This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:06] Al Malafronte: Hello and welcome to the Break a Bat Podcast, where baseball meets Broadway, an attempt to show that my two favorite mediums don't have to live in such separate worlds and maybe even break some stigmas.

[0:18] Al Malafronte: We're happy to have you with us. Now let's play ball.

[0:24] Al Malafronte: Hello and welcome to Break a Bat. I'm your host, Al Malafronte, coming at you from the Broadway Podcast Network Studios during the heart of the Yankee playoffs. Despite Broadway's favorite team being down two games to one in the American League Championship series, I'm still pretty excited about the show we have in store for you.

[0:42] Al Malafronte: You know, one thing I've noticed is an audience at Yankee Stadium is truly as passionate as the ones you come across right here in the theater community. And my guest today knows a thing or two about both ends of the spectrum.

[0:55] Al Malafronte: A native of Rockland County, she grew up in the heart of one of the most exciting times in Broadway history. Rent, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King were all premiering on the Great White Way, just as Jeter, Pettitte, and Mariano were debuting on their stage over in the Bronx. She's since gone on to graduate from Penn State University and put together a series of monster home runs and shows that's been anything from Nice Work If You Can Get It, Sunset Boulevard, and most recently portraying one of my all-time favorite songwriters, Cynthia Weill in the Tony Award-winning Beautiful. Now, if you'll please direct your attention to home plate, just beyond the marquee, now batting, Steph Martignetti.

[1:36] Al Malafronte: How are you, Steph?

[1:38] Steph Martignetti: Good.

[1:38] Al Malafronte: How are you?

[1:39] Steph Martignetti: I'm doing great.

[1:39] Al Malafronte: It's so nice to have you here.

[1:40] Steph Martignetti: Thanks for having me.

[1:41] Al Malafronte: Oh, you know what? I mean, how could I not have you here? You I think you might be the one person on Broadway who's been to more historic Yankee games than I have.

[1:50] Steph Martignetti: Possibly, possibly.

[1:52] Al Malafronte: How did that happen? Like growing up, I know that you're a native New Yorker, but big Yankee fan house.

[1:57] Steph Martignetti: Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. My dad is from the Bronx. Um, so yeah, he's a hardcore Yankee fan, and I grew up loving the Yankees, watching the Yankees with him.

[2:07] Steph Martignetti: And so we would go to a ton of Yankee games growing up.

[2:10] Al Malafronte: And yeah, you say a ton of Yankee games, not just any Yankee games. Um, you saw some pretty historic stuff. Why don't you give the folks at home an idea of just you know some of those Yankee games that you mentioned?

[2:21] Steph Martignetti: I was at the winning game of the 1996 World Series, the Yankees versus the Braves. It was pretty thrilling, I have to say. Um, but I have to give I was such a brat. So my dad, he worked in advertising, and so he would get a lot of like boxes, and I got to go to suites and all that sort of stuff.

[2:43] Steph Martignetti: And I thought that that was normal because I just grew up doing that. And for the last game of the World Series, my dad was in a box seat, and my mom and I were in like loge seats, and I remember being really angry that we weren't in the box. My mom was like, I don't, I don't think you understand what's happening here.

[3:04] Steph Martignetti: You're in the building, but it's not good enough.

[3:06] Steph Martignetti: Yeah, I just didn't know. I mean, it was comp I do remember being completely thrilled. I mean, there's nothing like that. Being, I've I don't know if I've had a been at a sporting event like that since. I guess similarly would be like my first night game at Penn State University, like going to the first night game Penn State versus Nebraska.

[3:25] Steph Martignetti: But other than that, the Yankees winning game of the 1996 World Series was pretty thrilling.

[3:31] Al Malafronte: Now are you a Beanie Baby fan too?

[3:33] Steph Martignetti: Um, we have Beanie Babies from what I was also at the game. Did I say it was Wells, right? Wells' um 98 perfect, um, perfect game. And we have those Beanie Baby babies still, actually.

[3:48] Al Malafronte: That is phenomenal. That is so cool to me, honestly. I mean, like you can't ask for two better pieces of history.

[3:54] Steph Martignetti: It was pretty exciting.

[3:56] Al Malafronte: Now I have to ask, you know, those 90s championship teams were your wheelhouse. Um, did you have a favorite player?

[4:04] Steph Martignetti: I mean Derek Jeter, of course. I mean, what other player would be a 12-year-old girl's favorite? Um, but I also was a big fan of um Joe Girardi because I grew up when I was smaller, smaller. I played catcher in softball.

[4:22] Steph Martignetti: I grew up playing softball pretty competitively. And I ended up once I got older and was actually competitive in it. I was a first baseman. But when I was little, I started as a catcher. So I was into him.

[4:31] Al Malafronte: You grew up in an Italian family just like I did. Although yours probably isn't as loud as mine. Um, I'm sure, as you know, quite often in our culture, there's a great appreciation of the arts. But you know, my dad, like your dad, loves sports as well. It's like a lineage tradition. Um, was there a pretty big balance in your house growing up between you know sports and the arts?

[4:55] Steph Martignetti: I think I really my interest in the arts is what sort of paved the way for my parents' interest in the arts. Not that they weren't fans of musicals or fans of Broadway, having grown up so close to New York City. They I remember my entire childhood, they would go to see Broadway shows.

[5:11] Steph Martignetti: But it wasn't, I guess I came to the arts pretty early. I auditioned for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on Broadway when I was 10 years old. My school choir auditioned, and that was sort of my first introduction to musicals and to Broadway.

[5:28] Steph Martignetti: So I and after that, I had a pretty strong passion about it. So my parents were very supportive from an early age. So I don't know if it was me or them leading the way. Maybe it was sort of both, you know.

