Overtime Drive: Q&A With Mandy Bruno (Marina)
Soap Opera Digest: You’re doing double-duty now. How are things on Broadway?
Mandy Bruno: Absolutely amazing. And 10 times more. The cast is phenomenal and has been more than welcoming. In a week I feel like I’ve been there a year. It’s been amazing.Digest: Is it difficult juggling both schedules?
Bruno: I’ve definitely had to recoordinate my own life. I mean, just taking time to make sure you get enough sleep and eating right and exercising right. And really, it’s come to a point in my life right now where my life is about work. That’s really all I have time for and that’s really where my focus and energy is. Everything’s going so well, so definitely no complaints here!
Digest: So tell us: why Les Miz?
Bruno: I have always wanted to do Les Miz. I saw it for the fist time when I was 6, and between the ages of 6 and 12 probably like a dozen times. Every time it would come into town on the road, I’d beg my parents to go see it and I was just in love with the whole show. I had these four cassette tapes of the symphonic version of past recordings. I would go home and I have this long scarf of my mother’s and I would put it around my head to be one of the maids and put it around my waist to be one of the guards. I would make my brother and sister act out the entire 4-hour symphonic past recordings in our bedroom [laughs]. I was in love with it and I knew someday I wanted to move to New York and be on Broadway and be in Les Miz. 
Digest: So it literally is a dream come true?
Bruno: It really is! In college, Les Miz closed and I went to one of my acting teachers and said, “I don’t know if I want to do this anymore. Les Miz closed!” And he kind of laughed at me. I said, “No, I’m serious! This has been my dream. This is what I’m going after and they just closed the show! What am I going to do?” He said don’t give up. They’ll do a revival. He said things have a way of coming back around.Digest: So how did the audition come about?
Bruno: Well, the revival came back around and I was ecstatic because here it was. I was thrilled and had laryngitis! I went into that audition and tried singing those songs and barely anything came out. I was so disappointed and went home. I was distraught over it, but sure enough, six months later, they recast the role. I prepared for that audition like I’ve never prepared for anything before! You would’ve thought I was about to run a marathon.Digest: What’s the best part about being on the stage?
Bruno: There’s something amazing about being on the stage and hearing an audience respond when you do something comical and they laugh, or when you’re dying in a tragic scene. The other night I was onstage and as I closed my eyes, you heard someone loudly in the audience say, “That’s so sad!” It was so sweet! I love that people are immediately affected. That’s so special to me and I love that.Digest: How many shows are you doing a week?
Bruno: Eight performances a week, so that’s why the marathon training was good!Digest: Aside from your pal Marcy Rylan (Lizzie), who came on opening night, have any other GL castmates seen the show yet?
Bruno: They haven’t. I’ve asked them all to wait. I asked [Marcy] to wait, too, but darn those best friends! They always show up! I’ve gotten amazing support from everybody.
Digest: So GL fans who fear you’re going to quit daytime for theater don’t need to worry?
Bruno: Oh, no, I’m going to do both. Digest: Well, in Springfield, things are certainly getting crazy for Marina with Cyrus. The sexual tension is unbearable!
Bruno: Of course. Isn’t that the way [Marina] always is, too? If she could just find a good guy! You know, I’m with the fans on this one. I think that he is a bad guy, but there’s something that did happen in the middle of the kidnapping and him taking her hostage. He does care for her and he looks out for her in his own way. There’s something that she grabs onto in that.Digest: Well, some fans have started calling the duo “Cyrina.”
Bruno: Cyrina. That’s a lovely name. I should name my next pet that [laughs].Bruno will be performing in Les Misérables through the end of October.
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