15 Questions in 15 Minutes with Felicia Curry

Now making her Broadway debut and proliferating her proverbial “fifteen minutes of fame” as an understudy for six roles (The Baker’s Wife, The Witch, Jack’s Mother, and Cinderella’s Mother/Granny/The Giant) in the highly acclaimed limited engagement revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods at the St. James Theatre, Felicia Curry – who has appeared previously in NYC at Joe’s Pub and in two shows in the New York Musical Festival (NYMF) – is an award-winning DC-based actor, singer, and host of WETA Arts, a local magazine-style TV program that celebrates the visual and performing arts in the DC area on WETA/PBS.

Felicia Curry as Marian Anderson (center), with Franchelle Stewart Dorn and Christopher Bloch in My Lord, What a Night. Photo by Scott Suchman.

In the DC metro area, she has performed at Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Round House Theatre, Rep Stage, Studio Theatre, Signature Theatre, and MetroStage, to name just a few. Among her recent stage credits are her portrayal of Marian Anderson in My Lord, What a Night at Ford’s Theatre (where she is an Artistic Associate and serves on the Advisory Board) and the titular role in Nina Simone: Four Women at Berkshire Theatre Group (for which she was nominated for a Berkshire Theatre Award).

In 2018, she earned a prestigious Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play for Factory 449’s Lela & Co., and in 2020, she was nominated for two Helen Hayes Awards (which she has hosted three times) for Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (John F. Kennedy Center) and Agnes of God (Factory 449, where she is a resident company member). Curry also received Helen Hayes Awards for Best Ensemble, as part of the companies of Les Miserables, Ragtime, and The Scottsboro Boys.

Felicia Curry in Lela & Co. Photo by DJ Corey Photography.

Felicia made time in her busy Broadway schedule to answer some quick questions about her current show and her flourishing career in the theater.

  1. What is it about Stephen Sondheim? 

Felicia:  Clever, witty, thought-provoking language and music that ask artists and audiences to constantly question how they view themselves and the world. 

  1. Which of the six roles you’re understudying in Into the Woods is your favorite? 

The Witch (though Granny is a close second!).   

  1. Is there any quality you share with that character in real life? 

The deep desire to take care of the people and the things she loves. 

  1. Is there one song in the show you most look forward to performing?

“Last Midnight” because we get to see The Witch go through all the stages of heartbreak and grief in one amazing song.

  1. What three emotions did you feel when you made your debut on Broadway?

Gratitude, joy, pride.

Felicia Curry. Photo courtesy of the artist.
  1. What is the most rewarding, and the most challenging, thing about being an understudy? 

Most rewarding: the chance to journey through the Woods as so many different characters (and to play and collaborate with this incredible company). Most challenging: making sure that I only sing the parts and say the lines of the character that I’m playing during THAT performance!

  1. What do you enjoy doing in NYC when you have some time off from the show?

I love to explore the different parks in the city.

  1. What do you miss most about DC when you’re away? 

My fiancé – I love you, Douglas Shore!

  1. What has been the highlight of your career to date? 

My Broadway debut, playing The Witch in Into the Woods (and receiving a beautiful bouquet from Scarlett Johansson after the performance!). 

  1. What came first for you, acting or singing? 

Both! I started doing musical theater when I was five.

  1. What’s your first creative memory

I remember singing all the time when I was little, even singing my answers to everything!

Felicia Curry. Photo courtesy of the artist.
  1. What three words would you use to describe yourself? 

Fun, hard-working, kind. 

  1. What three things do you always have in your dressing room?

Deodorant, a toothbrush, and some good Bourbon.

  1. Is there one show or character you haven’t done yet that you would most like to play in the future?

Caroline in Caroline, or Change.

  1. What are you most looking forward to in 2023, after the extended engagement of Into the Woods closes?

Our honeymoon!   

Thanks, Felicia, for sharing a rapid-fire fifteen minutes of your fame with us and letting our readers and all your fans get to know you a little better. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials and honeymoon – wishing you a lifetime of happiness!

Into the Woods plays through Sunday, January 8, 2023, the St. James Theatre, 246 West 44th Street, NYC. For tickets, go online. At this time, everyone seated in the first two rows closest to the stage must wear a mask during the performance, except while actively eating or drinking; masks for all other audience members are encouraged but not required.

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