BWW Interviews: Lena Hall Talks Tony Award, HEDWIG, and The Deafening

Exciting. Electric. Exhilarating. Rocking. Phenomenal. All of these words have been used to describe Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway. And, one of Broadway's hottest talents is helping to ensure that these adjectives are justified. The incomparably charming and charismatic Tony Award Winner Lena Hall, co-starring as Yitzhak, recently talked to me about her Tony win, HEDWIG, and her band, The Deafening.

BWW: I finally got to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and you were phenomenal.

Lena Hall: Thank you.

BWW: What was it like to be nominated for a Tony Award?

Lena Hall: It was a surprise because it's such a quiet character. Yitzhak really kind of creeps up on the audience. I didn't know if people would get what I was doing on stage, if I was going to be good, or if I was coming off. You know, it's like you can't see what's going on. You're in the show, so you have no idea what kind of impact you have on people. So, it was shocker! [Laughs] It was awesome.

Being nominated for a Tony Award, you meet some really incredible people, and you do a ton of press events. It's certainly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. You hope you can repeat it in the future, but you kind of never know if something will strike people as much as that performance.

BWW: What about winning the award? What was that experience like for you?

Lena Hall: [Laughs] I still don't quite remember everything. It's still feels like it didn't happen. The only thing I have that really reminds me about it is the award [Laughs] sitting on my mantle. I look at it, I spin it, and holding the award is the only thing that is kind of real. The whole experience of that night and everything was so chaotic because of the performing, getting the make up on and off, and the whole day is a real long day. It's like... [Pauses] I don't know. It's like something that is so important that your body just doesn't remember it. You just float through the whole day, and as much as I was trying to really take it in and drink it in, it was impossible to drink all of that in. So, there's stuff that I don't remember. If I go online, I'll watch my speech, and I'll be like, "Oh my God, I said that. Jesus Christ." [Laughs] You know, things like that! It's like [Pauses] beyond an honor. It's the highest accolade I could have possibly been awarded. It's huge, but it's one of those things that doesn't really quite sink in. It sinks in very slowly. It's a totally indescribable feeling.

As time is going by, it's interesting what has been unfolding now being a Tony Award winner, and I've been kind of reminding myself that "Oh yeah, that's right, my name is now Tony Award Winner Lena Hall." It's wild. There's a lot of respect from my peers, which I think is really cool. I can only hope that people think that it was an award that I earned, that I really deserved it, and that they saw the hard work that I had done through the years and even with just this role, to see the nuance. I want my community to be happy for me and for them to feel that I deserved it. It's important to me that my community supports me and is on my side.

BWW: That's great that you brought that up. I was seeing the show for my first time when I went, but I tried to watch you as much as possible during the show because I knew I had this interview with you. It's really hard not to focus on Andrew Rannells because he's the lead character, but it was incredible that every time I did watch you, you were emoting and reacting to everything that was happening on stage. You never took away attention from Andrew, but you're definitely always on, and you're physically on stage just as much as he is.

Lena Hall: It is interesting. It's such a different kind of role. It's such a silent role. It's such a supporting role. Everything about the show is about Hedwig, even in the costuming. I'm all dark and drab looking. There's nothing that I'm wearing that would say look at me. The lighting is dim on me. It's all very quiet and understated. I like that a lot, but everything about the show is about Hedwig, what she's wearing. She's in these giant stiletto heels that are gold. She's got this blonde wig on, the spotlight on, and all these glittery things. But, the fun thing that a lot of people have told me is what you just told me. Every once in a while, when you glance over, you see the other character is still in it. You see Yitzhak.

Because I know people look at the whole picture, their eyes glance around the whole stage, and they take everything in, it was important for me to never drop the story, to always live in that character, to never give away my femininity, to never give away who I really am, and to always just be that character the whole show. In doing so, I think it tells the story really nicely. It's different than the original too. I'm much more present than the original because of all of the mic cords, the water, the towels, and all that stuff. But, at the same time, it is a supporting role, so it is very important for me to be focused on her and making sure she's got everything she needs because the show changes nightly. It's not the same ever.

