Getting Ready With
Erika Henningsen’s Broadway Must-Haves? Bodega Champagne & Vintage Cartier
The star of Just In Time takes NYLON through her backstage getting-ready process.
Spring is not only the beginning of life-altering allergies and 4 p.m. glasses of Spanish wine glugged on a sidewalk: For theater heads, it’s their new year. The opening season on Broadway brings new shows to the Theater District with punchy names, ideas, and headline-grabbing casts. Just In Time is the new kid on the block; it’s a bio-jukebox-musical devoted to the life of ‘50s music legend Bobby Darin (played by Jonathan Groff), and Darin’s first wife Sandra Dee comes to life with a little help from Erika Henningsen. Henningsen was the originator of Cady Heron’s role in Mean Girls on Broadway, and now is stepping into another leading-lady moment alongside Groff and Gracie Lawrence.
Her night-of prep for the Wednesday premiere was as delightfully chaotic as any Broadway backstage moment ought to be, complete with 30-minute hair hacks and inexpensive champagne to soothe preshow jitters. Henningsen paid apt tribute to Dee with a flamingo-pink halter-neck dress from Simkhai, and borrowed some sparkling family heirlooms to outfit her wrists and ears. Below, she takes us from her dressing room (which was just recently another New York darling’s prep space) to the streets of New York with lots of photo ops in between.
This definitely captures that “just opened your show on Broadway” kind of feeling. I love the way glamour and grit are side by side in a Broadway theater: Onstage at our show it's nightclub magic, but backstage it's cramped hallways, people running multiple flights of stairs, and tiny dressing rooms overrun by our costumes and mementos. So to keep things balanced while I went through “glam,” I added some “grit” in the form of lukewarm bodega champagne poured into a whiskey glass ;)
My makeup is pretty natural in the show, so I wanted to look more glam for opening night. My dear friend Gianna Yanelli is an incredible makeup artist... and also currently starring in SIX on Broadway! We met when we were both cast in Mean Girls on Broadway, and she somehow had energy after her OWN Wednesday night show to pop over to my dressing room and do my face. What a literal multi-hyphenate queen.
My mom lent me her vintage Cartier tennis bracelet and matching earrings for the occasion. Our show is a nod to nostalgia and it felt right to wear something with a little history. Also, the Alessandra Rich shoes with the ankle strap felt so 1960s-chic. I feel like all the female stars of that era rocked a white pump at some point.
I never wear my hair up so this was a big deal for me, lol. Luckily, my amazing hairstylist Corey Tuttle nailed it and knew exactly what I meant when I asked for an “undone French twist.” And he did it in 30 minutes!
Am I asleep here? Who knows. Probably just taking a minute to breathe amidst the excitement of the eve. But wanted to highlight the Charlotte Tilbury makeup.
Costumes, costumes everywhere. I love our little dressing room though. I inherited the sky blue walls from Tommy Dorfman, who had them painted when she was starring in Romeo + Juliet a few months earlier! I love the color; it brightens up the space and adds some calming vibes. Thanks, Tommy!
Finishing touches. Also, this is a classic dressing-room station for a Broadway actress: a tea kettle, open bottle of cheap champagne, setting spray, and a mini steam nebulizer for my voice. The only thing not featured are the 1,000 stray bobby pins.
Our opening night happened to coincide with Sandra Dee's actual birthday. She would have been 83 years old. My favorite photos of her are always the ones where she's laughing and smiling from ear to ear (see below). This photo feels like her.
I love a black and white moment.
Let's take a beat for the Alessandra Rich shoes. And yes... our theater is in the basement of Wicked, so you really gotta take an escalator up and out of it.
My favorite shot of the night. The dress is Simkhai, a brand I am OBSESSED with. I had to wear pink as a nod to Sandra Dee. The costume I wear in the show is a lot more fitted and structured. It's a girlish A-line petticoat moment... so for opening night I wanted something more womanly, softer, and a little undone.
It's time to partyyyyy! Also, who is this sweet man offering to help me out? What a sweetie. We love him.
Photography: Rebecca J Michelson
Makeup: Gianna Yanelli
Hair: Corey Tuttle