[5:43] Al Malafronte: When did you realize that you were good enough to actually want to pursue it beyond adolescence?

[5:50] Steph Martignetti: I went to this program called the Broadway Theater Project for the summers. Um, Anne Ranking used to run it. And it was an audition. Um, you had to be accepted through auditions. And I my first year there was 99.

[6:09] Steph Martignetti: So I was in high school at the time, or going into high school, and that was the first time I knew I wanted to do it professionally, and thought I could because I was that was the first time I was sort of put in a pool of other young-driven artists from all over the country.

[6:31] Steph Martignetti: So it was the first time I was sort of like out of my natural habitat of home and competing with other kids from just around where I was from. So I think that I don't know. It wasn't like a it just always felt like a really natural progression.

[6:45] Steph Martignetti: So I went to Broadway Theater Project, and then from there, there was a lot of talk about the college programs, and so that sort of on-ramped me into wanting to go pursue it for college, and then depending on the echelons of the college you go to, that's just the point of going to those schools is to then sort of usher you into the professional world.

[7:06] Steph Martignetti: So it was just sort of like one step at a time, not like a I always knew I wanted to do it, and so I just took it one step at a time, I guess, in that sense.

[7:15] Al Malafronte: You always knew you wanted to do theater specifically?

[7:17] Steph Martignetti: Yeah, musical theater.

[7:18] Al Malafronte: What made you choose Penn State?

[7:21] Steph Martignetti: Um, well, I knew I wanted, I didn't want a straight conservatory program. Um, because I'd grown up playing sports. I knew I wanted something that was a big university feel.

[7:36] Steph Martignetti: And um, Penn State just ended up being where I got in, where I felt comfortable. It gave me that big university feel. Um, and I had sort of known Mary Saunders, who was one of the voice faculty there.

[7:54] Steph Martignetti: Um, she was from Rockland County originally, and so I knew her from high school. I'd met her, like crossed paths with her. And so she had been there, and she had then since moved to Penn State, and so that sort of was like a touchstone for me.

[8:08] Steph Martignetti: And so, yeah, I guess all that combined. And then, you know, when you go to a platform like that, first of all, it's a huge school, it's a very fun school. So I think that you're in good spirits all the time, you know, naturally at a place like that, which is pretty important.

[8:21] Al Malafronte: While you're at Penn State, uh, you got involved with the music theater of Wichita, and that's where you get your equity card. How important was that for you?

[8:30] Steph Martignetti: For me in my journey, it was super important because it's gave me my equity card. I so I worked at Wichita the summer after I graduated from Penn State, and I had done other summer stocks throughout college, but the fact that Wichita, which is a really respected summer stock program, um, or summer stock theater, rather, gave me my card.

[8:30] Steph Martignetti: It was super important for me to be able to then once I moved to the city, I had my equity card. I didn't have to worry about that. And so yeah, it was super important. Also, it exposed me to a lot of really talented kids from other programs like Michigan and OCU and uh just a bunch of other programs.

[9:14] Steph Martignetti: So it was a really great jumping off point. I'm super grateful to them. I'll always be grateful to them for giving me my equity card.

[9:20] Al Malafronte: On a baseball parallel perspective, once you graduate, it's like kind of like getting drafted. Um, you don't really have a long minor league journey. You got cast in touring productions of A Chorus Line and Mary Poppins fairly quickly after graduating. What does that do for your confidence when right away, out of college, you know, you have the employment? Most actors and actresses don't necessarily have that happen so soon after graduating.

[9:48] Steph Martignetti: Yeah, I'm I was so lucky that that came along when it came along for me. My sort of journey with A Chorus Line um started while I was in college. And I had been auditioning for the Broadway production for the revival.

[10:03] Steph Martignetti: And so before I was actually late to my season at Music Theater of Wichita, I was late to Cats rehearsals in Wichita because I had a final callback on the stage.

[10:15] Steph Martignetti: Um, I don't even remember what theater now A Chorus Line was at. Maybe the Broadhurst. I'm probably wrong. Schubert, I don't know. Final callback at um on stage at the house of A Chorus Line for Maggie on Broadway.

[10:29] Steph Martignetti: It was wild. I mean, like what dreams are made of, but also completely terrifying. Like I had just just graduated college, and the stakes like couldn't have been higher for me.

[10:40] Steph Martignetti: Um, but and I ended up, I didn't get it, and then I sort of went through an entire rehearsal um audition process, rather, for the tour. And it was a very rigorous process.

[10:53] Steph Martignetti: I think I was probably in for them like over 10 times, reading probably at least five characters and you know, all that. But at that time for me, A Chorus Line was the only show I wanted to do.

[11:07] Steph Martignetti: It was the brass ring. You know, I would have done anything to be a part of it. And I was just really lucky that it came along and that I actually ended up booking it.

[11:17] Al Malafronte: Steph, you have to be super competitive in this business. I've always been curious for someone who also has an athletic background, like you do, how do you think something like that prepares you for a very challenging industry?

[11:31] Steph Martignetti: Yeah, that's such a good question because I think about that a lot because I am competitive. I really am. And in an just as a part of who I am, I have like a natural competitive streak.

[11:43] Steph Martignetti: And obviously, like growing up doing sports that sort of enhanced it. It prepares you because I think it gives you sort of a perseverance. Um, but it took me a while, it took time and maturity for me to know how to funnel that competitiveness in a way that was um useful.

[12:05] Steph Martignetti: So it, you know, I think when you're younger, the instinct is to compete against other people. And then college really helped me to realize I was competing against myself.

[12:17] Steph Martignetti: Um Penn State, at least at the time when I was there, they're the way they graded was you against you. So it's not like if you're the best in a ballet class, you're a definite A plus. It's about if you've improved throughout the semester.

