Christy Carlson Romano: A Happy Broadway Homecoming

About the author:
Talk about a Broadway baby: Christy Carlson Romano made her professional debut at seven in the national tour of The Will Rogers Follies, sang with the Broadway Kids, played doomed Mary Phagan in the musical Parade and became the youngest actress to star as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Now, at 24, she’s doing double duty as Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q. But Broadway is just one section of Romano’s overstuffed resume. An Emmy nominee for playing the title role in the animated series Kim Possible, she became a favorite of young audiences in Disney’s Even Stevens and Cadet Kelly. Then there's her movie work Everyone Says I Love You, recordings, voiceovers and—did we mention?—she wrote a novel, Grace’s Turn, that was named teen book of the year by the New York Public Library. Busy, busy young lady! Luckily, this Connecticut native took time to share her thoughts about coming home to Broadway with a couple of cute puppets by her side.

When someone asks how I spent my time amidst the confusion and upheaval following the writers’ strike in Hollywood, my answer, in two words? Puppet Sex.

“You want me to do what?” I, incredulous, asked my current employers, the producers of Avenue Q. We’re not in Disneyland anymore, Toto. Or, should I say, Trekkie Monster? I digress.

The way I look at it, when the going gets tough, the tough go to Broadway. It had been four years since I’d been on stage when I got the call to audition for the dual roles of Lucy the Slut and Kate Monster in Avenue Q. While I had auditioned for a couple of plays in L.A., I didn’t know if I had what it took to make it back home.

Take it from me: Transitioning into an adult actor in Hollywood is about as awkward as sprouting a chest in a house full of guys. It’s a strange, murky time that no one wants to talk about. Everyone just wants it to be over with quickly. That’s why I jumped at the chance, though not without some measure of caution, at auditioning for Avenue Q.

At the time, I didn’t realize that my voiceover experience would come into such good use. Both my higher and lower register are required to manipulate the vocal dichotomy between these two very different characters on a nightly basis. The puppetry was the cherry on top.

Before every show, I stare at Kate Monster for a solid two minutes. I hold her; I kiss her, as if she was a long lost teddy bear from my youth. Yeah—it’s sick, I know. But it gets me to a state of suspended belief so I may entertain 800 people. If I don’t believe my puppet is real, no one else will. What’s more, our focus and movements will be out of sync. And that’s not what my predecessors deserve for all their hard work in developing Q from the ground up. As you can see, I take puppet sex very seriously!

Life takes you in many different directions. East, west, straight, not so straight and—my favorite—the circle.

Coming back to New York and back to Broadway has made me appreciate where I came from: the best business in the best city in the world. Every day, my walk to work has become a history lesson of my theater brat life. I start at Lincoln Center, where I performed Hal Prince’s Parade and cross-trained my way out of the School of American Ballet. I never wanted to learn French. I see my school, The Professional Children’s School, at 60th and Tenth, which afforded me the luxury of midday callbacks paired with midday midterms. I pass the Palace Theater, where I booked my first job in The Will Rogers Follies at seven years old. I see the old Broadway Dance Studio, my version of the cheerleading team until I was 14.

Then I land at the Golden Theater, home of my current chapter, Avenue Q. The next stop could be Grand Central to complete the journey on the red line back to my hometown of Milford, Connecticut. I always smile as I enter my stage door, knowing full well that I will never forget the road back to home.