Foster has originated beloved roles such as Millie Dilmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Princess Fiona in Shrek: The Musical and lead critically acclaimed revivals like 2011’s Anything Goes. Similarly, O’Hara starred in the original Broadway casts of The Light at the Piazza and The Bridges of Madison County and revivals of The King and I, South Pacific and The Pajama Game.
The two have three Tony Awards and 16 nominations between them. If you’ve ever had even a passing interest in musicals, you’ve probably seen or even been in a production of one of their shows.
For theater enthusiasts, a concert collaboration between Foster and O’Hara is like the Super Bowl. For the stars themselves, it’s just two friends with busy schedules finding an excuse to hang out.
“Kelli and I have never worked together,” Foster says. “We’re both usually cast as leading ladies so this has been an awesome opportunity to work together and have fun and celebrate each other.”
“It’s a bit of an escape to just come out and have fun,” O’Hara adds.
The format is modeled after Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall, a 1962 variety special starring Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett.
“I just remember thinking, ‘I want to do that,’” O’Hara says. “‘I’ll do a little Julie and who would be Carol? Obviously, Sutton Foster.’ And to my wonderful delight, she said yes.”
Foster and O’Hara’s take on the format debuted, fittingly enough, at Carnegie Hall in 2023. The Dallas shows will mark their first outing outside of New York.
“What’s really fun about Dallas in particular is one thing we’re doing verbatim from Julie and Carol’s show,” O’Hara says. “It’s a number called 'Big D' from The Most Happy Fella. They put cowboys hats on and did this number. [...] We’re going to do the whole number in Dallas and that makes it especially fun.”
Though this concert marks Foster and O’Hara’s first time onstage together, the two have been friends and mutual admirers for decades, having come up in the Broadway scene around the same time in the early 2000s.
“Thoroughly Modern Millie, which she won her first Tony for, was just extraordinary,” O’Hara says of her first time seeing Foster perform in 2002.
“I saw you in Sweet Smell [of Success],” adds Foster.
“Oh, that was even sooner,” O’Hara says.
“Yeah, I saw Sweet Smell and I definitely saw you in Dracula because my roommate was in it,” Foster says. “We were both launching at the same time. I remember all the way back for sure.”
Foster and O’Hara have played roles that every actor dreams of playing. And when we say every actor, we’re including Foster and O’Hara, whose dream roles overlap with each other’s bodies of work.
“I would love to be in South Pacific,” says Foster, referencing O’Hara’s turn as Nellie Forbush in 2008. “I played her a long time ago, but I was so young and I didn’t really understand. That production you did was so good.”
“Well, I couldn’t do any of the dancing,” O’Hara quips, ruling out dance-heavy productions like Millie and Anything Goes. “I’m gonna have to say Shrek. They filmed it for Netflix and when my kids were little, we watched it, especially during the pandemic. I’ve probably seen that thing 30 times and it’s just so important to my kids. As a soprano, I don’t often get those super fun roles, you know? I can see myself having such a blast in that kind of comedy.”
The ultimate dream role for both performers, however, is something brand new.
“I have been able to do so many revivals, so there isn’t an existing musical where I say, ‘Oh gosh, that’s the role,’” O’Hara says. “I also think that writing for women of a certain age should be different. It should look different. It should sound different. It needs a new, modern voice to match where we are in the world right now, which I think is different than some of the older musicals.”
“It’s really hard, you know, because it takes such a long time for new things to be developed,” Foster adds. “I’ve also been doing a lot of revivals lately, so I think I’m just really eager for something new.”
According to Foster, that “something new” is already in the pipeline as we speak.
“I’m working on a new musical on the life of Loretta Lynn, Coal Miner’s Daughter,” she says. “It’s probably another year and a half out. These things take such a long time. One of the very first readings was eight years ago, I think. These things can be a process, but I’m really excited about tackling that, playing the guitar and singing her songs.”
“I’ve also got some things coming down the pipeline that I hope come to fruition," O’Hara adds. “Next year, I’m going to be doing a play called Fallen Angels, which is an old Noel Coward play ...”
“Oh, that’s cool,” Foster interjects, apparently learning about it at the same time we are.
“I know, right?” O’Hara gushes. “It’ll be really fun. So I’m going to do that. I’d really like to have some musical ideas come to fruition. But like Sutton said, it takes a long time.”
No matter what’s next for these stars, whether it’s this weekend’s concerts or next year’s Broadway shows, the goal is to always keep things interesting and fun.
“I always say I want an Angela Lansbury career that keeps going and going,” says Foster. “I want people to see an artist that continues to grow and live and challenge herself and be brave.”
“It’s good to reinvent rather than try to defend some sort of legacy from before,” O’Hara adds. “We have to grow and stay curious.”
Contrary to what this photo suggests, O'Hara and Foster are always looking forward.
Courtesy of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
