This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Ann Harada: Dan, are you recording?

[0:02] Dan Tracy: Yeah.

[0:03] Ann Harada: Okay, fantastic.

[0:04] Dan Tracy: So Ann Harada's here. And Ann, when I asked you to be on this, I did like a baby Google. We know each other, obviously. You've done like 47,000 podcast interviews. When you said Ann Harada was gonna be on the show, the first thing I thought was like, cool. So the person working the most in the New York theater is gonna be on the podcast.

[0:24] Ann Harada: Yeah.

[0:25] Dan Tracy: I feel like I see your name on more cast announcements than any other person I could name. What's that like?

[0:32] Ann Harada: This is okay. Let me tell you what's happening. This is why I think is happening. I feel that people are trying very hard to, I don't know how to put this in a nice way, diversify their lineups. And they're thinking that with me they can kill the old bird and the Asian bird with one stone. Um, and so as a result, I'm extremely popular. I do play readings like you would. I've, you know, I've always done a million readings. Like I say, if you have a hundred dollars, I'll come sing your alto line for a week. You know what I mean? Like that's pretty much been my whole career.

[1:06] Dan Tracy: Right.

[1:10] Ann Harada: Um, is sitting in rooms trying to like learn this part and you know, whatever. So I, so yeah, so yeah, I mean, I feel like I've had more auditions and things that I ordinarily might not have gotten seen for before. But they're thinking like, oh, well, we can bring, you know, somebody else into the room. She's very short, so that would knock off something, and then she's Asian and she's old, so bing bing bing, got it. Um, and as a result, I'm very busy. Now, are any of these projects going to actually work out for me? Probably not.

[1:44] Dan Tracy: Well, that's what we do. You know, we just like we try to put eggs, you know, a thousand different baskets in the hopes that one of them hits.

[1:54] Ann Harada: You know, right, exactly. Well, and you're working on some cool stuff now, which we'll get into.

[1:59] Dan Tracy: Well, I am everyone, uh, welcome Ann Harada to Guys Who Like Musicals.

[2:04] Ann Harada: Hey, hi.

[2:05] Dan Tracy: An actor is saying his lines, and then out of nowhere, he just starts singing.

[2:20] Ann Harada: Don't cry for me.

[2:32] Dan Tracy: So you're in Ireland.

[2:35] Ann Harada: Correct.

[2:36] Dan Tracy: Cool.

[2:37] Ann Harada: And that's all we can talk about.

[2:38] Dan Tracy: That's all we could say.

[2:39] Ann Harada: That's all we can do. I'm in Ireland, uh, shooting this Disney movie, uh, the sequel to Enchanted.

[2:50] Dan Tracy: Called Disenchanted.

[2:53] Ann Harada: So, yeah. Um, and it's going to be released on Disney Plus. You don't even have to go to the theater whenever the hell this thing gets released, maybe next year or whatever.

[3:03] Dan Tracy: So they're already saying like it's gonna be on Disney Plus straight up first.

[3:06] Ann Harada: That's what they said. That's what they've said to us, yeah.

[3:09] Dan Tracy: Well, see, I mean, I'm kinda sad. I would love to go see it in a theater, but whatever.

[3:14] Ann Harada: But Disney has always championed the direct to consumer like home movie. I mean, we Joe and I, we grew up on those 90s, like kind of straight to video movies, and this is like a great model for that.

[3:28] Dan Tracy: Yeah. How's it going, sort of?

[3:31] Ann Harada: Well, well, it's going great. I mean, like, what do I do? Practically nothing. I'm, you know, I mean, I have so little to do that I cannot believe I am here for this long.

[3:42] Dan Tracy: Oh wow.

[3:43] Ann Harada: How long are you there?

[3:43] Dan Tracy: Well, I've been here since May 9th.

[3:45] Ann Harada: Wow.

[3:46] Dan Tracy: And I don't come home for over a month.

[3:48] Ann Harada: Wow.

[3:49] Dan Tracy: Oh my gosh.

[3:50] Ann Harada: And I am like, guys, like obviously they did not plan the schedule around my availability. Because they just knew they had me for whenever. Like, oh, she's fine. She'll just hang around forever. It doesn't matter. Because everybody else is sort of on a very strict window of availability.

[4:04] Dan Tracy: Right.

[4:05] Ann Harada: You know what I mean?

[4:05] Dan Tracy: Right, right.

[4:06] Ann Harada: So, like, people have got to shoot out and get out, but not me. So I'm just sitting around. I'm doing a lot of sightseeing.

[4:13] Dan Tracy: I was gonna ask if you could if you're allowed to enjoy Ireland.

[4:16] Ann Harada: It's probably yes, I'm allowed. I'm allowed to enjoy it. It's just sort of hard to plan because they change the schedule all the time, and you're like, Is it am I busy? You know, today can I go something? No, I don't know. Oh, okay. And then like you have to change your plan.

[4:31] Dan Tracy: Right.

[4:31] Ann Harada: You're like getting like literally like this morning, they were like, is everybody free for a rehearsal at three? And I'm like, no, actually, I'm busy.

[4:39] Dan Tracy: Nice.

[4:40] Ann Harada: You're busy because you're doing a hard-hitting podcast.

[4:42] Dan Tracy: That's right. I'm doing a podcast. Luckily, somebody else also had a conflict because if it had just been me, we probably would have had that rehearsal, but okay, whatever.

[4:51] Ann Harada: So my gosh.

[4:54] Dan Tracy: Yeah, I just I can see you like getting you're like at the cliffs of Moher or whatever, and you're getting emails. You're like, no, I can't stay here and look at these cliffs.

[5:01] Ann Harada: Yeah, I can't. I'm actually not here yet. I'm going to go to the cliffs some more. I'm planning to go to the cliffs some more. It's just sort of like, when can I have a day to go? You know what I mean? It's like that.

[5:11] Dan Tracy: So gosh. Well, so I've been to the Giants Causeway, though.

[5:15] Ann Harada: Nice.

[5:16] Dan Tracy: Do you know what that is?

[5:17] Ann Harada: Yep.

[5:17] Dan Tracy: Yep.

[5:18] Ann Harada: It's a big world, uh UNESCO World Park or something. It's up in Northern Ireland. And amazingly, I thought it was gonna be a big deal to go from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland, like show my passport at the border.

[5:33] Dan Tracy: Right.

[5:33] Ann Harada: I brought my vaccine card. You know, they were like, nobody cared. Like there's not even a sign that's like welcome to Northern Ireland. You just drive through.

[5:42] Dan Tracy: Oh my gosh.

[5:43] Ann Harada: Okay, thanks. Okay. I'm like, well, this is really very not exciting.

[5:47] Dan Tracy: Yeah.

[5:47] Ann Harada: I mean, it's such a gorgeous place. Are they shooting there? Because is it like a tax thing? Is it just like is it are it? I mean, it's obviously beautiful, but are they doing it there for sort of, you know, is it a little cheaper or something?

[5:59] Ann Harada: Yeah, I'm sure it's a tax thing. And but there's also so much just sort of here. Like they found this cute little village that apparently has been the home to many Irish movies over the time. You know what I mean? Like, we're so cute, we're always in a movie kind of a village. And they just sort of dressed it up and made it Disney-ish.

[6:21] Dan Tracy: Right.

[6:22] Ann Harada: Do you know what I mean? But like it's all the stuff was there already. They just sort of had to paint and like put up some banners and you know what I mean? Throw some artificial flowers on it, and all of a sudden it was Main Street USA, but they, you know, but like all the parts were in place.

[6:39] Dan Tracy: Right.

[6:39] Ann Harada: So it's like, why wouldn't you pick a picturesque place? Yeah, if you had the choice, instead of having to build everything from dead scratch.

[6:47] Dan Tracy: Yeah. Oh my gosh.

[6:48] Ann Harada: You know, that's awesome.

[6:50] Dan Tracy: Yeah, that's so great.

[6:51] Ann Harada: It is awesome. It's exciting. What can you tell us about who you're playing? Can you tell us like is it like any anything about the character that you're that well, I can tell you that I am one of Patrick Dempsey's sidekicks.

[7:08] Dan Tracy: Nice.

[7:10] Ann Harada: Nice. In this movie, he has sidekicks. I know I don't want to ruin it though, because part of it is the um part of that whole thing is kind of a revealed.

[7:21] Dan Tracy: That's perfect.

[7:22] Ann Harada: Yeah, it's fun.

