Carly Rae Jepsen hasn't quite found the song to stack up to the popularity of her 2012 smash "Call Me Maybe Yet" (no pressure), so she's taking a step away from pop music for the time being and heading to Broadway. The vocalist was announced as the next Cinderella in Rodgers + Hammerstein's version of the fairy tale.
It's not just a ploy to fills seats by casting a celebrity name: Jepsen was involved in theatre prior to becoming a pop star. Billboard lists her high school acting experience as starring in Annie, Grease, and The Wiz (we're really curious to know who she played in the Afro-version of The Wizard of Oz), and attended the Canadian College of Performing Arts.
Those who know a thing or two about musicals are undoubtedly shaking their heads and grumbling about the sanctity of Broadway (versus a high school production). Jepsen does have some rather large shoes to fill for the role: Laura Osnes, the actress that starred as Cinderella previously, was nominated for the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical last year, as well as winning the Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in A Musical for her turn as the storybook character.
Jepsen is unfazed by that sort of pressure.
"It's so hopeful and inspiring," she said of the play. "I've always been one to believe in the impossible, so I relate to her character completely."
She won't be the only person making their Broadway debut with the production: Fran Drescher will step in as Cinderella's stepmother.
