Where you’re like I go from point A to point B to point C, and they’re like A . She doesn’t have great taste in men, but I’ve been there.”, Melania, in confluence with “The Detour” and her rapturously praised “Meteor Shower” performance, has also contributed to solidifying Benanti’s status as comedian, a goal she’s worked toward for years. I was in Delaware celebrating my grandmother’s 92nd birthday. Recalling a frustrating bout in the theater—after “Into the Woods,” during which she broke her neck, and before “Gypsy,” for which she won that Tony—Benanti found herself adrift in disillusion. Casting REAL Ancestry.com members & their families Nationwide. Most roads lead to Laura Benanti. And Anya Taylor-Joy is just unbelievable. This enthralling work from award-winning playwright and actress Gurira demonstrates the human capacity to endure, even in the most desolate of circumstances. I woke up the next day to like hundreds of e-mails from Colbert’s team and like panicked voicemails being like, “Hey, can you come in and do this sketch?” And I’m like, “Guys, I’m five hours away. When Broadway star Laura Benanti isn’t entertaining people on stage, she still brings the laughs on Twitter ― especially with her funny takes on parenting. Good!”. In fact, non-Broadway-goers will more likely recognize Benanti from her appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she smolders her way through impressions of a First Lady being held at the White House against her will. Found insideBoth the perfect introduction to the twelve signs for the astrological novice, and a resource to return to for those who already know why their Cancer boyfriend cries during commercials but need help with their new whacky Libra boss, this ... A+ . •. All rights reserved. It was amazing for me because I had never reached that many people before in terms of people seeing me. “It’s easier for people to quantify you as one thing,” she says. I think that if she appeared more, there would be more opportunity. Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them tells the story of a young woman in crisis: Is her new husband, whom she married when drunk, a terrorist? Or just crazy? Or both? Laura Benanti: It continues to be very exciting, but also daunting because he’s one of my comedy heroes. What I’ve learned from them is a sense of abandon. The music was a parody of “Belle” from 'Beauty and the Beast.' Found insideIt was a diet that couldn't last. And then it fell apart. The second volume of Moby's memoir is a classic about the banality of fame. It is shocking, riotously entertaining, extreme, and unforgiving. Found insideIn GARY, maverick theater artist Taylor Mac’s singular world view intersects with Shakespeare’s first tragedy, Titus Andronicus. "Make America grape again!" Attempting to reset her acting synapses, she set her sights on television. Lots of wine. Photographed on January 19 in NYC by Chad Griffith. But if you enjoy the absurd and are willing to go on a fun ride and laugh, this is your jam. That was Laura Benanti, the actress on Broadway (including the recent revival of “She Loves Me” and her Tony Award-winning performance in “Gypsy”) and television (“Supergirl,” “Nashville” and “The Sound of Music Live!”). In This Is Your Captain Speaking, Gavin shares: Behind-the-scenes accounts from the early days of New York theatre, TV shows, and Hollywood Personal stories never shared before on the death of his father, struggles with depression, and his ... Supergirl ‘s Laura Benanti on Tuesday assumed what might just be her greatest role yet: Melania Trump. "Alice enjoyed a long run at the Village Gate Off Broadway. It has that vibe for me, but it’s also laugh-out-loud funny. Laura Benanti is one of Broadway’s most beloved musical stars, but it’s her uncanny impersonation of Melania Trump that has struck a comic nerve. This is Divahood A-Z—from the practical to the spiritual, featuring advice on everything from relationships to fashion to success in the business world. They’re always on the lookout for stuff. Most of them have been so successful. On a crisp January afternoon, just days before concluding her show-stealing run in Steve Martin’s absurdist Broadway play “Meteor Shower” (lucky No. Well, one of the First Lady's most famous impersonators, actor and comedian Laura Benanti, says all of America can sympathize with her. “It’s the artistic expression that they missed out their senior year of high school,” she said. It’s just about interesting roles and stories and especially, for me, making people laugh.”. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. But I just like to learn about anything. For more than a year, Benanti has been the chief impersonator of the now–first lady, dropping by “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” every so often to “jiggle around” and add levity to a situation she feels desperately needs it. I devoured it one sitting and now I keep just going back and back and back. And "Melania" (played by Broadway star Laura Benanti) stopped by The Late Show to explain to Stephen Colbert that no, seriously, she's loving it, … Based on the album by Matthew Sweet, Girlfriend is a pop/rock musical for everyone who's lived in a small town and feels for their first love. “We all have layers of personality that we put on top of ourselves, and [meditation] helped me strip away those layers to get to the more internal stuff that I needed to reach in order to be a more authentic actor,” she says. “It’s interesting, because when you get what you have dreamed of your whole life when you’re 18, you’re like, ‘What do I do now?’ ” she reflects from the couch of a photographer’s studio in Manhattan’s Financial District. I look back and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m garbage’—but I learned.”, Having now worked extensively and at times simultaneously in both forms, she is able to examine the differences between acting onstage and on camera pragmatically. It’s never great to read about how Nazis were inspired by our systemic racism, but I think it’s a really important read, especially for white people and especially right now. In it, the funnywoman brings to life a "Melanie Trump" waiting for her husband, President Donald Trump, to arrive for a Christmas message. The title work, Retainers of Anarchy, is a 25-metre scroll-like video installation that references life during the song dynasty (960?1279 CE), but undermines its idealized portraiture of social cohesion by setting the narrative in Kowloon?s ... The Detour actress Laura Benanti will not leave First Lady Melania Trump alone to spend Christmas in peace. Covering subject's ranging from healthcare ("I shudder to think where we'd be without the wide variety of prescription drugs to treat our maladies, such as think-shuddering") to the economy ("Life is giving us lemons, and we're shipping ... I don’t think it’s just audiences, I think it’s just humans. As soon as there was a free seat on the train, he moved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. The official opening night is Wednesday. Obviously I was like, “Ah, I gotta deal with this.”. David Byrne's play about Imelda Marcos called for the theater to be transformed into a disco. According to Fox News, Benanti as Melania first told Colbert she was "ditching that loser" and returning to New York City before launching into the musical parody. Found insideModern and bursting with flavour, the book reveals the secrets of Isaac's culinary training and gives you everything you need to get a bit messy and have fun in the kitchen. Provides a behind-the-scenes look at life on the set of the television program "Save by the Bell," along with a memoir of the life of the actor who played "Screetch" on the show. I’m also really excited by seeing how people are using social media and the internet to create their own content. In his distinguished career as a Hollywood photographer, Bob Willoughby took iconic photos of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Fonda, but remains unequivocal about his favourite subject: Audrey Kathleen Ruston, best known as Audrey ... Switching gears now, Page Six recently quoted your tweet about audience members with cell phones. Benanti’s days are full, but not so much so that she couldn’t speak with Vanity Fair about some of her work, including her new (!) Amaryllis Lark is one of the best psychic detectives on St. Helen’s, the Earth colony recently cut off from the mother planet—and a place where love defies the most incredible odds. If the S in MOOSE comes loose and the E breaks free . . . what’s left? M-O-O! For me, going and revisiting that hashtag, that people are still posting things to, and seeing all of these young people pouring their hearts out, and the incredible innovation. “My life is ocean of loneliness,” she said, before explaining that she was just promoting her new fragrance, “Ocean of Loneliness,” a “decadent bouquet of gardenia blossoms with a hint of ‘I … As easily as she can sustain the rafter-piercing soprano of Amalia in “She Loves Me,” she can blurt a joke so blue she swears her mother would disown her upon reading it (it has thus been excluded here). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Additional TV credits include Supergirl, Nashville, guest-starring as songbird Sadie Stone; The Good Wife; and Showtime’s Nurse Jackie. I was sitting next to a man on the train and I guess I was in such a panic and I had my headphones in, I didn’t realize how loud I was being as I was practicing her dialect and zooming in on her mouth. 2) There are people in the real world who are bilingual/multilingual. Music is so powerful in that it opens your heart to a place where you can then receive whatever message it is, and I think that that’s something that song does really beautifully. As the novel opens, she learns she is pregnant (from an affair with her married professor) at an apocalyptically bad time: random but deadly attacks on passers-by, all by blonde women, are terrorizing New Yorkers. “It recharged my brain in a way where I was like, ‘Oh, I’m doing something new and that’s exciting and takes a different skill set,’ ” she says. Her unrestrained, self-effacing candor has become a trademark of Benanti’s person and persona. Am I allowed to say #SunshineSongs even though it’s my own thing that I started? When she's not writing about television, film, or theater, she is definitely somewhere watching it. As this nation’s pre-eminent fake Melania, what did you think of the fake Melania conspiracy theory? Found insideINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The first explosive book about Javanka and their infamous rise to power Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are the self-styled Prince and Princess of America. It’s just a symptom of the disease. But I think it’s not just audiences, it’s humans. The actress' version of Melania returned to Late Night with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday to deny that her husband had an affair with a porn star, … Have you been able to lend any of your Broadway expertise to your castmates, since at least Keegan-Michael Key and Amy Schumer are new to the stage? Just the fact that Laura's Broadway-certified singing pipes see some use. Museums can feel really distant and stuffy, and the fact that people can now Zoom in, in their pajamas from the comfort of their own homes, is kind of miraculous. I just hope people can just come and laugh and enjoy themselves. They move around in a more improvisational way. I was going to come back during the Ivana-Melania stuff, but I had an issue with my daughter and wasn’t able to come in. Ad Choices, The hardest-working woman in show business talks to. I don’t care about sports, but Jerry Zaks does, and so do Keegan and Jeremy Shamos, so [Jerry’s] like, “You guys are like a team, you have to pass the ball back and forth to each other.” And then Amy and I wake up from that analogy, and we move on with our day. Laura Benanti says each scene was 'really fraught' in 9/11 film 'Worth'. I’ve learned from them the idea of not getting stuck in line readings, which can happen sometimes in the theater. Post–State of the Union. Sometimes she’s even Melania Trump. Melania is easy. Hopefully soon. Found inside – Page 1In this all-new series, writer VITA AYALA (Black Panther, Shuri, Wonder Woman, The Wilds) and artists OLYMPIA SWEETMAN, VASCO GEORGIEV, JORDI PEREZ, AND ERICA D’URSO throw Xena and her companion Gabrielle headfirst into a mysterious ... Nov. 24, 2020. Karen Donato (Laura Benanti) tells Ken Feinberg (Michael Keaton) why she doesn't want any compensation for her husband's death in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on New York. [When people take out their phones,] it’s like, “I guess we’re done now. THAT'S A FACT. But sometimes, it helps to hear a few other experiences to better guide us along our own directions. And that's what this book offers: stories, situations, examples, methods, and tools for you to decide whether or not to use. They are these two comedians, and they’re on Instagram and TikTok and they are doing impressions that are so next-level funny, so much funnier than any show on TV. Laura Benanti's Melania is trapped in an 'ocean of loneliness' on 'The Late Show'. When Laura Benanti was preparing to tape a sketch for “The Late Show” this week, she could hear the audience buzzing. Cabaret; Off-Broadway; Off-Off-Broadway; Dance; Opera; Classical Music She befriends Max, a black Pullman porter who reminds her achingly of home and who saves Alice by leading her to the Paragon Hotel. . For me, I don’t want to make fun of her, I want to make fun of him using her as the vehicle because obviously I can’t do a Trump impersonation. I love it. Late Show. “Obviously we can’t throw juice boxes in real life, but having someone else to focus on has made me a more empathetic person, a more patient person, and I do think genuinely a better actor, because I spend more time observing and less time trying to be seen the way I want to be seen.”, Her daughter being the ultimate consideration, post–“Meteor Shower,” what would lure a certain Broadway badass back to the stage? in general — she’s so prolific — and this song in particular feels like something we all really need to hear. “I feel like this is finally the thing that has made—at least people in our industry—go, ‘She is a comedian. “I wasn’t getting to audition for comedy. Found insideVern Yip's Design Wise provides both the inspiration and the clear, essential guidelines you need to create a home that perfectly reflects you. We can see you and hear you because we’re live [laughs]. Another book I’m really loving is “Caste,” by Isabel Wilkerson. The 39-year-old singer appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Friday for a new sketch that went viral.. “I get a Covid test every single day — because they’re using different companies and will not rely on each other’s testing, the poor inside of my nose is raw — but I’m really impressed with the responsibility that they’re taking to keep everyone safe.”