By Mary Ann Bourbeau
HOLMDEL – Most child performers get their start in school productions or private classes. Lena Hall’s first public performance was at age 7 when she sang for Pope John Paul II during a 1987 appearance in her hometown of San Francisco. The pope was scheduled to make an appearance at Candlestick Park. Her parents, who owned a ballet company, had created the choreography for his entrance and her sister was part of a girl’s chorus that was to perform a song.
“It was such a crazy thing,” said Hall. “At the last minute, one of the girls dropped out and they put me in. I don’t even remember what we sang. It was a surreal moment completely.”
That event kicked off a career that culminated in a Tony Award for her role as Yitzhak in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” On Saturday, May 4, Hall will deliver all her trademark songs with lots of laughter and unabashed storytelling in a solo appearance, “The Show Goes On! “ at the Holmdel Theatre Company.
Co-written and directed by longtime collaborator Stephen Amato, the show chronicles Hall’s career highlights through the hilarious and often deadly mishaps that accompanied her experience in productions like “Hedwig,” “Kinky Boots,” “Cats” and “Dracula the Musical,” as well as the TNT sci-fi drama “Snowpiercer,” which she appeared on for four seasons.
“I had my heart broken right before stepping on stage,” she said. “I got a concussion on stage and kept going. Any other job they would tell you to stop and take care of yourself. In our industry, the idea that the show must go on is so ingrained. You don’t stop; you finish the show, then leave and take care of yourself.”
Hall studied ballet in France and danced professionally by age 12 but even then, she knew it wasn’t where she saw her future.
“I didn’t have the love for ballet that you need to have a thriving career,” she said. “My sister was doing theater and I fell in love with it from watching her.”
By 18 she was touring with a production of “Cats” and at 19, had a role in the Broadway show.
“It was a big learning curve,” she said. “It was basically my college. I have a very soft spot for “Cats.” It was the first show I ever saw when a touring company came to San Francisco. When I was 8, I told my mom I was going to do that. So really, “Cats” is what brought me here.”
In 2004, Hall was a vampire in Broadway’s “Dracula the Musical,” which was staged at the notoriously haunted Belasco Theater.
“It was a wild ride,” she said. “The show felt a little haunted. There were massive technical elements that kept breaking. There was a trapdoor under the stage with a three-story drop and sometimes the doors would get stuck open and there would be a gigantic drop under our feet. It was frightening! It felt like the show was out to kill you. And on opening night, there was an actual bat stuck in my apartment!”
In 2013 she took on the role of Nicola in “Kinky Boots” alongside Billy Porter, Stark Sands and Annaleigh Ashford, at that time still going by her birth name, Celina Carvajal. After a year, she left the show for what would be her Tony Award-winning role in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” starring Neil Patrick Harris.
“I think it’s the greatest show ever written,” she said. “My sister and I saw it Off Broadway in 1999. It felt so deep and real to me. The music is absolutely stunning. When I found out it was coming to Broadway, I knew if anyone in New York can play that role, it had to be me. It was an incredible experience. It really made me feel like I was part of something so special.”
When the “Hedwig” tour came around a few years later, Hall didn’t want anything to do with it, having felt she put the character behind her. But then she got an offer she couldn’t refuse. She could alternate between the roles of Yitzhak and Hedwig.
“It was a whole different perspective on the show,” she said. “It really pushed me to dig deep and make sense of these characters. I would be playing Yitzhak in the matinee and Hedwig at night. It was crazy but an amazing learning experience.”
For her cabaret-style show at Holmdel Theatre, Hall will perform ballads from these musicals along with songs from artists she admires such as Queen and Radiohead.
“I think the show will appeal to lots of different types of people, including young hopefuls,” she said. “I try to inspire young people to pursue their dreams and learn from my experiences.”
The Holmdel Theatre Company is located at 36 Crawfords Corner Road in Holmdel. Tickets are $55 and are available at holmdeltheatrecompany.org.
The article originally appeared in the May 2 – 8, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
