Broadway veteran Saycon Sengbloh, who was nominated for a Tony Award last year for her role in Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed, is now in Los Angeles, starring in Michael Arden’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s masterwork Merrily We Roll Along at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

I recently caught up with the striking Saycon Sengbloh at a rehearsal playing Gussie Carnegie in Merrily We Roll Along at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Not only is she a talented actress, but also a pop star. Her original music can be found on iTunes.

Here’s what I learned:

JW: Did you always want to be a professional actress?
SS: Yes, growing up in Atlanta, GA, I was involved in performing in youth ensembles. I love to sing and grew up as a theater kid. Later, I went to Agnes Scott College, before moving to New York.

JW: When did you get your Equity card?
SS: While I was touring in Rent playing Mimi, I got my card.

JW: You were nominated for a 2016 Tony Award for Featured Actress in a Play for the Broadway production of Eclipsed and you won an Outer Critics Circle award for the same role. Was that your favorite role?
SS: Yes. I also liked performing in Elton John’s Aida, Hair and The Color Purple.

JW: What do you do on your day off in Los Angeles?
SS: I like finding Pho restaurants and sipping hot soup. Soup and noodles are my favorite things to eat right now. I also like to explore and eat in the Little Ethiopia area of Los Angeles.

JW: Since you live in New York, have you explored the sights of LA?
SS: No, not yet. I’d like to go to the Griffith Observatory.

Previews of Merrily We Roll Along began November 23, and the musical plays through December 18 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Opening Night is November 30, 2016.

This interview was featured in The Stage Review – http://thestagereview.net/2016/11/29/catching-up-with-saycon-sengbloh/