Lucy Lawless steps out on Broadway in 'Grease!'
September 30, 1997
Web posted at: 11:17 a.m. EDT (1517 GMT)
From Correspondent Bill Tush
NEW YORK (CNN) -- As "Xena, Warrior Princess," Lucy Lawless
has captured the attention of millions of TV viewers. But
her acting career doesn't just revolve around a TV sound
stage anymore. The native New Zealander has become a road
warrior.
In July, she joined forces with TV's "Hercules," Kevin Sorbo,
to open a new attraction at Universal Studios in Florida.
And now, she's traveled through time from ancient Greece to
New York City to debut in the hit Broadway musical "Grease!".
As bad girl Betty Rizzo, Lawless follows in the footsteps of
such familiar names as Brooke Shields and Rosie O'Donnell.
Two hours before showtime, her fans already were lining up to
meet their heroine. And lest there be any doubt, at least
one young fan hanging out on Broadway made it clear that she
was there to see Lawless because of her portrayal of Xena,
not Rizzo.
Nonetheless, Lawless is clearly getting a kick out of playing
the "Grease!" character.
"I hadn't seen anyone else's performance apart from Stockard
Channing in the movie," Lawless said of Rizzo, "so I had
nothing to compare it to.
"I don't feel like I'm trying to fill anybody's boots, and
now I'm not spending every waking moment thinking, my God,
I've got to go on stage and do that all over again. I'm
having a lot more fun, just really enjoying, I just love the
company I'm working with."
The rest of the cast of "Grease!" agrees -- they love Lucy.
"She's so much fun, she fit right in," said Dierdre O'Neil,
who plays Marty. "She loves to mess around and take chances
and does a great job, all in one package."
"And a beautiful woman, I might add, to play opposite," said
costar Sean McDermot (Danny in the play). "I get to dance
with her every night, and I just look into those beautiful
blue eyes and say, 'my God, I'm such a lucky guy.'"
Oddly enough, Lawless says the dancing is the hardest part
for her. "I can dance as Lucy, but to fit into somebody
else's choreography is tricky."
Lawless' hopelessly devoted fans could care less if she
misses a step. After all, she's the one they want.