BWW: I believe it.

Len Hall: Yeah! Things happen with those mic cords, the mics, mic stands break, and things like that. So, I'm always on. I'm always watching her. I'm always extremely attentive because you never know what might break, what she's going to need, and what's going to happen. You never know what kind of bind she might get in that I'll have to get her out of. [Laughs] It is very important to be constantly aware, alive, and present. [Laughs]

BWW: In addition to your stage career, you're also actively working with your rock band The Deafening. How does being on stage with The Deafening compare to playing Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch?

Lena Hall: It's the closest in a Broadway show that I've come to rock n' roll, with the mic stands and being able to sing into a real microphone and not a head mic. But, the difference is that [Laughs] my band is much lower budget. [Laughs] But, it's cool because, with my band, I get to be whatever the hell I want to be. I get to play with the audience. It's like I get to be the Hedwig of my own show. And, it's really fun because it's my project, so I get complete control over it. I get to experiment on the audience and experiment at the shows to see what is fun and what people scratch their heads about.

Being in a band is like soul food. It's different for HEDWIG because HEDWIG is very much like soul food for me too because the show is different every night. It is a constantly evolving thing, which is great for a performer. You get to constantly evolve this character, and you get to constantly grow. But, for some other commercial theatre pieces that I did, I found that I wasn't getting the creativity or the outlet that I wanted, so having my band really fulfills that in a great way because I'm able to be creative with people who I trust and who are there for the same reason. We're like a team, and I'm able to really fully express myself! It's a lot of energy, and it's a lot of stuff, but it's a great way for me to kind of express this other side of me, which is much stronger: a very strong woman, a very strong performer, very hard-edged and fun. It's nice to be able to portray myself.

BWW: Nice. [Lena Hall laughs] What about in the recording studio? How did being in the recording studio for The Deafening compare to being in the studio for Hedwig and the Angry Inch?

Lena Hall: Again, the budget. [Laughs] We have no budget. The band has a budget, but I paid for our whole album, CENTRAL BOOKING. I was the sole producer on it.

Recording for the HEDWIG cast album, we were in a really nice studio, and it was done relatively quickly. The band recorded the music in two or three days, and then I came in laid down my vocals. I did all of my vocals in a day. But, with my band, that took an entire summer. Our drummer laid his drums down, and we recorded in a dirty basement on Orchard Street. We also recorded to tape because we kind of wanted to have a warm, old school sound.

So, our drummer recorded the drum track first, and then we fixed the drum track. Then we laid guitars and bass, and I was there pretty much every step of the way because it was my band's album. I was there listening, hearing it build and grow. Then it took me about a month to record all the vocals for my album because I'd do like maybe one or two songs when I had the chance.

At the time, I was doing a show called EMPIRE for Spiegelworld, which was a circus. We were doing 10 shows a week. I was the only singer of the show. I was doing that, and, at the same time, I was rehearsing for KINKY BOOTS' out-of-town in Chicago. [Laughs] I was really busy, so, every once in a while, I'd go in the studio, and I'd lay down a song. We did very little doubling. People will double or triple the vocals, which means you sing the same thing and your double yourself as perfectly as you can. Then, you lay those on top of each other to give it a bigger sound. It's a trick that they use. We decided against that for many reasons, but also because I wanted people to get a sense of what my voice actually sounds like when I sing live. All the tracks are just one track, and it's mostly a real performance. There's no auto-tune. There's no tricks or anything. It's me singing balls to the wall on every track. It took a while, and it was definitely a labor of love. I love what we came out with, and for the budget, for the time, and for what we had, I think we did a really good job. Hopefully, the next album that we're working on will have people behind us. A producer and actual help this time around, so it'll represent our live show better and represent us as a band better.

BWW: Vocally, you are a rock goddess, [Lena Hall laughs] but you can also sing in pop styles too. How did you achieve this versatility, or did it come to you naturally?

