Corine Cohen Talks to Avenue Q's Jennifer Barnhart (Opposite photo courtesy of the Avenue Q website)

Jennifer Barnhart

 

She is delightedly making her Broadway debute in Avenue Q. Elsewhere: The Angel in Angels in America (Gallery Players), Olivia in Twelfth Night, Cassie in Rumors (Connecticut Repertory). TV: Sesame Street, Between the Lions (duet with singer Brian McKnight), Bear in The Big Blue House, and Book of Pooh. BFA in acting/ concentration in puppetry, University of Connecticut. (Avenue Q website).

Corine Cohen: Jen, what is it like to be one of the only original cast members left in the show?

Jennifer Barnhart: It's kind of a nice feeling, actually. I feel very fortunate. I mean, I've gotten to be a part of and bear witness to this little show from its first tentative steps in its Off-Broadway run to winning three Tonys and beyond. With each new person that becomes a member of the Avenue Q family, the show grows into something new. The evolution can be at times challenging, exciting, and even occasionally frustrating for everyone, but it's always ultimately rewarding.

Corine Cohen:I went back to see the show the week before Stephanie left and my closest friend pointed out how fantastic she thought you were. When did you realize you wanted to be an actress?

Jennifer Barnhart: I got bit by the bug when I was thirteen years old. I was Queen Aggravain in my junior high school's production of Once Upon a Mattress. On opening night, while the overture played, I was trembling with stage fright behind the closed curtain. Some friends in the cast came over to calm me down; I was
practically in tears. But as the curtain started to rise, a complete change came over me: I was poised, confident and in control. That first taste of laughter and
applause did me in. I was hooked!

Corine Cohen: We are happy that you are! What is your dream role?

Jennifer Barnhart: Let's see... Shakespeare's women spring to mind: Beatrice in Much Ado, Lady Macbeth someday, and Barrett Foa and I keep joking about playing twins Viola and Sebastian in Twelfth Night someday. Hedda Gabler, Regina in The Little Foxes. And I think Mrs. Lovett is every character woman's dream role.

Corine Cohen: Who do you admire most and why?

Jennifer Barnhart: The person I admire most is my mother. She was a single mother who sacrificed much to raise us. Despite her own fears about money and security, she encouraged my brother and me to pursue our passion in the arts. She also stressed that we diversify and get a college degree, which we did... but we both ended up as performers after all. My brother Jeff Barnhart is a jazz/ragtime piano player, and I'm an actor and a puppeteer.

Corine Cohen: How touching! Any funny backstage stories you can share?

Jennifer Barnhart: There are so many I could write a book! Mostly they happen onstage. For instance, my partner Christian Anderson started singing gibberish one night: He sang "If you were Gay/That'd be OK/I mean, 'cuz hey!/ Na-mah noo-noo anyway."

Corine Cohen: I know my eyes got wide during that!

Jennifer Barnhart: The hardest part about when something like that occurs onstage is the off-stage "peanut gallery" -- the other cast members who aren't onstage at the time rush to the wings to see what will happen next. Then all you see is these faces in the wings all screwed up with laughter!


Corine Cohen:That is very funny! I wish I had seen that! What is your favorite song in Avenue Q?

Jennifer Barnhart: A tough choice, but I'd have to say "College" -- I love that it's a trio, and I'm a sucker for the tight harmonies. I also love its universal appeal. Even if you haven't been to college, you can understand and relate to that sense of yearning for something lost, a more innocent time. I asked an eleven-year-old
girl at the stage door one day what her favorite song in the show was, and
she replied, "College." When I asked her why, she said, "Because I wish I could
go back to Kindergarten! No homework, snack time, playing all day -- man, that
was the best!"

Corine Cohen: What is your favorite character?

Jennifer Barnhart: I love them all for different reasons: the Bad Idea Bears because they're naughty, Rod because he's conflicted, Gary Coleman because he's salty, Christmas Eve because she's salty and sweet. But if I had to pick one, I'd pick Nicky. I'm biased, I think, because I love the collaboration it takes to bring him to life. And he's so sweet! He's got the best of intentions, but he's a little
clueless and tactless at times. But he's incredibly honest. And he never stops
loving his friend, even when Rod turns his back on him.

Corine Cohen:Nicky is a great character! Do you have a favorite playwright?

Jennifer Barnhart: I love Martin McDonagh because his stuff is dark and potent. I also enjoy Michael Frayn, Pinter, and Stoppard to name a few.

Corine Cohen: What are 10 things people don't know about you?

Jennifer Barnhart: Wow! Tall order! OK, here goes:

1) My backstage nickname is Crash. 2) My favorite place on a rainy day is an
antique store. 3) I make jewelry -- keep an eye out someday for a website! 4)
My paternal great-great-uncle was Hannibal Hamlin, Lincoln's first Vice
President. 5) My maternal great-grandfather was the lead cornet player for John
Phillip Sousa's marching band. 6) I'm not a good cook, but I'm a great eater. 7)
The movie The Dark Crystal inspired me to want to become a puppeteer. 8) I'm
a good body-surfer. 9) I sang tenor in the high school choir. 10) I used to
play trombone in and sing for a short-lived traditional jazz band called "The
Squabble Hill Backyard Stompers"

Corine Cohen: What is your favorite thing to do in New York?

Jennifer Barnhart: Whenever I can, I enjoy solitary pursuits in New York. Go to the Park, find a cafe to do some writing, discover a new restaurant, poke around an old used book shop... quiet things. Heaven.

Corine Cohen:Question to Ms T: I heard you were planning a trip for your students to the Big Apple. Where are you planning on taking your students?

Jennifer Barnhart: Well, since Avenue Q is in one of the outer boroughs, my students are fairly "Big Apple" savvy. But I like to take them to places they might not ordinarily go, in order to boost their cultural awareness: my favorite is the walking tour of manhole covers. Some of them date back to the 1800s, you know!

Corine Cohen: Thank you Jennifer for your time. You can catch Jennifer in the hit musical Avenue Q!