[7:22] Dan Tracy: That's perfect. Is he as handsome as we think?

[7:28] Ann Harada: He's stunning.

[7:29] Dan Tracy: Yeah, that's good.

[7:30] Ann Harada: That's in the way that people who are in film and TV are like stunningly good looking. Like so much better looking than the average bear. That like you when you meet them, you go, well, oh now I see why you are a TV movie star. So much better looking than musical theater people. So much better looking than like normal people. That's all. I mean, not like they don't have to be, you know, but like did you ever meet Hugh Jackman?

[7:56] Dan Tracy: I've only ever seen him. I've seen him in I've seen him in the flesh, but I've never actually met him.

[8:00] Ann Harada: Okay, well, like when you meet him, you're like, oh my god, he is the most attractive person I have ever seen. And like, and this, you know, and it's like, and I thought he was cute and everything, like when I saw him in a movie. Like he's a movie star, like whatever. But then, like in person, you're like, he is so much better looking than the average person that you're just sort of like stunned. You know, you're like, his shoulders are so broad, and then they flatten out to a small waist and very long legs.

[8:30] Dan Tracy: Huh.

[8:31] Ann Harada: Look at that. Like it's really just sort of overwhelming. Like you're like, wah wa, people look like this. And of course, if you are a TV and movie star, you kind of look like that.

[8:42] Dan Tracy: Right.

[8:42] Ann Harada: And that's what makes you popular. And good for you. Like, you know, to me, it's like, well, that's just the level of attractiveness that, you know, most humans will never, never achieve, no matter how hard they try. So I'm like, well, that's great. I mean, to me, that's a special skill in and of itself.

[8:59] Dan Tracy: Totally.

[9:00] Ann Harada: Totally. You know, and he also happens to be actually nice.

[9:04] Dan Tracy: That's great.

[9:05] Ann Harada: So that's great. And then you said and he's very excited about being in this movie because he gets to sing and dance.

[9:13] Dan Tracy: Very cool.

[9:14] Ann Harada: Which he did not get to do in film one.

[9:17] Dan Tracy: That's right.

[9:18] Ann Harada: That's right. Spoiler.

[9:19] Dan Tracy: Spoiler alert.

[9:21] Ann Harada: He's trying to come for Hugh Jackman's title as song and dance movie.

[9:24] Dan Tracy: Well, I don't know if he's trying to do that. But we're, you know, we're plant sort of planting the seed. If you're listening, Tom Schumacher. Um, if you want to put this on stage, do you know what I'm saying? Like we're trying to tell him you can see Disney theatrical.

[9:42] Ann Harada: Disney theatrical. We're trying to tell him, like, you know, um, Patrick, we could call Tom. And if you wanted to be a Broadway star, we could probably work that out for you.

[9:54] Dan Tracy: Are you gonna take five percent on that deal?

[9:56] Ann Harada: No, I'm not. I'm not. I'm just gonna ask for the right of first refusal, of course, for my part. That's all. I don't think that's asking too much.

[10:04] Dan Tracy: No.

[10:05] Ann Harada: I like that. I like that. We're concocting, we're producing. You've heard it here first. We're producing the Disenchanted um stage transfer right here.

[10:14] Dan Tracy: Oh my gosh. And then you mentioned right as we were getting on, we saw that James Monroe Iglehart, uh, friend of the pod, is also in it. So you guys are like, you know, it's just kind of a Broadway crew running around Ireland shooting a major motion picture.

[10:27] Ann Harada: It is. And our third compatriot, the other sidekick is Michael McCorry Rose. Do you know Michael?

[10:33] Dan Tracy: I don't.

[10:34] Ann Harada: He was in Wicked, he was in Gentleman's Guy. Nice. You know.

[10:37] Dan Tracy: Nice.

[10:39] Ann Harada: He's like one of those guys that does concerts, you know.

[10:41] Dan Tracy: I always love that concert guys.

[10:43] Ann Harada: That like they're they are represent. This is a musical theater. This is a Disney musical movie, you know, and like that the musical theater is being represented, you know, and they're exactly, you know, they it seems like that's been true in the last few years that like musical theater people are represented in these movies, but sometimes I don't know, sometimes there's a lot of movie stars that come ripping in, you know.

[11:06] Dan Tracy: I mean, the prom didn't really do a good job.

[11:08] Ann Harada: Yeah.

[11:10] Dan Tracy: I mean, but then you know, like In the Heights tried and Evan Hansen, it's cool that that you know did you watch In the Heights yet? Have you guys watched In the Heights yet?

[11:18] Ann Harada: No.

[11:19] Dan Tracy: I can't get that here on my iPad.

[11:23] Ann Harada: Yes, yes, yes.

[11:24] Dan Tracy: There's uh because I'm in Ireland. Um and I if I could get to a movie theater, I might see it here.

[11:32] Ann Harada: Yeah. It's so it's so wonderful.

[11:36] Dan Tracy: It's so wonderful.

[11:37] Ann Harada: Oh, I'm sure it is. I have no doubt. There's an amazing Easter egg. If anybody hasn't watched it yet, there's an amazing Easter egg at the end of like after the credits, the way that the Marvel movies do, where there's like a thing at the end of the credits that is just for the fans, the fans of In the Heights and the fans of Hamilton and like the true sort of like Broadway nerd. There's a great Easter egg at the very end of the credits. So if you turned it off before the credits, turn it back on because this is a very funny moment.

[12:04] Dan Tracy: It was a very funny moment. Um, so I so you've done four, four, you know, a thousand podcast interviews, but I wondered my joke here as I set up the joke, is if anyone if you've done any podcast interviews with uh people that you have been in Cinderella the musical with and people who have done Christmas Eve's uh hunk fest uh Christmas explosion or whatever.

[12:28] Ann Harada: What was correct, yes.

[12:29] Dan Tracy: I I haven't you are the first one I'm sorry to get that Venn diagram.

[12:35] Ann Harada: Joe was in Christmas Eve Hunk Fest?

[12:37] Dan Tracy: Yes.

[12:38] Ann Harada: He was in Christmas Eve's holiday hunk fest.

[12:40] Dan Tracy: Yes.

[12:41] Ann Harada: Which used to be called Christmas Eve with Christmas Eve. The thing is a benefit that I try to do more or less annually for Broadway Cares, where I play Christmas Eve the entire night and I make Broadway guys come on and sing duets with me.

[12:54] Dan Tracy: Lovely.

[12:54] Ann Harada: Um, yes, and Joe was kind enough to do a number from Once with me.

[13:00] Dan Tracy: Yep.

[13:01] Ann Harada: Which was one of my favorite hunk fest outings ever. That was one of my favorite things because I had to learn how to play piano.

[13:09] Dan Tracy: Toy piano.

[13:11] Ann Harada: It was so freaking fun. And I, you know, now I'm in Ireland, so Once it's just everywhere.

[13:18] Dan Tracy: You can't get away from it.

[13:19] Ann Harada: Right, right. I can't go anywhere without wanting to ask somebody how to fix a vacuum cleaner. It's just the whole thing.

[13:26] Dan Tracy: So how did that come about? The h the hunkfest, I I you like you said, you st did it start as just like a one night um uh benefit and then it started as a one off and then it just kept happening because um, you know, it was Gary Adler's idea.

[13:41] Ann Harada: Because we worked together on Avenue Q, obviously, and we would say sometimes in the dressing room, like, huh, wouldn't it be great if there was like a benefit you could do called Christmas Eve with Christmas Eve, and you just get to like fulfill your dreams of like singing with all these hunky guys. And I'd be like, Yeah, okay. And then one so then one Christmas, one December, we actually did it. You know, we talked to Broadway Cares, and we were like, We have this stupid idea, can we try? And it went really well. And so I guess the feedback was good enough so that they were like, you want to do it next year? We were like, yeah, okay. So like, you know, it was uh it always sort of fit in around the well the you know, the Broadway schedule.

You do it on whatever the night off the Monday night usually. Now, of course, the schedule's so effed up, you don't know what night is the free night of of I don't know. You know, um and at this point, who knows if we can do it this December because Broadway will be back, but then like what about the other venues? Are they gonna have weird rules about doing stuff? Yeah. I don't know. It's all a mystery. Yeah. But it'd be great to do it. I think the venue is such a venues are starting to open, they're starting to take bookings. I think it's all it's all coming back.

[15:01] Dan Tracy: Well, let's hope so.

