NR: How do you compare the two versions and how has Percy changed?

DS: Let's do the second part of it. Percy is much more human, much more flawed, more angry. He's less air-brushed, he's the guy next door. He's pissy sometimes and wakes up ugly and yells at his friends and is mean when he's hurt.

NR: How does the script feel from one version of the show to the other? - The overall atmosphere?

DS: The script is probably clearer and more spare. The esthetic coming down from the director is more clear. There's a very specific thumbprint style-wise on the show. It has a style. That means the dancing - and there IS dancing, and the dancing has a certain sensation to it. Bobby [Longbottom] was very clear, "I want this show to look EXACTLY the same, and feel EXACTLY the same without variation EVERY NIGHT of the week."

NR: You talked before about not being sure you wanted to do this. Here's a quote from you...From Newsday - "If I'd known how difficult it was going to be, I might not have done it. But this sort of thing had never been tried before and it was like a piece of cheese in a mousetrap to me. I couldn't resist." I want to know what you couldn't resist.

DS: A dare. Somebody was daring me. They were saying, "Do you think you could do this again? Could you recreate something, but have to go back with a new director and re-fire it?" Especially since 99% I had nowhere to go but down. So, it was a dare, it was a big dare. "I dare you. You know, is it the reviews you're in love with, or is it the work? I dare you to go and do it for the work's sake." That's what I was saying to myself. And to stay on Broadway.

NR: It's so exhausting now - what you're doing...How do you keep up the energy? And how do you do it when you're having a bad day, and you're tired?

DS: My dresser Jen puts up with it. She's sort of my buffer between me and the world. And my hair lady, Alyce. It's exhausting, because you know ... I think, because you know it's finite. I know it's going to come to an end. And I want to be able to say "I gave 175% EVERY day, as many days as was humanly possible until this was over." And then I'll collapse. So, I try to take care of myself - I mean I do the obvious things - sleep and eat, have quiet time, have therapy, try to work out, voice lessons. You know I have to be responsible. I can't go out, I can't drink, I can't eat a lot at night, I can't play, I can't smoke, you know there's a lot of things that you can't do. These are the responsibilities when you're trying to do something Olympian in size and scale.

NR: OK. I want to talk about the League. Why do you think they've been so loyal? And what do you think their contribution's been?

DS: I guess they've been loyal because it's a product that they like and enjoy going to. I mean, why do you order eggs benedict twice? Because you like it. So, they like it. And they feel regarded. I think those two things are sort of important.

NR: How do they feel regarded?

DS: I don't know because I only see what I do with them. But, I assume they must feel regarded, otherwise why would they come back? So, I certainly try to regard them. And that means make time, if someone has a special occasion and I know that person I'll try to make time for them backstage, make exceptions to the rules, make the boundaries of my personal life flexible so that I will talk to them afterwards, make eye contact, remember their names, remember what they're doing in their lives. You know, whatever it is. So, if you try and remember them as you would want to be remembered if you were making repeat visits. I think that's why they come back.

And, what effect have they had on the show? Well, they've certainly kept our spirits up in difficult times. They are the conduit through which the audience response is most easily manifested. I think they've had incredible word-of-mouth and I think the Internet and the League was one way of circumventing that unbalanced geometry (between public and critics). I think that's the main contribution. They showed other producers that you could theoretically bypass the critics, not bypass, but you can have a show run in spite of.

Interview conducted and photographs by Nancy Rosati.