INTERVIEW: Kelly Felthous takes 1960s ‘Trip of Love’

Trip of Love, the new dance musical at Stage 42 in New York City, uses a 1960s pop-music soundtrack to tell the story of a young woman traveling through the decade in search of love. Kelly Felthous, an alumna of the Wicked national tour, plays the main character, Caroline. The actress is quite familiar with the role because she originated the character a few years ago in Japan.

“It was my first show out of college actually,” Felthous said recently during a phone interview. “Well, I actually got submitted by my agents for a new show, and it wasn’t initially called Trip of Love. It was called something else, and it was very undefined at the start when I first went in for it. And they liked me.”

Performing in Japan was quite the experience for Felthous and the company. She said that audience members in Asia focused on the ambiance of the songs and the movements in the musical. In New York City, audiences have been focused on the lyrics, which are quite iconic and memorable. For the actress, the songs, which are probably popular in whatever country they might be sung, have been her side her entire life. Among the selections are “White Rabbit,” “Wipe Out,” “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Born to be Wild” and “Downtown,” among others.

“Some of the songs I grew up singing,” she said. “I used to watch Gidget with my mom. I grew up in southern California, so I watched Gidget. And I wanted to be a surfer just like her, so all that kind stuff, the Beach Blanket Bingo aspect of the show, I’m really familiar with.”

Felthous admitted there were some songs she didn’t know, and this caused a few laughs from the cast and crew. “They made fun of me a lot,” she said with a laugh. “I was like, what? I don’t even know what you’re talking about, but some of the songs I did know, which is great. And some of the songs when I talk to people my age or younger, they don’t even realize it’s actually from a different era. Some of the younger generation, they’re like, oh, that’s from this commercial. Actually it’s a ’60s song because the ’60s music is so prevalent today.”

The characters in Trip of Love are brought to life thanks to dance movements and songs. There are no strict lines in the musical, and this makes the songs and dance sequences that much more important for the sake of characterization. “So it’s a lot of responsibility for us and especially for me because I was actually based off our director’s sister,” Felthous said. “And all of the characters are based off people from [director/choreographer] James Walski’s history, so I feel like I have a big responsibility to do that justice, which is very hard. But Caroline is a little privileged in the beginning and kind of goes through life, you know, dancing on the beach, and dreaming of love and thinking nothing can go wrong.”

When Felthous originated the role in Japan, she understood the first half of the musical about being young, hopeful, in love and “everything is like flowers and happiness.” However, now, she understands the journey in the second half of the show that leads to heartbreak, loss and learning to love again.

Felthous’ journey on stage is one more step in a performing-arts career that began when she was a child. “My mom owned a performing-arts studio when I grew up, so I was in it right from the get-go,” she said. “I actually started touring professionally when I was 9 and did professional shows in California … starting at the age of 7, I want to say, and did community theater before that, so I’ve been a professional actress for the majority of my life. I did a few national tours when I was younger, and I originated some shows. It was really fun. My mom threw me in it, and I never looked back.”

Felthous noted that her career highlight is the unique combination of roles she’s been able to play or originate. One that stands out among the rest is her role as Glinda in the Wicked national tour. “It was a dream come true to get to do that,” she said, adding that performing in Legally Blonde and work-shopping Bring it On were also memorable. “Those three were big for me.”

Right now, although she has dreams of making it to Broadway soon, she is focused on Trip of Love, a show that she finds herself explaining to a lot of interested theatergoers. “I always say, it’s an experience,” she said. “It’s not even a show; it’s an experience. Choose your own adventure. We want you to come and escape. It’s exactly what I feel like New York and the world needs right now, you know. We want you to come, and reminisce, and have a drink or two before, and sing along with us, and get up, and dance, and just escape and just enjoy the experience of what our show is.”

She added: “Trip of Love is a blast, and it never feels like I’m going to work, which is amazing.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Trip of Love is currently playing at Stage 42 at 422 W. 42nd St. in Manhattan, N.Y. Click here for more information on tickets.