Shoshana Bean – A Cinderella Christmas

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I’ve just been on the road doing solo concerts all over September and October. I was in Europe and then since I’ve been back I’ve just been bouncing around. I was in Hawaii, New York, Washington D.C. and back to New York. I’ve just been all over the place!

Q) We’ll be seeing you in “A Cinderella Christmas” at the Pasadena Playhouse. How did you become a part of the show?

A) Well, I did their first version of “A Cinderella Christmas” back in 2011 maybe. Becky [Baeling Lythgoe], one of the producers, is one of my longtime very best friends. She was kind of in jest like, “Hey, you feel like throwing on your Fairy Godmother dress again? We’ve got to find someone to do the Christmas and New Year’s Eve shows.” I told her, “Yeah, I’ll do it!” She said, “I’m kidding!” I said, “Yeah, I’ll absolutely do it. If you’re in a pinch, I’ll totally do it.” Like I said, after being on the road so much the thought of being home was so appealing to me. It’s fun. I’m Jewish so we’re always feeling a little bit left out at Christmas so I love being a performer and being able to jump in and participate in holiday things. This, to me, is another way to get into the holiday spirit and be a part of something fun and festive. It’s always nice to be a part of a show. When I do my solo stuff I’m in charge and I’m calling the shots. I’m selling the seats and doing the majority of the work. So, it’s like, “I just have to show up and do the job?! Absolutely!”

Q) Were you familiar with your costars before joining them on stage?

A) I know Josh. He’s one of the stepsisters. I met one of the dancers the other night at Josh’s [Adamson] Christmas party. Of course, I know Alex [Newell], but sadly we won’t be sharing the stage together. Other than that, I don’t know anyone else in this production.

Q) Was there someone you were looking forward to having a scene with?

A) I enjoyed Buttons (Matthew Patrick Davis). I watched the show the other night and saw the kid playing Buttons. So, I’m excited to work with him. Obviously, I’m super excited to work with Morgan [Fairchild]. She is a legend in my lifetime so that is going to be super exciting I don’t know if we really have a scene together. We have a couple of moments together. But I look forward to meeting her off stage.

Q) How have you been preparing for the show?

A) Right now I’m so exhausted that the main thing I need to do to prepare for my first show on Christmas Eve is to rest because my voice is tired and my body is tired. So, that’s the main preparation I need to do for this show – just rest. I think these kind of shows take a lot of energy with kids involved. That’s the main priority – just to create the magic and the excitement for the children, which takes a lot of energy and focus in a differently specific way than any other type of theater. Rest is going to be of the utmost importance and just coming in with the mind-frame to have fun. Of course, I warm up my voice and of course I get my body warm in the morning by working out before I do any type of performance. More than anything, it is just getting the intention right about spreading the holiday spirit and the festivities for the children.

Q) Is the costume different from your previous performance or are you slipping into something familiar?

A) It’s totally different! It’s adorable. The other one that I was in I got to live like my bridal fantasy. It was sort of a wedding dress – a big white, puffy, sequined, wonderful, cupcake confectionary that I loved. This one is in the Cinderella vein with that corseted ribbon crossing situation. It’s fantastic as well! It’s much more fairy like, let’s say that!

Q) What song are you most looking forward to performing?

A) I guess it would probably be “One Moment In Time” because I grew up on Whitney Houston and I’m a huge fan. That’s one in the catalogue that I’ve never attempted. So, I’m excited to wrap my chords around that one.

Q) What do you think it is about this particular story that makes it a fan favorite?

A) I’m an old fashioned girl in the sense that I want to believe that there isn’t’ a hierarchy in love. That soulmates recognize one another regardless of class or rank. I think everyone wants to believe their true love is out there and that nothing is going to stand in the way of that. That’s why I like Cinderella!

Q) What else do you want to be sure fans know about “A Cinderella Christmas?”

A) I’m excited to be a part of it again. I think it is always cool in a lifetime or in a career – I mean, it happened in “Wicked” too where I got the opportunity to come back to something I have done before. It’s interesting when you have life happen in between and the different perspective you come back to a show with. So, I’m excited to come back to something I have done before five years later as a totally different person and as a totally different performer and see my perspective and how I view it different and approach it different. That’s always an interesting adventure.