(upbeat music)
- We're always excited to bring you
another amazing episode of The Broadway Show,
I'm Tamsen Fadal, thanks so much for joining us.
She is an icon, the nineties personified
and even now the name on everybody's lips
is definitely Pamela.
Pamela Anderson making her Broadway debut
as Roxie Hart in Chicago.
Let's send it out to Paul Wontorek
- That's right, Tamsen,
I got a chance to sit with Broadway's newest leading lady
who is hard at work for her run the show,
which starts April 12th.
(smooth music)
The announcement that you were going in
to Broadway's Chicago as Roxie Hart,
not only rocked Chicago, it has rocked the world.
People are so excited.
I hope, are you feeling the love?
- I'm feeling the love, I'm feeling it.
There's a lot of support, I'm really happy.
I mean, it's rocked me too, are you kidding, this is like a,
it's like a crazy dream come true.
I don't even think I've dreamt this big.
- I'm excited, this is a return to performing for you.
Why is now the time?
- I have focus, you know, before my kids were young,
you know relationships, whatever, you know,
always took my focus,
I'm always trying to help other people fix people's lives
and this is the thing, this is for me, you know
and my kids are my cheerleaders.
So I have such great support system around me and
that's what you need.
I mean, this is crazy.
I mean, the dancing, the singing, the choreography,
it's iconic, the story
and the people that have done it before me,
the shoulders you're standing on,
these powerful women that have done it before you,
all my heroes
and I can't believe I'm doing it.
You know, there's the dancing and there's the singing,
there's the acting, - Yeah.
- but then you're part of this whole heartbeat,
this heartbeat just keeps moving together
and it's really, really interesting.
I'm just eating it up.
I'm like a sponge.
I just love it
and I just love it.
I mean, I could rehearse all day and all night,
if my legs would take it.
I love it.
(smooth music)
- What does lovely Pamela Anderson
have in common with merry murderess, Roxie Hart?
What are you sort of clicking in with about this woman?
- I feel completely this parallel journey.
- Yeah. - I don't know what it is.
Just the power of media,
the power of belief in yourself.
- Yeah.
- And how to make something out of nothing
or something positive out of crazy.
You know, she has a dream, which is so admirable.
I love that, I love that
and it's never too late.
- You have genuinely been the name on everybody's lips
for over 30 years,
what are the tips to longevity?
- Be yourself.
You know, there's that famous expression be yourself
when everyone else is telling you what to do
or what not to do
and I think it's difficult,
especially in this day and age with all the social media
and everything out there.
I mean, you really,
I think the nineties were kind of like
trying to be, you were really trying hard to be original.
And I think now kind of people are
blending into each other a little bit.
Like they wanna be like somebody else,
when you know all those good things that we need
are your originality, your unique thoughts,
your unique fashion choices,
your unique activism,
anything, what unique thinkers.
Not to follow the bewildered herd
just to make your own story.
I like when people say, oh, don't do this,
just it's okay, it's okay, I got this.
(laughing)
- Do you like surprising people too?
- Well, I like surprising myself too,
which I'm really doing right now.
Just like throwing yourself off a cliff
and see how you land.
I mean, I really, I love this feeling,
I'm scared out of my mind.
I am, you know, soaking it all in,
I'm working really hard
and I love the physicality of it.
And you know, I'm even surprising myself every day,
singing, my voice is getting stronger
and I'm like, oh, who is that?
You know, kind of,
wow.
And it's all, you know, it's muscles,
there's a science to it
and to be able to have the people
that really know what they're doing tell me how to
kind of hone those things or
this so exciting, so exciting.
- And also who doesn't wanna be on Broadway
with show boys behind you?
- This is a little distracting.
(laughing)
I didn't wanna have those feelings right there.
I am focused and then you're like, oh, wow, geez.
Even in the photo shoot, I was like, oh.
(laughing)
Yeah, it's a sexy show.
- What specifically is keeping you up at night?
What is like, is there anything like
specific that makes you nervous about this?
- Oh my God.
I wake up, actually,
I woke up in the middle of the night the other day,
I woke up, I did the monologue, went back to sleep.
(laughing) Like three in the morning, woke up,
like you wanna know something,
you know and then I went back to sleep. (laughing)
I was like, okay it's in there.
It's just constantly percolating.
It's fun. - What's it gonna be like
as you're about to take the stage
in front of an audience at the Ambassador Theatre?
- Well, I don't know yet.
(laughing)
I will see what happens when I get there,
but it's just the theater's very intimate.
The Ambassador Theatre is very beautiful
and I kind of walked around
and I've been working on stage and, you know,
we were rehearsing for a while
and we've only had a few days on the stage so far,
so I was looking around going this is incredible.
This is really exciting just the energy in there
and all the people that have performed there.
You know, there's definitely a magical energy
in the theater.
(smooth music)