The conventional wisdom is that actors shouldn’t audition in costume. But Julia Lester did it anyway when she videotaped her audition for the role of Little Red Riding Hood at the encore, she made a red cloak out of her circle skirt! production.
Two weeks later, without a call back, she received the following from her agent:
In fact, it caught the attention of critics in May, leaving Leicester at just 22 after the show moved there this summer. (His Broadway run has been extended until October 16.)
“In Leicester, we are witnessing the emergence of major new comedy talent.” Said Johnny Oleksinski at the New York Post. “Every one of her famous jokes is fresh and she’s incredibly funny. She was red in the face from laughing so hard.”
The New York Times called her “spirited and sparkling”. Washington Post, “Very Confident, Rough and Ready.” The Wall Street Journal, “Deliciously mean and familiar.”
It was her aura of worldliness and tenacity that convinced Leah Debesonnet, the show’s director, to cast Lester. “I knew she was right 10 seconds before her audition her video,” she says deBessonet. “I’ve seen a lot of Little Reds over the years, but I was never into pretty, girly, victimhood things. As a woman, I never want to see them on stage again.” there is.
“For me, the character trait is hunger, this delicious power lust that’s so refreshing and unexpected,” continued deBessonet. She was like.
Sipping water at a Theater District hotel before a recent performance, Lester wore braids and Doc Marten lace-up boots, feeling incredibly comfortable in her own — admittedly auburn — skin. I ran into something.
Despite her angelic face and wide-eyed remarks, Lester has become increasingly I talked about how I gained confidence.
“There’s a lot of pressure on actors to live through other people’s eyes,” she said. “It was really important for me to learn to live freely and be myself.
“Our whole career is based on what other people think of us,” Lester continued. “Knowing that other people routinely judge you, whether silently or not, is quite a pain.”
If she seems more experienced than her years on stage, it’s because she’s been performing professionally since she was 5 years old, and as Ashlyn Caswell in the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. I just finished my 3rd season. She is a high school student in the drama club. (She will begin filming the fourth season in Salt Lake City in September.)
Show business runs in Lester’s blood, too. Her great-grandfather and his brother were part of her Polish Yiddish opera company at the turn of the century. Her maternal grandparents Helen and Peter her Marc Richman met at her theater in Stockholm in the summer. Her mother Kelly and her father Lauren continue to perform, as do her two older sisters Jenny and Lily.
“We are a big family,” said Lester. “I can’t stress enough how much we all support each other.”
Her version of Take Your Daughter to Work Day was to go to the Universal Studios lot and shoot a commercial with her dad. I always thought,” Lester said. “So being surrounded by it on a daily basis and being able to really learn from my family is such a blessing.”
Born in Los Angeles on January 28, 2000, Lester had previously appeared in two productions of Into the Woods. She first appeared as Milky White the Cow in the Community She Theater production when she was in elementary school (her sisters played other roles). Next time she’s 18, she performed as Little Red in a 99-seat theater in Los Angeles.
Many actors fear having to try for a role, but Lester said he loves auditions, given their nervousness and the statistical likelihood of rejection.
“You are being given the opportunity to do what you were put on this earth,” she said. “It’s about doing.”
Lester also continues to carry a knife for protection after being rescued from the wolf’s mouth, cares for Jack (famous for the Beanstalk), and the character of Little Red, who grows in front of the audience’s eyes. I am personally fascinated. “She’s so energetic and so funny,” said Lester. “A lot of the moments when it’s really high stakes and dark themes going on, she’s a beacon of comedy and light. ”
With her performance in this encore! In a revival that began at her center in New York City before moving to her theater in St. James on Broadway, the actress said, “I wanted to reinvent the way people see Little Her Red.”
“When I was working on the script, I tried my best to look at every line she said and really think, ‘What’s the most unexpected way to portray what’s written?'” she said. said.
James Lapine, who co-wrote the show with Sondheim (who died in November), said it was the first time he’d seen an adult play the role, usually played by actors under the age of 18. And a more emotional shade,” he said. “She is Little Red Riding Hood who knows better.”
Actors on the show also say they were impressed with Lester’s ability to pull off big laughs and how he brings a modern sensibility to the role without ruining it. Brian D’Arcy James, who plays Baker, said, “She’s got the radar that the greats have. They know when to hit the brakes or the accelerator.” At the same time, it is also a respect for what has preceded us,” he added. “
Bareilles, who plays Baker’s wife, said she was pleasantly surprised by Lester’s “natural fire” and the palpable respect for the opportunities given to her, her fellow performers, and the live theater itself. It feels like a soul,” Barreilles said. “She has no need or sense of urgency to be seen. She is in awe of the way she approaches her work.”
As a “real die-hard theater boy,” Lester said she has a pinch-your-own quality to her life.
“I never thought I would make my Broadway debut in a show at Sondheim, let alone be surrounded by so many people I grew up loving and watching,” she said. added as wing. “
Although she’s committed to the show until September 4th, Lester said she wants to go back and see this Broadway production live. I hope to continue and come back like it’s my home base anytime,” she said.
The personal response she’s received from audience members has been particularly rewarding. Lester is fully aware that, as a well-built young woman, she may not meet the conventional physical definition of ingenuity, and that other young women may see her as positive. She said she was happy to be seen as a role model.
“It took me a second to grow into myself and be happy with who I am, but you have to start somewhere.” When I play Little Red, I see myself in you,’ and that’s what makes me an actor and a performer.”
“I really appreciate the people who have seen more than my looks and seen what I have to offer the world.”