Doing Alright: Interview with Performer Nicole Travolta

“Doing Alright” is a new one-woman play by performer Nicole Travolta that is playing Off-Broadway through February 24 in a limited engagement at SoHo Playhouse 15 Vandam Street) in NYC. The show chronicles periods of Nicole’s life when she struggled with compulsive shopping before finding her true calling via the spray tanning industry. Nicole has also acted on TV series including “Two and a Half Men” (CBS), “The Middle” (ABC) and “Anger Management” (FX).

Nicole Travolta is a comedian and actress based in Los Angeles, California. Her work has been featured at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland as well as sold out shows in Las Vegas and Pittsburgh. Nicole recently discussed her career and new one-woman show via an exclusive interview.

Meagan Meehan (MM): You started out as a comedian, so how and when did you realize that you had a talent for that kind of performing?

Nicole Travolta (NT): I’ve truly loved performing since I was a little girl. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I had a clear idea of where I wanted to go with my career, and it was always TV and film. My dream was to be on a sitcom. The idea of a live audience is so thrilling to me, and I think it’s because I have so much energy! I’ve always loved to make people laugh and create different characters. I started doing improv at UCB and The Groundlings and being a part of those communities made me feel alive as a performer. When I started doing my show, I realized that I was essentially doing my own sitcom on stage!

MM: How did you break into the performing arts industry?

NT: If I’m being honest, I still feel like I’m breaking my way in! I always wonder when people feel like “they’ve made it.” Things really started to move for me when I found my voice in comedy and I ran with it. I had a casting director tell me that I had great comedic timing and I should focus on that. I took it so seriously and when I did, I started booking sitcoms and single camera comedies. Those experiences helped prepare me to do what I’m doing now.

MM: What made you decide to perform a one-woman show?

NT: I had this story that I felt was very relatable. I thought about doing it for years, but I needed the right people to help me get it on its feet. I started taking classes at The Groundlings in Los Angeles, and I met my Director and Co-Writer, Lauren Burns. She’s a main company member and was my teacher at the time. I told her my story and her jaw fell on the ground. She immediately said: “let’s do it,” and the whole process took about a year to get it ready to go up! I believe it is so important to create your own projects in this industry. You spend so much time worrying about the next audition, or when your agent is going to call. To have my own thing where I’m driving the ship with an incredible team…it means everything to me!

MM: You discuss such personal things in this show, so was it tough to be that brutally honest?

NT: Extremely tough! I was so nervous before we put it up. I don’t think I got a full night’s sleep for a week before we opened. It’s so personal and so vulnerable. I still get nervous at times!

MM: You have struggled with a shopping addiction. A lot of people like to shop, but when did you realize that your shopping was actually a problem?

NT: Twelve maxed out credit cards that you were hiding will really put things into perspective for you! I got myself so deep into trouble and I was frantically trying to cover it all up. It was so much bigger than just enjoying to shop for me. All of these material things became my identity. They fueled my self-worth.

MM: How did the spray tan industry help you find yourself?

NT: When I hit rock bottom and I had all of these debt collectors banging on my door, I took the job as a spray tanner. The job helped me land on my own two feet during a very difficult point in my life. I was going through a divorce, in tons of debt, and I thought my life was about to look a lot different. The job was truly so different than anything I had ever done. The clients were true characters. It helped unlock my love for doing impressions and creating content again because I was absorbing so many different people. And some of the situations I would be in at these house calls were absurd! It oddly helped me find my “weird” again. The Nicole that is kooky and outgoing and free! Not the Nicole that was hiding behind $2,500 Celine bags.

MM: What’s your favorite thing about “Doing Alright” and why?

NT: The connection to the audience. When I’m up on stage telling my story, I feel so connected to each and every person. It’s as if we are all in my living room together and I’m just telling them about my chaotic life. I’m also extremely proud of myself for getting up there and telling my story! It’s my baby, and she has come a long way.

MM: What do you hope audiences take away from the show?

NT: We all make mistakes. We make good decisions and bad decisions. The level of shame I felt from my own was almost debilitating. I hope audiences leave feeling less shame around anything they’ve ever gone through in their own life. We really wanted people to feel like they were going on this roller coaster ride with me in real time, and I think we did achieve that!

MM: What is some of the best feedback you’ve gotten about your work thus far?

NT: I had a woman come up to me after my show and tell me she had gone through similar challenges in her life. She had to rebuild everything and now at 50 years old she was graduating from college and felt like she had really found herself. She told me that the show made her feel less alone in her own personal journey and stuck with her for days after. It meant absolutely everything to me!

MM: What other projects are you working on right now and what themes might you like to explore in future works?

NT: My show is my big focus right now. I have dreams of turning it into a series. Taking the show on tour. I feel like we are just scratching the surface. I’d love to continue to do other live shows in the future. There is so much more to tell!

MM: Is there anything else that you would like to mention?

NT: If you’re in NYC come see the show! Trying to stick around the big apple for a minute, so the whole city is invited!

* * * * *

To purchase tickets and for more information, see here. To learn more about Nicole Travolta, visit her official website, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, and YouTube.