Interview: Ordway's WHITE CHRISTMAS' Jenny Piersol

Perfectly timed for the holiday season and the beginning of a Minnesota winter (snowing both inside [as the show opens] and outside the theater, apparently!), the Ordway Center for Performing Arts says Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS is one of its most requested productions. Based on a film starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen, the musical first appeared in St. Louis in 2000, with subsequent productions in San Francisco, on a national tour, a Broadway run, an UK tour and revivals in 2009 and 2014/15. This time around it's a locally produced show with direction by the Ordway's own James Rocco.

When the Ordway mounts a production, you're sure to see lots of local talent on stage. WHITE CHRISTMAS is no exception (it includes favorites Dieter Bierbrauer and Ann Michels), but this show will also feature a newcomer to Saint Paul, Jenny Piersol, who is playing Judy Haynes. She took time from a busy tech week to share some insight into the show and her career in 6 Questions & a Plug -- and for those of you who count, there's a bonus question & answer this time around!

You are making your Ordway debut as Judy Haynes in WHITE CHRISTMAS via national auditions - how did you find out about the role and can you tell us more about the process you went through to be cast?

James Rocco and I had worked on a show at the Walnut Street Theatre about a year ago and totally hit it off. Months later, we reconnected, and it turned out he was looking for a Judy for White Christmas. I happened to be in town when he and the Ordway team came to NYC for auditions, and the rest is history!

Most people are probably familiar with the story or at least the music from the 1954 movie - which number is your favorite to do and which number do you think will get the biggest reaction from the audiences?

I cannot get enough of the harmonies in "Falling Out of Love." I love doing that number, both because singing with Ann Michels and Thomasina Petrus is a dream, but also because it's a moment of female empowerment in an era when that concept was relatively new. As for the biggest audience reaction, I would say the dancing in "Blue Skies." Our ensemble is a ferociously talented group of humans!

WHITE CHRISTMAS is a really fun yet old fashioned show - does this production go for the kitschy Americana of it all or has the production been updated or changed at all?

One thing that I think James Rocco has done so elegantly is ground this show in a few realities that the casual observer might easily overlook, but that I think are worth mentioning in our country's current climate. For one, WHITE CHRISTMAS is an American classic, and it was written by Irving Berlin, a Russian Jewish immigrant. Two, it's a show that doesn't really feature the traditional nuclear family, so there's an element of progressive community here that I think is worth highlighting. I think audiences will be really warmed by the inclusive spirit that James has crafted in this show.

Have you and co-star "sister" Ann Michels (Betty Haynes) bonded over the "Sisters" number?

Yes! We had a great time learning that number, and we went through our fair share of fans to find those picture perfect feathers that everyone remembers from the movie.

Do you have any funny backstage stories about rehearsal you can share or is there something the audience should be sure to look out for that they might miss otherwise?

I'm absolutely in love with the gorgeous red dress that I wear for the finale, and our little Susans like to hide underneath the massive skirt of the dress and scare people who are walking by.

Is this your first time in the Saint Paul/Minneapolis area? What do you think of it so far - and what's your impression of the Ordway Center for Performing Arts thus far?

I love Saint Paul! It is my first time here, and I have a whole Twin Cities bucket list of things to do that I'm slowly checking off. It is a rich cultural experience out here. The Ordway itself is a gorgeous facility, and the Ordway team is unbelievable. I have been struck most by the talent and the love within this supportive community of artists. I feel very lucky to be here.

Tell readers more about your background and previous roles - I see you've been in some great regional productions.

I understudied Nellie Forbush on the Lincoln Center second national tour of South Pacific, and I've had a chance to play the Peggy Sawyers and the Hope Harcourts. I love contemporary material, but I do tend to hang out in the 1940s-1950s - Judy Haynes being no exception!

What will your next role, post-WHITE CHRISTMAS, be? Or tell me what role you hope to land someday soon.

Oh, I would absolutely love to play Ann in ALL MY SONS. Or Emily in DISGRACED. Or be in the upcoming Broadway production of BANDSTAND. There is a lot that I would still love to do - isn't there always?!

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More information:

An Ordway Production, WHITE CHRISTMAS runs through Dec. 31, 2016.

Based Upon the Paramount Pictures Film
Written For the Screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama, and Melvin Frank

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Book by David Ives and Paul Blake
Directed and Choreographed by James A. Rocco
Musical Direction by Jeff Rizzo

Tickets available at http://www.ordway.org/performances/white-christmas

Jenny Piersol bio:

National tours: Lincoln Center's South Pacific; Walnut Street Theatre: 9 to 5, Mary Poppins, High Society, and A Christmas Story: The Musical; Fulton Theatre: Sweeney Todd, A Chorus Line,and Hello, Dolly!; Maltz Jupiter Theatre: The Sound of Music. Training: Muhlenberg College. Proud member of Actors' Equity. www.jennypiersol.com

Photos:

Headshot: Jenny Piersol, courtesy of Ordway Center for Performing Arts.

Jenny Piersol and Ann MIchels in White Christmas. Photo by Rich Ryan Photography.

Brian Sostek and Jenny Piersol in White Christmas. Photo by Rich Ryan Photography.

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