M is for Marvellous - and Megan

Imagine making your stage debut on Broadway in the hottest musical in town. It’s just one of the reasons why Coral Drouyn enjoyed chatting to Smash star Megan Hilty before she headed down under.

Megan Hilty is beautiful, super talented and has a voice to die for. She’s also open and friendly, easy to talk to and laughs a lot. Life is good, and she’s holidaying at Disneyland with husband, Brian, and 18-month-old daughter Viola, before making her trip to Australia for a concert tour.

“I’m so excited,” she tells me. “It’s my first trip to Australia and I so wish we were bringing the baby. She goes everywhere on tour with us and we’re just nuts about her, but the nanny persuaded us it was far too much travelling, and you just don’t argue if you’ve got a good nanny.”

Known on Broadway as a musical star, Megan is gracious when I bring up the subject of her character Ivy Lynn in Smash, the TV series for which she is best known in Australia. It’s the story of creating a musical based on Marilyn Monroe, and Megan is a natural to play Monroe.

“I don’t mind one little bit that Smash is the first thing anyone mentions. First off, without it I would only be known to theatre-goers on the East Coast (of America). And I certainly wouldn’t be doing this concert tour. People outside of the East Coast think I am ‘an overnight success’ but the truth is I was lucky enough to have been working on Broadway for ten years before the TV show. Smash has given me some kind of international status, a profile, and I am so grateful; I don’t have to tell people what I do. But it hasn’t changed who I really am.”

Who she really is, is a girl from the suburbs of Seattle, Washington who started vocal lessons when she was 12 and wanted to sing opera.

“It sounds kind of pretentious now,” she says with a giggle, “and I changed my mind as soon as I saw my first musical.  I mean, who wouldn’t? Wow.”

We’re used to hearing stories of endless auditions, part –time jobs, pounding the streets and missing out on shows at the final call-back, but it didn’t happen that way for Megan.

“I should feel guilty,” she says, “but it really wasn’t that difficult for me. I’m so conscious that the timing was so perfect, and I didn’t have to go through years of knocking on doors. I’ve been incredibly lucky, and I never take that luck for granted.”

Megan was still at drama college when she was asked to audition for Wicked.

“I did the audition just for the experience, to find out what I was getting myself into – and then, Oh- My – God, they offered me a role - well, not exactly a role but cover  - standby - for Galinda, the Good Witch.”

The newly graduated Megan moved to New York and got to watch Idina Menzel do her thing from the wings.

“It was a great learning curve,” she says. “I didn’t have to wait tables, I got paid to watch great music theatre performers. I figured I would never have to go on because Jennifer Laura Thompson had just taken over the Galinda role.”

But Megan guessed wrong. It was only a few weeks before she got just two hours notice to go on in the role.

“Can you imagine how terrified I was? I mean, I’m from Bellevue Seattle and suddenly I’m playing the hottest role in town? This wasn’t just my Broadway debut, it was my stage debut. Unbelievable. I remember thinking, ‘Well I’ve peaked, it’s never going to be this good again’.”

Megan was wrong. She impressed so much that she took over the role when Thompson left, and then returned to do a national tour. She finally parted company with Wicked in 2008, and went straight into a series of TV roles before starting workshops for the musical version of 9 to 5, playing Doralee, the role originated by Dolly Parton in the film.

“You know, when I went into Smash it was such familiar territory,” Megan explains. “9 to 5 was one of those shows where I was there right from Day 1, and we really didn’t know the shape of the show - much like Bombshells. There was a sense of déjà vu.”

I ask about the rumours, fuelled by last year’s one night concert version, that Bombshells, with the original songs from the TV series, is heading to Broadway.

“I keep hearing those rumours too,” she responds, “but no-one has asked me, or anyone that I know. If there really are Broadway plans, they are very secretive. In all honesty I’d probably be too old to play the role anyway. But the one night get together was fantastic. So many good friends, and good songs, and to sing them to a live audience was so special. It triggered the idea of a concert tour because the year before I had put out my first album. It just seemed like I was being lead in another direction.”

That doesn’t mean that Megan is finished with Broadway, and I asked her what prize role is on her bucket list that she just has to play.

“That’s easy,” says Megan, without hesitation, “Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd. I just adore that show and I will play her sometime, I have to. That character has my name on it. Plus, I’ve never done a Sondheim show and I have to do at least one. But for now, I’m just in love with the concert tour. It’s such a thrill that I’m working with (husband) Brian (Gallagher), who is such a great guitarist. And I get to be me – not a character – and sing songs that I have chosen.”

I’m curious. Will there be show tunes, standards, jazz?

“All of the above,” she says with a giggle. “You’ve picked it in one.”

Time is running out and I ask her one final question.

“Television, musical theatre, concert gigs with your own band, if you had to choose just one and give up the others,” I ask, “which would you choose?”

She lets out a shriek, “Oh no, don’t do this to me. I love them all. I’m greedy. I don’t want to give up any.”

I press her further.

“I guess, since realistically there aren’t that many roles that I would be right for, I would choose to do the concert tours. It’s just so much fun.”

I’m about to thank her for spending time with me and say goodbye, but she stops me.

“No wait, I’ve changed my mind. I think I would drop all three of them in favour of cartoon voicing. I’ve done several Disney films now and I love that whole process of watching a cartoon character and then bringing her to life with my voice. It’s so completely different and I kind of think Viola would love to tell her friends when she was older that her mum was the voice of a Princess. As you get older you realise it’s not about bright lights or stardom or travelling or billing – it’s about being with your family and loved ones and making them happy. Yes - I think cartoon voicing would be a great choice - and I’d get to tuck Viola in at night.”

M is indeed for Marvellous Megan.

Megan Hilty appears at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne on June 8, Concert Hall, QPAC on June 9, Theatre Royal, Sydney on June 10 and Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre on June 12. Click here for full tour and booking details.

Article originally published in the May / June 2016 edition of Stage Whispers. More details.