A Capitol Fourth is easily the biggest, most extravagant Independence Day celebration in the country (unless San Diego is planning to set off all their fireworks at once again, that is.) Hosted by Tom Bergeron on the West Lawn of the US Capitol building, America’s favorite Fourth of July tradition features a star-spangled lineup of performers this year—including Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, American Idol winner Candace Glover, Darren Criss of Glee fame, country singer Scotty McCreery and many others—all accompanying Jack Everly and the National Symphony Orchestra.
Megan Hilty, who rose to fame on Broadway to become the star of TV’s late, lamented Smash, is back at A Capitol Fourth for the second time, and she couldn’t be more excited. In fact, this year has been an exciting one already for Megan: her first album, It Happens All the Time, was released in March and she got a new TV series with Will & Grace‘s Sean Hayes just last month. We gabbed with Megan just before the big concert about the latest goings-on in her multi-faceted career, her thoughts on being asked back to A Capitol Fourth, and her latest vintage vinyl acquisition.
What are you most looking forward to at your second A Capitol Fourth?
Oh my gosh. First of all, I had so much fun last year and I’m so excited to be going back. There are so many reasons to be excited about this. To celebrate our nation’s birthday in our capitol is incredible. To sing with the National Symphony Orchestra is amazing. The lineup is just ridiculous, so I really can’t wait for next week.
The line-up is pretty ridiculous. Are you hoping to get to do a duet with anyone in particular, or is your performance pretty much all set?
Oh, I know I won’t be doing any duets, but I’m hoping to rub elbows with everyone backstage. Maybe they’ll autograph my Playbill. [Laughs]
Your album, It Happens All The Time, represents a stretch for you in your career, recording a pop album. Have you felt as validated for doing it as you do for your work in the theater and on TV?
I guess so. For me, I feel like it’s important to keep doing things that you don’t normally do. This is so far from what I normally… as far as material and singing style goes, I was really out of my comfort zone. And I was really proud of it at the end; it ended up being really different, conceptually, from what we started out thinking it was going to be. But I’m really proud of it.
It sounds like you’re always up for a challenge, and I’d imagine if you’re going to be doing patriotic songs, a lot of those are really a stretch, too. So many are really difficult to sing… how do you prepare for that?
They’re deceptively difficult! But my trick with anything like that is to try not to think about it too much. [Laughs] And try to just do it.
I know the album was originally going to be covers and songs from movies that you liked, and that changed as the process went on. What do you feel like your next steps are for you, music-wise?
I don’t really know yet. I’m going to start having some meetings about that soon. I’m not quite sure, but I think I’d like to do something a little more… I don’t know… something that I can actually take with me to my concerts for the piano. Maybe a little more classical. I don’t know—I’m not quite sure.
As you were growing up listening to Broadway albums and focusing on being a Broadway star, did you ever feel like an anachronism? Were you ever told by people that you were “old for your years” because you were so into opera and showtunes?
Actually, yeah! [Laughs] Yeah, I’ve always kind of heard that. But I take it as a compliment.
It hasn’t seemed to deter you at all!
No, no, no. I’m very stubborn! [Laughs]
I imagine that’s a big advantage when going out for Broadway shows and TV—to be stubborn. Not taking “no” for an answer.
I guess so, yeah. Absolutely.
I can’t imagine what a roller coaster ride it must have been between Smash being prematurely cancelled and now a TV show with Sean Hayes. Can you talk a little bit about your role on that?
Yeah, we found out that Smash wasn’t going to get a third season, and we were just trying to figure out what happens next. Luckily, this show came along as an option and this is exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to do something funny; I wanted to play something that was a polar opposite of the character I was playing on Smash, and this was exactly it. And I get to work with Sean again, so this is like a dream project.
That’s so cool! What is more appealing to you to doing the comedic role as opposed to the dramatic one?
I don’t know, but I’m very much looking forward to filming in front of a live studio audience. I haven’t done much of it, but the little I’ve done was so much fun. To be able to get to do that every week, I’m sure, would kind of feel like doing a show in New York.
A Capitol Fourth is an American institution. We’re all about vinyl records and independent record stores around here, which we feel are American institutions as well. So we wanted to know: are you into vinyl at all?
Yeah, actually! My boyfriend got me really into it and excited about it, and we’ve been starting a record collection together. He has a really cool record player; we’ve been going to a lot of different cities lately, and that’s kind of our favorite thing to do…going to little record shops and finding little gems in there.
We found this really cool Dolly Parton record—hold on, I have to tell you the title…it’s fantastic. I know Dolly Parton, but I hadn’t heard… here it is: Heartbreaker. [Laughs] It’s… amazing. I’ve only heard a couple of the songs before, but it’s fantastic. [Laughs] But that’s one of the amazing things about going to these stores.
That’s so cool!
It’s awesome, and the artwork’s amazing.
Was that ‘70s-era Dolly?
I think it is, yeah. 1978.
Being from Seattle, you must have had a favorite record store growing up?
Oh, yeah! There was a place in Bellevue Square that I used to go to all the time. Oh, gosh, even more than that, I used to go to the Pike Place Market every Saturday… and there was a really great vinyl store that I used to go to with my best friend that I can’t remember the name of, and it’s probably not even there anymore.
But, yeah, that was one of my favorite things to do—we would go to this little French bakery and then look at records.
When you were that age, did you ever imagine that you’d be on Broadway, be on TV, be doing something like this massive Fourth of July concert?
I always knew I was going to be in the arts, no matter what. Whether it was going to be on stage or off, that was never a question to me. I never dreamed I’d be on TV. That was never a goal until maybe five years ago; it was just all Broadway, all the time.
It’s funny how life takes you on these 90-degree turns from where you think you’re going sometimes.
It really is, and you just have to be open to it. Open and ready! [Laughs]
After this huge concert, I saw that you are playing a gig or two. Do you plan on touring behind It Happens All the Time? What’s next for you this summer?
You know, it would have to be a very, very well-planned tour. The shows that I do right now, which my boyfriend and my friend Matt, are very much our personalities. [Laughs] We can do just about anything. They are amazing artists in their own right, so they know how to work their way around any song—vocally or on the guitar or piano.
So, we’re just starting to figure out… just playing with the new songs and making it feel like the audience is in our living room, instead of a big, showy, perfect and well-rehearsed show. That’s just not us. [Laughs] And that’s what the album tour would have to be, so it would take a lot of time.
Bringing it back to the Fourth, when you were growing up, what were some of your favorite Fourth of July activities?
My parents had a timeshare in eastern Washington. If we weren’t there, we had a big fireworks show out at the lake we stayed that. Either there, or a big neighborhood party on the cul-de-sacs that we lived on. It was always filled with lots of friends and family and food—and fireworks! [Laughs]
A Capitol Fourth airs live from the West Lawn of the US Capitol building at 8:00pm EDT on your local PBS channel.
