This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Steven Ferezy: Take one.

[0:01] Dana Craig: Knock knock.

[0:04] Steven Ferezy: We're Steven and Dana. We can't believe you thought we'd podcast.

[0:10] Dana Craig: We're so glad you're listening to it.

[0:12] Steven Ferezy: We would never listen to.

[0:13] Dana Craig: But I don't even want to listen to it to edit it.

[0:15] Steven Ferezy: I don't even want to wake up in the morning.

[0:18] Dana Craig: Steven and Dana in the room.

[0:37] Steven Ferezy: Yes.

[0:40] Dana Craig: I've heard that you've never seen or know much about How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, the musical.

[0:50] Steven Ferezy: This is true. I was certainly living here when the revival happened at the Hirschfeld. Pre-Kinky Boots. Big ol' revival with Daniel Radcliffe.

[1:02] Dana Craig: Huge.

[1:03] Steven Ferezy: America's the world's very own Harry Potter. I don't know why I didn't get there. I don't know if I... I don't know. But it didn't happen.

[1:15] Dana Craig: Well, let's be clear. We love a free ticket.

[1:18] Steven Ferezy: We love a free ticket. But like, let's also be clear.

[1:29] Dana Craig: I may have still been like in college and had plenty of like student rush or student ticket things available to me. I graduated in 2011, but I feel like I could have, you know, made that work for myself. And I just didn't. Maybe I was scrambling trying to figure out what to do now.

[1:54] Steven Ferezy: There was a Broadway revival. Well, first of all, it opened on Broadway in 1961.

[1:59] Dana Craig: Mm-hmm.

[2:00] Steven Ferezy: So it's old.

[2:03] Dana Craig: Which is my jam. Like I love a 60s musical.

[2:06] Steven Ferezy: Yeah. There was a Broadway revival in 1995 starring Matthew Broderick and Megan Malally.

[2:15] Dana Craig: That's the one I know anything about. I remember that album with its green cover and like the letters were buildings and dollar signs and it looked fun. And I remember that Tony performance, Megan Malally singing "Paris Original."

[2:32] Steven Ferezy: And I remember digging that song and digging her performance from that. I'm looking, I'm just looking at a musical number list, a run of show, to see if there are other songs I know that I don't realize are from this. "Brotherhood of Man," I couldn't sing it for you, but I didn't know that that was from How to Succeed.

[2:58] Dana Craig: There is a great, and it's on YouTube, but there's a great performance from the Tonys that they did of "Brotherhood of Man" with Daniel Radcliffe and John Larquette and also featuring like a Maria Bamford-looking legit soprano voice, Ellen Kelly, being thrown around. It's a great showstopping big old Broadway dance number.

[3:24] Steven Ferezy: Yes, I'm remembering it's great.

[3:27] Dana Craig: Yeah, where you're like, "Ah, Harry Potter can do musical theater."

[3:32] Steven Ferezy: Yes, you pro.

[3:32] Dana Craig: You pro, you pro.

[3:38] Steven Ferezy: But Megan Malally, like I got into her as a musical theater performer, and this is in the time of Napster and LimeWire when you're downloading music. I was like, "What else has Megan Malally done?" And I saw that she was in a revival of this. And I downloaded "Paris Original," "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm," and "I Believe in You." So that was my introduction, and I definitely saw the revival with Daniel Radcliffe and really enjoyed it.

[4:11] Dana Craig: Yes. I'm gonna be watching the film from 1967, featuring Robert Morse, who did it on Broadway.

[4:22] Steven Ferezy: So that at least feels genuine. Like, no, I didn't see Funny Girl on Broadway, but at least I saw Barbara do Fanny in that movie. I think this will be really funny. You know what? I'm trying to see it received positive reviews and currently holds an 89% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

[4:40] Dana Craig: I feel it's like, you know, a good movie adaptation. I would love to discuss that with somebody who knows the show better and can maybe vouch for some of the differences. But I feel okay watching the movie musical on this one, as opposed to something like Sweeney Todd, which we did a couple of weeks ago.

