Interview: Chatting with Taylor Louderman About Her Upcoming Cabaret Performance at the Blue Strawberry

On Friday, September 26 and Saturday September 27, 2025, Tony nominee Taylor Louderman will bring her cabaret show to the Blue Strawberry Showroom and Lounge. Louderman grew up in neighboring Bourbon, Missouri and started her career at The Muny. She took valuable time from her rehearsal schedule and her work with her non-profit organization, the Write Out Loud Project, to sit down with Broadway World and talk about her upcoming shows at Blue Strawberry.

Louderman said that her cabaret show is a reflection on her life with a focus on personal gratitude for her journey. “It’s scary to be vulnerable and look back at the highs and lows. I’ll talk about roles that I did and didn’t get.” She mentioned her set will include one of her signature songs from Mean Girls, Popular from Wicked – she auditioned to play Glinda on stage and film, and something from Waitress that resonates with her newer role as a mom. “I’m hopeful my stories and my music will connect with the audience.”

Her family moved to Missouri when Taylor was in second grade.  She credits her father as being one of the biggest influences on her love of theater. “My dad is stoic when were out and about, but when we are at home he is silly, sings, and tells stories,” Louderman said. “He would laugh if he heard me sat that.”

When talking about other performers that have also influenced her love of theater, Louderman mentions Kelli O’Hara and Annaleigh Ashford. As fate would have it, she and Ashford played the same role on Broadway. Ashford originated the role of Lauren in Kinky Boots, a part that Louderman would later play both on Broadway and in The Muny’s 2019 production.

“I fell back in love with theater when I did Kinky Boots,” she said. “It was the first time I got to play a goofy and kookier role.” She talked about how gratifying it was to hear people laughing and having a good time in the theater. “That role meant so much to me. It was empowering.”

Louderman was nominated for a Tony award for her work as Regina George in Tina Fey’s Mean Girls on Broadway. “It is an amazing honor to originate a role and lead a show, but it is also an enormous responsibility.” She talked about the long process of creating a new show with the production team, the leadership responsibility for the morale of the company, the ongoing rehearsals to ensure the preparation of the swings and standby performers, working with the press, and campaigning through awards season. “It is much more work than people realize, and the work continues even after the show is opened,” she said, “it’s a big job.”

When talking about her Broadway debut in Bring It On, she said, “I was in my early 20’s when I did Bring It On and didn’t fully grasp the enormity of the pressure. And that, to be honest, was probably for the best,” she laughed.

The Muny’s Mike Isaacson and his business partner Kristin Caskey produced the tour and subsequent Broadway production of Bring It On. Louderman recalled that during rehearsals for Legally Blonde at The Muny, Isaacson pulled out of the rehearsal room. “He told me that he was going to change my life,” she humbly shared. Louderman was cast in the lead role as Campbell Davis and her career took off.

Even though Louderman has enjoyed great success on the stage, she is most proud of the non-profit organization she founded. The Write Out Loud Project gives aspiring composers and lyricists the opportunity to submit their work to a song writing contest and have their work heard.

She told Broadway World, “We get submissions from high-school students who are recording in their bedrooms, from an eye doctor who has always wanted to write songs, to a 40-year-old in Texas who is wondering if their work is good.”

Following the contest, three songs are chosen to become a part of an album that are performed by Broadway artists. Another 10 songs are selected to be included in a concert at 54 Below in New York. The songs are arranged, orchestrated, and played by a band for recording and the concert. “It is so rewarding,” she gushed, “It’s magical. I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Building her own cabaret show is something she has been wanting to do for a long time. There is no doubt after speaking with Louderman that both her talent and generous spirit will come through, loud and clear, during her performances at the Blue Strawberry.