This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Eila Mell: Shakespeare said to thine own self be true. When I was 11 years old, my journey to truth began when I discovered the Tony Awards, washing dishes in my kitchen, and the performance of Jennifer Holliday and the cast of Dreamgirls on the Tony Awards took my breath away. That moment changed my life, and I'm here before you today. I want to thank my family, the best sister that a brother could ever have.

[0:30] Bruce Gotlieb: Hello, and welcome to Behind the Awards.

[0:32] Eila Mell: Welcome. That was the 2013 Best Leading Actor in a Musical Tony Award.

[0:37] Bruce Gotlieb: Billy Porter.

[0:38] Eila Mell: Of course. And actually, speaking of Billy Porter and that moment.

[0:41] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes.

[0:42] Eila Mell: I believe, if memory serves me correct, that you have that encapsulated in your Tony book.

[0:48] Bruce Gotlieb: I do. I do. So I'm Eila. This is Bruce. And yes, I have a book that has just come out called the Tony Awards with the American Theatre Wing. And yeah, Billy Porter and Jennifer Holliday are both interviewed in the book. So I'm so proud of that.

[1:04] Bruce Gotlieb: And is Billy, I believe, on the cover?

[1:07] Eila Mell: Yes, Billy is one of. So there are, I think, six photos on the cover, and he is one of them. And he with his arms outstretched, just elated. I love that photo.

[1:19] Bruce Gotlieb: It's such it's so joyful.

[1:21] Eila Mell: Yes.

[1:22] Bruce Gotlieb: And, you know, I mean, it's Tony season. So who doesn't have their arms stretched out for a Tony?

[1:26] Eila Mell: Oh, my gosh. So yes, this is our season. But you like football. I don't like football. I don't like sports. This is my Super Bowl. This is my World Series. This is it for me. As good as it gets.

[1:37] Bruce Gotlieb: I do. I do like football. But I do. There's nothing like Tony season.

[1:40] Eila Mell: I mean.

[1:40] Bruce Gotlieb: And there's so many shows out there right now. We are feverishly trying to see all of them.

[1:46] Eila Mell: I know. I know. We've seen a lot, not everything.

[1:49] Bruce Gotlieb: And more to come. But I just feel like there's not enough time in the day to see everything.

[1:54] Eila Mell: I know. Well, you are going to see Suffs. And I'm jealous. I need to try to get to see that.

[1:58] Bruce Gotlieb: We are going to see that. We will have seen it before this air. Actually, I'm sorry. I take that back. This will air. We will have already seen it.

[2:07] Eila Mell: All right, Bruce, this is, you know, very early in our podcasting. You're already lying to our listeners.

[2:13] Bruce Gotlieb: But all right, so let's get to it. What do we think is going to be nominated?

[2:17] Eila Mell: Give me a category. Where do you want to start?

[2:19] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. So let's start. Let's start with Best Musical.

[2:23] Eila Mell: OK, Best Musical. Should we go to Gold Derby and see what they think? Or should we just do our own?

[2:28] Bruce Gotlieb: I mean, we could do a little bit of both.

[2:29] Eila Mell: All right. So they have Suffs as their number one choice.

[2:34] Bruce Gotlieb: I'm very curious to see. I know it was a hit off-Broadway.

[2:37] Eila Mell: Yes. But I hear that they have retooled it a little bit and made it even better.

[2:42] Bruce Gotlieb: So that speaks very well for it. But there's no like runaway hit, I think, this season.

[2:47] Eila Mell: No, I don't think so. I mean, you have Water for Elephants is getting a lot of praise.

[2:53] Bruce Gotlieb: I saw that.

[2:54] Eila Mell: I know you enjoyed that.

[2:55] Bruce Gotlieb: I liked it. Yeah. I know it wasn't my favorite musical of the season, but I could see it getting nominated. It was really great. And it's beautiful to look at.

[3:04] Eila Mell: Wow. Just all the circus performers are incredible.

[3:09] Bruce Gotlieb: And I know a buzz pre-opening so far is a lot of people are, I think, intrigued, maybe is the right word, for the outsiders. That has a lot of buzz, because nobody knows anything about it.

[3:14] Eila Mell: I know. And it's such a classic movie and book. So hasn't everyone read the book in school or most people?

[3:28] Bruce Gotlieb: Most people.

[3:29] Eila Mell: Yeah. So that's very exciting to me. I love when there is a cast where most of the people are new.

[3:36] Bruce Gotlieb: That's fun.

[3:36] Eila Mell: It's exciting.

[3:37] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[3:38] Eila Mell: You get to see people at the start of their journey.

[3:42] Bruce Gotlieb: Right.

[3:42] Eila Mell: As their star is ascending.

[3:44] Bruce Gotlieb: That's so much fun. But then The Notebook, that's a big show.

[3:48] Eila Mell: It is. And we'll deep dive that on another episode, because we saw it together.

[3:54] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. I like that very much.

[3:56] Eila Mell: I do too. And I think probably more so than the critics did.

[4:00] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, The Times didn't love it. And that was a real disappointment for me, because I think it's so well worth seeing.

[4:04] Eila Mell: I think so too. I think the story is told so beautifully.

[4:10] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. And it looks beautiful. And there are six lead actors, and they're all great.

[4:16] Eila Mell: They are. They are.

[4:17] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Okay. So what else? Hell's Kitchen, I have high hopes for that.

[4:24] Eila Mell: Days of Wine and Roses. Do you think that that will get a Best Musical nomination, or do you think that's just the lead actor and actress?

[4:32] Bruce Gotlieb: I think the actor and actress more so than the show itself.

[4:38] Eila Mell: Okay. Could be.

[4:40] Bruce Gotlieb: You know, it's hard to say.

[4:41] Eila Mell: I didn't see that one. You didn't see it, right?

[4:43] Bruce Gotlieb: I didn't see it either. But I've heard the performances are amazing.

[4:47] Eila Mell: Right. And it's mostly just the two of them. They're pretty much the whole show.

[4:51] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. And people I've spoken with, it always comes back to their performances, as opposed to the show in totality.

[4:58] Eila Mell: I can't imagine they won't both get nominated. You know, the pedigree and, you know, alone.

[5:04] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. And so Here Lies Love, that's another...

[5:09] Eila Mell: I know you loved it. I didn't see it.

