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[0:00] Stephanie J. Block: Hello, this is Stephanie J. Block and you're listening to And The Award Goes To...

[0:23] Ilana Levine: Have you ever dreamed of winning a Tony Award? Did you ever practice your Tony acceptance speech in the bathroom mirror? Did you grow up watching the Tony Awards every year? Do you have a collection of Tony Award shows on VHS tape that you refuse to throw out? Well then this is the podcast for you. Every week I interview your favorite Tony Award winners and together we go down memory lane as my guests share intimate and never before shared details about their Tony experience. By the end of every episode you're going to feel like you just won a Tony. Welcome to And The Tony Goes To... I'm your host Ilana Levine. Welcome today's Tony winner Stephanie J. Block. And the Tony Award goes to Stephanie J. Block.

[1:16] Stephanie J. Block: Oh my goodness. I have always been a theater nerd. This is not a speech. It is a journal entry from when I was about 12 or 13 talking about how I just wanted to desperately be part of this community and what it might feel like to win a Tony Award. And 30 some years later I stand here and I would tell that little girl it was nothing that you expected and everything that you needed. Thank you to the American Theater Wing and the Broadway League for this honor and this incredible view. Oh my god and to God for my life. To the goddess Cher for her life and her legacy. To all those who gave their time, their talent, their treasure to bring this story to the stage. To Jason Moore and Rick Ellis, all of our designers, all of our creatives, the great Bob Mackie.

To my backstage team, Kate Zorg, Mel Hansen, Kyle Skillen. I have 29 costume changes and it does not happen without those three people. To my representation, Tim Marshall, Dunberg, Lisa Loosemore, and I love you Patrick and John. To my voice teacher Jill Goodsell, she is an angel. I love you. To my parents who always said follow your heart. Baby Vivi, mama won a trophy. But like I always tell you, it's not about winning little girl. It's about showing up, doing your best, loving all people, and finding joy along the way. And to Sebastian, my husband, you are more than I could ever deserve and I'm telling this on national TV. If you ever leave me, I'm going with you. Thank you very much.

[3:07] Ilana Levine: Just go for Stephanie. What is in your head right now?

[3:16] Stephanie J. Block: Well, I'm teary-eyed. I am already thinking how that little baby girl is now older. I am thinking that my sentiment towards Sebastian will never change. I'm seeing every single face in that huge Radio City Music Hall. I'm sad that I forgot to thank my real blood sister Renee Crow and my two stage sisters who shared the role of Cher with me, Teal Wicks and Michaela Diamond. I'm back there. For me, it was not an out-of-body experience. I can actually remember what my body felt like and who was sitting where and Audra standing right there to my right side. And I really can jump right back into the moment and relive it, which is such a gift, really such a gift.

[4:11] Ilana Levine: Well, it is one of the most moving and hilarious speeches in equal parts. And the idea that you literally are standing there with a journal entry from your childhood. What a rare thing, right? What a rare thing to actually have a very specific dream come true as you expressed in ways that you could never have imagined. And even since then, so much has happened in the world from that night. We're talking in November of 2020. But the power of that performance and the joy that your Cher brought to so many people and continues to bring because of YouTube and concerts that you do and places that we get to see it. It's like a balm. And hearing this speech again is such a beautiful balm. B-A-L-M to what we've all been going through. I want to first note that this was your third nomination, but your first win. So talk about third time's a charm. And what is the difference between going as a nominee and leaving as a winner?

[5:34] Stephanie J. Block: Isn't that something? Yeah. I will say I never, ever, ever anticipated when I said yes to the role of Cher that this would be, you know, the finish line ever in my wildest dreams. I never saw the sort of recognition. And I think that dates back to the challenges of when I was doing my Broadway debut playing Liza. I knew every pitfall. I knew every sort of struggle that was going to face me when taking on a real life person. So I just looked at it as a challenge. I looked at accepting the role as a way to kind of embrace myself more and face a lot of my own personal fears of claiming a stage, claiming my physical body, claiming not necessarily begging an audience for approval, but just standing back on my heels like Cher does and say, this is what I have to offer.

