4/13/10

Season premiere GLEE tonight! Interview with Lea and Jon

We're so proud of our alums and how Spring Awakening has helped to bring a new generation of bright young talent to the public eye. As everyone knows, Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff were Spring Awakening's original Wendla and Melchoir on Broadway. They forged a tight bond that endures to this day. Spring Awakening fans can see them reunited in the season premiere of "GLEE" tonight on FOX when Jonathan plays the lead singer of rival choir "Vocal Adrenaline." Check out this great interview with them in the New York Times today. It really captures their relationship and may answer some of your burning questions, such as, "Did Lea get Jonathan cast on the show..?" Read on:




Lea Michele: I hate Jonathan Groff. I’m so excited that someone’s finally doing a story on how awful Jonathan Groff is.
Jonathan Groff: And I’m so sick of being in the same room as her, too.
Michele: I’m just really glad that somebody finally is ready to write about this. It needed to get out there.
Groff: Time to tell the truth.

Q.

Did your paths ever cross before you started working together on “Spring Awakening”?

A.

Groff: No, Lea was busy on Broadway and I was busy waiting tables.
Michele: When I saw Jonathan at the “Spring Awakening” audition, I had done, prior to the Off Broadway production, I think three workshops of the show. And I had worked with two prior Melchiors. They’d narrowed it down to a couple guys, and Jonathan was one of them. And I was like, this boy is so sweet – I was trying to help him out – but poor thing’s not going to get this job. I felt bad for him, and then he ended up obviously getting the part and just being incredible.
Groff: As each potential Melchior would walk into the room, she would shake our hands and tell us that she had played Wendla in the past three workshops. And I remember before we did the beating scene, which was our audition scene, she had a specific way in which you were to hit her on the wrist with your pencil.
Michele: Well, what I was trying to do, with the Melchiors that I liked, was give them little pointers so that Michael Mayer would like them. And Jonathan was one of them. I liked him, but a lot of it was also out of pity. He looked very different from how he looks right now. Jonathan used to wear pants that were like 10 sizes too small on him. But not in, like, a skinny way – in like a “these were my skinny pants that I wore in the fifth grade” way. They were short at the ankles, and sweaters that had been washed in the washing machine, and not dry-cleaned.
Groff: And the CVS gel in the hair.
Michele: I definitely helped Jonathan with that look over time.
Groff: Yes, every time there’s a birthday or an occasion, the gift I get from Lea is pretty much always clothes.

Q.

“Spring Awakening” required you to reveal yourselves to each other in many ways. Did that kind of intimacy come naturally or did you have to work at it?

A.

Michele: We definitely connected right away, but I never would have guessed in a million years that we would become as comfortable as we did with one another. Because we are so different, and we’d come from two completely different backgrounds. It’s not like one thing happened; it’s just been a progression, professionally, and friendship-wise, that’s just, I think, always continued to grow.
Groff: It’s like country mouse and city mouse, the two of us. Lea’s very Upper West Side, New York, and I’m from Pennsylvania. What was really interesting for me is after “Spring Awakening” was over, you do shows with people and you get close with them and then they’re over, and relationships remain or don’t remain. With Lea and I, our relationship had been completely defined by our working environment. But the amazing thing is after the show was over, we continued to remain close, which is the true testament of a friendship.
Q.

Who left the show first?
A.

Michele: We left on the same night. There would have been no way I could have ever done the show without Jonathan.
Groff: Likewise.
Michele: What we created was very personal – it wasn’t even an option.

Q.

When I saw “Spring Awakening” I had to cut out before the end. I assume everything worked out O.K. for Wendla and Melchior?

A.

Michele: Yeah. Totally. They’re all good. They’ve had more children. They waited a little while to have any more. But now they’re great, they’re awesome. They’re model parents. [laughs]

Read on here

4 comments:

Lara said...

*Like* times a million!!

Irene from Guam said...

i love lea and jon. they're so loveable and even through this interview you can see the connection between them. :D

KatOfDiamonds said...

Last night was a good night to be a fangirl/guy

Leo said...

When he appeared I said: "Melchior and Wendla back togetheeeeeer". And my friend who was watching Glee with me said: "WTF?". She doesn't know SA, lol.

