TV Exclusive: BACKSTAGE WITH RICHARD RIDGE- Laura Benanti on Her Upcoming 54 Below Shows, Winning Her Tony and More!

Welcome to BWW's exclusive talk show, BACKSTAGE WITH Richard Ridge. Follow Richard as he visits the theater's best and brightest in their dressing rooms, on their stages and favorite hang outs to talk about their lives, careers and all of the things you don't know, but want to know.

Following the tremendous success of her first solo show, which played sold out venues across the country, stage and television star Laura Benanti will bring her brand new piece, "In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention" to 54 Below, May 20-25. In the special interview below, Benanti chats about the upcoming concerts, winning her Tony Award for Gypsy, and so much more. Click below to check it out!

For tickets, visit: http://54below.com

Laura Benanti was honored with the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Drama League nomination for her portrayal of Louise/Gypsy Rose Lee in the Patti LuPone revival of Gypsy. She previously starred in the Encores! production. Broadway: The Sound of Music (Maria, opposite Richard Chamberlain), Swing! (Tony nomination: Best Featured Actress), Into The Woods (Cinderella; Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, LA Ovation and Tony nominations), Nine (Claudia, opposite Antonio Banderas; Outer Critics Circle, Drama Leauge nominations), The Wedding Singer (Julia Sullivan), In The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play(Lincoln Center), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Candela, Lincoln Center; Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards; Tony and Drama League nominations). Encores: Gypsy (Louise), Wonderful Town(Eileen). Benefits: The Secret Garden (Lily), Hair, Pippin (Catherine) andChildren of Eden. Off-Broadway: Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them, Time and Again (Julia, MTC). LA Opera: A Little Night Music (Anne). Williamstown: The Winter's Tale (Perdita, opposite Kate Burton). Film: Falling for Grace (Princess Alexandra), Take the Lead. Television: "Open Books" (CBS), "Life on Mars" (ABC), "Eli Stone" (ABC), "Starved" (FX). Recordings: several Broadway cast recordings, as well as "NEO," "The Stephen Schwartz Album" and "The Maury Yeston Songbook." Laura studies voice with her mother Linda Benanti, a former Broadway performer. She was raised in Kinnelon, NJ with her sister Marielle, by her mother and father, Dr. Salvatore Benanti. She is married to actor Steven Pasquale.