[5:10] Bruce Gotlieb: I loved it. You didn't even want to see it. But I loved it. It was so much fun.

[5:16] Eila Mell: Let's see. What else? Illinois' is coming.

[5:19] Bruce Gotlieb: That's squeaking in.

[5:20] Eila Mell: Right. Like what, the day before the nomination?

[5:23] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah, I think it's...

[5:24] Eila Mell: Or the cutoff, the day before the cutoff.

[5:26] Bruce Gotlieb: Day before the cutoff. It's that and The Great Gatsby that opened both.

[5:30] Eila Mell: I think it's the day before. And Gatsby could too. I saw that at Paper Mill.

[5:33] Bruce Gotlieb: You saw that out of town. Right.

[5:35] Eila Mell: I'm curious to see if they tweaked because they tweaked even when I saw it at Paper Mill.

[5:41] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, really?

[5:41] Eila Mell: There was an insert along with the initial program. And when you compare the two, there were scenes and song changes already.

[5:49] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, that's interesting.

[5:50] Eila Mell: So I think it's interesting to see how they work it.

[5:52] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[5:53] Eila Mell: It also has buzz. It could come in, especially it's coming in at the last minute.

[5:58] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, so yeah, that's what's interesting to me about this race. There are no obvious choices, not even one. So we don't know what's going to get nominated. Now, Best Play, that's a very different story. There's a lot of shows that are getting buzz.

[6:08] Eila Mell: Appropriate?

[6:15] Bruce Gotlieb: That's revival. I don't...

[6:17] Eila Mell: Okay.

[6:17] Bruce Gotlieb: I mean, I know there's some reason why, but I don't know. I don't know when that was done originally.

[6:24] Eila Mell: Okay.

[6:24] Bruce Gotlieb: But it wasn't on Broadway, was it? No.

[6:27] Eila Mell: I don't believe so.

[6:28] Bruce Gotlieb: You know what? We will ask people from the American Theatre Wing to come on and maybe they'll explain it to us.

[6:33] Eila Mell: I'd like some clarification.

[6:35] Bruce Gotlieb: Me too, because I don't quite understand. So we need an expert for that. Stereophonic is getting great buzz. That had a great off-Broadway run.

[6:45] Eila Mell: Yeah, it sounds very... It's just different.

[6:47] Bruce Gotlieb: I know.

[6:48] Eila Mell: And interesting.

[6:49] Bruce Gotlieb: So I want to see that. Mother Play, Jessica Lange and Jim Parsons and Celia Keenan-Bolger.

[6:54] Eila Mell: I mean...

[6:55] Bruce Gotlieb: How could it be bad?

[6:56] Eila Mell: For the cast alone, you got to show up.

[6:57] Bruce Gotlieb: I know. Patriots, that's getting a lot of... Uncle Vanya, Jaja's African hair braiding.

[7:04] Eila Mell: There's a lot of really good shows.

[7:07] Bruce Gotlieb: And there are some that I wonder, like you just mentioned Yaya's African hair braiding. Now, is it Yaya or Jaja?

[7:13] Eila Mell: Oh, Jaja.

[7:13] Bruce Gotlieb: I don't know. Which one is it? I saw the show and I don't remember.

[7:16] Eila Mell: Did you?

[7:17] Bruce Gotlieb: I didn't see, but I was going to say, I wonder if it'll even be remembered.

[7:21] Eila Mell: I think it will.

[7:21] Bruce Gotlieb: Because it's so long ago.

[7:23] Eila Mell: No, I think it will. It was so good, though.

[7:24] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay.

[7:25] Eila Mell: I remember the marquee.

[7:28] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. All right. Best revival of a musical. If Merrily We Roll Along doesn't win, I will be shocked. It's just... This is the first successful production...

[7:40] Bruce Gotlieb: True.

[7:41] Eila Mell: ...of the show.

[7:42] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, would you be... Even with your... I know how much you love Cabaret.

[7:45] Eila Mell: But I love Merrily also.

[7:46] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay.

[7:47] Eila Mell: And my relationship with Merrily goes far, far back. So...

[7:52] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay. Because you have that, you have Cabaret, Tommy.

[7:55] Eila Mell: Tommy, yeah. Which I'm excited to see. The Wiz.

[7:58] Bruce Gotlieb: The Wiz.

[7:59] Eila Mell: Then there's Gutenberg, which I missed.

[8:01] Bruce Gotlieb: Which is also a revival.

[8:04] Eila Mell: It's... No, it's in...

[8:05] Bruce Gotlieb: No?

[8:06] Eila Mell: Oh, yes. You're right. It is. Yeah. It's a revival. But again, I don't know when it was originally done. I guess I don't need to know. But Spamalot, which is an obvious revival, because we all remember...

[8:17] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes.

[8:17] Eila Mell: ...the other production.

[8:19] Bruce Gotlieb: That one seems, I guess, a little bit like the list is a little bit short. It's a shorter list in general. But I feel like...

[8:24] Eila Mell: Right. There's only a few musicals.

[8:27] Bruce Gotlieb: I feel like a few of them are going to edge out the others.

[8:31] Eila Mell: I think so. Yeah. So I think it's going to be Merrily, Cabaret, and then I don't know.

[8:37] Bruce Gotlieb: How many more are there going to be? One or two more?

[8:40] Eila Mell: Probably.

[8:40] Bruce Gotlieb: So maybe Tommy?

[8:43] Eila Mell: Maybe The Wiz?

[8:44] Bruce Gotlieb: Maybe The Wiz? I don't know. I have high hopes for The Wiz. What about you?

[8:47] Eila Mell: I am very excited to see it. And if you haven't walked through the alleyway where The Marquis is...

[8:54] Bruce Gotlieb: I haven't.

[8:55] Eila Mell: You need to.

[8:56] Bruce Gotlieb: Why? What's happening there?

[8:56] Eila Mell: They put the new mural up, and it's for The Wiz.

[9:00] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, really?

[9:00] Eila Mell: And it's just so bright. It's beautiful.

[9:03] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, wow.

[9:04] Eila Mell: It looks gorgeous. And if you weren't excited to see it before, that alone, the costumes, it just looks so good.

[9:10] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. Well, I'm a little mad at you that you didn't invite me to go with you, because I know you have tickets already. But I'll deal with that.

[9:19] Eila Mell: We'll deal with that off camera.

