What's Up, Christine Andreas? The Best of Times Is Now for La Cage's Sassy Jacqueline

After starring in a trio of Broadway musical revivals [My Fair Lady in 1976, Oklahoma as a brunette Laurey in 1979 and On Your Toes in 1983], Christine Andreas put her career on the back burner to raise her developmentally disabled son, Mac. A dozen years after Andreas co-starred in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Mac is grown and happily settled, and she’s having a ball as saucy bistro owner Jacqueline in the Tony-winning revival of La Cage aux Folles. The two-time Tony nominee recently chatted about her Broadway comeback and what it’s like to play the Palace Theatre unmiked.

It’s great to have you back on Broadway.
I’m having the time of my life! This part is not as big as I’m used to doing, but the more I thought about it, the more appealing it was to have time on my hands during the show yet still be wonderfully engaged. There is no major stress in what I have to deliver, which is unusual for me. This is an opportunity to have my life feel lighter. It’s just a blessing.

You stepped away from Broadway for a decade to care for your son, right?
It’s a deeper question and answer than that. If you have a special-needs child, you will be distracted—but any parent has a dual focus. Pimpernel was pivotal because I missed him and my stepdaughter so much; I had a speakerphone relationship with them. What really happened with my son was that instead of remaining this ambitious, arrogant singing machine, I slowed down. I wanted to take the time with him. And he’s doing great now. He’s in a wonderful group home with five other guys, 15 minutes from my house. He wanted his independence, and my life is back in my hands in a big way.

Given your real-life story, it’s perfect that you starred in the national tour of The Light in the Piazza.
I know. Five days after Mac moved into his group home, I was offered the role of a mother letting go of a special kid. It was completely gratifying, and I would kill to do that part again.

You did a southern accent in that show, and you’re dusting off your Scarlet Pimpernel French accent as Jacqueline.
I don’t think I’ve ever used my own voice in a show! It’s like those kids who only do melismas because they can’t sing a straight melody—what would I sound like if I did my own voice? [Laughs.]

Opening night at La Cage was so joyous, especially because [composer] Jerry Herman was there.
This is the other cool thing: In almost every show I’ve done, I’ve had some element of the original company. In My Fair Lady, I had the original producer and Bob Coote, the original Pickering. In Oklahoma, Agnes de Mille choreographed and Billy Hammerstein directed. In On Your Toes, it was George Abbott directing. The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Light in the Piazza had all the original creatives. And Jerry Herman is a friend. I call him every couple of weeks to tell him what’s happening, because he likes the inside scoop. He is so thrilled with this production.

What a lovely man he is.
We called him backstage on his birthday [Herman turned 79 on July 10] and he sent me the most beautiful voicemail. When Jerry speaks, everything he feels is in his voice. He said, “Tell the company I’m coming for that cast recording and I’m going to give everybody a big hug.” You almost cry when you hear that. Jerry Herman, who has received every accolade, still has so much humility about what he does.

You have a powerful soprano—and you've talked about the fact that 30 years ago, Broadway singers didn’t wear microphones.
No, no, no! My first three shows were completely unamplified. We had little floor mics at the edge of the stage. The old scores supported that. My Fair Lady, Oklahoma and On Your Toes were written so that when the singers go soft, the orchestra goes soft. What an idea! [Laughs.] Oklahoma was the most thrilling, because we played the Palace Theatre, which was a vaudeville house designed for unamplified voices. This concept is so alien to a lot of the kids in our company. I tell them there’s nothing like standing on a stage and hurling your voice. It’s a physical thing. It bounces off the back of the house and you can feel it coming back to you, like an energy wave.

The kids in La Cage must love hearing your stories.
I kind of appreciate being an older vet. I have the time to observe everybody and see who’s feeling fabulous and who’s feeling crappy. I try to go around and fill in the cracks here and there. A company is like a family. I said to Jerry [Herman], “Douglas Hodge is the mother, but I’m the fairy stepmother!”