This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:16] John Schwab: Hi, John Schwab here from Curtain Call, and welcome to episode 112 of the Curtain Call Theatre Podcast, the podcast that brings you backstage as close as you possibly can be, often while the shows are actually happening to meet the people that make theater happen.

[0:29] John Schwab: You can find all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and other fine podcast streaming services.

[0:33] John Schwab: If you have a spare thirty seconds, please rate and review our podcast on whichever platform you use to help us be more discoverable to listeners who haven't heard about us yet.

[0:41] John Schwab: And now for this week's podcast.

[0:43] John Schwab: Curtain Call has recently published a couple of articles about the top Broadway musical transfers and the top musical revivals for 2019 over here in London.

[0:51] John Schwab: It is by no means an extensive list. Please don't write in and say you left the show off, but it's just something to put in your pipes to smoke over the next month or so while you're figuring out what you want to see this year.

[1:03] John Schwab: And I thought I would ask someone who knows about musicals, you know, to go straight to the source. Someone I've seen on stage more times than probably anyone else in my nearly twenty-five years in London, the amazing incredible Jenna Russell.

[1:16] John Schwab: Uh Martin Guerre, Guys and Dolls, Urinetown, Merrily We Roll Along, Dr. Faustus, Dying Viven Rose, Fun Home. These are just some of the shows that I have seen Jenna in. She's been in far, far more. Um, Lady Miz, Follies, Grey Gardens, Into the Woods, Sunny the Part with George, As You Like It, Antony and Cleopatra. I mean, the gal never stops. And that's just on stage. She's also done plenty of television and film. You name it, she's done it.

[1:41] John Schwab: So I was overjoyed that Jenna took the time after an audition last week to sit down and speak to me at Above the Arts Theatre in Leicester Square, to talk to me about the musicals coming to town and also speak a bit about her concert that's coming up on the third of February at the Leicester Square Theatre. It was a great chat. We rambled a bit, we went off topic, but you know, we also spoke beforehand about sitting in front or around composers, which is maybe why the Andrew Lloyd Webber reference may sound slightly out of place, but never you mind. In any case, listen, I think you'll find us a great chat. I certainly did. Please have a listen to the fantastic Jenna Russell.

[2:30] John Schwab: Okay, so we're gonna talk about these musicals, these things. It was terrible, wasn't it? These musicals are. These music musicals that are coming, musical things that are coming to town. I thought we'd do revivals, and thank you so much for doing this.

[2:44] Jenna Russell: My pleasure, my pleasure. Um, caveat, I mean, I don't know some of these. Like I do know some of the things.

[2:49] Jenna Russell: Well, I might not know some of them either, so we'll bam. This is great. So talk about what we talk about. Why don't we start with revivals then?

[2:56] Jenna Russell: Um, I think London's a brilliant place for the revival. They always seem to be kind of popping up, and some of these are actually coming back. So the first one I'd like to talk about is Follies, which I don't know if you saw it.

[3:08] John Schwab: I did too.

[3:09] Jenna Russell: Oh my god, yes, I did. Um, I loved it.

[3:13] John Schwab: I loved it too.

[3:13] Jenna Russell: I loved it. I loved it too. I had an odd experience with it because I was in it thirty-two years ago.

[3:20] Jenna Russell: I guess thirty-two years ago. Jenny, you're not old enough to be in Follies.

[3:25] Jenna Russell: I am. Um, so I played Young Sally.

[3:25] John Schwab: Okay.

[3:25] Jenna Russell: I played Young Sally at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

[3:31] John Schwab: Right.

[3:31] Jenna Russell: And Julia McKenzie was Sally. And it was my first kind of big, big theatre role. And I just, so I went to see it full of love for the piece. And I sobbed like a baby. Silly little things. The bit when they come down the staircase. I remember that moment. I remember watching Eartha Kitt and Julia and Milly Martin and all these brilliant actresses that we had in our show. I mean, I had that experience of the Follies, the Follies, the Follies girls, and yeah. So I loved it. I thought Dominic Cook did a beautiful job.

[4:08] Jenna Russell: Yeah, I, it's, it was everything about the production is astonishing.

