20 Questions: Broadway star Julia Murney
With credits including Wicked, The Wild Party and Lennon, Julia Murney is a favourite on Broadway, and she will soon play two shows at the Hippodrome Casino, Leicester Sq, on Monday 2 November 2015 at 8pm and 11pm.
The 11pm performance features guest appearances from West End stars including Eva Noblezada (Miss Saigon), Tim Driesen (Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages) and Joe Aaron Reid (Ghost, IF/THEN, In The Heights)
Ahead of her concert we caught up with Julia to find out a bit more about the woman behind the green make-up.
1. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in NYC.
2. What made you want to become an actor?
My father's an actor so I grew up around it, but in middle school I was in the school choir and that's where I started singing and when I was a teenager, I went to a theatrical summer camp and that sealed my fate.
3. If you hadn’t become an actor, what might you have done professionally?
Perhaps some kind of psychology.
4. First big break?
Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party in NYC – it was written on me and it changed everything.
5. Career highlight(s) to date?
Everything feels like a highlight, in it's way – from more known quantities like The Wild Party and Wicked, to lesser known shows like Lennon and Falling, to stuff I've done outside of NYC – it's always a delight to feel like you have a career at all!
6. Worst ever audition?
I couldn't possibly pick just one.
7. What was the first thing you saw on stage that had a big impact on you?
After my Dad and his friends that I knew, Dreamgirls on Broadway had a massive impact on me, both visually as well as musically.
8. And the last?
Holy cow, Hamilton. I can't wait to see it again.
9. Who are your idols?
Bette Midler, Steven Spielberg, any one with the guts to write.
10. What's the best advice you've ever been given?
Don't eat that.
11. Tell us more about your show.
It's a mix of things you may know and things you may not and I'm just hoping my humour translates!
12. Why did you want to bring your show to London?
I love London so very much. I spent a semester there when I was at University and am always thrilled at the chance to be there. To be singing there in such a beautiful room is beyond what I could have hoped for.
13. Favourite moment/line in the show?
The songs are really carefully chosen and I love them all for separate reasons but I get so nervous, my favourite moment may be when it's done and I make sure that no one died!
14. Any funny stories from being on the road?
Every backstage set up is different and when I started doing Wicked, I barely knew how to get through the show, so for my first few cities, there was a green person stepping offstage, turning to anyone who was near and saying 'help me… where where where do I belong?'
15. What do you enjoy most about acting?
The families that are created when a new group comes together to create something. It's very magical and very hard to replicate anywhere else.
16. And least?
The uncertainty about what may be coming next – it's very unnerving and doesn't get any easier.
17. If you could go back in time and see a single production, what would it be?
Oh wow, maybe opening night of something like Company? Or West Side Story? Or what about the first production of Hamlet? That would be something.
18. How do you unwind?
I hang out with my dog (yes, I said that), I watch cooking shows and reruns of Law and Order, and I love to bake.
19. If you could swap places with anyone for a day, who would it be?
Maybe someone like Michelle Obama to see what it's like to be in a position to be able to do a great deal of good on a wide scale.
20. What's next for you?
After the Hippodrome, I have three solo shows at 54 Below in NYC 19, 20, 21 November and they're completely different from the London shows, so I'm overwhelmed (but overwhelmed in the best way!)
Tickets for the performances are available here.
