"Who could have expected this kind of success?" gushes New Zealander Lawless, 29, about her astral trajectory as Xena, history's most bodacious barbarian. "My daughter (Daisy, 9) tries to pretend that Mom being Xena is a bit of a burden," says the 5'10" divorcee (she's dating Xena producer Rob Tapert). "But I think she truly loves it." So do the millions of fans in more than 50 countries where the show airs. But proving that she can carry a tune as gracefully as a sword, the opera-trained Lawless is leaving the forest for the asphalt jungle. From Sept. 2 to Oct. 19 she'll be starring as -- who else -- tough cookie Rizzo in the Broadway production of Grease. Still, Xena remains Lawless' signature character. "People are attracted to her masuline bent," says the actress. "Finally, a woman you can have a beer with."

THE BUZZ: "She dishes out camp with more gusto than Linda Carter ever dreamed of," says Roush.

-- reprinted from People Magazine, September 1997.