Aneesa Folds Is Digging Redhead Life in the Parent Trap Sendup Ginger Twinsies

Once upon a time, at the end of the last century, The Parent Trap introduced Lindsay Lohan as 11-year-old identical twins, raised on different continents and thrown together at a summer camp in Maine. Unbelievable hijinks ensue, filmed in typical Nancy Meyers splendor and featuring an enchanting performance by Natasha Richardson (in her Cabaret era) as a mother who somehow abandoned one of her daughters to be raised by Dennis Quaid at a Napa Valley winery. This rich stew inspired writer/director Kevin Zak to create Ginger Twinsies, the insanely funny new parody now playing downtown at the Orpheum Theatre with Aneesa Folds as Hallie, the American twin.

This fast-moving farce is just the latest opportunity for Folds to display the range of her talent, which spans hip-hop improv (Freestyle Love Supreme on Broadway), new musicals (Trading Places at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre) and her own solo show, Why Am I Here? It’s been a busy year for Folds, who is featured on the Warriors concept album and recently starred in the new hip-hop musical Co-Founders at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater. In a chat with Broadway.com during previews, she shared her love of The Parent Trap and credited Lin-Manuel Miranda with expanding her career horizons.

Ginger Twinsies is 80 minutes of nonstop laughs. What’s the experience like for the cast?

What can I say? It feels like you’re being shot out of a cannon. We came off stage after the first preview amazed that the audience was laughing at things we didn’t even know were jokes. My friend was sitting next to someone saying the words line for line, which was hilarious. Kevin Zak is just a genius, and there truly is something for everyone in this show.

Did you feel right away that The Parent Trap would be a good basis for a satirical play?

Oh, I love The Parent Trap. I’m a born-and-raised Disney kid, and I’ve seen the movie a million times. I love Nancy Meyers’ direction. I love her elaborate sets and amazing kitchens. I love seeing all the rich white people in her movies. It didn’t bother me at the time that there were no Black people in it, but in our version, there are. [laughs] I was watching the movie again the other day with my mom and my little sister, and I said, “I’m just warning you, [our show] is not PG.”

The audience goes wild for Phillip Taratula in drag as Meredith Blake, the dad’s conniving young girlfriend—and Elaine Hendrix, who played Meredith in the movie, is a co-producer of Ginger Twinsies.

We love Elaine, and Elaine loves the show. Have we heard anything from Nancy? No. Nancy, if you’re out there, come to New York. We just want to hang out.

You and Russell Daniels [as Annie, the British twin] re-create some iconic scenes, including ear-piercing, off-the-wall pranks and a misbegotten camping trip. Meanwhile, you two are surrounded by chaos.

Russell is so much fun to work with. When he puts on that wig, he really transforms into a young lady. I think he’s so cute. I love my sister. [laughs] Kevin was strategic about who he put into these roles, and everyone gets their chance to shine. Everyone is funny and talented and also just good humans, so it’s good vibes all around.

Speaking of your wigs, they’re such a pretty, rosy shade.

Thank you! My sister said, “You should dye your hair that color.”

Your work is so multifaceted, from singing with Broadway Inspirational Voices to hip-hop improv in Freestyle Love Supreme to book musicals to your own solo show. Where did that versatility come from?

Probably from being a kid with a big imagination. I love music; I love theater; I love hip hop; I’m inspired by everything around me. I just came from playing the lead in a new musical called Co-Founders, and after my last show in San Francisco, I got on a redeye, landed in New York at 5AM and went into rehearsal for Ginger Twinsies at 10AM. That was a crazy day, but I’m counting my blessings.

Did you ever feel you had to choose between the hip-hop world and musical theater world?

No, and I’m so happy that I get to flex my comedy muscles on this show, to let people know that this is also something I enjoy doing. I created my one-woman show, Why Am I Here?, because I wanted to use every bit of my talent—the comedy, the improv, the hip hop, the vocals—and make something uniquely my own. I don’t feel like I have to pick a specialty, and I encourage other young artists to make their own art and show up authentically as themselves.

What’s the status of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis’ Warriors? You played Cleon on the recording. Do you think it will be staged soon?

I’m not at liberty to say. I can tell you that there will be a [silent disco] listening party at Lincoln Center on July 30! I have a show, but I’m going to try to make it.

What neighborhood did you grow up in, and who were your musical inspirations?

I was born and raised in Queens, and I live in Brooklyn now, sort of like The Warriors. So many [of my inspirations] are on that album: Nas, who was one of our producers; Busta Rhymes; Ms. Lauryn Hill. And, gotta say, to be on a song with her on the Warriors album is insane. I’m wearing a Whitney Houston shirt right now—she’s one of my inspirations. I’m inspired by people who make art, anyone being brave doing their thing.

Speaking of Lin, you appeared in Freestyle Love Supreme before and after the pandemic. What did you learn working with him?

I was a fan first. I saw In the Heights lots of times—it was the show that influenced me to audition for school for theater, rather than vocals, because I realized you can do so many genres in theater. [Folds is a graduate of the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music, Dance and Theater.] I saw Freestyle Love Supreme in high school, and when they announced the Freestyle Love Supreme academy, I took a class, and it felt so natural. I used to bang on the tables in high school and make my friends rap with me. That show taught me so much about myself and how to [navigate] this industry, where you sometimes get put in a box. When I was in college, there was no way I thought I would ever be leading a show, and now I’ve led multiple shows. I never thought I would get to be the ingenue. Freestyle taught me that I’m enough as myself and encouraged me in how I show up in the world, how my voice has power—and how to stand up for myself as someone who has been super shy and anxious.

There’s nothing shy or anxious about the work you’ve been doing.

The thing I love about freestyle and improv is that whatever you’re feeling, you can’t take it on stage. You have to be present, listening and ready to give back to whoever is giving something to you. It’s the same with this show. This is a vehicle of joy, and we’re allowing the audience to leave whatever they have going on outside and just enjoy 80 minutes of laughter. Let’s have fun! That’s what the world needs right now.