Thursday, April 25, 2024

Misty Copeland Dishes on Broadway Debut After Just Six Rehearsals (Video)

misty copeland on the town
This photo provided by Joan Marcus on Aug. 28, 2015 shows ballerina Misty Copeland in the musical “On the Town” at the Lyric Theatre. Until Sept. 6, 2015 Copeland will play Miss Turnstiles, a love interest for one of three sailors enjoying a few hours of shore leave in 1940s New York. (Joan Marcus via AP)

*Ballet superstar Misty Copeland made her Broadway debut this week in the song-and-dance musical “On the Town” at the Lyric Theatre – and she dished to the Associated Press about her experience.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” she said. “I felt nervous that I was going to forget stuff, which I don’t typically feel. We rehearse so much as ballet dancers and the steps become ingrained in your muscle memory.”

Copeland had just six rehearsals and sang her dialogue out loud only twice before her debut as Miss Turnstiles, a love interest for one of three sailors enjoying a few hours of shore leave in 1940s New York. The role requires both acting and singing, in addition to plenty of dancing, including a 15-minute ballet at the end.

Copeland, who recently became the first African-American woman to be a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, got wild applause from the crowd each time she appeared on stage, according to the AP. They cheered her entrances, big numbers and gave her a thunderous standing ovation at the end. The audience was reportedly more diverse and young.

“The audience is so different from what I’m used to. You know immediately that they are excited to be here, and it’s an incredible feeling. I just felt so overwhelmed — that first entrance and throughout,” she said.

This photo provided by Joan Marcus on Aug. 28, 2015 shows ballerina Misty Copeland in the musical "On the Town" at the Lyric Theatre in New York. Until Sept. 6, 2015 Copeland will play Miss Turnstiles, a love interest for one of three sailors enjoying a few hours of shore leave in 1940s New York. (Joan Marcus via AP)
This photo provided by Joan Marcus on Aug. 28, 2015 shows ballerina Misty Copeland in the musical “On the Town” at the Lyric Theatre in New York. Until Sept. 6, 2015 Copeland will play Miss Turnstiles, a love interest for one of three sailors enjoying a few hours of shore leave in 1940s New York. (Joan Marcus via AP)

Copeland admitted to feeling pressure before her debut Tuesday, but said she enjoyed herself more Wednesday, after getting that first performance behind her.

“I remembered all the steps, but I wasn’t happy with Miss Turnstiles. But I was happy with how everything else went. The lights are very different on this stage — they’re a lot stronger,” she said. “But I’m already starting to adjust and get used to it.”

“On the Town,” which was critically acclaimed when it opened in October, has struggled to fill its enormous, 1,874-seat theater. It closes on Sept. 6, which will also be Copeland’s last performance.

“I’m so sad that the show is leaving. I hope at some point it comes back or travels. It’s such an entertaining and spectacular production,” she said.

Copeland said she goes to the stage door after every performance and hopes the crowds will follow her back uptown to the city’s ballet venues.

“It’s such a great crowd and I hope that me stepping into this atmosphere will make them feel that they’re invited to come into my home,” she said.

Watch a clip of Misty’s performance in “On The Town” below;

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