Sierra Boggess Talks Performing at 54 Below, Supporting The Little Mermaid Casting & 'Not Being Done' with Into the Woods

Sierra Boggess is gearing up for another stint of concerts at the downtown cabaret venue Feinstein's/54 Below from August 1 through 4 and she came to Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive to talk all about it. "I always want my concerts to feel like it's for you, the people," she said to Beth Stevens. "I always go into it asking how I can serve others to feel like they're getting something. It's all about light right now because it's such uncertain times we live in. I always channel that into my shows. I love this venue, it feels intimate and like family. I want us to have an evening together where I sing the songs you know. I'm singing from Phantom, Into the Woods— we’re going through the resume."

Known for her starring turns in Broadway's The Little Mermaid, The Phantom of the Opera, School of Rock and It Shoulda Been You, Boggess added a new classic to her repertoire by playing Cinderella in the Hollywood Bowl production of Into the Woods. "Everybody in the show was like hand-meet-glove," she said. "None of us had ever played these roles before. Sutton Foster as The Baker's Wife? How has that not happened before? We're all devastated that it's over, it was only three days. I don't feel like I'm done with Into the Woods."

Not only was this production of Into the Woods extravagant due to the size of the Hollywood Bowl stage, but the costumes also held their own importance. "We had the original costumes from the original production of Into the Woods," Boggess said. "I called Chip Zien, whose one of my dear friends and played my father in It Shoulda Been You and was in the original production, when I got the call about doing this. He gave me stories that I honestly can never repeat. I sent him pictures of when I was having fittings like, 'Recognize any of this?' and he was literally crying over it. In this production, Cinderella falls down all the time, so by the end my dress was hanging on by a thread."

Boggess made her Broadway debut as the beloved Ariel in The Little Mermaid, and when the casting was announced about who would be splashing their fins around in the upcoming live-action remake, she was quick to show her support. "I was so thrilled when Halle Bailey was announced," Boggess said. "I couldn't believe the amount of backlash. I truly believe at the core of us we are awesome people. It's like in South Pacific, you need to be carefully taught. No one is born racist, you need to be very carefully taught. People are misinformed and take this ownership over the character, but nowhere in the script does it say Ariel is a white girl with red hair. She's a mermaid. We all know that representation matters and to think of all the little girls who have never seen themselves represented before makes me weep. This is the world Ariel wants to join, so don't not welcome her."

It's obvious that The Little Mermaid holds a special place in Boggess' heart, and was confirmed by the fact that a certain show prop has stayed with her all these years. "I still have my rehearsal Heeleys," she said of the iconic skater-shoes the cast wore on stage during the production. "I pulled them out when I was Marie Kondo-ing my apartment and I asked, 'Do they spark joy?' And they did."

Be sure to catch Boggess at Feinstein's/54 Below from August 1-4!

Watch the full #LiveAtFive episode below!