A hit at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Dylan Mulvaney’s solo show The Least Problematic Woman in the World is coming to the Lucille Lortel Theatre later this month with an opening set for October 7th. 

I had a chance to speak with the multi-talented Internet sensation and actress about the genesis of her solo show and what it’s like being a queer theatremaker today. 

Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. 

Theatrely: So how's your summer been?

Dylan: Oh my gosh, honey, I was over in London for a lot of it and that was great because I got to see theatre and God, the Brits just…I feel like they just get it. So that was really fun. I went back to LA to finish the show a little bit because I work better when I'm just in bed and not being distracted by the West End musicals. And then I've now been in New York for about two weeks and it's been a big shift for me, but I'm so happy to be here and this is actually my third day of rehearsal, so we're just trying to pull everything together.

So tell me how the show came to be.

Sure. Okay. Well, I obviously kind of accidentally went viral about three and a half years ago on TikTok. But prior to that, I was doing the Book of Mormon and I'd gone to CCM for musical theatre. And as I started growing on the internet, I realized the thing that wasn't bringing me satisfaction was that instant gratification of connecting with people in person. No matter how many likes I could get, it just never felt the same way of even just getting to sing or perform for, like, 10 people in a room. I was craving that so desperately.

To celebrate my one year mark, I did a big show at the Rainbow Room here in New York and it was so much fun and I didn't realize that my content creation skills of making all these videos kind of lent itself to longer form content. I was like, "Oh, well that went pretty well." What was kind of specific about that show was it felt like a one night only type of situation, but I was like, "Oh, I want something that could have a much larger impact that I could be doing for a long period of time." 

Once I went through, you know, Beer-gate about two years ago and some of these other crazier moments in the media as a trans person, I realized there might be a bigger story here than I initially thought. I started meeting with producers to kind of talk about what I would want my one-woman show to be. When I started writing the show, I realized that the most important thing about a one person show is it's the thing that only you can tell. What sort of came up for me was a lot of my Catholicism as a Queer person growing up and how conflicting that was, of being told that God didn't love me, but then feeling like I wasn't a bad person just for how I felt in my body. It grew into this musical, over-the-top adventure of my lifetime told in these very camp vignettes that become more realistic as the show goes on. I got to put it up in Edinburgh last year to a sold out run and I'm just so proud of it and how it's evolved.

Talk to me about working with Tim Jackson. He's becoming bigger and bigger over here in the States, what has he been like as a director?

Oh my god, Timmy is like the dream of all dreams. We got paired together through one of our producers when I started putting the show together. We needed to find a director fairly quickly. Timmy had just worked on Merrily We Roll Along, which I had gotten to see and I loved their work on that. It's such an interesting thing, too, of picking somebody to go on a journey with. I think picking collaborators can be tricky, but I got so lucky on this one because the people that I'm making this with, it's just been a dream come true. 

But Timmy specifically, I feel like, has really let me do all of the craziest things that I want to do and then sometimes when I need to be pared back, you know, he'll very kindly be like, "Maybe we don't do that." He'll always let me try something once or twice actually. They've turned into one of my best friends and somebody that I hope to work with for the rest of my life.

I hear Ingrid Michelson also wrote a song for the show. What was that like collaborating with her?

When I was 14 or 15, I don't even think I knew what [her] songs meant, but I knew that they were deeply emotional. And so I would just be like in, you know, French class, like, crying, thinking about a boy that I probably had a crush on and interpreting her song as how I was feeling in the moment. 

But what was really important for me is the show is wildly silly and funny and stupid, but I wanted to make sure that some of my vulnerability came across too. So the fifth or sixth number of the show is sort of an 11 o'clock number—a very vulnerable, dropped in moment of how I feel like the world is treating trans people right now. It was actually really beautiful to get to work with her. She is so open and, obviously we've got very different experiences of womanhood, but she was so willing to tap into what I had been feeling. That was really special. 

I also got to work with Mark Sonnenblick on four of the songs. He just finished K-Pop Demon Hunters. I can't even believe it. Benj Kasek had connected us and he has become one of my dearest friends. Toby and Lucy, who wrote Six, did the opening number for my show, and oh my God, it's such a banger. I can't wait for you to hear it. 