[12:33] Steph Martignetti: It doesn't matter if you're the worst one in the class, if you show improvement, you can get an A. If you're, you know, if you're the best one in the class, but you haven't sort of moved the needle forward in your work, you're not gonna get an A.

[12:45] Steph Martignetti: And so I think that was really smart of them.

[12:48] Steph Martignetti: And it was a big lesson for me overall that I'm constantly competing with myself to improve myself.

[12:55] Steph Martignetti: And I think I hope I've been able to sort of use that competitive nature to expect more of me.

[13:05] Al Malafronte: I think it certainly served you pretty well because, you know, even at a young age, because not long after, you know, your touring productions, you were doing some regional theater work in DC, and you get a call about Nice Work If You Can Get It. Tell the folks at home a little bit about how that came about.

[13:24] Steph Martignetti: Um, Nice Work. The auditions came up. I was working at Arena Stage in DC, like you said. I was doing Oklahoma, a really beautiful regional theater production of it. And I was sort of shuttling back and forth between DC and New York for the auditions.

[13:42] Al Malafronte: And did you have an agent at that point?

[13:45] Steph Martignetti: Yeah, I got an agent out of school from like we did a senior showcase right at graduation time. So, and yeah, I got that of those appointments through my agent.

[13:56] Steph Martignetti: And it was directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall, and she sort of is known for sort of having her people, as a lot of choreographers are, I guess. And I had never worked with her, never auditioned for her. I had zero expectations of getting hired to do that job based on that alone.

[14:15] Al Malafronte: When you say having her people, are you talking about there's a specific type of performer, like in baseball, you know, certain general managers want lefty power, they want switch hitters, they want curveball throwing pitchers. Are we talking about, you know, a certain skill set that she likes, or she has certain favorite, you know, players in the industry or actresses in the industry?

[14:38] Steph Martignetti: Yeah, I think, you know, there are so many talented people in this field. And so the thing, because there are so many talented people in this field, choreographers and directors, once they get to know certain performers, aside from the fact that they're talented, if they just know they work well with them, like them, like having them in the room, get along with them, they'll wanna continue to work with them. It's a safety thing, I think, for them and for everyone. You know, you know that they can get the job done and you know you like them. And you spend a lot of time with people when you're putting up a new show.

[15:13] Steph Martignetti: So I didn't know Kathleen, so I wasn't expecting anything from it. I just wanted to do well in the auditions, and I kept getting called back. And I ended up getting invited to the final callback, and I would have had to miss a performance at Arena Stage. And I asked the stage manager for the day off, and they said no. And I remember being like, uh, that's it. Like, definitely not gonna make my Broadway debut this time, or you know, and I was pretty upset about it.

[15:43] Steph Martignetti: And about a week later, my agent called and said, Oh, they want you to go back in for Nice Work. Um, they'll have an audition for you on this day. And I was like, Oh, I thought the finals already happened, and they said, no, no, no, they're still having auditions. I said, Okay. I went in, I had a private audition. It was me, Kathleen Marshall, her associate David Eggers, David Chase, the music supervisor, and that's it.

[16:12] Steph Martignetti: And I, and she is the loveliest. And so she was like, Okay, do you want David to go over the dance with you? And I did it, and she was like, Great. Do you want to do it again? And I did it again, all by myself. And um, then they had me read some sides, they had me sing, they vocalized me. And about an hour later, my agent called and said, uh, do you want to come down into the office? And I went to the office and they told me that I had gotten it.

[16:42] Al Malafronte: What did that feel like?

[16:44] Steph Martignetti: It was super exciting. Um, and my original offer for Nice Work actually was to swing the show, so to not be on stage to understudy the ensemble women. And um, then a couple months later, there was some like movement around with the offers, and I don't really know exactly what happened. I think someone ended up um dropping out of the project, and so they called me back in and with sides to understudy Kelly O'Hara.

[17:14] Steph Martignetti: And so I went back in and I did all the material to understudy Kelly, and then later that day I got a call that I had been moved on stage. My track had been moved on stage and I'd be understudying Kelly O'Hara, and that was sort of like the big moment for me. I mean, just like I mean, I cried when I found out I got it, but this was like overwhelming to, you know, especially someone that I had looked up to for so long to be able to get to understudy them was completely thrilling.

[17:43] Al Malafronte: You say it's thrilling, but is it also intimidating?

[17:46] Steph Martignetti: Yeah, for sure. I mean, Kelly is um one of the greatest musical theater artists of our time, and will probably end up being one of the greatest musical theater artists of all time. In my humble opinion, I just think she's like an angel person. She's amazing and so magnetic, and her voice is just like from the heavens. So yeah, it was super intimidating, especially making my Broadway debut. I was 25 years old or 26 years old.

[18:17] Steph Martignetti: Um, the whole first week of rehearsal, my arms were covered in hives because I was convinced I was gonna get fired. I don't even know, like for no real reason, just convinced like I shouldn't be there and I was gonna get fired. And I was freaking out. Um so it now it would still be intimidating, but I've done it enough to like know my process and to know what I do as a performer versus what Kelly does.

[18:42] Steph Martignetti: Luckily, I have an amazing voice teacher, Matt Farnsworth, who kept reminding me as we worked on all that material to not try to do an impression of Kelly O'Hara because I can't. If I could, well, that would have been awesome for me, but I can't. So you know, to just like find my own voice with it and find my own way with it. But um, yeah, it was equally thrilling and super intimidating. But, you know, I was just so excited to have an excuse to creep on Kelly, basically.