. Paramount Put Up a “Ridiculously Petty” Fight for Henry Cavill’s Troublesome Mustache, “This Is Terrifying”: Inside Time Inc., Fear Mixes with Cautious Optimism. Now, if you go to a restaurant—even I will do it—you’ll be sitting with some of your closest friends you haven’t seen in a while and then at a certain point everyone pulls out their phones and like checks their e-mails or whatever. It’s the most feel-good television show you’re ever going to watch in your whole life. I just think it’s so remarkable that you’re able now to basically sit in on a lecture at the Fashion Museum in Bath, England, and watch a lecture on fashion in the Jazz Age. So I feel like, frankly, it’s my privilege and my duty to read books like that. For four years, the 41-year-old actress with a killer soprano and a nimble wit has been channeling Melania Trump for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” But Benanti knows her run will likely end at the same time as the Trump Administration. I have an Eastern European resting bitch face, and I think people were like, ‘No, she’s not funny, she’s a serious actor.’ ”, Benanti also cites Twitter for helping her to shed that “serious” misconstruction and demonstrate her comedic chops. At a time where I feel like the language that we speak is mostly sarcasm, it’s so refreshing to see kids care about something. “It’s always frustrating to me, because my ability to sing doesn’t negate my ability to act; I just have an extra talent,” she objects, speaking to the stigma many actors known for theater—musical theater in particular—face when shifting into on-camera work. The pitfalls and pleasures of an actor's life are discussed candidly by a talented actor, who recounts the highlights--and not so great moments--of his more than thirty years in show business TONIGHT: No need to worry about the status of … And it’s certainly an odd time in our nation’s history, and I think that that’s exemplified in audiences right now. I want to do good work—it doesn’t particularly matter to me in what medium. Tony Award winner Laura Benanti has done 10 Broadway shows, received half as many Tony nominations, and possesses more television credits than you can count. Do you agree with its thesis that audiences are behaving badly more these days than in prior decades? Unless I’m the asshole and I just don’t know. Found inside“Every line is poetry down and dirty in the mud, right where it belongs.” — Publishers Weekly A stunning literary debut, Horseman, Pass By (1961) exhibits the “full-blooded Western genius” (Publishers Weekly) that would come to ... Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines attend the 62nd Annual Tony Awards on June 15, 2008. Casey Mink is the senior staff writer at Backstage. Laura Benanti Reveals Why She Kicked Her Husband Out of Bed While Pregnant with Her Daughter. No. We don’t have to do it. In France, 1940, an unlikely pair team up to evade the approaching Nazis. The former director of special events at Vogue and producer of nine legendary Met Galas, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff met Melania Knauss in 2003 and had a front row seat to the transformation of Donald Trump’s then girlfriend from a rough ... said Laura Benanti, reprising her impersonation of the First Lady on Tuesday night's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She tends to keep a bit of a low profile. We thought it might only happen a few times before the election, but sadly it didn’t work out that way. Like, that’s just my genre. Colbert then trotted out actress Laura Benanti who regularly mocks the First Lady. Once it was over and I watched it and I was like, “O.K.! “I am more than willing to sacrifice this job in order to keep our democracy intact.”, The act has also paid dividends for Benanti, introducing her to those who may have missed her 12 Broadway shows, including a Tony-winning performance in “Gypsy.”, Thanks to the Colbert appearances, she said wryly, “People are finally taking me seriously as a comedian.”. She is also the executive producer of “Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020,” a self-shot, documentary-style special that HBO Max is releasing Dec. 17. With 10 Broadway credits to her name and half as many Tony nominations—one of which resulted in a win—many have taken to labeling her the evocative “Broadway veteran.” But please, she asks: don’t. I hope they just enjoy themselves. We’re in a little bit of an identity crisis right now as to who we want to be. Donald Trump may never apologize, but now Melania is on The Late Show—thanks to a rather spot-on impression from actress Laura Benanti, who looks very … So that and also videos of people in Italy singing out their windows to each other. Last month, Sony Music Masterworks released “Laura Benanti,” an album of contemporary and classic cover songs that she recorded late last year. [Laughs] You’d have to ask them. The world is such a weird, crazy, scary place right now. Our Broadway family is decimated right now, and our health insurance is about to run out, and it’s really scary — it’s dire. I had just driven down the day of the Republican National Convention. Found insideIn Milk of Paradise, acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes readers on an epic journey from ancient Mesopotamia to modern America and Afghanistan, from Sanskrit to pop, from poppy tears to smack, from morphine to today’s synthetic ... . I am actually very bad at fashion, and I don’t really understand it. . Any time I’m needing a little pick-me-up I just go onto their pages and I’ll watch it over and over again. It’s happening everywhere else. She is a comedic actor,’ ” she says. She started in