Interview: Dianna Agron Discusses Her Two-Week Café Carlyle Residency Starting March 29th

When Dianna Agron takes the stage at the Cafe Carlyle tomorrow night, it will be her third time to play the legendary Manhattan nightclub. A singing actress for almost as long as she has been a hotel-dweller, the innovative artist takes great pride and much joy in being a part of the re-opening of the nightclub where played such important artists as Barbara Cook, Elaine Stritch, and Bobby Short. Always taking great care to curate music for her shows that will create a musical experience for her devoted audiences, Ms. Agron has spent the last month meticulously lining up compositions that will give the people sitting in the seats out front that which she feels is most valuable at this time: joy.

Before taking those exciting first steps onto the stage tomorrow night, Dianna Agron took out a few minutes to take a call today from Broadway World Cabaret to discuss the importance of indie film making, the experience of watching New York City come back to life after the lockdown, and why her choice of music right now is songs that she took no part in creating.

This interview has been edited for space and content.

Dianna Agron, welcome to Broadway World! How are you today?

Oh, I'm very happy, I'm in a very good mood. We had a beautiful rehearsal yesterday and I just feel very excited for tomorrow.

How long have you guys been rehearsing for this one?

The past week - yesterday was our second rehearsal.

How exciting is two weeks at the Cafe Carlyle?

I know! I've been thinking about it - the last time we played was 2019, and it's been closed these last two years. I just feel so honored and privileged to be one of the people that is part of the opening. It's just very exciting for me.

Have you had a chance to get your land legs back yet?

It was interesting yesterday. First rehearsals are always a little bit disjointed, everybody's getting together for the first time and familiarizing themselves with the material, et cetera, et cetera. And yesterday just felt so good and grounded, and we were able to turn off all the house lights and set the stage as it will be tomorrow evening, and it just felt so good. It definitely feels as if it's been a few years because it has been but by the end of rehearsal yesterday it was just so tangible and real, and it's funny how quickly it's come up. We have had this set for the last months but always, the night before is like first day of school jitters.

I remember the first day of school!

(Laughing) It's been a long time for me!

So, The Carlyle... that's your place here in the city. What is it about the Carlyle that resonates with you?

I've been going to that hotel since I was in my early twenties... and I grew up living in hotels, which was a very unusual experience. My father worked as a general manager. I was born living in a hotel, I lived in a home for six years just after that, and then the rest of my young adult life was spent living in a hotel. So, I am always very comfortable in a hotel, my job also lends itself to being out of town a lot for work and, again, living in hotels and that is, honestly, my dream hotel. You have the beauty in the history, it's in New York City and then you have Bemelmans and The Cafe. What more could you want of a space?

Right?

I remember when I was moving to New York, thinking if I could ever play that room, that is just such a dream. And so the fact that I'm about to play for the third time, I just want to pinch myself. I feel truly, truly so lucky.

You have spent some time living in New York City, haven't you?

I've been here for about six years now. This is home for me.

Did you do the quarantine here in the city?

Partially - I started off near the water, in Long Island, and then I returned to the city by the summer. WHAT an interesting experience.

Wasn't it crazy!

Truly so wild. It was beautiful to see how the city came alive again, slowly but surely, and the community aspect of it. I felt so much joy seeing people that I hadn't seen, again, and watching businesses adapt and find new ways to involve themselves in the community. It was truly wild. Were you here?

My husband and I went into our apartment and locked the door for six months.

Wow.

You're right about the community aspect of the city. Unless a person lives here, they don't know just how much of a community it is here.

Truly one of the great joys of living here is that you get to walk down the street, bump into friends, bump into the person that works at your bookstore, the person that you see at your dry cleaner or wherever, there's a real familiarity with everyone who is involved in your neighborhood, and then some. I think that's super beautiful. I can't understand not wanting that in your environment.

I agree. So you're a New Yorker now, what do we have to do to get you out of the nightclub and onto Broadway?

HA! It would not be so hard! I think it just has to be the right thing. I have certain list items that would be a big yes - it just has to be one of those things.

So speaking of Broadway, in your work as a singing storyteller, you've done everything from Broadway to Top 40. When you're putting together a nightclub act, where do you find yourself gravitating to create your evening?

This show is really embedded in jazz music. I really wanted to lean in. There's this Nina Simone Song "I Love to Love" that was the first song that felt right for the set list, and then everything kind of started coming from there... a lot of Blossom Dearie, and Eartha Kitt, and a Bobby Short song because how can we not give him a nod in that room? I wanted it to be fun and playful, and I think that's a product of what we've come out of, and the fact that this is the first month that it's open, I really wanted to make sure that I was surrounding myself and the people in the room with love and joy. I didn't want things to be too serious, if that makes sense.

We don't need serious right now.

(Laughing heartily) No. There's enough complications in the world as it is. I wanted it to just have levity.

