A new Off-Broadway play is taking one of its stars to college for the first time.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Kristine Froseth and Havana Rose Liu talk about returning to their teenaged selves to make their theater debuts in Natalie Margolin’s new play, All Nighter, which follows a close group of roommates as they stay up the entire night to study for finals week at their small liberal arts college.
“Holed up in an old ballroom, the pressure mounts and the Adderall flows as the truths that bind this group together are put to the test. What will be left when the sun rises?” a synopsis for the play teases.
“I actually never went to college,” says Froseth, 29, who most recently appeared on-screen in The Buccaneers. “So, this was my first experience of gathering data about what it’s like. I relied on what everyone else was saying about their experiences. I mainly focused on the friendships and the dynamics that I knew from high school, and then they elevated it a little bit.”
Meanwhile, the play is taking Liu, known for her role in the 2023 hit comedy Bottoms, down memory lane. “I went to a small liberal arts college for a little while before I transferred,” she says. “There’s been some introspection I’ve had about that period in my own life.”
The actress, 27, notes that the college experience of forming tight friendship circles, in some ways, is similar to being on a movie or television set. “These small atmospheres that are created happen in so many different ways,” Liu says. “You also have some of that on a set, or even in high school. There’s lots of ways people can relate to that insular world. Maybe in the grand spectrum of time, it’s not as fleeting as you might think.”
The must-see comedy opened at the Newman Mills Theater in the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space in New York City on March 9, after beginning with previews on Feb. 25. The production has a strictly limited 12-week run that concludes on May 18.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Directed by Jaki Bradley, All Nighter also stars Tony nominees Kathryn Gallagher and Julia Lester, as well as The Sex Lives of College Girls’ Alyah Chanelle Scott. Tony winner Ben Platt serves as a producer, alongside Adam Mersel, Rachel Sussman, Thomas Laub and Scott.
Froseth and Liu were both drawn to Margolin’s script, which offers a complex perspective on young, female friendships and self-acceptance, as well as plenty of shocking twists and turns.
Froseth was quick to say “yes” when the opportunity to star in the show arose despite feeling “scared” to make her theater debut. However, she felt more secure in her decision after she read the script, explaing, “I was blown away by the nuances of the female friendships, and how they create their own reality and how they decide to stick with the narrative. It is a beautiful experience about people checking in with themselves and on their narratives, and figuring out how to live truthfully with one another.”
Liu, who had never done theater aside from acting in a show during a playwriting contest when she was in high school, says that every single choice she makes on stage “has to do with how much the material speaks.”
“When I first read this play, I was so taken by its messaging and all the different questions that are posed,” the actress continues. “And then in meeting Nat and Jaki, and all the creatives involved, I just felt like there was a special alchemy. All of them are such geniuses. I would follow them into the dark. Even though it was a play, it didn’t feel like I was making a choice to step into the theater. It made it felt like I was making a choice to step into their world.”
Both actress have since found community with their costars in the play, many of whom are notable in the New York theater scene. “When I met everyone, they were all so welcoming and lovely,” Froseth shares, noting that she and Liu are the only ones who hadn’t done theater before. “So I stuck by her side, first and foremost, when starting the whole process.”
“But everyone’s just been so helpful in teaching me what theater is like and Havana has been a good support because neither of us have done it before,” she adds. “It’s rare to actually feel genuine support and no weird energy amongst females, and no passive aggressiveness, no competition. It’s just pure love and support.”
Liu agrees with how natural the bond among the cast feels, saying, “I feel like the idea of building chemistry is not even relevant to this because we all just immediately clicked in the most magical way. I feel so much respect and love for each of these people and how much of a master they are at their craft.”
She adds, “The stage actors, Julia, Kathryn and Alyah, have been so formative in creating a safe space and teaching us how to explore in this medium. I really put them all on, honestly, such a pedestal. I think about the sort of beautiful and impressive choices they make every day. I feel like there’s a real symbiotic, beautiful thing happening, where we all are really trusting one another through this. It’s one of the most loving creative experiences I’ve had in a long time.”
Tickets for All Nighter are now on sale.
Read the full article here
