Over the summer, while her classmates were packing up to go to college, Kyra Belle Johnson was running lines for Mamma Mia! She had just graduated high school and landed the part of Sophie. “It’s my first professional show, period,” says Johnson, who spoke with St. Louis Magazine during rehearsals in Utica, New York. Johnson, originally from Los Angeles, will be in St. Louis preforming Mamma Mia! at the Fox Theatre November 6–8.
What was it like when you tried out?
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Well, I was still in high school when I auditioned. So it was very last minute, and very unexpected, but I just went into the audition for the experience. I did not think anything would come out of it, and I guess that kind of just relaxed me, because I wasn’t worried about, “Oh am I going to get this part or not?” I was just excited to be there.
How many auditions did you have to do?
The actual audition process was four days for me. So it was a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday all in a row. They did auditions in a few other cities, and Los Angeles was their last city. I heard from them a few weeks later.
What was your reaction?
I was on the phone with my parents, and I had to put it on mute so I could squeal a little bit and no one would hear me!
What is your background?
I’ve done musical theater since I was about 8. Oliver! was the first show I ever saw with kids in it. I turned to my mom, and I was like, “Mom! There’s kids on stage! I can do that.” And she’s like, “OK, let’s get you in some classes, and we’ll see how it goes.” So I just started taking a bunch of classes from a really young age, and I worked really hard. I did shows at my high school, and I did shows at a local theater education program that was really high-quality. And yeah, and then this was my first professional audition for anything. So this was my leap into the professional world.
Are you a fan of ABBA?
I wasn’t a crazy fan, but my best friend since I was like 10 is obsessed with the movie and obsessed with ABBA music. I would always be hanging out with her, and she’d be like, “Let’s watch the Mamma Mia movie!” Or she’d just turn on ABBA, it’s like her jam. She listens to it in the car and stuff, so then when this came around, she—oh my gosh, I think she was more excited than I was.
Did she help you run lines or anything?
Well, once I had the job, yes she did. But during the auditions and callbacks, I didn’t tell anybody. The only people I told were my parents and my high school drama teacher, because I was missing school. But I hadn’t told her. She was actually kind of mad about that. She was like, “how dare you! You know I love Abba! You know I love Mamma Mia! This is my favorite movie of all time, how could you not tell me you were auditioning?”
Anything you’re most looking forward to?
Not specifically, just this experience. I would have been in college right now— for a BFA in musical theater—had it not been for this tour, so this is the best thing I could be doing with my time away from school. Now that I’m here and I’m working, I think I’m going to continue working for a few years just because the experience so far has been incredible and unbelievable, and I’ve loved every single second of it.
Mamma Mia! comes to the Fox Theatre November 6–8, with performances at 8 p.m. on Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $35–$100. For more information, visit fabulousfox.com.