theater. I just like to get out of my own thoughts. Broadway actress Laura Benanti, who frequently appeared on 'The Late Show' impersonating Melania played the first lady. “I feel thrilled,” she said. There’s a 15-year-old girl whose name is Zikora Akanegbu and she created an Instagram account, and now a zine called GenZHER, that connects young women and mentors, and gives advice on how to get your first job and a ton of really amazing things. Stephen began by saying, "I want you to feel like The Late Show is your home." Last month, Sony Music Masterworks released “Laura Benanti,” an album of contemporary and classic cover songs that she recorded late last year. It’s a mix of some of Benanti’s favorites, like “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life,” and “The Party’s Over,” and pop songs her producer suggested from the Jonas Brothers and Selena Gomez. Skip to footer site map. Melania Trump has been relatively absent from the presidential race since she plagiarized Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention speech at July’s Republican National Convention. O.K. I mean no. By Tolly Wright @TollyW. Benanti is an enigma who, by showing up and doing the work, has become one of the most prolific inter-medium performers of the decade. The prospective lodgers have some underlying surprises of their own. In The Underpants, Steve Martin brings his comic genius and sophisticated literary style to Carl Sternheim's classic 1910 farce, Die Hose. Complete with behind-the-scenes diary entries from the set of Vachon's best-known fillms, Shooting to Kill offers all the satisfaction of an intimate memoir from the frontlines of independent filmmakins, from one of its most successful ... Ms. Benanti also recently wrapped on the film "Here Today" starring opposite Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish. Tony-winning actress Laura Benanti and businessman … West End; New York City. When we do it we want to do it well. But I love a workplace comedy that does not require you to love the thing they’re talking about. By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. It’s not like hey, wait, hold on, we were just talking. So we just have to find the moments when she pops out and makes headlines for a few days. In an interview from the new home in New Jersey she shares with her husband and their 3-year-old daughter (yes, Benanti is among those for whom the pandemic has catalyzed a move out of New York City), Benanti talked about her cultural essentials, crediting her sometime collaborator Ashley Van Buren with keeping her current. I think that there is a decorum that has gone out the window. Laura Benanti doesn’t want her Melania Trump impersonation to be ‘cruel’ ... And by ‘one of us,’ I mean the people who feel like we’re reluctantly married to him and don’t want to be Laura Benanti’s Melania Trump Drops by. And I love that it’s unabashedly about a good person — a joyful, good person, going throughout life giving people the benefit of the doubt and seeing how that ripples. I think in general we are behaving badly. And she’s not sad about it. Found insideThe film, directed by Rob Marshall, stars Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, and Chris Pine. This book includes an eight-page insert with color photographs from the film. When TBS’ Samantha Bee–produced scripted comedy “The Detour” returned for its third season Jan. 23, Benanti’s recurring role had been upped to series regular. Hair, skin, and eye color in people and animals mostly depends on the type and amount of melanin they have. So for me that’s been a really wonderful thing to witness and to be a part of. She makes regular appearances on television—once on Supergirl, Nurse Jackie, and Nashville, and now on TBS’s Samantha Bee and Jason Jones co-creation, The Detour. 0:00 / 4:27. I’m really inspired by H.E.R. She’s a new-ish mom (see what that absurd and absurdly cute job entails over on her Instagram). Ms. Benanti, a Broadway actress, entered the political satire arena when she appeared on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” to impersonate Ms. Trump. Laura Benanti is about to lose the job for which she’s best known. And she’s not sad about it. For four years, the 41-year-old actress with a killer soprano and a nimble wit has been channeling Melania Trump for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” But Benanti knows her run will likely end at the same time as the Trump Administration. The first collection by a striking new voice in the American theater. Benanti made her Broadway debut at 18, understudying Maria in “The Sound of Music” before shortly thereafter assuming the behemoth leading role full-time, starring opposite Richard Chamberlain. Supergirl's Laura Benanti Brings Her Own Teen Angst to New Theater Kid Anthem 'I Like Musicals' this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. I can’t stop reading it. The fact that it would be happening in the theater, it’s like of course it is. Photo courtesy of Netflix. Not even a global pandemic has dulled the edge on Laura Benanti’s impersonation of Melania Trump.On Monday’s episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Benanti-as …