Kelly Sullivan

Hometown: Puyallup, Washington, "a small town tucked away up in the hills."

Currently: Playing Inga, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein's sweetly sexy lab assistant, in the Broadway production of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein.

Song & Dance: A classically trained singer who's equally gifted as a dancer? It's a rare combo, but Sullivan pursued these two seemingly incompatible specialties from a young age in rural Washington. Unsure how to blend her two interests—or even how to pursue any kind of performing career—she sought help from a pro after winning the soprano division in a state singing competition. "One of the judges had gone to Arizona State and told me that it had a great opera program," she recalls. An audition led to a scholarship, and the talented teen continued juggling voice and ballet until she realized that musical theater could be a great middle ground. "Classical training served me well because in almost every musical written before 1970 there's an ingenue role that's right for my voice and my look," she observes.

Chorus Line: Arriving in New York after graduation, Sullivan found quick success as a dancer, nabbing an ensemble role in the 2001 Broadway revival of Bells Are Ringing. "I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I'm making $1,250 a week!' It was a dream come true." After Bells' brief run, Sullivan passed muster with director/choreographer Susan Stroman for the ensemble in the Tony-winning dance musical Contact. "No speaking, no singing," she says now—which explains Stroman's surprised and delighted reaction when Sullivan opened her mouth to sing "Roll in the Hay" at her Young Frankenstein audition...but that's getting ahead of the story.

Go West! Eager to break out of the chorus, Sullivan set her sights on bigger roles at regional theaters, spending the next few years shuffling off to St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland, Chicago and more. "When I thought about where I wanted to be in five years, I saw myself doing roles like Inga [in Young Frankenstein]," she explains, "and I said, 'What do I need to do to prepare myself?' Working regionally is wonderful because it gives you the opportunity to challenge yourself." A personal highlight: playing Chicago's Roxie Hart for adoring audiences in Salt Lake City. "They treated us like rock stars!" she marvels. "Doing anything Fosse will change your life, but feeling the energy from those audiences in that show was unbelievable."

Hay There: In addition to Contact, Sullivan appeared in the "Springtime for Hitler" number in Susan Stroman's film version of The Producers but never got the chance to chat with Mel Brooks until her Young Frankenstein audition. "It was such a warm, positive experience," she says of meeting with Stroman, Brooks and a pack of producers. When the powers-that-be heard the bubbly blonde's pure soprano, the atmosphere got even warmer. Soon, however, the reality of replacing Sutton Foster as Inga kicked in. "Sutton makes everything look easy," Sullivan says with a laugh. "I had watched her on that hay cart [in the rollicking "Roll in the Hay" number] and thought, 'Okay, that's do-able.' But when I started rehearsals, I just said, 'You've got to be kidding. I can't do this!' It's a beautifully choreographed number and I've had to work very hard to try to make those details look seamless. And I'm yodeling, which is something I've never done before!"

Transylvania Mania: Sullivan embraces both the sensual and intellectual ! sides of Inga. "She's sort of the straight man in the show, like the character Kevin Kline played in A Fish Called Wanda," she says. "Inga states the obvious, but she's also very smart. I just try to play her honestly and directly—even though she happens to be walking around in a negligee." Sullivan shares a playful onstage chemistry with original cast member Roger Bart as her lover/boss, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein. "Roger and Chris Fitzgerald [Igor] and I have so much fun up there. They're always trying new things, and when everything clicks, it's like riding a wave."

Here Comes the Bride: As if winning a lead role in a hit Broadway musical wasn't enough excitement, Sullivan is also in the midst of planning her wedding to lawyer Brian Molinari on October 3. Appropriately enough, Molinari first laid eyes on his future bride six years ago when he treated his mom and sister to a performance of Contact at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre. "After the show, Brian's sister said to him, 'You should try dating a dancer. They seem like really neat people.' And he said, 'In my dreams!'" In a match made on Match.com, Brian and Kelly began dating two years ago, and he popped the question on Christmas Eve at the Lincoln Center fountain. Aww! "He always says, 'You opened up my world and introduced me to so many new things,' and he did the same for me," the happy bride-to-be says. "We couldn't be more opposite, but our relationship just works."