And I hope you dig it. But if you don't, you know, I'm going to keep trucking. And by mid-forties, I love the idea of kind of bringing that Stephanie to Broadway. That was really my goal is to kind of face all of my personal fears. And if it was welcomed, that was just going to be, you know, the frosting on top. So to have this happen for The Cher Show is just wild to me, especially when the nomination before was for something really artsy and very embraced by the community, which of course was Falsettos and the role of Trina. It is kind of one of those, not necessarily a commercial success, but a very artistically revered and beloved musical in the Broadway canon. So when that role came to me, I thought, oh, this is going to be a challenge, but I also think it's going to be a welcome revival and it's at the right time and the right place with the right cast.

Perhaps this is going to be my moment just because it really was that feeling of lightning in a bottle with Falsettos. Now, granted, I also know the politics. I think we all do when you've been in this industry for so long, you understand that there are, there's a business part to the show business and the politics that go along with it. And Falsettos had closed. So by the time a lot of our Tony voters were coming to see the spring shows, Falsettos had closed in January. So the nominators had come and fallen in love with it, but not necessarily all of the voters were able to see it during the winter months. And those that came during the spring to go on their theater extravaganza and see all of the shows, we sadly were closed and had to just send a beautiful sort of media packet with the Lincoln Center filming, the audio recording, the cast recording and reviews and whatnot.

And that never really kind of holds the same water and the same sort of immediate impactful energy as if you're sitting in the audience and witnessing the play. So I kind of was saddened by the fact, I wish that that show was still in the brick and mortar and we were living it day in and day out so that we could present the story as it should have been presented during that time. That's not what it was meant to be. That play wasn't meant to be that. With Edwin Drood, I was just so grateful to be recognized, to be grateful in the sense that that play was a total love fest between this ensemble, who really enjoyed telling the story night after night, that it was completely joyful. And that alongside with Will Chase, who is also, excuse me, Will, I hope you don't take the wrong offense, but an old horse in this, in this Broadway.

So he and I got to look at each other and go, after all these years of loving this industry, loving this community and loving our art form, to, I put in parentheses, finally be recognized was just a true gift. So, you know, I must admit, the dreams are always there, but I never ever expect anything. I think because once that expectation starts fueling your performance or fueling your experience, I think you're going to be disappointed. So the idea that that expectation was never there when I accepted the role of Cher, it was a true joy and a surprise and a lovely, lovely one at that.

[10:27] Ilana Levine: Were you encouraged by the people in your life to take the role of Cher or not to take the role of Cher?

[10:35] Stephanie J. Block: It was very much like our political landscape right now. It was 51%, 49%. Right. Before we can tally the votes, I got it. And believe it or not, it was my priest, Father Bernie Poppy, who I absolutely love. He's no longer with our parish, but I love him. And he was asking, you know, what was up with my career? And I was telling him and his face lit up. And he said, I want you to do it. I love what she stands for. I love that she uses her voice for all people. I love I love this woman. And here is my priest in his, you know, his cloth and his frock. And he's telling me to take it. And at that point, it was just for the, you know, the two week or three week workshop and then presenting it to Cher.

And he's like, what do you have to lose? And I was like, God, he's really right. What do I have to lose other than feeling like I might embarrass myself or feeling like I might be a failure? But honestly, how many times have done that before? So I shouldn't be worried about what that outcome may look like, because I I've lived to see the other side of that and tell the tale. So that's who really pushed it over the edge for me to say to say yes. But my team, I must admit, my agents and my manager, they were a little skeptical. They just thought that I had lived this process before and shown Broadway that I had these skills in my tool belt of playing a sort of living icon. There's really no other word for Liza and for Cher, but living icons.

And they said, you know, I don't know how this would really enhance your career, especially after coming off something so artistic and boutique and small and magical as Falsettos. So maybe this isn't the right route. But here we are. It was the right route. It was the right route. So when Jason Moore first meets with you to talk about you're saying it began as a workshop, like explain sort of

[12:48] Stephanie J. Block: Okay. I will go back to the very first phone call, which is from Rick Ellis to my agents. And we graciously said, thank you, but no thank you. I'm not the girl. And then a couple months later, Jason Moore called my agents and said, I really have a vision. We really see Stephanie in this role because of, I'm using his words now. I would never say this about myself, but I take it as a beautiful badge that within my power, a voice and power of stature when I'm on stage, there's just a constant vulnerability that runs through me. This is what Jason was telling my agents. And I really believe that is what is necessary for this role. And we'd love to have her. And even still, I just didn't feel like I was the right actress for the part.

