BWW Interviews: CASEY HEBBEL takes on The Friday Five

Inspired by BroadwayWorld.com's Friday Six, welcome to Nashville.BroadwayWorld.com's latest installment of The Friday Five: five questions designed to help you learn more about the talented people you'll find onstage throughout the Volunteer state.

The spotlight today falls upon Casey Hebbel, one of the crazy talented Belmont University musical theatre students who will one day be collecting Tony Awards like they're so many theatre action figures. Until then, she's still got a few classes to attend and another musical to star in: She opens tonight (Friday, March 16) in Belmont University Musical Theatre's production of Hairspray, sure to be one of the season's highlights.

So just who is Casey Hebbel? Well, she's lovely, she's talented (amazingly so) and she was a member of the 2011 First Night Class of Most Promising Actors, which means she is definitely one of my favorites; hence my prediction that she's gonna be taking home a Tony Award-sooner rather than later, I daresay.

Find out what makes Casey Hebbel tick, sorta, in this week's edition of The Friday Five (and head to the Troutt Theatre this weekend and next to see her take on Penny Lou Pingleton and find out why she's one of Nashville's nicest kids in town)…

And while we're on the subject of Hairspray, it runs at The Troutt Theatre on  March 16, 17, 23, 24 at 7:30 p.m. and March 17, 18, 24, 25 at 2 p.m. Tickets are ridiculously cheap for a production that's sure to be the equal of any professional mounting you may have seen-or you may ever want to see.

What was your first "live onstage" taste of theater? My first real onstage experience happened when I was 13 years old.  Like so many other little girls, I got my start playing that little red-headed orphan, Annie.   

What is your favorite pre-show ritual? Personally, I don't really have a very interesting pre-show ritual. I just do the usual: stretch, warm up my voice, drink some tea, and get dressed for show time. I also always say a quick little prayer right before my first entrance, and then it's on with the show!

What's your most memorable "the show must go on" moment? My most memorable "the show must  go on" moment happened when I was doing Cats at The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. It was one of my first professional shows, and I was understudying Syllabub, who is the young cat who sings "Memory" with Grizabella. Well, at intermission, the girl playing Syllabub came offstage terribly sick; she could barely stand up. For about the first ten minutes of intermission, she was saying that she was probably going to try to muscle through the rest of the show. However, about two minutes before intermission was supposed to be over, she decided she just couldn't do it. So, the stage manager held the show while a swarm of costume and sound people got me into her wig, costume, and mic. I had not had an understudy rehearsal; I certainly hadn't planned to be on that night, but before I even had time to think, I was on stage singing my little heart out. "The show must go on."

What's your dream role? Dream role...that is a tricky question. Honestly, Penny in Hairspray has always been a dream role of mine.  Getting to play it now has been so much fun! As for a dream role yet to be played, that would have to be, and this sounds strange probably, but I would give anything to be a chorus girl in Catch Me If You Can. They are all these fierce showgirls, and I would love to be one of them! 

Who's your theatrical crush My theatrical crush is definitely Jonathan Groff.  I saw him in the original cast of Spring Awakening on Broadway. His vocal coach is someone that I have worked with before as well, and so, I was able to meet him after the show. He took us around backstage, and was one of the kindest human beings I have ever met. Not only that, but if you have ever seen the interview with him and Susan Blackwell, he is hilarious too!