Mel B, aka Melanie Brown or Scary Spice, is the latest headliner heating up Broadway's record-breaking musical Chicago
. The sexy powerhouse takes on jazz-aged killer Roxie Hart, and fans are losing their minds. BroadwayBox caught up with the icon to talk about coming to B'way, her dressing room must-haves, and her Spice Girls collectables.1. Whether you’re touring or at America’s Got Talent or here on Broadway, what are three things you have to have in your dressing room?
My meditation chair, a humidifier, and candy—Twix, gummy bears, and Sour Patch Kids. You have to have the chocolate with the sour and the chewy.
2. You keep such a busy schedule and you’re a mom. What do you do for yourself when you have the time? How do you indulge?
It’s busy but it’s not busy. Like today, I didn’t start until 11 o’clock. I had my morning with my kids, I went and worked out, walked the streets of New York, and then got ready. I try to always make sure I have time for myself each day otherwise I think I’d go a little bit crazy—whether that’d be a 25-minute meditation or watching reality TV to zone out. I know I function better when I have that, even if it’s 15-20 minutes.
Wait, what are your go-to reality TV shows for those moments?
I was watching the Bella Twins [Total Divas & Total Bellas] the other day.
3. What excites you most about making your Broadway debut and what terrifies you most?
I think just performing every single night (and sometimes twice a night) is so exciting to me. Even though it’s going to be tiring, you get that buzz and you get to express yourself and sing out loud for two hours. Then the terrifying part is you don’t want to mess up and or not do the role justice or miss any music cues.
4. What’s the coolest thing you kept from when you filmed Spice World?
I have kept a lot of things—the shoes, the dressing gowns, the dolls, our outfits. I have a whole garage full.
5. I was at the opening of Viva Forever! in London. What happened to the show? Is there talk of bringing it to Broadway?
For me personally, it was not how I wanted it to be done. I (and a few of the other girls) want it to be the story of Spice Girls not a story that was about something else. It didn’t make sense to me. There’s been no talk of [Viva Forever!].
Don't miss Mel B as Roxie Hart in 'Chicago' at Broadway's Ambassador Theatre through February 19.
