Interview: Alexa Xioufaridou Moster of PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL NATIONAL TOUR Presented by Broadway In Chicago

Chicago native and recent Northwestern graduate Alexa Xioufaridou Moster reflects on making her national tour debut in PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL and why she's excited to return to her hometown when the tour arrives here in December.

What excites you most about performing in your first national tour and returning to live musical theater performance in general?

It is just so exciting to be back in person with other artists honestly. If I could boil it down to one thing, it would be that. If you had told me a year ago this would be happening I would not have believed you because it seemed so impossible for so long it is really, really like a dream come true. And it feels like an experience beyond my wildest dreams especially coming out of the pandemic.

Can you tell me more about what the rehearsal process was like?

It was a little bit shorter than most rehearsal processes, but that forced us to focus. And the reasoning for that I'm actually not sure why, but we were lucky to have the direction of such an incredible creative team that really put this on its feet in three weeks. It was cool that we were able to do that, and once we got on the road, we continued to gel as a company and come together even more.

What is it like understudying the role of Vivian, who Julia Roberts made such an icon in the original film?

It is such an honor to be in the company at all honestly. If you had told me this was happening a year ago, I would not have believed you...to have the opportunity to cover a role like that is really, really special. It's been a great learning experience for me because, as you know, I just graduated from Northwestern so it's definitely kind of a crash course in how to be a leading lady. There's just something about being tasked with a responsibility like that and being asked to rise to the occasion at any moment. But it's been like I said overall just ana amazing learning experience, and it's just incredible to also just watch Olivia Valli [who plays Vivian] every night. She is the most incredible, kind person and truly an astonishing performer. That has made my experience even better.

What do you hope audiences take away from PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL at this time?

The show has changed from what I've heard a ton. So what I'll say to people who have said, "Oh, I've seen it". I would say come back. It's a different production than it used to be. What I hope people take away is that at the end of the day, it's really a story about love and how love can find you in moments when you least expect it. As people we have to be open to change and be open to learning from people who are different than us. At its core, that's what PRETTY WOMAN is about. It's fun to tell that story every night. I think it really resonates with people. It's also just a great time.

What excites you most about bringing the tour to your hometown?

I have to say when I found out that we were going to be in Chicago, especially around the holiday season, I was so excited. I have tons of friends and family, and you know, even friends that I went to high school with or college or elementary school that might be living other places but would still be back in Chicago for the holidays. That timing was so exciting because it means a lot of my friends and family will get to see the show,which is awesome. It's going to be an exciting homecoming for me in a lot of ways because this experience is the culmination of a lot of years of work and a lot of people in this city have seen me through that. I think it'll be cool to share that.

What are some dream musical theater roles that you'd like to perform?

I would have to say I really, really love the role of Louise in GYPSY. That's a dream role of mine. I also would love to be Glinda in WICKED. That's a hard question because there are so many. I want to do them all!

See Alexa during the Broadway In Chicago engagement of the PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL national tour from December 14-19, 2021. Visit BroadwayinChicago.com for tickets.

Headshot courtesy of Broadway In Chicago

Interview by Rachel Weinberg

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