[4:14] John Schwab: Yeah, well, yeah, exactly.

[4:15] Jenna Russell: I mean, Vicky's set and Polly's lighting was just genius. Poorly Constable is, she's a genius. She's a proper genius. Like everything I see I do, I'm like, just give her all the awards. All of them. Don't mess about. She's amazing. Um, and I don't, I think this production, and because Dominic, the way he's done it, I dare I say it, I think it's a Melda proof. I think that, I think it's great that I know Melda's not going to be in it, you know, coming back. And I think Joanna Riding's gonna do an amazing job.

[4:47] John Schwab: Oh, she'll be glorious.

[4:48] Jenna Russell: I mean, for me, it's funny. The star of the, I just thought Janie D was, I think the show would have suffered without Jane. She, every time she came on, you knew she was just, there is a crack and a class, and she got it, she got that character bang on, and I think it would be beautiful to see her and Joe Riding again on the stage because I don't know whether it was the last time they were on stage together was doing Carousel.

[5:16] John Schwab: I think that was the last time, and you know, and they remain friends, so they have that history, which will be lovely to see.

[5:22] Jenna Russell: And Tracy Bennett.

[5:24] John Schwab: Tracy Bennett, like Tracy.

[5:26] Jenna Russell: Tracy Bennett was on this week's podcast. She is astonishing. Because I remember watching her and she's I'm still here. And I was, I said to myself, how the hell does that voice come out of that?

[5:38] John Schwab: Yeah.

[5:43] Jenna Russell: She's so brilliant because she's so naughty on stage. She's one of those people that's just, she's just alive in the moment in that last section of that song, which is, you know, the song is a gift. Yeah, but you still have to have wattage, you have to have some sort of wattage to pull it off. And you know, when she kind of just throws down her guard and just screams it at you, it's fabulous. I think I have to go again. I think Janie's probably friends as well. And Alex Hansen.

[6:16] John Schwab: Yeah, Alex Hansen.

[6:17] Jenna Russell: They're all listening and Peter Forbes is one of the loveliest men you will ever meet. He was beautiful in this. He's so sweet. You just want the hug, yeah.

[6:25] Jenna Russell: So um, the next on the list, Mamma Mia, which is one of, I mean, it's mad that it's coming for just a limited thing. And with Kelsey Grammar.

[6:32] John Schwab: And with Kelsey Grammar.

[6:35] Jenna Russell: I don't know if you saw Big Fish.

[6:37] John Schwab: Yeah, I think that's a good one.

[6:38] Jenna Russell: And I just wanted more Kelsey Grammar. And Claire, I just thought he was brilliant here. He was brilliant, and it was a little again. He just played it so, I want to again, I think they'd be more hug people when I go to musicals. But I think he will be a brilliant Miguel de Cervantes, isn't it?

[6:55] John Schwab: Oh no, I, and it's a show I've always wanted to see.

[6:57] Jenna Russell: Yeah. And Lonnie Price is a bit of a pal of mine.

[7:01] John Schwab: Is he?

[7:01] Jenna Russell: Who's directing it? And um, yes, it's a reminding me. Maybe I shall send him a little cheeky email and say, Can I come to, because they do that nice thing, don't they? At the end of where you get invited to, it's a very American thing, an opening.

[7:16] John Schwab: Yes, the open dress, which is always for the, yeah, the, I guess they call it the professional dress, you know, the open dress for people who are in the theater to, you know, and can't make it. Which is a really, it's a lovely thing to do.

[7:26] Jenna Russell: Nice thing. So I'll, I'll, it's also a, it's a little bit of a forgiving crowd, so if you're gonna make a mistake in an open dress, do it. So I am looking forward to that. I'm looking forward to that. It was one of my first ever musicals I performed in, in school.

[7:38] John Schwab: Oh really?

[7:39] Jenna Russell: Great school.

[7:41] John Schwab: Yeah, which is great. Now, Jesus Christ Superstar is back.

[7:44] Jenna Russell: Um good, because I haven't seen it.

[7:46] John Schwab: It was phenomenal. I saw the one that, that two years ago. Um, I have a thing.

