I interviewed Terry at length and a more complete interview can be found in the "Spotlight On" section of Talkin' Broadway. Below are excerpts and a special question for the League.

Terry's been a member of the ensemble since the very beginning. I have dubbed her the "League's Guardian Angel" because she has been so helpful to all of us over the past year by assisting with plans for the brunches and other League events. Terry always greets you with a huge smile and she is a joy to be around.

NR: Tell me a little bit about your family.

TR: There's four of us actually. I have a brother and he's the oldest. And then there's Heather. We're all three years apart, so Chris is the oldest, and then Heather, then there's me, and we have a little sister, Tori, who's actually a micro-biologist. She just finished her undergrad at Hunter and she has a job at a bio-tech firm on the west side.

NR: So, she's in New York also. Are your parents still in Vermont?

TR: My dad's now living with his wife in Cape Cod and my mom is still living in my home town of Montpelier, Vermont. Both of my sisters are here because I'm here. We all lived together for a long time and then fortunately, before we killed each other, we spread out, and we all live in fifth floor walk-ups on the east side. I'm about to break out of the "upper east side fifth floor walk-up" because I'm buying a house.

NR: How small was the town you grew up in?

TR: Well, it's the capital of Vermont, but it is very small. It's about 8,000 people. Small enough that everyone knew our business all the time. There were 103 in my graduating class and that was the only high school in the town. It was great for what it was. I couldn't wait to leave and now I love to go back.

NR: When did you leave?

TR: I left to go to college. I graduated from high school in '85 and I went to St. Louis, Missouri, to Webster Conservatory of Theater Arts, and that was basically because I didn't really know what else to do. They offered me a scholarship. I thought I'd go to Webster for a year and then I would know the deal. St. Louis seemed at least... I thought I should be going to New York but nothing was turning out that way, so I went to St. Louis and I had four really, really great years there. It was a musical theater program and I got a B.F.A., and I didn't take any real courses. My Advanced Placement Biology meant nothing. But it was great.

NR: I believe you told me you were singing when you were a kid. Were you always singing?

TR: Yeah, there's a lot of music in my family. There was always music in my house, so I sang whenever I could. In junior high it got more formal because there were groups to join and I did that. In my freshman year of high school, Heather was a senior, and she said, "OK, you have to audition for the musical" and of course I was thrilled. It was Pajama Game and I got Babe and Heather got Gladys. I was a freshman, so that was kind of a big deal, and that was the beginning of the end, actually. But it all came out of singing, and wanting to sing, and not knowing at that time that just being a singer wasn't enough, but I learned. I did a lot of community theater in high school, and that's where the whole "distortion of reality" began. I sang in different choirs and played trombone in a marching band.

NR: What were you doing before you made it to Broadway?

The big thing I did was Williamstown Theater Festival, which is a big, prestigious festival in Massachusetts. I auditioned for their cabaret. They had a summer Cabaret Corps who did shows. They called me and they wanted to offer it to me and I was really excited because I knew it was very prestigious... and I had an amazing summer. We did eight different shows. In the early part of the evening we would do something like a Frank Loesser revue, like a real cabaret show. There were five of us. And at night, we did the late night cabaret and all the crazy Equity actors would join us, which at the time was Chris Reeve and Betty Buckley and whoever else was there. It was an incredible experience, as well as the summer I met my husband Chris, and also, Peter Hunt is the person who hired me for that job. That led to five summers up there, only once on the main stage.

So, really, when this audition for Pimpernel happened, I was kind of at the end of the rope with my career. I was almost 30, which to me had always been that target age, and in college everyone said, "Well, you're not going to work until you're older. You're a leading lady and you're too young." And that works in your head for awhile.

NR: Can you tell me about your Pimpernel audition?

TR: I heard Peter was directing this and we knew Peter very, very well. Chris, obviously knew Peter very well. They worked very close together for seven years. I wrote Peter a postcard, saying "Hey, we're getting married. Hope you'll come to the wedding. PS. Are you going to see me for Pimpernel?" I heard he came to town. He didn't call us and he didn't call me for the audition. I was really angry. I thought, "After all we've done for him, he couldn't even fit me in?" I was literally bad-mouthing him to everyone. Two weeks later I got a call saying, "Hi, Peter wants to bring you in for the call backs for Scarlet Pimpernel." He of course skipped the audition call. So, then I thought, "Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I said all those horrible things." I was then thinking after this whole dry period I was in great shape because I had been doing my solo show. Fortunately, even though I hadn't been auditioning for awhile at this point, I was in good shape vocally and I was just in a good place. I was thinking, "This is it. This is my show. I've worked with Ron Melrose, and I know Peter. This is my show! It's time!" I was so geared up. I brought my pianist to the audition. They wanted two numbers. I sang my first song. Then Ron said, "You know, Terry, we really know your voice. I really think that's fine." And Peter said, "Love to Chris." Then I thought, "I can't believe it." Because I was sure this was going to be it. I was destroyed. When they say that in an audition it usually means...if they like you they want to hear more, whether they know you or not. They just do. I went home and said, "You don't understand, Chris. This is it. I'm not going to get called back. Why did he just bring me in just to kick me out?" - basically bad-mouthing Peter again. And there's my sweet husband, trying to be supportive, saying, "Well, honey, if you can't get this one..." And he had a point. If you finally went to one of these, and you know these people, and they know your work, and they're still not giving it to you... So, I was destroyed again. And then the next day, I got a phone call telling me they wanted to see me again for the final call back.

