{"id":119544,"date":"2016-11-21T09:53:28","date_gmt":"2016-11-21T14:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=119544"},"modified":"2016-11-21T09:53:28","modified_gmt":"2016-11-21T14:53:28","slug":"checking-in-with-alumna-jackie-burns-star-of-if-then","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2016\/11\/checking-in-with-alumna-jackie-burns-star-of-if-then\/","title":{"rendered":"Checking in with Alumna Jackie Burns, Star of ‘If\/Then’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jackie Burns \u201902 (SFA) got her first big break as Elphaba in ‘Wicked’ on Broadway (she says she\u2019s still finding traces of that green makeup!). Last fall she was on Broadway again, as Menzel\u2019s standby in ‘If\/Then.’ That gig turned into a star role in the touring production.<\/em><\/p>\n

UConn Magazine<\/em> <\/strong>caught up with Burns <\/span>mid-tour at the Smallpoint Caf\u00e9, a few blocks from the Providence (R.I.) Performing Arts Center.<\/em><\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> You started in this role on Broadway as Idina Menzel\u2019s standby. Were there any dramatic step-ins?<\/strong>
\nA.<\/strong> The very first time I went on I hadn\u2019t even rehearsed yet. After the first act I heard, \u2018Jackie Burns to wigs.\u2019 Literally my worst fear happened. I was petrified, but it\u2019s like hitting a switch, you go into I\u2019m-a-bad-ass mode. You fool yourself, and then it\u2019s finished. And you\u2019re like, \u2018That happened. I did it!\u2019<\/p>\n

Q. You are the solo star of this show. What\u2019s it like to see your name in lights?<\/strong>
\nA. <\/strong>Oh my God, the most amazing thing ever! In Florida, driving down the highway there was the billboard. I said, \u2018Oh my God, it\u2019s me!\u2019 I stopped and took a picture to send my mom. And in Toronto I was on all the buses. It is pretty epic.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> In ‘If\/Then’ an old friend from grad school is instrumental in your decision along one of the life paths. Have any UConn friends been as influential in your real life?<\/strong>
\nA.<\/strong> My best friend Rachel! For sure. We got randomly put together freshman year and lived together from then until we were 28 years old. Until I moved in with my husband! She\u2019s one of the most important people in my life. When I first moved to the city I went to an audition, and it was like a cattle call. I had a panic attack, left, and gave up on auditions. Two years, later Rachel made me go to an audition for ‘Broadway Revue’ at Tokyo Disney Sea. I got it. That changed everything.<\/p>\n

\"Jackie<\/a>
Jackie Burns ’02 (SFA). (Photo: Joan Marcus)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Q. You have two minutes with UConn\u2019s current batch of drama students. What\u2019s your advice to them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Always be a student. Never stop taking classes; there\u2019s always something you can learn. Even Meryl Streep must have something she can learn! And enjoy this time at UConn. People say they can\u2019t wait to graduate. I say, stay! Enjoy this time where your only responsibility is finding out who you are. I had a great time at UConn. Appreciate it. Enjoy it. That\u2019s what I\u2019d say.<\/p>\n

Q. Do you still use what you learned at UConn?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>I was kind of a jerk freshman year. I hated memorizing lines more than life itself. [Drama professor] Eric Hill told me how frustrating I was. He said, \u2018You\u2019re so naturally talented. Think about how much better you can be if you put some effort into it.\u2019 He gave me a bit of a wake-up call. I got serious. I still hate memorizing lines, though.<\/p>\n

Q. Most embarrassing UConn freshman moment?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>I think it was the entire year. I have naturally really, really curly hair, but I had bangs that I straightened. Rachel saved me. She said, \u2018You have to pick one.\u2019 She was wearing a Grateful Dead T-shirt and I told her: you have to be a grown-up. So we saved each other.<\/p>\n

Q. I read that your alternate career would have something to do with animals.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>Yes! Totally. I think I would be a pet groomer. I have a dog, Tabitha, and I\u2019m always giving her baths and cutting her hair. She\u2019s a rescue, a full-on mutt. She looks like an old monkey. And she\u2019s not nice.<\/p>\n

