Rebecca Henderson (pictured above)
Actor, Brooklyn
Tell me about the character you play, Evie.
She is the queer daughter in a Christian family. I’m a lesbian, and though my family was not super-religious, it’s not hard for me to tap into and understand what her life is like. I love Evie.
And how did opening night go?
You know, every night the audience is different. Some nights, there is raucous laughter from the first moment. Other nights, it’s quieter and the laughter builds. Tonight, it started really loud, and I was like, How are we going to get through this? And then this kind of intense listening took over and I felt like they were giving the play the respect it deserves. People leaped to their feet at the end.
Could you see who was in the audience?
I personally can’t see anyone except for maybe the front row. And I definitely don’t look and try to recognize people because I’d probably have a heart attack.
Emma Buchanan
Yoga instructor and actor, Hamilton Heights
Leslye Headland
Playwright and director, Brooklyn
Christopher Lowell
Actor, Soho
I’ve heard from your castmates that you have a knack for making them laugh.
Everybody associates me with this psychotic enthusiasm, but I think the only special skill I have is my eyes are open. Like, I’m fully aware that we are doing a kick-ass play on fucking Broadway and we don’t have to travel for the holidays. What’s not to like? We won.
Mikayla Perry
Producer, Lincoln Square
Chloé Véronique Dumas
Actor, East Harlem
What was it like to be in the audience on opening night?
My best friend, Barbie Ferreira, is in the show, and we had a bit of a ticket mix-up. So I ended up watching it privately on a screen in the Champions lounge at the Hayes Theater. I turned off all the lights and had a really amazing experience. It felt intimate, and I found myself crying a lot.
Natasa Valocchi
Board member, Upper East Side
Richard Ridge
Journalist, Hell’s Kitchen
Laura DiLorenzo
Chief marketing officer, Upper West Side
David Rasche
Actor, Maplewood, New Jersey
What have people been saying about the play tonight?
There’s a beautiful discussion about God in the play, and people seem struck with that as much as anything. A lot of the play is spent ridiculing religion and pointing out its deficits, but the last little bit is about what religion and God can be. I’m not giving you a very catty interview.
Chloë Sevigny
Actor, Soho
Joel Crump
Journalist, Prospect Heights
Détroit La Comtesse
Stage manager, Bushwick
As stage manager, was today stressful for you?
By the time we got to the show, I was like, Oh, this is the easy part of my day. This morning, I took my pet lizard to the vet and they told me they had to take her foot off! It’s not the funnest news. Then I had to rush to the theater. Everyone was doing their opening-night gifts and stuff, and meanwhile my boyfriend’s updating me on the lizard.
Roberta Colindrez
Actor, North Brooklyn
How did you prepare for opening night?
I’ve been very relaxed during this process. So instead of getting in my head with, This is huge, this is opening night on my second Broadway show ever, today I was more like, I’m just going to clean my apartment. So yeah, I did a deep clean and listened to music and lit some candles.
Christopher Sears
Actor, Prospect Park South
Alex Irish
Operations coordinator, Bushwick
Bronwyn Newport
Real Housewife of Salt Lake City, Gramercy
What’d you think of the play?
It was compelling. This time of year, I needed a story about how hard it can be to go home. You don’t always get along with your parents or have the same politics. The only thing I was missing was a little sheet in my program that gave me tips on how to do better than the family onstage did.
Cassidy Kaye
Arts educator, Harlem
Photographs by Frankie Alduino
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