Interview: Laura Bell Bundy of SNS GALA at Garden Theatre

Laura Overby had one of those “pinch me, I must be dreaming” moments when she found out she was going to be performing with Laura Bell Bundy at the Short North Stage’s gala 8 p.m. March 1 at the Garden Theatre (1187 N. High Street in downtown Columbus).

Last summer Overby spent from July 11 to Aug. 11 as Elle Woods, a role that Bundy originated on Broadway, in a SNS production of LEGALLY BLONDE.

“I’m absolutely thrilled and honored to be able to meet her, let alone sing a couple songs with her, “  Overby said. “LEGALLY BLONDE was my first show in 2019 and LBB has truly been an inspiration to who I am as a performer and person. Her Elle is truly the blueprint and I’m so floored to be able to perform with such a powerhouse.”

Bell Bundy will join composer Andrew Lippa (ADDAMS FAMILY, BIG FISH, and THE WILD PARTY among many others) at the SNS fund raiser.  

If there is anyone who understands Overby’s level of excitement, it’s Bell Bundy.

“That’s so sweet,” the performer said when she read what Overby had said. “Growing up, I had people who inspired me, performers who I admired and impacted the way I perform. Now it’s come full circle.

“To be someone now who does that for younger folks, especially ones who are doing LEGALLY BLONDE, it’s a great honor and responsibility.”

Not too long ago Bell Bundy herself had one of those “pinch me” moments. The person who did the pinching (literally) was her hero growing up, Bette Midler.

When she was young, Bell Bundy played and replayed Midler’s “Some People’s Lives’ until she knew “every word, every song, every inflection on that album.”

Bell Bundy first met Midler, a friend of HAIRSPRAY lyricist and composer Marc Shaiman.  when the Divine Ms. M came to see HAIRSPRAY in 2002. Five years later, the two met again when Midler attended a performance of LEGALLY BLONDE on April 11th, 2007, Bundy’s 26th birthday.

As amazing as meeting Midler (twice) was, it can’t compare to Oct. 22 last year when she was invited to Shaiman’s 65th birthday party. Bell Bundy found herself at a piano singing “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” with Linda Hart (who played Velma Van Tussle, the mother of Bell Bundy’s HAIRSPRAY character) and Midler.

“Suddenly, it hits me, ‘Oh my God, I'm singing with Bette Midler,’” Bell Bundy said. “She kept hitting my butt to encourage me to sing it!

“I kept thinking, this is the craziest moment.”

Columbus is the first of four theater benefits Bell Bundy is doing in a week. She has received so many memories from theater and feels an obligation to give back.

“(Local) theaters matter,” she said. “They create theater goers and that keeps Broadway alive.

“I believe in the power of theater. It’s so healing and so revolutionary. Some of these shows have great lessons in them and people learn from them.”

Born in Euclid, Ohio, Bell Bundy spent most of her childhood in Kentucky. She credits a dance instructor at the Town and Village School of Dance in Paris, Ky., for noticing her talents.

“I was in a three-year-old’s dance class and the teacher told my mom (Lorna Bundy-Jones) I was singing all the songs we were dancing to and I needed to get singing lessons,” she said. “I don't remember a time I wasn't singing. I learned how to sing by just listening and trying to mimic all the singers I heard.”

Bell Bundy came from a family of vocalists. She said her grandfather, Wayne Bell, could imitate Bing Crosby and her aunt Marcia Malone Bell used her  singing abilities to capture the Miss Kentucky title in 1978 and reach the top 10 of the Miss America pageant the following year.

Some families mark the heights of their children on walls as they grow up. Bell Bundy’s family can mark her progress with cast lists and playbills. When she turned nine, Bell Bundy moved to New York City and landed the leading role of Tina Denmark in an Off-Broadway production of RUTHLESS! in 1992. (Her understudies were Natalie Portman and Britney Spears.) At 14, she signed on to play the younger version of Bonnie Hunt’s character in the movie “Jumanji.”

In 2002, Bell Bundy originated the role of  antagonist Amber Van Tussle in HAIRSPRAY on Broadway. From there, she became an understudy to Kristen Chenoweth in WICKED. In 2007 she was cast as Elle Woods, the title character in LEGALLY BLONDE and was nominated for a Tony Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.

When she wasn’t on stage, Bell Bundy was busy. She released five albums, including 2010’s “Achin’ and Shakin’,” which hit number 5 on the Billboard’s Country Album charts.

Bell Bundy said there’s a huge difference between performing one of her songs in front of a crowd and playing a role in a show.

“When you’re performing as a Broadway singer, you’re more inhabiting these characters… that are going on these journeys,” she said.

Sometimes, those characters take Bell Bundy to some strange places. Some are bone splintering, like when she broke her arm during a performance of LEGALLY BLONDE in Nashville. Others are side-splitting.

“(During the Broadway run of LEGALLY BLONDE), I was doing the song, ‘Bend and Snap,’ and I snapped so hard that my wig went flying off and I’m standing there in my wig cap,” Bell Bundy said, laughing. “I said, ‘I’d like to thank you guys for attending tonight’s debut of LEGALLY BALD.’”

From there, the problems compounded. Since the scene took place in Paulette’s beauty salon, Bell Bundy said in character, “Paulette, you want to help me fix my hair?” The Delta Nu Greek Chorus sprang into action, removing their own hairpins and helping put her wig back on.

“What they didn’t realize is they put the front of the wig in the back,” she said. “I had all this hair draping over my eyes and I couldn’t see. I looked like Cousin Itt from ‘The Addams Family.’ It was one of the best theater moments …ever.”

There was a time, however, when Bell Bundy seemed to be stretching herself too thin, constantly leaping from one genre to another. From 2005-15, she was part of four musicals, released five albums, acted in four feature films, and appeared on 16 different television shows including 53 episodes of “Anger Management,” 24 episodes of “Hart of Dixie” and five episodes of “How I Met Your Mother.”

The helter skelter pace eventually caught up with her. Bell Bundy began experiencing some vocal strain. She struggled to hit the high notes she consistently performed as part of WICKED.

“I didn’t feel like I could say no,” Bell Bundy said. “I was waking up in the morning, doing all the press, and doing shows at night. I was pushing myself past the limit and I hurt myself vocally.”

Doctors kept telling her with a shot of Prednisone or taking some Vitamin B, she’d be fine. But the problems kept getting worse.

Finally, she went to see Dr. Steven Zeitels, the chief of the Center for Laryngeal Surgery & Voice Rehabilitation at Massachusetts General Hospital. Zeitels is the surgeon to the stars, with Julie Andrews, Steven Tyler, Adele, and Sam Smith listed amongst his clientele.

“In his office, you see photos of all these famous singers on his wall,” she said. “I was nervous but he said, ‘I see you’ve got some stuff going on.’

“It was a relief. I ended up having surgery and taking some time off. I was still being asked to do this or that, but I had to say no to a lot of musical theater things because I didn’t think I could do it.”

The time away from the stage did wonders for Bell Bundy, who said the notes in her high registry have now returned.

And if she is asked to put her thumb print on a character for the next great musical, she’s ready to go. The singer listed the pros and cons for both creating a role and following someone else’s performance in a musical.

“They both have their challenges,” she said. “When you take over a role that has been done before, you go, ‘OK, these things worked in the past.’ The costumes, the blocking and the choreography are all finished. You make it your own from the blueprints that you were left.

“When you’re creating a role, there’s no blueprint. You have the responsibility of creating a path and crafting it.”

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