[7:53] Jenna Russell: And Andrew Lloyd Webber was sitting just for a bit.

[7:56] John Schwab: This is a thing, Jenna. I think this is poses. What's going on?

[8:01] Jenna Russell: I don't know, it was weird, but he was, he was from the moment they, the first chords came and that riff starts. He was bopping his head. And he loved it. And it is the best version of this. I've seen quite a few of this, but it's going to the Barbican because it's played open air twice and Chicago, it's moving over to the Barbican.

[8:26] John Schwab: So it's the same production, um, but going over to the Barbican stuff.

[8:29] Jenna Russell: And, and who is it, the same, some of the things? It's the same creative team, but I don't know about the cast. They haven't released the cast.

[8:34] John Schwab: Because was it Tyrone Huntley?

[8:37] Jenna Russell: Tyrone Huntley, again, how that voice comes out. See, I've never, I don't think I've ever seen him in anything, but everyone keeps telling me how glorious he is.

[8:45] John Schwab: He is, it's brilliant. His voice is phenomenal, and in fact, it's probably ruined every other production of Jesus Christ Superstar because I think I've seen the one.

[8:51] Jenna Russell: Have you ever done that where you've seen it?

[8:54] John Schwab: I've seen it in a production gone? Okay.

[8:56] Jenna Russell: I've seen, I've done it. Maybe we won't go to that again.

[8:58] John Schwab: But he's marvelous.

[9:00] Jenna Russell: He is marvelous. And Drew McOnie. I mean the choreographer. I saw, I saw Drew's King Kong.

[9:05] John Schwab: Oh, did you?

[9:06] Jenna Russell: When I was in New York. Because yes, you've seen you. I saw that and I worked with Drew on his, when he's one of his first jobs. And I really enjoyed, really enjoyed King Kong. I felt like a little girl.

[9:16] John Schwab: Did you see it?

[9:16] Jenna Russell: No, I haven't seen it.

[9:17] John Schwab: I felt your kids would love it. It's one of those shows you do sit there. It's just proper spectacle.

[9:23] Jenna Russell: Yeah.

[9:23] John Schwab: And if I was spending a lot of money on a ticket, because we were given freebies because it was previews, it's a kind of show that you know if you spent your money, you would go, I've absolutely seen where my money is and I've enjoyed it. I felt like a kid.

[9:40] Jenna Russell: Amazing. I wonder why, whatever it would come over, but yeah, listen, I think if you can go see Jesus Christ.

[9:46] John Schwab: Okay, Evita.

[9:47] Jenna Russell: So a V.

[9:49] John Schwab: So your old pal, Jamie Lloyd.

[9:52] Jenna Russell: Jamie.

[9:52] John Schwab: Is Jesus?

[9:53] Jenna Russell: Yes, he hasn't asked me to do a, they're not doing the geriatric Evita, sadly.

[9:59] John Schwab: Listen, I can, I'm gonna say Jenna's sitting next to you who looks phenomenal people. Jenna hasn't aged since I've started seeing her on stage.

[10:06] Jenna Russell: I love you, I love you.

[10:08] John Schwab: But um, there is no other, what's really intriguing about this is there's no other announcements whatsoever other than, and this is why it's the anticipation so great. I've got my money on someone.

[10:21] Jenna Russell: Oh have you?

[10:22] John Schwab: Yeah, I have.

[10:23] Jenna Russell: Do you think we're allowed to say bets?

[10:26] John Schwab: Well, I do know what I haven't, because I'm mates with her, and half of me is tempted to ring her up and say, Come on, is this happening? Are you at least talking to them about it? But I haven't.

[10:43] Jenna Russell: Okay, I think we should.

[10:44] John Schwab: But I'll just drop a clue who I think.

[10:48] Jenna Russell: Okay.

[10:48] John Schwab: And this Jamie hasn't spoken to me about it. This is me just going, if they're gonna do, and Jamie will do, because he's brilliant, an interesting piece of casting. Who would I want to see play Evita? It would be a person that was in The Color Purple.

[11:03] Jenna Russell: Ah.

[11:04] John Schwab: She was in The Color Purple over here, then went to New York and has done very well.

