Two years ago, I witnessed Broadway star, Jessica Vosk captivate a capacity crowd at The Noorda Center For The Performing Arts on the campus of Utah Valley University. Vosk starred as Elphaba in Wicked, the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Lincoln Center, and re-created the role of Fruma Sarah in the most recent Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof.
She has also starred in productions of Waitress and a personal favorite, Chess (Jessica permitted me to share that she will be singing a song from this show! A reason in itself to attend!!!). at the amazing 12,000-capacity Muny in St. Louis. Jessica Vosk is returning to The Noorda on Saturday, September 21 at 7 PM. For tickets to the show, go to the link at the end of this interview. We had a chance to chat with her this week leading up to the show. Enjoy!
Interviewed by Kevin Rolfe
Utah Concert Review: We’re excited to have you back in Utah. This is, I believe, your third concert in this state. It seems like you’ve developed a devoted fan base here. Were you aware of that and that’s why you’ve come back so often? Or did you come here and now you’re seeing how much people love you here?
Jessica Vosk: I mean, to be honest with you, when I first came to Utah, it was on my tour schedule. So, it wasn’t like I got to choose it myself, but I have to say, when I came to Orem the first time, the audience was so spectacular, it was one of my best audiences. I’ll never forget the first time I was there. And then, subsequently, when I was called to do a concert with my friends, Kara Lindsay and Jeremy Jordan in Salt Lake, it was a no-brainer, and I knew that I’d be back in Orem now.
So it’s kind of like, I mean, now, while I’m not a Utah native, nor am I what one would consider a Mormon, per se, I must have a lot of really fun fans and theater fans and just incredible people who seem to like my brand of humor and singing. And the fact that those two things go together to make kind of a bit of a comedy Broadway moment is pretty cool for me.
UCR: I’m always fascinated with what it’s like to come to a place where you don’t know anyone. You’re based out of New York City, you’ve performed on Broadway, and you do these tours where you play these towns that maybe you haven’t even thought of, Malibu, Orem, Utah etc. How soon into a show can you tell that this is your kind of audience? Or how soon can you tell that you’ll have to do some work to win them over?
Jessica Vosk: It depends on the city. You know, some cities are kind of really listening audiences, and you don’t get the, you know, my fan base is pretty awesome. They’re kind of ride or dies, so I always know that there are fans in the audience, because, you know, I love audience participation.
I love when people are with me the whole time. I’m a talker to the audience, so there’s no kind of etiquette when it comes to if I ask a question, I would like for you to answer it. So, in places where people might not know me as well, it’s the whole reason I come out and do these concerts and tours, so that I can open myself up to new audiences and territories.
Sometimes people are a bit more conservative, right? I’m pretty sassy. I’m pretty out there. I’m an East Coast girl. I kind of, you know, pack a punch. I talk about everything. I try and make people really understand what it is that I’m singing and saying and where I’m coming from. And usually, nine times out of ten, by the end of the show, it’s gangbusters. It’s pretty fantastic. People are totally on board.
I do like to push the envelope with my humor sometimes, but I find that people can really handle it, and they really love it. So if I get certain parameters, you know, like in Salt Lake, “Jess, make sure you don’t curse.” I will not curse, but I will allude to the fact that I would like to curse.
But I will always really respect where I am. That’s something I was raised with. It’s kind of like, look, I’m in your territory, so I’m going to play by your rules, but I’m also going to bring a lot of myself to this, which is what I do. I’m just one of those performers. I can’t be anybody but myself. So that kind of has worked.
And I find in certain arenas sometimes where I think it’s going to be uber-conservative, to be honest with you, I thought Salt Lake and Utah would be uber-conservative, but I have found that at least my audience that comes to the ages is kind of like it works.
UCR: I think this place can take a joke. Generally speaking, they like a good joke, even if it’s a little off color. I’ve really enjoyed your style. You won me over instantly because you did just that. It was like, “I want to say this here, but I’m not going to say it because I’m in this town”. And I think people respected that, but then were like, “well, what were you going to say?” And then you alluded to stuff, you say just enough, and they just loved it. I think that’s the sign of a good performer. To not just come in like a bull in a china shop in a sense and just be like, “I’m going to do this and say whatever I want how I want.”
Jessica Vosk: Well, thank you. I appreciate it.
UCR: Playing a role in a musical or play versus performing a concert as yourself has to be quite different. Do you prefer one over the other? And if not, what are things you enjoy about each? You do both so well, so I’m sure it’s hard to choose.
Jessica Vosk: You know, both of them are fantastic in their own way. I’ve had the joy this past year of creating a couple of roles, which has been pretty huge for me, one of which being Beaches, which is based on the film, which is now being produced in a much larger way. So doing both is pretty fantastic.
I mean, I find myself leaning toward getting to do things like concerts because I get to create them, I get to put together what it is that I want to talk about and really kind of connect with an audience in a very intimate, close way. Which is not necessarily what doing a Broadway show eight times a week is. You are connecting with people, but you’re not breaking the fourth wall. So both of them have incredible merit, and I love doing them, but I think what I’ve learned over the past four years or so is that I really do, I think I do very well in the concert space.
In a way that even surprised me, I wasn’t sure that I would necessarily nail it, but I have tried my best. So that surprised me, and I really, really love doing it.
UCR: I saw that in the past couple years, you’ve done two shows at The Muny, Waitress this past summer and a year ago, one of my favorites, Chess. What was that like? When I learned about that place, it just blew me away how humongous it is. What is that like to do a production in a space that big?
Jessica Vosk: Oh, it’s pretty fantastic. I mean, the Muny has a reputation now sort of where all the Broadway kids want to go for the summer because it’s only a few weeks that you’re there from start to finish, from rehearsal to putting the show up. And, you know, it’s 12,000 people a night.
And it’s really built itself up to be this kind of stadium feeling of a very intimate show, which I love. I’ve been so lucky to spend such time there, this most recent getting to do Jenna in Waitress, and it was a really beautiful reimagined production. And it’s pretty amazing. I mean, it’s exhausting. You will be tested to your capacity of what you’re able to handle. But, you know, those are the kinds of things that I love. I enjoy the challenge. And to get through stuff like that, it’s pretty epic.
UCR: Oh, I’m sure! Well, The Noorda is a little smaller than The Muny, but we think it will be an amazing evening. Looking forward to it!
Jessica Vosk: Me too! Thank you!
To attend In My Living Room: Jessica Vosk Celebrates Broadway, Film, and the ladies of Laurel Canyon at The Noorda, go to uvu.edu/thenoorda