Allison Fischer

Currently: Playing the precocious and ferocious eternally 10-year-old vampire Claudia in the new mega-musical Lestat. The role was previously made famous by Kirsten Dunst in the film Interview with the Vampire.

Hometown: Northern New Jersey

Down the Halls: While Fischer has a number of regional and off-Broadway credits already under her belt, the youngest of the Lestat principals has been hard at work in recent months on her breakout Broadway role: finding her bratty and murderous inner child, perfecting her Elton John/Bernie Taupin-penned solo, "I Want More," doing her school work, learning to navigate the maze of the Palace Theatre and sucking down cherry menthol cough drops. "I go through like two bags in two weeks!" But on April 25 when the show officially opens and she heads back to high school, her life will return to normal…sort of. "I miss seeing my friends every day," the teen actress says, "but I'm so happy to get to do this part every night!"

All Dolled Up: Fischer was an eighth grader when she first began playing Claudia in early readings of Lestat. Now a high school junior, the petite actress says that looking the part is less of a challenge than sounding it. "My costume is all fluffy and I'm already all buttered up like a 10-year-old, so I think the hardest part is making sure I sound right from the stage," she explains intently. But she also understands the psyche of her character all too well. "I really feel this role isn't too far from me, myself. In the musical and the play and Anne Rice's books, Claudia is a 40-year-old woman with no body, and I'm a 17-year-old with not much! It doesn't bother me as much as it bothers her, but I feel like I can relate."

Father May I?: As she puts it, Claudia "really doesn't have many moral dilemmas. I think the greatest thing about her is her feistiness and her viciousness. I think she's one of the crazier vampires," she laughs. Fischer, on the other hand, holds tight to her strong religious beliefs. She rejects suggestions that the subject matter conflicts with her faith, though, citing some words of wisdom from a trusted advisor: "I went to my priest back at home and was like, 'What do you think about me being in, like, a dark, vampire show?' and he even said, 'It's just entertainment! It's make-believe. I want to come see it!'"

Rock Out: Fischer's character isn't on stage until the show's second act, so she takes that time to bond with Jim Stanek, who plays Louis, her onstage caretaker. "I come knockin' on the door like, 'Hey, whatcha doing?'" she giggles. "If he wasn't in this cast I think it would be boring! Well, not boring…but there's just such a life in him." She describes her Lestat longtime Phantom Hugh Panaro as "an angel on earth," and the newbie is thankful to have Broadway regular Carolee Carmello on hand for a bit of female bonding. "We've done photo shoots and stuff like that and she can always tell if I'm uncomfortable with something we're wearing. She really gets that and she is so kind. I don't think she's had one voice lesson in her life and the voice is, like, crazy," she says in awe. The budding songwriter is also taking notes from rocker Drew Sarich, the show's Armand. "Drew is just cool. He likes good music and plays guitar and that's totally me. I love the same kind of music he does–I have like five Beatles t-shirts—but we also both like AC/DC and Guns 'N Roses."

Sound Advice: "I consider myself very lucky," Fischer says, speaking with a maturity beyond her years. "I feel like I got into the real world at a young age and I don't think that's bad at all." As for other kids with Broadway dreams, she offers a quote from her dad: "'Luck is preparation meets opportunity!' I would also say, don't take anything too seriously. I think that's a whole life quote, though really," she says with a smile.