[11:09] Jenna Russell: I know exactly what you're talking about.

[11:10] John Schwab: I would love to see that.

[11:12] Jenna Russell: I mean, whoever does it, Jamie will get the right person. But I think that, and I think her and Jamie together, because she's that person is a very determined, strong person, as is Jamie. And the two of them together, I think would be brilliant. She'd be brilliant as Evita.

[11:31] John Schwab: Well, I think it with Jamie doing music as a main, obviously Urinetown was when we first kind of saw each other, and then when I saw Assassins as well, like he tends to just get into in between the lines and in between the music and pulls things out that you don't necessarily think of. And I cannot wait. I think this is gonna be no. I'm, but you reminded me actually I've got to buy my tickets because I do want to see them.

[11:52] Jenna Russell: And the last one on my little list here is like, I mean, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. There's nothing been announced other than it's in the Palladium to celebrate the 50th anniversary. I mean, and I just think you've got, um, this boy's never seen it. He's probably my son sitting over there. He would, I think he, I think he like, well, he's pretty discerning. He's gone to Hamilton twice this one.

[12:16] John Schwab: Oh, but Hamilton's different and kettle of finishes.

[12:16] Jenna Russell: Well, it is, it is a completely different kettle of fish, but he's, um, he loves his theatre. In fact, our whole family, that's our biggest kind of outlay is theatre when we go out. But um, my elder son hasn't seen this either and they, they kind of, they're big Jesus Christ Superstar fans, but this is, I just think is a 50th, I know there's gonna be some serious stunt casting, you know there's gonna be joyful and it's an in and out of the, yeah, I saw it when it was at the Palladium last time with um, lovely Jason Donovan and Lindsay Hayton and I really thought, oh I'm gonna hate this and I was smiling from ear to ear.

[12:57] John Schwab: Did you sway?

[12:58] Jenna Russell: I did you sway probably, I don't know whether I'd go again I do well because I've had my moment but that's what I haven't seen I haven't seen it um on stage at a big production so I think that's it was it was beautiful it was a beautiful production.

[13:14] John Schwab: So here we go now let's talk about the Broadway musical transfers now you use this loosely because some have transferred for the first time to the West End after a while but my first one it's this in no particular order but Come From Away did you see that?

[13:14] Jenna Russell: I haven't but I've got my tickets to go next Thursday.

[13:31] John Schwab: Oh gosh, is it here that quickly? Yes, it is. It opens next week. The previews begin next week. It opens on the 18th of February. So, Come From Away, you saw nothing. Cart is incredible and David Shannon.

[13:47] Jenna Russell: You've seen it in New York, did you see?

[13:49] John Schwab: I haven't seen Come From Away. I didn't see Come From Away. It was one of the—it's funny because when I was over there for—because you did a—I mean, you okay, you were recently in New York and I saw your tweets. You were just kind of in a theatre here, in a theatre there.

[13:47] Jenna Russell: Yeah, well, I was working there.

[14:04] John Schwab: I was, um, with Jerry Mitchell, yeah, doing work on a new show that he's doing in New York.

[14:11] Jenna Russell: It's not opening here; it's opening in New York.

[14:14] John Schwab: And it was one of those really lovely gigs where I had an apartment just off Times Square. I was on my own, so I was just rehearsing during the day.

[14:24] Jenna Russell: But I went to the kids.

[14:24] John Schwab: You love your kids.

[14:26] Jenna Russell: Of course, of course.

[14:27] John Schwab: And I did cry quite a lot. But then I went to the theatre, Theatre Doctor Baby, and had a burger and I felt better.

[14:36] Jenna Russell: Good, but this was what the show that—'cause I said, what should I go and see? What should I go and see? And so many people said, "Go and see Come From Away."

[14:44] John Schwab: Yeah.

[14:44] Jenna Russell: And I was like, Really? And I went, it's got its heart in the right place and it's so beautifully staged, so simply done, and it's a real heart warmer.

[14:57] John Schwab: Well, I—I so I'm looking for this. I know the music very well. We listen to it in the car; we listen to a lot of musicals when we're driving. So music—and it is, you know, it's listening to that in the car. The family is really looking forward to it. I think Rachel Tucker's got an insane voice.

