Video: Kristin Chenoweth, Lea Michele, & Nichelle Lewis Discuss Broadway Careers for ELLE

Broadway's Kristin Chenoweth, Lea Michele, and Nichelle Lewis all came together for a new edition of ELLE’s ‘Three Generations.' During the conversation, the trio discussed a variety of theater-releated topics ranging from their respective Broadway debuts, how they deal with stage fright, the current state of Broadway, and more. 

Lewis, who made her Broadway debut last year in The Wiz, talked about the difficulties of finding work in theater as a young performer.  "The life of being a working actor in New York City is just so, so hard... In that moment of time, I was actually thinking about going home. I was about to give up.... I remember getting the call to audition for The Wiz. They saw me on TikTok, and that’s why they called me in." The performer is currently starring as Sarah in the Broadway revival of Ragtime.

Chenoweth, appearing in The Queen of Versailles, discussed her previous collaboration with songwriter Stephen Schwartz in Wicked, recalling the first time she heard the song "For Good." "He came into rehearsal one day and he played it for us, [Idina Menzel and myself], a couple times. Then, we saw it, read it and I went, 'Oh no, this is the show.' I told Idina, I remember, 'It ain’t going to matter about anything else other than this moment.'"

Michele and Lewis both deal with stage fright, which Michelle says can be an important element of performing. "I’m learning to try to turn my anxiety into excitement, and remind myself that if I’m nervous, it means that this is high stakes. It means this is a gift... The minute I’m not nervous is when I should go home," said the Chess star. Check out the conversation here and in the video above. 

Photo Credit: Rona Ahdout