She was the first Mexican actress to have a starring role on Broadway, and one of the youngest actresses to play Roxie Hart in a Broadway production of “Chicago.” Her name is Bianca Marroquín, and for the past 12 years, she’s been making a living on Broadway, showcasing her talents beyond borders and becoming a pride and joy for the Hispanic community in the United States and internationally. This success story, however, comes after a lot of work and discipline, a little bit of luck and tons of love and dedication. With a bright smile and sparkly personality, Bianca Marroquín agreed to sit down with Latin Times for a few minutes in the midst of a performance on Univision’s “Despierta América,” rehearsals for the Broadway show Chicago, where she’s back playing Roxie, and a media tour promoting her new album “El Mundo Era Mío,” which you can purchase on iTunes.
How did you get your start in musical theater?
I started dancing when I was 3 years old. Ballet, jazz, flamenco, tap and all that. My whole life I always knew I wanted to be a dancer. It wasn’t my intention to get into musical theater, until I was studying in Monterrey and Beauty and the Beast the show came to Mexico. It was the first Disney musical to go there. So I auditioned in Monterrey, then in Guadalajara, and then they brought me to Mexico City. It all started there. So after I was cast, I had to start training my voice, studying acting, but I was basically trained on stage. After that came Rent, Phantom of the Opera, and then Chicago being my first lead role in Mexico City. When I was doing Chicago, they invited me to come to Broadway and reprise my role there. I grew up in the border, between Matamoros, Tamaulipas and Brownsville, Texas so luckily I’ve been speaking Spanish and English ever since I was a little girl. My mom used to tell us all the time that we were very lucky.
So when you went to Broadway it was a seamless transition …
Yes, it was like “Oh my God, so that’s why I was supposed to grow up between those two worlds, on the border, with these parents, because when I turned 25, this was gonna happen to me. I get it.” It was like fate put me there.
What has been the greatest lesson you’ve learned being on stage?
My greatest lesson in this line of work I think has been to never take anything personally. We’re exposed to auditions all the time, and there will be projects that are not meant to be for you. So it’s all about the learning experience and not being like “oh they don’t like me” or “oh, I suck” because it has nothing to do with that. You do your job and let the universe do the rest. A lot of things aren’t meant to be ours, so as long as you continue your training in dance, singing and acting, and show up, show up, show up, eventually, you will get what’s supposed to be for you. That’s what I’ve learned: to let go. I go to an audition, I finish singing or whatever, and I go out and tear up the sides, the scenes, and throw them away. If it’s for me, I’ll get it back, and if not, thank you very much. You get seen by so many people that you don’t know if something can come out of that eventually.
What’s the difference between working in Mexico and the US?
There’s no difference. You can’t compare because it’s a different country, a different culture, when you go to Broadway it looks like Disneyland, people come and visit and buy tickets for two shows a day, you see all the lines to get in… and in Mexico there are not as many theaters, not a lot of producers, it’s not the same economic situation, it’s not the same history, politics… it’s not the same. So you can’t really compare. You have to value and appreciate what each country has to offer. They’re all fighting to give importance to the arts.
You’ve been in the US for 12 years now. What do you miss the most about Mexico?
The food!
If you hadn’t been a performer, what would you have been?
A doctor. My dad is a doctor so each summer I would go and work with him at the hospital. I loved being with the patients, he used to let me watch when he performed a surgery, I loved helping the nurses, I used to help with the newborns, and I feel like I became more human while being surrounded by sick patients, people in critical situations, and I think I would’ve done that had I not been on Broadway.
Did your dad get mad at you when you said you were going to be an artist?
Not at all. He never said to me “you have to do this or that.” He was more worried that maybe I wasn’t going to be able to sustain myself as a dancer, and as a responsible father, he wanted me to go to the TEC (Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education) and get a degree. But eventually I had to leave without his consent, and when my parents saw I was starting to climb the performing ladder they realized I was meant to do this and gave me all their support.
And you got a once in a lifetime opportunity because not all performers get their start in New York on Broadway…
Yes, I’ve been so lucky, and I’m very conscious that I’ve been very blessed. But I’m also conscious of all the hard work it took me to get where I am. I’ve never lost focus and I’ve sacrificed so many things.
What are your future plans now?
My album! I started recording it last September. See, I’m a composer. I’ve been playing piano and guitar since I was very little and I’ve been writing since I was 14. I had always wanted to make an album but musical theater came along and my life took me along another path. But this album has songs that I wrote when I was 14, then at 20… this has been in the works for years. This is my creation, this is my baby. Half of the album is songs that I wrote, and the other half songs that my partners composed. They said “Let’s make a record!” and I said “Alright!” and they asked, “Can you put songs of ours in the record?” and I said, “Sure! Let’s do 50/50.” And I love their songs so much. I chose them based on the connection I had with them. It’s a very eclectic record, it’s a little bit of everything, but it leans toward pop. It’s called “El Mundo Era Mío” (The World Was Mine), which is also the title of the first single. That one I wrote three and a half years ago, almost four. Let’s say four. .
What motivated you to choose “El Mundo Era Mío” as your first single?
Because when I wrote this song was when I came to the realization that life is short, and we’re only here for so long, so you gotta step up, do whatever it is you have to do. There are so many experiences that I still have to live, that I haven’t been able to because I’ve been so focused on my art, my professional life that I’ve left my personal life on the side. It was a song that I wrote in a balcony back in Miami staring at the sea. And I began writing and it all came to me so fast. And it’s about the moment I said “There’s something bigger written for me, and I know my mission in this world goes beyond this, so now it’s the time.” We’re only here temporarily and nothing belongs to you. That’s why I say “the world was mine” and people get confused as to why, and I say it’s because nothing really belongs to us. Not the people, nor your kids, nor a lover nor things. Not even a house nor time. So the quicker you learn that you can’t tie yourself to things, the happier you’ll live life. Always giving thanks for the things that come your way, enjoying the moment, and understand that life goes on, people leave and the more you learn to let go and say “thank you and goodbye,” the more you become available for what’s next in life.
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