[15:11] Jenna Russell: Like, you know, we went to the launch party. The launch party was unbelievable at Canada House. They had pancakes and like little vials of maple syrup, um, like a full buffet. I mean, the Canadians, like, the only Canada House, like, you know, could do it like that.

[15:26] John Schwab: I'm not—well, I am these days, Jenna.

[15:28] Jenna Russell: Of course.

[15:28] John Schwab: You know, is a part we all—yeah, there's a line, there's a—there's a line and you crossed it.

[15:34] Jenna Russell: It's moved down; that 49th parallel has gone.

[15:37] John Schwab: Uh, I get it. So, um, no, but I—I w—it was so good and, uh, hopefully be bringing some more podcasts from this. But yeah, Come From Away, looking forward to it.

[15:47] Jenna Russell: Yeah. If you don't know about it, it's a story of the planes that had to land in Gander after 9/11, and it's about the people who were there for a week and kind of the lovely people who made pull together.

[15:58] John Schwab: Yeah.

[15:59] Jenna Russell: I mean, story of hope. We need a bit of hope these days.

[16:02] John Schwab: Please. Now, Waitress.

[16:04] Jenna Russell: Um, I know the music very bit. I mean, it's opening very, very, very soon. It's a—I mean, it's been going on and on and on in and on Broadway, and it's done so, so well. It's one of the most popular shows, and I cannot wait to see it.

[16:18] John Schwab: Yeah, I wanted to see it; I just didn't manage it, and then I'm annoyed because now isn't Sara Bareilles doing it on Broadway?

[16:25] Jenna Russell: On Broadway with my friend Gavin Creel because they're really old.

[16:29] John Schwab: Yes, that's right.

[16:30] Jenna Russell: And I love Gavin Creel. So I wish I'd seen those two doing it. But, um, Catherine McPhee is wonderful. I haven't seen her on stage, so she's beautiful, and her mum—her mum is a singer and a singing teacher, and right, she's got one of those effortless, beautiful voices.

[16:48] John Schwab: So—and I do think there are probably a load of people that could have done it over here. But I think sometimes—I mean, I don't know, uh, I'm maybe I'm being controversial here, but sometimes when a Broadway transfer comes over with its, um, you know, it's one of these and it's that is a Broadway musical, Waitress, that it—there is a certain Broadway character. Like, I thought that with Book of Mormon.

[17:12] Jenna Russell: Oh, did you?

[17:13] John Schwab: When I saw Book of Mormon and they brought Gavin and, um, they brought them over to play the two lead guys, and I think it was a brilliant decision because it did give it—they set the tone so beautifully in a way that we would have been maybe reaching for over here. But having set it up, Jared Gertner—there you go, his name, similar name, we'll get there. It made a massive difference to the production, and then everyone who's taken over since was able to look at that and go, okay, this is the temperature of it.

[17:40] Jenna Russell: Well, I think it works the same way going from here over there and with plays as well. And, you know, the plays that have gone over, like, uh, Sweeney Todd that was at the pie shop, kid that they did, um, down in, uh, Stratomore, where was it? Uh, I can't remember, you know, little pie shop one that they've taken over off-Broadway, um, and they brought the English cast and then replaced it with American so they could see that was—that was the template.

[17:40] John Schwab: Yeah, anyway, so Waitress, all-female creative team, which is fantastic. We love it. Uh, Dear Evan Hansen, like one of the most anticipated—there's no official, like, they haven't said when it's happening. I know that they're looking for kids now, and, um, in fact, Dear—there's a boy who won the Jimmys—the Jimmy Awards in America is for high school actors.

[18:41] Jenna Russell: Oh, okay.

[18:42] John Schwab: And say these—it's kind of like the Tonys of the Oliviers but for high school kids, and they do it, it's regional, and they go to the national. The kid that won the Jimmy Award last year, I believe, a 16-year-old boy, is now making his Broadway debut this week.

[18:55] Jenna Russell: But that's wonderful, isn't it? Isn't that crazy?

