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[0:00] Lesli Margherita: It's the day of the show, y'all! Well, not the actual show, that's yet to be written, but we're about to find out if Kay and Bobby pulled it off or not when the Avatar Gang turns up in Staten Island for a reading of Act 1 and that new hit song. Oh god, I hope it's a mid-tempo. I really need to update my book. I'm seriously, I'm going on like 10 years now of singing like What Do I Need With Love from Thoroughly... I don't even, it's not even my type. Let's join them now. Wait, does anyone actually know how to get to Staten Island? Can cars go there?

[0:37] Emma-Olivia: I'll be your Lyft driver today. I see we're headed to Staten Island. Apparently cars can go there. Until today, I had no idea. You know, I'm from Staten Island originally. Grew up just down the street from my grandparents. Now my brother and his wife live there, mom and dad still live in their house. I've been thinking about getting an apartment in the neighborhood. But no! I'm pretty happy with the way the people here live. I would be in a window. Well, I could drive over anytime. Look, I am so sorry that we got into a fight last night, and I really resent you for starting it. You know I get stressed before a reading. But you're right, this avatar thing is going to be so much time and work, and I don't want anything to distract us from us.

Isn't that why you left Jersey to live with me? More us time? So anyway, I thought about it this morning during meditation. You're right. You deserve this chance, and the industry can be so unfair. So as soon as this reading ends, I am marching straight up to the team, and I am telling them if they want Emma Olivia, they have to take Emma Olivia's boyfriend too. Oh, looks like we're at your destination. Five stars, please.

[2:12] Unknown speaker: Hello, Steve? Bobby? K? Emma Olivia? Oh my god, it's Emma Olivia! Dress, you've been recognized.

[2:20] Steve Jones: What the hell is going on? That's my soul cycle instructor. I thought this was—

[2:25] Unknown speaker: Miss Emma Olivia! I saw you come in. I've got your usual ready for you. Here's your oat milk latte. A top secret reading for Bobby and K's new musical?

[2:38] Emma-Olivia: Ugh, this is lukewarm at best, barista. Oh hey, Maxwell, thanks for the magnolia delivery the other day. How did you know Sundays are my cheat days?

[2:43] Maxwell Fernsby: It's my job to make sure everyone stays happy. So today, we wanted to keep things low-key and brought in some CAAA clients without any credits or pull in the industry. So most of them. We have soul cycle instructor, barista, personal trainer, waiters one, two, three, five, six, and seven. Waiter four called out sick but sent her roommate. Task rabbit woman. And thanks for this, Mike. This is the best latte I've ever tasted.

[3:12] Emma-Olivia: Cheryl.

[3:17] Cheryl Philips: Always great to see you, but I'm surprised you wanted to get this involved so early on. You typically don't get started until sometime between tech and opening night.

[3:30] Emma-Olivia: We're really just here seeing what we have today.

[3:36] Cheryl Philips: Oh, you're so welcome, and I can't wait to help bring it to life. And maybe with me stepping in at the very beginning, I can help you avoid some of those expensive fiascos that I always think of when I think of your name.

[3:50] Emma-Olivia: Mike, honestly, this scone is heaven. Can you be in all my shows? I'm kidding. I don't have final casting.

[4:04] Cheryl Philips: Okay, everyone gather around and let's all take a moment of silence to really think about what we have before us.

[4:09] Unknown speaker: Okay. Isn't a moment of silence for something bad?

[4:18] Zoey Taylor: Yep. Zoe is clearly psychic.

[4:22] Unknown speaker: Now, ladies and gentlemen, your producers have something to say.

[4:30] Steve Jones: What, a eulogy? No, no, we're fine. Let it rip. Thanks, Steve. Well said as always. I just wanted to say I'm looking forward to a lot of untested talent working on untested material today. It definitely doesn't feel like a sad practical joke spending my Saturday here in Staten Island with all of you. Shall we get to it? And as is customary, your director, choreographer, cheerleader, moi, will read the stage directions.

[5:00] Zoey Taylor: Oh, Zoe, I don't know if that's customary, but it's happening. Okay, it's happening. Okay, here we go. The first act of untitled avatar-like musical. You guys, so funny. Act one, scene one. The young woman, Anna, enters. She gazes at the sky. A preemptive strike on my heart. They'll stop at nothing to keep us apart. Empty dreams of crimson hues, cause without you I got the blues. Oh, oh, oh, blue, blue, blue. Blue, blue, blue, blue, blue, blue, yeah. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do, Jake. Your legs, we have to amputate. No! They may take your legs, but we'll get by. No need for chosen anti-gravity. No, no, no. The avatars can't fly. Only the mountain banshees can fly. Bobby, Kay, guys, I don't think you nailed this draft. And curtain.

[6:27] Unknown speaker: Wow, guys, I want to thank you, but most of all, I want you to thank yourselves. You really left it on the stage today.

[6:36] Steve Jones: Steve, Steve, I have a few notes.