[5:04] Steven Ferezy: Well, and there's also, you know, Spotify. You can listen to the cast albums of all of these versions.

[5:10] Dana Craig: Totally. So that's fun. I actually just listened to the current revival, Daniel Radcliffe version on Spotify this morning and learned... I don't remember this because I didn't know her beforehand, nor do I know her now, but your neighbor is the Megan Malally part, Rosemary Hemingway.

[5:28] Steven Ferezy: Hey.

[5:30] Dana Craig: Mark Fisher Fitness. Before she was a mama. I was like, "How do I know that name?" Oh, get it. Okay. Tammy Blanchard was also in it. And who else? Oh, Mary Faber. She was in Avenue Q.

[5:45] Steven Ferezy: Yes.

[5:46] Dana Craig: She's great. I saw her in Avenue Q.

[5:49] Steven Ferezy: It's a big chorus.

[5:52] Dana Craig: Ruby Valley. I was gonna say, I think you're gonna like this show just because it's a workplace comedy, not unlike Superstore or Kinky Boots or Promises, Promises. You know, it's a lot of like chorus people, workers, secretaries, kind of like Superstore or Kinky Boots. You know, everyone's singing in unison.

[6:16] Steven Ferezy: Sure. It's that kind of thing. It's a 60s movie musical.

[6:21] Dana Craig: I love that feel.

[6:24] Steven Ferezy: Yes.

[6:25] Dana Craig: Yeah, so it's easy to understand. There's, um, it's musical comedy.

[6:30] Steven Ferezy: It's musical comedy. Also, the creative team for Guys and Dolls is the same for this.

[6:38] Dana Craig: We just watched Guys and Dolls, believe it or not. Another, like, we're in quarantine. John and I are like, "Let's do something crazy. Let's watch Guys and Dolls."

[6:48] Steven Ferezy: Wow, you're alive.

[6:50] Dana Craig: You're alive.

[6:51] Steven Ferezy: Well, listen.

[6:51] Dana Craig: But yeah, it's got that flavor. When in like the real world do we have time to sit down and watch Guys and Dolls on HBO Max?

[6:59] Steven Ferezy: This irresistible.

[7:06] Dana Craig: I can't sing while you're singing, delayed. But yeah, it's a Ragstaridge's story. We really want to cheer on J. Pierpont Finch.

[7:15] Steven Ferezy: Can't wait. It's really, he's charismatic, he's nerdy, he's... I don't know, you just really enjoy watching him try to make it and fall in love on the way.

[7:31] Dana Craig: Oh.

[7:33] Steven Ferezy: Well, sign me up. I might actually watch that original film as well.

[7:37] Dana Craig: Oh, and it's with original staging.

[7:42] Steven Ferezy: The film has original staging, so that's cool.

[7:44] Dana Craig: I'll get the Fosse realness.

[7:46] Steven Ferezy: Sweet! Oh, another fun fact is that so this is a 1961 musical by Frank Loesser, and the book is by Abe Burroughs, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepard Mead's 1952 book of the same name.

[8:04] Dana Craig: Okay.

[8:04] Steven Ferezy: Fine. When I said book by Abe Burroughs, guess whose son... wait. Guess. Guess whose dad is Abe Burroughs.

[8:18] Dana Craig: The director of all the Will and Graces.

[8:21] Steven Ferezy: Yes. So his son is Jimmy Burrows, James Burroughs.

[8:26] Dana Craig: Thank you.

[8:27] Steven Ferezy: And he directed all of the Will and Graces.

[8:29] Dana Craig: This is Steven. This is my... this is my before I've seen How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying voice. And next time you hear me, I will have seen How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

[8:36] Steven Ferezy: Next time you hear us, we'll be post How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

[8:47] Dana Craig: This is how to create a podcast without really trying.

[8:50] Steven Ferezy: Yep. This is how to create a transition into our advertisements without really trying.