[18:57] John Schwab: Great. I mean, it's for a young actor, and so this is—I mean, you've got a great role. You saw it, and it is a—is it a musical for that kind of age group, or is it a story that goes beyond that? Because I don't know. I've got a feeling because, I mean, I think the score is incredible.

[19:04] Jenna Russell: I think the score is incredible. And, you know, maybe it's one of those things for my taste. I was hoping it was going to go a bit darker. But that said, it's—you know, it packs an emotional punch, and it's one—it's—and talking because I spoke to a lot of the younger actors in the thing that I was doing in New York and said, "Yeah, you know, what do you feel about?" And they are so passionate about it, and I think it will speak to that kind of teenager growing into sort of middle twenties to that kind of one. It's a bit like Wicked has here speaking to young girls. This will speak to young—that kind of generation, but, you know, it's very moving. You can't help but being floods of tears at the end of it.

[20:03] John Schwab: And I'd like to say, I think the score is extraordinary, and when you've got someone in that leading role, they can't—it'd be interesting to see who they find and where they find and how it will translate to English audiences as well.

[20:15] Jenna Russell: Okay, Nine to Five, not really translating.

[20:21] John Schwab: I love this movie.

[20:22] Jenna Russell: It's a great movie.

[20:23] John Schwab: One of my favourite movies of all time. Brilliant movie.

[20:25] Jenna Russell: And I listen, I think it, you know, the reason I said it, uh, uh, is Ebnin is one of my top advice. I just—I want to like it to be guilty fun.

[20:35] John Schwab: I don't know anything about it. I've listened to the music.

[20:36] Jenna Russell: Um, it's a great little score, you know. It's a great little, you know, um, the cast album—the Broadway cast is quite fun. I mean, and it goes a bit full on, so I'm looking forward to it.

[20:47] John Schwab: Uh, Louise Redknapp, unfortunately, has fallen over and, um, she broke her—

[20:52] Jenna Russell: Oh, yeah, she didn't know.

[20:53] John Schwab: Is she—she's coming back late March.

[20:56] Jenna Russell: Who's doing it?

[20:57] John Schwab: Uh, oh God, Caroline Sheen.

[20:58] Jenna Russell: Caroline Sheen is going into her—we did Into the Woods together.

[21:05] John Schwab: Go on, Caroline.

[21:08] Jenna Russell: And she's married to Michael Gibson.

[21:11] John Schwab: Yeah, Gibson.

[21:12] Jenna Russell: Okay.

[21:12] John Schwab: Mike Gibbs.

[21:13] Jenna Russell: Yeah, she's married to—oh my God. But I love the whole show. I love the whole show. I mean, I was sitting there; my daughter was on two of those booster seats because she's only Diddy.

[21:28] John Schwab: And I just kept looking at her and Ray at tiny little moments where I could, going, can you believe what we're seeing?

[21:35] Jenna Russell: Yeah.

[21:36] John Schwab: It's extraordinary. The cast were amazing. The set, the dances—oh, great show.

[21:44] Jenna Russell: It was Michael Gibson was possibly the funniest thing I've seen for 10 minutes on stage. I mean, it just was ridiculous. He was enjoying it so much. But anyway, Nine to Five, I'm looking forward to just for its pure unadulterated, ridiculous joy.

[21:58] John Schwab: Joy.

[21:59] Jenna Russell: And laughter. Now, this last one, The Light in the Piazza. Like, I haven't seen it, and the reason I'm looking for it—no one really has got to see it over here.

[22:07] John Schwab: No.

[22:08] Jenna Russell: So, um, in the fact that Daniel Evans, who I, um, adore, uh, is—you know, it's just, uh, I think it's gonna be fascinating. And again, it's going to be, um, South Egg Center, so it's gonna be a huge spectacle.

[22:26] John Schwab: Now, I don't know if you've heard the original cast.

[22:31] Jenna Russell: Yeah.

[22:32] John Schwab: It is astonishing. It's the most beautiful score. I'm a big fan of Adam Guettel, like, massive fan of Adam Guettel. And when I heard this, I was, uh, doing—it's a long time—it's been out for a long time. I was doing Guys and Dolls.

