A bit of luck and years of hard work have put actress Cady Huffman, a Jersey City resident, on center stage.
Huffman is one of the main characters in the highly successful Broadway musical "The Producers," based on the movie by comedian Mel Brooks. Huffman plays the character of Ulla, a Swedish girl who dresses provocatively for an audition for a role in a musical.
Last year, she won a Tony award for the role.
Moved East
Huffman grew up in Santa Barbara, Calif. At age 6 she begged her mother for acting and dancing lessons, and her mother signed her up for ballet.
"It was my dream to become a professional dancer," she said last week. "That’s what I wanted to do."
Throughout her adolescence, Huffman studied with private dance coaches. She auditioned widely, and at 17, she was accepted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. There she studied with some of the finest acting and dance teachers in the world.
"The Royal Academy prepared me well for my career," she said. "It was an honor to even be there."
In 1985, Huffman moved to New York City to pursue an acting career on Broadway. Looking for jobs was not too much of a struggle because after only several weeks into her search, she landed a role in the musical "La Cage Aux Folles" at the Palace Theater. Eventually, she landed other roles with Bob Fosse’s "Big Deal," "The Will Rogers Follies," "Steel Pier" and "Dame Edna: The Royal Tour."
Her career was going smoothly and she was happy with her jobs, she said.
"I would go from show to show. That’s what I wanted to do."
But in April of 2000, things changed.
"I got a call from Vinny Liff [a famous Broadway casting director] and he asked me to come in and do a reading with [Mel] Brooks," she said, laughing. "So I did the reading, met with Brooks and several other people and in a couple of days I got the call."
The call was to offer Huffman the part in "The Producers" starring opposite Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. The play is set in New York City around 1958. It is about a man, Max Bialystock [played by Lane], who is a down-and-out Broadway producer. Bialystock meets Leo Bloom [played by Broderick], a very anxious accountant who is there to audit books. The two of them devise a scheme of overselling shares to a Broadway show and bound to be a flop to make extra money. The show is called "Springtime for Hitler."
As Ulla, Huffman shows up at the producers’ office to audition for the play, and the character of Bloom shows an interest in her.
"Working with Matthew is excellent," she said. "He’s the funniest person in the world and an incredible actor."
Huffman does eight shows during a six-day workweek. Her contract with the show is up in February, but she is certain she’ll renew it.
"A show like this only happens once," she said. "I’ve dreamed of this for a long time."
And last spring, when she thought things couldn’t get better, she won a Tony award for Best Featured Actress for the musical.
"I was sitting with my husband and I didn’t think I would win since the show had won like eight awards already," she said. "But when I heard my name I was in love with everybody at that time. It was a great joy."
Huffman admits her life has changed since she got the Tony. People recognize her on the street, she does more interviews, and her pay is much better.
"I am happy with the way things are going now," she said.
Huffman has lived in Jersey City with her husband, Bill, for four years. They have adjusted to their new home and have plenty of pets to keep them company.
"We have four cats and two dogs," she said. "Living in Jersey City is extremely convenient for me. I like it."
"The Producers" is performed at the St. James Theater. For ticket information, log on to www.ticketmaster.com.