[9:21] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. All right. Revival of a play. Now, there's even less. There's Appropriate, which is so good. I loved Appropriate.

[9:28] Eila Mell: It was very good.

[9:29] Bruce Gotlieb: And Sarah Paulson should just start writing her speech now.

[9:32] Eila Mell: I mean, be prepared.

[9:34] Bruce Gotlieb: I think she's got a good chance. I might put money on that one.

[9:37] Eila Mell: Oh, all right. We'll side bet it. That's fine.

[9:41] Bruce Gotlieb: I'm going to be bold. But then Pearlie Victorious was incredible.

[9:45] Eila Mell: Pearlie Victorious was so good. The acting was amazing.

[9:49] Bruce Gotlieb: Especially Carrie.

[9:50] Eila Mell: She was such a standout. And Derek McLean's set design.

[9:54] Bruce Gotlieb: Beautiful.

[9:55] Eila Mell: Was so good.

[9:56] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes. And, you know, the director, Kenny Leon, is just incredible. I think he'll be nominated.

[10:02] Eila Mell: And I hope Derek will, too.

[10:04] Bruce Gotlieb: I can't imagine why not.

[10:06] Eila Mell: Uncle Vanya. We don't know what to expect, but the cast alone. Steve Carell.

[10:11] Bruce Gotlieb: Right.

[10:11] Eila Mell: Anika Noni Rose. Remind me, Jane Howdy Shelf.

[10:14] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah.

[10:15] Eila Mell: I mean, it's a great, great cast.

[10:17] Bruce Gotlieb: Yes.

[10:18] Eila Mell: Enemy of the People, which I think is getting pretty good buzz.

[10:21] Bruce Gotlieb: It is. Jeremy Strong is in that.

[10:24] Eila Mell: So the whole Succession audience should go to see that.

[10:26] Bruce Gotlieb: Absolutely.

[10:27] Eila Mell: But Appropriate has Natalie Gold, who is in a Succession also.

[10:31] Bruce Gotlieb: That's right. He played his ex-wife.

[10:32] Eila Mell: That's right. And she's great.

[10:34] Bruce Gotlieb: She was really good.

[10:35] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[10:35] Bruce Gotlieb: Not as showy a part.

[10:37] Eila Mell: No.

[10:38] Bruce Gotlieb: Like, she does so much with it.

[10:40] Eila Mell: Oh, my God. She's so good. Yeah. And then we have Doubt, which is a brilliant play. So who knows what's going to happen with that category?

[10:48] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. Have we covered it? Or do you want to go into the acting categories?

[10:52] Eila Mell: I think we might need to go into the acting categories maybe on another episode.

[10:56] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. We'll do that on another episode.

[10:58] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[10:59] Bruce Gotlieb: We'll have the nominations by then. So we'll just go into, we'll do a very deep dive into the nominations.

[11:03] Eila Mell: We'll have to. We don't want to leave our guests waiting too long.

[11:05] Bruce Gotlieb: No. You know what? I think we should do special episodes about the nominations.

[11:09] Eila Mell: I think so.

[11:10] Bruce Gotlieb: All right. So that's a plan. But let us talk about the amazing guest we have today. How excited were you when I told you Robin Hurter was going to be on our show?

[11:17] Eila Mell: I was so thrilled.

[11:21] Bruce Gotlieb: I know. We both love her.

[11:22] Eila Mell: We do. I mean, she just exudes this, like, just she's spunky and joyful and...

[11:29] Bruce Gotlieb: Just the best personality, right?

[11:31] Eila Mell: Oh, my God. So good.

[11:32] Bruce Gotlieb: I know. So I can't wait to hear what she has to say. But what is the first show you saw her in?

[11:38] Eila Mell: For me, it was A Beautiful Noise.

[11:42] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, okay.

[11:42] Eila Mell: And saw her out of town and on Broadway.

[11:46] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. You saw the show in Boston.

[11:47] Eila Mell: Yes. Which is something she does, because when she did Moulin Rouge, she did it out of town in the same theater and then followed it on.

[11:56] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. And that was the first time I saw her as Nini, where she was nominated for a Tony.

[12:00] Eila Mell: Yes.

[12:01] Bruce Gotlieb: In Moulin Rouge. And she was great. And she's such a great dancer.

[12:05] Eila Mell: She's so great. And now she's back in Chicago.

[12:08] Bruce Gotlieb: I know. How does she have time? Because, I mean, we think she's doing Smash, right?

[12:13] Eila Mell: We talked about it. She just did that. She's like from project to project.

[12:16] Bruce Gotlieb: I know. All right. Well, let's go talk to her.

[12:18] Eila Mell: Let's do it.

[12:19] Bruce Gotlieb: All right.

[12:22] Eila Mell: We are here with Robin Hurter. How excited are you?

[12:25] Bruce Gotlieb: I'm thrilled. Because, you know, not only like the little glimpses we get of Robin on like, you know, if you follow her on Instagram or something, you know, her little, you know, glass of wine or whatever cooking thing she's doing.

[12:30] Eila Mell: But the triple threat that she is on stage is just amazing.

[12:41] Bruce Gotlieb: Welcome, Robin.

[12:42] Robyn Hurder: Thank you for having me. What a nice little intro. Thank you.

[12:47] Bruce Gotlieb: We did a whole other intro that you'll hear when you listen to the episode.

[12:50] Robyn Hurder: Oh, dear. Oh, my.

[12:51] Bruce Gotlieb: If you like that, just watch out.

[12:55] Robyn Hurder: I mean, I don't know where to start because you just, such a career.

[13:59] Robyn Hurder: It was just really such an honor. I mean, you say you're surprised, but if you saw A Beautiful Noise, your dancing in that just stood out so much. Thank you. And actually, my question, I guess, is, did you have any input creatively on, especially Blue Jeans? That's your primary dance moment, and seeing it, everyone crazy. So Stephen Haag, the choreographer, he was what an amazing choreographer, creature, person. He is one of my favorite humans on the planet. I am so happy I got to do this show. The biggest point, just to work with him, he is so collaborative. He will give you this instance and be like, okay, you're at a saloon, you're at a bar, it's like a cowboy bar, and there's a line dancing competition.

