Interview: Amy Kelly Talks About Her Upcoming Album and ROBIN HOOD at the B St. Theatre

One of the endearing aspects of the B Street Theatre is that you will always see familiar faces on stage. Their Company members comprise most of the roles in their shows, so it’s fun to watch them as different characters throughout the season. One such Company member, Amy Kelly, has gone from Mrs. Claus to a butler to a friar in a matter of months. She’s currently in B Street’s production of Robin Hood while recording as one half of the musical group Mustache & Cleavage. BroadwayWorld spoke to Amy about her favorite roles, mustaches, and her upcoming album.

Finally, a chance to interview one of my favorite actresses! Not only are you a comedic delight at the B Street Theatre, you’re also a musician! You have a couple of projects coming up now. Let’s start with your musical endeavors. You’re one part of a duo called Mustache and Cleavage. How did you come up with that name?

I was doing A Christmas Carol at B St. and I was playing both male and female characters. I was in between costumes and I had a handlebar mustache and a low-cut shirt on. I captioned the picture, “If I was in a band it would be called Mustache and Cleavage.” My future band mate agreed. 

How did you meet your partner, Alexander Lewis? How long have you been collaborating as Mustache and Cleavage?

Alexander is one of my oldest and dearest friends. We met at SFSU and started off acting and doing improv together and became good friends. He was one of my favorite people. He ended up marrying Csilla Horvath, another good friend of mine.  Through the years we kept in touch and when he moved to Lincoln, we decided to play some music together. I still recall that first session together. We worked and laughed and created so easily that I was hooked. He’s incredibly inspiring to me and has challenged me to work harder to be a better musician. I swore I could never sing harmonies, but he convinced me otherwise. It’s quite a gift to play music with one of your favorite people. I love his songwriting and he loves mine, together we are Amy Mustache and Alexander Cleavage. 

I understand you’re in the studio recording now. What are you working on? When and where can we hear it?

We are working on our first full length album, working titled “Well, Lucky You.” The first song that we’re recording is called “Lucky You.” We’re working with our producer, Gary Weinberg, and he’s taking our harmonies to new heights and helping us find a more polished sound. We’re recording at 18 Source Productions and we highly recommend Mark and his team.

Will you be performing your music live at the Sofia?

We have performed live at the Sofia a number of times and when we start promoting the album, we will be back in the upstairs space. It’s so intimate and perfect for what we do. Our shows are a mixture of silly banter and heartfelt stories about how certain songs came about. We perform a segment called the Virgin Song Diaries where we play a song that has never been heard before. He doesn’t know what song I’m going to play and vice-versa. When we do the next show, we perform a new version of each song that we work on as a team. 

You have a distinctly folky sound, reminiscent of Stevie Nicks. What is your musical background and who do you listen to when you’re not performing?

I never had much musical training but, as far back as I can remember, I would sing into a tape recorder. I have been writing lyrics since I was about five or six years old. I would write songs about anything and that started to be very helpful through challenging times. I started playing guitar when I was twenty-three, but I didn’t start getting serious about it until I was in my thirties. I write music on my own constantly and I look forward to becoming better every time I pick up my guitar. Alexander has really pushed me to learn covers of my favorite musicians such as Stevie Nicks, Concrete Blonde, Bruce Springsteen, Blondie, The Cure, Tom Petty, and Bonnie Raitt.

Now onto the acting side. How did you get into acting? Were you the class clown? I can see you in that role.

I was definitely the class clown, which got me into trouble quite a bit. I knew from a very young age that I could make people laugh and I loved doing it. I went to St. Francis High School and I started acting very heavily there. My stepsister got me acting lessons with Buck Busfield for a Christmas present when I was fifteen. I remember when I walked into the class, I felt like I had come home. I had never met anyone like Buck Busfield before. He was so passionate about teaching acting and comedy. I feel like his guidance and direction got me into California to the Arts and helped make my dream a reality. He helped me pick my monologues and I have been acting ever since. I’m grateful that Lyndsay Burch has carried his passion for theatre and she definitely knows how to continue to cast me in shows. 

How did you come to the B Street Company?

After I lived in Hollywood for quite some time, I decided to move back to Sacramento. Buck Busfield often checked in on me and asked my parents how I was doing when they saw shows at the B St. My mother and father always made room for theatre and that was also a big part of how I got here. I decided to reach out to Buck and he invited me to watch a rehearsal. I remember it was Dave Pierini and Greg Alexander in a two person show. I was thoroughly impressed with everything that I saw. After that he invited me to join an improv group that they were developing. I met other people from the company and I was so blown away. I wanted to be a part of it all. I was so impressed with how funny and creative they were. However, I didn’t become a company member right away. I definitely had to prove myself. The first play I was in was directed by Jerry Montoya, and I completely fell in love with his direction and his way of communicating with me. After a number of plays, I finally became a company member and it is one of the great honors of my life.

Were you pursuing film in Hollywood? Do you prefer live theatre over film? What are the pros/cons of each?

I did pursue some film work in Hollywood, but mostly ended up performing in a live comedy show called All About Walken: The Impersonators of Christopher Walken. I did do some film work that you can find on IMDb. Some you can rent and others may be in a dusty box somewhere.  I’m a big personality and film work is a more subtle, quieter kind of energy. I love the camera, but my work seems to translate a little better to the stage and I sure do love to hear the audience reactions in real time. 

What characters are you drawn to playing?

I like playing silly ridiculous, funny, physical, and unhinged characters with a side of serious. 

We can see you in B Street’s current Family Series show, Robin Hood. What is your role in that? Can you tell us a little about the show?

The show is written by the wonderful Jerry Montoya and directed by the brilliant Anthony D’Juan. It has been an extraordinary process. I don’t want to give too much away, but it is a different version of the traditional Robin Hood. It focuses on the heroines of that story, past and present. I can’t say enough about the production team and cast. We just had such a good time and I think that will translate when you see the show. One of the most exciting parts is that I play a very grounded character in the first act, so that may come as a surprise to some people. 

What is your favorite role that you’ve performed with B Street?

I think one of my favorite roles would be one of the clowns in The 39 Steps. I think I played close to thirteen or fourteen characters. It was the time of my life and it really pushed me beyond my limits. 

Last question…what do you get from music that you don’t get from theatre, and vice versa?

I would say that with music I am a little more vulnerable. Most of the roles I play are often funny and very physical. I am looking forward to writing a one woman show that will incorporate that vulnerability but as of now the music is where I tend to get the deepest. I do think that will change in the coming years, but I definitely need both to keep me balanced.

Amy can be seen in Robin Hood at the B St. Theatre through May 4th. Tickets may be found online at bstreettheatre.org. More information about Mustache & Cleavage can be found at mustacheandcleavage.com.  

Photo credit: Amy Kelly

 

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