Some Girls Dream of Being a Rockette — Spring Spectacular Star Laura Benanti Just Wanted One as a Friend

As a born New Yorker, Broadway darling (not to mention Tony and Drama Desk winner) Laura Benanti is an ideal choice to lead the cast of Radio City's New York Spring Spectacular — the vernal season's upbeat answer to winter's beloved Christmas Spectacular. The new production, which takes audiences on a "whirlwind adventure across New York City," boasts a nearly 100-person cast that also features legendary New York dancers the Rockettes and Dancing With the Stars pro Derek Hough.

Benanti, who is busy prepping material for her role as host of the 2015 Drama Desk Awards as well as lighting up the Radio City stage 12 times a week, recently took time out one sunny afternoon to catch up with TheaterMania while taking her daily stroll through Central Park. As she passed some of her personal favorite New York landmarks, Benanti recalled a few of her most memorable encounters with fans (who mostly know her as Nashville's Sadie Stone) and reflected on what she'll miss about the Spring Spectacular when June starts busting out all over.

Did you used to go to the Christmas Spectacular as a kid?
I went a few times as a kid and when I was older, then I started taking my ex-husband's daughter. We would go every year. That was our Christmas thing that we would do together. And my little cousins, I would send them every year as well, because they love it. They actually recently all just came, all of my little cousins. It was so funny because, you know, I've done a lot of Broadway, I've done a lot of television, like, they really couldn't care less. But then when I got this job they have been flipping out and telling everybody that I'm a Rockette.

Did you want to be a Rockette when you were a little kid?
No, because I wasn't a dancer. I wanted to be Julie Andrews. But I wanted to be friends with a Rockette.

Has that dream come true?
Yes. I love those girls. They're so cool and they're so funny and smart. It's interesting because, in terms of their craft, it's all about precision and it's all about unity, but they are so different as people, in a way that is so beautiful and melds together in such a fantastic way.

What is it like dancing with Derek Hough?
It's great. His job, basically, is to teach people who don't know how to dance how to dance. That's literally what he does for a living. So I'm lucky in that way. He's funny. He will fling you around because he's used to having people who he's like, "I throw you here and then I throw you here and then I throw you there." Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, a little bit less throwing. But he's such a kind person. He works so hard. He does all of the shows and then Sunday after our two shows, he flies to Los Angeles, does Dancing With the Stars, takes the redeye back, and then does all the shows all over again, and he never has a day off. And he never complains. He's always smiling. It's so annoying. I'm like, "Are you a human? [Or] maybe like a robot?"

How have audiences been responding?
I have never been in a show where people are so excited. They stand at the end. They're screaming. They love it so much that we've added four more shows, and the tickets are flying. The other day I looked out and I saw four empty seats and I was like, Ooh, it's a little empty, and then I remembered, there's six thousand seats. One section alone is a whole Broadway house. And I've been on Broadway before where I'm [thinking], Are there more people onstage than in the audience? So the fact that we have managed to really fill and/or sell out a six-thousand-seat theater twelve times a week is crazy to me.

You're becoming quite a well-known face. What kinds of interactions do you have with fans?
Lately, as I walk down the street people just shout out, "Sadie Stone!" People don't know my name, but they know that I'm Sadie Stone [from Nashville]. People will shout for me to "Stay strong, girl," stuff like that. Which is hilarious. And then one woman shouted out, "He deserved it!" Because [SPOILER] I shot my husband on Nashville.

The New York Spring Spectacular is being referred to as a love letter to New York. What do you think is the city's top attraction?
I am actually walking through my favorite attraction, which is Central Park. As I'm talking to you I'm walking through Sheep Meadow. I was born in New York City and lived the first few years of my life on Fifty-fourth Street and Seventh. So my mom would bring me to Central Park every day and she would bring me to the playground there, which I'm literally about to pass. So when I walk this way to work, which I do every day — even when it's disgusting out — it reminds me of my mom and being a little kid and it reminds me of why I love New York City, which is a good energy to bring into doing the show.

What will you miss most when the show is over?
I'm gonna miss those girls, I'll tell you that much. I'm gonna miss the Rockettes. I'm gonna miss dancing with them for eight counts. I'm gonna miss being in that huge space. The first day I was on there, I was like, "How will I ever do this? It's so hard." And now it just feels like an intimate little house. And hearing six thousand people laugh is pretty addictive. So I'm gonna have to just record it and then play it for myself once in a while when I'm feelin' blue.