[8:59] Dana Craig: And scene.

[9:01] Steven Ferezy: Hi, Dana.

[9:03] Dana Craig: We're back. Thank you for joining us for yet another round of Broadway Blind Spot.

[9:11] Steven Ferezy: The first one.

[9:12] Dana Craig: Yes, well, how many of you did the homework? How many of you did the assignment?

[9:15] Steven Ferezy: The first one was Sweeney Todd, where we discussed Sweeney Todd. I had not seen it, and Steven had, and then I went and watched the original version on Amazon Prime starring Angela Lansbury.

[9:32] Dana Craig: Guess what? This episode is How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. As we have just... this is part two, so you already know that.

[9:43] Steven Ferezy: Yes, yes. You've heard like that as much as we don't know about it.

[9:47] Dana Craig: Um, and we went and watched the film. This was in my blind spot. I've never seen a production. I'd never seen the film. I just... I don't know it, and now I do. I saw the movie.

[10:00] Steven Ferezy: Okay, I took some notes.

[10:01] Dana Craig: Yeah, so I watched the movie too. I had never seen the movie. I think it was from 1967. Am I wrong?

[10:09] Steven Ferezy: That seems about right. I know, I think that's right.

[10:11] Dana Craig: But you have seen the show. You've seen it.

[10:15] Steven Ferezy: No, I've seen the show twice, once with Daniel Radcliffe, and the second time I think I saw it with Nick Jonas on Broadway.

[10:27] Dana Craig: And John Larquette, I think was in it both times.

[10:30] Steven Ferezy: Duh. I mean, hello. I was a huge fan of Night Court growing up.

[10:35] Dana Craig: Irreplaceable.

[10:37] Steven Ferezy: Irreplaceable. Anyway, I've seen it twice, so there.

[10:42] Dana Craig: It's not like I know the show really well, but I've at least seen it. The most fun fact that I was able to come up with was right out of the opening credits. Would you believe it?

[10:54] Steven Ferezy: I would.

[10:55] Dana Craig: Hit me. Get this. So I'm watching, and we're getting the credits, and it's all vintage and shit.

[11:03] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[11:04] Dana Craig: And we're watching, and it says color design, Mary Blair.

[11:09] Steven Ferezy: Mary Blair is the fucking colorist for all those brilliant Disney movies in the 50s. She did Cinderella, she did Alice in Wonderland. She did the fucking It's a Small World ride. Like she was an original Imagineer.

[11:24] Dana Craig: Oh well, no, she wasn't an Imagineer because she didn't do the rides. She did the films, but she was like OG Disney.

[11:32] Steven Ferezy: Dana, how do you know her name? Is this just from growing up?

[11:34] Dana Craig: She's such a brilliant artist.

[11:37] Steven Ferezy: No, I need to know where you know her from. Like, is it just you as a kid always seeing the title Mary Blair? Or is it because you watched it?

[11:46] Dana Craig: No, it was later. It was later in life for sure. I love Alice in Wonderland. I love the book especially, but like I love Disney's version.

[11:55] Dana Craig: I love, I love the Alice tale. Um, I love it, I love it. I love it. So I guess as I got older and like wanted to dive deep into my Alice shit. Probably in middle school. I like read through those opening credits of Disney's Alice in Wonderland. It was sudden I because I've always noticed the colors. I'm like, this stuff fucking purple and pink cat. I want that. Yeah. So I'm like, who's in charge of these fucking colors? It's Mary Blair. So I look up Mary Blair. Oh, she did Cinderella 2, all those fucking bubbles where she's singing in harmony with herself. Yeah. It's like that is iconic animation to me. Of course it's even there. Do you remember going through things with a fine-tooth comb?

[12:43] Steven Ferezy: I do.

