Q&A with Anything Goes Star Julie Busch

As part of a series of profiles on each of the stars of this year’s Repertory Theater production of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, Patch sat down with junior Julie Busch who has been cast as the female lead, evangelist turned night club singer, Reno Sweeney.

What musical and performance activities are you involved in at the high school and what Repertory Theater productions have you participated in in the past?

JB: The music department takes up a lot of time, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. My freshman year I was involved in the women’s choir, Las Cantadoras (Las Can) and was in the ensemble of the Rep Theater production of Curtains. This year and last year I am in Las Can, Concert Choir, Select Choir, Chamber Choir, and Sensations which is our a capella Choir.  Last year, I played the role of Amber Von Tussle in Rep Theater’s production of Hairspray. This past summer, I performed in the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts.

Do you participate in music, theater or dance outside of the high school?

JB: I have been training in dance since the first grade, but when I was fourteen I took a one year hiatus from dancing to have double foot surgery to correct a shortened Achilles tendon that was getting in the way of my dancing. Now, I train in tap and jazz twice a week at the Moderne Academie of Fine Arts in Scotch Plains. I have also been taking voice lessons since the seventh grade. I also receive vocal coaching in New York City.

What was your reaction when you heard that this year’s selection for Rep Theater was Anything Goes?

JB: I saw the revival of Anything Goes starring Sutton Foster in July and absolutely fell in love with the show. The score is incredible, I mean, nothing beats Cole Porter. When Ms. Allen announced the show, I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to audition.

What was the casting and audition process like?

JB: I believe that between 70 and 100 kids auditioned in early November and 56 were cast. In order to get in, you have to prepare 16 to 32 bars of a song of your choice, (I sang the Gershwin jazz standard, “I’ve Got Rhythm”) preferably in the style of the show, read a scene on the spot with a stand in, and get through a tap audition.  If you got a call back for a lead role, you had to pick up more sheet music, learn the part you were called back for and show them your stuff a week later. When I found out I got the part, I was shocked!

 You have a lot of experience in tap. What was it like to witness such a large cast learning the art of tap?

JB:  It’s definitely been interesting. We have had two tap workshops so far. I am amazed how fast people are picking things up. There are very few people who have a lot of tap experience so we have been spreading out to try and help everybody pick up these steps that they have never seen before.  I feel that tap is a dying art… it’s my favorite style of dance to watch and to practice. I feel that bringing Anything Goes to Scotch Plains Fanwood High School can show a lot of people the beauty of tap; it’s one of the main reasons I was so excited to do the show.

What is it like to work with your fellow cast mates as well as director, Matt Capodicasa and Choreographer, Dance 2000’s Gisa DiIrio?

JB: Gisa is so incredible. She is always so upbeat and helpful; when people have questions, she is so quick to answer them. She’s fantastic. Matt is a Scotch Plains Fanwood High School Alum so he knows the ropes of this program and he is so much fun to work with. 

The rehearsal schedule for Reparatory Theater is extremely rigorous. What is it like to spend so much time with your cast mates?

JB: Because of my involvement with the music department, most of my friends are in the show. We spend so much time together at rehearsals that we have become like a family. I guess that is why I keep coming back to Rep Theater… I am working with people that I love to spend time with.  I am a junior so I am always ridiculously busy with rehearsals and homework but at Rep, I still get time to spend with my friends. We are one big community that works really hard. When you get the support from people you see every day, it really means a lot.   

How do you spend your time when you aren’t busy singing and dancing up a storm?

I am an active member of Student Movement Against Cancer and Students Concerned for the Needy. I am also part of the Cabaret Troupe my brother founded when he was a student at the high school. We travel around to nursing homes and difference charitable organizations to sing for others. My first love will always be musical theater. Recently I have started performing at different open mic nights in NYC such as the restaurant, Cleopatra’s Needle. I have to admit, that my ultimate guilty pleasure is reality TV. I will watch anything on Bravo, especially the Real Housewives series.

What are your plans for college and life after high school? Will you continue to be involved in music and performing after you graduate?

I would love to be a musical theater actress for the rest of my life. I love that adrenaline rush that comes from stepping on stage and I can’t imagine doing anything else. Academics is still a top priority for me, so I am looking at colleges that have good dance and theater Bachelors of Arts programs instead of traditional conservatory training so that I can get a well-rounded education.

What are your favorite numbers in Anything Goes? What is your favorite musical and musical star?

 I love “Blow, Gabriel Blow.” It is so much fun to sing and I can’t wait until we choreograph it, there is a huge dance section where the entire cast is going to be on stage.  I also love “You’re the Top.” What makes Cole Porter so unique is his lyric; they are so precise and so clever.  My favorite show is definitely A Chorus Line and my favorite musical actresses are Sutton Foster and Sherri Rene Scott.