I started very early on in ballet and then my sister was doing musical theatre with the Young People’s Teen Musical Theatre Company. My father-he had a ballet company and my mother was a ballerina, choreographer and artistic director. What originally spiked your interest in musical theatre and how did your parents encourage you on your journey? Lena Hall (Celina Carvajal) with her father, Carlos Carvajal, at 11 years-old. It’s just a good piece of art and to be able to play her and not only play both roles in the same production… It’s so unheard of, especially in a new thing. Maybe sensing my hesitation, they were like, “Well, what if you play Hedwig once a week?” and I thought, well that makes it more interesting because then it adds a challenge and I actually get to play a role I’ve always wanted to play. I had said goodbye to Yitzhak in such a grand way, the idea of putting the boots back on and becoming that character again wasn’t appealing for me, because I thought I had done everything I could have done with the character. So when they came to me with opening the tour with Darren, I was a bit hesitant, because I had my final show as Yitzhak, and I had put that character to bed. We have been touching on the idea of me playing the role during the Broadway run, but obviously that never came to fruition. I did whatever it took to be a part of the show and make the character mine to put my mark on. I love that role and I love the show so much. When I heard that the show was moving to Broadway, I knew that the only way I was going to be a part of it was to play Yitzhak. I had always wanted to play Hedwig, ever since I saw the show when I was nineteen. How did that come to be and what’s it been like for you, playing that role? It’s been announced that you’ll be playing Hedwig one performance a week throughout the tour. Hall discusses how she comes from seven generations of Filipinos in the arts, how she first became involved in musical theatre, and why she changed her stage name. It all starts October 2nd in San Francisco, her hometown as well as where she first got her start in her performing arts journey. Hall earned a Tony Award for her performance in 2014, and will soon embark on a two-month tour for the show where she’ll not only be reprising her role as Yitzhak, but will also play Hedwig one performance a week. However, she may be best known for her role as Jewish drag queen, Yitzhak, in the revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a rock musical about a genderqueer East German singer who takes on a female persona following a botched sex change operation. Lena Hall has quite a resume of Broadway credits to her name, including musicals such as Cats and Kinky Boots. It was always something that was very supported by my parents." "I wasn't faced with a lot of obstacles in being in the arts.
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February 2023
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