It’s so crazy because these are all people that I've admired growing up and have been like huge fans of and now to call them my friends and make this with them has been really freaking cool.

You've already played the Rainbow Room, which is just an iconic spot here in New York, and now you're going to be down at the Lortel, another iconic theater in New York. What are you most excited about about performing at this legendary venue?

I got to see Oh, Mary! there when it started, and that was one of those moments where I was like: Oh my god, weird queer trans theater can exist. There's been some disheartening moments over the last years of just not knowing where someone like me fits into all of this. And so I think the Lortel is the perfect way to say: Hey, trans people can be a part of commercial theater if you let us.

Seeing how successful Oh, Mary! has been and some of these other, you know, one-person shows like Andrew Scott in that same theater, I'm just so moved that I get the same opportunities as people like them. 

I know you've been working on the show for a few years and it's gone through changes and evolutions. Talk to me about how it's evolved and how you're now bringing it over for Americans, which is a different experience than Fringe or London.

I think the show that we made last year was 60 minutes. It's now probably going to be around 80 or 85. We've added three new songs. I think that humor has actually shifted a bit. A big through line of the show is like my hope in staying palatable and being a people pleaser. And so a lot of the comedy I felt like was still really safe last year. There were a few darker humor moments that I really found landed because it felt so contrasting to what people thought of me prior to seeing me on stage. And so I was like: Oh, wait, this is actually a huge part of my humor. Why don't I add some more of that? 

It feels a bit edgier for America right now. And it's more fun for me too, because it's actually a closer version to who I am. That's probably how it’s evolved the most, I would say.

When young people come and see your show, what do you hope they take away from it?

I hope that they can see that literally whatever it is that they want to do in this industry, they can. I remember growing up and just wanting to be in the back of the ensemble, if possible. And I think once I stepped into my gender identity and my authenticity—I don't even think that has to be limited to gender—but really just having built up my confidence, I’m now wearing so many different hats. I’m producing and writing this and performing in all these different ways. I want them to know that whatever it is they want to do, they can do it and that there is a place for them here in this city and in this community and that I can't wait to welcome them here because we need them. I think this is gonna be for the, you know, the 20-something girlies and the 19 year old girlies. I think that's who maybe is gonna get the biggest kick out of it.

On your off nights, what other new shows that are coming to New York are you most excited to check out?

Dylan: Oh my god, Queen of Versailles, to see my girl Kristin Chenoweth, who is my phone screen. Her and Alan Cumming are my lock screen on my iPhone. And then, oh gosh, what else am I dying to see? Oh, I want to see House of McQueen. I want to see the fashion of it 

Theatrely’s 2025 Fall Preview is sponsored by Stage Door Pass. Track the shows you see and share your experience. To learn more, visit here.

Luke Newton has captivated audiences as a leading cast member of Bridgerton, the Netflix juggernaut and global phenomenon. But before he was courting romance among a star-studded cast, he got his start on the stage. 

This fall, New York audiences can catch him in House of McQueen, a new play by Darrah Cloud, playing at the brand new Mansion at Hudson Yards. I had the chance to speak with Luke about creating a new show in a brand new venue, his Book of Mormon days, and the challenges of working in a new city.

Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. 

Theatrely: Firstly, how is New York treating you? How's everything going?

I'm really, really loving it. Ever since I was training in theatre, or growing up doing amateur theatre in my hometown in England, the dream was always to be able to be involved in theatre in New York. It was just the pinnacle for me. So, when this opportunity came up and now that I'm here and really sort of living it, it feels kind of surreal. I'm absolutely loving it.

Tell me how you got involved with this project, how it came across your desk.

This was one for me that I was so impatient, to be able to get a hold of the script, to know who was involved, to find out the details and the ins and outs of what was happening. I got the script and read it immediately, and was then sort of hungry to book in a meeting. I always love to, before going any further, just chat through everything with the director and get a sense of their vision. And Sam [Helfrich] just really, and he continues to today, but he just blew me away with his knowledge, his vision, and passion behind it all that I just felt really safe. It's a big thing to move my life over to New York and trust someone's vision. I just immediately was behind him and was 

What was it about meeting Sam and hearing his vision and reading the script that got you excited about it?

I loved the script when I first read it, and it was an early draft of the script, but he just brought it to life in a way that I didn't imagine and I didn't read on the page. I think it was the contrast of knowing that this was to be really collaborative and, the writer Darrah Cloud, she has been in the room the entire time, which has been something that I've never really experienced. It was that collaborative sense of knowing that we were all in this together and all opinions mattered that made me feel really excited. 

And obviously there was the draw of the role itself. I knew of Alexander McQueen, not to the extent that I do now, but that was something that immediately just drew me in, to play a real fascinating contradiction of a person, and to figure out what it's like to be a genius. That was something that was kind of mind blowing to me in the rehearsal process, just figuring out what that must be like.

Your company is very exciting. What has it been like working with your company and finding the show together?

Honestly, it's been amazing. There's a real sort of passion. It's not like clocking in hours, getting through rehearsals, and then we're off and we're socializing. There's a real focus on this piece. I think it has to do with us creating this show from the ground up. The theatre is a brand new space. It was just an empty warehouse and it's all been turned into this immersive experience. I just feel very grateful that everyone is all in and it fuels a real energy in the rehearsal room. Having people like Emily and also Catherine [LeFrere], who plays Isabella, they really set the bar in the room. It's a really complicated piece because we jump back and forth in time throughout, so figuring out the subtleties to that has been complicated, but something that feels really rewarding once it just clicks.

It's so rare we get new theatre space here in New York. And for this to be the first in 20 years for a new space, that's very monumental. What does it mean to you that you're opening this brand new theatre?

I didn't know it had been that long. It's been so amazing because there's obviously been the complications that come with that, but then at the same time, we're kind of creating this space around our show, which from my department is just an absolute gift to be able to stand on stage and it be created around us. Each day I come in and something is different and they're working 24/7 to get everything ready for audiences. It's mind blowing, really.

I know you've been involved with the theatre for your whole life, but when did you really fall in love with it?

Wow. I mean, to be honest, I think when I was really young, like eight or nine. Both my aunties were in Les Miserables in the West End and I went to see them. I think for one production in particular, one of my auntie's played Fantine and the other played Eponine and I discovered that my Bridgerton co-star Jonathan Bailey was playing Gavroche at that time. I was this eight-year-old thinking, "I want to be on stage, on the barricades," so that's something for me. That just ignited that drive and spark in theatre and it's stayed with me forever. Later on in teens, I went into TV and film and really found a love for that style of acting, but it seems that theater is just calling me back every time. When I wrapped season three of Bridgerton, I remember really wanting to find a play. So I found The Shape of Things that I did in London. Then the same again, as soon as we wrapped season four, it was like on the hunt for what's about and this was top of the list for me to explore this role.

Speaking of that, when you get to the level where you are, Bridgerton and all the wild success that comes with that, you get an easier access into choosing the roles that you want to do for the stage, right? So, I'm curious, what excites you about new work and creating something from the ground up as an actor for live entertainment?

Luke: There's something about the creative process of being in a rehearsal room and figuring something out. When I did The Shape of Things, the play had been done previously, but it was 20 years ago, so we were sort of recreating this brand new version of that and modernizing it. When this opportunity came up, and I knew that there'd been previous drafts and they workshopped things, I just find it so rewarding but also equally challenging. I learn more about myself and as an actor in these couple weeks than I could on shooting something for six months. I find it really, really challenging, but in the best way. I just come away feeling a real sense of reward from that.

I want to talk to you about Book of Mormon for a moment. Obviously, it has been 14 years open on Broadway, 12 years open in the West End. When you think back to your time and that musical that has changed the path of modern day musicals, what comes to mind?

That was such a whirlwind for me. I was 20 years old and I did a hundred auditions. And when I think about it, I was so naive to the process of it and the scale of the show and the success of it. When the opportunity came up to audition for understudying Elder Price, it was just mind blowing to me. I did multiple rounds. There was a point when I sung for Casey Nicolaw, the director, and I remember it just feeling very high. I was 20 years old. I'm trying to screech out the top notes, and I finished, and then he looked at me and went, "wow, that was great." And I couldn't speak because I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and I just went: “Mmhmm.” And he went: “That's what we want. That's what we want Price to be, that level of confidence.” It was just hilarious. 