Q. Does that make you like her more?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>Yes! I\u2019m always trying to win her over. My husband says John wants Jackie, Jackie wants Tabitha, and Tabitha wants no one.<\/p>\n

Q. Do you have any rituals before you go on stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>Tons. I sing the same three songs right before I go on. I have to gargle with apple cider vinegar. I chew gum the whole time, but you\u2019ll never see it. I keep gum in one cheek and a pastille [lozenge] in the other. My dresser cuts them in half. So diva!<\/p>\n

Q. The three songs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>I sing soprano to warm up: ‘Green Finch,’ which I did in ‘Sweeney Todd’ at UConn, the opener from ‘Wicked,’ and ‘What\u2019s the Use of Wond\u2019rin’ from ‘Carousel.’<\/p>\n

Q. Share your highest, lowest, and weirdest Broadway moments.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>The high was my Broadway debut with ‘Hair’ \u2013 opening night, my parents being in the audience, my dream come true. Low was in ‘Rock of Ages.’ The very first time I went on, I fell flat on my face. My foot came off my 4-inch heels. For the rest of the show, you\u2019re the girl who fell.<\/p>\n

And the weirdest was once in ‘Wicked’ when I got into the levitator, I put the broom down to fix my cape and the levitator went up. I did the whole flying song without the broom. The entire time I\u2019m singing I\u2019m thinking I\u2019m gonna get fired, and I\u2019m doing all these crazy arm gestures to compensate. And no one noticed! I guess my arms were fierce.<\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>
In ‘If\/Then,’ Burns plays a woman whose life takes different paths in the form of two characters: Beth, above with best friend played by Anthony Rapp of ‘Rent’ fame, and Liz (top photo). Onstage, Rapp gives off that best-ever best friend vibe. Offstage, says Burns, ‘He\u2019s the sweetest, sweetest, sweetest man. He\u2019s just a great guy and a workaholic. We\u2019re old school. You\u2019re sick, you\u2019re dying? So what? Show up!’ The two have a bet to see who can go the longest without missing a performance; neither has missed one yet. (Photo: Joan Marcus)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Q. What does the cast do in its down time? Do you ever just break out in song like in ‘Carpool Karaoke’?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>I love this cast so much. It really makes a difference because your cast is your family. I wasn\u2019t too keen on going out on the road. But I\u2019m having the best time. I hang out with Matthew [Hydzik, who plays Josh] \u2013 he\u2019s good at finding the new best restaurant in each city.<\/p>\n

Q. What\u2019s the best one you\u2019ve found here in Providence?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>Viva Mexico right up the street has really good tacos. We don\u2019t have cars so we don\u2019t do the karaoke, but maybe we should get one.<\/p>\n

Q. What are your favorite restaurants in or around Storrs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>Red Rock and Civic Pub and Huskies and Ted\u2019s. I was a big Civic Pub girl. Oh and DP Dough Calzones!<\/p>\n

Q. What else do you do when you\u2019re home in Connecticut?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>I love the Clinton Outlets, so I do a lot of my clothes shopping in Connecticut. And just getting to drink in nature \u2013 the green, the water, and not the concrete jungle!<\/p>\n

Q. You grew up in Connecticut. You now live in New York City, but said you hated it when you first moved there. Where feels most like home to you now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Most definitely New York! They say it takes 10 years to be a true New Yorker, and that\u2019s how long it took me. I hated New York, but I love it now. I\u2019m having a hard time right now, because everything closes at one in Providence. In New York, you can get anything you want anytime you want.<\/p>\n

Q. What was your favorite UConn role?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. <\/strong>Joanna in ‘Sweeney Todd’ and the shimmy girl in ‘Smoky Joe\u2019s.’ Both were CRT [Connecticut Repertory Theatre]. They were the first two paying jobs I had the summer after graduating.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jackie Burns \u201902 (SFA) got her first big break as Elphaba in ‘Wicked’ on Broadway. Last fall she was on Broadway again, as Menzel\u2019s standby in ‘If\/Then.’ Now she has a star role in the touring production.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":119547,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,1711,1914,2225],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2027],"class_list":["post-119544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-arts-culture","category-sfa","category-uconn-storrs"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-07 06:31:26","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119544"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119553,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119544\/revisions\/119553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/119547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119544"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=119544"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=119544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}