DETROIT – Something thrillifying just occurred.
WICKED will be flying back to Detroit at the Opera House next week for its highly anticipated return.
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Tara Kostmayer, who plays Nessarose on the national tour of WICKED, and I are both graduates of the University of California, San Diego. We were both also on the same dance team. I now live in Detroit and Kostmayer is traveling across the country as Elphaba’s little sister.
Funnily enough, I saw Kostmayer’s first musical performance ever when she played Mimi Marquez at our college’s production of RENT. Next week, I, along with the rest of Detroit, will get to see her in one of Broadway’s biggest shows.
We surprised her with a Zoom call during her tour stop in Tennessee before she lands at the Detroit Opera House.
What was your first introduction to WICKED?
It was actually in high school. I saw it at the Orpheum in San Francisco on tour. It was probably my junior or senior year of high school. I had no idea what I was in for. I was blown away. I came back and went on YouTube and listened to all the songs and tried to look up all the lyrics. I definitely fell in love with Fiyero. I wasn’t a big theater person yet, I was just getting into it. That was my first experience with a theater show. I’ve always been to dance performances. I was like, “Whoa, you can sing and dance and act all at the same time?”
You started as a dancer, when did the singing kick in?
It actually happened in college. I don’t know if you remember, but I got into it with Muir Musical [UCSD’s annual musical presentation].
I was there! You played Mimi in RENT.
Oh my gosh. It was literally my first musical ever.
So I got to see you perform in your very first musical, and now I get to see you perform in WICKED?
Isn’t that so wild? Oh my gosh. It’s taking me back. I love it.
It was in Mandeville Hall if I remember correctly.
Wow. Yes, in Mandeville Hall. I remember, even with that, I didn’t really know musicals. I just knew RENT because I’d seen the movie. That was my first experience singing, dancing and acting all at the same time. After that, I was totally hooked. I did it every single year afterwards.
You did your first off-Broadway show in A Chorus Line. What was that experience like for you?
It was incredible. I did it with City Center Encores! and their process is a pretty quick turnaround and we only have a week of shows. It’s a very fast experience. I truly didn’t realize what a big deal it was going to be. That was a huge shocker for me. I had recently moved to New York, so I thought I was auditioning for any old show. I was already doing A Chorus Line at a smaller theater in Brooklyn, so all the stars just aligned.
I had no idea that I was going to be performing alongside all these incredible people like Melanie Moore, Tony Yazbeck. I didn’t realize what I signed up for. It was amazing to work with Baayork Lee and Bob Avian and just really dig into that material.
You then joined the Aladdin tour. Was there anything you learned from that tour that you now do on this tour?
I learned to bring all my spices and my sauces with me in my trunk. You better believe that everywhere I’m traveling, I have all my spices. I like my fish sauce, my Hoisin sauce. It’s all coming with me because in Aladdin, I was buying new condiments every week. I was like I can’t do this.
What’s the most surprising thing to you about being on WICKED?
That I’m not really tired of the show. I’ve been doing this for over a year now, including rehearsals. You have tired days and days you wish you could take a break, but the show, the content, the character that I get to play, the story, I don’t get tired of it. I still love doing all my scenes. Every time I get on stage, I still really love telling this story. My partner, he comes out and sees the show, and he doesn’t get tired of seeing it. Clearly, they’re doing something right.
Nessarose. What do you think about her is misunderstood?
She’s a completely misunderstood character. I feel for Nessa. She might not be the best person in Act II for some. She feels pretty ignored a lot, in the first act and throughout her life, because of her condition. She falls in love, but who knows if that’s even true. She feels embarrassed about her sister, which is a bit conflicting. She just feels like she’s not in control of her life and she so desperately just wants to belong. Behind every sinister thing that someone does, usually there’s a person hurting behind that. Not excusing her actions necessarily, but I feel that it’s coming from a place of pain, sadness and loneliness.
What was it like sitting in Nessarose’s wheelchair for the first time?
It was pretty epic. I was like, “Oh my gosh, I’m actually here. I’m going to do this role.” It’s a lot of fun and it can be a bit tricky. The wheelchairs are designed to look old-fashioned. If you don’t get out of them carefully enough, you could pitch or fall forward. But you get used to it pretty quickly. After a few runs, I actually felt more comfortable using it than walking on stage.
What’s your dream role?
Anne Boleyn in SIX.
What do you have to say to UCSD Tritons that also want to follow their dreams?
This is going to sound crazy, but don’t think too hard about it. Just do the thing that’s most fun to you at the time. Follow that because there’s a reason you feel that way. I was a science major and for all four years of school, I was like, “I don’t know, should I do it? Should I not?” Just don’t think about whether it’s going to be the best decision in 20 years, and don’t think about what’s going to make the most money. That was the only way I was able to actually get moving in this career.
WICKED begins performances at the Detroit Opera House beginning January 24 and will run through February 18, 2024. For showtimes and tickets, visit BroadwayinDetroit.com.