Shoshana Bean has never played a mother before Hell's KitchenBut she quickly settled into the role of Jersey, even if it was hard to believe she was old enough to fall into the “someone's mom” category.
“It wasn't hard because I felt like I knew this woman,” Bean, 46, says of the character, who is based on Alicia Keys' mother, Teresa Augello. “Alicia's mother is [and I]”We're very similar and I was inspired by my own mother. A lot of the parenting on this show is the same way I was raised by a single mother so it came very naturally. The biggest challenge has been managing my own feelings about aging in this industry, behind the scenes.”
But Bean's friend Billy Porter told her, “This isn't the same white mamas we've ever seen onstage. You're rewriting the paradigm.”
in Hell's Kitchen In this semi-autobiographical musical about Keys's New York childhood, Jersey serves as both a support and a nemesis to her 17-year-old daughter, Ali (Maria Joy Moon), as she struggles to understand that her mother's boundaries are born of love. A lesser show might have tried to make Jersey a mean, one-note character, but in reality she grows just as much as Ali.
At one point, Jersey calls the police on Ali's boyfriend, Nak, a young black man who Jersey fears is a bad influence. Nak escapes physically unharmed but psychologically scarred, while Jersey comes to understand that she has to think differently about raising a black daughter.
After transferring from the Public Theater to Broadway earlier this year, Bean was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance, along with Moon and co-stars Brandon Victor Dixon and Keshia Lewis. The show received 13 nominations in total, including Best Actor and Best Actress nomination. Stereophonic It received the most nominations this year.
“I don't think I'll ever get used to it,” says Bean, who has been nominated before. Mr. Saturday Night In 2022. “There was a lot of celebration. [at Hell’s Kitchen]We had champagne and balloons, but my favorite celebration was after the “meet the nominees” press day, when Alicia and her head of staff and assistant came to my dressing room that night after the show, along with Maleah and Jade. [Milan]one of Ali's understudies, and our assistant director. We had some whiskey, toasted each other, and just had fun.”
“I wrote a riff a few weeks ago. [in one of my songs] “I was singing a cappella and someone in the audience said, 'Sing it again,' so I sang it again. I love a cappella.”
She and Keys are on the show number This is partly because of the large number of nominations, but the number 13 has a special meaning to me. Hell's Kitchen“It's taken this show 13 years to run and it's been nominated 13 times,” Bean explains, “The album comes out on June 7th, so that's 13 times. The Tony Awards are on June 16th, so that adds up to 13 times. So we keep looking for the lucky number 13, which keeps popping up everywhere.”
Below, Bean talks about his backstage routine, dressing room essentials and how he handles rowdy crowds.
On her dressing room staples:
I have ketchup and Tabasco in my fridge because those are my two favorite condiments. I also have apple cider vinegar, honey, cayenne pepper, and lemon in case I need them while I'm singing. I also keep baby food pouches on hand in case I get hungry. In case I get hungry because I don't want to go onstage with a full stomach.
The most important things in my dressing room are tea, electrolyte packs, and coffee pods. Those are the main things I take in. And then I also have a little bit of whiskey in here, because, you know, I have eight shows a week.
For proven throat remedies:
Olbas Pastil is my go-to, and I mix it with honey, lemon, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. It helps me cut out the junk food. But it makes me hoarse. [my throat’s] It's dry and tired, so I just give it lots of water, and then steam it when I get home at night.
On working during your break:
Time flies by. Sometimes we socialize, sometimes we goof around. Sometimes we check our emails. Sometimes we [The Ladies Club]which is a line of women's golf clothing that I handcraft. It's upcycled, second-hand, vintage stuff. All of these patches are sewn on by me, and they're all hand sewn. So sometimes I'm sewing.
On dealing with rowdy crowds:
I’ll tell you a secret. This is my favorite part of my job. In 2009, I was working on a Peep Show In Vegas, we had to call people from the audience onto the stage in the middle of the show. Remember, this is Vegas, people are going to be drunk, stupid, anything can happen. It was a crash course in being prepared for any situation.
I've been onstage with people like Harvey Fierstein and Billy Crystal, and I've been performing my own solo concerts for decades, so I feel prepared for whatever comes my way, and I live for it, and I know audiences live for it too.
A few weeks ago I made a riff [in one of my songs] — A cappella — Someone in the audience said, “Sing it again,” so I sang it again. I love a cappella.
On where she hangs out after the show:
The men's room is very spacious and there's a big terrace – it's a fire escape, so it sounds fancy – but there's inflatable furniture there to lounge on, so we have a lot of nights out there. [If] We'll have pizza for someone's birthday, and we've previously provided cupcakes and champagne for cast members.
On preparing for the Tony Awards:
I dont have it [a day off] I have a lot of other events and press commitments coming up in the next few months so I'm really busy and to be honest I like it – keeping busy is one of my bad habits.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity..