Lena Hall: I started in theater, so I was always a musical theater singer and performer. I loved singing rock, but I wasn't really a rock singer. Then, in 2006, I got my tonsils removed. They were enormous. They were like 3.5 cm by 1.5 cm big in the back of my throat. So, you can just imagine having something that big in the back of your throat and closing up your throat is not good. [Laughs] I was an okay singer. Then, I got my tonsils removed, and right after I got my tonsils removed, I joined my band.

What kind of happened was that I had to retrain my voice. I didn't do it with a coach. I did it by singing with the band, and I found all these new nuances with my voice. Over the years, just from signing with the band and from doing all these other gigs, I started to discover that I could kind of manipulate my voice to make it sound anyway that I wanted it to sound. So, over time I kind of taught myself how to sing legit, how to sing real pop, how to sing real clean, how to do real dirty, dirty rock, and everything in between. It's a talent like impersonators. It's like I can impersonate sounds. I can impersonate voices. Although I'm not an impersonator, I do some impersonations of people. Like, I do a good Cyndi Lauper. I do a good Cranberries. [Laughs] But, what was interesting was that while I discovering all these new nuances of my voice I was also, at the same time, playing with how I could manipulate them and use them to my advantage. So, in the audition, when they asked me to do "I Will Always Love You" and sing it as close to Whitney Houston as I could, I was able to do it for them and to do it where it was like almost an exact replica. But, it still had my own voice to it.

It just came from trial and error, knowing myself, and from really pushing myself to discover these new parts of my voice, work on them, and develop them. Essentially, that's what happened. [Laughs]

BWW: Singing in the style of rock can be vocally deadly. How do you ensure that you don't damage your voice when singing rock multiple times a week?

Lena Hall: You know, actually, rock n' roll is not deadly. [Pauses] If you do it right. [Laughs] Talk about vocal technique. If you do it right, you will never hurt your voice. It's like how Janis Joplin sang, Steven Tyler, and Ann Wilson, who is from Heart. I mean, Ann Wilson doesn't have too much grit, but she sings really high. Then, Steven Tyler, his voice is the same, and he keeps going and going and going. It's because of placement and how you sing rock n' roll.

Some people think when you sing rock n' roll, it comes from your throat. All that grit and stuff, they think it's all screaming from your throat. But, those of us who have figured it out know that it comes from a different place, and it's a total technique. There's a rawness sound to it, and I think it is one of the hardest sounds to get. Real amazing and powerful rock n' roll singers know that all the dirt, grit, and stuff comes from a different place. It comes from this placement kind of up in your nose. That sounds really weird, but it doesn't come from the throat. It actually comes from above, so you're not damaging your vocal chords by resting on them. By not doing that, you're just able to sing and sing and sing, and the hardest thing about it is the stamina. [Laughs]

The hardest thing about rock n' roll, honestly, is my body. It hurts. Rock n' roll hurts my neck and my back. [Laughs] I always feel beat up after a show. Vocally, I'm fine. Just a little tired because it is hard to sing for an hour straight with just you, a loud band, and staying supported. But, that's not what's hard. It's the physical stuff that's the hardest. If I could just stand and sing with a light on me, that'd be great. [Laughs] But, I like to run around on stage, headbang, and stuff because it's fun.

BWW: I read in other interviews that you really enjoyed working with Neil Patrick Harris. Seeing the show, I found your stage chemistry with Andrew Rannells moving and touching. What is it like getting to share the stage with him?

Lena Hall: Andrew is amazing. He really is. It's really interesting because Andrew is a true Broadway vet. He came from Broadway. He knows the schedule. He is strong. He's a really strong performer. He's incredible. For me, because Neil and I had such a really tight bond and we went through so much together, it was scary for me to have to re-adjust or just do something different with someone new or someone who I really didn't know. But, once I got out of that and really just looked at his performance, I found Andrew to be extremely beautiful and moving.

I love the story that we have created together. It's very different from what Neil and I did. There's a totally different dynamic between the two of us, and it's just different. There's no one preferred way. It's fun because I get to create this whole new level and layer of my character and then layer another layer onto something that had already been nuanced back with Neil. Now, with this new person, it has brought all these new and different nuances on top of everything else. So, it makes my character even more complete. It actually takes it to a whole other new level for me. And, with Michael C. Hall, he'll bring in something completely different, and it'll adjust my character even more and my character will be even more rounded.

