For Broadway actress Krysta Rodriguez, there are all sorts of emotions come Tony Awards time.
The actress, 41, who will begin a stint as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway later this month, fondly recalls her first Tony’s moment: Performing with the original cast of Spring Awakening back in 2007.
“After we had won Best Musical, we were left on stage for a few minutes and Jonathan Groff came up behind me, grabbed my hand, and said, ‘Just look out and take this in,’” she recalled exclusively to Us Weekly.
“Together we held hands and we looked out at Radio City, and we just breathed it in, and still to this day, 20 years later now, I remember that moment the most,” she continued. “If I’ve ever learned anything from Jonathan Groff, it’s to take a breath and take a moment and enjoy it, because he enjoys so much of life.”
This year’s ceremony will be special for Rodriguez in a new way: The Smash alum, who moonlights as a designer, created the VIP green room for presenters and performers to hang out in during the ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in NYC thanks to a partnership with Cunard. She took Us around the luxury cruise ship-inspired decor in an exclusive video, above.
One person who may be stopping by? Pink.
“I love that she is so in love with Broadway,” Rodriguez says of the first-time Tony Award host. “We love when people really understand our quirky and fun art form and really want to platform it. Her daughter is such a wonderful performer, and I know that she’s going to take Broadway by storm at some point, so I’m just excited to watch it all unfold.”
After Tony’s madness, Rodriguez will step into the iconic role of Roxie Hart just a week later — her eleventh Broadway show.
Chicago is famous for its stunt-y names that take on the various roles over the years — Pamela Anderson, Ariana Madix and Whitney Leavitt to name just a few — and while Rodriguez wasn’t able to catch Leavitt’s recent turn in the same part, she has only praise for the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star (who will perform at the Tony’s this year as part of a 30th anniversary celebration of Chicago).
“What Whitney did for the show is so wonderful, bringing in a new audience [and] breaking box office records,” she says. “To be able to be the next person to carry the torch after that has been really special.”
The Tony Awards will air on CBS Sunday, June 7 at 8 p.m. ET.
