Plus, the Broadway & TV star dishes on the upcoming season of ‘Dickinson’ on AppleTV+.
Jane Krakowski is, simply put, a powerhouse performer; a triple threat, if ever there was one. So, it was no surprise that when the cast list went out for NBC’s upcoming production of Annie Live!, her name was amongst the incredible talent slated to bring the beloved Broadway show into people’s homes. While the production will surely be a smash, with just over a month out to go, the Tony Awarding-winning revealed to HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that rehearsals have not yet begun.
“I’m just in the pre-rehearsal nervous stage,” Jane shared with HollywoodLife. “That’s where you’ve caught me.” However, just because she hasn’t officially stepped into the shoes of her Annie role , she admits that she and pal Tituss Burgess have been discussing all the fun they’ll have as Lily St. Regis and Rooster Hannigan. “I was thrilled that they thought of us together,” Jane said of the Annie producers casting her alongside her Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt co-star and friend.
“I look so forward to selling our ‘Easy Street’ song, and the ‘Ode to Shady Dealings,’” she added. “I think we’re both up for it, and it’s going to be great fun! I’m excited to see what they have in mind and how it’s going to grow… I’ll be very nervous for the live performance, but it is the exhilaration that I love and thrive upon!”
It’s been a year of Jane getting back to her Broadway roots, but on TV. Earlier in 2021, Jane made a bombshell cameo in the musical comedy Schmigadoon! as The Countess. The eccentric role — a twist on the Baroness Elsa Schraeder from Sound of Music — found Jane singing and dancing inside a ‘moving’ car as only a villainous vixen can, and stands as a reminder of just how dynamite a performer the 30 Rock star truly is!
Before she gets to say hello to easy street, Jane must first say goodbye to her latest hit comedy series, Dickinson. The third and final season of the show will debut on AppleTV+ on November 5th, and while it’s bittersweet to be saying goodbye, Jane is ready for the hardcore fans to see the show’s poetic ending, especially for her character, Emily Dickinson’s mother. “I think if you ask any of us, we’re all going to say season three is our favorite season so far,” Jane said. “I really can’t wait for everyone to see it, and especially Mrs. Dickinson’s journey in season three.”
But as the curtain falls on Dickinson and rises on Annie Live, one thing for sure is that Jane keeps good company. While she’ll leave working with the likes of Hailee Steinfeld and Toby Huss behind on Dickinson, the cast of Annie is equal in star power, with Harry Connick Jr. as Daddy Warbucks, Taraji P. Henson as Miss Hannigan, and Nicole Scherzinger as Grace Farrell.
‘Annie Live!’ will premiere on NBC on December 2, 2021 and the third season of ‘Dickinson’ will premiere November 5, 2021