Laura Benanti, A Real-Life Supergirl

Actress/singer Laura Benanti has covered some ground in her time as a performer. In 1999, the Broadway baby turned "Nashville" star was plucked out of the chorus of the Broadway revival of "The Sound of Music" to play the plumb role of Maria when she was only 19. By 2002, she was performing as Cinderella in the revival of "Into the Woods," and later, despite suffering a spinal injury, was back on the New York boards by 2006 in "The Wedding Singer." In 2008, she won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Gypsy Rose Lee opposite Patti LuPone in the Broadway revival of "Gypsy." In 2013, she went full circle winning accolades for her performance of the Baroness in TV's "The Sound of Music Live!," an otherwise unremarkable production.

This March, she appeared at Radio City Musical Hall's "New York Spring Spectacular," and as country singer Sadie Stone in ABC's hit show, "Nashville."

But as she admits, musical theater is her first love. On June 14, she'll share the love in a show with the Boston Gay Men's Chorus, just in time for Pride. Here's what Benanti had to say about her life in the spotlight.

EDGE: Your character Sadie Stone on ABC's "Nashville" just shot her abusive husband and took off. Is she going to return?

Benanti: I wanna know that, too! I don't have an answer for that. I hope so, but I've yet to hear anything.

EDGE: Did you get a lot of feedback on that from women in domestic violence situations?

Benanti: I've gotten a lot of Facebook postings and Tweets. People come up to me on the street saying this is their story or the story of their mother, sister, or friend. It actually makes me sad how many people say it's their story, and how gratified they are to me for portraying it. The 'Nashville' writers were incredibly brave to take on this serious topic and they handled it in such a masterful way.

EDGE: We saw you perform with the Rockettes this spring at Radio City Music Hall. How was that?

Benanti: It was crazy; I've never been a part of something like that before. Performing for 6,000 people was thrilling, and I love the Rockettes, so performing and becoming friends with them was really cool. But it was brand new to me, and not something I'd ever done before.

EDGE: You also starred as Baroness Elsa Schr�der in the NBC program "The Sound of Music Live!" How was it to shoot a live television?

Benanti: For me it was a hybrid of things I had been doing. I know how to work on the stage and in front of a camera, so I was able to strike a good tone for the evening. It's not quite as small as TV and not quite as big as theater, but I was able to achieve that happy balance with my performance and the show overall. I think people were overly harsh about the end product. Anytime you can get live entertainment into people's homes that has singing and dancing and sweating, it's a remarkable feat. Anything that forwards live theater is a boon.

EDGE: You are also going to be in the TV series "Supergirl," as Krypton native Alura Zor-El, the biological mother of the title character. Are you ready to be a superhero?

Benanti: Yeah, I'm really excited! It's going to be really fun. There's a spoiler I can't tell you, but believe me, it's going to be very exciting.

EDGE: You'll also return to Broadway next year in a rendition of "She Loves Me." Anticipations?

Benanti: I'm extremely excited about this! Josh Radnor and I starring together at the Roundabout Theater Company. Scott Ellis is directing and Warren Carlyle is doing choreography. I can't wait to be back on Broadway.

EDGE: You are also writing a book of humorous personal essays. Tell readers about that.

Benanti: It hasn't been published yet; I'm writing it now. But essentially it's a book of comedic essays about my childhood, moving to the city at 18, and my general musings on life. It's by no means prescriptive, but before writing it, I thought I was the heroine of these stories, but I ended up as the villain. It makes for good comedy, but it's also a warning. A lot of my fans are young women, and it's nice to write stories as a warning to them: maybe don't do this.

EDGE: You're also going to guest star with the Boston Gay Men's Chorus on June 15. Why is this important?

Benanti: Well my late uncle Robert Wonneberger was a founding member of The Gay Men's Chorus of DC, and I performed with them before and after he died, as well as with the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. For me, it's important to perform with these organizations. For a lot of men, they are the only family they have; they've been turned away by their family, and find a new one in these men they are singing with. I feel a deep sense of pride and commitment to these organizations, and it comes from a deeply personal place in terms of my love for my late uncle.

Laura Benanti performs with the Boston Gay Men's Chorus at 3 p.m. on June 14 at the Pops Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave. in Boston. Tickets are $27-77.

For tickets or information, call 888-266-1200 or visit http://www.bso.org/Performance/Detail/72813 or www.bgmc.org