Think of two counts of eight. And then a lot of that was Cherry Cherry, my dance break in Cherry Cherry. But then he's just like, make it your own. You know what I mean? So all of that was, even if it was, he does that with a lot of the cast members where they'll create a scenario with movement. He loves to call them shapes. He shows it to me, like, for instance, Blue Jeans. I started doing the choreography, but it didn't necessarily feel like it was from me. It's so funny, I kind of put a Cassie slap on it. I kind of turned it into my own thing. Also, behind that, the storytelling and through the whole song and stuff like that. So yeah, it was such a collaborative experience working with him in that show.

[15:48] Robyn Hurder: And it's such an honor to get to originate a role and to have your stamp on it in that way. It is. It's one of the hardest and most intimidating things, but the most fulfilling and rewarding. And I was just talking to my husband the other night, talking about going into Chicago and how I'm like, I've realized, which is it's such an honor, I have originated a lot of roles. So I'm more comfortable once I get on stage in front of an audience because I'm the one that created this. This thing was created 27 years ago, and I'm stepping into the shoes of Bebe Neuwirth. And it's a very different feeling, but originating a role is something, it's like the drug that keeps me going. I love it. I love creating and I love putting my, I like to call it my smack on it.

[16:40] Eila Mell: I love that. Yeah. But then, so when you do step into Chicago, do you feel like there's a part of it that you have to honor that the audience expects, and then you put your stamp on it too?

[16:52] Robyn Hurder: I mean, yes, but more so, I think the most important thing is, it's important to me. It's the most important thing is to honor this legacy. It's like, so when I'm doing Chicago, all I'm thinking about is Cheetah, I'm thinking about Annie Reinking, and I'm thinking about Bebe Neuwirth, and all the other legendary Velmas that came before me, but really, and obviously honoring Mr. Fosse. You obviously have to make it your own, and I just truly love doing that. But I want to say the words right, I want to sing the notes right of Kander and Ebb, because those ink notes are so delicious. And I learned so much actually really learning what is written. I was like, wow, I've been making that up. And honoring the movement, honoring the vocabulary, the language that is Bob Fosse.

It's the most important thing to me. And yes, the audience, a lot of them have seen the show many times, but I've noticed the past 10 shows I've done, so many newcomers to this show. People who have, yeah, after 20, even the people, my friends, my friends are like, well, I've never seen Chicago yet, so I guess I'll go now. And I'm like, how have you not seen this?

[18:11] Eila Mell: I have not seen Chicago yet.

[18:13] Robyn Hurder: I will. I'm dragging you.

[18:16] Eila Mell: I'm embarrassed to tell you, but I will come see you.

[18:18] Robyn Hurder: Well, that's awesome. I mean, but it is interesting. I think people just know that it's like, ah, it'll be there. I'll see it eventually.

[18:25] Eila Mell: That's the thing. Yes. And Bruce and I just saw Wicked for the first time this year.

[18:30] Bruce Gotlieb: That's true.

[18:30] Eila Mell: I know. It's crazy.

[18:32] Robyn Hurder: Yeah, I know. Well, again, you know what? I've never seen Book of Mormon.

[18:36] Bruce Gotlieb: I just saw that too for the first time. This was my year of catch up, so yeah.

[18:40] Robyn Hurder: On top of all that's out there that we're scrambling to try to see.

[18:44] Eila Mell: The 5,000 musicals that are opening this season.

[18:47] Robyn Hurder: I know. It's crazy. And you probably, do you even have time to see anything?

[18:52] Robyn Hurder: I mean, especially lately, I've been just in rehearsals and then I live an hour north in the country, and I want to spend that time with my family. And yesterday was my first real day off. So I definitely have the opportunity on Wednesdays, because that's Chicago's day off, I could get in a double feature if I wanted, but it's also really important for me to rest.

[19:14] Eila Mell: When I saw the announcement that you were coming into Chicago or going back to Chicago, Isla and I were having a conversation and I was like, she's got to be tired. Just going from show to show, it's just, and it's not like you're doing these little roles where you're just a walk on cameo. You're in all out moments.

[19:33] Robyn Hurder: Yeah, I am pretty tired right now. I think my body's in shock, because it's just, it was fast and furious. I had a couple weeks of rehearsal, and then I went on March 26th. But this role is different. I mean, before this, I was doing the lab workshop of Smash, which is a whole other bag of tricks.

[19:57] Eila Mell: We're going to talk about that.

[19:58] Robyn Hurder: Yeah, that was nuts. But then I had a few weeks off, and then I went right into rehearsals. And people are like, oh, Robyn, it's Velma, you can do that. And I was like, well, hey, kiddos, I've never really been the lead of a show. I've never done anything like this. Beautiful Noise, yes, she was, quote unquote, maybe the leading lady. She was a featured actress part. And I was doing a lot of, Blue Jeans was a little bit physical, but I was doing a lot of scene work. And I got to stand and sing You Don't Bring Me Flowers, never got to stand and sing on a stage before, a Broadway stage. So then you put me in this show that people, I don't know if people realize how difficult Velma is. I mean, she's lifting a 20-pound chair over her head, and then swinging her leg around it eight times.

And it's, you know, jumping, jump splits down to the ground, whacking your face five times. I mean, it's highly physical. I have two massive show-off numbers. And when watch this comes out of Robin Hurder's mouth, I'm gonna deliver and go full out as hard as I can. So now I'm a bit busted. Also the adrenaline of like the new energy and like, you know, it's wild. Yeah, that's such a huge role. But at least you have a partner.

[21:21] Robyn Hurder: I do.

[21:21] Eila Mell: So that's nice.

[21:22] Robyn Hurder: You know, it is really nice. And I've been talking about this too, you know, nothing against the beautiful men that partner me or throw me around. It is so fun and refreshing to just have a female or females as a scene partner. Like it's so fun to just look at a woman and have scene work with her because it really, I haven't had that in a while.

[21:50] Eila Mell: Right. It's kind of rare. That's so odd, but it is.

[21:53] Robyn Hurder: It's really fun. I feel like a sense of empowerment and control. And it's really lovely. And Ariana Maddox is just like, she's a she's a she's a damn cupcake. She is so sweet. And so down, down to play like she plays. Yeah, she's fresh. She makes eye contact. She has that energy that she wants to connect with you. I'm like, what a what a little gift to go into the show with someone. You know, if we're gonna do a celebrity casting, she's just right. She's legit. And I'm very, very grateful for her. And what's great is that she's bringing a whole different audience to the show that never would have come in the first place.

