Lauren Molina
Age: 24

Currently: Lending her considerable talents as an actress and as a musician to the role of Johanna in John Doyle's stripped-down new Broadway production of Sweeney Todd, which stars Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris.

Hometown: "I was born in Detroit, but we moved to Troy when I was young," Molina says, and though she considers herself "a Michigan girl," she also adds, "My parents are both from New York, so I grew up coming here. It was always like a second home for me, so it was a smooth transition when I moved here fulltime."

Budding Talent: Molina grew up in an artistically inclined household (her mother was a dancer, her father the principal bassist for the Detroit Symphony). With such a creative home environment, young Lauren developed interests in multiple artistic mediums. "I was very academic growing up," she says, "but I didn't take for granted that my parents were artists. I tried to explore every art form that I could. I loved singing, acting, playing cello, pottery and painting. I never though I'd pursue a career in the arts; I just thought it was something I was good at." Molina, like many of her Broadway peers, started in school musicals. "In fifth grade, I was Maria in The Sound of Music. I'm pretty short, and actually, I was shorter than all of my children!"

Attend the Tale: When Molina first heard of the auditions for the Broadway-bound Sweeney, she felt right away that the role was a good match for her. "It was striking," she recalls. "It couldn't be more perfect! The audition process was like a marathon. I had to play piano, sing, play the cello, the double bass, act, improvise... It was a wild time!" Throughout the audition process, Molina credits director John Doyle with allowing her to try to make the role of Johanna her own. "He made me feel comfortable with being unconventional. He encouraged less singing and getting rid of every preconceived notion of how the sound should be produced. He had me crawl underneath a table to sing 'Green Finch' as if I was a self-destructive teenager with an eating disorder who'd been molested by her father. I was whispering, syllable by syllable, with tears down my face. That's when they knew, I guess!"

Johanna, Front & Center: If such an audition sounds radical, it's allowed for a production of Sweeney that gives the audience a better idea of who Johanna is. "She's a real person, and so often she's not taken seriously as a character. People play here as the idea of an 'ingénue' or a 'romantic soprano,' but then she goes offstage and you forget about her in the life of the show. With the way John's directed the show, you really get to see Johanna's journey." When asked what she considers to be Johanna's animating characteristic, Molina says with a devilish giggle, "She goes by impulse. Carnal drive is something not to be ignored. She has a fierce, instinctual passion. She's Sweeney's daughter, it's in there somewhere!"

Working So Hard Every Night and Day: "I'm exhausted!" Molina exclaims while discussing the work load involved in singing, acting and accompanying herself in a large role in such a demanding musical. "From the first moment, I was itching to get the music," she says. "We didn't get it until two weeks before rehearsal. I practiced every day for hours, basically freaking out. I mean, it's challenging--cello and high sopranos--it's not cake!" She does allow, however, that working with the rest of Sweeney's top-notch cast helped to ease her into her role. "Once we got into the rehearsal room, we created the music together in a way that allowed all of the instrument lines to work together. John Doyle's vision for the show is just brilliant. I walk around while playing the cello, I climb Molina's self-portrait in character as Johanna in Sweeney Todd on coffins while playing the cello, and the relationship between playing and acting--it all molds together and makes it much easier to memorize."

Don't Fence Me In: Though currently making her living as a Broadway starlet, Molina refuses to let herself be categorized solely as an actress. For example, she created original paintings for each of her co-stars as opening night gifts. "It's my Sweeney Todd collection!" Molina exclaims. "I was so inspired during the rehearsal process that I painted one for each of the character songs. They're really surreal and expressionistic." When discussing what track she hopes to take in the future, Molina hopes that her versatility as an artist will open doors. "I've never put labels on myself, and hopefully, that will give me longevity in my career. Hopefully, I won't ever be let down, but I don't want to be just anything. I want to do it all! Most people who wants to be actors see long they can last before becoming a fulltime waitress, but I came to New York and two and a half years later, I'm in this show. It's beyond a dream come true. I'm so glad that I chose to play the cello in fifth grade!"