NR: How long did it take before you got the job?

TR: Well, then there was the period after that audition...It was probably four weeks total, and completely grueling. There was the call the next day after the first time I sang but then it was a week until the next audition but now I thought, "Let's be reasonable. I can't go through what I went through last week." When I went in that week, everybody was there. Frank (Wildhorn) was there. Pierre Cossette was there and Nan (Knighton). I could see Ron Melrose saying nice things about me in Frank's ear, and I could see Peter, literally just beaming at me like he was my favorite uncle. He was just "lovely papa" which is what I had wanted the whole time. Then I had to go back to the movement call, and I didn't choke like I usually do. I left there, thinking "This is it. I'm going to be on Broadway." I was crying, I wanted to see Chris. I just felt it, I knew it was true.

A week passed. I was trying to pretend that it was OK, but starting to lose hope. I went to my class with Craig Carnelia and someone who had been at the call back with me said, "Oh, my friend Alison heard on Friday." This was Monday night. It was Alison Lory. Alison heard on Friday that she got it. And that was it. I couldn't believe it, because I was so sure. I was destroyed, and I went and I worked for three more days at the restaurant. I was doing lunch on Thursday. This was as low as you can get. I had turned 30 the day before I found out that I didn't get it. Even though I was getting married in six months, it didn't matter. I was destroyed. I was doing the lunch shift and I had told everybody that I appreciated their support but I couldn't talk about it anymore. After I finished my lunch, I went to check our machine and Pimpernel had called. I was right by the dishwasher, covered with seafood, as depressed as I could get when I called them back. There's Ron Gubin on the phone and he said, "Where are you right now? Why is it so loud?" I said, "I'm at my restaurant. I just worked lunch." And he said, "Well, how'd you like to come work on Broadway?" So, it might be that I wasn't the first choice. I don't know. I don't care. I think they also knew they wanted Alison quickly because she was filling a specific part. I don't even know and I don't care. It was huge, and it really has changed my life.

NR: What did that feel like? Was it what you expected? How did it change your life?

TR: It was so thrilling, and you have to understand that I was getting married September 20th. My birthday was July 6th so I found out about getting the show on July 10th. We were in the middle of planning my wedding. I had just turned 30 and decided my life was over, when in fact it was just beginning. I was ecstatic.

NR: So, you were in rehearsal when you got married, right?

TR: That was the thing. Of course I wanted the job. We were a week before we opened for previews. We started tech rehearsals two days after I got married. I got married on Saturday, September 20th and we started tech rehearsals on the 22nd.

NR: Was anything different than you expected?

TR: Yes and no. I'd certainly heard for a long time that there were a lot of people on Broadway who were bitter and took it for granted and complained a lot. There was really none of that in the beginning of our show. I think it has a lot to do with it being a new show and everyone was excited to be there. Everyone was thrilled and there was a lot of really great energy in the beginning. I was relieved that other people were as excited as I was and thinking "This is incredible." So, it made it easier for me to really have that experience.

NR: What's the difference between doing a show on Broadway and the other regional shows you did?

TR: Well that is an interesting thing. There does seem to be more at stake but when you're on stage there is no difference. That was a weird thing that happened. Our first preview was a little bit of a letdown because we were working so hard just to pull the show off, like you are anytime you open a show and you're not ready, which is every time. I was so focused in doing what I was supposed to do on stage that I never realized I was on Broadway. But what I do is in curtain call, I just remind myself where I am and enjoy curtain call. Because, if you're on stage thinking, "I'm on Broadway" you're not doing your job. I did have a moment on the opening night, which was so huge and outrageous. When I walked out for my solo there was a moment or two - I'd stand in the doorway and there were two bars before I came in. It was opening night and just for a moment I let myself recognize what was going on, and the fear was so intense that I almost couldn't take a breath in to sing my solo because all of a sudden the magnitude of what was happening, the years of preparation - I almost couldn't breathe. So, I knew that I could never do that again. I could never think about that when I was in the process of doing my show.