I want to pivot for a second and talk about something... your storytelling, it's not strictly reserved for the musical stage OR for acting. In 2019 you directed the Lucinda in Berlin segment of Berlin, I love you. I am obsessed with those movies, and I'm dying to know what that journey was like.

Well, thank you! The journey, specifically as a director?

How did you get involved with the project, and how did you like being a director?

In a way it's something that I've been doing since High School without realizing it fully. I love every aspect of the arts and when I was in High School, I saved up for a little camcorder and I was making movies with my friends, editing them together... and that felt more or less (like) a silly hobby until I realized, when I was living in LA and doing acting work, that I was directing music videos for friends, and I directed this fashion film for Tory Birch with Margaret Qually, which (funny enough) was a year before we shot our film Novitiate together. I got to know Margaret even before that project, and that project with Margaret was what demonstrated to the producers of that film that I would be a good candidate for one of those segments.

It's something that I will continue to do. I am developing a feature length film now that would be something that I would pitch to direct; it's very much where my heart is. I think that the amount of time I've spent on set has definitely imprinted a lot of learning and growth in that department. As I continue, I find it really fun that, now, I'm able to, as an actor, produce and develop and create and get behind the camera. It's everything that I dreamed of doing as a younger version of myself. I'm very lucky to have much more creative freedom in that way.

It must give you a great sense of comfort and satisfaction to have so much agency over your artistry.

It really does. And I have to say it's a product of the times as well. Seeing Jane Campion win last night was so heartwarming and inspiring. I don't think that - in fact, I know that when I was a teenager, I wasn't dreaming of becoming a director. It wasn't something that I fully thought that, perhaps, I could do. I just didn't see many women taking that role. And now you do. That will only further perpetuate young people to believe that they can pursue that field as well. That's really special. I love every aspect of all of these jobs... it may sound unfocused to some people, but I really do get so much fulfillment out of the differences between those roles.

I think that when you work in the arts, you have to be able to do a lot of different things, and although there are those who might think that it's unfocused, but it's part of the job description.

Right.

And if I'm not mistaken, your most recent film was written and directed by a woman.

Yes! Mayim Bialik! It's just about to come out. We shot that last summer and it's a beautiful film. It's a very heavy film because it's dealing with the death of a parent and it's something that I have a lot of personal truth in. My father's been sick for very many years and unfortunately is closer to that stage than not. I think all of the cast and Mayim brought a lot of personal truth to that film. And I think it really shows.

I think truth is the most important thing when it comes to creating art, don't you?

Absolutely. Absolutely! I think that when I do a film like As They Made Us it really is a beautiful form of expression that I know will resonate with other people because the themes are universal. I like when my work can allow for somebody to grieve or heal or really feel something very deeply.

Did you always know that as an artist you would gravitate toward the independent films that you've shown so strong an interest in?

I did! Which might be surprising to some people because my career started in a very commercial place. There's something so magnificent about indie films, the freedom that you're allowed because you're not checking in with the studio every step of the way - riskier topics can be explored or just the, the daily task of really making the most of your time, because time is so limited. It gives me a lot of joy and I feel very lucky that I've been able to play as an artist in a way that feels most like me - which is both sides. I'm about to start filming a new film in Austin - this fantastic psychological horror film. That is going to be a little bit more on the bigger, more commercial side. I think it's about balance.

My husband's acting teacher makes big commercial movies that pay the bills so that he can play black box theater in New York city.

I get that. It's flexing all the different muscles so that you feel creatively fulfilled.

Now... while doing my research, I clocked on YouTube some videos of you singing while playing the piano and playing the guitar. It made me wonder if you are doing any songwriting as well.

It's been very limited. The last time I played The Carlyle - my dear friend, Gill Landry, is a very talented singer-songwriter, musician - he and I got together and did my first session, kind of scratching what that could be. As of now, the experience was very fun and very interesting to me; I think that, at this point, I prefer to sing songs that I know and love and have grown up with. We'll see. It's not something I'm actively pursuing at this very moment, but you don't... you never know.

Well, as an artist, you don't really.

No! And it's so wild! It's starting to get really busy for me and for many of my friends, and I think what is always fun and surprising to me is, you truly never know what could happen, even an hour from now.(Laughing) As I mentioned, I'm going straight from the Carlyle to Austin to film for a month, and then we're circling some developments that might happen in another country. It's wild because this lifestyle, it's definitely not for everyone. But it's what I know. I guess I'm equipped for that.

When it's in your blood, you know it.

I think that's very true. (Laughing) I think you can't exist in this space if it's not somewhere there.

Dianna, thank you so much for chatting with me today. I am beyond excited about seeing the show Wednesday night.

Oh, beautiful! I'm so happy that you'll be there. Thank you so much for coming.

Truthfully: I wouldn't miss it.

Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Have a good rest of your day and I'll see you soon.

Stay warm!

Thanks. Bye!

Dianna Agron will play Café Carlyle March 29th through April 9th. For information and tickets visit the Café Carlyle website HERE.

Diana Agron has a website HERE.

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