[19:15] Al Malafronte: That's honestly incredible, you know. You know, um, I'm sure you know A-Rod. A-Rod has talked in the past about, you know, when he grew up, he idolized Cal Ripken Jr., for example. And one year into the league in 1996, he was playing alongside him in the All-Star Game. And they were in the same lineup. All of a sudden you're in the same lineup as Kelly O'Hara. Was it, I guess, getting through that first production where you feel like you got your first base hit, or do you feel more like, you know, did it really take some time to feel like, hey, I belong here, I can do this?

[19:49] Steph Martignetti: It definitely took me some time, for sure. I don't think it was until probably until Sunset Boulevard that I finally felt like this is what I do. And with help from my husband, just being like, this is what you do. Like, you don't have to apologize for it, or you know, you can trust yourself, or you belong here. Like, you know, it wasn't about how many jobs I'd done. It was just about finding my footing and being confident with my process, I think is for me.

[20:22] Al Malafronte: Yeah.

[20:22] Steph Martignetti: So that's where coaching comes into acting as well. And it doesn't necessarily have to be an acting coach or a voice coach. It's that little bit of help that you get on the mental side of things too, and that support system. Because I'm sure, you know, just like in baseball, that means everything.

[20:36] Steph Martignetti: Yeah, for sure.

[20:38] Steph Martignetti: For sure. I have to say, like, because I still will play. Well, I didn't play this year because I got pregnant, but um I play in the Broadway Show League, and I still feel like playing the like the jitters I get before I play a game, like weirdly are very similar to the jitters before I like go on in an understudy role for the first time.

[20:59] Al Malafronte: That's actually pretty awesome to hear, honestly. That you know, the athletic field still gives you the same that same rush. I love to hear that.

[21:06] Steph Martignetti: Because it's both um it's both I mean, it's more quantitative, like if you or just more definitive if you've succeeded in sports, you either win or you lose. And that's something I really love about sports. But because it's so physical, like what we do as actors and musical theater performers, singing and all that sort of stuff, there is just an element of the unknown of how your body's gonna perform in that moment, you know.

[21:35] Al Malafronte: Yeah, I mean, and I think that's what makes it that's something that is always on the mind of, at least for me as an audience member or you know, someone in the crowd at Yankee Stadium. Uh, there's such an emotional side to it. And, you know, because you know that that performer that's, you know, it's not like going to the movies, as you know, it's not like watching the show on TV. What you're seeing is happening before your eyes. And I think that that's that's part of why the connection, uh, you know, for an audience member at a Broadway show and you know, someone who's going to a game at Yankee Stadium. That's why we really, really are so passionate about these things, because performers like you make us realize the human element of it.

[22:15] Steph Martignetti: So that's really cool.

[22:17] Al Malafronte: You do Nice Work, you're doing the Tony Awards, the Macy's parade, some real championship moments. Uh, not long after you mentioned earlier the revival of Sunset Boulevard alongside Glenn Close. And you actually got to originate an actual role that wasn't in the original Sunset Boulevard.

[22:35] Al Malafronte: I like to compare that to the American League incorporating a DH into the game. Wasn't in the original rule book, but sometimes the production has to adapt and create a role that makes for a better product. What was that like for you?

[22:47] Steph Martignetti: It was really exciting. Um, Sunset Boulevard was sort of a it was just like a dreamy experience from the very beginning. Um, when I was going through the audition process and there was like this sort of dance-like audition, and they were saying it was for a like a Glenn Close, like a young Glenn Close part, and you know, no one sort of really knew exactly what was going on. My agents didn't really know what was going on, um, what that was, what that really meant.

[23:19] Steph Martignetti: Um, and when I got hired, and they sort of explained to me what it would be, but they didn't know if they were gonna expand it from London or make it smaller from London, or you know, it was still sort of very up in the air. Um, and then once they explained to me what it would be, so I played sort of the memory of Norma Desmond. So they, you know, they called it young Norma. And I sort of was like this ghost-like, because she's not dead, obviously, in the show, um, ghost-like character where I just sort of again just got to creep on the star of the show, and I just was on stage, sort of in the shadows, essentially, as like a 1920s version of Norma Desmond throughout the show.

[24:08] Steph Martignetti: And it was, you know, I just didn't know if it was gonna work as far as storytelling when we first started. And so I just kept being like, I hope this isn't a weird thing. I hope it aids in the storytelling, you know, that sort of thing. And mainly just didn't want to be in Glenn Close's way. Um, but it was it was amazing. It was really, really cool to get to do that feature and have extra time on stage to what to watch her work because she was nothing short of tremendous.

[24:40] Al Malafronte: Is it scary to meet your heroes on Broadway?

[24:45] Steph Martignetti: Yeah. Now I think I'm a little bit more. It's you're never used to meeting someone that you really look up to. But it's I'm less intimidated and more just really excited to see them up close or see their process, or you know, as opposed to when I was younger, I would be more afraid. There was more fear around it. And now I'm just it's very exciting to see people work up close like that.

[25:15] Steph Martignetti: To see Glenn Close work is amazing.

[25:19] Al Malafronte: She's the real deal.

[25:21] Steph Martignetti: She really, really is.

[25:22] Al Malafronte: It was thrilling.

[25:27] Steph Martignetti: I did.

[25:29] Steph Martignetti: Well, A, I learned that age is just a number. I mean, she turned 70 while we were doing that show. And she was amazing.

[25:37] Steph Martignetti: Her energy, her compassion, the way she was a real leader in the company and embraced everyone in the company and had no ego about being, you know, such a big name, being the we all knew like the reason why we did that revival was her. You know, people were coming to see her. And she took that seriously as far as an actress and as far as showing up to work and the dedication that she has and the passion that she has. And I don't know, I have to say, like, I uh she's the first time that I saw an actor up close, I guess who's that famous, saw them work up close. And just sometimes you think, oh, that person, they're talented, but they also got really lucky or whatever. No, she she's incredible.

