Profile: Broadway Actresses Beth Johnson Nicely & Amanda-Kloots Larsen Get Their Just Desserts

				(Just Desserts NYC photos: Dana Edelson) Broadway actresses Beth Johnson Nicely and Amanda Kloots-Larsen share many things. They both (coincidentally) moved from Ohio to New York nine years ago to pursue theatre, they’ve both performed as Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, and they both love desserts—which is what brought them together when they met in the national tour of 42nd Street. It was only natural they create Just Desserts NYC, a blog and web series dedicated to finding the best treats in New York and beyond. Now four years on, “Brownie & Blondie” have been featured on the Today show and take advantage of the travel that performing affords them to sample desserts far and wide. Amanda will re-open the recent Broadway revival of Follies in LA this spring, followed by The Prince of Broadway in Toronto and on Broadway. Beth recently closed a run of White Christmas and appeared as the “Charlotte” character in 30 Rock’s spoof of Sex and the City.
				Beth: …living a life of expressing and challenging yourself creatively through talents you’ve been given and sharing them with the world; fulfilling others through your artistic fulfillment and conquering the challenges that work can bring.
				Beth: Just finished playing Rhoda in White Christmas at Papermill Playhouse. Amanda: In Follies on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre. [closed Jan. 2012]
				(Beth at The White House with The Rockettes)
				(Amanda on Broadway in Follies)
				Beth: I have a huge love of singing, dancing, and acting. Also, when I see the touched faces of those experiencing a show. I love making people smile. Amanda: Other performers really inspire me. You can learn so much from your colleagues.
				(“Brownie & Blondie” sample the desserts at Quality Meats in New York)
				Beth: WOW. That’s a hard one, but I honestly would have to say all of them because I’ve learned something new about myself and my abilities in every show I’ve done. Amanda: I would have to agree and say each one for different reasons.
				Beth: Really just continuing to work would be a dream. Some roles I’d love to do would be Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof, Guinevere in Camelot, and Hope in Anything Goes. Amanda: I think I’m about to do my dream gig with the new show Prince of Broadway, but my dream role would be Adelaide in Guys and Dolls.
				Beth: Mary Ellen Matthews is the Saturday Night Live photographer and I love her work. Thanks to Lorne Michaels, her photos are really the only photos featured as art on TV! She has a vision for her photos and I think that is an amazing talent to create ideas that everyone in the country will definitely see and have opinions about. I also respect every musician in live musicals. They create life in a performance and give the actors/dancers/singers an extra fire to use in their work. Musical theatre wouldn’t exist without them. Lastly, I have to mention how much I love the grace and humbleness of Audrey Hepburn. Amanda: I love Gwen Verdon; she inspires me. Bob Fosse’s choreography has always moved and inspired me as well. Also, professional ballerinas; I respect them a lot for their dedication, persistence, and hard work.
				Beth: NYC!!! That’s why I moved here. The other place I would love to work is in Paris. I have a secret goal to be fluent in French, and I love the city and its culture. Amanda: I think NYC. I’ve been lucky enough to travel the country and world, and there’s no place like New York.
				Beth: Between performing jobs, I did get the party started at some Bat Mitzvahs as the dance leader, LOL! Amanda: I was a hostess at Ocean Grill.
				(Beth and Amanda on Today)
				Beth: Thinking about the future sometimes keeps me up at night but otherwise, by the end of the day, I’m ready to zonk out! Amanda: If my husband isn’t home yet, that keeps me up.
				Visit Beth and Amanda… Just Desserts NYC www.justdessertsnyc.com Facebook @JustDessertsNYC Beth: @browniejdnyc Amanda: @blondiejdnyc