Foster to sing in 2020 in S.F.
study after the star fell ill. Foster won her first Tony with the show, establishing herself as a triplethreat actress who sings and dances.
But it was the clarion voice that propelled her into subsequent Broadway roles in “Little Women — The Musical” (2005), “The Drowsy Chaperone” (2006), “Young Frankenstein” (2007) and “Shrek: The Musical” (2008).
While the characters are all different, Foster gained a reputation for imbuing them with her own sense of wholesomeness. And she wraps the whole package into the aura of an oldfashioned star who’s more than happy to put on a big show.
Foster capped nearly a decade of Broadway stardom with a signature turn as Reno Sweeney, the evangelistturnednightclub singer in the Roundabout Theatre’s 2011 revival of Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes,” sweeping up another bushel of accolades including Tony, Drama Desk, and Fred and Adele Astaire awards.
After 300plus performances of “Anything Goes,” Foster reinvented herself as a TV star, leading the series “Bunheads” from “Gilmore Girls” creator Amy ShermanPalladino. When that show wasn’t renewed, she moved on to “Younger.” In that TV Land series from “Sex and the City” creator Darren Star, Foster plays a divorced 40something single mom from New Jersey who kickstarts a new career by passing herself off as a 20something hipster in the New York publishing world. The series premiered in 2015 and has been renewed for a seventh season, making it the longestrunning series in TV
Land history.
The small screen and small stage hasn’t entirely stolen Foster. She’s scheduled to go back to Broadway this fall costarring as Marian in a revival of “The Music Man,” with Hugh Jackman as Professor Harold Hill. Rehearsals start this summer.
“I’m excited to dive into it, honor the show and also remain curious and open about what it could be,” she says.
Her concerts allow her to meld professional high points with personal favorites, such as Carole King’s tender “Up on the Roof,” which she plans to sing in the Geary show. “That song about finding a little bit of peace in the madness of New York City totally speaks to me,” she says.
Foster will probably add one of her favorite Christmas songs to the set on New Year’s Eve — “just because we all need a little bit of that sentiment yearround, I think.”
“And there’s a beautiful Noel Coward song called ‘Come the Wild Wild Weather’ that I sang on my first album ‘Wish,’ ” she says. “The lyrics are perfect to ring in a new year.”