With music by Tony and eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken and lyrics by the late two-time Academy Award winner Howard Ashman, three-time Academy Award winner Tim Rice, and four-time Tony nominee Chad Beguelin, who also wrote the book, the musical is adapted from the film and also ancient folktales including “One Thousand and One Nights.” And everything he touches becomes magical,” says Mullins. “Casey has the biggest heart ever and he won my heart, too, when he directed me in the first national tour of ‘Monty Python’s Spamalot.’ He is a director who really cares about his actors.

Mullins says “magical” is also the word that best describes not only her current assignment, but also its director, Casey Nicholaw (“Mean Girls,” “The Book of Mormon”). It was a magical, magical couple of years,” recalls Mullins. “I can still remember thinking, ‘What is happening to me? How am I so blessed?’ We were all bred by Ann Reinking and Debbie McWaters, who directed that tour, at the Broadway Theatre Project. We played London, Scotland, and Ireland, and in Greece we performed in an outdoor theater near the Acropolis where the show didn’t start until the sun set. “I did the final world tour of ‘Fosse’ when I was 18. “I spent summers studying at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., and I trained with Ann Reinking at the Broadway Theatre Project, where I also learned from Gregory Hines, Ben Vereen, and Gwen Verdon,” says Mullins.Īnd not only learned but also landed early work as a professional performer. I was also blessed, though, that my parents made sure I got a well-rounded arts education. “Without the Boston Ballet, I wouldn’t have had any of the career experiences I’ve had so far. She danced the role of Clara in “The Nutcracker” in 1996, and also danced in productions of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Paquita,” “Cinderella,” and “Sleeping Beauty.” “I didn’t hesitate to tell my parents that I was going to leave home, because they have both always been very supportive of me,” says Mullins.įrom age nine through high school, Mullins trained at the Boston Ballet.

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