[15:02] Ann Harada: Yeah. You know, uh, it's yeah. But then Broadway Cares has to have a free night. Then, you know, and it's also December, which is like benefit central. So the problem is trying to get a night that isn't already taken up by 5,000 other benches.

[15:17] Dan Tracy: Right.

[15:18] Ann Harada: Um, like Mary Mitchell Campbell and I would always pick the same night. She would have her A stip benefit, and I would have Christmas Eve and we'd be fighting over the same guys, and we'd just be like, oh, this is ridiculous. We just have to like organize this better.

[15:30] Dan Tracy: So um Oh my gosh. That's amazing. I love it. Um, like, so you know, but like it's always just been a fun for me, a fun thing to sort of like do with Christmas Eve. Not, you know, and just to like say, like, oh, I got to sing, you know, with like these hotcha guys.

[15:48] Joe Carroll: Yeah, I think didn't we? Well, my question would just be like, why did you pick Joe?

[15:51] Ann Harada: I I thought the idea was that it was supposed to be monkey guys.

[15:55] Joe Carroll: I knew this was Joe.

[15:56] Ann Harada: Wow, that is so not nice of you. Patrick Dempsey, you know, has like a face for television and Joe has a face for radio. You know, it's like it just comes in.

[16:05] Joe Carroll: Very good.

[16:05] Ann Harada: This is what we do, and this is part of our charm and our banter.

[16:09] Joe Carroll: I'm sure it is.

[16:10] Ann Harada: Now, here's the thing. You can have your own opinions about Joe's attractiveness. We are certainly all entitled to our own opinions. But to me, if the guy is Prince is the prince in Cinderella, somebody must think he's reasonably attractive enough.

[16:27] Joe Carroll: That's all I've ever wanted to be. Reasonably attractive.

[16:30] Ann Harada: Reasonably attractive enough. That's it.

[16:31] Joe Carroll: Well, that's it.

[16:33] Ann Harada: I think that's really a niche. And you know, it's good. It's a good idea. Instead of the most attractive man on, you know, Time magazine, Joe will be the reasonably attractive enough man of the year.

[16:44] Joe Carroll: Yes, yes. Somebody turned that to uh actual article.

[16:48] Ann Harada: What is wrong with that? That's so funny.

[16:51] Joe Carroll: That's this is I would love that. Like, like, you know, C C plus looks, A plus personality or whatever.

[16:58] Ann Harada: That's right.

[16:59] Joe Carroll: No, I Joe, don't say yourself short. You are not a C plus.

[17:04] Ann Harada: I you know, I think you're at least an 85.

[17:07] Joe Carroll: That puts you at a B.

[17:08] Ann Harada: That's a B, right?

[17:09] Joe Carroll: That's a that's a solid B.

[17:11] Ann Harada: B plus talent.

[17:12] Joe Carroll: Yes.

[17:12] Ann Harada: B.

[17:13] Joe Carroll: Stop it.

[17:14] Ann Harada: Stop it.

[17:15] Joe Carroll: A plus charm.

[17:16] Ann Harada: You know, that's good though. I'll take it.

[17:18] Ann Harada: I I uh this is oh my god. We definitely want to do the deep dive into into one of your projects. And we talked about this as we were getting on that we want to talk about Cinderella.

[17:27] Joe Carroll: Um because honestly, like Dan and I have done almost a hundred episodes and talked very little about Cinderella, actually. Like, I uh there's not we haven't really gotten into it. So especially from someone who was who was there from the very beginning and developed it. So if we can, can we dig into that a little bit?

[17:45] Ann Harada: Yeah, sure. Although I think you have more interesting stories than I do because you had to come into it.

[17:50] Joe Carroll: Well I think it that's an interesting sort of angle because we did like you started from the beginning. Uh and were did you do all of the readings and stuff too where they're like from like like literally from day one they said we wanted we want to rewrite the book. Douglas Carter Bean wants to rewrite the book, Cinderella and and Anne Hirata is playing literally it was like s people in Robin's you know Rolodex or phone or whatever the hell she's Robin could I mean it was literally like executive producer.

[18:14] Ann Harada: She was literally like okay these people let's throw them in a room together and and that was it. Like that first group was sort of the group you know what I mean? And then we just stayed together and kept doing these table reads until they got the script to the point where they were like okay I think one is usable. Let's go.

[18:30] Joe Carroll: Oh my God.

[18:30] Ann Harada: It was like that did you do?

[18:32] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[18:33] Ann Harada: Just a just a couple.

[18:34] Joe Carroll: It wasn't too bad.

[18:35] Ann Harada: How many years?

[18:36] Joe Carroll: Just oh not that many years.

[18:38] Ann Harada: Not that many years. You know, but we had pretty much done the whole show as a workshop um before we even got to Broadway. Like we like we went to um you know that dance space like on nineteenth street and just did like they you know Josh and and and um oh my God Lee like basically choreographed the whole show and then we did it.

[19:03] Joe Carroll: We like did it and then they were like oh yeah okay I guess that's gonna work. Okay, great.

[19:07] Ann Harada: Like there was no out of town process. It was just sort of like let's see what we can put up on its feet.

[19:14] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[19:15] Ann Harada: I remember that ID Broadway, is that where you were?

[19:18] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[19:18] Ann Harada: Yeah. That's so cool. I mean, I which is very rare for people listening that you don't that a show just kinda directly goes. Normally there's some kind of long process of developing the show in in another state, a city, town, place, I don't think it was it wasn't Did we do it at 890?

[19:34] Ann Harada: We might have done we might have done we might rehearsed at 890, but I don't think that particular workshop was at 890. Um but anyway, it was it doesn't matter.

[19:42] Joe Carroll: It doesn't matter.

[19:42] Ann Harada: It was like that's what we did one summer, and then they were like, okay, we like it. Let's move along with this.

[19:47] Joe Carroll: I mean, wow. It was so crazy from from our perspective, like in the business, it was like there there wasn't, you know, like because that happened, like you said, with such sort of close, you know, with basically with friends behind closed doors doing a reading of of this new imagined Cinderella that there like wasn't a revival of Cinderella, and then all of a sudden there was a revival of Cinderella that was going to the Broadway Theater, which is the biggest house on Broadway, or the second biggest house on Broadway.

[20:14] Ann Harada: And you know after the wicked, I would imagine.

[20:17] Joe Carroll: Yeah, like I mean, that must have been uh like you said earlier, you do a million readings of things. That must have been crazy that that happened.

[20:25] Ann Harada: I mean, were you were did you sort of feel did you have that sense early on that like hey, this is gonna happen and it's gonna be huge?

[20:31] Ann Harada: Oh yeah, because I just thought, well, everybody's behind it. If it's any good at all, this is gonna happen. Right. Cause you know, Ted Chapin was always in the room, and if he had had a strong objection to any one of us, we would have been gone. Do you know what I mean?

[20:46] Joe Carroll: Right.

[20:47] Ann Harada: So um I just thought, well, if R and H is gonna sign off on it and everybody seems to think this is all systems go, this is a go. Like it's gonna work.

[20:56] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[20:58] Ann Harada: And that was so exciting because you know, I I like I like to do shows that never go anywhere. Um or work on shows and then get cut and then it goes to Broadway. That's sort of my path usually so it's the best so yeah so I was thrilled to be a part of it and and to be able to stay with it.

[21:23] Joe Carroll: Yeah yeah I mean it was it was such a it was such a cool and and unique show and you know one of the things that I I wondered also was just I mean you were in it for so long the the sort of I asked this of a lot of guests the the key to the long running show like how did you you know why did you want to stay with it for the full length and how do you you know keep that you know keep your head right through that hole for many many years of development and then a long bro Broadway run.

[21:55] Ann Harada: Joe you know it's not like I had the same people all the time I there was a rotating cast over at the Broadway. Um and also you know I just loved that show and I loved that character. I loved being her and she was written for me. So there were always kind of like for me like that's and you know I was in Avenue Hugh for a very long time too and that's a similar situation where I was in that show from day one and that show was written on me.

[22:21] Joe Carroll: So that material for me was always interesting.

[22:26] Ann Harada: It was always like I always was trying to spin new ways to like say the lines or see if I you know could do something with a new person just to keep it fresh for myself and also because I really believe in both projects I really believed in Cinderella. I thought that what we were doing was a very good thing.

[22:45] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[22:46] Ann Harada: And I and I really wanted to be a part of that all the way through it. I had such a good time with it. It was like a dream job for me.

