Myra Molloy makes history as first Thai leading actress in a Broadway musical
Early on in the Zoom conversation, I slipped into my Thai Indian accent when pronouncing the name, Eurydice, in what was perhaps a momentary code-switching lapse. Thai American actress Myra Molloy, who, today, will be beginning her run as the character Eurydice in Broadway’s Hadestown, was completely unfazed and continued partaking in the conversation. I apologized moments later, admitting to my mistake, and Molloy generously confessed that she routinely did the same with certain Thai words as well.
“The other day, I said something on the street and my sister was laughing so hard because I emphasized it in the way you would say it in Thai or Tinglish,” said Molloy. Over Zoom, her hair was slicked back into a ponytail and she wore long dangling earrings that bounced around as she spoke. “I put the emphasis on the wrong part of the word and it sounded so funny, but that’s just what happens when you’re a bilingual queen. Or trilingual like you!”
Molloy joins costar Louis Bourzgui, who will play Orpheus, in the Tony-winning musical at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Today, she also makes history as the first Thai actress to lead a musical on Broadway. This achievement comes full circle as Molloy’s first exposure to Broadway dates back to when her parents took her to musical theatre shows in New York as a young girl.
From Bangkok to Broadway – Myra Molloy’s journey
Born and raised in Bangkok, Molloy was part of a family who was not in the arts or anywhere near it. But Broadway changed her life then as well, introducing her to the world of acting and singing. She was so entranced that she watched Phantom of the Opera “maybe upwards of 20 times.” She didn’t quite know what she was feeling but a determination had been planted in her to be a part of the world somehow.
Before TikTok could catapult unknown singers into fame, Molloy…
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