Curtain Call
The Tony nominee brings Bustle backstage.
The biggest challenge was offstage, navigating my own feelings about aging in the business.
You are rewriting a paradigm.
I dont think I’ll ever get used to it, says Bean, who was previously nominated forMr.
There were many celebrations [atHells Kitchen].
We had some whiskey, toasted it, and just sort of reveled in it.
And the album came out on 6/7, which is 13.
And the Tony Awards are 6/16, which adds up to 13.
So we keep looking for our lucky number 13, which keeps showing up everywhere.
Below, Bean shares her backstage routine, dressing room must-haves, and methods for handling rowdy audiences.
Those are the main things that I ingest.
And Ive got some whiskey here because, you know eight shows a week, OK?
On her tried-and-true throat remedies:
Olbas Pastilles are my go-to.
And then the concoction is honey, lemon, apple cider vinegar, and a teeny bit of cayenne.
Thats what cuts through junk.
And then when I get home at night, Ill steam.
On working through intermission:
It goes by quickly.
Sometimes its socializing and goofing around.
Sometimes its my moment to catch up on emails.
Its upcycled, pre-owned vintage pieces.
I sew on all these patches and theyre all hand-stitched by me.
So sometimes Im stitching.
That was a crash course in being able to handle anything.
And I live for it.
And I know audiences live for it too.
And so I sang it again because I could.
I love that stuff.
I make it sound fancy its a fire escape.
But they have blow-up furniture out there to lounge around on.
So theyve hosted a lot of evenings.
[If] its someones birthday, we get pizza.
Ive done cupcakes and champagne for the cast before.
To be honest with you, I like it that way.
Its one of my toxic traits, staying busy.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
