Lindsay Mendez Reflects on Performing in Merrily We Roll Along While Pregnant: ‘I Like a Challenge’ (Exclusive)

Performing eight shows a week can be exhausting for any Broadway star, regardless of the physical demands, psychological discipline and total commitment to lifestyle required to pull off a show or musical every night.

Now imagine doing that while pregnant.

This is what Lindsay Mendez is going through right now. The Tony Award winner — who is nominated again this season for Best Actress in a Musical — is treading the boards in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s hit We roll happily, all this while she was waiting for her second child, who should be born in September.

So how does she do it? “I don’t know, I like challenges!” Mendez, 41, tells PEOPLE at the Tony Awards Meet the Nominees junket earlier this month. “When you’re pregnant, it’s like watching a pot of water boil so it can go on for so long. Being busy is actually kind of helpful. It passes!”

Lindsay Mendez of Broadway is expecting child no. 2, her first child with husband J. Alex Brinson: ‘The first of joy’

Lindsay Mendez at the Tony Awards Meet the Nominees press conference held at the Sofitel New York on May 2, 2024 in New York City.

Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty

The actress stars alongside fellow Tony nominees Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe in We roll happilywhich tells the story of a successful composer named Franklin Shepard (Groff) who looks back on his life and the choices that led to the end of his relationship with his once inseparable friends Mary (Mendez) and Charlie (Radcliffe).

Mary — the author we meet at the top of the series as a sullen, angry party girl who drowns her hurt in drink — is a physical role, and Tony-nominated director Maria Friedman gives Mendez many levels to play with, including several trips to the floor. .

Getting up is taking longer and longer, admits Mendez, who is the mother of a two-year-old daughter, Lucy. “I don’t know how much longer I will be able to get up from the floor by myself,” he jokes. “Our run ends on July 7, so I have one more [eight] weeks and I am 20 weeks pregnant. But I’ll try!”

“My producers were so accommodating and wonderful,” says Mendez. “They changed my costumes. Whatever I need on stage, they do it, off it as well. So it was just small adjustments, but it’s basically the same feeling.”

Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez in ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ on Broadway.

Matthew Murphy

The production brought together Mendez, Groff and Radcliffe. “We became so close,” Mendez tells PEOPLE at a dinner held at the Sofitel New York. “Having this experience of doing it off-Broadway and now doing it on Broadway, so much has happened in our lives over the years and we’ve all been there for each other.”

“I think we were always meant to be friends and the love we have is so deep and real that it’s so easy for us to make a series,” adds Mendez. It’s so much fun to share that with an audience. It’s really wonderful.”

Broadway’s Lindsay Mendez Marries J. Alex Brinson in NYC Wedding! All details (exclusive)

In fact, they became so close that they were both involved in Mendez’s April wedding to husband J. Alex Brinson, with Groff as the officiant and Radcliffe as the ring bearer.

“They were there for me when I started dating my husband and they’ve been there for me through most of those periods of my life and they’ve always been rooting for us. Plus, they’re my daughter’s uncles. It wouldn’t be the same without them,” says Mendez, noting, “It was so special to have them be a part of it.”

Lindsay Mendez, Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe in ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ on Broadway.

Matthew Murphy

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Mendez announced her pregnancy in March. “Our family band is expanding! And we are bursting with joy!” she wrote on her Instagram. “J and I can’t wait for Lucy to be a big sister and welcome our new baby this fall.”

The actress will find out if she is a two-time Tony winner on June 16, when the 2024 Tony Awards are held at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater in New York City.

“I’m excited,” she told PEOPLE of her nomination. “It’s always a great feeling to be invited to a party.”

Tickets for We roll happily they are on sale now.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education