Video: Olivia Holt Is Getting Ready to Make Her Broadway Debut in CHICAGO

Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World

Actress and singer Olivia Holt is stepping into the iconic role of Roxy Heart

in the longest-running American musical in Broadway history, Kander and Ems, Chicago for eight weeks only from April 10th through June 4th

and I caught up with Olivia here at the Time Hotel during a break in rehearsal

First of all, I am thrilled to be sitting with you here at the Time Hotel

just a few weeks before you're about to make your Broadway debut as Roxy Heart

How excited are you? Ugh, I, I, there's no words. I'm so excited. I'm beyond myself. I'm so thrilled, so honored, and very, very grateful

Was Broadway always a dream? Of course, of course. I, I started acting in my hometown and like this little theater company, and it was so fun. I was like 10 years old, and I was like, this is the dream, baby. This is like, I love being on stage. I love the feeling. I love the feeling. I love the

the immediate feedback. Like, I just loved everything about it. And then I got into television and film

and I knew somewhere in my body that I wanted to make my way back to theater again

and never in my wildest dreams that I think it was going to be on Broadway, in Chicago, like never

So I, yeah, it's still, I'm still processing it, as you can tell

Well, it's a lot because you start rehearsals. Yeah. And then it's like right then, first preview

then you open and everything else. So you're about to step into the role of Roxy

Like, what do you love about her already while you're learning her? She's so spunky and fun

And she just has all these really amazing qualities and layers to her

And I feel like I learned something new about her in every rehearsal

And I love that every person that has come in to play Roxy

has sort of given their own version of her. And I love that the company sort of allows you to do that to, like, create your, like, there's, you know, things that we should stick to and things that make sense for this role and to create the specific tone of Chicago

But it's just been so fun, like, creating her and learning more about her

Like, being in the rehearsal room, what has that been like for you with learning the show and just, you know, learning the whole craft of theater again

Oh, the first three days, I was in shock. I did not feel like I was in my body

I was just jaw dropped at everything, everything that everybody was saying

I was like, I need everybody to repeat everything like three times so it can like actually hit me

But it's just everyone's so warm and so kind and so welcoming and just incredibly supportive

And I've just retained so much information in the last couple of weeks

And I can I now know the whole show And now I just sort of locking in everything Yeah Like perfecting it all Yeah yeah Okay learning the iconic Bob Fawsey and Ranking choreography Was that like really cool to start learning that It was so cool I obvious

I'm so familiar with it and everyone just speaks so highly of, you know, Annie and and wanting to

because she has always said they do tailor things, but the, like to keep the, like to keep the

Fossy and to keep, like, to just keep all of that in there. That's what makes Chicago, Chicago, you know, and I think it's just such a special show

Yeah. It's really so special. Well, let's talk about the iconic songs by John Kander and Fred Abbe

Yeah. Did you learn them all together? I mean, what were you working on first? I, I mean, I listened to the whole show from front, back, starting in the middle to the, I mean, like, I

listened to it forever. And then when I went in with Rob Bowman, our musical director

The Best. The Best. That was a whole different experience than just listening to the show and knowing the show

We went song by song by song, and we really found some special moments in there

And it just, I appreciate the show so much more. You know, he has created like a very comfortable and safe space for

me to just like play and to to create my like my own version of roxy really that's the great thing

about the chicago company i've watched so many people go into this show over the 20 something

years 28 years that the show has run everybody gets to do their own spin on roxy yeah which is

really nice yeah it is it's it it gives you this sort of liberating freedom because you know who

she is at her core right you know who she is at her core you you know the qualities you've seen the dialogue

you've seen what's written on the page, and then to bring it to life

and it's a whole different experience, and I'm having a lot of fun

sort of exploring what that is. Dude, that's great, because his show is all fun. Yeah, it is

It's so entertaining. And I had this conversation with our dance captain

David Bushman the other day, who's just... Another brilliant person. Another brilliant person

but we were just sitting there chatting, and he asked me when I saw the show

I saw the show while I was doing rehearsals. Just, you know, it's fun to, like, it's fun to, like, see, like, what everyone else is doing and to, like, sew it all together, right

He asked me what my favorite part of it was and I was like you know I went into the show sat in my seat and looking at it from the perspective of somebody who about to go in and do it there were things where I was like oh okay okay they go there this person because we haven done the put yet So I haven worked with anybody else yet And I watching the show and all of a sudden I forgot that I there to do my homework

