Three Saturday Night Live veterans are on Broadway at the same time, and even they seem a little stunned by it.
Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer, and Rachel Dratch spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the overlap, their shared history, and what it feels like to trade the live television format of SNL for the nightly demands of the stage.
Rudolph is making her Broadway debut playing the latest version of Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola's twisted comedic history of the former first lady. She follows Escola, Jane Krakowski, Jinkx Monsoon, and others in the role, and described the experience simply. "Fucking amazing," she said when asked how it feels to be on Broadway at the same time as her fellow SNL alumni. Her debut has broken box office records.
Krakowski passed along tips to Rudolph about handling the show's demanding hoop skirt. Rudolph said she was "fucking terrified" ahead of her first performance.
"Someone just said like, 'Do you want to join the NBA?' And I just started dribbling. That's what it feels like," Rudolph said of stepping into Broadway.
Gasteyer, who has five prior Broadway credits, received a Tony nomination for her role as Mildred Layton, the uptight mayor's wife in new musical Schimgadoon!, which parodies Golden Age musicals. Her fast-paced patter song, fashioned in the style of The Music Man's "Ya Got Trouble!," requires her to both win over and scold the townspeople while delivering the show's 11 o'clock number.
Dratch is back on Broadway as the narrator in Rocky Horror, a role that puts her in constant contact with audience callouts, which she handles in character using improvisation, dry wit, and humor. She also received a Tony nomination this season.
The three have not yet managed to celebrate together, given the demands of Tony season and the physical toll of performing nightly. But fellow SNL veterans Tina Fey and Amy Poehler marked the occasion by having custom T-shirts made for all three, featuring the names of each show. Fey and alum Paula Pell have attended all three productions.
All three described themselves as theater kids. When the musical Annie came up in conversation, all three high-fived. The group told The Hollywood Reporter they are now looking only for what Rudolph called "joy-forward" roles.
