Erin Davie

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Currently: Making her Broadway debut as budding debutante "Little" Edie Beale in Grey Gardens.

Beginnings: Davie felt the call of the stage after seeing her first show, a touring production of Cats. "God bless tours!" she says with a laugh. "My mom dragged me, and I loved it. I wasn't a movie fan; I got the acting bug purely through the stage." After earning a theater degree from Boston Conservatory, Davie landed an agent, moved to New York and won roles in the national tours of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Swing! Later, however, she faced the tougher realities of making a living as a performer. "A lot of people are interested in you right out of school because you're young and fresh," she says. "But then there was a time when I didn't work for a year." That led to a period of painful self-doubt Davie cautions young performers against falling prey to. "When you don't get work, you just have to keep your chin up," she says. "There are so many great people who are working hard, and their hearts are so big—I feel for them."

Mother, Darling: The night before her audition, Davie watched the celebrated 1975 Grey Gardens documentary, which forms the basis for the second act of the musical. The film's portrayal of the strange dynamic between middle-aged Little Edie played onstage by Christine Ebersole and her invalid mother, "Big" Edie played by Mary Louise Wilson, struck a familiar chord with the young actress, who plays a young and innocent Little Edie in Act One. "Everybody always says, 'Oh, she's so crazy!' Davie notes of Little Edie, "and I'm like, 'No, I get it!' I come from a family of seven, and I grew up in one of the most dilapidated houses in the nicest neighborhood in Nashville. We were poor and there was a lot of bickering. I have family members who remind me of these people. I understand why they are the way they are."

The Girl Who Has Everything: Davie was working in a temp job late last summer when she got the call to come in the following day and present three scenes and sing two songs from Grey Gardens. Upon winning the highly coveted part, "My first thought was, 'Edie's probably up there helping me out,'" she says. "Have you ever felt like something's about to happen? This just felt really right." Joining an established company filled with theater notables proved to be a seamless experience, she adds, particularly her partnership with Ebersole, who plays Big Edie in Act One. "She's so comfortable being still onstage, which is something I'm working on," she says of Ebersole. "I'm that young, active, can't-sit-still person. I am learning so much from her."

Change Is Good: Well into previews, the creative team of Grey Gardens continued to tweak the show. In fact, as this interview began, Davie was studying a new prologue and opening being put in at that evening's performance—but she wasn't complaining. "As a temp sitting in an office, I felt my creativity shrinking away," she explains. "I think a lot of artistic people feel that way. I'm thrilled to be up here running around. I'm like, 'Give me a new page!'" The only down side: Davie's ear for accents has her speaking in Little Edie's patrician Yankee tones both on and offstage. "I'll have to reprogram myself after this show is done," she jokes.

Feeling the Love: "People come here and have a real human experience," Davie says of Grey Gardens audiences. "It touches them personally." She feels the same way: "I'm crying by the end of this show every night. Everybody can relate to having a parent getting older. Musicals tend to be funny and fluffy, but this is a meaningful, beautiful story that happens to be a musical. Everybody who sees it loves it, and that's why you should see it, too—aside from the fact I'm in it!"

Meet the Press: As she heads toward opening night, Davie is beginning to enjoy the perks of a high-profile show, including being the focus of a Broadway.com feature she's a fan of reading. "When you're at a temp job, you look at Broadway.com all day," she says, laughing. "You're like, 'Who's the new Fresh Face? Aww, who's that? How did she get that job?' Now I can't be all bitchy about it. Good for them and for me and all the others to come. I'm just so happy to be here."