So then Jason Moore took me to dinner and we just met one-on-one and it was very lovely. It was really person-to-person, artist-to-artist asking about all sorts of things about my family and my training and my hopes and dreams. And then he pivoted to what he was seeing for The Cher Show and what his artistic vision was. And he said, I really see you in that. What's your feeling? And his take was so beautifully interesting and spiritual and this sorority of, you know, three shares, sharing the stage that I said, okay, let's do it. I like what you are presenting. I like what your goals are for this piece and this character, and then let's do it. Then Rick's writing really spoke to me. And it was the first time I legitimately felt that as an artist, I was invited to the table.

I was invited to share my experience as an artist, as a woman, as a mom, as a middle-aged actress that could lend, you know, my own experience to what I thought needed to happen on the page to truthfully share, you know, her story, to share Cher's story. And they listened and they really, it was this beautiful collaboration that I thought, okay, this is different. The room feels different. And that's when I knew I was all in. So the workshop happened. And for those of you that don't know, you know, lines are constantly changing. Songs will be cut and then added within a day's time. But at the end of us kind of playing and doing what we can with that amount of time to not really perfect the script because it's still a work in progress, but be ready to present something that we're proud of and that represents what we hope to present, you know, in the full stage production.

At the end of those weeks, Cher was going to come. We were going to present it to producers, of course, with the hopes of them wanting to invest. And then there was going to be a second presentation for Cher and her close immediate circle. And that was nerve-wracking to me. I mean, really nerve-wracking to me because I knew I was going to be in a fluorescent lit rehearsal room, five feet away from the woman that I was playing. And I tried to put myself in her shoes. And that just seemed completely impossible. I don't know how a woman like Cher sits in a room like that, watches her life, watches these actors who are not necessarily in costume and are not being helped by lighting and orchestrations and costumes and wigs and all that, and to buy into the storytelling of her life.

But she did, obviously, because here we are, but the tears were streaming. She wore sunglasses the entire time. She wore this big, huge, like, as I call a sombrero fedora that was velvety and delicious. And she was in this big, huge parka holding hands with those that were sitting beside her. And, but you could see tears coming down from her aviator sunglasses. And we knew we had struck a chord somewhere. And it was that moment that I thought, okay, if she approves of it, then regardless of what an audience thinks or her very loyal legion of fans, if Cher's on board, then I'm on board. And that's, that was the beginning of, you know, out of town tryout. And then a whole lot of changes in between Chicago and Broadway, and then our run there on Broadway.

[17:15] Ilana Levine: Okay. Oh my God. So much to unpack, right? I mean, even just starting with that day, you know, where, where you have like the part where you're like, oh wait, I have to do it for her. Like I'll do, here's how I'll sign on Jason, as long as I never have to do it for her. Um, when you go back to that two week process, when you say that what you delivered to her and her entourage on that day, um, was really basic, like very minimalist in terms of what the production values were. Right. What, what did you literally do at the very beginning before you had weeks and months and years to kind of inhabit this woman so that you felt like a truthful human while you were doing it? How did you begin before you even, you know, started on day one in, in a, in a poorly lit rehearsal room? You say yes, you go home, you call your priest.

[18:26] Stephanie J. Block: Yes. I said, we're moving forward because of you. So you better start talking to God right damn now. Exactly. And also what, what am I doing then? Yeah, I drench myself in all of her videos, which there are a gazillion on YouTube. I listened to her music. Um, I watch all of her interviews, right. And I mean, we're talking with, um, Merv Griffin, Phil Donahue back when she was with Sonny. So, I mean, we're lucky enough to have about six decades worth of footage on this woman. And so you can really get lost for weeks and weeks, months and months in just doing the homework. And I fell more and more in love with who she was not only as, um, my first introduction to her was as an actress. I'll be real on, well, my first introduction to her was as a Barbie.

And I loved that this, you know, live dark haired, all of skinned woman was in a Barbie box. And then I fell in love with her as an actress. And when I started to watch more and more footage of her, I thought this woman is incredible. She is otherworldly and yet totally accessible. She is so true to herself. She handles herself with this grace per se, but like is as open and blunt as anyone I've ever seen before. And yet you walk away wanting to be her friend, feeling like you know her and you feel empowered just by her presence and the way that she stays true to who she is. So myself, again, to touch upon being in my forties, that was a real beautiful thing that I was so hungry to embrace. And that's where I started.

