These days, it’s considered poor form to comment on someone’s appearance in any way — size, color, age, etc. But Sarasota actress Melanie Souza started it, so let’s keep it going.
During a telephone interview, Souza mentioned more than once that she’s 4 feet, 11 inches tall. Her professional profile at theater trade publication Backstage lists Souza as 5 foot 1, but who are we to quibble about details?
Oddly enough, Souza hails from Rhode Island, whose nickname is “Little Rhody” because it’s the smallest state in the U.S.
When you’re an aspiring actor and you’re really tall, like the late actor Fred Gwynne (“My Cousin Vinnie,” TV’s “The Munsters”), or diminutive like Souza, casting directors remember you for character roles.
A full-time Florida resident since 2000, Souza became a professional actress as a second act in life. After a career in hairdressing, she began performing here in community theater and after joining Actors Equity, in regional theater and touring productions from Maine to Florida.
Sarasota resident Melanie Souza got her Actors Equity card later in life.
Souza is part of an ensemble cast in “Menopause the Musical 2: Cruising Through the Change.” It’s the first show at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall when it reopens on Jan. 4.
As its tagline implies, “MTM 2” is set on a cruise ship. It features frank and funny discussion about a once-taboo topic as well as a lot of singing and dancing.
Souza was also in the original “MTM.” In both shows, her character is known as “Earth Mother.”
We haven’t seen either of the “Menopause” musicals, but we’ll assume that someone called “Earth Mother” might recommend natural remedies for hot flashes. Just a guess.
We don’t want to ruin things for those seeing the musical for the first time. When an interviewer tells Souza that she overheard women in the bathroom of the Sarasota Opera House discussing their upcoming girls outing to “MTM 2,” the actress replied, “It’s a sisterhood.”
She elaborated by saying, “It’s four women on stage. We talk about things and the women in the audience say, ‘OMG, that’s me. I gotta bring my girlfriend.’ They often come more than once.”
The original “MTM” had music that echoes the sounds of the 1960s and ’70s, but the sequel dances to more of an ’80s beat, Souza says.
According to her Backstage professional profile, Souza, who is of Portuguese descent, can play 48- to 58-year-old women of various ethnic backgrounds, including Middle Eastern, European and multiracial. What does that mean?
In “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” Souza played the singer’s mother, Genie King, in a production at Theatre by the Sea in her native Rhode Island. She portrayed Abuela Claudia “In the Heights” at American Stage in the Park in St. Petersburg.
Souza is a favorite in ensemble productions such as “9 to 5 the Musical,” in which she’s played Roz Keith both at Theatre by the Sea and at The Alhambra in Jacksonville.
The family that sings together …
When Souza was growing up, she dreamed of becoming a ballerina and began taking lessons at the age of 3. While her mother was a homemaker and her father was a firefighter, they were a musical family and encouraged their daughter’s talents.
A big inspiration was her aunt, Marie Chaplin, who was the catalyst for six family members performing in a musical revue called “All These Years.” Her aunt is still singing at age 88, though she has officially retired, Souza says.
Souza graduated from the University of Maine in Farmington, where she developed her love of theater. However, after college she took a practical turn: She went to hairdressing school.
In addition to operating her own salon, “Rave Reviews” (note the theatrical reference), on the east side of Providence, she taught hairdressing and became a platform artist at hair shows.
“Hair show openings are flashy. You have costumes and dancers. I was able to use some of my theater skills there,” she says.
The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall will reopen with “Menopause The Musical 2 – Cruising Through the Change” on Jan. 4.
Theater was on the back burner until Souza and her husband moved to Sarasota full time and she became involved in community theater.
A turning point came when she met her mentor, vocal coach Carlo Thomas, she says. Every time she appears on stage, Souza sends love to “Carlo” in the playbills that audiences receive at performances.
After starring as Sally Bowles in Venice Little Theatre’s production of “Cabaret” in 2006, Souza decided to get her Actors Equity card, which would make her a professional in the eyes of the theater world.
To get that coveted card, Souza participated in a special program requiring her to perform for 50 weeks in professional theaters. “It takes time because most contracts are six weeks. It took me six years,” she says.
Does Souza have any advice for actors who want to make the jump from community theater to legit (professional) theater?
“You have to really want it,” she says. “You’re away from home a lot if you want to work so your family has to support your dreams.”
With many casting directors requiring online submissions of auditions, a trend that started during the pandemic and stuck around, Souza advises aspiring actors to get a ring light and invest in good video recording equipment. “Have really great cameras and sound,” she says.
The most important tip: “Follow the instructions.”