges, I hadn't even seen a play. We didn't have a theatre program. I had always played piano, so I was applying to schools for music and linguistics because I always loved languages. I got a scholarship from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. My parents wanted me to be a music teacher." But through her studies, she began to realize that sitting in a practice room and eventually teaching music wasn't going to be her path. "I auditioned for the vocal department. I was so naïve. I think I sang a pop song..." she tells me. She was accepted into the vocal department, but that wasn't really what she wanted to do either. However, the musical training in theory and voice et al proved invaluable when she found a love for theatre. "Coincidentally, I found theatre through my extracurricular time on campus." Quickly she became very involved in theatre on campus, as well as in summer stock at The Theatre By The Sea in Rhode Island. "I moved to New York City with my friends, much to the dismay of my parents who still wanted me to be a music teacher." And from there, she has never really looked back. "It took me almost a year to get up the courage to go to an audition. I was so green, I didn't really know anything. But the first audition I went to, I got the job". Despite her never having taken a tap class, she realized quickly (after telling the casting director without thinking that she DID tap) that she could in fact. Because she didn't have a theatre background until college, she loves to help younger performers along the way, and Gypsy is no different. "Well, there are a lot of young performers in this show. I have a lot of stories, and I don't mind telling them, especially if it will help someone out. I don't just give advice if it's not asked, but at this point I've been working in this business for a long time and have a good amount of perspective. I'm always happy to help."

"I've been very lucky" she continues. I'm not sure that luck has much to do with her success. Aside from understudying Ms. LuPone in Evita and performing in the ensemble for 3 years, she also was in the original Broadway casts of On The Twentieth Century and Me and My Girl. "It's easy to get pigeon-holed. 'Oh, she's just a dancer. She's just a singer'. But with help from my agents, I've been able to show casting directors that I can act too. So I've really been able to forge a career of a lot of 'straight' plays as well as musicals." This led to her turn in The Graduate on Broadway in 2002, starring Jason Biggs, Alicia Silverstone and Kathleen Turner as Mrs. Robinson (whom Ms. Cella understudied as well). And though she has done quite a few films and television appearances (she recently appeared in an episode of CBS' Person of Interest), she prefers the stage to the camera. "It's just so different. I'm so used to doing musicals that my acting is sometimes too 'big' for the camera. But I really do love doing it."

In Gypsy, Susan plays the over-the-hill stripper Tessi Tura. When the show's namesake Louise, her mother and Vaudeville act stumble into a burlesque theatre, they are forced to share dressing rooms and eventually the stage with three strippers, Tessi among them. But, Susan doesn't appear in the show with her stripper pals Mazeppa (Abby C. Smith) and Electra (Heidi Kettenring) until the second act. They may have only a small amount of time to leave their mark, but they do. And then some. But there isn't much buildup time. So, for Susan it's like going from 0 to 60 in a split second. "Everyone in this show is working their tails off. Charis [Leos] (who plays Madame Rose) is doing such an amazing job. She is singing like crazy, and the whole cast is telling the story. And then all of sudden I show up and have to be on my game. Tessi is one of my favorite roles. It's a gift for me to be able to go on and play that role every night. However short, it's just one of those great little gems and I just love it." She continues, "It's almost a little unfair. Everyone else is working so hard, and then we come out and steal their thunder. We earn it, but still. It always goes back to what the story really is though, Rose and Louise (Gypsy). So, we really only help the story along". She does a bit more than that, keeping the audience in stitches for the entirety of her performance. So funny is her dialogue, her "bad" ballet dancing and her verse of the show-stopping number You Gotta Get A Gimmick that I hesitate to say any more; you really have to see it for yourself. Gypsy is running now until August 3rd at Maine State Music Theatre, followed by their final show of the season Mary Poppins. For more information and for tickets, please visit www.msmt.org.

Photo: Missy Dowse as Louise and Susan Cella as Tessi Tura in Gypsy

Photo credit: Audra Hatch Photography