[6:43] Emma-Olivia: Don't we all. Why am I not blue? I thought I was going to be blue.

[6:49] Steve Jones: Seriously? I mean, lavender could work.

[6:54] Emma-Olivia: Astute as always. We'll get right on that, Emma. Thanks, Steve. And obviously I want to start working with a flying choreographer and a Navi dialect coach immediately.

[7:02] Zoey Taylor: So powerful. The song and its native dialect. Of course. So, Zoe, how are we feeling? By the way, I haven't had the chance to say how excited I am to have you on board. Honestly, I can't even tell you what this means to me.

[7:15] Unknown speaker: No, it's crazy. When the Broadway disher tweeted about my involvement, my agent didn't even know about it.

[7:19] Zoey Taylor: But obviously this was meant to be that Broadway disher. What will we do with her?

[7:29] Cheryl Philips: But credit where credit is due, Cheryl, one strong woman to another. I have to say that watching you wrangle, Steve, is so inspiring. It's time for us to step up and remake this industry. And I just think it's so cool that we have a woman producing, a woman starring, a woman writing the book and lyrics, and a woman directing and choreographing. That's going to mean a lot, especially on a sci-fi musical.

[7:54] Emma-Olivia: But it's not the end of the world if a man wrote the lyrics and book, right?

[8:00] Cheryl Philips: Are you kidding? No, we'd be crucified. But Kay did the book and lyrics, so we don't have to worry about that.

[8:05] Bobby: Hey, hey, hey, hey, guys. What are you whispering about over here?

[8:10] Unknown speaker: Just running the world, Bobby.

[8:11] Zoey Taylor: Stand back!

[8:12] Bobby Kearns: Uh, yeah, right. Uh, will you excuse me?

[8:16] Zoey Taylor: So, Zoe, uh, feeling good?

[8:20] Zoey Taylor: Oh, absolutely. I mean, what a dream team, am I right? Now, I do have some notes. The Act 1 climax is telegraphed from the very beginning. Now, you need to go back and rework most of the scenes leading up to it. No one is going to care if they spend an hour and ten minutes waiting for what they know is coming to finally get there. They'll be thinking about when they can finally stand up and get an overpriced wine.

[8:45] Bobby Kearns: Oh, um...

[8:46] Kay Fields: Oh, I...

[8:47] Zoey Taylor: Wow. Sorry, Zoe. Could you repeat that?

[8:49] Zoey Taylor: And Jake, I mean, you need to take that speech and musicalize it. This is a soldier. He should only sing his feelings because he doesn't have the emotional toolbox to express himself in everyday life. Oh, and Steve, Cheryl, I'm going to need 30 dancers for a dance rehearsal to explore a battlefield ballet that I think would be perfect midway through Act 1. Andrew and I were thinking that this was a real chance to dig into the backstory of the Hallelujah Mountains.

[9:15] Kay Fields: Yes, Zoe and I agree. This moment in Na'vi history is like none other and really sets up a lot of the emotional climaxes of Act 2. And I'm sure you're all wondering how the Hallelujah Mountains float. Well, it's actually really interesting. It all has to do with superconductors. When superconductors are in the presence of a magnetic field, they can float. Avatar's alien world of Pandora, it turns out, is simply a massive superconductor. Fascinating.

[9:37] Cheryl Phillips: If you'll excuse us, Steve. Steve, we need to talk.

[9:41] Steve Jones: What did I tell you? Every word in that act is a cudgel to the brain. I don't know what we were thinking. Fighting over a Bobby and Kay show? Steve, look, we need to call Plan B off. I was talking to Zoe.

[9:54] Cheryl Phillips: That's your first problem. Zoe is a visionary, but she gets lost in the bells and whistles. She's never said no to a new piece of technology, but she's not a dramaturg, know what I'm saying?

[10:04] Steve Jones: Look, look, look. We were in agreement this morning. We said if this went about as well as we expected, then we'd call in reinforcements.

[10:12] Cheryl Phillips: Steve, we are co-producers. Co. You can't call the shots without talking to me first.

[10:19] Steve Jones: Watch me.

[10:20] Cheryl Phillips: Maxwell, Kay, and I would love to know what our producers think.

[10:27] Maxwell Fernsby: No, you don't. Be brutal.

[10:29] Kay Fields: But constructive.

[10:30] Maxwell Fernsby: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We want to make it better. We know... Look, this is the first draft. We wrote it in four days. That's why we're here, to see what works and what doesn't.

[10:38] Cheryl Phillips: If only there were more of the former.

[10:40] Kay Fields: Sorry, excuse me?

[10:41] Steve Jones: Steve and I were talking earlier.

[10:43] Kay Fields: When?

[10:44] Steve Jones: When we were texting during the second half.

[10:46] Kay Fields: Seriously?

[10:47] Maxwell Fernsby: And guys, we believe in you. But this draft, and you did write it under extraordinary circumstances, we know that. But this is... It's not working. We need an outside eye.

