What's Up, Syesha Mercado? Hey, Simon: This Idol is a Dreamgirl Now!

She may have played second fiddler to the “David versus David” rivalry on American Idol’s seventh season, but second runner-up Syesha Mercado is confidently taking the spotlight now in a shiny new Dreamgirls, currently kicking off a national tour at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. As Diana Ross doppelganger Deena Jones, the 22-year-old Florida native is making her professional stage debut in a dream of a part. Broadway.com caught up with Mercado during a break from rehearsals for the show, which opens officially on November 22.

You’re on the stage of the legendary Apollo, and you’re playing Deena Jones in Dreamgirls. Having a diva moment or what?!
It’s definitely a dream come true. It’s a dream role. All of my cast members are just so grateful for the opportunity to do this show. We’re like a big family.

You know, that’s a song. [Singing] “We are a family…”
[Laughs.] Yeah! And we are a family. It’s so cliché and corny but it’s really true.

How did you start in musical theater?
I did my first play in elementary school. It was called One Special Cookie, a Christmas play, and my first leading role. I remember raising my hand in music class when the teacher asked, “Does anyone want to play the part of Sarah?” I was like, “Yeah, I want to do it!”

What was your first exposure to Dreamgirls?
I found the libretto to the show in a closet in our house when I was in elementary school. I saw those legs and the long dresses with the slits up the side on the cover and I was like, “What is this?” It was my mom’s libretto. It turns out she auditioned for the original Broadway production, so she shared all her audition stories. Then when I got to high school, I started singing songs from the show.

Your mom has a Motown background.
She used to sing backup for Pops Staples. She did a lot of plays when she was younger as well, a lot of community theater in Sarasota, Florida, where I grew up.

Have you seen any of Sheryl Lee Ralph’s performance as the original Broadway Deena, or is Beyonce more of a reference point for you?
I saw Beyonce in the movie, and I’ve watched video clips online of Sheryl Lee Ralph. Her manager tweeted me on Twitter to tell me that she’s coming to see the show! I hear she’s amazing.

Have you met Beyonce?
No, but I have met all of the Dreams from the movie expect for Beyonce. I met Jennifer Hudson when she was in New York for the Wizard of Oz concert, and I met Anika Noni Rose at New 42nd Street Studios, where we were rehearsing, in the elevator.

You sang Deena’s movie song “Listen” on the American Idols Live tour. Trying to tell everyone something?
That song has been a part of my life since the movie came out. I sang it on the tour for 53 shows and then I actually auditioned for Dreamgirls with the new version. I’ve been singing “Listen” for many, many years!

Now it’s been added to the show as a duet, right?
Yeah, it’s a reconciliation song for Effie White and Deena Jones when they meet up for the first time in seven years. It’s definitely a big eleven o’clock number in the second act, and a magical moment.

I hear you’re both singing your faces off.
[Laughs.] I hope that’s what you’re hearing!

When you were on American Idol, Simon Cowell chastised you for being “too Broadway” for the competition.
When he first made those comments, it bothered me simply because I didn’t want to be pigeonholed. No entertainer wants to do just one thing or be put in a box. But then I reminded myself that Broadway is something I’ve always wanted to do. So when Simon said, “I see you doing Broadway,” that was OK with me!