Miracle Mop creator talks off-Broadway bio-musical 'JOY': 'This musical will absolutely delight you'
MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- Joy Mangano went from a struggling single mom to a business mogul, and now is the subject of an off-Broadway musical, with "JOY: A New True Musical" now running at the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre.
The new musical tells the story of Mangano's life, taking inspiration from her autobiography "Inventing Joy" and 2015's "JOY" starring Jennifer Lawrence. Betsy Wolfe plays Mangano, known for inventing the likes of the Miracle Mop, Huggable Hangers, My Little Steamer, and other CleanBoss products.
"If you're young or you're older, or you're male or female, this musical will absolutely delight you," Mangano said.
After opening on July 20 following just under a month of previews, "JOY" is running Off-Broadway until Aug. 17.
"You're crying one minute, you're hysterical laughing the other," Mangano said. "It is such a powerful, inspiration musical, and I couldn't be prouder to have that be entertaining ... people today."
Mangano's story began decades ago, struggling to pay her bills and unsure what her future could look like.
"I had nothing," Mangano said. "I had no money. I couldn't pay my bills. I was a single mother, and it wasn't like I had a defined life."
After a lifetime of "blowing up toasters," Mangano decided to pursue inventing - a pursuit that saw her repeatedly rejected and told no.
"For me, a no means go back and think about it again," Mangano said. "Because you can always get to yes. So I did. That became the beginning of an entire life."
She praised the musical's depiction of this time in her life, explaining that "The musical really portrays that path, and the path of success is being able to transform people's lives for the better."
As for the new musical, Mangano has been involved since the first table read.
"The first time I heard the script and the music ... it brought tears to our eyes," she said. "I was like, 'This is going to be amazing.'"
Mangano's advice as she looks back on her life so far is to not ignore opportunities to pursue a passion.
"We come this way once," Mangano said. "But if you miss out on doing what you're passionate about, you miss out on a lot."
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