NR: Everybody talks about how, in September, Douglas did one version of the show during the day and another at night, but so did many of you. That must have been unbelievable. Tell me what that was like, especially learning new choreography.

JJ: The actual work part of it was difficult, and you had a lot on your brain, except you already knew the old show. The emotional part of it was ...it was very emotional, especially because it was something that I created, that we all kind of created together, especially in the first year when we were rewriting scenes ourselves and some of those lines that I had written, or situations that we had worked out together were there, and then they were taken away and moved around, and the focus of the show was pinpointed to the three leads much more than it was before. So, the big thing about the changeover was just how painful it was to let go of what it was and not take it personally, and get around to the other side of it. Now I just wake up every day and I'm just so amazed at this amazing transformation that this show has taken and it seems to really be turning around in all aspects. I'm kind of proud of that now, but yet it was still painful sometimes, still hard. I miss a lot of the old show.

NR: How about just learning new choreography and a couple of new words in the same song, and you did one version during the day, switched it at night, back to the other version the next day?

JJ: You know, I did that in another show. I was a lead in Catch Me If I Fall that came in to the Promenade Theater Off Broadway, and that was really difficult because I had much more on my plate, like Doug did. For someone like Doug it must have been really difficult because it also changed the focus of the character. But, in this business you can be in a long running show, and be doing a workshop of another musical during the day and that would be choreography and stuff for a different show. I didn't find that part hard. Surely, there was no confusing the old "Creation of Man" with the new "Creation of Man." It was completely different. What was difficult were the little things in "Into the Fire" because "Into the Fire" didn't really change too much except for a few nitpicky things and Bobby (Longbottom) and Tom (Kosis) are very nitpicky about very specific things, and it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. We're trained to do that. When you deal in the craft (and I'm going to be 45 years old) and you've been doing it for 20 years, you are a good trained dog and you know all of your steps. But I think a couple of times it happened to me, and I know it happened to Doug quite a few times, where in that process I did do something new in the old show. In fact, just last night somebody from the cast gave a line from the old show on the footbridge and Rex Smith didn't know what on earth that was.

NR: I saw several of the previews and I thought that was really fascinating because I've never been able to watch a show develop that way before. For example, the library scene changed many times from October to November. What is that like? Were you a little confused about what you were going to say next?

JJ: No, because that was so fresh at that time, and again, we were all so involved inside of it. We'd be going offstage with Nan (Knighton), the writer, and all of us kind of coming up and creating it. So you were more excited about going on and trying it. We were trying so desperately to fix everything because it was so under rehearsed when we opened. Just trying to open cold in New York even in the best of circumstances is really, really hard. And again, I've been through quite a few preview processes. We did some of that in the preview process of this too. We kept an old version of this, rehearsed a new version for a week or so and put it in on Friday. The words part of it wasn't too hard because I don't have that many words. But, I'm a Virgo. I'm a pretty compartmentalized type, pretty logical thinking type person, generally.

NR: Now, I want an honest answer. What was the first reaction to the "Creation of Man" costumes?

JJ: (laughs) Oh boy. I just thought at that point it had been so hair-raising learning that number, and so nitpicky about it all, that I just looked at it and I thought, "Oh, my God, here we are." And those shoes ...you know, putting on those shoes, it was just like "The humiliation continues." It was just like a month of humiliation that was capped off by the cherry on the cake - that stupid costume! I'm not a fan of the costumes in general in the show. I wish that they had been able to make their statements without being quite so broad in all aspects of the show. It didn't surprise me. I knew that this was exactly what Bobby wanted and you kind of had to trust that this was where he was going. I'd love to see this show. I'd love to sit out there and see this show because now I bet that from the audience, it's a natural extension of everything and, from halfway back they don't look near as ridiculous as they do up front.

NR: Oh, yes they do!

JJ: Yes, they do? Well, good. That's comforting.

NR: (laughing) When you line up for the little ballet line, that's pretty much THE moment, and then you top if off with the hats. It's truly ...

JJ: ...Scary.

NR: But I do like ... in the beginning you all came out looking like you had worn high heels all your life and that really bothered me. Now, you're all looking like you're having trouble with them, which I like better.

JJ: Well, that's interesting. That's very interesting you should say that because we initially wanted to come out and all look really uncomfortable but our director wanted us to come out and turn in uniform and be uniform. What he wants is things clean and choreographed and neat, and what we know is that there has to be a touch of reality in there to tell the story for the comedy to work. It's that fight and pull that the actor has some instincts. So, I'm glad you get that sense when we walk out that we're not really comfortable.

Interview conducted and photographs by Nancy Rosati.