Broadway darling Laura Osnes [Grease, Cinderella, Bonnie & Clyde] brings her beautiful soprano downtown to the Atlantic Theater Company, where the two-time Tony nominee stars as good-girl Polly in the seedy, beautiful revival of The Threepenny Opera. The Brecht/Weill musical features those famous songs “The Ballad of Mack the Knife” and “Pirate Jenny,” and this production includes such stage and screen stars as F. Murray Abraham, Michael Park, Mary Beth Peil and Sally Murphy. BroadwayBox chatted up Ms. Osnes and topics ranged from delicious desserts to Grease reunions.
1. Your character Polly marries a man she’s known for about a day; that’s pretty wild. What's the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
I’m not really that spontaneous of a person; I’m a planner. The first thing that came to mind was flying to Los Angeles to audition for the Grease reality show [which Osnes went on to win]. Most people would never make the decision, but I thought, “I need to do this. Can it happen? Yes? I’m going!”
2. I love your red carpet fashions. Who’s your style icon?
In my everyday, I am a jeans and t-shirt girl, so I have a stylist friend named John McNulty who has helped me with my Tony looks and different events. And I’ve created relationships with designers who I can call on if I need a gown or something, and that’s fantastic. But as far as someone to look up to, I'd say Audrey Hepburn—pretty, classy, sometimes sexy, but never raunchy.
3. What’s Laura Osnes’ signature dish?
My go-to is chocolate chip banana bread. I usually always have bananas around, so I’ll make banana bread or banana muffins with chocolate chips. And then I have an amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe with sea salt on top that I also love making.
4. This week, everyone is talking about FOX’s live Grease broadcast. Who would you dream cast as Danny and Sandy?
It is so cool that it’s happening. If they want movie stars, I think Chloe Grace Moretz might be good for Sandy. And for Danny, what if they got Justin Bieber? People would go crazy. If they are looking for Broadway people, sign me up! And how about Jeremy Jordan as your Danny? Oh my gosh! I’d love to that with Jeremy. It would be a ball. I’ll wait for the phone call.
5. You starred as Ruby (a role made famous by Bernadette Peters) in a workshop of Dames at Sea. What’s happening with that show?
It was so amazing. I was tap-dancing my little feet off. I would love to be a part of it. As far as I know, it’s trying to move forward. I heard rumors they are looking for a [Broadway] theatre for this fall. Nothing is set in stone yet. If not the fall, maybe it will come in the spring.
See Laura Osnes as Polly in Atlantic Theater Company’s ‘The Threepenny Opera’ now through May 11.