[22:44] Jenna Russell: And I used to drive into work and I would listen to music, and I bought that album, and the amount of times just sobbing with the joy of the music. And now I just thought, oh God, Adam Guettel, who is a complicated extraordinary man. It's like he's landed in this show.

[23:07] John Schwab: The writing is exquisite.

[23:10] Jenna Russell: I mean, it's exquisite. And it will be beautiful actually to hear Renée Fleming.

[23:15] John Schwab: Yes.

[23:16] Jenna Russell: And I—I don't know Dove Cameron. But I'm looking forward to it.

[23:21] John Schwab: She's big, like I said. She's big on—you know, she's Disney, very well known on the Disney Channel kind of circuit and actor.

[23:29] Jenna Russell: And, um, I, um, again, I'm intrigued. I would love to know the story in between the music as well. And I can't wait because I just—I don't know. I remember saying to Jane Krakowski, who was in the show, and I said, What did I keep—I just like, I can't even talk about it without crying.

[23:44] John Schwab: So what happened to you?

[23:45] Jenna Russell: She goes, nothing very much, nothing very much, generous, just a beautiful thing. And apparently it's a very gentle, gentle story, but you know, class, it's class, it's a piece of class. And with Dan Evans directing and Renée Fleming, I mean, she's extraordinary. I mean, what a career that woman's had and having and will continue to have. I can't wait to see it.

[24:13] John Schwab: No, real treat. No meeting. So listen, those are my—those are my ten, like revivals and kind of—and I don't know if you have anything else that you think.

[24:23] Jenna Russell: Oh gosh, off the top of my head, I don't—I think that's—you know, we—I put—we've got a couple of kind of pages on the website for you to go and look, and it's all the information there, you know, to get tickets and show pages and who's doing what and whatever.

[24:35] John Schwab: But, um, I might be in a couple of revivals that aren't on your little list because they're not announced yet.

[24:42] Jenna Russell: See, this is the thing.

[24:44] John Schwab: Okay, well, listen, I know you do—okay, first of all, I know you're doing something—I want to talk about. You're doing something with Judy Keene, who I saw in Fiddler.

[24:52] Jenna Russell: Which isn't she glorious?

[24:55] John Schwab: I love the production.

[24:56] Jenna Russell: It is—I hope that gets another life.

[24:58] John Schwab: I do too, because I think that it was just—it for me, it felt like a play with music instead of a musical, and told the story, and I—wept.

[25:05] Jenna Russell: I like ugly cry.

[25:07] John Schwab: Yeah.

[25:08] Jenna Russell: Trevor—Trevor doing what Trevor does best. It's beautiful. And those—I'd never seen the—I’d never seen Fiddler. I saw it bizarrely when I was in New York. I went to see there was a production at the Jewish Heritage.

[25:19] John Schwab: Yes, that's right, it's all in Yiddish.

[25:21] Jenna Russell: In Yiddish, so that's the first time I saw it. And I loved it, and a few lines just popped out and really, like, the thing—having never seen the film or anything, when they're told to move on, and Tevye says, "Maybe this is why we always keep our hats on," just broke my heart.

[25:40] John Schwab: So that—you have these beautiful timely moments in the writing.

[25:46] Jenna Russell: It's just desperately upsetting. That end bit as well, constant stream, constant stream of people moving, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I mean, like, again, we had, um, Andy Nyman on the podcast not so long ago.

[25:58] John Schwab: Love Andy.

[25:59] Jenna Russell: I've done him for years and years and years. And I just—I thought as Tevye, he just wasn't normally—just there wasn't this big booming around stage. He was, you know, who's heartbroken with cycle, and he's kind of—she's not very single little bird, oh my God, I was—but when he gives her that cuddle when they haven't spoken.

[26:20] John Schwab: See, yeah, it just—I was like, Are you allowed to talk about things that you are in?

[26:28] Jenna Russell: No.

[26:29] John Schwab: I can talk about the thing that's a lot of things. But so I did—I did a—I’ve known Seth for a long time.

[26:36] Jenna Russell: Yeah.

[26:37] John Schwab: Not brilliantly well, but we've known each other, and last year I hilariously, after I finished doing Fun Home at the Young Vic...