Interview: Becky Gulsvig of BEAUTIFUL at The Kennedy Center For Performing Arts

A few years ago, her Elle in the national tour of Legally Blonde earned her a Helen Hayes nomination. Now, Becky Gulsvig is back in DC singing some more familiar tunes in BEAUTIFUL: The Carole King Musical.

I first met Becky when she was singing in the chorus of Children of Eden - the first World AIDS Day concert, back in 2003 at the Riverside Cathedral in Manhattan. I had no idea what I was doing and had never produced or directed something of this scale, but Becky was a willing participant in this inaugural experiment. I had the chance to catch up with Becky - both of us a little more seasoned - and I'm thrilled to announce, she's still wonderful.

JM: How's the road treating you this time?

BG: We're only on our second stop, so we're getting into a rhythm. This show is such a massive gift, everyone's so kind and so good. The rehearsal process was so easy and smooth. You're able to put a different kind of heart into, because it really happened. As long as you're focused and doing your job, it all works. I can't say enough about how wonderful everyone is. Abby is SO good. I love Ben who I'm opposite. It's just been so good.

JM: What's the toughest part of being on tour?

BG: Really, it's balancing both worlds - I have hands-down the most amazing husband who's been willing to tour with me and not work, so I don't have to find nannies in each city. We're calling it "Our Big Adventure." In some ways it's exhausting, but this show is different. I have great material, but I don't get physically exhausted. And I need to have energy the next morning as a mom. You can't stop when there's a 4 1/2 year old in the house - you have to get out there and eat up every minute. It's a juggling act, but there's no way I could do it without my husband.

Also, one of the benefits of being on the road is that there's no housework. We sometimes don't think about just how much time and energy that eats up, but if you're in a hotel or a short-term rental, it really helps!

JM: We're glad to have you back here in DC after receiving a Helen Hayes nomination for Legally Blonde a few years back. What do you enjoy most about being in DC?

BG: I like the city a lot, I like the attractions - I'm really excited to hit the museums. I also understand there's a baby panda and my daughter's teddy bear is a panda, so no pressure, Zoo, but we're comin!

That's what's col about tours, you get snapshots and little tastes of these cities and you move on - and getting to perform at the Kennedy Center, I mean - it's gorgeous, it's so beautiful there.

JM: Cynthia Weill is no Elle Woods. What's it like playing a living legend?

BG: I love it - haven't met her yet, but I'm really excited to. She emailed me while we were in tech just to wish us luck. And Barry wrote a fun email to Ben. He's written as a hypochondriac in the show, so Barry's email jokingly fulfilled that. They'll come eventually. It will be so fun to meet them.

I've never played a real person. I feel extra obligated to do some studying up. Luckily our creative team wasn't looking for a copy or impression. Clearly we have to take direction, but we could add ourselves to the role. They ran the whole rehearsal process really well. The fact they let us be and just find our rhythm was so helpful. They weren't making us copy anything. I'm honored to be in the same category and playing the same role as Anika (Larsen).

JM: What are you most looking forward to with this role?

BG: Just enjoying it, to be honest. Which is what I've been doing so far. As I mentioned earlier, it's so nice to be happy to go to work. This one has a little extra magic to it. The audience knows the songs, they already know the music, so we just have to add this extra layer. They all hum or talk, or songs get flat-out applause when they hear the intro. We're giving them a great night with a little extra heart and we're getting that back.

JM: Is it distracting to have the audience singing along?

BG: Luckily with these big houses, we hear the response, but it's not like they're right on top of you. You're able to tune it out. It keeps us on our toes though, and it's always nice to hear people are involved. I went with Ben to see it in New York and we had a hilarious woman behind us. The first fighting scene between Carole and Jerry happened and she screamed "AGH! What happened to Jerry??" or a song would start and she'd shout "That's MY song!!" People feel attached to these songs and a sense of ownership over the characters. It's so great.

BEAUTIFUL: The Carole King Musical is playing at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts October 6th through October 25th. Visit http://www.kennedy-center.org for tickets.