Not many performers premiere at Carnegie Hall amongst a throng of children. For Jessie Mueller, the former star of Broadway's Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, that is precisely how she'll make her debut there this Saturday afternoon, April 18th. Mueller is the headliner for the Carnegie Hall Family Concert Take the Stage with Broadway Stars.
"It's such a great way to perform there for the first time, because it will be as much about the kids as it will be about the people performing," an excited Mueller said earlier this week during a phone interview. "It will be very interactive," she continued. "We're going to have the kids learn songs to sing and dance with us. we'll also be in and out of the audience, so it's going to be really cool."
The 90-minute program will consist mainly of familiar songs from hit shows like Les Miserables, The Sound of Music, and the show that earned her a Tony Award, Beautiful. In addition, she'll be joined with a chorus composed of working Broadway talent.
Since Mueller departed the production of Beautiful last month, she admits that it has been an adjustment to not perform the show each day, but it's also given her the chance to catch up on "life stuff" since the show was "all-consuming." Still she acknowledges how rewarding and humbling the experience was and is eagerly looking forward to her next project, a new musical based on the film Waitress. Music will be composed by singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and Diane Paulus will direct. She'll head to Boston's American Repertory Theater to work on it in June, with an eye pointed towards Broadway.
For now, Mueller is thrilled to be taking the stage at the world-famous venue on Saturday afternoon. "It's appropriate for all ages, and will be fun, free, and easy, which is something you wouldn't ordinarily expect at Carnegie Hall," she remarked. "For children to come to this venue and experience live music in this acoustic environment is going to be really great. It feels like we're doing this for the kids, which are for all the right reasons," she added.
Jessie Mueller in Carnegie Hall's Family Concert: Take the Stage with Broadway Stars. Saturday, April 18 @ 3 PM ET at Carnegie Hall, 57th street and 7th ave.
Tickets, priced $10, $16, and $22, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org
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