[22:53] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[22:54] Ann Harada: You know, like to originate a role in a musical. Originate role in a Rogers and Hammerstein musical. How many people can really say that that are our age job?

[23:03] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[23:03] Ann Harada: I mean, not that I'm insinuating that we're the same age, but that we're in the same century of age.

[23:10] Joe Carroll: Do you know what I mean?

[23:11] Ann Harada: Exactly. Exactly.

[23:12] Joe Carroll: No, I mean it's it's it's an incredible honor, like going from from studying Rogers and Hammerstein, and you know, we all got we're all here because of them in one way or another.

[23:22] Ann Harada: Well, that's it. And it's another it's interesting. You're another prompt that you sent me was like, was there a book or a thing that you read or you influenced you? And it was like literally, it was that six plays by Rogers and Hammerstein book. I read that book from cover to cover as you know, like a young child.

[23:39] Joe Carroll: Well, not a young child, but like, you know, uh youngish child.

[23:44] Ann Harada: When I first sort of started getting interested in theater, and I just to me, everything like I just thought the whole concept of musical theater was so fascinating. I didn't know why I was so attracted to it or what made it, like, but I just loved it. And I just felt like so to me, Rogers and Hammerstein, that's the gold standard for me.

[24:07] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[24:07] Ann Harada: You know, not that anybody wants to cast me in those shows, trust me, they don't, but I still love them and you know, really, really believe in them and and that they set the art form, you know.

[24:20] Joe Carroll: Yeah, yeah.

[24:21] Ann Harada: And I think like it's it's harder nowadays, it's so kind of s in many ways separated from the popular culture of musical theater today and the young people coming up that that we forget that that is the basis point for the entire thing that we have now.

[24:37] Joe Carroll: So it it's a good thing to highlight because it doesn't feel like it's culturally relevant to people, but it is really important to go back and understand how those things built what we have today.

[24:49] Ann Harada: Um I was curious if you because I saw that you went to Brown. Did you did you work in theater while you were Brown? Were you Did you know you wanted to be an actress while you were there?

[25:00] Ann Harada: No. I knew I wanted to work in the theater.

[25:03] Ann Harada: And I loved doing plays at Brown. Um, but you know, when you're well, I don't know about you. When I was in college, um, because I did not go to performance school, I just didn't know if I was good enough to be in professional actor. I just knew that I really liked being in shows.

[25:21] Joe Carroll: So um, but I didn't I did know I was gonna work in the theater. I always wanted to work in the theater as a profession. I just did kind of didn't know which job I was gonna have. Do you know what I mean?

[25:29] Ann Harada: So when I came out of Brown, I got an internship with a Broadway producer who had also gone to Brown. And she, you know, basically had written to the department going, like, do you have any you know, kid who's dumb enough to want to be my intern? And it was me.

[25:45] Joe Carroll: And so I, you know, basically at that time, like, so I got to move to New York and my parents paid for my rent, like in lieu of grad school. Do you know what I mean?

[25:54] Ann Harada: Yeah, yeah. So I lived in like a garage in Brooklyn, and I uh would go in and I would like Xerox and type on a typewriter, answer the phone, deliver her stuff by hand, you know, like stuff that, you know, uh basically uh, you know, an intern does.

[26:15] Joe Carroll: And then I got to work on her Broadway show, uh, which was called Slight of Hand by John Peelmeyer. It was a thriller that lasted a week. But in the process of that, I got to, you know, go to auditions, go to the um meetings for the press, you know, like for to make the poster. I mean, you know what I mean? Like, I just got to sort of like watch from the side to see how a Broadway show gets put together.

[26:39] Joe Carroll: And that was so fascinating.

[26:41] Ann Harada: And and so, like, you know, I got to see all the different jobs that go into making a show.

[26:47] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[26:47] Ann Harada: Right?

[26:48] Joe Carroll: Right.

[26:48] Ann Harada: A lot of stuff that we haven't even seen.

[26:50] Joe Carroll: I mean, that most actors are.

[26:51] Ann Harada: Well, that's what I was saying. I was just gonna highlight that you know, so many people now are like, I want to be an actor so young that they just jump into that end of it, and it's so interesting that you got to see the other side because I think there's so much to be learned from kind of going the opposite direction as well. Some people do internships at Telsea, some people do internships with producers, like that kind of stuff is really smart because it allows you to see how everything works before you jump in and decide who or what you want to be.

[27:21] Ann Harada: Right. I mean, it was you know, like so. When I would sit in at these auditions, I mean, like they're like really famous actors like coming through the door. Right. And I'd be like, it's so interesting to me that even me at that age, what was I 22 or something, like go like, oh, that guy's really talented, but he's not right for this part. You know what I mean? Or this, this one, not so much, but writer for the part. Like, so you just go like, oh, that's so like so, like so like now I don't take it personally when I don't get something because it has almost nothing to do with the talent, you know what I mean, or what you show in the room, or what you don't show in the room. If you're the right person, it's really obvious right away.

[28:07] Dan Tracy: That's so interesting, and especially at a as a young at a young age to be able to react.

[28:11] Ann Harada: Yeah, and at a young age. So for me, so then to see that and go like, oh, I'm as good as her. Oh, I'm not as good as her. You know, like to like look at actors just coming in and doing the sides, and they all had the same sides, and you're like, oh, I see, like, I see what makes that person interesting. I see, you know, so like so now I just like go, you just go in, you know, it's like, whatever. Maybe you'll like me, maybe you don't like me, but it's not personal. Or I don't think of it as that.

[28:35] Joe Carroll: 100%.

[28:37] Ann Harada: 100%. And then when did that and then when did you make the the jump into performing?

[28:44] Ann Harada: Yeah. Um, I guess uh so I graduated in 85, and then I started working for her that fall. I I got a job at Manhattan Theater Club in 1987, the end of 1987, and I got my equity card. And at that point, I was like, well, maybe I'm gonna do this. But I still worked in her office and went to auditions on the side. And then I booked M Butterfly. I booked to replace an M Butterfly, and once I got a Broadway show, I was like, okay, now maybe I'm gonna be an actor. You know what I mean? Right. That well, that first show wasn't just a fluke, and you know, like, so now I'm gonna take it seriously and be an actor. And that's what happened.

[29:24] Dan Tracy: I love it. Well, so it But like that's such a weird path. Like nobody's path is that.

[29:30] Ann Harada: Right. Yeah, and that's what I was gonna highlight because it it feels like you it's not that you it's certainly not that you stumbled into it, but it was it was certainly it was a different, it wasn't like you woke up when you were 12 or when you were eight. Right, and we're like, oh, I'm gonna be able to do that. You were like, I'm gonna, you know, come out or high water, I'm gonna do this. Um it was sort of like you were listening to the universe a little bit. Like this is, you know, we're taking steps in a direction, whether or not you know exactly what direction you're going.

[30:00] Ann Harada: It's like you're well that's it. I mean especially because you have to understand Joe, I grew up in Hawaii, which culturally and geographically couldn't be further away from Manhattan. Do you know what I'm saying? It's like so like just the fact that like I managed to live in New York City. Right. Okay. I managed to live there, be an intern, figure out the subway, not die, all those things that you worry about. It's like okay I did that. Okay. Now I work in the theater. I'm meeting people from the theater and I started to get a feeling like maybe I could do stuff.

[30:37] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[30:38] Ann Harada: You know so then once some you know so then I went out for like summer stock auditions and I got a job in summer stock and my boss was nice enough to go like yeah go ahead so I went and then so I met other people and they were you know also trying to work in the theater. You know it's just like that whole thing where you'd like one thing leads to another thing. It all sort of snowballs.

[31:00] Dan Tracy: Yeah. So like by the time I got that job at Manhattan Theater Club and went like oh I'm gonna join equity it was like mentally I was in the right place. Like I think I can I think I can survive I think I'm gonna be okay.

[31:13] Ann Harada: Yeah. That's awesome. I love it. But it always it wasn't always you know roses and and butterflies.

[31:17] Ann Harada: No no it was horrible are you kidding me there were like years of stupid I mean years of stupid years of stupid it was like you know when you talk about like the the hardest thing I've ever I don't know there's one of your prompts was like what's the hardest challenge yeah that's what I was trying to do your greatest challenge your my greatest challenge was to stay in the business.

[31:15] Dan Tracy: That's what I was wondering.

