| Talking Broadway with J. Elaine Marcos |
| Written by Joey Franco | |||
| Wednesday, 20 June 2012 02:10 | |||
 J. Elaine Marcos is no stranger to the Broadway stage. The Canadian actress has performed in seven Broadway productions; Song, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, A Chorus Line, The Wedding Singer, Sweet Charity, Wonderful Town, Flower Drum and Miss Saigon. She will star in the upcoming Broadway revival of Annie this fall. The stage ace talked to TimesSquare.com about Broadway and Annie. TimesSquare.com( T.S): How different is it in New York City from back home in Ontario? J. Elaine Marcos(JEM): I pretty much came here probably about 10 years ago... I'm so used to living here that when I went home for the Priscilla out of town tryouts a year and a half ago, it really changed. I was just a kid in Toronto, and then I came back working. I'm kind of used to New York being my adult life. Its just fast paced, it has a vibe that you kind of need to keep up with. TS: You mentioned the Toronto production of Priscilla, how is that production different from the Broadway version? JEM: Oh, they're very similar, not too many big changes... probably just a line or two here and there, so it pretty much stayed in tact, and for me it just got more and more fun. TS: So you're sort of a Broadway veteran... JEM: (Laughing)Oh its funny when people say that... you always remember the time when you were the young person. TS: What would you say is your favourite Broadway role that you have had the pleasure of interpreting? JEM: Playing the role of Cynthia in Priscilla has been by far my favourite. It's a character that I think I've kind of been playing all my life in a way. The character resembles my mom , when you play a character that is so close to you, its so much fun to do. I love this character in that sense. TS: Now, this is a role that is unfortunately coming to an end for you, any sadness, or are you excited to move on to the next thing? JEM: There's always a sadness. I'm always ready to move on, but I'm really glad I get to close off the show. There's nothing like closing off a show... I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but I've had the opportunity or the luck to close off a lot of shows. That closing night performance is such an amazing experience, you'll always remember it. TS: You also have plenty of Television credits to your name. Do you enjoy musical theatre or television more? JEM: If anything, ideally, I need both. The live aspect in the theatre is like nothing else . When I work on in the film and television medium I still try to keep that type of energy. I really like both, they tap into different areas that I love to work. TS: And of course you'll be playing Lily St. Regis in the Broadway revival of the Tony Award winning Annie. Have you started to prepare for this role? JEM: Not yet. I'm very excited about it, and just the other day I met the girl who's playing Annie. I just don't want to get ahead of myself... its not until August. I just want to wait till the beginning of August and then think about it. TS: You also do stand up comedy. JEM: Yes, I love comedy. TS: When did you realize you were funny? JEM: I just realized that it was something that I can use to, first of all get attention... in auditions you need to get a lot of attention, and I realized that's where I need to really hone my skill, so that when I go into auditions I can grab their attention. I used to do a lot of improv comedy with groups, and improv comedy really involves group energy and ensemble work. Once I started doing Broadway shows, I didn't have time to rehearse with my improv groups anymore... so I still wanted that fix of comedy and creativity, so I decided to do comedy on my own. Standup is very close to doing an audition, you kind of need to grab their attention right away. So, in a way, I think I was just trying to really work on that skill of putting myself in a very uncomfortable situation and trying to make the best of it... and that's stand up, and that's auditioning. For more TimesSquare articles like Talking Broadway with J. Elaine Marcos, please visit the Stage Interviews Section of TimesSquare.com
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