Miki Abraham said they love to travel — and are especially fond of doing so solo, “without having a council of people” in tow. “I kind of get to pretend I’m this mysterious person going somewhere where I’ve never been before and posting up in a coffee shop,” they said. “Definitely drama attached to it, but I’m an artist — what do we expect?” Abraham, 33, plays LuLu in the national tour of “Shucked,” coming to Citizens Opera House April 8-20. They were in the show’s ensemble and understudy for LuLu on Broadway. “I played this role 57 times on Broadway so far, and we’re at show 160, about, on tour,” they said in a recent phone call from Schenectady, N.Y., where “Shucked” was being performed. “I feel like [LuLu] is a part of me at this point. What I like most about LuLu is that she takes up so much space — even when the space is not there to take.” Their character is a whiskey distiller who convinces her cousin (Maizy, the show’s lead character) to travel from the fictional rural locality of Cob County to Florida to figure out a way to save the town’s dying corn crop. Abraham said that people should see the musical comedy because, in part, “it’s a moment to step about from your life and all the crazy things going on … to sit in a room with strangers and laugh. I think that’s something that’s really important for all of us right now.” They added that the show’s creative team counted 178 laughs in the show – “180 if we’re feeling spicy.” The Paducah, Ky., native lives in New York City with their husband, Alex Joseph Grayson — an actor who most recently appeared on Broadway as Jim Conley in the 2023 Tony Award-winning revival of “Parade” — and their “little pandemic dog,” a Shih Tzu-Chihuahua mix, Jenifer Lewis. We caught up with Abraham, who said they have never been to Boston but are looking forward to exploring the city, to talk about all things travel.
If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go? I really would love to go to Spain. I have this image of sitting outside on a hot night listening to Spanish guitar. … That has always spoken to me.
Advertisement
Do you prefer booking trips through a travel agent or on your own? On my own, baby!
Thoughts on an “unplugged” vacation? Ooo, sounds lovely but might be very difficult.
Advertisement
What has been your worst vacation experience? A few years back I did a solo travel to Berlin and my luggage got lost — so I unintentionally had a European backpacking moment.
What is your favorite childhood travel memory? The night before leaving for a road trip, my mom would always get me a travel snack and I remember one night, when I was 8 or 9, staring at this candy in a glass jar by my bed just waiting for it to be morning so I could eat it in the car.
Do you vacation to relax, to learn, or for the adventure of it all? All of the above.
What book do you plan on bringing with you to read on your next vacation? Ooo, I haven’t met the book yet. I’ll know it when I see it.
Advertisement
If you could travel with one famous person/celebrity, who would it be? I would travel with Renee Rapp. She just seems like she would be one of the homies.
What is the best gift to give a traveler? A camera. Whenever I travel internationally on vacation, I always take a camera. There’s a different quality in the photos – and I’m not distracted by being locked to my phone all the time.
What is your go-to snack for a flight or a road trip? Chocolate-covered pretzels.
What is the coolest souvenir you’ve picked up on a vacation? In August, I went to Aruba with my husband before the tour of “Shucked,” and we found this white braided bracelet that had little gold stones and beads on it. He’s not someone who would see something and say “Oh, I’m going to buy this for my wife.” He’s not a jewelry guy, but when he saw it, he said, “I don’t know what it is about this bracelet,” but that it was one of the most beautiful bracelets he’d ever seen. There was something about it that feels so sweet and very specific to our honeymoon and being in Aruba. So many memories attached to it.
What is your favorite app/website for travel? I’m an Expedia guy.
What has travel taught you? That the world is so big.
What is your best travel tip? Take adventures and be brave.
Juliet Pennington can be reached at writeonjuliet@comcast.net.