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Alumna in ‘Miss Saigon,’ UD discount available

Karen Alvarez
5 p.m., Jan. 23, 2004--Karen Alvarez’s old roommates and friends already have tickets for “Miss Saigon’’ when the road show of the Broadway musical opens in Wilmington on Tuesday, Jan. 27. Alvarez, a 2002 political science grad, is part of the ensemble cast for the national tour’s two-week run at the DuPont Theatre.

The theatre, in honor of Alvarez’ UD connection, is offering UD faculty, staff and students with a University ID $20 off every pair of “Miss Saigon” tickets from all shows Tuesdays through Fridays, Jan. 27-30 and Feb. 3-6. Undiscounted tickets run between $47 and $67.

The past year-and-a-half has been a whirlwind tour for Alvarez. Just weeks before graduation, a casting agent called her UD home at School Lane Apartments and invited her to audition for the national tour lead in “Miss Saigon,” a musical she had been singing to herself since she was 12. She figures someone found her resume in a pile at a regional theater that passed her over.

“I was in complete shock when he called,’’ Alvarez said. “I was trying to write down all the information, and I couldn’t even write it all down. I called my family right after, and I remember screaming a lot. It was really thrilling.’’

Since that successful audition, Alvarez has performed almost 500 shows and visited a different city every week, from Miami and Las Vegas to small venues she’d never heard of. She was playing the lead role of Kim until she developed a cyst on her vocal chord last autumn, a problem since remedied by therapy and vocal training.

“Touring is a great way to see the country,’’ Alvarez said. “It’s like college but you’re all living in a hotel. The rooms are a little bit nicer than dorm rooms, but you go to work at night and you have the day to yourself. And, there are no classes and no exams. And, you’re doing what you love. It’s amazing.

“Miami and Las Vegas were really, really exciting. In Vegas, we played in the Aladdin casino, which was a huge venue. In Miami, people were on the beach, walking around in sandals and bathing suits. We really didn’t feel like we were working that week.’’

Alvarez says she’s excited to be coming to the DuPont Theatre, less than an hour away from her family’s Clementon, N.J., home. She first noticed the elegant theatre when she had a summer internship at the Delaware Center for Justice around the corner.

“I’ve always marveled at how beautiful it is from the outside, and I’ve never seen it from the inside before,’’ she said. “I never imagined I’d actually be working in there, so it’s really exciting. Wilmington is not my hometown, but I do consider it a second hometown for me.’’

What comes next for this political science major turned actor? Alvarez said she’s thinking about returning to school to become a registered nurse like her mother—but not yet.

“Acting is such a risky field,’’ she said. “People say you have to be in the right place at the right time with the right look. I look at it as, if the opportunity comes my way, I definitely won’t pass it up. I’ll take advantage of everything. I am interested in auditioning in the future, and I’ll enjoy this ride as long as possible. I’m sort of just seeing what happens and not really limiting myself to one thing.’’

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