TAKAAKI IWABU - tiwabu@newsobserver.com
Ariana DeBose, middle, rehearses "Hairspray." She has the lead role in the N.C. Theatre production, opening Saturday.
Like so many ambitious young performers, Raleigh dancer Ariana DeBose decided to forgo college and strike out for the bright lights of Broadway. In 2009, after a brief stay at Western Carolina University, she headed to the Big Apple.
Looks like she's made it.
Now 20 and living in Manhattan, DeBose has several musical theater credits under her belt, and then some. She was among the top 20 finishers last year on the Fox TV show "So You Think You Can Dance." This spring she performed alongside Neil Patrick Harris and Stephen Colbert in the Lincoln Center production of Stephen Sondheim's "Company," which was filmed and released in movie theaters.
Next weekend, DeBose returns home in N.C. Theatre's production of "Hairspray" at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, which runs Saturday through July 31. The show is based on the Tony Award-winning 2002 musical, which was in turn based on the 1988 John Waters film about teen dance shows and racial segregation in 1962 Baltimore.
Speaking by cellphone from the streets of Manhattan, where she'd just disembarked from a very loud subway car, DeBose talked about rehearsing with Broadway luminaries, enduring the politics of reality TV and other aspects of living the dream.
Q: You grew up in Raleigh, right?
Yes, in and around. I lived in New Bern, then in middle school moved to Raleigh and went to high school at Wake Forest-Rolesville.
Q: As a kid, were you always into dance and theater?
I started out dancing, but once I began doing theater, singing and acting became just as important as dancing. So I consider myself a triple threat, which is particularly important now that I'm out in the professional world. You really have to be versatile and able to do all three.
Q: What is your role in "Hairspray"?
I play a character named Inez. She's a fun-loving little girl, and she loves to dance. She's just all about rhythm - that's what makes her tick. She has a strong voice. She's good fun, and she keeps things moving. And I'm playing other roles in the ensemble as well.
Q: You're also the dance captain for the show. What does that entail?
It's my responsibility to make sure everyone's doing the right steps. During the course of the run, I make sure we keep it tight and everyone stays together.
Q: You also spent some time in LA recently, as one of the finalists in "So You Think You Can Dance." How was that experience?
It was a very intense atmosphere the entire time. That was the hardest thing - the atmosphere, not the dancing. The mental tricks that they play with you. That's really the deciding factor. Can you handle the high emotions and their critiques? Because it's not all nice. It's not sunshine and cupcakes.
Q: With reality TV, producers often try to generate conflict to fuel storylines for the show. Did you feel like that was happening?
I think there's some truth in that. At the end of the day, it's a television show, and it's about ratings and viewers.
Q: As a young actress, did you feel a difference between LA film and TV circles, and the New York dance and theater scene?
Most definitely. Personally, I feel that LA is a little more cutthroat. In New York, there's still that feeling of competition, but there's a different vibe.
Q: Back to New York: That production of "Company" at Lincoln Center was a pretty big deal, right? It featured all those TV stars, and it was made into a film. How did you get to do that show?
Well, like any actor, I do my research and saw that they were doing an open-call audition. They needed dancers. In all honesty, I thought I was too young for the show. I'm 20, and the characters in the show are all in their mid-30s. I made it through four rounds of cuts, and the next day got the call. I think they went through 400 girls for four slots in the ensemble. I was one of the four.
Q: Did you get to spend much time with the principal performers?
Yeah, we were all in the same room for 10 days of rehearsal. The first day I walk in, and Patti LuPone is sitting there with Stephen Colbert and Martha Plimpton. It was amazing. It was a very short rehearsal process, but we made it work, and it was a really beautiful show.
Q: And you'd basically just arrived in New York? You really jumped into the deep end of the pool.
I did. My friends and family all think I'm a little crazy. But if you're going to do it, you might as well go full out the entire time. I think it's really important to let people know that it's possible. If you believe in something and you love it enough, you'll find a way to make it happen.