[12:44] Dana Craig: I have, I remember going to the library. I sat there with the remote and you would like hit play, and then you'd pause on the title card and you read everything, and then you'd hit play again, and it would go to the next title card. Yeah. And you had to read. There was no like online. Let me just look it up. Here's a full list of the credits in PDF format. Can this be a Mary Blair appreciation episode? Because I feel like every day of my life is a Mary Blair appreciation episode. She would be dead if she knew that two elder millennials are talking about her with such vivre on a podcast. I'll send you there's an Instagram that just posts like her concept art and just shares her shit. Um frills, no commentary, no lols, just like here's what it is, here's the medium, and here's the year, and enjoy.

[13:42] Dana Craig: I don't think the listeners know this, but you are very much a color person.

[13:48] Steven Ferezy: Oh, we love colors.

[13:50] Dana Craig: You love colors. You're very much the pan tone. I've been to a colorist.

[13:55] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, you've been to a color. Katie Finnoran sent me to a colorist who taught me that I was a true winter. So now when I shop for clothes, I know my palette. Anyway, we're not even past the opening credits. The pink pantherness of it all, you know, like the actual color of the city behind a huge yellow font, gorgeous. Love it already. Plus the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, plus the original like choreography by Bob Fosse. I mean, you're getting like hits.

[14:30] Dana Craig: Which interesting story. So, okay, we were looking at this too because the choreography credit was weird. It was like um based on original choreography but Bob by Bob Fosse. But Bob Fosse was like not a part of this film. And also, and also originally they had hired like a not known choreographer at that time, whose name I didn't write down and I'm currently regretting. Um he had hired him, and then I guess I don't know if there were issues, I don't know if they just needed help and time. I don't know. I don't know, but Bob Fosse was brought in. But he didn't want to take the credit away from this new guy.

[15:19] Steven Ferezy: Wow.

[15:19] Dana Craig: So that's how they arranged that. I said it was probably the nicest thing Fosse ever did. Wow, that is worth mentioning for sure. Really uh quality journalism here with that story. But um, it's what it's what I have to contribute at this time. I mean, just as a broad statement, the coloring, the costumes, the vibrancy of this film, if you're Blair. If you are attracted to that kind of thing, big 60s colorings, you know, there isn't a pattern in sight. The women are wearing solid colors, head to toe, hat to glove, shoes are all pink, the dress is pink, the hat is pink, it's lime green, yellows, blues, jade greens. You know, it's very, it's very appealing to the eye. Super fun.

[16:19] Steven Ferezy: I was thinking, you know, because watching any movie of that time, especially one that is um who has a genesis of a theater piece, was theater before it was a movie. Like the playing fields were so much more level because even in film, you had to make it happen. Sure, you had the camera to help you do that and editing to help you do that, but you couldn't CGI your way through it. Just like on stage. You had to actually do what you were showing the audience, which you don't have to do anymore. And they used some actors from the Broadway show. Michelle Lee made her film debut after having uh originated the role. And they cut half her material.

[17:04] Dana Craig: I know.

[17:05] Steven Ferezy: How gorgeous is she? I realize this more and more as the film went on, and is one of my gripes with it. Mm-hmm. Um, is that really it cut any character that wasn't him? It really focused tight on him, and everyone else was dressing. And that was a shame because I went back and I looked at the recordings. I'm like, there are more songs. Rosemary has more to do. Michelle Lee just knew everything, you know? I'm like, you know so much more than everyone else in this movie. When she gorge as a character. Like, like she was so knowing and beautiful and fierce. Oh my god. I loved her singing, I believe in you.

[17:51] Dana Craig: Yeah.

[17:52] Steven Ferezy: Man, but I would have given anything to listen to her sing Paris Original. Steven, how much did you love the primping ballet when they were all at their desks?

[18:00] Dana Craig: You've literally tapped this this whole episode. You have tapped every one of my notes, and in the order in which I wrote them. Yes, it is shocking that my notes are in order of the film. The primping ballet was divine. It reminded me of you. 100%. Me coming to pick you up from work before going to Joe's pub. Teasing my hair, doing my winged eyes. Hanging out in the bathroom.

