Actor, singer and writer Julie Benko made that exciting understudy to star journey we all love with her celebrated turn as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl in 2022 when she stepped in and wowed critics and audiences alike. Her performance earned a Dorothy Loudon Award for excellence in Theatre, and the NY Times named her The Breakout Star in Theater in 2022.

I saw her onstage as Emma Goldman in the Broadway revival of Ragtime at Lincoln Center two days before this conversation, where we talked about her Broadway adventures and her latest CD Euphonic Gumbo, produced with her husband, jazz pianist Jason Yeager. Euphonic Gumbo celebrates Julie and Jason’s longtime love for New Orleans music.