Currently: Making her Broadway debut in the role of Kennedy-era TV integrationist Tracy Turnblad in the Tony-winning musical Hairspray. She's reprising the role after winning kudos around the country for her performance in the national tour.
Hometown: Muskegon, Michigan.
Road Trip: Carly Jibson was discovered by her now-agent while performing in a show called Crash Nation in Michigan, was invited to audition for the Hairspray tour and won the role. At the time, she was a high school senior, but despite her youth, she adjusted easily to life on the road. “I didn't get to go to college, so this was my college experience,” she explains. “Touring is such a fantasy lifestyle anyways. When you're in a situation like that, when you're stuck on a tour with the same 60 people; it's like being in college. So it was just what I needed. It was comfortable enough because I wasn't quite yet on my own, but it was just enough freedom for me to grow up a little, which is what I had to do.”
Break A Leg: While Jibson did enjoy the touring life, the Hairspray road company was riddled with problems, leading Jibson to nickname it, “The National Disaster Tour.” She explains, “We were in rehearsals during the blackout. Hurricane Isabel shut us down after opening night in Baltimore. We had a fire where we had to stop the show in Hartford. Then, we had a bomb threat at our hotel in Providence and no one could leave. In Chicago, one of the pipes broke. In Denver, I tore a muscle in my back and had to go down in the middle of the show. Good times, man. Good times.”
My Two Moms: While having both Bruce Vilanch and Michael McKean as mothers might drive some kids into therapy, Jibson has found working with both men rewarding. “Bruce was my first mom. He's so brilliant, and we created our roles together,” she says. “Fifty percent of my Tracy is because of Bruce. He'll be so irreplaceable in my heart, as everyone feels when they create something with somebody. And I felt that way until I came here and started working with Michael. We started to create this new bond, and my Tracy changed because of it. It's not better, it's just a little bit deeper. The great thing about Michael is that he is a parent, so that comes off in his performance. He's very warm in that sense, as opposed to just being funny.”
Anatomy of a Turnblad: When asked if she has a favorite moment in Hairspray, Jibson is quick to answer, “I like the dodgeball scene, where I'm laying on the ground. I look forward to that every night. Fifty five seconds of rest!” Nap time aside, Jibson also likes to show us the softer side of Tracy. “I love a lot of the scenework in the first Motormouth scene with Tracy and her mom. I feel like this gives the character some room. She's cute and she jumps around and everything, but this gives her a chance to be a real person. I mean, she's 16, and she just had her heart broken. It changes every night, and I look forward to seeing what the dynamic will be and how it will go.”
She Works Hard For The Money: There's one thing Jibson wants everybody out there to know: Broadway is hard work. “That is the fortunate and unfortunate part of taking on the lead role in a Broadway show,” she says. “It has to be that important to you. As [original Tracy Turnblad] Marissa [Jaret Winokur] always said, you have to become a nun. I have to get nine hours of sleep a night, or my voice will not work. I just cleaned my entire bathroom and kitchen today, because I'm so allergic to mold. It's stupid things like that. I can't put myself in a situation where I'll have to talk loud, or I have to cut cell phone conversations short.” Though, she will grant that the opportunity to have this role outweighs the inconveniences. “People always ask me if it's as fun as it looks, and it really is. Not every day, but some days it's just like… Thank you! Thank you for letting me do this!”