[31:44] Ann Harada: Wow because at you know there were points okay so I so I didn't butterfly great okay okay then that show closed it now it was 12 years before I got another Broadway show so in that 12 years I auditioned for other things and I got some things and I didn't get some things and I basically just was like trying to make it you know like I tempt and I went to auditions and I did cabarets and you know like all those things that you do just trying to meet people and stay in it and there was no reason for me to sustain that nobody was saying like if you just stick it out you're gonna have a career not one person said that to me like I'm just that was just all on sheer like stubbornness on my part going like I think I can I think I really can I think I'm I think I'm good I think I'm gonna stay every single you know what I mean yeah anytime you do that self-evaluation of like why are you doing this why you know it's like because I think it's the right thing to do for me 100% but there was no you know promise of anything at the end it was just sort of like well then you're just gonna have to like keep going aren't you and I just feel so badly because if you don't have that thing in your head that says you should stay then I can see why you wouldn't like I see where you would just drop out and be like forget it I can never make it it's too hard and it's you know, depressing.

[33:17] Joe Carroll: Right.

[33:17] Ann Harada: But for me, I didn't have a choice. Like in my head, I was like, I there's nowhere for me to go. I don't want to do anything else. I'm gonna stay. That because no matter what happens to me, I will still work in the theater. That's what I always meant to do. And it was like, if I have, you know, I can sell tickets, I can make, I can, you know, run up hymns, I can change clothes, I can like there's lots of things I can do. And I would be happy because I'd be working in the theater.

[33:48] Dan Tracy: So that is so inspiring. And I what I wanted to highlight was what you said was I don't want to do anything else. And I feel like there's always this adage about like, well, if you can do something else, go do it. If you want to, if you can like be a doctor, whatever. And I I've always felt the same way that like I can do all sorts of crap, but this is what I want. I there's this want and this like fire that that's all I want to do. So I'm gonna figure it out.

[34:21] Ann Harada: Yeah. That is there will be a place, you know. Like it might not be the thing you think it is, right? But there'll be something, you know.

[34:30] Joe Carroll: Right.

[34:30] Ann Harada: Like, Joe, I my skill set as a human is extremely limited. I I am a super good alphabetizer. Super good. I'm amazing. And when I was in high school, that was one of my like summer jobs. Like, I was a file clerk, like literally, that was my whole job, alphabetizing. And I was literally like, I'm very good at this, and yet I feel I don't want to be doing this for the rest of my life.

[34:58] Joe Carroll: Yep, yep.

[35:00] Ann Harada: You know, so like when you have a skill set as deep as that, um alphabetizing and then like musical comedy, acting, you know, like I mean, like those are your two things, and you're like, Well, I don't know, I can't decide. What do I want to try to do? I feel like um, you know, maybe as uh it could have gone, it could have gone like I could have gotten a job at like Lincoln Center Library, right? Which would have been both alphabetizing and musical theater. That would have been a good job for me. And it could have that so could have happened. Like, you know, like you just don't know. But I'm just saying, like, when these are your tools, it's like, well, I think I'm gonna try to stick it out some more. Cause.

[35:40] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[35:41] Ann Harada: And also just that it was it was twelve years. I mean, between like you said, like that is that is a ground like I didn't work for for eighteen months.

[35:50] Joe Carroll: 18 months, almost two years after Cinderella.

[35:52] Ann Harada: And he was ready to jump.

[35:54] Joe Carroll: And I was a good thing.

[35:55] Ann Harada: No, but come on, but you did other things. I'm not saying like every job has to be a Broadway show. I'm sure you did other things.

[36:00] Joe Carroll: No, like barely.

[36:02] Ann Harada: Like I we're talking like an occasional reading.

[36:05] Ann Harada: Right. I I did like one I had done a workshop of bandstand, but I did one reading of bandstand, and then that was that was it. And then from when did we we close?

[36:17] Joe Carroll: They don't they don't let you go out for regional theater jobs or I there was I I didn't I'm telling you, there was like I didn't get them.

[36:17] Ann Harada: I didn't get them. Like I was going, I was like, Oh, okay, but you auditioned for the city.

[36:27] Ann Harada: So I auditioned for those. You know, but there was there was no there were no health insurance weeks, there was no income for 18 months, and I thought that I thought I was like, this must be it. This is the end. This is the end of my of my road at you know, you know, and it was uh but uh twelve years you kept, I mean, you did things, like you said, you did things, but like from.

[36:37] Ann Harada: No, I did have jobs. I wasn't jobless for twelve years, but they weren't big jobs. They were like little off Broadway jobs or regional theater jobs or things like they nothing ever lasted more than like you know, eight weeks or whatever.

[36:49] Joe Carroll: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[36:49] Ann Harada: They weren't big jobs, you know. I I basically booked just enough so that like my manager kept sending me out. And you know what I mean? That I could still sort of say with a straight face, no, I'm an actor. You know what I mean? Like I but yeah, no. I mean, uh literally all I had to hang my hat on for such a long time was like I wasn't in Butterfly once.

[37:27] Joe Carroll: No, so I can talk.

[37:29] Ann Harada: Yeah. Right. Like literally, that's sort of like that was like the only thing I had like in my pocket. Like that was the only proof that I had for so long. Um yeah, and I just wasn't, I just wasn't me yet either. You know, like the it's hard sometimes if you're a character person waiting to get to your age and I was not there yet. It was like once I hit 40, babe, I have not stopped working.

[37:55] Joe Carroll: Right.

[37:55] Ann Harada: That's but boy, 23 to 40 was no joke.

[38:02] Dan Tracy: Gosh, that's that's that stick to it of this though. You just like hang hang in there. Hang in there, Matt. See if you can get three lines on a soap.

[38:12] Ann Harada: That's basically, yeah. And there is no there is no finish line, you know. You can you don't go away and come back. It there is no end. And you don't get any prize for any achievement. Like you still have to audition for every tiny, tiny part, you know.

[38:33] Joe Carroll: Right.

[38:33] Ann Harada: Like people who were like series regulars, like famous, famous TV actors would say to me stuff like, Oh, I have an audition this afternoon, I have to go in for whatever, you know, SVU. And I'd be like, What are you talking about? You were a fucking series regular on a network television show. Your face was on People magazine. They were like, Yeah, you still have to go in. It's like nobody cares that you were famous once upon a time. You still have to go in and audition for your, you know, um, excuse me, Inspector. Um, you know, that kind of part. You know, like I don't know.

[39:04] Joe Carroll: Exactly.

[39:05] Ann Harada: You went that way. So I'm just right. So to me, it's like, well, it's not like you get anything at the end. It's not like you're higher up on the system. You're really not. Unless maybe you're Hugh Jackman, and maybe he probably doesn't have to do that for five lines on SVU, but like, you know, whatever. All of us in the middle from from the middle, yes.

[39:25] Joe Carroll: Right.

[39:26] Ann Harada: Yeah. Well, and I did like looking at you've done so many guest stars and so many of those TV things. I mean, and I I find it a little bit based on what you were saying just now about your love of the theater and wanting to work in the theater that you know, uh Smash 18 episodes on Smash, and all of us, you know, who were fine, and each one of those, Joe, hired as a day player.

[39:45] Joe Carroll: Really?

[39:46] Ann Harada: Really? Each one. Yeah, no, like I and like every single time they'd make the they'd call me and go, like, hey, are you free this week? I'd be like, yes. Um, so grateful. But like they it's not like they ever bothered to go, like, so are you free for season two? You know, they didn't care. They were just like, Let's call her and see if she's free. Like, okay, thanks.

[40:07] Dan Tracy: It's just like isn't it? Just like, wow, wow, guys. Okay. There's more and more stories like that. Like, you know, we have one of our best friends was a was a major recurring character on a Netflix show that shot in San Francisco, and they would fly him to San Francisco, shoot all of his scenes for the episode in a day, pay him a pay him a day rate and put them back on a put him back on a plane with New York for next day. You know, like one of the biggest shows in Netflix history. It's like guys, guys, come on.

[40:37] Ann Harada: But at least they're efficient and they're not wasting his time.

[40:40] Joe Carroll: That's true.

[40:40] Ann Harada: That's true. That's a good thing. So then technically you could do more things, which is nice.

[40:44] Joe Carroll: Yes.

[40:45] Ann Harada: Yeah. Right. I mean, although that's shitty how they did that. That's terrible. That's a terrible thing. And I'm gonna tell your friend I sucks and I'm sorry. But you know, they probably are on a budget.

[40:56] Joe Carroll: Yeah, right.

