Back from Broadway

Natalie Hall started her performing career at age 7 on The Muny stage in Forest Park. 

This month, she'll be back at the Muny in a featured role in the world-premiere stage production of "White Christmas." It marks her ninth performance in the 12,000-seat outdoor theater. 

As big a thrill as this will be, it will have to go some to beat the year she had in 1998. Then, she played one of the Von Trapp sisters in a 10-month run of "Sound of Music" on Broadway. Her part included acting, singing and dancing. 

During the time on Broadway, Natalie would perform one or two shows a day, six days a week. Mondays are "off days" in the theater business. 

Natalie, now 15, has just finished 9th grade at John Burroughs High School.

During the time she was away performing on Broadway, she had an unusual educational experience. 

When "Sound of Music" was in rehearsal, she used a laptop computer to get lessons from her teachers at John Burroughs. "My teachers were very helpful in making sure I didn't get behind," she said.

Then, while performing on Broadway, Natalie attended the Professional Performing Arts School in New York. The public school is for young people who are headed for the entertainment industry.

"All the students are into performing, so we had a lot in common," Natalie said. The students came from all over New York as well as other places. She said the variety of her classmates made for an interesting time..

Her work on Broadway had a big part in getting her the role of the general's daughter in "White Christmas." 

She said Paul Blake, The Muny's executive producer, came to New York to see her Broadway debut. "That was a nice surprise. I imagine that was my audition for the part in 'White Christmas,'" she said. 

The "White Christmas" performance at The Muny is also unusual. Blake has a contract with Paramount Pictures to adapt the famous movie for live stage production. 

Natalie will be singing on stage with Howard Keel, a long-time veteran performer. In the play, Keel is the general. 

Natalie's work on Broadway included a lot more than just the performances at the Martin Beck Theater. 

"We did a lot of publicity work," she said.

That included performing at the Tony Awards ceremony. She appeared on the "Rose O'Donnell Show" and the "Today Show." 

Her picture also was on the Broadway billboard which promoted the show.

Natalie is the daughter of Jonathan Ries and Mary Hall-Ries. Her mother is a founding director of the Muny Kids group. Natalie was in the first class of Muny Kids in 1994. 

Her first Muny performance was in "Peter Pan."

Although a lot of time is spent in preparing for an acting career, Natalie has other interests. She expects to be a goalie for her school's field hockey team next fall. 

Asked about college, she lists a wide variety of career interests. They range from being a biochemist or doctor to being an entertainer. She also said she'd like to be Miss Universe or an Olympic ice skater. 

"But, I guess I'll have to limit that down a bit," she said. 

All of her acting experience helps her to stay calm on stage. "While some people get excited when things go wrong (on stage), I just think it's kind of funny," she said. 

That came in handy during one of the "Sound of Music" scenes when she lost a tooth while she was singing. "One of the boys in the cast just picked it up and put it in his liederhosen. He gave me the tooth back after the scene was over," she said.