It's almost like a dream to be able to work with that many people in this role because my part is completely reactionary. I have very little control over what I give in my story line, and what I have to do is just react to what she (Hedwig) does. It's actually neat because I get to adjust and the character adjusts a little. And, I get to discover all these new and different things.

But, Andrew is just like a doll. We're definitely cut from the same cloth. Neil is from TV, he's an incredible performer, and he's amazing at what he had done. With Andrew, it is a little different. It's so beautiful. It's like beautifully moving. So, it's different. It's very different. There is no one way that I would chose. Neil and I went through so much together, and I will always have that love for Neil. But, Andrew is doing an incredible job as well, and he is definitely worth seeing for sure.

BWW: I agree. Andrew is like a juggernaut on stage. [Lena Hall laughs] I was blown away.

Lena Hall: And, he's really tall! [Laughs] And, that I don't like. [Laughs] I'm like, "Oh my God, you are a monster. You are so tall!" [Laughs] I feel like a peanut.

BWW: I understand. The night I saw it, he looked tall on stage. Then during "Sugar Daddy" he came into the audience and stood on the armrests of the seat of the person in front of me, which made him seem even taller.

Lena Hall: Yeah! He's like a giant! [Laughs] You couldn't put him in shorter heels? [Laughs] That's my only issue with Andrew is that he is humongous, and I feel like a peanut. I'm really happy because Michael C. Hall is way shorter than both of them. [Laughs] So, he'll be the closet to my height that I've had so far, but they'll still put him in giant heels! But he'll be closer in height to me, and I'll be like, "Thank God!" [Laughs] I can't take any more 6-foot Hedwigs. [We Both Laugh]

BWW: What is your favorite moment in HEDWIG? Has it changed since Andrew Rannells joined the show?

Lena Hall: It's really hard to pick a favorite moment. It really, really is. People ask me this question a lot. Sometimes, I say, "I love the opening because I get to open the whole show," or "I love the end because I get to wail." [Laughs]

I guess my favorite part would be the end. It's the transformation. It's really complete. It's such a wonderful release every night. It's very cathartic. I'm so happy I get to do that. [Laughs] That I get to have that transformation and realize my full character. If I didn't get to do that, I'd probably be depressed every day. [Laughs] The fact that I get to actually be realized in all my glory and wail at the end.

Recently, too-I don't know why-but I've been changing up the ending and signing higher and higher and higher. [Laughs] And longer and longer and longer. I don't know why. I've just been feeling it. So, maybe, that's what's changed with Andrew here. I've just been starting to really, really wail on my last few moments signing for the audience. I feel like I just want to let it all out. Through my voice, I want the audience to feel my happiness. I don't know what it is, but I've been really compelled to hold those notes for so long and just sing higher riffs. Just, I don't know, take the audience to church at that point. [Laughs] That's my favorite thing. I love to take an audience to church.

BWW: I would say it's working because I was in tears at the end. You're gloriously leading the whole show at that point and just wailing "Lift up your hands," which I have an interesting history with that moment anyway.

Lena Hall: Uh-huh.

BWW: The first time I listened to the Broadway album was on my iPod on the 1 Train, [Lena Laughs] and I found myself subconsciously lifting my hands on the 1 Train. I was completely in that moment [Lena Laughs] without even seeing the show.

Lena Hall: That's awesome!

BWW: So, when I finally saw it, it was this huge and gorgeous moment for my own soul and heart. I couldn't help but think, "Wow! This is where it goes! This is amazing!"

Lena Hall: Yep yep yep. I mean, I love that moment. I love that moment when I start to sing the "Lift up your hands," right when I come in. It's like people are unsure, and then the minute they hear my voice, I see arms start to jump up. It's almost like a kneejerk reaction to hearing my voice come in. Everyone's arms go up, and then they get weird again. Some people don't know if they should put their hands up or not. Some people really feel it, and they have their hands up the whole time. It's just whatever experience you take away from it you just go for it. It doesn't matter. If you want to raise your hands, raise your hands. If you don't want to raise your hands, you don't have to raise your hands. That's totally fine. [Laughs] It's more the idea of letting go, and I think the audience really gets that too. The idea of letting go. So, if you want to let go and put your arms in the air, then put your arms in the air. If you want to let go and listen and just be in whatever state that you're in, then you do that. I think it's really cool. I love it.