I started at the woman of it all and how she became such an advocate for herself and such a person who was comfortable in her own skin, no matter if her hair was red or her hair was spiked, or if she was in a leather skirt, or if she was in a sweatsuit, there was something so beautiful about the consistency of this person.

[20:39] Ilana Levine: And what is it about your face? Because you're so gosh, darn beautiful.

[20:47] Stephanie J. Block: Oh, that's it. But I'll I love you. I love take it because it's true. But if I think of Liza Minnelli, and I think of Cher, two real people who live, they look nothing alike to me. Nothing. And so the idea that they were like, I understand why they got why you'd be the most brilliant actress for the part. But I was pretty floored in knowing you, how much you look like her in the show, like that was crazy pants. And you are talking to now you're talking to the 12 year old in me. Yeah, cry every day and say, why don't I look like XYZ? Why don't I have features that are so striking? I, again, not to bring God back into it. But he created this space that somehow, if you put a different wig on my face, and you add a little eyeliner here or extend the lip a little here, that it can kind of shape shift a bit.

And I would have never have thought that of myself in my preteens or early teenage years. But it has been the gift as an actress, it's been a huge gift to know that, yes, I can pass for the girl next door, or I can pass for a sort of striking look if you enhance my cheekbones. And again, I'm not using the pretense of beauty per se, I'm just using that my face is able to morph in such a way that it can transform different looks. I don't know what it is. And this dates back to literally at Disneyland, right, I would be Mary Poppins, one minute, and then Belle, and then Ariel, and then Esmeralda. And it's the only one that I ironically enough, was not approved for was Pocahontas. And now of course, looking back for the culture of it all, thank God I was not they needed to be culturally correct, right.

But when I did the look approval, they put you in the costume in the wig. And they looked at me and said, you look like Cher. And I was not approved for Pocahontas back in the 90s. Because I look like Cher. So Wow. And now I go, Oh, yeah, I do kind of see it in that long black parted down the middle wig. But I do find it to be a blessing that, you know, you don't look at my face and go, holy cow, I take your breath away. But somehow, this gift that I was given of this mug on my head, it allows for a transformation. Thank goodness. Well, yeah, for the planet.

[23:33] Ilana Levine: When you did that workshop that she came to what how much were you um, hair, makeup, wardrobe, what did they give you to, you know, a nod to Cher? Were you in rehearsal clothes? Or were you trying some version of something?

[23:48] Stephanie J. Block: They asked us to kind of ride that fine line. So I did wear, you know, like black pleather leggings with a sparkly boot, and a black halter top. So that was my ode to her sort of aesthetic of what she would wear. I did put on like a half wig. So the front of my hair was my own. But then the back of it allowed for fullness and extension, which I got to tell you even more. So then what I looked like, it just helped me as a Cher feel a little more glamorous and a little more rock star. I of course, put on lashes, I of course, tried to accentuate my cheekbones. And I didn't go the full like false nail route and all that stuff. But it was a nod, as you mentioned. But yet, I didn't want her to think that she was looking at the finished product, because I don't think she would have looked at me and approved if she thought that this was, you know, the ultimate look. So what about the voice?

[24:53] Stephanie J. Block: It was hit and go at that time, I was not necessarily proud of what I was presenting, the singing voice was there, because I was able to kind of parrot and mimic what I was listening to on YouTube and all these recordings. But the speaking voice, when you take Rick Ellis's words, some of which were exact lines or sentiments that she had said throughout her life. But really, you know, they're all new words. So I was, I was spotty, I was real spotty. And we did have a tremendous dialect coach. Her name is Kate Wilson. She works out of Juilliard, she works with a lot of Broadway companies. And she was a huge, huge help. But at that point, you know, we hadn't invested so much time, you just don't have.

[25:38] Stephanie J. Block: You know, to spend all that, uh, focused energy on the speech at this point, or truly Cher has a dialect. It's unique and singular to her, but it certainly is a dialect. And by no means was I sounding like her and feeling confident in the way I was sounding. So if I was given the opportunity, I would have been very, uh, humbled and said, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. But all I could do at that point was to improve upon it. So when did you have your first conversation with Cher? It was that day. Um, she wanted to meet with the entire cast before the reading and the producers and stage manager had said, please make yourself available because she'll come in a half hour before. And she just wants to speak with you all and just, you know, kind of diffuse the pressure cooker.

