Follow Bad Cinderella's Sami Gayle On Her 2-Show Day Through Belleville

Two-show days are commonplace in the lives and schedules of Broadway performers—and they are no easy feat. Finding the balance of giving everything on the stage and taking care of yourself, while performing two shows in one day, is just about as challenging as nailing the choreography for the 11 o'clock number. Conquering a two-show day requires a lot of stamina, energy, pacing, and backstage shenanigans.

Actor Sami Gayle takes us along her two-show day as she steps in and out of her role as the vain, pink-obsessed, stepsister Adele, in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical Bad Cinderella. Keep reading to see everything from Gayle's character prep, photos of her puppy, and how she gets through all her costume changes.

"Come along as I walk you through a two-show day in Belleville!"

"Before I tend to Princess Adele, I tend to Princess Licorice."

"Adele’s favorite human is herself, so to get into character during my daily warmup, I vocalize to myself in the mirror. While doing so, I also warm up some of Adele’s 'faces'; she is always picture ready! The face pictured is 'Pink Steel,' Adele’s take on Ben Stiller’s iconic look. I also practice my 'Oh my god, I’m so hot' face, which is a frequent Adele expression in the show."

"Dressing time! Adele is obsessively concerned with her appearance, so I try to get into her psyche by wearing an Adele-appropriate outfit to work every day. I don’t think my choice of clothing has ever helped me get into character more than for Adele. I wear a lot of LoveShackFancy, frills, and bows. The look here is 'classic' Adele; she lives 'in the clouds,' with concerns quite disconnected from reality. She is all about florals, pastels, and PINK."

"Off to the theatre!"

"On every two-show Saturday, I am greeted by Michael Louis' homemade sourdough bread and jam. Michael works in wardrobe, and I have known him (and his tasty delights) since I was 11, when we worked together on Gypsy. Getting to see Michael every day after nearly 15 years away from Broadway is an incredible blessing."

"Like my clothing, my dressing room helps me get into character too! I’ve modeled it after Adele’s imagination: champagne bottles full of M&M’s, Barbie, and a baby Princess Peach!"

"Time for the Adele transformation to take wind! This is Kaitie Adams, the superwoman behind my beautiful hair. We are pin curled and ready for the most beautiful wig in the world."

Sami Gayle and Kaitie Adams Courtesy of Sami Gayle

"There she is!!!"

"Hi Princess, good to see you again."

"Every night before stage management calls places, our choreographer extraordinaire, JoAnn M. Hunter, comes into our dressing room to wish us a wonderful show. The care and consideration of our creative team truly knows no bounds."

"Lips, check!"

"Make-up, check!"

"Places."

"Found some “Hot Buns” backstage :) Meet Gary Cooper, our incredible swing and the Baker for this afternoon’s performance!"

"At 'places,' the cast forms a circle backstage to collectively breathe and connect."

Company of *Bad Cinderella* Courtesy of Sami Gayle

"Voila! First quick change of the day is complete!"

"I spy parts of my house!"

"And Josh Drake, taking a photo break backstage after his 'Man’s Man' dance break!"

"Adele’s Blue Period."

"No big deal, just got a visit from today’s godmother, Aléna Watters, during intermission! And meet my beautiful sister, Marie (Morgan Higgins)."

Aléna Watters, Sami Gayle, and Morgan Higgins Courtesy of Sami Gayle

"I found the prince (Jordan Dobson) AND J Savage, and I didn’t even go to the ball yet…"

Sami Gayle, J Savage, and Jordan Dobson Courtesy of Sami Gayle

"Mamá (Carolee Carmello) and her babies, ready for a royal ball!"

Morgan Higgins, Carolee Carmello, and Sami Gayle Courtesy of Sami Gayle

"Got a little hung up on things backstage. ;)"

"First show complete! Time for a nap!"

"Bed head!"

"Back to the theatre, yay!"

"Hello again, beautiful Belleville!"

"And, she’s back!"

"Meet Lisa Lamothe, our superwoman dresser without whom I simply could not do the show. Forever grateful for the love and joy Lisa brings into the workspace every day."

Lisa Lamothe and Sami Gayle Courtesy of Sami Gayle

"And Emily [E.H. Petropulos] and Craig Miller from our hair department!"

Emily, Sami Gayle, and Craig Miller Courtesy of Sami Gayle

"And Alfredo Macias, one of our awesome stage managers!!!"

Sami Gayle and Alfredo Macias Courtesy of Sami Gayle

"Round two, go Bad Cindy, go!"

"Pit stop with Rick Plaugher from our Covid safety team. I am known for being extremely mask attentive, so Rick and Chandler Jez keep a mask with my name on it at all times. :)"

Sami Gayle and Rick Plaugher Courtesy of Sami Gayle

"Ran into the beautiful Sarah Meahl on my way to stage left. We used to dance together on the dance competition circuit, and now we get to share a Broadway stage!"