[22:31] Robyn Hurder: My lordy, like that, that was that's my favorite thing after we, you know, we go out and we sign because the stage door is a madhouse right now. And so many people, a whole different generation of, you know, the, the Vanderpump Bravo, all that stuff. They, right. Of course, they're coming to see her and she's delivering like honey is delivering. But they're like, we've never seen a Broadway show before. We've never seen a musical. We absolutely loved this. And the thing is, they're just not the audience is not just screaming for her. They're screaming, like when they hear cellblock tango, the audience blows up the overture, the entrance, when Jessica comes out and does the big intro, like, they're listening, they're listening, they're loving, they're connecting, they, they want to know what's going on. And it's just, it's just a testament to the show. It really is.

[23:25] Eila Mell: Well, that's incredible. And hopefully they'll come and see more shows.

[23:29] Robyn Hurder: Exactly. Now that they know what it is.

[23:33] Eila Mell: Exactly. We'll be right back. We have to listen to some commercials.

[23:39] Robyn Hurder: As a kid, I used to listen to the original, original, you know, not the, the, and not the Enright King, the Cheetah and Gwen version as a kid and cellblock tango. I loved it, but it scared me a little.

[23:44] Robyn Hurder: Well, those, those women, that's, it's so funny. I, I, of course, listened to the, you know, 96 revival that I wore it out, had to buy another CD of it. But I just revisited when I was, you know, in rehearsals, I revisited the original with Cheetah and the cellblock is hilarious. It's like, you hear those women's voices and you're like, you don't want to mess with them. There's this, there's this, the whole recording, there is just this grit, this kind of like, I don't, I don't know how to explain it, but it's so raw. It's so raw and gritty.

[24:21] Eila Mell: Right. I feel like that can only have happened in the seventies. We don't have that anymore.

[24:27] Robyn Hurder: Totally. Oh yeah. Gritty is a good word. It's like, it's dirty. It's not, oh my gosh. And like, she does, she does jazz. I started screaming at the end when I realized, cause I just realized I hadn't listened to it in so long. It's like, she, she does not, she just throws it on the ground. She's like, take it or leave it. She does not give one single care.

[24:47] Eila Mell: That's so, you can pay.

[24:53] Robyn Hurder: She just throws her. It's, it's just unbelievable. You can, and you can, she's so expressive that you can, you, it's like, you can see her, you can see her doing it. Right. You can, could you imagine if we could have been there in the theater to see that? And they don't have enough clips of it. I just like the way I've scoured the internet to try to find her chair dance for Velma Takes the Sand or anything. And you can't, you can't find her. You can't find her. You can't find her. I watched it so many times and I just always want to find more, but she was such magic, magic.

[25:26] Robyn Hurder: Do you remember speaking of like all these like memory moments, like that first show you saw and like it, did that shape, obviously a lot of people are shaped to become an actor or a dancer or whatever from.

[25:38] Robyn Hurder: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I have a, I have a big one and I, and I talk about it a lot, but I, and I say the same thing. I never get sick of it because it really is, it's magical and it's all incredibly full circle at this moment. But I was 11 years old. My first Broadway show was Damn Yankees. I was going to New York for the first time to do like talent America dance competition with my dance school.

[27:00] Robyn Hurder: When Bebe was in as Roxy.

[27:02] Eila Mell: Oh my God.

[27:03] Robyn Hurder: So talk about me.

[27:04] Eila Mell: That's incredible.

[27:05] Robyn Hurder: R.I.P. Robyn. I was dead. I was too terrified to talk to her. Then there was this, you know, they have kids night on Broadway and Bebe wanted the cast, if they'd seen a Broadway show when they were little, to tell their experience to the kids after the show. The first night I didn't do it. And the second night, I was like, Robyn, do it. And I raised my hand. She goes, Oh, Robyn. She brought me the mic. And I was like, Oh my God, Bebe Neuwirth knows my name. And I told the story to the kids because I was like, I think it's really important for kids to hear this story that, you know, I said the whole story about Damn Yankees. And I said, and now I'm on this stage with my idol. And that just shows if you have a dream and you believe in yourself and you work so hard to get it, these kinds of dreams can come true.

And that just meant the world to her. She gave me the biggest hug on stage. I died again. And yeah, and now I am. I just I'm going to start crying. I can't believe that I am doing her role in Chicago now. Like, it's just it's just really special.

[28:08] Eila Mell: And what's more?

[28:09] Robyn Hurder: Yes.

[28:10] Eila Mell: And there are kids watching you saying that's what I want to do now.

[28:13] Robyn Hurder: And that's that is as I get older. It's not it's not I love to do it, but it's not for me. I realize how important it is, especially becoming a mother. And I have a 10-year-old son and I tell him to always set the example and lead with love. Be a leader because you want to do good in the world. And I always tell him the most important thing is to be kind and to, again, set the example, work hard. And for me and my career now, it's not about me getting roles. It's not about me doing another job. It's to work hard and to pass it, pass it somewhere to someone to show that if you're a kind person and you believe in yourself and you work hard and you treat everyone as an equal, your life is going to be good.

Good things are going to keep happening. And it's the most important thing to me is to show that this is how you can live your life. You know, you can be a star on Broadway, but you can also do good. You can inspire people. You can, you know, lead the way in a different direction. It's so important.

[29:31] Eila Mell: And, you know, I don't know if you know this, but your reputation is that you're one of the most loved people on Broadway.

[29:36] Robyn Hurder: Well, that's good because I have a lot of love to give. I mean, that's my favorite word. My favorite power, my favorite everything is just love because, you know, we don't have that much time here. And especially, you know, with the whole pandemic and everything, we lost so many people and I lost family members and best friends. It really opens up your eyes to be like you really, really don't sweat the small stuff. And don't waste your time on negative energy or, you know, bad juju. It's like live your life. Honestly, Nick, we don't have enough time. So love, love hard in all areas of your life.

[30:15] Eila Mell: Absolutely. People don't really have as many problems as they think they do.

[30:19] Robyn Hurder: Exactly. I mean, just, you know, when you're feeling that way, just take a look at a picture of space. So insignificant. So just like make the most of it, you know?

[30:30] Eila Mell: Yeah, really? Let's have fun.

[30:33] Robyn Hurder: You shared, though.

[30:35] Eila Mell: Oh my gosh. So speaking of fun, what was more fun than you getting scared by Ricky Rojas?

