“Ordinary Days” – a musical about four New Yorkers navigating their relationships, careers and fears – stars an actress who built her Broadway dreams from the ground up.

Lisa Brescia, who has been a North Bergen resident for six years, moved to New York from Milwaukee, Wisc. at 18 years old. She had no course of action and soon enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and worked in an office.

She took roles while attending school, then was hired to sing with the Mamas and the Papas when she was 23. Brescia sang with John Phillips and Denny Doherty and toured the world, performing for audiences of 40,000 and larger for more than four years.

She said that after singing with the group, she missed the act of storytelling and decided to get back into musical theatre at age 29.

“I didn’t have an agent at the time, so I was at my office job when I got the phone call from one of the assistants [of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’],” said Brescia. “[I said], ‘So you are telling me in February you want me to come and be in the rehearsals and then I’ll be in the show?”

Brescia made her Broadway debut as an ensemble cast member in that show in 2000 and hasn’t returned to her office job since.

“[It was] not something I was sure was going to be my fate, so I feel very lucky,” said Brescia.
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North Bergen resident shines in off-Broadway production.
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She has starred in productions both on Broadway, like “Wicked,” “The Woman in White,” and “Aida,” and in off-Broadway and regional theatres, as well as theatre tours, film, and television.

Her current role is in “Ordinary Days,” a modern musical that tackles the uncertainty city dwellers face, and how their lives, while unbeknownst to each other, are interconnected.

Modern musical

Brescia plays Claire, a “30-something” who is currently struggling with her relationship after moving in with her boyfriend Jason, played by Hunter Foster. Two characters in their 20s, Jared Gertner as Warren and Kate Wetherhead as Deb, are also battling with issues of identity.

Brescia said that the musical score, written by Adam Gwon, is beautifully simple. The musical is directed by Marc Bruni.

“[Gwon’s] songs are like monologues…it’s just really easy to stay human,” said Brescia, who said she gets to sing some of the “most beautiful songs” she ever heard.

She said that the show is very intimate since it’s being held at the Roundabout Underground, a 62-seat black box theatre located at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, 111W. 46th St., New York.

The show will explain Claire’s distance from Foster in a big revelation, said Brescia.

Praise from Andrew Lloyd Webber

Brescia said that she has no favorite role, since every one has afforded her a new opportunity.

When performing a supporting role in “The Woman in White,” she was also the understudy for the role of Marion Halcombe, who was played by British star Maria Friedman.

“Maria had been diagnosed with cancer,” said Brescia. “She was going to be fine, but in order for the show to go on, I would be thrown in with a total of seven hours of rehearsal and working directly with Andrew Lloyd Webber.”

She said that she’ll never forget her concern for Friedman, the show, and the “tremendous responsibility” of working directly with Webber.

The night before the show, Brescia asked the producer if they could give Webber a few cocktails because she feared his response of her performance. To calm her fears, they told her he would be returning to London right after the show.

“It was a big fat lie just to get me through it,” said Brescia. After her performance, she had been rushing to get out of her costume and wig and go home when she was told, “Andrew wants to speak with you.”

“Andrew said it was like a Broadway fairy tale,” said Brescia, who explained he gave her a big hug.

She’ll never forget the thunderous ovation the crowd gave her that night, or the fact that Friedman had called from her hospital bed to wish her good luck, and Webber himself.

It’s not easy being green

Taking the stage has been a dream, but Brescia said there are aspects that the audience does not see.

For instance, when she played Elphaba in “Wicked,” it was tough to take off her makeup as the green witch. Eventually she developed a system of soaps that did the job.

Also, the New York stage used for “Wicked” is on an angle that seems subtle, but can actually become very physically demanding, as was one of her dresses, which she said were beautiful but weighed around 50 pounds.

“The costumes in “Aida” when I played [Amneris] the princess…were the most gorgeous dresses I think I could ever wear,” said Brescia.

For all of her opportunities Brescia remains humble.

“Understudies and standbys, I’ve been both,” said Brescia.

Looking forward

After her run in her current role ends, Brescia doesn’t know what she will be starring in next.

“I have auditions coming up, it’s always a phone call away,” said Brescia. “You just never know.”

Brescia, who lives with her partner Craig Carnelian, said she enjoys walking her dog throughout the neighborhood on her off-time.

Tickets for “Ordinary Days”, which will run until Dec. 13, are $20 and can be purchased by calling (212) 719-1300 or visiting www.roundaboutunderground.org.

Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.