Interview: Debut of the Month - WAITRESS' Kimiko Glenn

Kimiko Glenn makes her Broadway debut in the new, original musical Waitress. Featuring music and lyrics by 5-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles, a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson and direction by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus, the show tells the story of Jenna (Jessie Mueller), a small town Waitress and expert pie maker who summons the strength and courage to find a way out of her loveless marriage and rebuild her life.

Today, Kimiko Glenn speaks exclusively with BWW about portraying WAITRESS' quirky and lovable history buff 'Dawn' and reveals, "I was actually really bad in history!"

[NOTE: BroadwayWorld's fabulous photographer Jennifer Broski captures images of the Broadway stars profiled in our monthly column in a special photo shoot. Check out the pics of Ms. Glenn throughout the feature!]

How did you become involved in the Broadway production of Waitress?

I had actually auditioned maybe a year before and I believe they had a different idea in mind for the character at the time and I don't think that I was it! But then back in October or November they called me in to re-audition for the role and try a few new things based on what they had discovered throughout their production.

Were you familiar with the film prior to joining the show?

I had seen the film at Blockbuster, back when Blockbuster existed, but when I found out that Sara Bareilles was attached, I immediately rented it and watched it. I've now seen it like four or five times, when I initially auditioned, and then when I had to audition again, and then while we were in the Lab and when we were going into Broadway rehearsals, so yes, I've watched it a bunch. It's one of those movies where you can watch it over and over and not get sick of it thankfully!

The score by Sara Bareilles is just so beautiful. What has it been like to work with her and sing her music.

Yes, she writes like a singer with skill, and that's exciting to me, and honestly, I've been a huge fan of hers for a really long time and of the music she writes. And I think the fact that she can write songs for this is really impressive and amazing. One of my favorite songs in the show, and I always think about this when I'm listening to it over the monitor backstage, is "It Only Takes a Taste," because it is such a well-crafted musical theater song.

What's cool about the music in the show is that it doesn't stick to one particular idea or genre, and yet they all kind of have Sara Bareille's tones in it, while also fitting into the structure of a musical theater show. So it's this really cool thing where, I don't know how she did it, but it sounds like her voice, and it also tells the story so well. It's one of the best parts of the show honestly. It's just really fun to sing every night.

Can you talk about your experience working with the wonderful Diane Paulus?

Well it's been great. I mean, she is a visionary. She is a brilliant woman. As soon as I came into rehearsal and she started speaking I was like, 'oh, this woman knows what she wants and she knows how to get it', and she's brilliant! And I think that's why the show is getting the kind of buzz that it is, because so much of it is due to her. And not only is she smart, but she has attention to detail, so she really doesn't stop until it's perfect. And I really respect that and appreciate that because I think the show really has succeeded and done well, of course partly because of the wonderful music and the wonderful cast, there are a billion elements which all have a great deal to do with it, but it's overall her vision and the reason why we're doing the show is because of her and I think she's done a fabulous job.

Much is being made of the fact that this is Broadway's first all-female creative team. Is that something that makes the project even more significant to you?

Definitely. First of all, I was so surprised when I heard that it was the first all-female creative team because that seems like that should have happened a while ago. And it's interesting. I don't think this group of women came together because, 'oh we're women and we must have women involved in this show about women.' I think it was that they needed to find the perfect team and the perfect team happened to be these brilliant women who knew how to make a show and who are great artists and who are brilliant and they crafted something amazing. I think that's what is most special about it. We weren't trying to break any barriers or trying to shove it down people's throat. They're all just really qualified amazing artists, and to me, that's what's cool about it.

Many people may know you best from your role as Brook Soso on ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK, and one of your cast mates from that show, Danielle Brooks, also made her Broadway debut this season in THE COLOR PURPLE. Have you had a chance to compare notes with her?

Well she started in her show while we were filming the last couple of episodes of 'Orange', so I was asking her about it during that time, I hadn't had my experience yet. She was doing previews at the time, which is a crazy time, you're rehearsing during the day, you're performing at night and meanwhile, especially with the size of her role, she was probably also doing press. And on top of that she's a series regular in a hit TV show and not only that, she's filming some of the finale episodes where the emotion she has to build up is grueling. Yet she just had this amazing energy, she was tired, but yet she was like, 'I love it!' She had such a positivity about it, there was no 'woe is me' attitude, and I think that is what I took away from what I observed from her experience, and I tried to apply it to mine as much as I could.

I wanted to ask you about your character in the show, 'Dawn', who is so lovable and also a bit on the nerdy side. Is she similar to you any way?

Oh yeah! I come from a family of accountants and numbers people, people who are not involved in the arts and I feel I have so much of this logical side of my brain I've been trying to release throughout the year, just to allow my instinct to carry me a little more. So I think I relate to her a lot in that way. But I will say, I don't relate to the history buff thing! [laughing] I was actually really bad in history in high school. I almost wasn't able to graduate because I was so bad at history! So I relate to her but I also differ from her as well!

Over the years, we've seen many unsuccessful attempts to adapt film to the stage. What do you think it is about this story that made the transition so successful?

Well when I watched the movie, I would think, 'wow, the writing is so stylized, it's so quirky, it's so interesting and yet there is a depth to it'. And I think that's a recipe for greatness when it comes to putting it on stage. But one thing I also noticed and wondered about before we started the show was the fantasy pie moments where Jenna is dreaming up her pies, inventing new pies in her head throughout the movie. And I remember thinking, 'how are they going to stage that dream sequence?' and I was trying to imagine it in my head. They ended up using choreography and lighting to bring those moments to life, and during rehearsal, when I saw it for first time, I almost started crying it was just so beautiful and so brilliant and it was engaging and you got the emotion of where she was coming from when she would create the pies. So there were things about the movie which made it the perfect candidate for stage and I'm so glad I was a part of something where they could actually accomplish it in a beautiful and different and interesting way.

What was it like to make your Broadway debut in Waitress?

Surreal! I was crying all day, like a good kind of cry. I was so overcome with emotion because I seriously had wanted to be on Broadway since I could remember singing a song. I was such a performer as a kid and when I started doing theater I got really into Broadway and I was into the Broadway kids and everything, and I always dreamed of living in New York, I thought it was so unfair that I lived in Phoenix and couldn't audition for New York shows. So the idea that I was making my Broadway debut, and not only a Broadway debut, but I was one of the leads, it was kind of unbelievable to me. And seriously, it was the best day of my life!

Kimiko Glenn (Dawn) is best known for her work as Brook Soso in the award-winning Netflix series "Orange is The New Black," as well as her recurring role on FX's "Married". She also made a cameo on Comedy Central's "Broad City" as the evil hipster store clerk at Beacon's Closet. Theatre credits include the First National Tour of Spring Awakening as Thea and the title role in The Flaming Lips musical Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, which had its world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse. Kimiko will appear in the Lionsgate feature Nerve, releasing in 2016. She is represented by Don Buchwald & Associates.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski