Bandstand star Laura Osnes talks the Broadway show’s big screen release

Bandstand returns to theaters on Monday, and star Laura Osnes talked to FanSided about seeing the Tony Award-winning musical back on the big screen.

Bandstand takes its final bow in movie theaters tonight. The Tony Award-winning musical about the wounds of war and the healing power of love is being re-broadcast in theaters nationwide Monday evening through Fathom Events.

Ahead of your last chance to see this amazing musical, Bandstand leading lady Laura Osnes reflected on what the musical means to her, how important it is to see the production on film, and being the only actress to inhabit the role of singer Julia Trojan.

Find out more about Laura and Bandstand below, then don’t miss your final opportunity to see it for yourself. Get tickets for Monday’s encore showing now here.

FanSided: What does it mean to you to have Bandstand preserved on film when most stage productions aren’t able to be seen again?

Laura Osnes: There’s something so special about getting to create memories of this Broadway original musical and have it filmed via Fathom Events for people to see over and over again. It’s absolutely incredible and I feel very very fortunate to get to be a part of it.

As an actress, it’s definitely strange to watch it again on the big screen, having only ever lived it on a stage and never really seen it from the front. It’s an interesting new perspective for those of us that were in it. I remember watching it and thinking it looked very different than how it felt doing it.

It’s a little surreal for me personally, but overall I think it’s a fantastic thing, and I’m so grateful we got to film this so the show will live on. It’s such an important story and I’m very proud of the work we all did. It deserves to live on.

You were with the production from its first reading, years before it came to Broadway. What about Bandstand or the character of Julia Trojan hooked you?

Getting to step foot in Julia’s shoes in that lab, rehearsal process of it really attached me to her and this project and this story. This takes place right after World War II, and it’s about a group of veterans returning home from war, trying to go on with their lives. [They’re] thinking and wishing it’s going to be like it was before they left—and it’s the opposite. They’re scarred physically, mentally and emotionally from the war and trying to find their place back in society.

My character is a war widow, lost her husband in battle, and she’s thinking the same thing. Trying to figure out how to move on and wishing people treated her the same way. The role was very rich and complex and had many, many amazing songs I got to sing. It’s a different role than I ever got to play before and so that’s also what attracted me to the show. Both the power and meaning of the story as well as the richness and complexity of the character.

You were with Bandstand for the entirety of its Broadway run, which ended last September. That’s very rare that an actor takes a character from readings all the way to closing night.

I think as an actor that’s the most fulfilling process to get to work on—something from the ground up. There’s a unique sense of ownership over something like that. I’m the only person that’s ever gotten to play Julia Trojan, and the creative team starts writing music and creating lines around me and who I am and what I bring to the role. I was the first person who got to bring life to this character and really make her my own, and develop it with my cast who were creating these roles, so it was a very fulfilling, creative experience.

Are there particular highlights from Bandstand that you’d tell a theatrical audience to watch out for during this encore screening?

The show is non-stop. All of the dancing is absolutely incredible, and Andy Blankenbuehler, our Tony Award-winning director and choreographer, had a huge hand in what camera angles we used and how the cameras were set up.

On the stage, you have to tell your eye where to look based on lighting; with this version on film, they just choose a take that Andy wants you to see in that moment. That’s what kind of uniquely special about this. You’re getting such a close-up, intimate view into these characters and into our performances, which is special.

The people who loved the stage version, the fans we did cultivate during our short run on Broadway, should still go see the movie to relive the wonderful experience—but it also comes across differently in the film. It feels somewhat like a different show, but in a good way. It’s definitely worth seeing again, whether you saw the Broadway production or not. For the people that didn’t see it, it’s a great opportunity to get to theater.

What would you say to people who haven’t seen it yet? What does it mean to you that Bandstand is accessible to a nationwide audience through the theatrical release?

Whether you’re a Broadway person or not, I still think the story is worth telling. Whether you enjoy theater or musicals or not, I feel like the story is so powerful. It’s all about healing and the redemptive power of music and the relationship that these musicians form. This band of brothers come together and heal through the power of music. They coordinated the release with Veterans Day, which happened last weekend. It’s a really powerful message that needs to be heard, and I hope people go and enjoy it.

The thing is it can reach so many people in this one night than it did for months on Broadway. On Broadway we could fit a thousand people in a theater every night, and now hundreds or thousands of people are going to see it in theaters across the country. The exposure for the show, and for musicals and Broadway in general, is really special.

Bandstand is in movie theaters Monday night only; tickets are on sale now through Fathom Events. For more movie interviews and news, follow the Movies category at FanSided.