Price recalled telling Grace she got the role during a final audition. He paused and said, "Wait, I shouldn't be calling you Zeya.

I should be calling you Bertie because you're going to play Little Bertie on Broadway."

The announcement brought tears to Grace and her mother, Linda Carbone. "Thank you," Grace said.

She promised to take care of the character: "I'm going to take good care of her."

Co-star Kelli Barrett praised Grace and her young colleague Samantha Schwartz, who plays Little Cee Cee. "She brings such real pure heart to Little Bertie," Barrett said.

"She's a real pleasure to be around, on stage and off."

Barrett added, "We're lucky to have her in the cast and in our lives."

Grace previously completed a multi-city national tour, traveling with her mother. "I did not like the flying part, but I liked the bus part," she said.

Voice teacher Madison Schwarz has trained Grace since age six in Boynton Beach. She recalled Grace's ability to implement vocal corrections early on.

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"Looking back my heart wants to explode," Schwarz said. "She was born with innate, natural talent."