[30:41] Robyn Hurder: Almost every day on Instagram, those videos backstage, you know, in this whole thing? It started in Boston and it started with Reed LaPlau. Like he's the clown in the beginning and they started it in Boston. And then they just they were very good. Him and Ricky, this team that they just knew they knew to give it space. And sometimes it would be like a month or two. And then it really happened.

[31:04] Eila Mell: Yes.

[31:11] Robyn Hurder: And I am so dumb and so gullible and so like, huh? Like, why do you have a camera in my face? I didn't even think about it because everyone just has their phones. And then it's like, oh, it's something for Instagram. So I'm going to be an idiot and just start showing up in front of the camera and do some shit. And then Reed's behind me as a scary clown. But it's also it's also started. It started in Chicago with, you know, Danny Pascal and Barrett Martin. They also I just they just love it. People love scaring me because I scream and I hate it. But I love it because then I start like uncontrollably laughing. It's the weirdest feeling to be so scared and then laugh at my own outrageous reaction.

[32:03] Eila Mell: It must have been a good release before a show.

[32:06] Robyn Hurder: I always say I'm like, I'm warm like Barrett. Barrett just did it to me. I was like when I came back into the show, I said, dude, I'm still thinking I'm focusing. You cannot go after me yet. I was like, give me a couple of weeks before you start scaring me. And he did. He put on the scary mask right as I exited the stage. And Ariana's with the phone just looking at me. And I'm like, huh? And he got me. So it's fun. I love it. I love it. I hate it, but I love it.

[32:34] Eila Mell: Right. It seemed like it was every single day.

[32:36] Robyn Hurder: They must have saved them and then posted them.

[32:39] Eila Mell: No, they'll do they'll do like, you know, a couple in a row and then they'll wait. Like their timing is smart.

[32:44] Robyn Hurder: Yeah. So they always catch me on guard.

[32:47] Eila Mell: Was Moulin Rouge! the most fun?

[32:49] Robyn Hurder: Moulin Rouge! before the pandemic, Moulin Rouge! was so wild and fun and exciting. We were creating something that's never been done before. And you had this group of people with outrageous personalities, outrageous energy, tenacious like artist energy that it was a wild, wild experience. And especially starting the show in Boston, like, you know, Max Clayton and I are best friends and we are both from New England. I'm from Maine. He's from New Hampshire. And we love Boston so much. It's such a great town. It is amazing. It's just so many amazing memories. And just like watching the creation of the show and what the show was doing to the people watching it was so thrilling.

[33:37] Robyn Hurder: Now, with that being said, the show was really hard. It was wildly hard, hard on our bodies. You know, women are wearing corsets. And what I did as Nini was just crazy.

[33:49] Eila Mell: Well, that's why you were nominated for a Tony.

[33:52] Robyn Hurder: I still don't believe it. I still don't believe it. And I forget about it because I'm just like, wait, did that actually happen? But yeah, no, it was after we came back from the pandemic, it got it got pretty hard. You know, when you're that was the first time in my life. I kind of really like every day stopped dancing for 18 months and getting my body back into that shape kind of quickly. It caused a lot of problems. Like I just I was in a lot of pain, you know, just because just getting used to that movement again. So but all in all, it's such a special it's such a special memory. And I've made, you know, I call them friends. But if I see somebody on the street that I haven't seen in a year or two, I've still it's like seeing family, you know, no time has passed.

[34:38] Eila Mell: Yeah. And we'll pick up right where we left.

[34:40] Robyn Hurder: Right. And Danny Burstein is such a wonderful another.

[34:43] Eila Mell: Yeah. Another example of like kids. That's how you do it.

[34:46] Robyn Hurder: Yeah, right. You watch Danny interact with every single person in the theater. And you're just like, that is how you should. That's that's the kind of person we should all be is a Danny Burstein. He's really wonderful.

[34:55] Eila Mell: Yeah, I know. He is.

[34:59] Robyn Hurder: Yeah, he is. He's literally heaven sent to be the perfect example of like, this is how you are a professional.

[35:07] Eila Mell: Let's take a minute to hear a word from our sponsors.

[35:16] Robyn Hurder: Well, so you mentioned your costume, which was teeny tiny, very, very small.

[35:21] Eila Mell: Yeah. So would it be wrong? Would it be wrong for me? Because I wonder these kind of things. What are you doing to get your period? And you're wearing like you just you just you definitely don't don't wear a pad.

[35:28] Robyn Hurder: Oh my God. No, you just do it.

[35:34] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[35:37] Robyn Hurder: No, you have to you just have to be it's not fun. I'll tell you that because it's also like the pain. You know, I always like, you know, popping for Advil every four hours, you know, trying to get through it. It's not fun at all. But, you know, we are wearing technically like four layers. That's why I'm so like I it's so normalized for me just because, you know, you're wearing a thong, then you're wearing tights, then you're wearing fishnets, then you're wearing garter belts, and then you're wearing your outside thong. So it's just kind of like, well, I'm wearing pants.

[36:09] Eila Mell: Yeah, I guess you're pretty good.

[36:15] Robyn Hurder: But in the audience, I think these crazy things, but I can't be the only one thinking.

[36:20] Eila Mell: Oh yeah. We're all we're all on guard with each other when that happens.

[36:24] Robyn Hurder: Oh my God.

[36:24] Eila Mell: Yeah, right.

[36:30] Robyn Hurder: All right. So Bruce and I love Smash. We have to ask you what's going on with Smash.

[36:36] Robyn Hurder: Well, I can't. The sad thing is, is I can only say a few things about it. I can't because my producers will come after me, but it will it's it's happening. I mean, there's no question about that is most likely like the rumors are spring of 25. The workshop was wild. I've I've never done anything like that before in my life. It was you know, we have four weeks of rehearsal. And then we went into this Danny Kaye theater in Hunter College on the east side. And it was kind of like a an off-Broadway production.

[37:07] Eila Mell: Yeah.

[37:07] Robyn Hurder: I mean, I was in full costume and wigs. Some of the scenes I was in, like my own rehearsal where but it was like we have built sets and staircases and, you know, props and moving set pieces by stagehands pushing them on and off. I mean, it was an experience I've I've never gone through that added a lot more pressure on me because I'm like, oh, this is a performance, you know, and that people are not people are not paying to see it. But it was a 600 seat theater and people were coming. It was full every single performance performance presentation.

