BWW Interviews: Andrea Goss of Roundabout Theatre Company's Production of CABARET

CABARET is a classic musical with a cast of characters that can only be explained by seeing the show firsthand. Originally based on the story by the Christopher Isherwood novel, Goodbye to Berlin, CABARET'S music is written by the multi-talented team of John Kander and Fred Ebb. As part of the 50th Anniversary Season, the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of CABARET is traveling North America. Andrea Goss currently plays the role of Sally Bowles and she shared with BWW her life experiences and how she prepared to play the role.

Tell us a little more about yourself and how you first got interested in performing.

I think my parents gave me the biggest gift by giving me piano lessons when I was three years old. When I was younger, I took dance lessons and started the violin. Then, I got to high school and my friend wanted to audition for the musical. She was too scared to audition by herself, so I went with her and it changed everything for me to realize you could do everything that you loved in one career. So, that's where it started.

What was the show?

It was called EBENEZER. It was a take on THE CHRISTMAS CAROL and it was so much fun for me. I didn't grow up around too much theater. I grew up in Salem, Oregon. My parents had taken me and my brother and sister to see PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and LES MISERABLES in Portland when we were younger so it was the only two shows that I had been exposed to but I remember leaving the theater feeling that I was so moved. I didn't fully understand at the time what it was because I was so young at the time. Once getting into high school, I got that feeling myself and getting to do that really changed things for me. After that, I went to Syracuse University and got my BFA in Musical Theater and went from there.

Talk about CABARET and how you got the role of Sally Bowles.

I was lucky enough to do the last revival in New York. I was one of the Kit Kat girls. I also the understudied Sally. I also had the opportunity to go on in New York and start to explore the character then and I was very lucky as an understand that they gave me quite a bit of freedom to make it my own which I think is very rare for an understand. We closed that show in the Spring of 2015. Last summer, they called and offered me the role on tour. I feel really lucky that they did that and they gave me the opportunity so I get to experience so much more.

Sally seems to be a very complex character although she doesn't appear like that on the surface. What did you do to prepare to play Sally?

I did a lot of research. Not only on the time period and what was happening in Berlin at the time, politically what was happening and also socially; the club scene was very gritty raw and they tried to make it realistic in the show. I read and reread many times the Christopher Isherwood novel that it is based off of Goodbye to Berlin. And you know, in the book, she's 19 years old. I think people think that she's supposed to be older but she was written as a 19-year-old girl who's pretending to be older, who's pretending to know what the world is. I think a lot of the description in the novel really helped me find my version. I think the age thing definitely did help looking at her that way because she does make some very difficult choices in the show and I think a lot of people disagree with her choices but for me, I couldn't go in judging her or judging those choices. I had to find a way and a reason why. I think it's because she is a survivor and she's trying to survive. For me, it trying not to replicate someone else's performance because they have been so many incredible women that have played her before. I trying to tell the story the best that I could. The creative team really helped me to find that.

What do you like to do when you have free time on tour?

Explore. This is my first time on tour. It's a once in a lifetime thing to be able to get to travel the country with work and doing a show that I love. Our weekends are pretty full with two shows each day, but during the weekdays, unless we have rehearsal or handle the press, it's our free days to explore. I'm a foodie and I love coffee shops. I try to go out and find local food and local coffee shops that I go to everyday and try to go see the museums or see the sights because it's such a rare thing. I try to get out as much as I can. Sometimes you need a day to sleep or stay quiet. But, it's incredible to be able to see (over) 30 different cities.

What advice do you have for anyone thinking of getting into show business?

Go for it. I feel like you can't kinda barely step in. I think if you are passionate about it you have to go for it. And I feel that I'm doing something that I love and not everybody gets to do that. And I don't take that for granted. I think that no matter how much fear or scared you are; I feel like if you just have to dive in head first. With this business, you still have to continue training. I still take voice lessons and I take acting lessons. It's all about work and how much you put into it. I think you can get what you put into it. I think it is a wonderful business and is hard at times and rewarding.

CABARET: A ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY PRODUCTION plays at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas from Tuesday, October 25 - Sunday, October 30, 2016. Tickets start at $30.00 and can be purchased by going to the Majestic's website.

To post a comment, you must register and login.