Laura Bell Bundy and Kara Lindsay are cooler than ever in 'Romy & Michele: The Musical'

Both former Glindas in Wicked, the two stage veterans team up to reinvent an iconic film duo in Romy & Michele: The Musical off Broadway.

For Laura Bell Bundy and Kara Lindsay, bringing Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion to the stage comes with pressure and joy. “So many people love this movie,” Bundy said about starring in Romy & Michele: The Musical off Broadway at Stage 42. “These are beloved characters and a beloved story, but it’s told in a more amplified way.” Lindsay agreed: “The musical parts heighten the emotional segments of the film, and they give more context to Romy and Michele’s inner thoughts.”

Adapted by book writer Robin Schiff and songwriters Gwendolyn Sanford and Brandon Jay from Schiff's 1997 cult comedy film, the musical follows inseparable best friends Romy White (Bundy) and Michele Weinberger (Lindsay), who, desperate to impress their former classmates, head to their 10-year high school reunion claiming they invented the Post-it note. What begins as a hilariously misguided scheme turns into a heartfelt celebration of individuality, friendship, and the beauty of owning who they are.

After years of playing ingenues — Bundy in Hairspray and Legally Blonde, Lindsay in Newsies and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical — both actors see Romy and Michele as a natural next step: adults trying to prove they’re still cool, but with a little more life experience behind them. Bundy and Lindsay’s connection also extends beyond the stage: “We are both moms,” Lindsay said, with Bundy chiming in, “We both have one little boy, we both live in New Jersey.” The parallels between their real lives, they agreed, make their onstage friendship feel even more authentic.

In advance of the musical’s first performance, Bundy and Lindsay spoke with New York Theatre Guide about discovering their commonalities as actresses and teaming up to bring a fresh, music-filled twist to a fan-favorite duo.

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What excites you about bringing Romy and Michele's story to theatre audiences?

Laura Bell Bundy: No pressure, number one. So many people love this film and they’re very familiar with it, and they can spout off quotes. So I’m very excited to have people come and be mouthing some of those quotes with us.

It’s a huge responsibility. This is a beloved story, [but] you get to sit with certain moments differently than you can in the movie. It feels exciting.

Kara Lindsay: There’s an added element of feeling around them and their friendship, which is really beautiful and makes it unique from the film, but it has all the great things from the film because Robin Schiff wrote this, too.

Bundy: Facts.

Lindsay: Plus there’s a silliness about it, but there’s this undercurrent in the story that is really about…

Bundy: Friendship.

Lindsay: Friendship and feeling accepted and seen. These two women see each other when their high school didn’t see them.

You've both played Glinda in Wicked on Broadway. How did that shared experience inform your collaboration?

Lindsay: If you’ve played Glinda, you are a person who is capable of comedy: the silliness, the ridiculousness, the naiveté, the ability to find lightness in the dark.

Bundy: Right, but there is also a depth to Glinda that is required here. Not something you’d normally think of when you think of Romy and Michele, but there is in this one for sure.

Lindsay: If that commonality told us anything, it’s that we trust we can do this.

Bundy: That’s so true. Yes, I trust you.

Lindsay: Also, we are such big fans of each other outside of this. I told Laura Bell that I saw her [as Elle Woods] in Legally Blonde, and I sat in the front row when I was [auditioning to be] Leslie Kritzer’s replacement. I didn’t get it, but I remember that the front-row experience of Laura Bell in Legally Blonde was life-changing.

Speaking of: How are you approaching Romy and Michele similar to your other past characters?

Bundy: I try to get as much research as I can around the characters. For Legally Blonde, I watched the movie. I read the book the movie was based on. What is iconic about the film that we don’t want to lose, and then how can I just leave the film there and then move forward with how I would honestly respond as the character?

In this one, what do we know about Romy? She’s the more masculine of the two of them. So how would a person who’s more masculine in a dress speak? And we know there’s this iconic and bizarre voice that Mira Sorvino did. How can I include elements of that? And then how do you make this for musical theatre?

Lindsay: There is an expectation that people love Romy & Michele the movie. We do know they’re expecting this certain energy and a certain kind of character. But I cannot be Lisa Kudrow, as much as I’d love to, and you can’t be Mira Sorvino.

Bundy: These characters are an extension of ourselves. And as I said before, there are parts of Romy that you are like, and there are parts of Michele that I am, just innately. So it’s trusting that and also the research we’re doing.

You're also both moms. How has that shaped your experience of creating a new musical together?

Lindsay: We’re both, for the very first time, putting together a new musical while being moms. It’s nice that we literally have mirrored experiences. We put on our mom caps and go home, and in the morning, drop [the kids] off at school. And then we put on our fun cap.

Bundy: Then we come here and just be outlandish.

Lindsay: Then my son is like, “Mommy, why are you talking like that?”

Bundy: My gosh, I know.

What’s been the most fun part of rehearsing Romy & Michele: The Musical?

Bundy: The nostalgia! The ’80s and ’90s music, the fashion, the dancing.

Lindsay: The boy-band vibe in some numbers, the silly moves. We’re having a blast.

Bundy: Honestly, when we leave rehearsal, I am buoyant. I am so happy.

What have you learned from working with Robin Schiff and director Kristin Hanggi?

Lindsay: Robin has been very open in sharing so many cool things with us. She’s in every rehearsal and is a great sounding board. She knows exactly what kind of energy and rhythm people expect from these characters.

Bundy: What’s so cool about Robin is that she’s the originator of this world. She told us about how Romy and Michele started as [part of] a play called Ladies Room, and how those characters eventually became the movie. Seeing that evolution through her eyes has been amazing.

Lindsay: Kristin [has] had us, on Mondays, sit in a circle and say one positive thought for the day. It really builds a sense of ensemble and connection, and that spirit makes its way into the show.

Bundy: That sense of connection is what Romy & Michele is all about.

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This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

Photo credit: Kara Lindsay and Laura Bell Bundy. (Photos by Valerie Terranova)