[37:44] Eila Mell: Right. But same thing.

[37:45] Robyn Hurder: Oh, it didn't feel it's the hardest I've that was a Broadway performance for me. I was like, I've never worked harder in my life and felt the pressure and all that stuff to try to sell something. But it was also like a dream come true. I mean, what, 12, 13 years ago, I was watching this and watching these numbers. I'm like, I must do that. I was like, I need to do this. This is I just want to do it so bad. Like, I want to do Let's Be Bad so bad. You know, all all of these amazing numbers. And the fact that I'm doing it now, you know, 13, 12, 13 years later is is absolutely wild and doing, you know, Josh, the choreographer, Josh Bergassi. You know, we're doing the choreography from the show.

[38:30] Eila Mell: Oh, that's exciting.

[38:32] Robyn Hurder: It's so exciting. And just singing, you know, Mark Shaman, Scott Whitman's music. It's just like Broadway. It's it's just, you know, everyone knew that this show was meant to be on stage. And I don't think people are going to be disappointed. I mean, what I can say is it is very different from the TV show. So I would not go whenever this does happen.

[39:30] Robyn Hurder: You've got to make it your own because movies are very different. You've got to give it in such a short amount of time. You know, with musical theater, we have to develop characters. We have to give them backstories. We have to describe them so people fall in love with them in this live theatrical experience. So, it has to be different.

[39:47] Eila Mell: And sometimes you only have, what, that first opening two, three minutes to get somebody to fall in love with you. So, it's like on hyperspeed.

[39:59] Robyn Hurder: Exactly. I mean, exactly. You've got to grab them immediately. So, yeah. So, it was a really, really exciting time, and I'm excited for the future of the show. I think people are going to really, really love it. And it's great because people are saying the revival's dead, the golden age musical, it doesn't work. And for today's audiences, I feel like this is how we get it.

[40:26] Robyn Hurder: It's a comedy. It's a comedy about a musical theater show, right? So, we're in 2024. We're contemporary times, but we're putting on a show that's this big, luscious Marilyn Monroe MGM grand musical. So, we get away with it, and it works.

[40:45] Eila Mell: That's right. And you get sort of both, the past and the present.

[40:50] Robyn Hurder: And the show is funny. It's really funny.

[40:55] Eila Mell: Well, Mark Shaman and Scott Whitman, how could it not be funny?

[41:00] Robyn Hurder: Yeah, and we have the book by Rick Alice and Bob Martin, two geniuses, and they've written something really, really, really good and really funny.

[41:10] Eila Mell: I can't wait for it.

[41:11] Robyn Hurder: I can't wait even more. Yeah, we'll be there.

[41:14] Eila Mell: All right, so just one last question for you. I watched the PBS Great Performances, and what an absolute honor to be with Donna McKechnie performing Music in the Mirror. What did Cassie in A Chorus Line mean to you as a dancer growing up?

[41:33] Robyn Hurder: So, growing up, I've seen the show regionally a few times, and I was always like, I want to be Val, naturally. I mean, I was definitely singing "tits and ass" when I was nine years old around my house. It was that.

[41:48] Eila Mell: Yeah, me too. I thought Val was the glamorous one.

[41:51] Robyn Hurder: So, once the revival happened in 2006 and we were auditioning for it, all I wanted was, I did not think I was a Cassie whatsoever at all.

[42:01] Robyn Hurder: Oh, my God, I was 25. And I was like, I should be Val. I want to be Val. And I was cut immediately from the audition. Just immediately cut.

[42:12] Robyn Hurder: And then the tour, so the Broadway revival happened, and then the tour was auditioning. And they called me in for Cassie, the Cassie camp. And I was like, I'm like 26, 27. I'm like way too young. I was like, I don't need to be doing this. I want to be Val.

[42:29] Robyn Hurder: But they're like, please come in, work for two weeks with a couple other girls that were up. And it's like a Cassie camp where you learn the material, you learn everything, song, dance, act, all that stuff.

[42:39] Robyn Hurder: You know, it came down to a couple of us for the audition. And I didn't end up getting it because they said it's an age thing. And I was like, that's what I said.

[42:50] Robyn Hurder: But then they offered me Val. And it was great because my husband Clyde was already cast as Mike for the tour. And we really wanted to go on the tour together.

[42:58] Robyn Hurder: Because we were engaged and we were getting married within the year. So I was offered Val, but I couldn't get out of my Greece contract. I was playing Marty at the time in Greece.

[43:11] Robyn Hurder: Once the show, once I like finished my contract, the role opened up on the road and they offered it to me. I went back in. I was on a stage and I did it for, you know, Bob Avian, Bayork and everybody.

[43:25] Robyn Hurder: And they're like, all right, it's yours. So I went on tour and I did it and I tried my best. That's what I say. I'm like, I tried my best. I could sing it and I could dance it and I could act it.

[43:38] Robyn Hurder: But I felt like a fraud and I felt that I shouldn't be doing it because I didn't know who this woman was. I didn't know what it was like not to work. I was that little twit.

[43:49] Robyn Hurder: I jumped from job to job. I overlapped every job in my career since I made my Broadway debut in 2005. And I had no idea what it's like to be unemployed. I have no idea what it's like to be desperate to, you know, all of the things that she was going through.

[44:04] Robyn Hurder: Cut to, I did it for a year, cut to, you know, 2018. They're doing it at City Center and they just offered it to me and they said, we want you to do it. And I fell to my knees crying because I was like, I'm ready. I've gone through so much life in the past 10 years.

[44:24] Robyn Hurder: I have, the minute I closed Chorus Line, I lived her life. I did not work for three years. I had so many breakdowns. I lost myself. I didn't know who I was going into auditions. I would look down at my dress in auditions and I was trembling. I just, I got so lost.

[44:42] Robyn Hurder: And Bayork, hilariously enough, said while I was on tour, she's like, you know, the Cassie curse, right? It happened to Donna. Like after she did the role, she literally had a nervous breakdown. She was auditioning for the most wild things and couldn't get in any jobs. Yeah. No, no, it's a thing. So I did that for about three years and then Nice Work came along, which was such a blessing.

[45:01] Robyn Hurder: And Kathleen Marshall, she stayed true to me. I was just such a loyal, amazing woman. But yeah, that City Center, that was a whole new experience and probably the biggest gift of my life to have an opportunity to do it for me right.