[18:26] Steven Ferezy: Absolutely.

[18:27] Dana Craig: Spritzing and spiritual. Oh my god. I just loved how glamorous it was. It was so like. It's kind of a mockery of We've both been in secretarial pools. A mockery of secretaries, and I think there was a wink there for sure. I think a little bit. I think they called out workplace inequality pretty on the fucking nose. Feminine. And I think the farce of the whole thing, that the whole thing is such a satire.

[19:00] Steven Ferezy: Absolutely.

[19:00] Dana Craig: So fun. And that they're just like, yeah, this is the horrible thing that's happening. Okay, but let's help you do it really well. You know? Satire is the perfect word. The producers of it all, though, like, that's this is a horrible plan. Let's commit to it really hard. It's gonna work until it doesn't. May I say something very quickly?

[19:21] Steven Ferezy: You absolutely can.

[19:23] Dana Craig: About one of my favorite characters in the film was Bud Frump.

[19:29] Steven Ferezy: You like I said, you've touched on all of my notes. What a scamp of a character. So fun. Oh my god. Big toothy grip. Acting with his teeth.

[19:39] Dana Craig: Acting with his teeth, he plays the uh the mucky muckety muck's nephew. And I think I think that would have purse first, no teeth first, babe. This guy comes in teeth first. He is providing some stellar physical comedy, and he adds such a level of goofiness. Steven, I think we have the same favorite character.

[20:02] Steven Ferezy: Um obviously uh the Lilius White.

[20:05] Dana Craig: Yes.

[20:05] Steven Ferezy: Um I knew it.

[20:07] Dana Craig: What JB's uh uh secretary. Uh Miss Jones.

[20:12] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[20:12] Dana Craig: Her name is Mrs. Miss Jones. Mrs. Jones?

[20:16] Steven Ferezy: I don't know.

[20:17] Dana Craig: Miss Jones. And she's such a B Arthur of a character, just very like, oh, alright. She's six and a half feet tall. And so are her feet. Mr. Bigley, Mr. Bigley, we'll be right with you. Alright, what do you want? There are so many fun bits in the film, at least, and and the show, such as Mr. Bigley at one point is told that his wife is on the phone by Mrs. Jones, and he says, You know that talking to my wife upsets me. And then he asks for, he goes, Where's my you know? And you think he's gonna bring out some like bourbon or some kind of scandalous playboy or something. And he takes out his knitting and starts knitting. Um, excuse me, that's hilarious.

[21:05] Steven Ferezy: And so 60s.

[21:07] Dana Craig: It was so tender, you know, that kind of like non-threatening joke where you can infer that he probably was gonna ask for something else, but no, it's knitting. The head hones to knit for his anxiety. Um, I can really see how having an audience boosts that show.

[21:31] Steven Ferezy: Boosts absolutely.

[21:32] Dana Craig: And I can also see how um giving each character more to do. Uh also lifts that show. It's a really full stage. Because is the audience no matter who's on stage, there's like a side plot happening. There's There are a lot of characters. No. Lots for the chorus to do. I mean, it's an office full of people really milling about, going in and out of doors and secretaries and men in suits and uh window washers and the whole thing. So yeah, I mean it's a it's a full company, baby.

[22:08] Steven Ferezy: Right. Full company.

[22:10] Dana Craig: Yeah. And as you hold that um Rosie plush, uh just this morning I watched the um the opening number from the Tony's the 54th annual when Megan Mullally sang part of Paris Original. Um as part of the opening. They were highlighting Broadway vets who had like turned Hollywood.

[22:33] Steven Ferezy: Really?

[22:34] Dana Craig: Oops. Yes, I'm holding my Rosie O'Donnell. It was she, it was uh Jesse L. Martin, and it was Jane Krakowski.

[22:43] Steven Ferezy: Wow.

[22:44] Dana Craig: And Rosie's hosting, and they have like a whole choir in the back. It was fab. Remember Rosie hosting the Tonies?

