Okay, I’ll admit right off the top that I freaked out a little bit when this guest immediately and graciously said yes to having a conversation with me for the show. Christiane Noll is a Tony Award nominated Broadway performer. She was part of the original Broadway cast of Jekyll and Hyde, and has been seen around the world in countless other shows and performances, including Grease, South Pacific, Elf and is now on the first national Broadway tour of Dear Evan Hansen. She’s performed internationally with over 100 symphony orchestras, she’s performed with world renown operas and singers, and you can even see her on TV in Law & Order, Madam Secretary, and she sang in the live production of The Sound of Music with Carrie Underwood on NBC.
I had just happened to see Christiane in Dear Evan Hansen, where she plays a mom of a teenage boy, and when I found out that she’s a mom of a 10 year old girl in real life, I knew I I just had to have her on the show and hear all about what it’s like to be a performer who’s also a mom on tour.
I am so honored to have spent some time with Christiane, and whether you’re a Broadway fan like me or not, I know you’ll enjoy what she has to say.
On Broadway
Christiane’s daughter was just 6 weeks old when she started rehearsals for her role in the Broadway revival of Ragtime. She talks about how she was in the middle of a scene and had to run off the stage to pump. I love this story! She also shares her motherly instincts on stage, even when her baby wasn’t with her.
How does the crazy schedule of a Broadway show, work with being a mom?
Christiane boasts of that special hormone that women can produce that turns us into super women, and allows us to function on little sleep after having a baby.
She is also grateful for family and close friends to support her.
What about tour life?
Christiane gives us a peek at the ins and outs of an on-Broadway schedule, and how being on tour is different.
On being pregnant while preparing for a role
Christiane had to do a lot of reassuring people that she was okay while dancing, traveling and calling her shot for a role. She even plays homage to Beyonce! You can do anything when you’re creating life.
What shifted for you as an artist and in your career after having your daughter?
Christiane was very focused on her career and says she didn’t have room for another human being, much more, a baby. She says she didn’t make time, didn’t want to make time, and was all about her career. She says actors area basically all narcissists because they have to focus on themselves, their looks, their craft, how they’re presenting themselves, and self-improvement.
Then, there was a shift. She got sick of “herself” and decided to make room for someone else, which is when she met her husband. She didn’t think she wanted to be a mother, either.
Listen to the show and find out what changed her mind.
The Birth of the Mother
This is one of my favorite parts of the interview. Christiane gets real and talks about what happened when her daughter was born, and the emotion that took her by storm.
She talks about career women, including herself, and the idea of being 100% everywhere.
When we have a passion, and even when that passion is our career, our kids can watch us do what we love and what we’re good at. It’s not possible to be everywhere all of the time as the perfect mother, wife, and career woman, but it’s possible to be present wherever we are.
Mom guilt, anyone?
Christiane opens up about her hesitation about going out on the road. Her husband was the driving force behind convincing her to do it and how they could make it work as a family. She admits that sometimes it’s really hard to WANT to make it work, and her overwhelming emotion and reaction on her first top of the tour.
She also talks about how she and her husband presented the idea of her being on tour for a year, to their daughter.
The kinds of roles that you do
Christiane has embraced the fact that she plays mothers: crying mothers, emotional mothers, “mom.” She says she never would have guessed that being a mom and opening your insides up could make her a living! She is just now getting over beating herself up about leaving to do this particular role. She would always rather be with her daughter. She talks about her strategy to see her daughter whenever possible, while still focusing and being present and committing fully to the experience she’s in during this tour.
I love her take on the phrase, “you’ll do what you have to do.” We throw that around as moms, but Christiane is so intentional about it. There is purpose behind every move she makes.
Part of the package
This is where it hits home for me. Christiane talks about being true to herself and her family when it comes to all things career and any demands on her. She is passionate about the idea of, “you are going to meet me halfway.” She talks about what she would do; a true example of boundaries and negotiating for what she wants when it comes to her family.
Make no mistake, she’s going to do her best work for you, but when her work is done, it’s time to go home and be present with her family.
Feedback and criticism about aggressively pursuing a career as a mom
There will always be critics of what you’re doing. Christiane talks about taking her daughter on auditions and proving her critics wrong.
I also love her take on parenting and how our kids are their own people! She also preaches a gospel to us about parenting roles, that parenthood can enrich our lives, and being present with our kids whenever we can.
On Dear Evan Hansen and the importance of her current role
Dear Evan Hansen is doing important work of telling the story that is all too familiar with teenagers and their parents.
There’s a difference between how we present ourselves on social media and how things actually are; how we perceive ourselves and the real issues in our world.
Moms come in all forms, and from all points of view. No matter if you’re a single mom, a married mom, a mom with lots of money or a mom who feels guilty that her kids have to go without, we have so much in common, we all “need a map” and want to know we’re doing good by our kids and the world around us.
You have to see this video of all the “moms” of Dear Evan Hansen, featuring Christiane.
I think it’s definitely the theme song of motherhood!
Christiane shares a touching, earth-shattering story about a life that was touched and changed by this show, and you won’t want to miss it.
Listen to Christiane’s full interview by clicking the ‘play’ button above!