• Look out, Lion King, here comes Ariel—on Nov. 3, Colorado native Sierra Boggess, 25, makes a splash on Broadway in the stage musical version of Disney's beloved The Little Mermaid

YOU WERE 7 WHEN THE LITTLE MERMAID CAME OUT. WERE YOU A FAN? Of course! My two sisters and I would swim in the pool and all pretend to be Ariel. I remember being sad because I was blonde and I thought, "If only I had red hair, I could play Ariel in a school show."

DRAMA CLUB, EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT—YOU GOT TO DO IT ON BROADWAY! I was at the dentist when I got the call. Yes, I answered the phone. I was like, "This just made this appointment completely bearable!"

ARE YOU NERVOUS ABOUT OPENING NIGHT? I'm not nervous, just really excited. But I've told everyone that if my idol, Barbra Streisand, were to come to the show, they can't tell me. I think I would pass out.

I HEARD YOU WARM UP BY SINGING BRITNEY SPEARS? I'm always singing show tunes as Britney Spears would sing them. I'll do a little Phantom of the Opera in Britney's voice. Also, I'll impersonate bad American Idol performances, just totally off-key, butchering songs. I'll do that in the wings, and it amuses everyone around.

IS A 16-YEAR-OLD MERMAID EASY TO RELATE TO? Sure! I remember being 16 and feeling like Ariel does, just "What else is out there for me?" I wanted to leave Denver, to go to New York. I just knew I could be a Broadway actress.