Elizabeth Stanley plays Claire de Loon in On the Town with the precision of a scientist. She knows this woman inside and out, and you can tell from the way in which each of her moves seems both predisposed and completely natural. But she is not only intellect and technique, as she is encouraged to fall into temptation alongside sailor-on-leave Ozzie (played by Clyde Alves) we see the soon-to-be anthropologist give into her primal instincts unapologetically, something the character owes to Stanley, who very much like Claire is a born researcher. Stanley is the kind of artist who not content with just playing the part, also does a cabaret show about the progressive writer behind her character - as she did with her show featuring the songs of Betty Comden. The legendary lyricist wrote the part of Claire to play it herself onstage, and one can guess she would’ve been delighted with Stanley’s rendition.

As On the Town gears for its closing on Broadway - following a triumphant path from playing at the Barrington Stage Company, to playing in Broadway’s second largest venue and earning four Tony nominations in the process - Stanley has already lined up her next great part, she will headline the national tour of The Bridges of Madison County opposite Andrew Samonsky. It will be the first time a different actress has taken on the score Jason Robert Brown wrote for Kelli O’Hara, and Stanley ought to do it more than justice. We had the privilege of speaking to Ms. Stanley shortly after the announcement was made and we discussed her expectations, the importance of telling stories about empowered women onstage and, as usual, we ended up talking Sondheim.

Congratulations on getting to play Francesca in the National Tour of The Bridges of Madison County.

Thank you, I am so excited about this!

You’re from Iowa, the show takes place in Iowa and the tour gets started in Iowa. Is this a surreal homecoming or what?

Yeah, it’s awesome. I feel like Iowa is a random place in most people’s opinions, but to me it’s a very special place. All of my extended family lived in Iowa for a few generations, we moved to Illinois when I was 10, so I didn’t graduate from high school in Iowa but it still feels like my roots. I hope I can get to go to my uncle’s place for Thanksgiving, my mom’s already told me my relatives are getting tickets, so it’s very exciting.

The book and the movie were such popular properties, did you have any personal experiences/fanhood with either of those?

My dad read the book and I borrowed it from him when I was in junior high, and I wrote a book report on it. I remember thinking it was so good and then I lent it to a friend of mine who was so embarrassed by it upon realizing it was a romance (laughs) but I loved it. I haven’t seen the movie, but I’ll be happy to pick up some acting tips from Meryl Streep, so I’ll definitely check it out now.

You’re in for a treat, it’s one of the few movies who’s made everyone I know cry.

Aww, I love that.

Is it intimidating to take on a part that has such a following and has garnered the two actresses who’ve played her Oscar and Tony nominations?

Now you’re just scaring me (laughs). It’s equal parts thrilling, challenging and terrifying!

Which songs from the Tony-winning score are you dying to do?

Every day it changes, right now that one that’s been stuck in my head is the opening number, “To Build a Home”, I love the whole score so much.

Do you know if the show has undergone any changes before the tour?

I have no idea, but I’m curious to find that out myself.

You’ll be going to extreme opposites from doing zany comedy in On the Town to doing drama in Bridges, but in both you’re studying women very specific to their eras, both of whom in a way are restrained by their relationships to men. So as an artist interested in women’s rights as you showed in the #MakeItFair campaign, would you say you’re interested in studying women in American society through the ages?

Yes, I love this question, and I hadn’t made that comparison between the characters but you’re so right. I have loved playing Claire de Loon so much because she isn’t a wimpy romantic character, neither is Francesca, but I think sometimes in fiction women get too romanticized and they lose reality and humanity, so it was great to play Claire because she was written by a great woman [Betty Comden] who wrote it to play it herself. And she’s allowed to be so many things, Francesa as well, she’s funny and witty, but she’s also very sincere and very deep. They both go through a journey within the show, in which they’re conflicted and must reevaluate their loyalties and what their heart needs to do. In Bridges it’s so thrilling because I remember being younger and my older friends telling me to watch out because the roles would stop when I turned 40. It’s often true with a lot of stuff that’s been written lately, that there aren’t many female storylines especially in musicals, so it’s thrilling to play a grown woman in a romance full of real life emotions.

Both Claire and Francesca also really embrace their sexuality which is something fiction denies women very often.

Yeah, they’re usually objectified or male fantasies. We’ve seen progress but it’s nice sometimes to go “you know what, I feel this too” (laughs)

Bridges won’t be your first National Tour since you’ve done Xanadu and Cabaret. Can you comment on how the dynamic of being on tour and getting adjusted to a different city every few weeks is any different than being in the same house on Broadway?

It’s totally different, one of the things I’ve noticed is that the audience varies. For instance audiences on the West Coast enjoyed Xanadu more audibly, it’s kind of a stereotype but I guess the West Coast is more lax and the East Coast is more conservative in their reactions. There are different energies, so it’s cool to see how people react. I love the adventure, wandering around and as much as I love being home, I’m excited to get out and explore.

You seem to be a history buff too, do you do any research on the history of the theaters you’re performing in to get any energy out of it?

I don’t but I should, good idea. Sometimes people mention legendary people who have performed where I’m playing, but I do love getting to know other artists in the different cities I visit.

Bridges had a disappointingly short run on Broadway, and you had a similar experience with Cry Baby which closed a little too soon before people got to know it. Do you have any thoughts on what the right lifespan of a show should be to get people to know them?

Some of the very best shows have had very short runs, some of the most remarkable pieces in musical theatre like many of Sondheim’s works have closed very early. I think not every show has a commercial audience but that doesn’t mean it’s not a relevant piece of art.

Your first Broadway show was Company and you were also in the Encores production of Merrily We Roll Along. What are your next Sondheim dream roles?

I would like to do Dot in Sunday in the Park with George, the Witch in Into the Woods or the Baker’s Wife, and something in A Little Night Music. I did a Sondheim concert recently and got reacquainted with that score and I love it.

For more on The Bridges of Madison County visit their official website. For more on Elizabeth Stanley visit her official website.