[40:57] Ann Harada: Right. Um as opposed to this thing that I'm doing in Ireland, which awfully does not care if I'm sitting around for days on end and like want to go sightseeing.

[41:08] Joe Carroll: I just like okay, whatever.

[41:10] Ann Harada: Yeah.

[41:10] Joe Carroll: Okay.

[41:11] Ann Harada: Thanks.

[41:11] Joe Carroll: We got to you know it's like whatever.

[41:13] Ann Harada: Like whatever.

[41:14] Joe Carroll: Oh my gosh. I wanted to jump back to Cinderella for two seconds because one of the things that I that I that I wanted to mention earlier that we didn't get a chance to. We did like the whole second year of your show when I showed up was was a completely different experience than than than the than the first year.

[41:29] Ann Harada: So so Joe shows up and just all hell broke loose when when Joe showed up.

[41:34] Joe Carroll: Wasn't your fault Joe well you can't not blame me, I guess.

[41:38] Ann Harada: Because I was part of the I was I was a variable that that showed up in Joe. But I want to just tell this I was never worried about you let's put it like that.

[41:49] Joe Carroll: That um that you'll remember. So there was this really fun um there's this really fun thing that you created at some point with Santino Fontana where you during during um uh well I'm gonna fell up Sisters Limited.

[42:03] Ann Harada: Yes.

[42:03] Joe Carroll: And you take off your shoe and you get all frustrated and you threw the shoe off stage with with you know all frustrated that the prince won't won't you know pay attention to you.

[42:14] Ann Harada: Right. And first of all, how did that bit start? Do you remember how like you had to have created that? Or did Josh, the choreographer, did somebody say, hey, it'd be funny right now if you threw your shoe off stage?

[42:25] Ann Harada: Well, it was sort of written into the script because remember how Sebastian would come on and say, like, footwear is you know falling out of the sky.

[42:33] Joe Carroll: Got it.

[42:34] Ann Harada: Got it. And so you would just, I would be like, oh, so you know, like, I'm so mad I'm throwing my shoe. And so that's how that was.

[42:41] Joe Carroll: Okay.

[42:42] Ann Harada: I mean, I don't I don't remember everybody going like ever anybody saying, like, wouldn't it be great if she took off her shoe and she threw it?

[42:47] Joe Carroll: No, I just think it was just part of what that character was about.

[42:50] Ann Harada: I love it. I love it. So you threw it off. And also because then you throw it off stage, you throw it off stage, and then you're and then you're additionally awkward for the rest of the scene, which was good because I was already very awkward with a shoe, but without a shoe, even more so.

[43:04] Joe Carroll: And you're hobbling, hobbling around with one heel on it.

[43:07] Ann Harada: Hobbling around, yes, exactly. Which is so funny. So you threw the shoe off stage, and at some point during the process, Santino would catch, you'd throw it into into wing two, and Santina would catch it.

[43:19] Joe Carroll: And there was a tally backstage that the crew guys kept of how many times you caught the shoe.

[43:25] Ann Harada: And so every time that the prince would catch the shoe, and like if the shoe went like into wing one, they would they would do a different color if the shoe went like a wild pitch.

[43:34] Joe Carroll: Yeah, it'd be a wild pitch if if like the if the throw was not very good. There was one night where I'm standing there ready to catch the shoe, and you throw the shoe and it hit the light above me.

[43:46] Ann Harada: Yes, and it shoots down and it hits me in the mouth, and I start bleeding all over the white sparkly jacket.

[43:57] Joe Carroll: Mm-hmm.

[43:58] Ann Harada: Proceeded to finish the show with a butterfly bandage over my lip, went to the hospital afterwards, and had to get two stitches in my face after the shoe hit me in the mouth.

[44:09] Joe Carroll: One of my favorite theatrical stories of all time.

[44:12] Ann Harada: Because it made you feel like a hockey player.

[44:17] Joe Carroll: That I am very sorry about that.

[44:20] Ann Harada: Obviously, did not intend.

[44:22] Joe Carroll: Of course not.

[44:23] Ann Harada: No, I know, because obviously I don't have good enough aim to do anybody any harm.

[44:29] Joe Carroll: So that was obviously just a freak pitch.

[44:31] Ann Harada: You know what I mean? Um, and it was all Santino's fault.

[44:35] Joe Carroll: It was because Santino, you know, used to play baseball, and he thought he was something. And so he just thought, I'm gonna test myself and see if I can catch this shoe every night.

[44:44] Ann Harada: And then it became a thing. And then every other prince, poor things, had to like fucking catch this shoe.

[44:50] Joe Carroll: And so that's how that happened.

[44:52] Ann Harada: That's oh my gosh. It was so fun. It's still one of my like favorite memories. One of my earliest Instagram moments where I was like sitting in the ER with a thing on my mouth.

[45:02] Joe Carroll: So, oh my gosh. I mean, there is a million of those. And then I didn't tell you that I think I've told Dan this story, and I'm sure that you have a million from the the era of um truly like Carly Ray Jebson and Kiki Palmer were lovely. And that was they they were they we had, and I just want to say that because we're we're alluding that there was like stuff that, you know, or whatever, but they were so we really had a wonderful time working with those two.

[45:26] Ann Harada: It was a great time. Um closing night, um, Nini Leaks bowed for so long at our closing performance of Cinderella that I I didn't I I couldn't bow one time. Like she took all your music as well as good music for her and for me and and for the top of the big reveal of Cinderella. She was still standing there and I had to run so that was one of my favorite Nini League's story, too.

[45:52] Joe Carroll: And she called me Princey the whole time. I'm not sure she knew my name.

[45:54] Ann Harada: I'm not sure she knew anybody's name, Joe.

[45:59] Joe Carroll: But that's okay. You know, I have such I I I have such mixed feelings about all those people we put in. Mostly having to do with like my frustration that like I had to teach every single one of them stage right, stage left.

[46:18] Ann Harada: Yeah.

[46:18] Joe Carroll: You know, and stuff like that.

[46:20] Ann Harada: Yeah.

[46:21] Joe Carroll: Or like I would be, you know, I would have to write notes to the director, like, please tell fill in the blank to look at me when I'm talking.

[46:29] Ann Harada: Yeah.

[46:29] Joe Carroll: Because then the audience doesn't know where to look if she's not looking at me.

[46:33] Ann Harada: Right.

[46:34] Joe Carroll: Right.

[46:34] Ann Harada: Right. It was like stuff like that.

[46:38] Joe Carroll: You would know theatrically. If you grew up on stage, you know the theater.

[46:41] Ann Harada: You know that Lucy. Because you've you've got to direct your attention to the person talking, otherwise the audience doesn't know where to look and the whole joke goes down because nobody's listening to you, whatever.

[46:52] Joe Carroll: Right.

[46:53] Ann Harada: And you're just like, wow, this is like theater, like l even before theater 101. It's like theater one.

[47:00] Joe Carroll: And you know, these people, no clue.

[47:03] Ann Harada: And you're just like, wow, wow.

[47:06] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[47:06] Ann Harada: Like all all those years we spent learning how to be on stage.

[47:11] Joe Carroll: Right.

[47:11] Ann Harada: You know, all these people didn't have one bit of that knowledge. So you're it's really like you're like shaking your head, going like, I just don't even know how they're still standing up.

[47:21] Joe Carroll: Um, but whatever.

[47:24] Ann Harada: Yeah. I mean, the the good like we talked about, I mean we talked about this at the time. It's like the good is that is that the you know, people were butts were in seats then, you know, there were like you know, kept the show open for an extra year, you know, bringing bringing that the bringing Rogers and Hammerstein to a whole bunch of people who were fans, fans of the Real Housewives series or fans of Carly Ray Jeffson that would not have otherwise had any interest in seeing a Rogers and Hammerstein musical.

[47:53] Joe Carroll: Um I remember T Benton Whitley, who's a f who's a f who a casting director friend of our the pod that we had on, um we talked about that in the room one time because he was talking about Chicago. Like I like I was I was Oh, I can only imagine he was like, listen, that is that uh Chicago has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people who don't care about musical theater, but who really care about ex, you know, who care about Usher.

[48:19] Ann Harada: So it and who doesn't? I mean, really.

[48:21] Joe Carroll: Um, but yeah, no, absolutely. I I mean, it doesn't matter to me, it's like it doesn't matter what your gateway drug is.

