By: The Wheatley School students
Our Midterm Experience class had the opportunity to interview Broadway star Leslie Kritzer. Ms. Kritzer is currently starring as both Delia and Miss Argentina in the Broadway production of Beetlejuice. “This role has been my favorite because I’ve had the opportunity to play two characters and sing two complex songs,” she says of her experience so far. In the future, she’d love the opportunity to work with Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Broadway has always been Ms. Kritzer’s dream job. “The first time I knew I was meant to this was in seventh grade in middle school when I was in Hello, Dolly! and my whole family came to watch.” She got her first big leading role playing Fanny in Funny Girl. “I was only 23, and it was a very big deal and overwhelming because all eyes were on me,” she says.
Ms. Kritzer performs eight shows a week, and usually arrives at the theater at around 7 p.m. to get ready for an 8 p.m. show. When she gets there, she meets with her wig supervisor, grabs some coffee, and meets with her co-stars. Getting into her costume is one of the last things she does.
Doing live theatre, things are bound to go wrong sometimes, but Ms. Kritzer has learned to overcome that. “I only get nervous when I’m not feeling well,” she said. She told us about the time she got sick and couldn’t sing her song to the best of her ability, so she “reinvented the notes and it ended up being harmonious.”
On her rare day off, Ms. Kritzer likes to relax and do her laundry, get a manicure, and spend time with her family by going to the movies and restaurants. A fun fact about the native New Yorker is that her bagel of choice is toasted sesame or cinnamon raisin with cream cheese.