She's really amazing. It was just it was just such a treat to watch her work up close because she was so committed every night. It was so emotionally available every night. It was amazing. And you know what? Those are virtues that can really carry you for for a long time in this industry. So uh that must have been pretty invaluable. So uh I do love Glenn Close for many reasons. Um, she is a huge baseball fan, which I think is awesome, but we we we gotta get her off this Mets train. She's like doing these anthems over at City Field all the time. We just got let's let's bring her over to our side stuff. Okay. We could set that up.

[27:07] Al Malafronte: Yeah, yeah. Awesome. Coming up, Steph leaves the boulevard for an office at 1650 Broadway. It's time for the seventh inning stretch here on Break a Bat.

[27:31] Al Malafronte: All right, Steph, before we head off to the studios over at 1650 Broadway, I thought you and I could play a little game.

[27:38] Steph Martignetti: Okay.

[27:38] Al Malafronte: It's called the seventh inning stretch. Games on hold for a few minutes. The groundskeepers are tidying up the infield. Take me out to the ball game is playing on the PA system. But you want to stay in your game. Your chance to go into the batting cage in the clubhouse, get some swings in to stay loose. But you're not gonna be swinging at baseballs tonight. You're gonna be swinging at some trivia questions, and we've got a little prize at stake. Half are gonna be Broadway and the other half are gonna be baseball. How does that sound?

[28:05] Steph Martignetti: Good.

[28:06] Al Malafronte: So I have like a 50% shot of kidding.

[28:09] Steph Martignetti: Well, I don't know. Who knows if we'll even get the Broadway ones right? Here's what we're gonna do to keep it interesting. I figured we'd cover some of the shows that you've been in, but not necessarily your characters, just to keep things fun. There's gonna be six questions, you get four right, you win the prize.

[28:23] Steph Martignetti: Cool.

[28:24] Al Malafronte: All right. Batter up. There's a saying old says that love is blind. Still we're often told. Seek and ye shall find. All right. Number one. Now we're gonna start our first baseball question here.

[28:40] Al Malafronte: Okay. And my producer Alan Seals has offered to be a lifeline for you for any baseball-related question.

[28:47] Steph Martignetti: I just have to Google it.

[28:50] Al Malafronte: All right. Name the two primary catchers on the late 90s Yankees teams.

[28:56] Steph Martignetti: Oh, well, I already said Joe Girardi. Oh gosh, I I have no I can't remember who the other one was. Like I said, I only had eyes for Joe Giorgi. Um, I don't know. I don't know. Who was it? I'm dying to know.

[28:58] Al Malafronte: The other one was Jorge Posada.

[29:13] Steph Martignetti: Oh, of course. Of course. That's all. That's all right. You've got four more questions. All you need to get are half of them right.

[29:23] Al Malafronte: Okay. Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill wrote the song on Broadway for which group?

[29:30] Steph Martignetti: Um, was it the Drifters?

[29:32] Al Malafronte: It was the Drifters.

[29:34] Steph Martignetti: I mean, that's what they do at our show. But then the girl, it's funny because in Beautiful, like the women's groups are a little different than like the names that they like the cookies did a song in real life that we don't have like the group, the cookies in Beautiful. So that's the only reason why I hesitated about the drifters. Which Yankee holds the nickname Mr. November?

[29:59] Steph Martignetti: Um I can't remember. I'm feeling my dad's gonna be so disappointed in me. But I'm dying to know the answer.

[30:14] Al Malafronte: I'll give you a clue. Okay. From what I understand, you might have met him once.

[30:19] Steph Martignetti: Oh, Derek Jeter.

[30:20] Al Malafronte: It's Derek Jeter.

[30:21] Steph Martignetti: Oh, he was Mr. November? Wait, why didn't I know that? He was the first player in baseball history to hit a World Series home run or a home run in general during the month of November. Because after 9-11, the World Series got delayed.

[30:35] Al Malafronte: Uh-huh.

[30:35] Steph Martignetti: And they picked it up uh late October, and that was game four.

[30:39] Al Malafronte: Oh, so interesting. You deserved it, though. Alan could have Googled it, but that's all right. He wanted to keep it fun.

[30:46] Steph Martignetti: There'll be good times again for me and you, but we just can't stay together. Don't you feel it too?

[30:52] Al Malafronte: What are you so glad for?

[30:54] Steph Martignetti: Wait, what?

[30:55] Al Malafronte: What am I so?

[30:56] Steph Martignetti: Oh, you asked me to finish a lyric? Hold on. I'll say it again. It's so weird out of context. That's why I said we were gonna keep it interesting, not necessarily your characters.

[31:09] Steph Martignetti: Uh-huh. There'll be good times again for me and you, but we just can't stay together. Don't you feel it too? Because it's too late, baby.

[31:18] Al Malafronte: Is that the next line?

[31:19] Steph Martignetti: I don't even know. I know it's in too late.

[31:22] Al Malafronte: That it is from it's too late.

[31:25] Steph Martignetti: I'm gonna fail all these. I don't know. Can you tell me?

[31:31] Al Malafronte: I'm glad for what we had and how I once loved it.

[31:35] Steph Martignetti: All right. You were at David Wells Perfect Game.

[31:39] Al Malafronte: Yes.

[31:39] Steph Martignetti: Which other Yankee named David threw a perfect game the next season?

[31:42] Al Malafronte: Cone.

[31:43] Steph Martignetti: All right. Boom. I knew one of them. So let's see. We got one. I met him actually. You know what? You got the four right. You met David Cone too?

[31:53] Steph Martignetti: Yeah.

[31:54] Al Malafronte: Oh, that must have been awesome. Tell me, tell me more about that.

[31:56] Steph Martignetti: I think when I met him, so like I said, my dad worked in advertising. And so when the Yankees won the World Series, there was a big party at Gracie Mansion. And I know this is Are you kidding me? We went to the party at Gracie Mansion. I met Dane Cone.

