Would You Bet on Yourself Like This? Julia Rifino Is.
by Avery Anderson
What does it feel like to carry a whole show on your back? For Julia Rifino, star of Tell Me on a Sunday at freeFall Theatre, the answer is simple:
“I am a little tired,” she admitted, “but joyfully tired.”
And honestly, who among us isn’t joyfully tired these days? The difference is Rifino’s version involves singing 26 Andrew Lloyd Webber songs back-to-back without collapsing in a heap. (Your version probably involves scrolling TikTok at 1 a.m. and promising yourself you’ll “sleep earlier tomorrow.”)
From quiet sketches to center stage
Rifino isn’t some parachute-in starlet — she’s a hometown artist whose résumé is as varied as a Tampa flea market: puppetry, scenic painting, arts marketing, performance. At her core, though, she insists she’s always been an artist.
“Little Julia is the easy way for me to think — I am an artist at my core,” she said. “Visual art was the first thing that came to me as a kid. I was very shy, and I loved to sing.”
Supportive parents meant she never absorbed the tired “starving artist” narrative. And now, she’s flipping that trope on its head. “I would say pursue it anyway, because it’s a part of you already,” Rifino said. “Nurture the core of what your art is for you. And then I think through that authentically it will build.”
Translation: your uncle at Thanksgiving who mutters “but how will you pay rent with that?” can sit down.
The 1980s Webber time capsule
Tell Me on a Sunday isn’t one of Webber’s megahits (Phantom, Cats). It’s a deep cut — a one-woman cycle of love, loss, and heartbreak with an unapologetically retro vibe.
“At one time, Tell Me on a Sunday and Unexpected Song were like audition songs for women in the 80s. Everyone was singing these,” Rifino said. “It feels like the most successful when it has that kind of 80s, rough-around-the-edges vibe… Vocally, it’s challenging. It feels like I’m doing vocal gymnastics at times.”
A moment worth celebrating
The invitation came from freeFall artistic director Eric Davis, who told Rifino he’d been thinking about it for a while. “The fact that Eric trusted me and wanted to celebrate me in this way is just so amazing,” she said.
That mix of vulnerability and grit — a hometown artist who once sketched quietly in the corner, now standing alone onstage for 90 minutes of unbroken Webber — is exactly why Tell Me on a Sunday feels like more than just another revival. It’s a time capsule of 1980s musical theater colliding with a local artist’s present-tense breakthrough.
For Rifino, it’s both terrifying and affirming. “It just feels like a gift, honestly. It feels so cool,” she said. “I’m proud of myself… and I’m really celebrating this moment.”
And that’s the story worth showing up for: a hometown artist stepping into her own spotlight, not just surviving the “starving artist” cliché but rewriting it in real time — with 26 songs, no safety net, and one very joyfully tired voice.
Arts Passport Night — Sept. 11
Join us for Arts Passport Night at Tell Me on a Sunday on Thursday, Sept. 11 at freeFall Theatre. Being a part of this performance means you’re getting close to 40% off per ticket, and members save even more.
- Arts Passport members: $30 tickets (a $25 savings)
- Non-members: $35 tickets — or become an Arts Passport member and save
Because sometimes the best way to support artists isn’t sharing an inspirational quote on Instagram — it’s showing up, clapping loud, and proving that “joyfully tired” is absolutely worth it.
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Avery Anderson
Avery Anderson