[48:29] Ann Harada: Yeah, it could be Cinderella because you like, you know, Kiki Palmer, or it could be Hamilton, or it could be whatever show it is that grasps you as a child or as a young person or whatever, or even just as a newbie to the theater, that means you're more likely to go see another show in your life.

[48:46] Joe Carroll: Right.

[48:46] Ann Harada: Right. Or you might go, like, I really like that. I wonder if they wrote anything else.

[48:50] Joe Carroll: Exactly.

[48:51] Ann Harada: And then you go down that rabbit hole, you know, so And then we gotcha.

[48:51] Joe Carroll: And then we gotcha.

[48:57] Ann Harada: Right. You know, take to me, it looks like if you've seen three shows, you're a theater goer, you know what I mean? It's like there's something about it that you find compelling.

[49:05] Joe Carroll: Totally.

[49:05] Ann Harada: And like, so I can't, I'm not mad about any of that.

[49:09] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[49:09] Ann Harada: I was just cranky at the time.

[49:14] Joe Carroll: Right.

[49:15] Ann Harada: Because it was like, hmm.

[49:16] Joe Carroll: Yes.

[49:17] Ann Harada: Every everybody can relate to having to deal with a coworker who doesn't know what they're doing.

[49:23] Joe Carroll: Yes.

[49:24] Ann Harada: You know.

[49:24] Joe Carroll: Yes.

[49:25] Ann Harada: New coworker who doesn't really know what they're doing. Um I uh just hesitated so much from making a podcast comment about a coworker that doesn't know what he's doing, Joe.

[49:36] Joe Carroll: I just want you to know I'm trying.

[49:37] Ann Harada: Oh, yeah.

[49:38] Joe Carroll: Yes, Anne has impacted me, and I was just trying to be nice to you for once.

[49:42] Ann Harada: So I'm trying to hold back some of my criticisms of your coworker who doesn't know what the hell he's doing.

[49:47] Joe Carroll: I get it.

[49:48] Ann Harada: That's great. We'll talk we'll sidebar about that. Um, and I want to know what's your what is the most influential musical in your career on in on your life. It could be something you've done or just something that like really well, obviously for my career big picture it was Avenue Q.

[50:04] Ann Harada: Yeah, for sure. Because before Avenue Q, nobody knew who I was, and after Avenue Q, I didn't have to explain who I was. Like if I ended up in a casting room, everybody went like she's that girl from Avenue Q, then that's all. You know what I mean?

[50:05] Joe Carroll: Wow.

[50:05] Ann Harada: I didn't have to like carry my resume around with me all the time.

[50:20] Joe Carroll: Right.

[50:22] Ann Harada: Um, in terms of a show that made the biggest impact for me personally, I think it was doing um this production, this Natco, you know, National Asian American Theater Company production of Falsetoland, uh, where I played Trina.

[50:35] Joe Carroll: Nice.

[50:36] Ann Harada: And it got a very good review in the Times. And so a lot of theater people came to see it. And as a result of that, I got into Susical. And so to me, that was sort of like, so.

[50:52] Joe Carroll: Then that was my big step back into Broadway after that 12 year gap. You know, and then after that, I worked pretty consistently.

[51:00] Ann Harada: Yeah. Yeah. But it was, um, and and because Paul Settlement, I mean, you know, Pascalan is just a show that means so much to me personally. I just think it's a brilliant piece of work.

[51:09] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[51:10] Ann Harada: Um, I was, you know, obviously old enough and there for the AIDS crisis in New York City. I lost a lot of friends. I went to a lot of funerals. I you know what I mean? Like, I was it was a lot, it was a big chunk of my life. So that story meant a great deal to me. And to be able to tell that story and like with a bunch of my close Asian actor friends.

[51:35] Joe Carroll: Yeah.

[51:36] Ann Harada: We it was really, yeah, it was really, really meaningful to me. And, you know, helped helped people see me in a different way, whatever.

[51:45] Joe Carroll: That's so cool.

[51:46] Ann Harada: Um, so so obviously, so it's literally Falcetteland in Avenue Q. I mean, you know. When you say walking around, like with Avenue Q uh being written on you for you, with you, um, how much of that character I just I'd love to hear more about that. I mean, as you as you created Christmas Eve, you know, uh uh in that process, what was that process like to create that character?

[52:08] Ann Harada: Well, okay, so basically it was one of those things where Bobby Lopez and Jeff Marks had written some wrote songs, right? For these characters, right? And we had I had been one of the people that would like present them at the BMI workshop or whatever.

[52:27] Ann Harada: Um, so these characters existed, but there were all these attempts at a book, and you know, a couple of writers took a pass at it, and so, you know, or then like they'd pick somebody and then you'd go through a few versions of it. Anyway, we got together all the time to like read these versions of Avenue Q. And basically, Christmas Eve was just one of those nebulous kinds of characters that like every single time we did a reading, she had a different job.

[52:56] Joe Carroll: You know, she worked in a bodega.

[52:59] Ann Harada: She worked, you know, she did like all these different jobs. She was a performance artist. She blah, blah, blah. Like all these different things. You know, Brian worked as a barista. He did, you know, like all these, we had all these different things we could have been. And then when Jeff Whitty joined the team, things we sort of settled down and we it was sort of like, okay, not really, but really, what are they? Who who are they and why are they here?

[53:22] Joe Carroll: Right.

[53:22] Ann Harada: And then we sort of settled into something. Um, but you know, we had gone to the O'Neill um in 02 and really tried to like tighten up the script and make it. And that was and was pretty close to what we ended up doing at the Vineyard in 03, that version.

[53:40] Joe Carroll: Got it.

[53:41] Ann Harada: Um, and then, you know, obviously we moved straight from to Broadway from the vineyard. So yeah, so like obviously all along down the line, you know, this character just had to keep being who she was, or like uh she was always sort of uh tough, she was always sort of tough, and she was certainly tough on Brian.

[54:04] Joe Carroll: Um but it wasn't until the later part of the game where she started being more of a confidant to Rod and Kate.

[54:13] Ann Harada: And at one point, Rod sang Rubb Someone about Nikki.

[54:21] Joe Carroll: Oh.

[54:22] Ann Harada: Do you know what I mean?

[54:23] Joe Carroll: Yes, you wait, wait. So initially you didn't sing the more you love someone, the more you want to kill them.

[54:28] Ann Harada: Oh, okay. Okay. And then it was sort of like, no, that doesn't make sense. So what if she sings it to, you know, and then it right. So then, like, you know, as that sort of Princeton Kate story went a certain way, and then it was like, why don't she say it to Kate?

[54:43] Ann Harada: Okay, you know, like that was like that. So it wasn't like there were all these things sent down from the mountain in stone. It was just like we wrote this song, see if we can jam it in someplace and make it make sense. Um yeah. But it was, you know, like it was a wonderful process because of course all those people are geniuses. Yeah. It's like you can't make a show like that. I mean, you can think of something and think it might work, but until you can show that it works, until you can find a bunch of puppeteers who can make those characters come to life and make it interesting and sing and talk and you know, all those things, which as a rule, they're not asked to do. Like they were TV puppeteers, and so they were used to hiding underneath, you know, and putting their arm up.

Oh, yeah. Do you know what I mean? And watching a screen so that like they could see what they looked like on screen, but they were talking like it wasn't like they were looking at each other and acting. Gosh, that made I never thought about that. Yeah. That's not what they were trained to do. So luckily, they all did have stage experience and they knew what they were doing, and we were fine. Right. But it's it was hard. And it was hard for me and Jordan and Natalie Belcon to look at puppets and not at people. Right. We, you know, it was it was it was strange not to look into people's eyes and just be staring into these little glassy puppet eyes for the whole show. Right. You know, I mean, the thing was like if you did kind of veer off and look into their face, they would be doing exactly the same thing with their face as the puppet character was doing.

So, you know, you weren't taken out of it, but you know, like it's the same thing. It's like I said, like, please have this actress look at me in the face when I'm talking, because then the audience knows where to look. It was like, well, I just had to just look at the puppet the whole time. Right, right. You know, so that's what that was about. Gosh, what a what a process. And then I'm from in like but you just said like from your and your style of comedy. Like it was you you were able to walk around after that show and and feel like that's this is what I do, this is my comedy, this is my my sense of humor. It was, yeah. Well, Avenue Q was so my sense of humor, I didn't think anybody else was gonna like it.