[32:16] Al Malafronte: You're just saying so casually.

[32:18] Steph Martignetti: We we went to, we also had to bring training. I'll have to send you pictures. I have like all these pictures of me, like when I'm like 12 or 13, like super awkward with all these Yankees.

[32:26] Al Malafronte: Heck yeah. I'll use it to promote the episode. That's awesome. I just want to see them anyway. But that's like I'm gonna live by you know, I'm gonna go back and relive my childhood vicariously through you right now.

[32:37] Al Malafronte: That's pretty awesome. Now let me give you your school. Let me give you your prize, by the way.

[32:40] Steph Martignetti: All right.

[32:41] Al Malafronte: So now listen, I didn't want to create any problems at home because I know that your husband is a tremendous Cleveland Indians fan.

[32:48] Steph Martignetti: Yes.

[32:49] Al Malafronte: So I kept a Yankee logo off of this one. All right, got a little prize for you. It is the very first authentic break a bat podcast long-sleeve t-shirt that we are giving out to our guests. And it actually has it has Araldis Chapman's number up on front, Chapman on Broadway. He's kind of like our mascot.

[33:09] Steph Martignetti: Yeah.

[33:09] Al Malafronte: And then we've got the logo on the back.

[33:11] Steph Martignetti: And that's awesome.

[33:12] Al Malafronte: No one will get in trouble because there's no like, you know, there's no Yankee logo, there's no Indian logo, but it's you know, it's it's just representing the industry.

[33:19] Steph Martignetti: I love that. Thank you so much.

[33:21] Al Malafronte: You are very welcome. So, you know, your husband is an Indians fan. What's that like? You know, come October and these guys are facing off against each other, or you know, in in this particular this particular year, only the Yankees made it in the playoffs. Does it get competitive?

[33:35] Steph Martignetti: Well, I gosh, I really hate to admit this. And again, like my father will be really, really upset. But you know, since the Indians are the only baseball team that's like on in my house now, sort of, you know, Francisco Lindor seems really charming, fan of him. We have Aaron Judge. What are you doing? Like, come on, you have options here too. Also, it, you know, it was the first time in my life. I've been with my husband for a really long time. We've been together for over 10 years. And it's the first time in my life I saw how everyone else views a lot of like views the Yankees. And it's all inaccurate. He's like, they take all the Indians players from the farm team. And like that is true. You know what? That did happen recently. All right, he he has a little bit of gripe. I get it. Also, you know, I just think like it's the whole Cleveland sports fan thing. So to just always be upset. Do you have like a LeBron jersey in your backpack or something right now?

[34:34] Steph Martignetti: Is that like I do love LeBron? I do. I'm big, yeah, yeah. I still like LeBron, even though he left uh the Cavs, but um, yeah, I mean, yeah, we're I'm sort of a Cleveland sports fan. You know, being pregnant, I literally had to lay down for him. Like, I will give you, I will give you Cleveland fandom. Like our kid can be an Indians fan. Like, even though I mean my dad will definitely try to put her in some Yankees gear, I'm sure. But I was like, but the one thing I will not give up, I will give you every Cleveland sports team, but she will not be an Ohio State fan.

[35:09] Al Malafronte: Oh 100%, absolutely not.

[35:13] Steph Martignetti: Penn State all the way. Like, that's the one thing I cannot compromise with. We got a baby nitty lion on our hands. Let's go.

[35:20] Al Malafronte: Oh, yeah. That's awesome. Yeah, some people negotiate like religion and stuff like that. You negotiate uh college football fans.

[35:28] Steph Martignetti: Yes, yes, yeah.

[35:29] Al Malafronte: Very nice. Now, Stephanie, in recent years, you've really established yourself as an entity on Broadway once you got your first lead role. It's not just any lead role. You land a spot in Beautiful playing Cynthia Weil. Kind of like going from the nine slot in the order right into the two hole. Tell us a little bit about how you get cast and then how you transitioned into taking over Cynthia.

[35:52] Steph Martignetti: Um, well, beautiful, not unlike, not unlike uh nice work, how I had sort of a journey. I had auditioned for Beautiful many times over the years. And either to understudy Cynthia or to play Cynthia for Broadway for the tour. I'd been in a bunch of times. And so when I got uh a call for the audition to um be in the ensemble to play Maryland and to understudy Cynthia, I was sort of like, okay, yeah, I'll go in and I'll do the same thing I do, and I still won't get the job. Sure, I'll go, I'll go in for them though. And um, definitely a good testament to like sort of whatever's meant to be will be, because I had bronchitis at the time. And I went in and I did the scenes and I sang um the Cynthia stuff and I sang the Maryland song.

And then they were like, okay, can you wait outside? And then, you know, a couple minutes later they called me back in, and the casting director was like, 'Are you sick? ' And I said, 'Yeah.' And he was like, Oh, the music director thought so. So I went back in, and the music director was like, Oh, how's that cold? And I was like, Oh, God bless you. Thank you for noticing. Like, thanks for noticing I'm sick. And so he was like, okay, can you just try it one more time? He needed me to, he needed to hear something that I was sort of laying off of because I was nervous about my voice giving out. And luckily I was able to do it. And then I was able to book the show, which was super exciting. I, you know, sometimes you go see shows and you see it and you think, oh, I'm I'm really right for that, or oh, I I know I'm in my heart, I know I'm gonna be a part of that show one day.

And beautiful was sort of never one of those shows. I guess I because I danced so much in my younger career, and that show is such a like a singer, quote unquote singer actor show, I just thought, oh, I don't know, I'm not good enough to be a part of that show. Um so it was really exciting to get to to be a part of it. Also, fun fact, I played on Beautiful's softball team their first year, I think. It was their first year. I played on their softball team way before I booked the show.