BWW: You have been a long time fan of HEDWIG. How do you relate to the film and even the original Off-Broadway cast recording now that you have been so intimately involved with the piece?

Lena Hall: I haven't listened to the recordings, and I haven't watched the film since I started rehearsals because it's so different. While I'm still in it, I don't want to listen to or watch anything. I don't even listen to our album. I don't listen to anything because then I kind of get in my head about certain things. If I watch any videos, like bootlegs from the Jane Street (Theatre) or anything like that, then I start to think, "Well, maybe I should do that with my character" or "Well, maybe I should do this." It's the weirdest thing. Because I'm doing it, I basically have to not surround myself with any other thing regarding the show, and just focus on what I have to do every night. Then, once I'm done [Laughs] with the show, and once I'm away from it, then I'll come back to that: the Jane Street recording, the film, even our recording, bootlegs, and things like that because I do love the show so much.

When I booked the show, it was one of those things that was definitely a dream come true. It was definitely the biggest moment for me. I had wanted this part so bad, and I had focused, done work, and pushed myself so that I could get the part. Most actors know this: when you want something really bad, then you get in your head and usually you don't book it. [Laughs] So, I didn't want that to happen because I knew what I could do with the part, what I wanted to do with the part, and I knew the show. It is such an important show for me to be a part of, so that moment of booking the show was probably the biggest change of my life.

I was really excited to start rehearsal after I had gotten it. I did all my research again. I rewatched everything, I reimmersed myself in the piece, and once we started rehearsals, I stopped because I wanted to develop my own version of the character. I have huge respect for Miriam Shor. I love her. She is amazing. We got to perform together, and it was just a huge moment for me to be able to perform with her on stage. This iconic woman, for me, being friendly, open, and wonderful! I knew what she did, and, of course, that affected my performance a little bit. But, I wanted to be able to create what I could do best with the character and not be too influenced by outside things.

So, I really stopped watching or doing anything like that. I've just been focused on the show and what will come out of me through what I've learned and discovered about the character on my own, which I think is important. So, I won't watch or listen to anything until after I'm done. [Laughs]

BWW: No one is looking forward to you leaving HEDWIG or to HEDWIG closing even, but do you have any plans already set in motion for life after HEDWIG?

Lena Hall: I don't know what's going to happen. [Laughs] No one ever really does. Things happen in the blink of an eye, and something will totally change. I do need a rest. I'm exhausted. It's an exhausting show. It's an extremely physical show. My voice isn't exhausted; my body is exhausted. It's hard for a woman to play a man. It's a totally different physical being. I have injuries from it. I'm in need of a vacation, which I will have coming up, and that will be great.

After HEDWIG, I don't know what's coming up. I hope it will be a role that I can sink my teeth into just as much as I did for this-something challenging, something edgy, but something that will be completely different. I like people to see how diverse I am. I like involving myself in odd characters. I really do, so I'm hoping that some interesting projects will come my way. We'll see what happens.

There are irons in the fire and hopefully somethings will work out, but we're just back from summer, so everything is actually getting started right now. All the stuff is starting right now, and I've yet to see, so we'll see.

Whether you've already been or not, ladies and gentleman, you should rush out to see Lena Hall in her Tony Award winning role of Yitzchak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Belasco Theatre, 111 West 44th Street (Between Broadway and 6th Avenue), New York City, New York 10036. Tickets are currently on sale through January 4, 2015. For tickets and more information about the show please visit http://hedwigbroadway.com/ or call (800) 432-7250.

Also, don't forget to check out Lena Hall's band The Deafening. Visit them at http://www.thedeafening.com. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. You can also purchase their album, CENTRAL BOOKING, from iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, Bandcamp, and elsewhere music is sold.