All of a sudden, I'm just, like, kind of dancing in my seat and having fun. They pulled me in

Like, I wasn't, I forgot that I was there to study what everyone was doing

and what the staging was and the choreography, and I just was, I was an audience member and enjoying and laughing it

and it was great. So we had like a really cool moment talking about that

And it just really shows you how iconic and special and moving this show is and can be

Yeah. You've had a fitting already for your outfit, right? Yeah. So when you first saw yourself like done up in the mirror with like your new William Ivey Long

your new, you know, Roxy Heart Outfit, what went through your mind? I cried. I cried

I was like, I just was like so emotional. It really is such a cool experience

and everyone, you know, everyone has very different body types. And so we were figuring out what was going to be the right fit for me

And that just is so, you know, when they tailor it to your body and it feels like it's yours

versus it just sort of being thrown on you and being like, yeah, this is the look

This is like what we always do, which there is a level of that, right

But when it's like being tailored to you and then you just sort of become the character in that way

So yeah, I love the fitting. That's what I love because sometimes the sleeves are longer or it just fits you, which is really cool

Yeah. Exactly, exactly. Okay, so like, you know, we talked about being on Broadway, whatever

So when you were sitting in the house watching the show, like, what do you think is going to happen at first performance when you're on stage on April 10th

What are you looking forward to the most? I hope people like it

You're going to love it, just so you know, they're going to love you in this. Thank you. I really am just so looking forward to doing it

putting it all together, you know. I'm excited to work with the cast. I'm excited to just bring it all

to life. I'm excited for the audience to just have the same experience that I did, just being pulled

into this, like, riveting story, and to leave just feeling inspired and to leave feeling moved

and to want to dance or sing or just do something, you know? I feel like this show really can impact

you in that way, and I hope that I can do that for people every night. Oh, you will

What I love about you is you're going to bring a whole new young audience to the theater

because they know you from film, from TV, and recording, and you're going to introduce them to this whole new world of live theater, what that means to you

Oh, God. I think people are going to fall in love with it

They're going to see this show, and then they're going to see it again, and then they're going to see it again, or maybe they're going to see it again in five years

and they going to you know it like I love that it has stayed and it has just created a world a community of people I mean people keep coming back for a reason you know And yeah I just very I very grateful and I excited for the fans who have followed

me to come and see this and to be introduced to this incredible world because I've been

introduced to it in a whole new way and I'm pumped. I'm very, very excited

Because you're an inspiration to so many people when I was telling people that you were coming to

the show, like, oh my God, I've never been to a Broadway show. They asked their parents to take them. I think that's the coolest thing

That's so cool. It's so cool. Yeah, I've had, I've had a few of my childhood friends are

going to come and they're like, I've never even seen a musical before. And I'm like

well, it just, you wait, because this is the one to see. It's going to be so many people's

first musical, which I think is very, that's iconic. It's amazing. Why do you think this is such a success, this show

I think because even though this story has been around for decades

it still lives in every generation. I think that there's so many stories that connect to this day and age

There's so many characters. I mean, even Roxy, just like this female character with all these different layers

and all of these different emotions, I think it's so important to see female roles like that

I think a lot of people will see themselves in not just Roxy, but Belmo

Or, you know, I think that there's so many pieces that people can grab from this show

and take with them and feel like they related to or that will inspire them

You know, and I, yeah, I mean, this is an, it's an incredible story

The theater is right across the street, the ambassador. It's one of the most beautiful houses. The Marquis is up

Like, the first time you walked by and you were like, oh, my God, I'm going to be here. I'm coming to Broadway

Like, what went through your mind? Everything, everything, just the thought of this is going to be my home for the next few months

And everyone's just so supportive and kind. I mean, I've met so many wonderful people in this theater

I mean, this theater is also just so nostalgic and cool. And during my five-minute breaks, I'll just walk around and, like, look at all the cool details

And it's such a stunning theater. And, yeah, it's going to be my home

So I'm just trying to make myself comfy and it feels really, I mean, just seeing that every day

I can't believe it. Every time I walk up to the theater, I'm like, oh, this is where I go every day

So remember on your first performance, I'd opening night of yours your Broadway debut

When you take your bow, make it from the heart. Don't make it technical. It happens once

Take it all in and just remember this forever. Yeah. Thank you for that

Thank you. I will. I will. Welcome to Broadway. Thank you