Spotlight On: Kimberley Parsons-Whitaker

Connecticut Theatre Company’s “Spotlight On…” series continues with a look into our talented cast and crew of Sondheim on Sondheim. Get to know Kimberly Parsons-Whitaker!

Introduce Yourself to Our Audience:

I’m Kimberley Parsons-Whitaker. I’m a trained opera and concert singer and have performed in plays and musicals since I was 13. I live in West Hartford with my husband, a professional trombonist. Our daughter is an educator in the Denver Public Schools. I work for the State of CT as a Community Development Specialist.

What has been your favorite role so far in your career?

My favorite role in opera is Susanna in “The Marriage of Figaro”. In musical theater, Maria in “West Side Story” (obviously a long time ago!).

If you had a magic wand, what show would you do next?

If I had a magic wand, I would be cast as Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd”.

When did you first perform?

My first paid singing gig was at the age of 14, when I sang the National Anthem on the roof of the snack bar at Pleasant Valley Drive-In in Barkhamsted, CT.

What’s going to surprise people about this production?

I think people may be surprised about the back-story of Stephen Sondheim’s life, and then they’ll probably understand better how it influenced much of his music.

Who’s the funniest person in the cast in real life?

The funniest person in the cast? Well, I think everyone in our cast has a great sense of humor – which is so critical to a supportive and creative environment.

What is your favorite Stephen Sondheim show and why?

My favorite Sondheim show has to be “Sweeney Todd”. The magnificent music, the size and scale of the show – it’s quite operatic in scope.

How has Stephen Sondheim inspired you?

I’ve been inspired this year by Sondheim in a personal way. I had retired from singing two years ago because I was not meeting my own standards as a singer — I felt I had aged out. Sondheim is very difficult to learn, so it’s been a challenge and a thrill to step back into it again!

Sondheim on Sondheim opens on August 30th and runs through September 15th at Connecticut Theatre Company. Tickets on sale now!

“Sondheim’s words and music are, for all their intelligence and sophistication, most striking for their emotional fidelity to his characters and the universal struggles and joys informing their disparate journeys. Thus the frustrations driving Sweeney Todd’s demon barber and the gunslingers in Assassins are as eerily accessible as the romantic obsession captured in the songs Losing My Mind and Not a Day Goes By.” – Elysa Gardner, USA Today

“One sometimes wonders what the notoriously exacting Sondheim privately thinks of the many revues and revivals of his work that come along. No worry here; ‘Sondheim on Sondheim’ is engrossingly entertaining and thoroughly captivating. An enchanting, warm and provocative opportunity to hear not only Sondheim’s songs but — literally — the master’s voice.” – Steven Suskin, Variety