[22:51] Steven Ferezy: I remember watching that.

[22:53] Dana Craig: I remember it. I want Rosie to host again. Come back. Alright, so this is a violent tangent. But didn't Mr. Bigley kind of look like Prue from the great British baking show?

[23:06] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[23:08] Dana Craig: They're twins! No, but real talk. I fully fell in love with Michelle Lee.

[23:14] Steven Ferezy: I did too.

[23:15] Dana Craig: Yeah, and I here's what I wrote. I wrote Michelle fills every second with intention, always listening, always reacting. Always listening. She is always giving you something. There's no blank stare. There is pure engagement. So I ask again, why did they cut so much of her part?

[23:39] Steven Ferezy: I don't know. I mean, it's a film, so it clocks in at two hours. Uh, what is your feedback on Finch, the main guy?

[23:47] Dana Craig: Yeah, Robert Morse.

[23:51] Steven Ferezy: Robert Moore?

[23:52] Dana Craig: Robert Morse.

[23:53] Steven Ferezy: Morse, right. Um, oh, you so great, so charming.

[23:58] Dana Craig: Right. I love his little gap.

[24:00] Steven Ferezy: Yep.

[24:01] Dana Craig: His little front tooth gap.

[24:03] Steven Ferezy: As a fellow front tooth gapper.

[24:06] Dana Craig: Whatever. Nailed it. So if you don't know the story, it's about J. Pierpont Finch, who is a window washer, and he's reading a book called How to Succeed in Business. And he kind of breaks into this company and charms the pants off of people, starting in the mail room, and eventually becomes like VP. And he does it and it's really a short amount of time, and it's really funny to watch him.

[24:37] Steven Ferezy: It's kind of Working Girl. You know, we've had so many workplace comedies.

[24:43] Dana Craig: How dare you with that reference?

[24:44] Steven Ferezy: Kind of like this, right? I'm nobody, but I'm gonna make it to the top, and I'm not gonna wait 15 years to do it.

[24:52] Dana Craig: Ah, she's gonna make it after all. Uh, it was all too easy for him. I mean, he was a white man. So in the role of Finch, couldn't you see a Nick Jonas, uh, Daniel Radcliffe, uh, especially Matthew Rodrick?

[25:12] Steven Ferezy: Yes, but if you look at now like this sequence of, you know, production contract uh Finches. Yeah, they just keep getting hotter.

[25:25] Dana Craig: So what happened to the character man? Like, where did all the uggos like?

[25:29] Steven Ferezy: No, I think no, I I'm not saying I'm not saying character men are ugly by any means. I'm saying, um, you know, interesting to look at.

[25:41] Dana Craig: Okay, okay, yes, yes, yes, I hear you. Um, so Daniel Radcliffe, I feel you can dress him up, you can dress him down. I don't think that he's like super hot, but I do see what you're saying. Like, I think out of all of them, Daniel Radcliffe is the most kind of charactery.

[25:55] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, like the lack of characterness, those like leading men. They've established themselves as leading men, and yes, it is a leading man, but it's a character man still.

[26:13] Dana Craig: Mm-hmm. No, I see. I see. Oh, so who would you cast? You can only be so funny when you're that good looking.

[26:24] Steven Ferezy: The physical comedy won't land the same if you're not funny. Uh-huh. If you're not charactery, if you don't have something to play with. If everything's perfect, you're like, get it together. Sing out, Louise.

[26:39] Dana Craig: This was also a recent discussion in the media surrounding the revival of Little Shop when they announced a replacement. I think it was Jeremy Jordan. And people were, you know, nothing against Jeremy or his abilities or his performance or whatever.

[26:56] Steven Ferezy: Of course not.

[26:56] Dana Craig: It's just that like time out. We're talking about Seymour. Y'all, we feel very strongly about our character actors and actresses. We must protect them at all costs. Guys in the room is a safe haven for character performers.

[27:11] Steven Ferezy: This is a safe space.

