The spark that would impassion a young Ali Ewoldt to perform in musicals was ignited in her hometown of Pleasantville. As a child walking from Bedford Road Elementary School to see high school students performing on the Pleasantville High School, (PHS) stage remains a fresh memory for Ewoldt, the first Asian American BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) actress to play Christine, the heroine in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in 2017. By starring in this role, Ewoldt broke long held barriers against BIPOC actors wanting to perform in major Broadway productions.
When it comes to her youth Ewoldt recalls student field trips to the high school to see a preview of the current musical production. “I remember totally falling in love with musical theater. It felt so accessible. Students just like us were doing this right where we lived.”
Ewoldt, Class of 1999, praises the former Director of Music at PHS, Dr. Renato Vellutino (1932-2023) who held the post for over 40 years. ‘Dr. V’ as he was known to generations of students, made sure to include as many students as possible in musical shows regardless of age or talent.
“The amazing thing about Dr. V’s program was we didn’t have to audition to be in the ensemble or the chorus,” Ewoldt says. “Anyone interested and who was able to participate, Doc made sure we all had a little feature, even if it was a brief moment and a dance number. Everyone had a moment to shine.”
Ewoldt’s musical talent was nurtured by her parents who enrolled her in dance classes when she was 3 years old and voice lessons at 10. When she was in 7th grade she was in the high school musical Anything Goes, a turning point that launched Ewoldt on a run of several school shows including My Fair Lady in 8th grade, Kiss Me Kate in her junior year and The King and I as a senior.
“The mentality was very much of team sports – it took everyone participating together to be in it,” Ewoldt recalls. “We had upwards of 100 cast members and that was in a high school with a student body of about 400. Along with costume designers, makeup people, student singers and pit musicians there was a real feeling of community.”
When you see Ewoldt singing, it’s amazing that her lithe stature can produce such a powerful and dazzling soprano voice. Her singing coupled with her natural acting talent paved the way to many astonishing performances on and off Broadway.
Her more notable performances include her Broadway debut in the 2006 revival of Les Misérables where she played Cosette, the Tony Award Winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I, playing Luisa in The Fantasticks and as Amalia in She Loves Me, a role in which she was nominated for the prestigious Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical in 2023. Ewoldt has held several lead roles in national and international tours and in U.S. regional theatre.
Undoubtedly singing is in Ewoldt’s blood, no matter where she is or what the circumstances are. A great example of that is five years ago during the Covid pandemic Ewoldt temporarily left her midtown Manhattan home to stay in Pleasantville with her parents. Itching to create an event that would bring people together, Ewoldt organized a neighborhood “Les Misérables Sing-along.”
In an uplifting YouTube video entitled “Neighborhood Les Misérables Sing-along” we see several Pleasantville residents of all ages belt out lines from a Les Misérables song from their front lawns. Parodied lyrics from the songs “Look Down” and more aptly, “Do You Hear the People Sing?” were written by Ewoldt and her family using words relating to the pandemic. Joining residents is Ewoldt popping out of her dad’s car sunroof while riding around the neighborhood, joyfully singing her part.
“The idea grew out of a desire to connect to the arts and to creativity,” Ewoldt explains of the community sing-along. “We drove around from friend to friend to keep socially distanced. It was low tech, but the community was so wonderful and glad to be a part of the sing-along.”
Majoring in psychology as an undergraduate at Yale was part of a back-up plan in case pursuing a performance career didn’t happen. Not surprising, the study of human nature would become essential to the many roles Ewoldt portrayed on stage.
“My psychology studies were relevant to my life as a performer,” Ewoldt notes. “I didn’t realize it at the time but, in essence, understanding why human beings behave the way they do informs me as an actor by offering insight to a character’s proclivities and personality traits.”
“Recognizing characters that are faced with different disorders and understanding why a person makes certain choices has helped me – has given me a base line of understanding and frames the way I approach those characters.”
A key, deeper understanding helped Ewoldt play the role of Christine, the young aspiring opera singer suffering the loss of her father in Phantom of the Opera.
“So much of Christine’s behavior is because of her grief,” Ewoldt explains. “Playing her revealed a prospective on finding human truth. Even in a big, epic musical we can bring truth to the humanity of the characters.”
Studying at Yale actually did open a door to a future in show business. Ewoldt was in a Yale School of Music production of Figaro and was spotted by an agent which led to a part as an understudy and body double in Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular at Disneyland.
Ewoldt realizes that being the first Asian American actress to play Christine in 2016 opened doors for many other artists in the Asian American community. Persistence also played a big part before she landed the role; she had auditioned for about 10 years for any production she could find before she was cast as Christine.
“I was really fortunate – it surprised all of us that the first non-white person was playing that role in the show’s 30-year history,” she says. “There was wonderful feedback from artists in the Asian Community who saw themselves in a new way. I’m very proud to make history in that way.”
Admitting she has been fortunate to have played many of her musical dream roles, Ewoldt says getting into show business has always been very challenging for her, for many aspiring young people and actors worldwide.
“The danger we all face is the constant rejection,” Ewoldt claims. “We audition but we rarely get any feedback about why we weren’t chosen.”
Addressing her strong instinct to become a recognized performer has meant different things to Ewoldt.
“Any time we perform we are being an artist, and our careers don’t have to happen on Broadway or getting Tony Awards,” she says. “One can perform off Broadway, at their community theater as an actor, a singer or a musician. There are so many diverse avenues and disciplines to seek out where the act of creating is the real pursuit versus fame and fortune.”
Ewoldt recognizes that her education, friends and family have all enriched and strengthened her throughout her career. “I learned from life-long friends from Yale and Pleasantville High School and especially those who are not performers but are wonderful people with interesting and important lives and careers. They have had a grounding influence on my life, and I’ve been lucky to have these incredible touchstones.”
One valuable touchstone is Ewoldt’s dedication to work with different non-profit organizations. In June she joined a star-studded cast in Art for Autism, a benefit concert at New York’s New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd street. The annual benefit raises funds to support individuals on the autism spectrum.
Helping autistic people grew out of Ewoldt’s interest in music therapy which she considered as a potential career.
“I enrolled in seminars about autism at Yale and have seen the power of music in different situations,” Ewoldt explains. “We learned to create an autism friendly performance where the talking wasn’t too loud and there were no bright lights, making it more accessible for folks who could easily get overstimulated. Seeing them enjoy the show was very moving.”
This summer Ewoldt performed in Massachusetts with the Barrington Stage Company, starring in their production of Camelot as Guenevere.
Acting in regional theatre with top notch performers is especially rewarding to Ewoldt. “We usually rehearse for a few weeks and run the show for a few months in different areas. We get to know different communities, and the talent of the performers is really incredible.”
