BWW Interviews: Angie Schworer and Sara Gettelfinger Talk Reagle Music Theatre's CHICAGO

Angie Schworer and Sara Gettelfinger, the stars of Reagle Music Theatre's upcoming production of Chicago, have met before. In fact, before the two earned their Broadway veteran status, they became friends after bonding over their height, forced to stand in the back of an Encore Series production of Tenderloin in 2000, and shake a blue tarp that represented the ocean. A lot has changed since the tarp performance, with both women making splashes on the Broadway stage, eventually leading them to Waltham, where they will play Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly this June.

Both are Kentucky girls, born and raised, but never crossed paths until adulthood. Gettelfinger started dancing as a toddler, forced into lessons by her mother who worried about the child's severe coordination issues. But soon, Gettelfinger was on top of the class, and went on to participate in children's theatre, attend a performing arts high school, and study at College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. As she puts it, she "got the bug and it stuck."

Gettelfinger made her Broadway debut in Seussical the Musical, which she describes as a crash course in everything and anything that could be a surprise or go wrong. Although she loved every minute and felt very passionately about the piece, it did not do well with critics, and despite the constant efforts to revamp it, the show closed quickly. That experience, however, led to bigger and better things, including Nine, with Chita Rivera (the original Velma Kelly, and a good friend of Gettelfinger's), and A Free Man of Color (directed by George C. Wolfe), which she credits as one of the most important and life changing experiences of her life.

Schworer had a bit of a different start, focusing exclusively in dance for most of her adolescent life. Besides playing "the bird" in Alice in Wonderland at her high school, she did not explore musical theatre until college, where she was a big fish in a small pond, giving her a chance to learn about her own abilities. Post college, she worked quite a bit in theme parks before finally landing her big break with Will Rogers Follies.

Starting as a swing, Schworer learned the basics through the eyes of an underdog. She can remember the exact day that she started, walking into rehearsal, seeing Cady Huffman and her "ten mile long legs" dancing pointe. Schworer says that in her time as a swing, and her time working with Jerry Mitchell (who remains a close friend), she learned more than any other period of her life. When asked about her favorite theatrical memory, Schworer did not hesitate, immediately referencing her seven years in the cast of The Producers, four of which were spent playing Ulla. She relayed a moment which will forever stay with her: the look of pure joy, love, and desperate hope in the eyes of Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane as she walked on stage her first night performing as the understudy. The night was a success and from then on, she blossomed.

The ladies are very excited to be performing at Reagle, which has a very different feel than most of the theatres in which they have worked in New York City. Besides the "charming" town of Waltham (an adjective I am not sure can be attributed to New York), the actresses noted the fast paced environment as one of the biggest differences. Every time a new cast is formed, the show and characters and process are different, and thus far, Gettlefinger and Schworer have really enjoyed this particular experience, especially working with each other.

There was nothing more obvious when speaking to the actresses than their clear love and passion for what they are doing and the art they are creating. They spoke about delivering a product to an audience member, living in the moment, and sharing something personal and real. Gettlefinger said, "I think [what is] special about live theatre is that very thing. It is live. If you pick up a phone and no one is on the other end, then the conversation can't happen. The final cast member is the audience."

Schworer added, "This generation is all about instant gratification and if you think about it, live theatre is instant gratification. Seeing exactly what's happening at that moment. What you see is what you get. We like to work and we like to feed our souls." To these two women, and to many theatre creators, theatre is not exclusively about a story on the stage, but about the connection being made. And I would bet that a pretty strong connection will be made in Chicago.

Chicago runs June 13-23 at the Reagle Music Theatre in Waltham.

Photo courtesy www.reaglemusictheatre.org.

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