Sutton Foster Says She's Dancing in Her Closet Right Now—And You Should Be, Too
Not to worry; Sutton Foster is healthy and happy. While the spread of COVID-19 has temporarily shuttered Broadway, the two-time Tony winner, set to return to the stage in a star-studded revival of The Music Man, has fled the city to her lakeside home, with husband, daughter—and dog Mabel, of course—in tow. “All of these plans that we make change. You have to just appreciate and hold tight to the people around you,” said Foster in Broadway.com’s first episode of #LiveAtFive: Home Edition with Paul Wontorek. “We’re making some really amazing memories out of this. It’s simpler times. A lot of cooking. A lot of movies.”
When you’re a creature of the stage and far from the bright lights of Broadway, there’s only so much you can do to stay in the game, said Foster. “At our house at the lake, we have a giant walk-in closet. I lock myself in there, and I dance.” she laughed. “It’s a big closet!” But to the star, simple joys like closet dancing are necessary for getting through rough times. “One of my mottos—whether or not this stuff is going on—is to do something creative every day,” said Foster. “I don’t wait for the phone to ring to tell me to be creative.” Perseverance means knowing you have the power to be imaginative, she said. “I’m constantly working on something or crafting something, especially when you’re not relying on an audience applauding you for your happiness or your identity.”
For this Broadway star, staying creative means binging the Food Network for new penne alla vodka recipes, putting together a swing set with her dad in the backyard or singing with Emily, her three-year old daughter who just discovered The Sound of Music. “When the movie started, she was like, ‘I don’t know this music.’ She looked at me with such betrayal that I had been keeping The Sound of Music from her,” Foster laughed. “We listened to it in the car, and we watched the movie a bazillion times. She taught herself to sing ‘Do Re Mi’ and ‘My Favorite Things.’ She has really good pitch."
While Broadway has temporarily closed, Foster said she's hopeful the earlier planned revival of The Music Man, also starring Hugh Jackman, is still on. Before Broadway shut down, The Music Man team had begun preliminary rehearsals. “We did a two and a half week workshop with just the two of us and [director Jerry Zaks] and [choreographer Warren Carlyle]. We worked on dancing and singing and scenes," she said. Expectedly, working with Jackman was a joy. "You know what’s crazy about Hugh Jackman?” she said rhetorically. “Hanging out with him is like a non-event, and I mean that in the highest compliment. He’s the most talented, generous guy, and I keep having to remind myself it’s him. He just really wants to do a good job.” Foster said she was initially unsure about accepting the role of Marian the librarian in The Music Man, but rehearsing calmed her fears. "I started off feeling really terrified and paralyzed,” she said. "By the end, I was like, ‘Let's go! Let’s go!'”
Soon, Sutton, soon.
Watch the rest of Foster's #LiveAtFive: Home Edition interview (the first!) below.