Um, and I hid, I went upstairs, it was 42 West and I went up to a bathroom and just got myself in the frame of mind that I let my game face as I like to say. And the producer were looking and looking and looking for me, found me and said, you've been summoned, get your ass downstairs and meet Cher. And I was like, Oh, okay. I guess there's no hiding now. She was lovely. She said, look, I know what it's like to be vulnerable. I know what you're trying to do here. Artists are the most giving, loving, um, and open people. I do it night after night and I'm just here to support you. It's not going to be easy, but please know that, you know, artist to artist, I am here to support you. And that was it.

Afterward, we didn't have a conversation. She disappeared, uh, and brightly. So, I mean, the human in me completely understands that. And then she and I built a relationship. It was slow to start. And then it was not until we were on Broadway in previews. Um, she came and she wanted to give me some personal notes and asked to come back into my dressing room. Actually, she wanted me to come in on my day off to the four seasons to sit with her in her room. And I said, Oh gosh, with all due respect, I'm effing tired. And I'm also a mom to a young kid and I need this day off. And so that was on a Monday. And then she came to the theater that Tuesday and asked to come to my dressing room and it was there.

I looked at her. I said, look, here's what I know. I adore you. I only want to make you proud. I want nothing from you other than, um, your approval. Really? I said, I'm not trying to ride your coattails to fame. I'm not trying to impersonate you. I'm literally just a mom and a wife and an actress that wants to do the best job I can and kind of me laying that groundwork for her and being able to look at her in the eyes, which you would think is an easy thing, but there is something to certain stars, right? Who have been around for so long and we've put them on a pedestal. Jason Moore likes to call her like a celestial force because it is that she stands at five, seven. So she's shorter than I am, but there is a power to her and an ownership of herself that is so powerful that it was hard for me to look at her in the eyes and really speak to her heart.

But once I did, it all kind of went away and her posture changed. And she asked for a bottle of water and we sat on my couch and we talked for 45 minutes about so many other things than just sort of keys to unlocking what will make my performance better in her eyes and make it feel more authentic in her eyes. It was talking about family and relationships and experiences that weren't necessarily in the show. And that's when the relationship between she and I really seemed to become something more than just a producer and the woman whom I was playing.

[29:47] Ilana Levine: Wow. Do you still take that with you? The part of you that was able to just take ownership of your life in that way?

[29:54] Stephanie J. Block: Yes. I can't explain what a gift the Cher Show was for me because of that. There was an ownership to, as silly as it sounds, me, Stephanie Block, taking on an acceptance, an ownership, a freedom. And it's all because I played this woman. It seems so grand what I'm saying, but it was that. It was unexpected. It was such a beautiful gift that literally has changed who I am and how I move forward in this life because of taking on this role. I'm so happy that she's still a part of my life. Cher will still come in communication with me via text out of nowhere. It's usually very, very late at night or early in the morning and it'll be random, but it's just a little kind of reminder of her and where her thought process is and that in some grand design, I'm on the peripheral of her thinking. She wrote me a card and she said, our bond is forever. We will be forever linked. I'm sure that's very small in her mind, but to me, it was a beautiful statement and one that I took to heart.

[31:24] Ilana Levine: Did you have so much fun doing that show?

[31:30] Stephanie J. Block: Once I let go of all the demons. Yeah, I had a lot of fun. Don't get me wrong. It was exhausting and one of the most difficult sort of races to run, if that makes sense, like those two and a half hours. And I've, you know, I pride myself on taking on some chunky roles. Elphaba's not a little role. Pirate Queen's not a little role. Trina's not a little role. Anything goes, you know, Reno Sweeney. But there was something to this and the amount of confidence, the amount of power and stature and ownership that I had to have while on stage and then backstage, as silly as it sounds, I mentioned it in my speech, but 29 costume changes is no effing joke. It's like you're never, ever stopping. And that was for me, for my hips and my knees and my feet, a huge, huge challenge.

