The Debut Of A Lifetime

Ruby Lewis with costar Ryan Vona, who plays Joey. (Photo by Joan Marcus) — Ruby Lewis with costar Ryan Vona, who plays Joey. *(Photo by Joan Marcus)*

Ruby Lewis’ dreams are coming true. Not only is she making her Broadway debut with Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour, but she’s also starring as the show’s leading lady, Indigo James, a character she helped create and that is based partially on her.

“I’m on cloud nine,” Lewis said. “This is my childhood dream.”

Lewis, a sweet, wide-eyed girl from a small town in Kentucky, had always dreamed of originating a role on Broadway. She toured with shows like Grease and Jersey Boys, and was first introduced to producers from Cirque du Soleil Theatrical last summer while performing in For The Record: Baz in Las Vegas. The producers were so impressed with her, they invited her to audition for the part of the leading lady. Lewis also got to have a hand in the process of creating the character, a small-town singer who gets her big break after she’s discovered by a Hollywood director looking for his next big star.

“We’re very similar in that we have big dreams and aspirations,” said Lewis of the similarities between herself and Indigo. “It’s like life imitating art in a way.”

In the show, Lewis’ character finds herself in a love triangle, pulled between the pure-hearted composer Joey (played by Ryan Vona) and controlling Hollywood director AJ Golden (played by Jeremy Kushnier), who promises to make her a star. Not only does Paramour bring to life Lewis’ dreams of a Broadway debut in an original role, she also gets to relive the glamorous days of cinema as the show is set in the “Golden Age of Hollywood.”

“I grew up watching old Fred Astaire and Ginger Roberts movies. I would have loved to be alive during that time because it’s so glamorous and wonderful,” Lewis said. “So for me, to live it every night and live a little piece of that and feel so glamorous, it’s like the little girl in me freaks out.”

Though she has spent years performing, both on stage and on TV, Broadway is a whole new world. Lewis said she loves performing every night, but there’s a lot more pressure and work involved with a show on the Great White Way.

“Reaching your goals and seeing your dreams come true is so wonderful, but it’s not a cake walk,” Lewis said. “To carry a Broadway show is hard work and takes a lot of work. I’m really excited to do it.”

Lewis is not only a talented actress, but a powerful vocalist, with a presence that fills up the Lyric Theatre. She shares the stage with some of Cirque du Soleil’s most gifted performers, who hail from 13 different countries. Every night she’s surrounded by jugglers, acrobats, gymnasts, contortionists, trampoline jumpers and other artists performing stunts that leave the audience, and Lewis herself, amazed.

“It’s hard not to break character when I watch some of the acrobatics. They are all so disciplined and wonderful at what they do,” Lewis said. “It never gets old.”