[27:13] Dana Craig: If you're weird, if you look funny, come hang with us. I really don't mean to shit on any like past Finch's performance. I just let's pay attention to like character parts versus Prince Charming parts. Justice for character actors. That's all we're saying. Justice.

[27:34] Steven Ferezy: If you're going to cast a new movie musical remake. A new movie musical. Yes, who would you cast? Inquiring minds.

[27:46] Dana Craig: How old is Finch supposed to be?

[27:48] Steven Ferezy: I can't. That's a good question. I mean 20s. I think the actual number he says is 27.

[27:54] Dana Craig: Supposed to be.

[27:55] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[27:57] Dana Craig: Gideon Glick. That is a perfect. And I think you could do it on stage or in film.

[28:00] Steven Ferezy: Yes, I think that is a perfect casting. And we are huge Gideon Glick fans in this podcast room.

[28:09] Dana Craig: Yeah, and Gideon's done some movies. Shout out Ocean's 8. He had a little scene with Rihanna. I believe my first introduction to Gideon Glick was with you, Steven. It was off Broadway, and he was starring in Significant Other, and we were utterly moved.

[28:27] Steven Ferezy: Utterly moved.

[28:28] Dana Craig: That was great. Significant Other was so great. I hope everyone got a chance to see it. And if you didn't, I hope it's revived.

[28:38] Steven Ferezy: Or you can in some. Dana brought me roses when we went to see that.

[28:42] Dana Craig: What? Wait, why?

[28:43] Steven Ferezy: I can't remember.

[28:44] Dana Craig: Yeah.

[28:45] Steven Ferezy: Because Barbara was participating in the post-show dating game. I was selected as a contestant.

[28:51] Dana Craig: Oh my gosh. Wait, that's actually a highlight of my life, and I kind of forgot that that happened. Listen, Barbara fucking Berry was auctioning me off. I was getting into it. That was so fun. Wait, I have footage of that. Maybe we should post that on the Instagram account.

[29:08] Steven Ferezy: I'm going to hit you with a fun fact. Dick Van Dyke was considered for the role of Finch, but he turned it down due to concerns that he was too old for the role.

[29:19] Dana Craig: He would have been perfect. I mean, I know thyself. He's right. I mean, talk about a character actor. And also, had he done it, we would have all forgiven him because they would have cast the whole thing a little older. And he would have been great. But he's that perfect example of a character actor who also was a leading man.

[29:41] Steven Ferezy: Leading man, Dick Van Dyke. Brilliant. What else did I really, really love? Um, again, the costumes. I thought they were great.

[29:48] Dana Craig: Mm-hmm. Costumes. The whole style of the film needs a shout-out.

[29:55] Steven Ferezy: The style. Whether or not you like the story. I mean, you know what the movie did? Like the more I watched it, the more I realized was missing, and the more I realized this was just a portion of the story. Um, it made me really want to see it on stage. It made me really want to catch it next time it's anywhere nearby.

[30:18] Dana Craig: I wrote a friend who was on the tour, and they said, and I think I having now seen it, I can align myself with it. Um, quote, I find the movie a bit boring, whereas the show is pretty effervescent as satire. Uh, one of those few musicals to have the Pulitzer Prize alongside South Pacific, Chorus Line, and Rent, for example.

[30:43] Steven Ferezy: Wow.

[30:44] Dana Craig: Um, they pointed out that how rare that is for satire. For a satire to get the Pulitzer, so that says something. Um, I think it's tough to feel how funny it is without an audience. The movie feels a bit dry.

[31:02] Steven Ferezy: That is true.

[31:04] Dana Craig: I can see how that is a thing. I mean, the energy that is given off stage and is reciprocated from the audience. And that's interesting what you said about the satire. It absolutely winks at the audience. The audience is in on the satire, man.