[37:09] Steph Martignetti: So I was able to just reuse my old jersey when I joined.

[38:03] Al Malafronte: You were like the ultimate ringer because you had like legit experience playing growing up.

[38:08] Steph Martignetti: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But when I joined the company, one of the stage managers who also plays on the softball team, he was introducing me to people around the building, and he was like, She plays on the softball team too. Now there's something interesting about that show because it seems like a whole bunch of Cynthia Wiles have just like gotten pregnant recently, you not being an exception to this.

[38:28] Steph Martignetti: Um, when you look back, uh, what type of legacy do you think it leaves behind here on Broadway? And how did a role like that impact you? Um, Cynthia is such a great role because it's not that stereotypical, like wide-eyed ingenue. Um, I understudied Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard, and she sort of, I mean, she's a really smart character, but there's a lot of that character, which is that like wide-eyed ingenue. And so it was so fun to play a woman who knows who she is and knows what she wants. And to also really get to do such like a comedic role. I hadn't really done, I mean, Nice Work, If You Can Get It was a comedic role, but that character, Kelly O'Hara's role, was sort of the straight man in the comedy.

And so this was really fun to get to have a lot of laugh lines, and it's just a really fun atmosphere, the whole show and that role. Um, and I think it's a testament to it since all these people got pregnant doing it. They're happy. You're like happy when you're making other people laugh or something. I don't know. I have to say, aside from Anico Larson, who was the original Cynthia getting pregnant, and then Carol Lindsay, who was playing the role while I was understudying her, she got pregnant and I got pregnant at the same time. We're our due dates are three and a half weeks apart. Um, turns out, so we did an article with Broadway World, and we got to take some fun pictures backstage of us in the same costumes and wigs with our baby bumps, and um it got put on Twitter, and turns out that the West End production of Beautiful, the Cynthia and her understudy got pregnant at the same time, also.

All right, this is pretty ridiculous at this point. Now, I have to ask. Now you know that you're having a girl, you mentioned that earlier. Um, has there been any coordination among the Cynthias about potentially naming any of them who are having a daughter, Cynthia? No, but I will say that my Italian family, the first thing they said is that we should name her Bella because I was doing Beautiful when I got pregnant. I could certainly appreciate that.

[40:40] Steph Martignetti: Now that the show's over, uh, you're very involved with the newly formed Hysterical Women's Society. Tell us a little bit about what you have going on over there. Thank you for asking. So we're a sort of a grassroots organization formed by uh women from the Broadway community and beyond. And we're fighting for women's reproductive rights. We're fighting to end the stigma around abortion. Um yeah, it's we're up to some really exciting things. We were formed about four and a half months ago. At the end of July, we did our first fundraising event, and we were able to raise over $60,000 for the ACLU of New York and Planned Parenthood. And now we're waiting to get our 501c3 um cleared so that we'll be like a full-blown charitable organization.

And we have a um education series, a monthly education series going where we do different topics ranging from roundtable events to this thing called like papaya parties, where you like learn about what a early um early term abortion is and how they're done, to ally groups like men's ally group talks. We have one coming up in November, November 18th, if anyone wants to come. Where? Um it's at the court, it's at a courthouse downtown. Actually, I it's funny. I emailed our um the woman who's running it just today to be like, where exactly is this courthouse? But um, she's uh this girl Eliza Orleans, woman, Eliza Orleans. Um, she was on Survivor Choice, actually, and Amazing Race, and she's a New York City public defender.

And so she's gonna be talking about criminal justice and the intersection of that with women's rights and women's issues. So yeah, uh a lot of stuff with that, and it's super exciting and something I'm passionate about. And Lorely Gayer, another Broadway gal, is the founder of it, and it's a bunch of people in the Broadway community who are um who are part of it and supporting it, and yeah, lots of stuff with that. We have a pretty fair split of male to female in our fan base, but I think that this is a cause that everybody can get behind.

[42:50] Al Malafronte: How can we get involved? And where do we find more info?

[42:53] Steph Martignetti: Thanks. Um, so you can go to our Instagram page uh where the Hysterical Women is spelt with an X. Um, some of my friends like to call it Hysterical Womxons, which is always makes me giggle. Like they're like, how's Hysterical Mexans? But it's um Hysterical Women's Society on Instagram. Um, you can also just visit my Instagram, Steph Martignetti, and I have plenty of links to Hysterical Women on there. HystericalWomenSociety.org is our website. And we actually have a GoFundMe right now because while we're waiting for our 501c3 status, we need um some funds to help us keep up with our education series and our startup costs and all that sort of stuff. So um any support would be super appreciated. And it is an issue that it applies to everyone, men and women. Um yeah, yeah.

[43:53] Al Malafronte: Thanks. Now, Steph, you've accomplished some incredible things on stage and offstage. But now it's about to get tough. Picture this. Ninth inning, two outs, tying run on third base, winning run on second, and Aroldis Chapman is on the mound throwing 105. We call this fastball derby. I ask you a question, and you say the first thing that comes to your mind. How does that sound?

[44:17] Steph Martignetti: Good.

[44:18] Al Malafronte: All right, let's do it. Favorite New York City meal.

[44:21] Steph Martignetti: Oh gosh. Um, Stanton Social. It's a restaurant downtown. It's like American Tap, it's super tasty.

[44:30] Al Malafronte: Whose poster did you have on your wall growing up?

[44:33] Steph Martignetti: Oh, I was obsessed with Jonathan Brandis. Does anyone remember him? He was like that movie Ladybugs.

[44:40] Al Malafronte: It's a sequest, right?

