NR: How do you compare the experience of Pimpernel vs Victor/Victoria? They're very different shows, very different casts.

RY: Pimpernel is actually easier for me because Norma in a way backstage is almost like Percy Blakeney, the way that he's running around all the time and he's constantly ... as Norma, from the minute I was on stage I was in action, and I didn't stop until the end of the show. And it was physical, vocal, strenuous action, so I was always fatigued it seemed when I was doing that show. But I enjoyed - it was great. It was a gift. You know, you go out on stage, say a couple lines and the crowd roared and it was great comedy. It was wonderful to play that role. But afterwards, I really wanted to play something different. I couldn't play another Norma. Which is of course what always happens. After you play a character like that they say, "Oh, she plays a great dizzy blonde. Let's cast her as this dizzy blonde." When the truth is - I don't know, maybe there are a lot of actresses who just continue to like to play the same thing but I don't. I want something different. "OK, I've done that. Now give me something else. I need something else to express." So I wanted to sing. I hadn't sung. Norma was a character voice and I wanted to use my voice. And I wanted to do something more meaningful to me. When I heard the music from Frank Wildhorn I just heard something that I wanted to express. Besides, that was comedy. That was being wacky and fun. This is being deeper and emotional and it's a little closer to the heart.

NR: Was there something in particular about Marguerite that drew you to the character?

RY: Yeah, it was the music first of all, and what the music said. The music basically describes what the character's gone through. And that was what attracted me. Because it was this material that I could relate to and that I wanted to express.

NR: Knowing that you had two different directors and two different scripts, did you feel like you were stepping into Christine Andreas' role, or did you feel it was a completely new creation?

RY: I didn't feel that I was stepping into her role, no. First of all, I'd never seen the show before when I agreed to do this. So, the first thing I heard was the music and I thought, "Oh, my God, I need to express this. This is me." And then I read the book and I thought, "Oh, yes, this is me too. I've got to do this." Then I saw her play it. Even though I really felt Christine played from a lot of truth, I did not interpret the character at all the way she interpreted it.

NR: You also had a different script and a different director.

RY: Yeah, but I was actually going from the book. I didn't even have a script at that time. But after reading the book I thought she saw her more this way. I saw her fiery. She's an actress. She's dramatic. She's the "toast of Paris." She's strong. She's an actress, she wants to be noticed. She's a "presence to be reckoned with." Although the challenge in Marguerite is to somehow tell that to the audience yet what's going on in her life right now is she's so contained right now. So it's an actress who feels contained because she has so many questions and emotions that she can't express. So, I think that's an interesting challenge to try to portray in a character.

NR: Did you try to keep "Only Love" in the show?

RY: I did. I worked very, very hard at it. I tell you, I had my arms out. I was campaigning left and right. I'm very happy with everything. I'm very happy with Bobby (Longbottom). I enjoy working with everybody in the show so much, but again, before I had ever seen the show, I guess I had these ideas. I saw what it could be. When I had seen the first show I didn't like it. I wasn't trying to be judgmental either. And it was the direction. It wasn't that I didn't like the show or some of the acting or stuff like that. It was just that to me it was just a mess, it wasn't clear. When I talked to Bobby before about the changes we were in total agreement, and I loved everything that he was doing until he cut that song. At first when he cut it I thought, "OK, I trust your opinion if you really feel this needs to be taken out." Then I realized that Percy and Marguerite have no intimate moment in the entire show. I mean, the wedding is not an intimate moment - everybody was there.

NR: Well, you have the boat at the ending...

RY: Yeah, but you can't tell a love story just by the ending of it. I felt the audience would lose their confidence in this love story if they had to wait till the end to believe in it. To me, there had to be the kind of thing where this love was so special that it is such a tragedy that these two people are not together. And when you start a show where they've known each other for six weeks, and they're getting married, and immediately on the wedding night, they don't speak to each other for the next two months. AND, they don't even confront each other. So you think, "These guys are really great. These people will do anything for love. They won't even say `Honey, what's wrong?'" To me that was just ridiculous. And I said, "There has to be at least a confrontation scene or something." So he put in the one scene when we're in the ballroom and I say, "Why do you hate me so? What's happened?" AND, there's a whole chapter dedicated to it in the book. To me it's THE most important chapter in the book and it was taken out of the script. So, I had a hard time with it but what's happened instead... I tried to compensate. It's Bobby's vision and he had an idea of the way he wanted to do this play and I had to trust him. And it IS his vision. I still had those feelings after he made that decision. I just felt that was a little weak so I just had to, every moment in that play, Doug and I have to relay that to the audience in other ways, in the moments when there's no dialogue.

NR: What's your favorite part of playing Marguerite?

RY: (laughing) The costumes! (sarcastically) The wonderful corset that I wear. (laughs) I DO like the costumes! The costumes are fun! Hey, that's what I got into this business for anyway, right?. And the wig! (very sarcastically) I love to wear that wonderful wig! (laughing) It's all vanity, really. I look fabulous! I love it! Everybody thinks that's my real hair.

(seriously now) I think singing the songs. Again, that's why I originally wanted to do the role in the first place. I love being able to express that part of me in those songs every night. It's healing to me.

Interview conducted and photographs by Nancy Rosati.