NR: Is it more fun doing the show than the cabaret act?

TR: No. Well...the cabaret act is certainly more fulfilling.

NR: Can you tell me something about it?

TR: The one I'm doing right now, I've done a few times. Most of the cast has seen it because I did it last year. It's called "Why Walk?" which is "Why walk when you can fly?" I do other people's songs. I don't do my own stuff. It's a mixture of musical theater and some pop, there's a Don McLean song and a Billy Joel song, but there's also Sondheim and a Gladys Knight song. For me, I don't like cabaret where the story you put on forces the material to fit the story you've written, as opposed to what the material was written for. So, I basically put together the songs I liked, the songs I knew I wanted to sing, and I shaped something around it. There's not a story line per se, although I tell stories, and it's connected, and the songs go together in groups. What I respond to in cabaret is people being themselves and sharing the experience of the song as it should be, and their own take on it.

NR: Do you have any plans to do it again?

TR: Yes. My teacher is Craig Carnelia and he helps me with the show. I think I'm shooting for May if I can get a date.

NR: What's the best part of your job and the worst part?

TR: The best part is just the blessing of having my dream come true every night. I'm still really in touch with that. The worst part is doing it every night.

NR: How do you keep that fresh, especially being in an ensemble? You know, you're marching out as a soldier. There's not a whole huge character you can latch onto.

TR: There's fresh and there's fresh. Because I'm ensemble, it's not about keeping the truth in the lines as much as staying energized and focused on stage. So there's a lot more room in that. I think for the people that are the leads, I think it's much harder because even though they have more to do, they really have to stay honest in the moments they've been given. I have a lot more room. If I'm focused and there, and I'm energized, then I'm doing my job. Sometimes it's just not fresh. Sometimes I think, "Well it's about integrity and this audience deserves a good show." Sometimes you want to put your crap aside and just focus on the show. A lot of times, there's something new. Even after 500 performances, there's something new. Bryan Batt just started. That's something interesting that you latch onto. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes you come in and your mind is frazzled and it's hard to put it away, but I feel really strongly that that's what I'm getting paid to do. That's what this audience deserves. I remember seeing my first Broadway show. I meet people outside and they say, "This is the first Broadway show I ever saw." And I think, "Would it have been fair to have not shown up and been 100% here?"

NR: What about all those costume changes? And the wig changes?

TR: They're fine. Sometimes I hate my wigs. I don't hate the wigs, but sometimes your head gets itchy.

NR: How many wigs do you have?

TR: I think eight. The "StayPuff Marshmallow." I have names for them. There's the "Empress of the Smurfs." That's my tart wig that I used for my solo. The "StayPuff Marshmallow" wig, also known as the "Brillo-head." The "Twice-baked Potato" for the opening "Storybook" number. And "Tweenie" is my favorite character, the tweenie maid. I think I change my clothes ten or eleven times a night, but that's just part of the deal and it's not too bad. The corset doesn't even bother me that much. It's not that tight, unless I eat too much. It's part of the deal and it's fine.

NR: Do you have a lot of offstage time that you're not changing costumes?

TR: Not a lot. Our break is like a 20 minute break towards the end of Act 1, between the drawing room and "The Riddle," which we sing off stage. That's the only real substantial break. There's a little break between the wedding and "The Rescue."

NR: So, it's not like you're killing a lot of time backstage?

TR: No. We spend almost all of intermission getting into the new wigs, getting into the big dresses. I think it's good. We have one chunk where we can read or do what we want to do. It's fine. It goes very fast. The second act goes very fast because I'm almost never in the dressing room.

NR: How hard was the transition between the two shows?

TR: Remember when I said buying a house was like being skinned alive? It was very difficult. There was a lot of emotional attachment. As flawed as we knew the show was originally, and as disappointed in some ways as we were with some of the stuff we did on stage, we were still very attached to our parts. I should speak for just myself, but I know others feel the same way. It was physically hard because the rehearsals were very strict, which was great. We got a lot done. I think we were a company with a lot of integrity but we never worked in any kind of strict way at all. We had a lot of fun together. We had a very loose rehearsal atmosphere the first time, so to all of a sudden arrive at boot camp was very jarring for us and it was a real transition. It was physically exhausting because the rehearsals were so focused, so intense, so hard, and then we had to do the show at night. It was just hard, and as happy as we all were that the show was getting new life, it was very draining. There was a lot of what we felt were misrepresentations about what was to be expected and what actually happened. There was a lot to be negotiated with the union. There was a lot of trouble with getting things straight because this has never happened before.