[10:58] Cheryl Phillips: We don't have time to hold hands here. And clearly the two of you cannot work under this kind of pressure. So no foul. You gave it your shot. But we need to get serious.

[11:07] Kay Fields: What does that mean? Outside eye?

[11:09] Bobby Kearns: I'm sorry, for what? What exactly needs an outside eye?

[11:13] Cheryl Phillips: Hello?

[11:15] Steve Jones: Steve?

[11:16] Cheryl Phillips: Cheryl?

[11:19] Kay Fields: Tell me that you didn't...

[11:23] Thomas: Is that... Kay?

[11:25] Bobby Kearns: Thomas?

[11:26] Thomas: Thomas!

[11:27] Kay Fields: Guys, why are you all over here in the corner?

[11:31] Thomas: I showed Barista how to do a perfect espresso. Come get some. And I have something I really need to tell you all about. Do you remember that page six item about me and my trainer?

[11:41] Kay Fields: Oh, hey Thomas. Wait, what are you doing here?

[11:45] Bobby Kearns: Weren't you guys married like a million years ago?

[11:47] Thomas: Yeah, we were.

[11:49] Bobby Kearns: Nice to see you, babe.

[11:51] Kay Fields: Babe?

[11:52] Bobby Kearns: Seriously, Bobby?

[11:54] Thomas: And Thomas? Hi!

[11:56] Kay Fields: Hi, Thomas. Why exactly are you here at our top secret reading?

[12:00] Thomas: This must be confusing. Kay, Bobby, me, Thomas. He's your new book writer.

[12:04] Kay Fields: I'm so sorry. I...

[12:06] Bobby Kearns: No, no. I'm... I'm book in lyrics.

[12:09] Thomas: Not anymore. It's in my contract.

[12:11] Kay Fields: Babe?

[12:12] Bobby Kearns: Oh, absolutely not the time, Bobby. I don't think it's okay. We haven't finalized the author agreement?

[12:18] Kay Fields: Shit.

[12:19] Bobby Kearns: Wow!

[12:20] Kay Fields: Kay Fields is stepping down from book writing on Avatar to focus on lyrics and letting her husband's ex-husband do the book. I'd never let my man anywhere near an ex that hard. But that's why Kay is my hashtag she-ro.

[12:36] Thomas: So, what did I miss?

[12:43] Emma Olivia: Well, this is a bit awkward for me as well, since I too have a personal connection to Thomas. No one mentioned that he'd be appearing today, but that's fine. He looks good, though, don't you think? Obviously working out. Oh, sorry. You can't see us. Well, you have to take my word for it. He looks great. Sorry, where was I? Right. Will Emma Olivia get her boyfriend in the show? Will Andrew Barth Feldman quit in disgust? Please don't quit, Andrew. We love you. Will Kay rise to the occasion? Is Bobby really over Thomas? Will Thomas cause any drama? Knowing him, I can answer that for you right now. And is Waiter 4 really sick? Or did she just not know how to get to Staten Island? Do you think those scones were from scratch?

And what about Zoe? Are Cheryl and Steve planning to hijack a Brinks truck to realize her ambitious vision? Anyway, tune in next week. You're not going to want to miss this. Thank you, from the bottom of our cold hearts, for listening to As the Curtain Rises.

[13:44] Alex Brightman: A gargantuan thanks to our brilliant cast. James Monroe Iglehart as producer Steve Jones. Lillias White as producer Cheryl Phillips. Ashley Park as book writer lyricist Kay Fields. Michael Urie as composer Bobby Kearns. Sarah Stiles as diva Emma Olivia. George Salazar as agent Maxwell Fernsby in the bathroom. Ariana DeBose as director choreographer Zoe Taylor. Andrew Barth Feldman as science consultant Andrew Barth Feldman. Lesli Margherita as the Broadway disher. Mauricio Martinez as Thomas. Jacob Smith as the lift driver and the barista. Danny Marins as the SoulCycle instructor. And me, the incredible two-time Tony Award loser, Alex Brightman as the narrator!

[14:52] Alex Brightman: Written by Dory Berenstain and Mark Pikert. Directed by Dory Berenstain. Music, sound editing, and design by Bart Fassbender. Avatar music by Matthew Sklar. Sound engineering by Alan Seales. Banshee wrangling by the wonderful Bill Perloni. Produced by Dory Berenstain, Alan Seales, and the Broadway Podcast Network. Executive produced by Liz Armstrong. And absolutely everything else by our extraordinary BPN team. Brittany Bigelow, Joanna Nikolova, Katie Rosen, Cindy Schatz, and Beatriz Westby.

[15:35] Alex Brightman: As the Curtain Rises was created and recorded entirely in quarantine. This Broadway soap opera celebrates and supports the Actors Fund and the BPN Frontline Worker Initiative, which you can find at bpn.fm slash frontlineworkers. That's bpn.fm slash frontlineworkers. And finally, a very special thanks to our producing partner, Liz Armstrong, for your extraordinary support and inspiration. Buh-bye!