Broadway's Laura Benanti joins mom Linda for heartfelt concerts in NYC

If Laura Benanti got the Nintendo she begged for as a kid, the Tony Award winner's career might look a whole lot different.

Instead, said her mom, Linda Benanti, she got a piano.

"(Laura) had started writing beautiful poetry, and we said, 'You know what? Why don't you write some songs?' And boy did she, and they were beautiful," Linda said.

Now, with nearly a dozen Broadway credits to her name and successful solo shows, television roles, film appearances and more under her belt, she's turned back to songwriting, including writing two songs she'll sing with her mom during a New York appearance this month.

"Laura and Linda Benanti: Mothers Know Best" runs at 54 Below in Manhattan on July 21, 23 and 24.

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Full circle moments

One of the songs Laura wrote for the show is a duet.

"The song that I wrote for me and my mom feels like a culmination of the person I have always been, who I maybe lost for a while," Laura said. "To get back into writing, and writing a song in particular for my mom that says things that are very meaningful to me, I'm really looking forward to (performing) it."

Inspiration for the song struck one day as she was walking around her house.

"I voice memo'd my mom as I was writing it," Laura said, "to check in with her to see if it resonated with her as well, which is what I used to do as a young person. She became a part of that writing experience for me and a sounding board and a support system. So it feels very much like it used to feel when I lived at home."

Mom agreed. "It's absolutely the same," Linda said. "It's definitely full circle. And I'm so happy that Laura's now writing again."

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Making music together

A palpable look — of pride, of love, of gratitude, of awe — permeates an interview as the two chat back and forth about their upcoming show. As does a fair share of playful ribbing.

"It's really special to sing with your mom," Laura said. "There's an extra special level of bonding that happens when you're making music together."

As her love and talent for music grew, with her mother as her voice teacher, Laura's performance career also flourished. She won a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award for her performance at Kinnelon High School, made her Broadway debut with a splash in 1998, and won a 2008 Tony Award for her unforgettable turn in "Gypsy."

She most recently appeared on Broadway as Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady."

Linda appeared on the national tour of "The Odyssey" with Yul Brynner, and performed off-Broadway and regionally in shows like "The Fantasticks," "Camelot" and "The Music Man." She retired from acting and opened a vocal studio in Kinnelon as she raised her family with husband Salvatore Benanti.

She taught both in New York City and North Jersey, educating everyone from young students to Broadway professionals.

"(Teaching is) so gratifying, especially when that middle school person walked in and you can see that they love the arts, but they haven't found their place," Linda said. "I know what music did for me in junior high and high school. I found my people, my path. I found my place. I found my joy. I found my passion. I didn't care how much talent they had, I cared about the dedication they had. And then you could see them reach their potential. That's why I've been able to do it for so long."

Back to the stage

Laura's older daughter played a role in sparking Linda's return to the stage.

"After Ella was born, I had this tremendous sense of the sacrifice that (my mom) had made for us," Laura said. "And I asked her to please come sing with me, to do a show with me. We did that first show, and it was as though she had never left. It was really incredible."

Linda needed a little convincing, even though her husband also was pushing her to return to the stage.

"Literally, she had to drag me into it because it had been so long," Linda said. "I'm so grateful that she did that, so grateful."

It's the least she can do, Laura said.

"My mom supported me, loved me, is my voice teacher," she said. "All of those things enabled me to have the career and the life that I have."

Go: "Laura and Linda Benanti: Mothers Know Best," 7 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.) July 21, 23, 24, 54 Below, 254 W. 54th St., Manhattan, $29 to $161, plus $25 food and beverage minimum; 54below.org.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Laura Benanti sings with mom Linda at 54 Below