Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — After working hard in New York City for the last seven years, Utah native Mattie Love has returned to her home state on tour with her first Broadway production.
Love is an ensemble dancer in “Wicked,” which opened Wednesday at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City and continues through March 3.
“This is my first gig that’s brought me back home,” Love said on Thursday. “It’s nice to be home for five weeks, and it’s my first big Broadway show, so it’s exciting.”
The ensemble cast members take on multiple roles to help tell the story, Love said. She is a member of the “Palm Tree Track” of the cast because the wig she wears during the show is shaped like a palm tree.
Love, 25, grew up in Layton and trained in singing, acting and dancing at Dance Impressions studio in Bountiful. Every year, a group from the studio would visit New York City for national competitions.
Through those visits, she discovered she wanted to live in the city and pursue a career on Broadway, Love said.
“I knew at age ten that I wanted to be on Broadway,” Love said. “And then my family made it happen, all along the way.”
As a senior in high school, Love studied ballet at the University of Utah in the concurrent enrollment program. From there, she went to Marymount College in New York and then to Broadway.
Love’s family members, as well as some family friends, all attended the opening night of “Wicked” on Wednesday night.
“It was awesome,” she said. “Full of support — it was great.”
Love’s mother, Angie, said she always knew that Mattie would get where she wanted to go in life.
“It was fabulous to see her finally achieve her dream,” Angie Love said. “She’s worked really hard for this.”
Angie Love said her daughter saw “Wicked” with the full Broadway cast when she was ten, and at that point, Mattie knew she wanted to be on Broadway.
“We just knew Mattie was going to make it,” she said.
Mattie Love is the only Utahn in the cast of “Wicked,” she said. When she landed in Utah, she went to Park City. She also had some Cafe Rio and visited Sill’s Cafe in Layton, she said.
To anyone who comes to see the show and has an interest in acting, Mattie Love recommended getting out there and doing it.
“In Utah, we have the greatest talent, the best mountains, all the things,” she said. “This is where it starts. Whatever you want, go get it. You can have it.”
Contributing: Caitlin Burchill, KSL TV
