Tony d’Alelio ↑
Actor, Flatbush
You’re about to go on. How are you feeling?
The overture just finished, and I have goose bumps. I’ve never performed here before. I’ve only been here one other time, and that was to see Chita Rivera.
What will you be performing?
“Mein Herr” from Cabaret and then “Ring Them Bells” from Liza With a “Z.” So I’ll be stomping out there as a Kit Kat doll with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth and some bloomers.
Do you have any preshow rituals?
Yes. I do my push-ups. I do squats. There are the physical rituals of warming up. But then also anytime I perform Bob Fosse’s work, I put a hand on my heart, I look up to the sky, and I say, “I got you, man.”
Khori Petinaud
Dancer, Crown Heights
Robyn Hurder
Actor, Highland Mills
What happened to your middle finger?
I almost took it off with an electric hedge trimmer while doing yardwork. It was two days before I started rehearsals for “Mein Herr,” which takes a lot of strength. I can only do it with one hand, really. So it’s been a challenge, and my back is letting me know.
James Tsao
Musician, Midtown East
Ali Stroker
Actor, Briarcliff Manor
Kristin Chenoweth
Actor, Upper West Side
Do you have a favorite Liza story?
I got to meet her when I was doing You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Broadway, a big moment in my career. She just grabbed my face and said, “Hang on tight, honey. It’s going to be quite a ride for you,” and I never forgot that.
Mikayla R., Ioana A., and Maya B.
Actors, Harlem and Williamsburg
Donna Murphy
Actor and singer, Upper West Side
Marisha Wallace
Actor, Goldsboro, North Carolina
What was it like playing Sally Bowles in Cabaret?
I was the first Black Sally Bowles full time. I wanted to interpret the role as a mixture of Liza and the singers who influenced her, like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. It was nice to mesh those two worlds because people forget Liza has a lot of soul in her voice.
Lorna Luft
Actor, Upper East Side
Candice Bergen
Actor, Upper East Side
Tori Baroni
Actor, Washington Heights
Have you performed at Carnegie Hall before?
The first time was with my high-school choir, but we didn’t sell many tickets. Now I don’t get nervous performing here because I assumed they let anybody do it. I told that to my therapist. She was like, “You should feel good about yourself. Most people don’t get to sing at Carnegie Hall.” And I was like, “It sure doesn’t feel that way.”
Andrew Rannells
Actor, Greenpoint
Isaac Mizrahi
Fashion designer, West Village
Kate Baldwin
Actor, Maplewood, New Jersey
What inspired the green tonight?
I feel a little weird about it because I’m one of only several people who are not wearing sequins and I feel like I should be wearing sequins. I am a redhead, so I like green. It’s such a dumb answer, but it’s true.
Julie Halston
Actor, Prospect–Lefferts Gardens
Lauren Blackman
Actor, singer, and dancer, Upper East Side
Mario Cantone
Actor and comic, Chelsea
What’s the worst you’ve ever bombed onstage?
I performed at an all-male Italian country club. That was horrifying. The other time was at the Apollo. And it wasn’t even an Amateur Night. I got booed off the stage.
Jacob Guzman and Tyler Eisenreich
Actors, Washington Heights
Photographs by Frankie Alduino