I just couldn't believe that anybody else thought it was as funny as I thought it was. Um, but they did, thank God. And then and after Avenue, everybody it became a thing so that everybody had to go see it. Yeah. So then everybody knew who I was. You know, like I didn't have to explain. That's awesome. Yeah. Whether or not they cared is a different story. But the but the point is at least I could say, like, look, I this is my credit, and that's why I'm in this room. You don't have to like me, and you certainly don't have to cast me, and you probably won't. But that this is who I am, and that's fine. That's really half the battle, Joe, as you know, is just getting in the room. Right. Right. Right.

I mean, that's that's one of the great conundrums of our business, you know. How do you get in the room? But but what I love about your story is once you once you were once you lined up, once you hit that that that moment where it was like art and opportunity, your style, your sense of humor, everything's kind of matched up, and it's you've been on a rocket ever since. And it's just so it's really freaking inspiring and cool. Well, and it's extraordinary because I I never thought it would be like that. I you know for ever. And there's certainly, you know, it's not like it's like no ma and magically work comes to her. She doesn't, you know, it's not like that, obviously. I'm still make terrible self-tapes and I'm still sending them out.

Um I haven't gotten any better over time and the pandemic, I'll tell you that. Um I've learned no skills in terms of like lighting, appropriate clothes, and a background. Yeah. Um, in fact, for Shmigadoon, when I when I had to submit my tape for Shmigadoon uh to Telsey, um, they said, Well, we'd like to do a callback with you on Zoom. And I was like, Okay. So I had to do it from the basement of my mother-in-law's house on Cape Cod because that's where we were, and that's you know, where the computer was. And we start the audition, and Bernie goes, like, nice ironing board. Like, I completely forgot and it was just like in the back kind of setup. Like, I I love that. I was like, Thanks, thanks.

But I got it, so that's what like you can't sometimes Dan. What do you say? Yeah, you have a quote about this where like you um you know, jobs that are yours, you can never are yours, you know, you get 100% of the jobs you're supposed to get. You get a hundred percent of the jobs. I absolutely believe that's true. Yeah, yeah. We didn't even get to really learning for it. We didn't even really get to talk about Shemigadoon. That's another uh enchanted fairy tale for us. That's gonna be amazing. I'm so excited for that. Me too. Oh, you're going to love that. Before you tell us about it, can I just throw in one little thing for Joe? Joe, I remember when you saw Waitress? Yeah. Uh and the do you remember the first thing you said to me?

After Wait, you didn't say anything to me about me or my performance or anything. You said, who is the drummer? Uh remember him? Yes, yes. He's like a very famous. His name's Rich Rich Mercurio, I think is his last name. Very famous, amazing drummer. Played for Waitress. He's playing the drums on Shmigadoon. Cool. Yeah, he recorded all the drugs on. I saw him last week and he said he's playing all the drums. Anyway, and I'm so sorry. That's very cool. That's it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So Shmigadoon, I uh I I think this idea is brilliant. It's really good, Joe. I really like it. Tell us everything you can tell us. Okay, well, uh the whole conceit of it is that it's obviously kind of like a a take on Brigadoon, in which two travelers sort of land in this magical world that disappears, you know, comes back every hundred years, but then like you kind of have to stick with it or go away.

Like that's you know, right? It's Brigadoon. All right. So in Shmigadoon, these two people who are dating, Cecily Strong and Keegan Michael Key, go like on a wilderness trip to like, you know, get their relationship back in here, and they wander into this town, Shmigadoon. They get lost and they wander into Shmigadoon, and they can't leave until they find true love. Okay. So of course they think like, well, we're in love, we're in love, and they try to leave, and they can't leave. So then it's like, now what? So then they start like getting to know some of the residents of Shmigadoon, right? Right. Okay. And hilarity ensues for six episodes. Now of which I'm in four. Nice. Um. And also in this town, everybody, it's everybody is in a musical.

But we're not all in the same one. We're not all in the same musical. But it's it's obvious that we're all in a musical because people break into song and dance at the whenever the hell they want, but then nobody acknowledges that they've just done so. Great. Do you know what I mean? Brilliant. Yes. Like in a musical. So like in an actual musical. Like in a musical, like in a national musical. And so, like I, my costume, basically, I look like I'm in the music man. I would say that Kristen Chanowitz character and I are look like we're in the music man. And then Aaron DeVate is basically dressed as Billy Bigelow the entire time. He's got these big high-waisted pants and suspenders. You know what I mean?

Billy Bigelow and a turtleneck sweater and a little cap. And I and I'm and like, and also he works on like his job is carney, sort of like local carney. So to me, it's like, well, he's obviously Billy Bigelow. Um, you know, and um, yeah, so it's sort of like, but yeah, so we're not all in the same musical, but we're in a golden age musical. Oh my god. And there's just no getting around it, you know. And of course, that really irritates Keegan, no end, because he doesn't like musicals. Perfect. Um Perfect. I can already see that like the big production number, and then you know, the like, what the hell is happening? You know, what's the right thing? You know, he's the straight man in the middle of of a musical.

It's just right, right, right. No, it's really, it's really brilliant. I mean, Cinco did an amazing job, Cinco Paul wrote these amazing songs that are so close to your favorite songs. Like not enough to get sued. Yeah. Do you mean exactly? You could use like, what is it, like eight notes in a row or so? You know, like uses like well, what an interesting chord progression that reminds me so much of this other song that's very famous, but it isn't that song. Oh my god. But it really reminds me of it. Oh my gosh. Wow. And I'm the wife. Already this is so bad. I'm the wife of uh I'm Mrs. Mayer of Shemigadoon. Uh the mayor is Alan Cumming. Great. Yes. Great. So you can just imagine the heat between the two of us.

And that is, you know, part of the Shmigadoon. It's part of the story arc of Shemigadoon. I just love it. Amazing. Oh my god, I can't wait. When's it come out? You're going July 16th. Oh wow. Drops on Apple Plus TV. Cannot wait. That's so great. That's so great. Well, we've taken up all of your what is the afternoon for you in Ireland, but thank you for bearing with us and talking to us. This was so much fun. Our final question, and um uh what I call it the unreachable star question, which is like what what do you see for yourself, you know, down the road? What what would you like to do? What's what what is your what's what's a goal? I mean, you've accomplished so much in your career so far well Joe what would I like to do I'd like to be I'd like to be in a Broadway show originating a role awesome I've gotten to do that a few times and I'd like to do it more um that's really it because let's go like this I could never have dreamed the career that I have I could never have you know a few you know a few years ago or whatever have gone like I want to do this and this is gonna happen I don't believe in that I believe in that you know like things happen to me and I do them or I don't but like but that's not my choice in a way it's sort of like if it you know like if it all works out and people want me or I want to do something and you know like great but I can't predict that nor can I actively want it because I would never be able to come up with the shit that I've done so why don't I just see what happens I think that's always sort of been what it is and even more so this year when like I find myself in Ireland for three months totally you know on a job like I had no idea was happening you know sort of like wandered into it really and I'm very grateful that like yeah it wasn't something that I was like I'm gonna be in this movie you know, I submitted a terrible self tape for another part, which I did not get, and rightly so, because after I submitted that self tape, casting had to tell my representation.

Could you resubmit it and maybe like act more like a human? Not act more like a human. Act more like a human. That's like I was like, oh no, I think that's fair. Because in my mind, I was auditioning for a Disney musical. So I'm literally like, I'm an animated cat. Or I'm uh You know, like I'm I'm I'm a candlestick that is. Like, yeah, I mean, like, yeah, I was like so over the top and weird, and I just went like, yeah, that that was a bad audition. And then I submitted a different audition, which also I was not right. I was not right for that part, you know, fine. And then I was like, okay, bye, and I never think about it again. And then out of the clear blue sky, they were like, um, do you want to sing on the demo?

I was like, Yeah, sure, I'll sing on the demo. So I sang on the demo, and after the demo, they were like, You want to play this part? I was like, sure. I didn't know what it was. I still, you know, whatever. I just love that. You gotta stay open. You gotta stay open. I I I'm in. I love that. I love that. Yeah, so Oh my gosh. And Hirata. I love you. Thank you for coming on. Thank you for talking to us. Oh my god, such as you can. Thank you for being here. I mean, and so my gosh, thank you for it. We always ask people where where can where can people see you or hear from you? And it's like so she's gonna be able to do it. I love it. I love it. And on guys who like musicals and basically every other theatrical podcast out there. So if you if you liked what you heard, chances you could find Anne on all of this. Oh my god, yeah.