[31:21] Steven Ferezy: Sure, and I think that's why it's still being done. They were just doing it up at Westchester Broadway Theater when the pandemic hit. I think they had done their um maybe an invited dress or just a dress rehearsal before Corona shut everything down a year ago. But I think that's why the show can still be done because it does wink.

[31:42] Dana Craig: Yeah, and you can always change up your tone in order to I don't know, bring it to present day, you know?

[31:50] Steven Ferezy: Totally. Yeah. It's controlled winking. How hard are you going to hit the satire? That kick that's a good thing. So I do think wow, it can still be, you know, set in the 60s, it can still be a period piece, and it doesn't have to be offensive or dated. It can still be done for sure.

[32:13] Dana Craig: I like the first half better than the second half. And I think that's because they cut so much.

[32:18] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[32:18] Dana Craig: That by the second half, we're like, I need another thing. I need another thing happening for me to keep my eye on. And I mean, it's a film, so maybe they had to cut things for time. Like I would have loved I would have loved to hear Paris Original, but does it move the story forward? Who knows?

[32:36] Steven Ferezy: Babe, what is all the racket?

[32:38] Dana Craig: The heat.

[32:39] Steven Ferezy: Oh my god, the tapping. Listeners, I'm so sorry. It's better than what was happening 20 minutes before this call.

[32:49] Dana Craig: Well, listen, listen to that. It's like freaking Bojangles.

[32:56] Steven Ferezy: Save Young Glover. Podcasting from homes a bit.

[32:59] Dana Craig: Alright, alright. We're women of the 90s. What is your final take on How to Succeed?

[33:04] Steven Ferezy: Listen, I would s I would say watch it. If you're not familiar with the show, if you're not gonna sit there and nitpick like, oh, this is different. Oh, they cut this.

[33:12] Dana Craig: Amen. Amen.

[33:14] Steven Ferezy: If you can just watch it to enjoy it, it's fun. It's really fun to revisit those like 50s and 60s movie musicals. Yeah, it did not feel like homework. The way they're shot, the way that they did that, just what that formula looked like then Bye Bye Birdie is of that same ilk.

[33:33] Dana Craig: Uh-huh.

[33:34] Steven Ferezy: Um, I'm a huge fan of the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. If you're not familiar with them, they did uh an album with Linda Ronstadt. Super cool.

[33:42] Dana Craig: Yeah, it is super cool.

[33:43] Steven Ferezy: I just really dig that vibe and that just Nelson Riddle sound in general. Great score. Great score. And a lot of the music that they cut, they did, you know, incorporate into the scoring, like Paris Original for sure. Um, but you know, that's an if you know you know. They gave you a little satin satin, if you know.

[34:08] Dana Craig: Sure. Steven Darling, what's coming up next for us in our Broadway blind spot?

[34:15] Steven Ferezy: Yes, join us in April for Pippin.

[34:18] Dana Craig: Steven, I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of digging this forcibly doing homework and forcibly educating ourselves on things that we didn't know. So hopefully we've inspired you to, you know, sit down one night and turn on something different.

[34:37] Steven Ferezy: And on that note.

[34:40] Dana Craig: Bye.

[34:45] Steven Ferezy: In the Room with Steven and Dana is produced by Steven Ferrasie.

[34:49] Dana Craig: And Dana Craig.

[34:51] Steven Ferezy: Special thanks to Joel Wagoner for tinkling the ivories on our theme song. Hit him up at JoelWagoner.com.

[34:58] Dana Craig: We apologize, and you're welcome. We'd also like to thank Jesse Wiener, W I E N E R, for our jazzy original music sprinkled throughout each episode. You can find him at jessewiener.com.

[35:11] Steven Ferezy: Last but certainly not least, we'd like to thank Kevin Thomas Garcia for taking all of our ridiculous photos. You can find him online at ktgnyc.com.

[35:24] Dana Craig: We are all over the internet on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at IntheroomPod. Follow us, like us, share us, pant us out. And don't forget to subscribe to In the Room Podcast. We everywhere, so subscribe. And thank you so much for listening.