"I'd do pretty much anything to get back on stage. I'd like to develop a new musical. I nearly had a heart attack when I heard that they're developing John Waters' Cry-Baby because that is so amazing and super and wonderful and I wish that I could be involved. But it's not the right time and I understand that. But I hear things like that and I get that little tingle in my stomach"
About this Quote
The specificity does the heavy lifting. She doesn’t say she wants “a role” or “a challenge.” She wants to “get back on stage” and “develop a new musical,” which signals authorship and risk, not just casting. Then she drops the John Waters reference like a flare: Cry-Baby isn’t prestige theater; it’s camp, subculture, a little tacky on purpose. That choice telegraphs taste. Bell is aligning herself with a tradition of queer-adjacent, anti-respectability fun while also nodding to the Broadway machine that routinely mines cult films for IP-ready adaptations.
The emotional core is the small bodily detail: “that little tingle in my stomach.” It’s adolescent, involuntary, almost embarrassing - and that’s why it works. She’s framing artistry as appetite, not strategy. Even the resignation (“not the right time”) carries subtext: timing isn’t just personal readiness; it’s permissions, schedules, gatekeepers. She understands the politics. She still wants in.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Bell, Kristen. (2026, January 16). I'd do pretty much anything to get back on stage. I'd like to develop a new musical. I nearly had a heart attack when I heard that they're developing John Waters' Cry-Baby because that is so amazing and super and wonderful and I wish that I could be involved. But it's not the right time and I understand that. But I hear things like that and I get that little tingle in my stomach. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/id-do-pretty-much-anything-to-get-back-on-stage-102015/
Chicago Style
Bell, Kristen. "I'd do pretty much anything to get back on stage. I'd like to develop a new musical. I nearly had a heart attack when I heard that they're developing John Waters' Cry-Baby because that is so amazing and super and wonderful and I wish that I could be involved. But it's not the right time and I understand that. But I hear things like that and I get that little tingle in my stomach." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/id-do-pretty-much-anything-to-get-back-on-stage-102015/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I'd do pretty much anything to get back on stage. I'd like to develop a new musical. I nearly had a heart attack when I heard that they're developing John Waters' Cry-Baby because that is so amazing and super and wonderful and I wish that I could be involved. But it's not the right time and I understand that. But I hear things like that and I get that little tingle in my stomach." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/id-do-pretty-much-anything-to-get-back-on-stage-102015/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