And boy, do I tip my hat to Cher, who is still doing this at, I think she's 73 now. She's still doing it, wearing these costumes and the weight of the wig and the bedazzled wings and the torsos. And I mean, God bless her. It seems like something so silly to mention the costume and the weight of the costume. But that is a big chunk of her performances, how she can walk in these pieces of art, like she's just walking around in a pair of jeans. Major challenge and a beautiful, beautiful way that really she can only do.

[33:03] Ilana Levine: So this time, what's different in terms of all the roles you just mentioned is not only were you playing a rock star, I mean, she's so many things, but an iconic rock star, right? That's how the audience treated you.

[33:10] Stephanie J. Block: I know. And inside, I'm like, Oh my gosh, if you guys could only see me at home. Right. But I wish every single human being could feel what I felt to really wear these Bob Mackie masterpieces and step on stage and really feel that energy of somebody perceiving you as being a rock star or being a leader or being, you know, this high positioned person. It was so unbelievable to me. And the only time that I think I will, I'll remember it always. But then you think, holy crap, I'm really killing this. Then you stand on stage with the real Cher and the energy that comes at you while you're standing alongside her. It's a wall of sound. I can't explain. It is an energy being thrust at you. I cannot explain. And I go, okay, take yourself down a notch or two, because you ain't all that. There's diva, and there's diva.

[34:27] Ilana Levine: That's correct. And I am like, diva. She's diva to the 10th power.

[34:35] Stephanie J. Block: I don't know. I mean, you, you both have gone to the highest heights in the thing that you love to do. And she chose, you know, one way of performing and you chose how you perform. And like, it doesn't, you know, I mean, you're going to keep going and doing incredible roles that you get to choose, but you've done it. Like you've smashed the glass ceiling in the career that you have chosen. And it's just so glorious. I want to ask you a couple of lightning round questions that I know you are going to know the answers to. I promise you.

[35:10] Stephanie J. Block: I just got nervous.

[35:18] Ilana Levine: I know you did. But that's why I said, I promise you. Who did you bring with you to Radio City on Tony night? When you handed out tickets, who did they go to?

[35:30] Stephanie J. Block: They went to, of course, my husband, my mother, my team, my agents, and my best friend, Patrick, and his husband, John. Oh boy. Oh boy. I think that was it. Believe it or not. My dad said, nah, I can't come this time. He had, he didn't come to, neither of my parents actually were there for my nomination for Edwin Drood. For Falsettos, I asked my parents to please be there because I did, there was a little, little, little glimmer that I thought, is this the time? Could they show up there? Actually for Falsettos, I had a bigger posse. This was a little more subdued, but boy, were they the right group to be there with.

[36:14] Ilana Levine: What did you wear?

[36:16] Stephanie J. Block: A Bob Mackie vintage. He said to me, I'd love to dress you. I don't necessarily have time to, you know, design something brand spanking new, but I have about a handful of designs that I think would look great on your body. And he, we had a beautiful day of dress up. And when I put this dress on, I wasn't thinking I was going to wear black, but man, it felt like the most glamorous armor I had ever worn. And I thought, this is perfect. I feel strong. I feel protect, protected and I feel glamorous. This is the one.

[36:49] Ilana Levine: And where is your Toni?

[36:52] Stephanie J. Block: Uh, she's made her way around to different places. You know, she needed to see where she wanted to live.

[36:58] Ilana Levine: Did Toni get around?

[37:00] Stephanie J. Block: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She's got to feel comfortable. You know, right now she's in our office. It feels exactly right. There's a picture next to, um, the trophy of myself and Cher singing into each other's faces, turn back time. And so that to me as is as much as a reminder and a reward as is the actual trophy, but they're best friends and they hang out together in our office.

[37:26] Ilana Levine: Well, this was fun. Thank you for being on the podcast today. I can't imagine a happier way to spend today. So thank you.

[37:33] Stephanie J. Block: Thank you, my friend. I'm so grateful to you.

[37:39] Ilana Levine: Right back at you, sweet friend.

[37:44] Ilana Levine: And the Toni Goes To is produced by Alan Seals for the Broadway Podcast Network. The music and lyrics for the theme song were written by Georgia Femusa. Theme song orchestration by Alexander Sage-Oyen. Episodes are edited by Derek Gunther. Thank you to Parody Bill for the graphics. And please don't forget to go to the iTunes show page and rate and review the show. Thanks for listening. Excerpt from the podcast is produced by Alan Seals for the Broadway Podcast Network.