That journey for me was just incredible. I had no idea what a swing was. It was the original cast of London. So, working with Gavin Creel and Jared Gertner. Trey Parker and Matt Stone were on stage with us rehearsing with the understudies. I wish I could go back now and just appreciate that slightly more because I think this 20-year-old graduate was kind of like, "Well, this is what it is to be in the West End." When really, if I look back now, what an experience. I'm very, very grateful for it. I'm hoping that I can go and see the show. Maybe that's a trip that I need to make whilst I'm here in New York to see the run on Broadway.

What else are you excited to see while you're here in New York?

Luke: Well, I've already seen The Outsiders and that was something I'd seen a lot online about. I was obsessed with the music. I love that pop-sounding music and I think the cast is just incredibly talented, so that I loved. I'd love to see Hamilton. I've seen it in London and I was obsessed. Over lockdown, I became aware of it by watching the special on Disney+. I was looking up shows that have started Off-Broadway and then transferred and became massive and Hamilton was one of those, which I had no idea. I'd love to get around and see as many shows as possible.

It’s Hamilton's 10-year anniversary. Leslie's joining the cast again this fall. So it'd be a good time to go back. 

Theatrely’s 2025 Fall Preview is sponsored by Stage Door Pass. Track the shows you see and share your experience. To learn more, visit here.

Micaela Diamond back on stage in New York City? That’s what we like to hear! Starting October 23, audiences can catch the Parade star as Sabina in The Seat of Our Pants, a new musical based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, with music by Ethan Lipton, directed by Leigh Silverman. 

I got the chance to speak with Micaela about this new take on Wilder’s absurd Pulitzer Prize-winning play and her critically acclaimed turns in Parade and Here We Are.

Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. 

Theatrely: So, how has your summer been? What have you been up to?

Micaela Diamond: It's good. I'm in Fire Island right now. I've had a very bouncy summer. I feel like I've gone home a few times to Margate, New Jersey, to Atlantic City, which is bizarre: that's my hometown and an entire act is set there in The Skin of Our Teeth. I went to Paris and London. I just feel like I've just been everywhere this summer, which is nice because we're about to buckle down.

So, The Seat of Our Pants, tell me how you got involved with this project.

I remember auditioning. I was doing another workshop at the time and I was so sick. And I remember getting the audition and listening to Ethan [Lipton]'s music and being obsessed with it. I was like: I gotta go to this. I gotta go sing this, even though I'm hoarse and kind of gross-feeling. And I did and it was the warmest room. Leigh Silverman, the director, is beloved by many of my friends. I've met her quite a few times and I've always wanted to work with her. I remember seeing Violet when I was 14 and sitting in the chair thinking: She has a scar because they say she has one and that's imagination. They're on a bus now because they start singing about a bus. I was like: This is genius storytelling. Looking back, I'm sure most of that was fucking Leigh Silverman. So, I've loved her for a really long time. I thought the play was amazing when I first got it. I had not seen a production of it. I ran to Lincoln Center Archives and watched the production in the park, and I just thought it was so absurd. I didn't really know what to make of it though. A fun, challenging thing to feel.

Your company is just so incredible. Have you spoken to any of them yet before getting into rehearsals? 

Everyone's excited. They've been developing this for a long time. I think most of the leads are new to the company, but I know Damon [Daunno] has been developing this for a very long time. We did a workshop earlier in the year together. I was meeting him for the first time and popped into his music rehearsal and was like: We're doing a thing together this fall. We got very excited. It's great. I did a musical with Andy Grotelueschen before and just adored him. I'm excited to reunite with him. And obviously I'm a fan of Ruthie [Ann Miles]. I’m always excited to start a rehearsal process, especially at such an iconic place. This is a place that's been on my bucket list as an actor for a really long time. It's going to feel like a very exciting first day of school.

That was my next question: what does it mean to you to do a show at The Public?

Well, I grew up in New York, so I definitely went to The Public and had my first illegal sips of alcohol on St. Mark's, which I'll gatekeep that bar in case any LaGuardia drama majors want a $4 Lychee Martini and Edamame for their 17th birthday. But I grew up on those blocks, and so it feels nostalgic to me, to be below Midtown. What a gift. I'm thrilled about the nostalgia part of it. During Here We Are, I read Joe Papp's book, that thick kind of novel about the story of The Public and the making of The Public, and I was kind of obsessed with it. I ran through this 650 page book and loved the origin stories and why it all came to be and Meryl Streep's audition stories there. I feel like it's such a big part of the history of theatre and the purest form of it in some way. I feel like it makes you an actor. It's kind of a rite of passage.

