Broadway Barbie: 9 to 5

"What would Dolly do?" When spending nearly two years remaking the movie character made famous by none other than Dolly Parton, Megan found herself thinking of the country sensation when making decisions. 

9 to 5

         After dropping into the starring role of a Broadway show made a hit by previous women, Megan ventured into the more exciting-and sometimes excruciatingly long- Broadway process. When Megan was in Toronto on tour with Wicked, her then-boyfriend asked her why she wasn't auditioning for the role of Doralee. The following day, the director, Joe Mantello, called asking if she would be a part of the first readings. That was two and a half years before the show hit Broadway. To add to the pressure of playing the oh-so iconic role, Dolly Parton was there throughout the entire process."It was extremely daunting in the beginning when I just got a phone call to be at one of the first readings...then I realized that Dolly was going to be in the room and I would have to do her role in front of her." But, Megan has been heard many times talking about how kind and generous Dolly was. 
        Dolly wrote all of score herself, and she had a very unique way of teaching the music. Typically, the cast is grouped around a piano and sight reads the music that is handed out in the form of a score. But Dolly sat down with her cast and sang with them. So, Dolly would sing a phrase, then Megan would sing it back to her. They would repeat this until Dolly felt that Megan had retained the song. Different, but to me that sounds better. On Dolly's work ethic, Megan says, "She was so supportive of just letting me do my thing and never telling me I was doing anything wrong. She was just like, 'Oh Honey, you're doin' fiiiiine.'"       

"She was just like, 'Oh Honey, you're doin' 

fiiiiine."

      

          All shows go through workshops and revisions, but Megan had never been a part of the traditional Broadway process before."There is something about being a part of the process from day one that you feel like the show is your child because you were there for its conception. You've put your handprint on a show." The famous song "Backwoods Barbie" was almost left out due to its extreme parallels to Dolly herself, but in the end it was decided that Doralee was a role written about Dolly, so the similarity wouldn't be a bad thing for Megan. 
         And of course, in playing the role originated by the curvy Dolly Parton, we knew the costuming would have to be fun! I mean, the D-cups, the hair, the tiny waist! But Megan said that the nails helped her get into character the best. "People think that's weird because the audience can't see them, but you act differently with those long nail on. You use your hands in a totally different way," says Megan. She even got to wear a waist cincher that made her waist 4 inches smaller, "As soon as I put it on I hold myself differently and breathe differently."
        Megan absolutely kills it on the 9 to 5 soundtrack. My dad actually thought Megan's "Backwoods Barbie" was Dolly Parton! Is there any role that Megan can't play?

Comment Prompter: If you could work with any celebrity on a Broadway show, who would it be?

*The direct quotes for this post came from interviews with GuestOfAGuest and NewYorkPost