[44:41] Steph Martignetti: Yes. Alan knows. Yeah, yeah. I was like really into it when I was little. I was so jealous of his hair.

[44:49] Al Malafronte: Yeah, yeah.

[44:50] Steph Martignetti: It was very like voluminous. Right.

[44:55] Al Malafronte: Red wine or white wine?

[44:58] Steph Martignetti: Red wine, I think, yeah.

[44:59] Al Malafronte: You're Italian, like me.

[45:01] Steph Martignetti: I do love Chianti. I love a good Chianti.

[45:03] Al Malafronte: Isn't that fantastic? You're a triple threat, Steph. You sing, you dance, you act. What's your favorite?

[45:10] Steph Martignetti: Uh, acting, because that's sort of the basis for, you know, the other ones too.

[45:15] Al Malafronte: Go-to pre-show ritual.

[45:18] Steph Martignetti: Um just drinking a ton of water and listening to podcasts. I'm sort of addicted to uh the news podcasts.

[45:29] Al Malafronte: So news podcasts, yeah. And you know, once your daughter's born and you know, you know, you're once you get back on stage and whatnot, you baseball Broadway podcasts and anything, anything on the Broadway Podcast Network really is great content.

[45:42] Steph Martignetti: So now you're just gonna have another source.

[45:44] Al Malafronte: Exactly.

[45:46] Steph Martignetti: Most embarrassing on stage moment.

[45:51] Steph Martignetti: Okay, let me think about this. Oh, um, probably uh during the Chorus Line tour. I um started the tour as a cut dancer and covering a bunch of people on the line. And so I covered Christine, who's the one who can't sing, and her song is sort of like a patter song. Um, and I completely went up in the middle of it. And it's like I could never really sing. What I couldn't do is sing. What I couldn't do is, you know, her husband Al is like, sing. And um the lines are it's a little like a or a cross between uh, oh, I know you're thinking, what uh crazy. And I just completely went up on the like that entire section, and basically put both like uh each hand on my face and turned to the guy playing Al, and I just shook my head at him.

Like I had nothing. I just shook my head at him in the silence. And he, his line is ding all. And so he was just saying it at me, like while I was like, I got nothing for you. I don't know. What the when the song was over, I stepped back in line. Um, I was next to the character next to Mark, who was being played at the time by a really good friend of mine, David Hall. And Dave like leaned over to me and he was like, nice save.

[47:10] Al Malafronte: We have those in baseball too.

[47:14] Steph Martignetti: Favorite late night snack, two show day, you get home, it's after midnight. What's Steph grabbing before she hits the couch?

[47:21] Steph Martignetti: Um, well, I'm paleo, so some sort of paleo snack, like paleo crackers or chips, you know, whatever, all that sort of like snacky stuff, but it's all like from Whole Foods and Paleo.

[47:33] Al Malafronte: Wait a second, wait a second. Let's just touch on something quick. You're Italian and you're paleo. What do you do when you go back to Rockland County? Like, this is mom probably has an issue with this.

[47:40] Steph Martignetti: Yeah, it's in conflict. You know, my husband is more has more of an issue because he makes sauce and he like makes pasta from scratch, and he's always like, I can't make you pasta, you know. Um, you know, so every once in a while I'll make sure that I uh I break so that we can also sauce and meatballs.

[48:03] Al Malafronte: Well, as long as the meatballs don't have breadcrumbs in them, they're paleo.

[48:06] Steph Martignetti: So actually, I was actually thinking that I need to ask him to make me sauce like this weekend because now that it's getting like cold out. And we got the holidays coming up and everything too. It's kind of inevitable.

[48:15] Al Malafronte: Favorite moment of your career.

[48:19] Steph Martignetti: After um, so when I was doing Nice Work and we performed on the Tonys, they had like a the viewing party was just watching, watching it in the house of the theater at the Imperial, and they had a TV set up on stage and everyone was hanging out, and all our people could be there watching too. And so getting to go back once we had performed, and uh and at that point, Michael McGrath had won the Tony, and that was super exciting. And we got back to the theater, and my husband was there, and I just remember like hugging him and crying because it was just so exciting to have gotten to perform on the Tonys. Unreal.

[49:02] Al Malafronte: And lastly, best piece of advice anyone ever gave you.

[49:09] Steph Martignetti: I don't even know. Uh-oh. But can I give a piece of advice?

[49:13] Al Malafronte: Absolutely. And that would be a first here on Break A Bat. So go right ahead.

[49:18] Steph Martignetti: Um just that if you, well, this is like to performers out there or potential performers out there if you want to pursue this for a living. If there's nothing else you could be happy doing, then you should be doing this. That's what I say when I teach. It's sort of a tough road. If you think you'd be happy doing anything else in the world, then you should definitely go do that. But if there's nothing else that would make you happy, then you should be here pursuing this.

[49:49] Al Malafronte: That's really valuable, and I couldn't agree more. Steph, you've been awesome.

[49:52] Steph Martignetti: Thanks.

[49:54] Al Malafronte: So do you.

[50:07] Steph Martignetti: That's my Instagram. M-A-R-T-I-G-N-E-T-T-I. Stay up to date on all those non-paleo meals that we hope the Martini family is gonna serve up. And you know, you have at least your husband's trying to make some homemade policy. Give it a shot, you know.

[50:25] Al Malafronte: Awesome stuff. Well, that'll close out the ballgame here on Break A Bat. We'll see you next time.

[50:34] Al Malafronte: Thanks for listening to Break A Bat. This is produced by the fine folks at the Broadway Podcast Network. Visit and subscribe at BPN.fm slash break a bat. You can find me online at break underscore a underscore bat underscore podcasts. And you can also find the Broadway Podcast Network on Instagram at Broadway Podcast Network. It's been so great having you here with us today, and we'll see you next time.