What I loved about Bobby (Longbottom) and the rehearsals was that he's very clear and he knew exactly what he wanted. He was incredibly prepared. He had two wonderful assistants, so as much as the work was hard, it was good to know what was expected of me and to try to make myself do it.

NR: What are some of your favorite memories of the past year and a half?

TR: (laughing) When Douglas (Sills) fell flat on his face. It was during the seacoast scene at the end. It was unbelievable. We were offstage and didn't know what was going on. The audience laughed so hard and long. He and Terry (Mann) couldn't recover, and of course David Cromwell, who never breaks, was trying to get the scene going. He was playing the Fisherman at the time and was saying, "So, are you telling me you've found the Pimpernel?" and Terry and Doug would have no part of it. They just kept laughing and the audience was laughing while Cromwell tried to get them back.

NR: What was Christine (Andreas) doing?

TR: Probably laughing too. I think my favorite time on stage was the first time Douglas truly got Terry Mann to laugh in the ball. We just lost it. And, the first time Douglas did the limerick, "There once was a man from Nantucket..." He really surprised us with that.

NR: What about October 1st (the end of the first show?)

TR: You know what, we were so in the middle of such an ordeal. That was a hard night. We lost fourteen cast members that night. That was hard. We were saying good-bye to a lot of people we really loved, and were not really sure where we were going at that point. Opening night (the second one) was incredible. New Years Eve, both years in that theater with these people. We had an incredible Christmas party the first time around. We put together the "Out of Retirement Orchestra." Tim Shew put it together. I got out my trombone. All of us got out the instruments we played in high school and we tried to play Christmas Carols in the lobby. They had thrown us this party. Tim and I were on trombone. Bill Bowers and Ron Sharpe were on trumpet. Michael Growler was playing the violin and R. F. Daley was on the bongos. It was extraordinary. That was a very, very funny time. I really love so many people in the show so there have been a lot of those kinds of things.

NR: We have to talk about your special friendship with the League. I don't know who adopted who - if you adopted us, or if we adopted you.

TR: I think it had to do with Heather being online because when we had that first weekend in June, she introduced me to a lot of people. So, I think it developed from there. I'm just always wondering, "Why me?" Except I get so much joy from what I do and I feel so lucky to have it. I'm always amazed that all of you want to keep seeing the show. I think I've finally realized that you're having a good time. I'm so touched by everyone's response. It means a lot to me to be able to share it with these people, and the brunch the other day. It's great because it just expands the experience. Also, Peter (Williams - webmaster of the Scarlet Pimpernel website) is from my home town and went to my high school. That's just so random. When I found that out, then it felt like fate.

NR: Other than yoga, and putting your house together, is there anything else that you have time to do, or you enjoy?

TR: I wish I had a lot more time for my husband, but I wish he had a lot more time for me too. You know what I just realized that I like least about the show? It's that we work six days a week. I've been doing it for a year and a half and I've had one week off. You never get a three day weekend. You never get a two day weekend. I was a waitress for a long time and when I needed four or five days, or a week off, I would take it. I would switch out my shifts and not even lose money. I wish I had more time for my family and my friends and my new nephew. I love to swim. I was doing that for awhile, but since the house came up I haven't been. I would love to do more solo cabaret work. I really want to learn to play guitar. I'd like to swim more, learn to play guitar, and meditate regularly, which I don't. Cook more. I'm a vegetarian so I like to cook, but I don't cook at home. Basically, there's a million things I'd like to do. Take long baths.

NR: What's ahead for the future?

TR: Well, this is how it is right now. I spent many years working on my career, (laughing) to no avail for the most part. When I finally got this show it's given me an opportunity to say, "I'm going to focus on my life for a little bit." What I need to do is let go a little in my career, trust it's going to be OK. Not that I haven't been working on it, not that I haven't been trying to get an agent (and I still don't have one), but I just got married and I wanted to do things that were going to make my life more what I wanted and those include getting out of debt and buying a house, which we're doing, and certainly I want to have a family. If Pimpernel reopens and I'm asked to be a part of it, there's a part of me that would definitely want to do that because it would allow me a lot of things I'm trying to do in my life right now. At the same time, if the next project comes along, I would jump on it. I'm kind of open right now.

NR: That's great. Thank you so much.

TR: You're welcome.

Terry told me many other stories during our time together and they are recounted on Talkin' Broadway.

Questions suggested by:

Mary Helfrick, Gillian Girvin, Lois and Elizabeth Colpo, Renee Girard, Kelly Honig, Thom and Colleen Rosati