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'Beauty's' Belle is coming to Janesville

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Susan Egan, the first face and voice of Belle in the Broadway production of "Beauty and The Beast" performs Saturday at the Janesville Performing Arts Center

JANESVILLE — She was the Belle of Broadway, and Saturday she'll be in Janesville.

Susan Egan, the first face and voice of Belle in the Broadway production of "Beauty and The Beast" will perform at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Janesville Performing Arts Center.

The event is a fundraiser for JPAC, and tickets are $250, $35 and $25 for students. For local audiences, it will be a chance to see a star whose performances have garnered a collection of Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations, a significant fan base and the praise of hardened New York critics.

She last was seen on Broadway in the title role of "Thoroughly Modern Millie." She also played Sally Bowles in Broadway's longest run of "Cabaret" and starred alongside Carol Burnett in Stephen Sondheim's "Putting It Together." She's also lent her voice to "Meg" in Disney's "Hercules" and a variety of other animated features.

Now add to that a collection of television and movie experiences and a series of solo concerts at venues such as the Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl, and you get a career any diva would envy.

Strangely enough, she's still modest, engaging and excited about every new performing opportunity. Cynicism seems alien to her character, even though she's been in tough business in some tough cities.

For her show in Janesville, she plans a program of songs that will appeal to a wide audience.

"I'm going to mix it up a little bit," Egan said in a phone interview. "I'm going to do some songs from ‘Beauty,' ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie,' ‘Cabaret' and some new songs."

Egan's friendships with Broadway composers and lyricists mean she has access to new works before they reach the stage.

"I tell people that they haven't heard this song yet, but they'll know it in another 18 months," Egan said.

Some of her "best friends the world" are in the inner circle of writers, and she can call them up and ask for songs that hit a certain tone or carry a certain mood.

In Janesville, Egan will be accompanied only by her pianist.

She likes the range of mood the solo performances give her.

As a soprano, she's usually given the tender ingénue roles such as Belle. That's one of the reasons she took on the role of Sally Bowles in director Sam Mendes' extremely dark version of "Cabaret."

"I say that I went from being a Disney heroine to heroin addict," Egan said, laughing.

Another reason she likes solo performance is the interaction with the audience.

"As an actor, I was trained to hide behind a character, to pretend the audience wasn't there," Egan said. "This is a show that can adapt, that really breaks through the fourth wall (between the audience and the performer) and responds to what's happening in the moment."

She loves that joyful energy that's created between a performer and an audience.

"I think what I do is so not brain surgery," Egan said. "But there's something wonderful about music, it creates a vibration in the room that's so exciting."

IF YOU GO

What: Susan Egan, the original Belle in the Broadway version of "Beauty and the Beast.' Egan will give a solo performance.

When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Janesville Performing Arts Center, 408 S. Main St., Janesville.

For more information: Call (608) 758-0297 or go to www.Janesvillepac.org.