“Someone who looks like me.” “If you can see it, you can be it.” Who would have thought Sutton Foster would ever have needed the kind of boost encoded in our current D.E.I. catchphrases? This, for the record, is the Broadway baby with the brassy pipes, the killer taps, and the feather-light comic touch—not to forget a best-actress-in-a-musical nomination for every day of the week. That’s right, seven so far, with wins for Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes. But check her out in the video teaser for the all-too-brief Encores! revival of Once upon a Mattress, wrapping up tomorrow at New York City Center. Buoyed sky-high on its infectious, 24-karat song list—music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer—this is the hit that shot Carol Burnett out of a cannon in 1959.
“I grew up watching The Carol Burnett Show,” Foster bubbles. “It was the first time I felt like I saw myself on TV. A tall, funny, goofy lady who could sing and dance and act and wasn’t afraid to be a fool. And I was like, ‘I want to do that.’” A fairy godmother was listening and came through in spades, as that septet of Tony nominations suggests. Among the portraits in Foster’s rogues’ gallery: Jo in Little Women, Princess Fiona in Shrek, Marian the librarian in The Music Man. And now, a second princess—Winnifred, known as “Fred,” irrepressible yet “shy” as only Burnett ever was shy—based on the heroine of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea.”
This winter, the planets seem to be aligning for Foster as never before. On February 9, a big two weeks and two days after opening as Fred, she takes possession of Mrs. Lovett’s Fleet Street pie shop in Thomas Kail’s award-winning revival of the Stephen Sondheim masterpiece Sweeney Todd. Aaron Tveit—late of Moulin Rouge! The Musical—joins her as the demon barber upstairs. While Foster was in rehearsal for Once upon a Mattress, we jotted down some questions about her schizophrenic doubleheader, hit Send, and crossed our fingers. And what do you know? We heard back.
MATTHEW GUREWITSCH: I picture you as a kid memorizing every second of the cast albums of Once upon a Mattress and Sweeney Todd. Did that happen?
SUTTON FOSTER: I actually wasn’t that familiar with either as a kid! The first time I heard of Sweeney Todd was when I was a freshman at Carnegie Mellon. It was the big musical there that year, and I became obsessed! But Once upon a Mattress I didn’t know at all until I started working on it for this production.
M.G.: How freaky is it to be working on Princess Fred and Mrs. Lovett for openings less than a month apart? Do you get mixed up? Both roles are brand-new for you, right?
S.F.: Right—and in order to make the scheduling work, I actually had to learn Mrs. Lovett first. I had about four weeks of rehearsals in December, and then I had my first put-in with the Broadway company with all the elements—set, lights, costumes, and even the orchestra—at the beginning of January. Then I had to move Sweeney Todd to my metaphorical back burner. It feels scary to learn it and then let it go for a few weeks, but I have to trust that it will still be there as I give Princess Fred my full attention.
M.G.: We’ve said good-bye to Angela Lansbury, who lives in legend as the original Mrs. Lovett, but Carol Burnett is still around. Have you checked in with her at all? Or are you deliberately starting from scratch?
S.F.: I have had the opportunity to talk with Carol Burnett several times. It still blows my mind. She is my hero. My idol. Who I grew up wanting to be! I think as far as Princess Fred goes … I’m just bringing as much of myself to the role as possible. But we have found some very specific ways of honoring Carol throughout the show.
M.G.: I’ve got to think that Mary Rodgers and Steve Sondheim, wherever they are, are watching and rooting for you. Have they been sending notes? Brain waves?
S.F.: Ah!!! I love imagining that! I hope so! And I hope to honor them and make them proud.
The Encores! Once upon a Mattress is on at New York City Center until February 4. Sweeney Todd, starring Sutton Foster and Aaron Tveit, will begin February 9 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Matthew Gurewitsch writes about opera and classical music for AIR MAIL. He lives in Hawaii