[45:21] Robyn Hurder: Yeah, I, it was like, I wasn't, I didn't, I just had to say it. I just had to be myself and say it because I understood the material. And when it's just you and you feel the mirrors turn around and you look at yourself and you hear, it's like this weird red purple light. And then, and then you can, you just see black, but you know there's an audience behind you.

[45:44] Robyn Hurder: And then you just like, I just tell myself, get lost, get lost. Just listen to the music. And then it takes over and you just get lost. And it's like a trance. It's like, like almost like a form of meditation. I mean, a cardiovascular meditation, but it's like church.

[46:01] Robyn Hurder: And especially the last performance of City Center was just one of the most special, sacred moments on stage I've ever had in my life. You know, because I knew it was the last time and I don't, I'm not going to be doing Cassie again. And it was just the, what a way, what a way to close that chapter.

[46:21] Robyn Hurder: Then last March, a year, oh my God, literally like a year ago, I get a call saying from, you know, Warren Carlyle, this is my idea. What do you think? And I was like, are you kidding? I had met Donna once. I had never worked with her on the dance ever. And we go into this rehearsal studio and the way I couldn't keep it together. Like I, it's not that I was embarrassed.

[46:46] Robyn Hurder: I just, I couldn't control myself because I'm trying to stay away from her in the corner. Cause she's having her rehearsal near the piano and she opens up her mouth to sing Music in the Mirror, like the beginning part to have something that I can believe in. I, and she sounds exactly the same. And I burst into tears and I'm like hyperventilating.

[47:11] Robyn Hurder: And then she comes up to me and like, she has to hold me. Cause I'm like, I cannot believe I am with you right now. And the way it's staged is that she's just, the fact that we got to do the beginning mirror section together. And then she just looks at me and she gives me the go ahead. Like,

[47:30] Eila Mell: Right. How incredible.

[47:31] Robyn Hurder: It is amazing. It is like, it's such a gift. Like, I don't think people realize like how much I honor and respect her and have watched her. And those are goals. Those it's just such a, such a, just something, something to work towards.

[47:51] Robyn Hurder: And then this person that is so iconic that I've, she just means so much to me that the role means so much to me, the dance. And she just gives me a nod and throws her hand to me. And she's basically, she's just saying, take it. It's yours.

[48:06] Eila Mell: Yeah. I mean, it doesn't get better.

[48:08] Robyn Hurder: I mean, for a dancer, singer, actor, that's basically the highest honor you could get. And she's such a beautiful woman and, you know.

[48:20] Robyn Hurder: So nice. And to get to dance Michael Bennett's choreography too.

[48:24] Robyn Hurder: I mean, yeah, it's hard because, you know, they, they both have, you know, they, they choreographed it together to, to drums and they're both, they have, you know, long torsos and shorter legs and I'm the complete opposite. So I had to really, really use my plié, let's say when doing that dance.

[48:44] Robyn Hurder: It's amazing. But it wasn't also intimidating in rehearsal, just having her watch me and I'm like doing the pirouettes and she's like, you know, stage left. And I'm like, she was so complimented. She was so wonderful to me. And she's like, it's just so great to see someone with such power and technique do it. So.

[49:03] Eila Mell: Wow.

[49:04] Robyn Hurder: Yeah. Well.

[49:05] Eila Mell: I just feel like all these legends that like, is like passing on the baton to you.

[49:10] Robyn Hurder: It's, it's, I, it does not, I don't, I don't take it for granted for one second. I, I, I know, I mean, I've worked very, very hard, but I know how fortunate and lucky I am to, to have these experiences with these absolute legends.

[49:25] Eila Mell: And I think, I think all your performances, like from somebody who's a fan of, you know, of theater and performances and just going to watch, like you can tell when somebody is just giving everything. And I feel like that's why, like when I saw you in A Beautiful Noise, like it was so captivating because there's somebody up there that is putting it all out there for everybody.

[49:48] Robyn Hurder: Because you could just tell everything you do is wrapped in those moments. They're not, like you said, they're not taken for granted and it's, everything is poured into it. And thank you.

[49:59] Robyn Hurder: Oh, you're welcome. Thank you. I, uh, the most important thing for me is, um, I, I, I'm a very like, uh, authentic in unapologetic human soul and my favorite thing. And the reason why I do this is I love connecting with people and I love connecting with the audience.

[50:16] Robyn Hurder: I love throwing energy at them and they feel that energy and they throw it back to me. And then we have this revolving energetic circle happening between us. I, I love that, but I also love like what I do. I'm, it's not like, I don't just dance. I, I always approach everything as an actor first. And the most important thing is to get the story across.

[50:37] Robyn Hurder: You know, so when I give everything full out, it's me trying to tell this story and, and, and make the people in the audience listen to me. And that's why I just, I go so hard because I want people to understand. I want people to listen and I want people to have an amazing, you know, theatrical experience, you know, let them escape for two and a half hours.

[50:58] Eila Mell: If you're in the show, it's definitely going to be an amazing experience.

[51:02] Robyn Hurder: Thank you. Thank you.

[51:03] Eila Mell: Okay. So everyone go see Robyn in Chicago. How long are you in Chicago?

[51:09] Robyn Hurder: For right now? I am there till June 16th.

[51:11] Eila Mell: Okay. And you know, maybe, I guess you'll see what happens at that point. And then maybe, hopefully next year we'll get to see you in Smash.

[51:21] Robyn Hurder: Maybe, maybe.

[51:22] Eila Mell: And we don't know yet.

[51:23] Robyn Hurder: We're hoping.

[51:24] Eila Mell: Fingers crossed.

[51:25] Robyn Hurder: Putting it out in the universe.

[51:27] Eila Mell: That's right. First we'll manifest it. And then what I suggest you really do is go on YouTube and look for the great performances Donna McKechnie and Robyn Hurder together. Music in the Mirror. Robyn, thank you so much for being our guest.

[51:43] Robyn Hurder: Oh, my pleasure. This was so fun.

[51:44] Eila Mell: Come back anytime.

[51:45] Robyn Hurder: Oh, I will.

[51:46] Eila Mell: Yeah. Every time. You can come back next week.

[51:50] Robyn Hurder: All right, Robin. Thank you.

[51:52] Eila Mell: Thank you.

[51:56] Robyn Hurder: Thank you.