SNL alum Ana Gasteyer is back on Broadway, starring as the delightfully malevolent and overbearing Queen Aggravain in Once Upon a Mattress at the Hudson Theatre, through November 30. Playbill recently headed backstage for a tour of her dressing room, which is just offstage in the Hudson stage's left wing.
And that placement, she tells us, makes it the perfect meeting spot for the cast as they wait to make their entrances during the musical's overture. Or at least it became the perfect meeting spot after they all got in trouble.
"We all gather at the overture, which is long, and then the opening number is 'Many Moons Ago,' which is just Daniel [Breaker]," she tells us. "We'd all wait stage left and do bits. But we were so loud in this wing that Annbritt duChateau, our conductor, wrote us a note saying, 'You guys—this is the only overture on Broadway right now. I can not hear it for your big, loud, fucking bits.'" It turns out, even Broadway stars get yelled at for being loud backstage. "Exactly like high school. Too loud, not focused," she says laughing.
READ: Ana Gasteyer Takes the Throne in Broadway's Once Upon a Mattress
And so now, when Gasteyer is ready, she opens the door to her dressing room and in tumbles much of the rest of the cast. "Brooks [Ashmanskas] usually harasses me, says something inappropriate, and we make fun of him," she shares. "It's just a delight."
As it turns out, being able to entertain was always one of Gasteyer's goals for this dressing room. To help make sure the vibes were right, Gasteyer turned to designer and professional thrifter Liz Wolff, who has transformed the tiny space into a relaxing haven fit for a queen and (at least some of) her adoring subjects. All of the furniture—which includes a green couch and a secretary-style desk that's been turned into a dry bar—was bought secondhand. And, to make sure this ultimately temporary setup is as thoughtful as possible, everything Gasteyer and Wolff brought into the space will be re-sold afterwards in Wolff's East Village thrift shop Cure Thrift, proceeds from which go to support type 1 diabetes research and advocacy.
Gasteyer says the goal was to achieve a regal vibe worthy of her Queen Aggravain, while picking soothing colors that help the stage and screen favorite zen out before performances—in fact, the paint color on the walls is literally called "Calm." As it turned out, there's a history for that feeling in the space, something Gasteyer is very attuned to. "I love the vibes, the history of a room," she says. "There's something so special about that." The room's last tenant was Merrily We Roll Along Tony winner Jonathan Groff, who also co-starred with Gasteyer in A New Brain at New York City Center in 2015. "I called Groff Sauce and I was like, 'Hey, I think I have your dressing room.' Groff was like, 'Oh, it's such a good dressing room. You're gonna love it. I meditated for hours and hours in there."
As for Gasteyer's pre-show ritual, she says, "I try to get here an hour to 45 minute prior to curtain, and I vocalize and stretch. I picked this show because, amongst other reasons, I only had one number and thought it would be a low lift. But it turns out I scream the entire time, so it's actually harder than Elphaba. I immediately had to go to voice lessons and get a whole regimen."
See more photos from Gasteyer's dressing room, and if you want to own any of the furniture pieces from it after Gasteyer departs the Hudson, visit CureThrift. After Broadway, Gasteyer (along with stars Sutton Foster and Michael Urie) will travel with Once Upon a Mattress to Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre December 10–January 5.
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
Inside Ana Gasteyer's dressing room backstage at Once Upon A Mattress
