“To come back into live theatre, in the wake of this on-going pandemic, why not come to a party?” ~Brittny Smith on Summer: The Donna Summer Musical experience.
You’ve heard the songs. You know the name. Now go behind the scenes to see what it’s like to be Donna Summer. In a TheatreBloom exclusive, we’ve had the privilege to speak with Brittny Smith, playing ‘Diva Donna’ on the current national tour of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Here’s what she had to say about the show, about the experience, about the Queen of Disco.
Thank you so much for giving us some of your time- and on a two-show day too! We really appreciate it and we know that the readers here in Baltimore cannot wait to see this show hit The Hippodrome in a couple of weeks’ time! And we’re extra excited to get to talk to you because we’re told you’re a native Marylander?
Brittny Smith: I’m actually originally from Houston (Texas) but I’ve lived in the DMV (DC-Maryland-Metro-Virginia) area for a while and I’ve been a Maryland resident for five years now. I was in DC for a while and now I live in Maryland, so I am absolutely from Maryland— Capitol Heights area.
What drew you to Summer: The Donna Summer Musical? What made you want to be a part of this show and work on it?
Brittny: I mean— it’s Donna Summer! I love jukebox musicals that are telling the stories of legendary icons and artists. The type of show is something that I’m really interested in as a creative, as an artist. Not only that, but Donna Summer has so many songs that we just love from her. Even beyond that, I found it really interesting because Donna Summer doesn’t have a biopic yet in the way that The Temptations had or Tina (Tina Turner) had, and then they also have Broadway shows and tours. So many people already have a vocabular of those icons. And people that didn’t, a lot them would watch the movie— especially younger people— and then they would see the show. Donna Summer doesn’t have that as of yet. This show is an amazing introduction to somebody who doesn’t yet know Donna Summer’s music.
You are playing ‘Diva Donna’, and I hope you take this with the utmost respect, but you do not look old enough to be playing a character in her 50’s. The incarnation of ‘Diva Donna’ is supposed to be in her 50’s; has that been an adjustment for you? How are you tackling playing this iconic character at that stage in her life?
Brittny: It is an adjustment. I definitely play an older Donna Summer but I’m not giving her a 50’s or 60’s energy. I want to say I’m giving her that peak-40’s energy. Even though I look really young, I’m actually not too far away from that age bracket. I’m not 50 but I am in my late 30’s. Just being someone that isn’t very far removed from the disco-era, being an early 80’s baby, there is still that vocabulary there for me. Even with my personal trajectory as an artist and a creative that has done other shows and tours, it is a little bit easier to bring a little bit of the wisdom and maturity of being a little bit older and having some of those life experiences that she had in life. In the show, what I think is really cool— even though she is older, she’s not old. I bring an energy to the ‘Diva Donna’ character that says “I’m already the icon Donna. I’ve lived. I’ve learned. But I’m still sexy. I’m still sassy. I still have it. And you still remember why I was this wonderful sexy, icon in my younger years.” There is a little bit of that marriage of youthful energy and seasoned experience in ‘Diva’s’ character.
Would you say that ‘Diva Donna’ is similar to other roles you’ve played in the past? Does she present more challenges? Is this a new type of role for you or similar to what you’ve done before?
Brittny: I’ve actually had some really interesting roles before. I like to take roles that challenge me. I’ve done The Color Purple in the DMV area a few years ago. I played a church lady. I played Doris, who kind of opens the show with that big gospel voice. I loved it. I was even younger then and I had to channel this older-woman character especially during that time period. I really love taking roles that challenge me to step out of my comfort zone. I tend to be, or at least I have been— definitely in my younger years— type cast. I’m usually cast for a lot of sexy or sassy role, because my energy is that way. So ‘Diva Donna’ isn’t that far removed from that? But I definitely have never played a legendary musical icon. That is for sure different. The challenge that it presented really just come in trying not to be incredibly young in the delivery. I need to be intentional about every single thing so that people are understanding who they are looking at and not saying ‘who is this 20-year-old?’
You mentioned this is your first time playing a legendary music icon. Is it your first time playing a real-life person from history as well? I know there are jukebox musicals who nod at certain artists without making them actual characters, but is this your first-time channeling or attempting to recreate in your own way a real, named individual from living history?
Brittny: No, actually I’ve done other shows, several years ago, that have been revues. I’ve done a Motown revue for a few years where I played Diana Ross and Chaka Khan. I had to channel those personalities in song. This is the first time that I’ve had to embody a real person throughout the entire show. I’ve done things like Dreamgirls and like I mentioned earlier, The Color Purple and Chicago, and those shows are loosely based on people but you’re not really channeling an actual person for those shows. Not in the way you do with Donna Summer because she’s not a made-up character that’s comprised of a bunch of different artists. She is something that you really have to research. I loved that, I loved doing all the research, just beyond what I already knew about Donna Summer. I found so many great elements about her resiliency as a woman, the things she went through in the industry and with her love life, all the trials and tribulations— even as a child— all these things that really shaped and fueled who she became. I think it’s important to convey that to the audience. So many people don’t know— we just kind of know the art and the music.
What is the song that really defines the show for you?
Brittny: Oh goodness! Gosh, there’s so many— there’s over 20 of her hits that are in this show! But the one that I think defines the show for me is “She Works Hard for The Money.” And I am not saying that because it is a song that I lead. The title of that song says it all. Throughout her life, she really worked very hard for respect in the industry, for dominance, for self-discovery, just finding her way to evolve. She’s really worked hard for that. And of course for the money— as an artist, as an entertainer, as an icon. And not specifically like a monetary dollar amount, I’m making this metaphoric. But as we tell the story of Donna Summer, through the musical, that musical number says ‘look— all these things have happened’ and it becomes this defining moment in the show. Donna is dealing with some challenges concerning her record company and all these other things. There are these defining moments that say ‘wait a minute— I am coming into my own— wait a minute— you will not treat me this way. I need to stand up and be strong.’ And that number is absolutely one of those moments. “She Works Hard for The Money” really just encompasses her life, that woman-empowerment that people can really resonate with.
