Beth Leavel on Taking the Lead (in Spandex!) in Mamma Mia!

Nobody plays musical comedy—with the emphasis on comedy—better than Beth Leavel. From her Broadway debut 26 years ago as Anytime Annie in 42nd Street to her Tony-winning performance in the title role of The Drowsy Chaperone, Leavel has been a reliable laugh-getter, as well as a powerful singer and all-around stage presence. Now she’s stepping into the Broadway spotlight as Donna Sheridan in the long-running megahit Mamma Mia! and—sounding almost surprised—the down-to-earth actress says she is loving every ABBA-riffic minute. Leavel recently chatted with Broadway.com about her latest challenge and level-headed (or should we say leavel-headed?) approach to her career.

What’s fun about playing Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia!?
I’m the leading lady, three delicious men fall in love with me, I get to sing ABBA songs, and at the end I turn into a rock star, with the audience dancing in the aisles. You really can’t get much better than that. I am in Spandex—but whatever! It’s a unique experience, because the audience comes in knowing the music, ready to have a joyous escape. Last Sunday, there was a group of women in the mezzanine in pink boas, rocking out. That’s something I’ve never experienced. During the mega-mix [medley at the end of the show], I pointed to them, and they were like “Yeahhh!” It was awesome.

Were you surprised when this part came your way?
Yes. It was one of those auditions that came out of the blue. And sadly, I had never seen the show. When you’re doing eight shows a week, the last thing you want to do on your day off, particularly since I live in New Jersey, is come back into the city and see a show. When you’re not working, you can’t really afford it. When I saw it, I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is so much fun.” I got the part, and three months later, here we are.

Is it fair to say you bring more humor to the part?
I do. Not that that’s good or bad; it’s just me. I had the luxury of a fully realized rehearsal process because there were 12 of us going in at once, so I was able to explore and personalize the part. Making her funnier seems to be truthful to me—to my Donna. I’m also enjoying putting on my disco hat, because that was my era. I once won a disco dance contest!

Mamma Mia! is a show that people tend to be snobby about. Does that strike you as unfair?
Yeah, I think it’s a lot of New Yorkers’ guilty pleasure. They go, “Oh, Mamma Mia! I’ve seen it 18 times.” I’m like, “Exactly.” You go to have a good time, and it really succeeds in delivering that, like no other show. The audience leaves singing and dancing, and they’re so excited at the stage door.

Looking back on the night you won your Tony Award [for The Drowsy Chaperone], you must have felt the excitement from other Broadway actors.
To this day, that’s the comment I hear more than anything else: “You won it for us,” for the actors who have been working consistently in this industry. People tell me that they sobbed; that they felt like they had won. I can’t tell you how special that made me feel. I was representing what I call the “worker bees”—people who are working as much as they can and as often as they can to make a living out of this fantastic life.

How do you handle the uncertainty that goes with a musical actor’s life?
Just day by day, and year to year. I’ve been doing this— good god—for 25 or 26 years. If you ask any actor, with each job they say, “This will be my last job ever.” But you kind of get used to it and realize that it’s not going to be your last job. What makes this industry interesting is that you just never know when a new show like The Drowsy Chaperone is going to come your way and you’re going to win a Tony Award. You never know when they’re going to ask you to come in and audition for Young Frankenstein. What?! You never know when they’re going to ask you to audition for the lead in Mamma Mia! It’s very exciting, and there are days when it’s very terrifying. When I get in a show, I tend to stay for a while because I have kids and I’m a breadwinner.

Speaking of new shows, what’s up with Minsky’s? [Leavel played the title character’s comic sidekick in the L.A. production of a new musical directed by Drowsy’s Casey Nicholaw.]
That’s a very good question. They did a lot of rewrites, and the last time we did a reading, it was sensational. I think they’re waiting for the stars to align and see how it can breathe and have a life. I hope it does, because Charles Strouse and Susan Birkenhead wrote some fantastic numbers. The music needs to be heard.

A basic question: Were you always funny?
Yes. Ask my fifth grade teacher! She would point her finger, and I’d have to go into the hall and she’d give me the little lecture. Both of my parents have a wicked sense of humor, so I inherited that DNA. They’re not as obnoxious about it as I am, though.

I haven’t read much about your early career. You’re from North Carolina?
Yes, I’m from Raleigh. I was really late starting [as an actress]. I got a degree in social work counseling from Meredith College because there wasn’t a theater degree. I had a mentor there who encouraged me to explore this theater thing, so I got an M.F.A. from UNC-Greensboro. I was too chicken to consider moving to New York! I did some dinner theater in North Carolina and got my Equity card interning at Pennsylvania Stage Company, then made my Broadway debut after being in the first national tour of 42nd Street. The role of Anytime Annie opened up at the Majestic, and Gower Champion’s assistant said if I could learn the tap combination in four days, I would have the job. I worked very hard to become a tap dancer in four days!

And that got you started doing the quirky parts that have become your specialty?
Yes, the second bananas. They’re fun because you get the laugh, and apparently mama needs that [laughs]. Particularly in the new shows, if you can get a laugh, they give you stuff. Like in Drowsy, it was, “Try this. Try that.” It develops into some really good scenes. Now I’m all empowered by being the leading lady in Mamma Mia!

It must be nice, for a change, to do more than play the sidekick.
Completely! That they would take the risk, for lack of a better word, and trust me with this is a privilege. I really enjoy being the head cheerleader in this show.

How old are your sons now?
Believe it or not, my oldest turned 20 two days ago. What?! [Laughs.] He grew up playing on the set of Crazy for You because we lived in Hell’s Kitchen then. My husband would bring him over during two-show days, and they would let him ride the [prop] car. He was kind of weaned backstage. My younger one is 14. I went into Show Boat four weeks after he was born. Hello!

How did you manage the career/parenting juggle?
My husband was the most fantastic stay-at-home dad. During that time I was work-work-working, he decided to be at home, so that left me completely available to pursue my career. Plus we had just bought a house, and he was ridiculously talented at fixing up our fixer-upper.

The kids thought that was great, I bet.
They don’t know any different. Their heads would spin off if I had a nine-to-five job, What would it be like for my mother have the weekend off? I could never go to Saturday concerts and stuff like that. Monday is our family’s weekend. But that’s all they’ve ever known.

Will either of them go into acting?
Not in any way, shape or form. T.J., my oldest, has a magnificent voice but couldn’t care less. He did The Music Man in middle school and he was fantastic, but you have to have that passion and that drive and he doesn’t. That could change; I certainly started late. Both boys are great kids. I’m very lucky.

So, do you see yourself staying for a while in Mamma Mia!?
I’m having the time of my life, and we’ll just see what and when the next door opens. And if it doesn’t, I’m happy running that hotel in Greece and being a rock star.

See Beth Leavel in Mamma Mia! at the Winter Garden Theatre.