You're no stranger to epic big new works following Here We Are. What excites you the most about working on new shows?

Every process is so different, but this particular play has tried to be adapted by Leonard Bernstein, Kander and Ebb, Jerome Robbins, and all of them have, I don't want to say failed, but nothing came to be. That means we're onto something because those people also thought this would be a good idea. Or it means we are in big trouble. But I think that is a part of downtown theatre. You gotta get into a little trouble. What a perfect place to take some risks. We're doing this in a very different set up than that theater has ever been in. I'm really looking forward to starting from the ground up with another piece like this. You have certain references. I've certainly watched Vivian Lee play this part. There's so much room. There's certainly not a right answer for who these people are. Over dinner in Brooklyn, me, Lee, and Ethan are kind of talking about the real commitment that has to happen for this piece to work. I think that's a part of the collaboration. How much do I have to push? How much does the lighting do that works for me? And the costume? And the set? I'm excited to figure that out together with Lee at the helm.

I want to talk about Parade for a moment. When you think about your time in Parade, now that it’s been over a year out, what comes to mind when you think about that time in your life? 

Micaela: I think about it all the time. I think of Ben a lot. I still see Ben all the time and I think we knew in the moment that this would be a rare experience. And we certainly feel that now, I think because we were witnesses to each other's experience, we were able to really take it in in the moment and be so present for all of the kind of awards chaos and just enjoy it. I can remember walking on stage at the Tonys and getting entrance applause. I didn't black out for any of it and I'm so grateful for that. I miss it deeply and experienced such a level of worthiness in myself as a person and an actor. I know that's maybe gooey. It does feel true. It was the best experience of my life. And I've never felt so proud to make something. It just gave me an immense amount of purpose.

Jumping back to eat of Our Pants, what is your process like leading up to that first day of rehearsal? Is it something you think about a lot? Or do you try to keep it out of your mind until you get there?

Micaela: I am famously an over-preparer. I like to have some sense of the songs, but mostly I just read the script over and over again and kind of write thoughts that keep coming to me about who I think this character is and who the other players in the piece think she is. I start to observe people differently. My gut slowly starts to put little puzzle pieces down, they don't even have to connect yet. I want to feel inspired and alive before I get in the room. That's really what I do. I start to see the themes of the play in my own life. Sabina has this special, alive quality about her, but is deeply unfulfilled and has never found her place in life, what she was meant to do or who she was meant to be with. What do you live for? What are you left with at the end of the day? What is all the suffering for? I start to see those kinds of themes come up in my own life. I'm starting to try and find where that lives emotionally in my body.

When young folks come and see this musical, what do you hope they take away from it?

Micaela: I think that this show won the Pulitzer for its imagination and I have a line in the show where I say, "Don't try and understand this play." And I think I mean that. I remember being young and seeing things and not really understanding something, but I felt it. I felt changed. I felt like I wanted to talk about it. And that is enough in the theatre. Because one day they're gonna pick up Skin of Our Teeth at the Drama Bookshop when they're 35 and they'll be like, "Oh my God, I didn't quite realize that that's what they were talking about." And that feels amazing. It doesn't feel shameful or embarrassing. It feels so cool to be like: Look at how far I've come as a person to have not even noticed that part of the show or not have been affected by the affair she's having with Mr. Antrobus. So, I think I agree with my girl Sabina. I think you don't have to try and understand it, but leave yourself open to feel something.

Speaking about the New York season this fall, it's going to be busy. On your off day, what are you excited to see?

Micaela: It's such an interesting season. I am really excited for Waiting for Godot and for Spelling Bee, which is a really funny pairing to me. Like, that says exactly who I am and who I'm trying to be. I'm excited about those two shows. Spelling Bee because of the material. And then Waiting for Godot because of the performances. I think so much of me now goes to the theatre as a study in a way to search for who's doing great work. 

Theatrely’s 2025 Fall Preview is sponsored by Stage Door Pass. Track the shows you see and share your experience. To learn more, visit here.