If you think about it, the pairing of the new Broadway musical, 'Xanadu,' with actress Jackie Hoffman is a theatre match made in heaven: They're both zany, smart, tongue-in-cheek and oh-so hilarious.

When I saw the show a couple of weeks ago (without ever seeing the most-say-awful movie), I spent the entire ninety minutes with a big, goofy smile on my face. And boy, I let out a few belly laughs, too, that probably frightened the poor guy sitting in front of me.

Much of that laughter is thanks in large part to the performance of Miss Hoffman, one of Broadway's premiere comediennes.

Playing the dual roles of Calliope and Aphrodite, Jackie chews so much of the scenery (and I mean that in a good way), I'm surprised she's not aching in pain with a cracked tooth or doubling-over with a tummy ache. She sings, moves and acts with such a freakin' funny flair that you can't but help fall in love with her.

I spoke to Jackie before a recent performance and, well, I'm just going to say it, people: It was hard to type. The woman had me in stitches. So forgive me. My notes were a little fuzzy.

Read the interview after the jump ...

Sanford Marcus: Hey there, Jackie! OK, I'm a big fan of yours, but I have no clue about your upbringing or childhood. So spill.

Jackie Hoffman: I grew up in Bayside, Queens. My family was very loving, and we got fed a lot. And my family loved television – 'Car 54, Where Are You?' was my favorite – and we all loved good jazz and good opera. And I'm the youngest of four kids, and there's a big distance between our ages, so I grew up in a house with a lot of adults.

SM: Were you a funny kid?

JH: Yeah, sure, I was a funny kid in a funny family. I guess I realized it when I was 5 years old and sang, 'You Make Me Feel So Young,' and people laughed.


SM: Growing up so close to Manhattan, did you go to the theatre at all?

JH: Oh yeah. By the time I was a nine-year-old girl, I was a gay man. I knew so many musicals by then and I had gay taste: I had good taste and liked funny performers who gave a sh*t and worked for it. I knew so many musicals as a kid. My parents took me to go see 'No, No, Nanette' when I was 11 years old. We used to see everything. You know, it was a huge deal to see 'A Chorus Line' in 1979, and we did. We saw Andrea McArdle in 'Annie,' and we got to see [original star] Patti [LuPone] in 'Evita.'

SM: So what was your first big showbiz break?

JH: It was at Hershey Park playing Plain Jane Wayne in 'Shootout at the Trailblazer Saloon.' It was my first paid acting gig – and it was fun. I was green doing this kids' show six times a day. And I learned a lot: I learned that if I made out with one of the producers, I could take home a costume piece. Important things like that.

SM: That's a good tip. Well, some people might not know that you're known in New York for your solo shows ...

JH: I love doing them, they're my favorite. People haven't seen me until they've seen me in one of those shows. You learn everything about me. The shows are usually the dark side of everything. In the last one, I did a bit about my hysterectomy and sang a duet with my uterus.

SM: And then you went in the opposite direction and made your Broadway debut in 'Hairspray' where you were memorably hilarious in a bunch of roles ...

JH: My part in the show started out as a three-word part. But I kept improvising in rehearsal and made my roles bigger. [Director] Jack O'Brien, God bless him, trusted my instincts and kept what I did in rehearsals. My parts in the show were still too small for my taste, but they were still decent.

SM: I remember when you made your way through a row of the audience talking to people as you took the stage ...

JH: That was fun when it went well, but it got this huge expectation. That gag kind of became theatre legend. But sometimes it bombed. One night I took a guy's ticket out of his pocket and yelled, "Tickets, please! Wait! This is a ticket for 'The Lion King'!" And then I put his ticket back in his pocket.

SM: That's great! Did he laugh?

JH: No. He was annoyed with me.


SM: Well that kind of stinks. But we loved you in the movie, 'Kissing Jessica Stein.' I have one word for you: "Lesbian!"

JH: Yup, that's usually the gays' favorite line. I still don't know why.

SM: Now, let's talk 'Xanadu.' What did you think when you were first approached to do the show?

JH: I was lying in the hospital since I had my uterus taken out. They came to me to do the workshop and I told them I couldn't do it. And then they were like, "If you can't do the workshop, you can't do the show on Broadway." AND I was doing another play at the same time, so I was like, "F**k!" But then I was settling in after the surgery and they made me an offer. I was kind of skeptical at first -- but I'm skeptical about everything.

SM: Even before you started previews, people were predicting that you'd close really quickly.

JH: I know. But we knew how good it was in rehearsal. People doubted us, and now we're like, "Ha ha! F**k you! We're a hit!"

SM: Were you a fan of the movie?

JH: I've never seen it.

SM: Me neither!

JH: I refuse. I think I'm the only person in our cast who hasn't seen it. I just keep hearing about what a piece of crap it is.

SM: So when you opened to such great reviews, were you shocked?

JH: I tried not to read them. I knew the major one [from The New York Times] was positive. I thought it would be a critical darling, actually. So no, I wasn't shocked. I was relieved.

SM: The comedy in the show is really broad, but you just stop short of really crossing a line to keep the show as real as possible.

JH: You can't be lazy about this kind of comedy, especially since every audience is different. We really ARE telling a story, and we can't take the audience out of that. There are times in the show where we want to be cartoony, but [Director] Christopher Ashley has been really good about that, and we've kept a balance in the show.

SM: And, as you did with 'Hairspray,' you get to play with the audience again -- but this time they're sitting on stage.


JH: You know, if you sit up there and you're not willing to work off me, it's ridiculous. It's like putting meat in front of a lion. At today's matinee, some people were miserable on stage and I ripped into them. Wednesday matinees can be tough sometimes. We got a token miserable teenager once and Mary [Testa] attacked him and yelled, "What are you so miserable about?!"

SM: That's awesome! And you're one of the few cast members in the show who doesn't roller-skate.

JH: They told Mary and me on the first day of rehearsals that we didn't have to skate. We've been thrilled ever since.

SM: I would imagine a lot of stars are making backstage visits after the show. Anyone exciting?

JH: Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin.

SM: Um- oh. Really?

JH: No. I'm kidding.

SM: Oh. Phew.

JH: Whoopi came backstage. I'd never met her, and I thought THAT was exciting.

SM: I think the gays are excited you're back on the stage, too. The truth is, you have a huge gay fan base.

JH: The gays are getting younger, so I have to teach a new generation of fags, and I hope 'Xanadu' will do that. I'm infinitely grateful to the community. I appeal to people with big, balls-out taste. In my own stuff, I cut to the quick: I don't mess around, I can be vicious, and I tell it like it is. The gays really respond to that. The lesbians do, too. Make sure you include the lesbians. You don't want to make them angry!

SM: OK, I'll be sure to include them. Last question: Is Cheyenne Jackson really that hunky in-person?

JH: Sanford, that question is beneath you.

SM: Yeah, I know.

JH: But yes, he is gorgeous and adorable and he embraces his gayness fully. Happy now?

SM: Yes, VERY happy! Thank you, Jackie!

'Xanadu' is currently packin' 'em in on Broadway at The Helen Hayes Theatre. (A London production and a national tour across the U.S. are also being planned, so be on the lookout for them, too.) For information and tickets, log on to the show's official website.

Previously Sighted:
My Top Five List of Hunky Broadway Boys (July 25, 2007)
'Xanadu' Hits Broadway & '9 to 5' ... Is On Its Way! (June 29, 2007)
'Xanadu' On Broadway & 'Wicked' In Japan ... (June 15, 2007)