BY MICHAEL MUSTO | Imagine New York Comic Con—with panel discussions, contests, and merch–but only with Broadway stars. That pretty much describes my ultimate fantasy, so I was thrilled to get invited to my very first BroadwayCon—the 10th such convention–at the Marriott Marquis.

The weekend event (February 7-9) was a fun romp for me, especially since I could roam around the place and overhear seductive insider gossip: Like how Harvey Fierstein is supposedly rewriting Mame. (But wait a minute. I feel like I heard this same rumor about 15 years ago. And where will he make Mame trek to this time, if not the Deep South? Key West?) A more enjoyable bit of hearsay had it that the “revisal” Cats: The Jellicle Ball, set at a voguing ball, will head to Studio 54, with RuPaul as Old Deuteronomy. Me-ow! Let it be true!

Another fun facet of the convention was the chance to catch up with the very definite Lesli Margherita (Matilda, Dames At Sea), who’s killing it as “dressy Tessie Tura,” the ballet dancing stripper who teaches the title character the ropes in Gypsy, starring six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald as Mama Rose, and Joy Woods as Gypsy. Lesli is absolutely hilarious, creating a priceless characterization of a nutty ecdysiast who, along with Mazeppa (Lili Thomas) and Electra (Mylinda Hull), stops the show on the rollicking trio You Gotta Get a Gimmick. Lesli was at the Marriott event to engage in a Broadway-related game show for the fans, but she was kind enough to stop for a minute and have a chat.

Hello, Lesli. How did you nab this choice role?

When I first heard Audra was doing Gypsy—and of course, director George C. Wolfe is a legend—I immediately called my agent and said, “I want to be Tessie.” I’m based in L.A., so I sent a tape, and I had done the whole thing on point shoes. Then I met in person with George. He wanted that this woman who says she’s a delicate ballerina—a butterfly—probably has a switchblade in her point shoes. I love the idea that she could cut you.

With elegance! [Laughs] What else attracted you to Tessie?

She’s the catalyst for Louise—she gives her her name, her mink, the gloves, the gimmick. She sees something in Louise, so she decides to help build her up. Tessie is proud of what she does, but her life has been a series of mistakes. They call Tessie “the Texas Twirler,” but she’s never been in Texas a day in her life. Maybe once, because of a man.

And that song is magical!

It’s a showstopper—one of the greatest songs of all time. We knew we had to be really bad to screw it up. [Laughs] But the reaction’s been great! From the first preview, starting with the overture, the reaction to the show has been just electric. I think I have the best job on Broadway!

And you do a great job at it. Is it true that there was a real Tessie?

Yes! She ended up as Gypsy’s personal maid.

I can just picture her dancing around the house with a duster…But does Tessie know that she’s sort of vulgar?

I don’t think she knows that. She thinks it’s ballet positions and she’s simply doing a “wide second” [a legs akimbo squat]. She’s tough, but she takes pride in what she does and she does not think she’s vulgar. It’s all she knows!

That “wide second” position is a riot, by the way.

Thank you. Normally, you don’t get that view [in a show]. It’s a different view you get from Tessie. The conductor gets it at every performance. [Laughs]

I hope you realize that you’re so good in the part that you could be the first Tessie to ever get Tony nominated.

Thank you. That’s very nice of you. But when I took the role, I thought, “I don’t have to worry about all that stuff!”

Well, think again. Though if it doesn’t happen, it does not take away from your achievement.

I’ll go to all the awards where it’s open bar and have fun. [Laughs]

Meanwhile, cheers to BroadwayCon for featuring a 25-year reunion of the talent behind Seussical, the show about Horton the Elephant’s mission to save the Whos. Starting in 2017, you won acclaim for Who’s Holiday!, a one-person comedy in which you were Cindy Lou Who hitting middle age. Is there a connection between all you Seuss survivors?

The rhyming couplets are so hard to learn!

But Shakespeare used rhyming couplets.

With Shakespeare, something about it makes sense. But “the Whatzits” and “the Whozits”…it didn’t make sense. Learning it was a nightmare. I put markers on the script…and there were times I just had to make up a rhyme! So, anyone who got to do a show with that rhyme scheme…the couplets…we all bond. It’s trauma bonding!

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I returned to BroadwayCon two days later for some drama bonding–to witness the Cosplay contest, where prefabricated, store-bought costumes were not eligible and ingenuity was the key. I assumed that everyone from here to Timbuktu (the musical) would be dressed like something out of Wicked, but green faces were actually in the minority. Instead, we delighted to Mary’s husband from Oh, Mary!, a waitress, a Roxy Hart, and the chandelier from Phantom of the Opera, though that last one looked a bit like glorified cardboard. Oh, well—“A” for effort. By the way, no one dared to do Tessie Tura, but that’s fine because no one can touch Lesli Margherita. See you all on Broadway!

Michael Musto is a columnist, pop cultural and political pundit, NYC nightlife chronicler, author, and the go-to gossip responsible for the long-running (1984-2013) Village Voice column, “La Dolce Musto.” His work appears on this website as well as Queerty.com and thedailybeast.com, and he is writing for the new Village Voice, which made its debut in April of 2021. Follow Musto on Instagram, via @michaelmusto.

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