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UPCOMING TOUR SCHEDULE


MILWAUKEE, WI
10/06/09 - 10/11/09
Uihlein Hall Marcus Center For The Performing Arts
929 North Water Street, Milwaukee, WI
http://www.broadwayticketscenter.com


KANSAS CITY, MO
10/13/09 - 10/18/09
Music Hall
301 West 13th Street, Kansas City, MO
Non-subscription tickets on sale Sept 5, 2009 (subj to change)
http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/56473
800-982-2787

AUSTIN, TX
10/20/09 - 10/25/09
Bass Hall
23rd St & Robert Dedman Drive, Austin, TX
http://www.utpac.org/venues/bass_concert_hall
(512) 477-6060

SAN JOSE, CA
10/28/09 - 11/01/09
San Jose Center for the Performing Arts/BroadwaySanJose
http://www.broadwaysanjose.com/springawakening.php
(866)395-2929

SACRAMENTO, CA
Nov 4-15, 2009
Sacramento Community Center,
1301 L Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
http://www.californiamusicaltheatre.com/index.cfm?page=629856


COSTA MESA, CA
Nov 17-29, 2009
Orange County Performing Arts Center
600 Town Center Drive Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Ticketing number: 714.556.2787
http://www.ocpac.org/home/Events/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=887&NavID=85


DENVER, CO
Dec 1-13, 2009
The Buell Theatre
Denver Performing Arts Complex
14th and Curtis Streets Denver, CO 80204
Non-subscription tickets on sale: Mon, Oct 19, 2009 (web only Oct 18)
Ticketing Number: (800) 641-1222
Groups: 303-446-4829
http://www.denvercenter.org/shows-and-events/Shows/SpringAwakening/Overview.aspx

HERSHEY, PA
Jan 5-10, 2010
Hershey Theatre
15 E. Caracas Ave, PO Box 395 Hershey, PA 17033
Non-Subscription Tickets on sale: Mon Aug 17, 2009
Groups: 717-534-3412
http://www.hersheytheatre.com/performances_events/details.php?id=8952

CINCINNATTI, OH
Jan 12-24, 2010
Aronoff Center
650 Walnut Street Cincinnati, OH 45202
Non-subscription Tickets go on sale: Nov 2009
Ticketing (not avail until 11/9) 800.982.2787
http://www.ticketmaster.com/

FORT MYERS, FL
Jan 26-31, 2010
Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
8099 College Parkway, SW Fort Myers, FL 33919
Non-subscription Tickets on sale: Sept 1, 2009 (Tentative)
Ticketing number: 800-440-7469
Groups: 239-489-3033, x 3122
http://www.bbmannpah.com/

CHARLOTTE, NC
Feb 2-Feb 7, 2010
Belk Theatre, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
130 N. Tryon St. Charlotte, NC
http://www.blumenthalcenter.org/
Group Tickets: (704) 379-1380
Ticketing number: (704) 372-1000

ROCHESTER, NY
Feb 9-14, 2010
Auditorium Theatre, Rochester Broadway League
885 E. Main Street Rochester, NY 14605
Ticketing Number: 800-745-3000

HARTFORD, CT
February 23-28, 2010
Bushnell Performing Arts Center
http://www.bushnell.org/

DURHAM, NC
MARCH 2-7, 2009
DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center
Ticketing: 919-680-2787
Groups: 919-281-0587
http://www.dpacnc.com

ATLANTA, GA
March 9-14, 2010
Fabulous Fox Theatre
660 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30308
Call Ticketmaster at (404) 817-8700
http://www.foxtheatre.org/

GREENVILLE, SC
March 16-21, 2010
The Peace Center
300 S. Main Street Greenville, SC 29601
Ticketing Number: 800-888-7768
Groups: 864-679-9201
http://www.peacecenter.org/

DALLAS, TX
March 23 - April 4, 2010
Dallas Center for the Performing Arts
2100 Ross Avenue, Suite 650 Dallas, Texas 75201
Box Office: 214.880.0202
http://www.dallasperformingarts.org/

DETROIT, MI
April 20-May 9, 2010
3011 W. Grand Boulevard Detroit, MI 48202
Ticketing number: 800-982-2787
Group Tickets: 313-871-1132
http://www.nederlanderdetroit.com/

MIAMI, FL
May 11-16, 2010
Arsht Center
Box Office: 305.949.6722
http://www.arshtcenter.org/

ORLANDO, FL
May 18-23, 2010
Carr Performing Arts Center
401 West Livingston Street Orlando, FL 32801
http://www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/Orlando

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