Is there a Donna Summer song that you absolutely love that just isn’t a part of the show?
Brittny: No, actually! I think that’s because there are so many in the show. The ones that I completely love— I love “Bad Girls” and that’s absolutely in the show. Who doesn’t love “Last Dance”? That is of course in the show. “Love to Love You” is a big one that I love and that’s there too. The songs that I would consider my top-five Donna Summer songs, they are absolutely in the show and I get to be a part of them, which is amazing. There are even songs in this show that I’ve grown to love that I didn’t know much about before this show. And now that I’ve now seen her as Donna the woman, the wife, and the mother— once we get to that particular part of the show, “Unconditional Love”, “Friends Unknown”— you know we jokingly call that the 11-o’clock number…it’s kind of the “And I Am Telling You” of this show— it has that particular feel where she’s full-circle bringing things back around. All of those numbers— these were songs that were little-known unless you were a really big Donna Summer fan and really, really well-versed in all of her music. You may not have known about those songs. And I was one of those people that was well-versed in the hits but I didn’t know much about songs like “Unconditional Love”. I love those now and I’m even learning new stuff.
With a big, splashy jukebox musical, there must be some fabulous costumes for the cast. And I’m hoping you’re going to tell me that ‘Diva Donna’ has more than one. Do you have a favorite costume of all the different ones that ‘Diva Donna’ gets to wear?
Brittny: Oh my gosh! I wear a few ballgowns in this show. ‘Diva Donna’ opens the show; she is the through-line Donna. She’s the eldest. She is giving a concert of a lifetime and she’s looking back in on her younger selves. That is the premise of how this show is setup. So in the opening, I wear this beautiful electric blue ballgown with this amazing slit and I kind of get to just traipse around and be glamourous. LOVE IT. Hands down, right up there with that ballgown? Is the finale costume. It’s this beautiful beaded white suit. And it is very heavy. But it absolutely looks angelic on stage.
What has been the biggest thing you have found yourself learning from this experience, as a human being, as a performer, as a singer? What is your big personal take-away from getting to be ‘Diva Donna’ in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical?
Brittny: It has really given me a greater sense of self. Having to delve into who she was, and I really go back to how much we speak about her and convey her as a woman. There was a woman— a person— behind the music. She wasn’t just the music. Of course we know it and love it and it’s amazing, but there was someone that fueled those lyrics. There were experiences that fueled those lyrics. In having to delve into that, to do the research to bring to life and make the character believable, I learned so much about resiliency. I learned what it’s like to really be able to stand in your own womanly prowess and power and just be unapologetic in that. She did that and I had no idea. She really presented herself as larger than life. And she kind of almost didn’t know it. She wanted to be taken very seriously, as a serious vocalist. She was that but also she was a sex-symbol of that age and that era and she was a beacon for disco— she was the Queen of Disco. That’s what I know, but I didn’t know so many of the other things that she had to overcome. I was able to resonate with some instances that she’s had in her life and say ‘wow— you can really be resilient in the face of adversity and make something really beautiful happen for yourself.’
What is it that you are hoping people are going to take away from coming to see Summer: The Donna Summer Musical? What is it that you hope they leave the theatre talking about after they see this show?
Brittny: This is going to sound really cheesy, but I say it a lot. I want people to celebrate and also resonate. Celebrate and resonate. We are celebrating this musical icon; we are celebrating this amazing era in music that she became the queen of, but we’re not just celebrating that one particular era. We are celebrating this woman and her life and her legacy and her artistry. To come back into live theatre, in the wake of this on-going pandemic, why not come to a party? I want people to take away all the nostalgia, all the feels, all the party, all the fun, and really feel good about the day, about the time, and just have all their cares whisked away while watching the show. But I also want it to resonate. I want people to walk away and say “Wow! I didn’t know that about Donna!” I want them to relate and be able to say ‘That’s something that I went through; that’s something that I’ve done as well!’
Sum up the Summer experience in one word.
Brittny: One word? Euphoric.
Is there anything else you’d like to say about the show, being ‘Diva Donna’, being back in live theatre, back on tour, anything else we haven’t covered here today?
Brittny: I am really honored to be back in live theatre. We were void of live theatre for about 18 months. I was actually on the Dreamgirls international tour when the pandemic hit. Everything shut down and of course, as artists and creative, I arguably say that we took the biggest hit because we were truly unable to shift our work to virtual and remote. It’s not the same. So many of us had to literally sit down. To be able to be back in a space, take the resiliency and the things that I’ve learned during the pandemic about survival, and bring it into a show that is all about a woman who had to use all of those same tactics of resiliency and survival, is just really an honor. I really want people to see that. Especially with my character. I really want people to feel like they are watching Donna Summer, if she were alive today. I want them to feel like they are watching her and hearing her words and her delivery and her inflection. I really want people to home in on who she was, who and what Donna Summer was and all the things that fueled the music. And of course I’m incredibly excited to be performing in Maryland— where I am from! I am so excited! I’m so thrilled to be back!
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical plays February 15, 2022 through February 20, 2022 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre in the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center— 12 N. Eutaw Street in the Bromo Seltzer Arts District of Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 752-7444 or purchase them purchase them online.
To read the review of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, click here.
