‘Into the Woods’ brings Raleigh native home

Raleigh native Laurel Harris is living out her dream. She performed for a year on Broadway in the 2012 revival of “Evita” and crisscrossed the U.S. in two national tours of “Wicked,” including a year playing Elphaba, the title witch.

But the 30-year-old rising star, now a New Yorker, likes to return here whenever she can to see friends and family. Over the last year, she’s had three good reasons to come back. In October 2014, she married Broadway actor Rob Marnell in Pullen Memorial Baptist Church. January saw her onstage in Durham with the “Wicked” tour. Now she’s playing another lead, the baker’s wife, for eight performances in North Carolina Theatre’s “Into the Woods,” starting Tuesday.

Stephen Sondheim’s 1987 Tony-winning musical mixes familiar characters from different fairytales who learn the truth about “happily ever after.” A baker and his wife have been infertile but find out a witch’s curse is the cause. The witch promises to lift the curse if the couple can find rare ingredients needed for a potion, a search that leads to dire consequences.

In a recent telephone interview, Harris talked about her theatrical training and what this show means to her. Here are edited excerpts of that conversation.

Q: What sparked your interest in theater?

A: I sang at a family reunion one time, and my mom said, ‘Oh, you need to look into that.’ In middle school, she enrolled me in voice lessons, and I also started acting classes. I was in all the shows at Martin Middle School and also at Enloe High School. I performed in ‘Cinderella’ one year at Raleigh Little Theatre, where I met my future husband, and in “A Christmas Carol” at Theatre in the Park. (Marnell lived in Raleigh during his middle and high school days.)

Q: What happened after you graduated from high school?

A: I went to the University of Michigan for my B.F.A. and then moved to New York City. My big break was getting cast in the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show as one of three female vocalists. I had to wait in line with 300 women and was the very last to audition. I jokingly said they should be glad to see me, so maybe they thought, ‘OK, put her in.’

Q: How did you come to be cast in “Into the Woods”?

A: The show has always been on my bucket list, so my agent set up an audition. They originally wanted to see me for Cinderella, so I prepared for that. But just as I was leaving, they asked if I would sing the baker’s wife’s song, which I didn’t know. I had 20 minutes to learn it in the lobby and had to sing it holding the score. Of course, I’m glad that worked out.

Q: What do you like about the baker’s wife?

A: She’s such a real, honest character. At first, the baker wants to do the witch’s bidding all by himself, but his wife tells him they are in it together. She has so many layers and levels, but she’s very relatable. And my mom is happy that I’m not playing a witch this time!

Q: What attracts you about the show in general?

A: The beautiful, poignant themes. The woods are a metaphor for life – it might be scary, and you don’t know what’s coming. You can try to plan your path, but you have no control. And fairytales end happily, but real life isn’t all rainbows and butterflies.

Q: Might those themes apply to a couple juggling two theatrical careers?

A: Absolutely. Rob and I had to get used to being apart while he was in Las Vegas with ‘Jersey Boys,’ and I was on the road with ‘Wicked.’ But now we’re back in New York, and it’s so much better. He’s in ‘Beautiful’ on Broadway right now, but he’s taking a day off so he can come down to celebrate our one-year anniversary.

This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 8:31 AM with the headline "‘Into the Woods’ brings Raleigh native home."