Meet the Cast - Jillian Louis
1. How many NYMF shows have you been involved in?
This is my fourth— the first was The Piper, in 2007, by Grammy-winner and wonderful soul Marcus Hummon, in which I played a polio-stricken adolescent girl in 1890s Boston, the second was the superfun Popart, by Daryl Fazio and Aaron McAllister, I played an outcast visual art student moving to NYC, and last year was The Kid Who Would Be Pope, by the lovely Jack and Tom Megan, I played a singing, cartwheeling novice nun with whom the protagonist fell in love. I also did a reading of the fantastic Dan Martin, Michael Biello, and Ted Sod’s The Cousins Grimm for NYMF’s reading series. Wow. That’s alot when I write it out like that! I’ve killed people by playing an instrument, dumpster-dived, met the Pope, eaten paint, transformed into a speaking duck, fallen in love with my mother’s boyfriend, referenced Willem de Kooning, sung to a pigeon, and twice played someone’s hallucination of Julie Andrews, all in the NYMF ;o)
2. How did you become involved with Flambe Dreams?
I was working with the wonderful Kristin Maloney when she recommended me to Matthew, who needed a very last-minute replacement for a reading of Flambe, then called The Thing About Joe. In 48 hours, I learned the score, rehearsed once with Randy, Matt, West, and Shelley, managed to acquire bronchitis, and performed the show! I had a wonderful time, fell in love with kooky Gloria, and was thrilled to meet everyone involved. Since then I performed in the production at the Iguana last year, sang “New Jersey” at a few benefits and concerts, sang through some other tunes from the show in their nascent stages with Randy and Matt, and clowned around in a variety of other projects with West and Shelley. Flambe’s been the gift that keeps giving!
3. Tell us about your favorite line from your signature ballad, “Everything You Long For (is in New Jersey).”
My favorite line is “Can you hear her call you? ‘Here am I, your special state!’” modeled after the line from Bali Ha’i in my fav musical South Pacific, which is just utterly ludicrous and therefore right up my alley.
4. Have you ever aspired to be a Pharmacist?
I haven’t aspired to the pharmacy specifically but did dabble in some med courses in college which is perhaps inherently similiar?? I definitely have a thing for articles about medical anomalies, prescription research, and scrubs/ lab coats. And I spend alotta time at the pharmacy? Big fan of post-holiday reduced-price candy.
5. Do you have a favorite flaming desert?
I…*gulp!*… have never actually eaten a flaming dessert!? Does a creme brulee count? Probably not as it doesn’t ignite sur la table but I do love those. Perhaps I’ll get on that for…uh…creative research. I mean I wouldn’t NORMALLY look for a great excuse to order a plateful of fired-up sticky crusted gooey goodness, but I would NEVER want to compromise the validity of my creative relationship to torched sweets. I mean it’s all about the craft with me. I’m a very, very serious artist.
Jillian Louis plays Gloria, your caring, neighborhood Duane Reade Pharmacist. Check out Jillian singing “Everything You Long For (is in New Jersey)” from Flambé Dreams.
