If you know me, then you know that I’m a former theater kid. My Glee obsession can likely be attributed to the 10+ years I spent on stage, BTW. While I have no intentions of returning to the stage anytime soon, one of Gen Z’s favorite “it girls” will be making her screen-to-stage debut in February 2024, and her name is Lola Tung.
If you don’t recognize this name, allow me to fill you in. Tung plays Isabel “Belly” Conklin in Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, which was her first role ever. So yeah, she’s totally cool. TSITP is one of Gen Z’s favorite shows to watch and chat about. After two incredible seasons, fans can’t wait for Season 3, which won’t be coming out for a while. PEOPLE reported that it’s expected to start filming later this year. But if you’re also going through a TSITP drought like I am, try paying a visit to the Walter Kerr Theatre in the Big Apple.
One of my favorite pipelines is screen-to-stage, and it’s something I’ve been seeing a whole lot of lately. Following an amazing season on Dancing With The Stars, Vanderpump Rules icon Ariana Madix will be making her Broadway debut as Roxy Hart in Chicago this January. Of course, Tung will also be making her Broadway debut soon, and here’s everything we know so far.
Tung will be making her Broadway debut this February as Eurydice in Hadestown, and I am so excited. Tung will be joining another Gen Z favorite, Jordan Fisher, who stars as Orpheus.
While TSITP was Tung’s screen debut, she’s no stranger to theater. Entertainment Weekly reported that Tung studied at New York City’s LaGuardia High School, aka, the school where you are destined to become a star. Notable LaGuardia alumni include Timothée Chalamet, Michael Che, and Nicki Minaj.
Tung told EW, “I don’t know that Broadway became my goal because of the school that I went to, but it definitely made me love theater even more, which made it even clearer that this was something I wanted to pursue.” And when it comes to Hadestown, Tung is no stranger to the show. She told EW, “I saw the show with my dad back in February of 2020 and immediately became a fan.”
Tung’s character, Eurydice, is very different from Belly. Eurydice, the wife of Orpheus, is reserved but, according to Tung, “has so much love in her heart.” Tung expressed in her interview with EW that she was “immediately drawn to [Eurydice].”
If you’re interested in seeing Tung on the stage, get your tickets ASAP! She will be starting her Broadway run on Feb. 9, and ending on Mar. 17. And if you can’t get tickets, I’d recommend following Tung on Instagram to keep up with all things Hadestown. If you need me, I’ll be studying all the lyrics from the musical just in case I see it.