Don't Svet It: Backstage at Chess With Hannah Cruz, Episode 3: Get This to the Marketing Team, STAT!

Hannah Cruz plays Svetlana in Chess on Broadway. For six weeks, she's checking in with fans from backstage at the Imperial Theatre. It's going to be game-changing.

Cruz kicks off episode three getting ready at home, where she explains the importance of scent to her process—she chooses a signature fragrance for every character she plays. Svetlana's is Red Moscow perfume (a.k.a. Krasnaya Moskva); as Inez in Suffs she jokes it was the smell of Tiger Balm because she used so much muscle rub while in performances. Beyond the stage, Cruz has a recurring role in The Copenhagen Test, a new Peacock series premiering on December 27. Starring Simu Liu and Melissa Barrera, Cruz plays a character named Rachel Kasperian. Well, she officially revealed Rachel's two fragrances in this week's vlog: "Vacation" by Vacation and Madame Rochas perfume for the first part of the series, which takes place in 1962. "This perfume was used by a lot of fancy ladies in that time, or ladies who wanted to smell fancy," Cruz adds. We love the attention to detail!

Back at the Imperial, Cruz gears up for opening with the rest of the cast. But first, a very important order of business: Bryce Pinkham pitches his ideas for the Chess themed drinks sold at the show, and honestly, he might have a future in marketing. "The Arbiter, we're calling the 'Artini' and then on two-show days, maybe the Espresso Artini," he riffs. Plus, Cruz chats with Ian Weinberger, Chess' music director. Watch the jam-packed episode below!

Episodes are released weekly on Fridays. You can also catch highlights on The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal.

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