This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Steven Ferezy: Take one Stephen and Dana and we're in the realm.

[0:30] Dana Craig: We are not sponsored by Meow Mix. Let's just be clear.

[0:35] Steven Ferezy: But we could.

[0:39] Dana Craig: We could be.

[0:40] Steven Ferezy: Nobody's gonna be a good one.

[0:42] Dana Craig: I would shut that shit down.

[0:46] Steven Ferezy: Honey.

[0:47] Dana Craig: Meow me? I'll do it.

[0:48] Steven Ferezy: I'll do it. It would be a Steven only podcast.

[0:51] Dana Craig: I'll do it for both of us. I've done your voice for our podcast before.

[0:54] Steven Ferezy: You have.

[0:55] Dana Craig: You have. Which episode?

[0:56] Steven Ferezy: Thanksgiving?

[0:58] Dana Craig: Some uh yeah, right before Thanksgiving.

[1:01] Steven Ferezy: And now announcing our uh hiatus back when we did that.

[1:05] Dana Craig: Yeah, what episode it was like maybe episode.

[1:09] Steven Ferezy: Season one or two.

[1:14] Dana Craig: This is famously episode 99.

[1:18] Steven Ferezy: Oh, we got 99 problems, and Steven and Dana are all of them.

[1:24] Dana Craig: And so that means that our next episode is one hunty.

[1:24] Steven Ferezy: One hunty.

[1:33] Dana Craig: That's a good warm-up.

[1:34] Steven Ferezy: Bum bum.

[1:36] Dana Craig: Unhunty.

[1:39] Steven Ferezy: What's that from?

[1:40] Dana Craig: I don't know what that is.

[1:42] Steven Ferezy: I was just continuing our morning warm-up and you left me alone.

[1:45] Dana Craig: You guys, it's like 9:01 a.m. on a Wednesday. This is real brutal.

[1:50] Steven Ferezy: And guess what? So last night, I tried a little experiment with a new thing that I have, which is Soam Sleep, SOM sleep. It is in a can, not on like a Red Bull, and it's a blue can. And I guess it's just like melatonin as a drink, but I also took a melatonin.

[2:10] Dana Craig: What are we doing now?

[2:11] Steven Ferezy: I don't know. Because sometimes I just like to be real cozy and just like just really knock me out. Like a Benadryl moment, like, you know.

[2:19] Dana Craig: I woke up this morning. S the most grogs I've ever been. Like I've I slept fine. I can buy. I slept fine, but it felt like my entire body was on a muscle relaxer. And I'm still a little bit that way. I'm surprised that I walked through Harold Square and got here.

[2:39] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, you were up Earl.

[2:41] Dana Craig: Yeah, it's not that my brain is fuzzy, it's that my body is just like walking through molasses.

[2:47] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. I mean, I guess it was nice, it did its job, but maybe I didn't need to double double down on the melatones.

[2:54] Dana Craig: Yeah, what's up with that?

[2:56] Steven Ferezy: I don't know. I didn't trust the drink, is what I'm saying.

[3:00] Dana Craig: You also didn't give the drink a ta a test.

[3:05] Steven Ferezy: No, I didn't. No, I was like, You had no baseline to go from. You're like, this isn't gonna work.

[3:11] Dana Craig: I'm like, this is bullshit. I'm just gonna take a regular melatonin and then have this drink.

[3:16] Steven Ferezy: Um, so yeah, maybe I'll just do the drink next time.

[3:21] Dana Craig: Yeah, because then you'll know what just the drink. It's like smoking weed. You get a new strain. You're like, let me try this in the morning when I'm baseline.

[3:29] Steven Ferezy: We do not promote pot smoking on this podcast.

[3:34] Dana Craig: Bitch, it's legal in this podcast.

[3:37] Steven Ferezy: Well, you're right. You are right. I can't. There's there's no lie there.

[3:42] Dana Craig: Anyway, how are you? How's your week?

[3:45] Steven Ferezy: Ooh, girl, she's busy. Um tired, but good. Um, work is going. Both my shows are closing. If we haven't heard yet, uh the Tina's closing August 14th, and the Come From Away is closing October 2nd.

[4:02] Dana Craig: Yeah, uh, baby got his first two Broadway closing notices uh within 24 hours of each other.

[4:10] Steven Ferezy: Well, listen, it opens your schedule up for more opportunities.

[4:14] Dana Craig: It sure does. I am I am available to dress your shit.

[4:20] Steven Ferezy: As well as everyone else who's working on those shows. Um, you know, this is not the end of their careers, hopefully. And may of course not may they move forward through the Broadway world.

[4:35] Dana Craig: But you know what it feels like that I kind of only now understand. When you're on an airplane and in the safety video, it's like put your own mask on before assisting others. That's what hunting for work on Broadway is like.

[4:51] Steven Ferezy: Oh, you want your friends to work.

[4:53] Dana Craig: Yeah. You want your friends to work. You want to help them find jobs.

[4:57] Steven Ferezy: Only after you know you're working.

[4:59] Dana Craig: That's right. I kill I can't help you unless I'm helped.

[5:04] Steven Ferezy: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no, that that checks out. That's great.

[5:08] Dana Craig: Oh, I'm absolutely putting my mask on before helping you with yours. Pull your own fucking straps.

[5:16] Steven Ferezy: You kidding? Sweet. That's really sweet.

[5:17] Dana Craig: No, that's profound statement.

[5:21] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, it's like uh I don't I don't know from Hunger Games, but I feel like this is where one might interject.

[5:27] Dana Craig: It's very Hunger Games.

[5:29] Steven Ferezy: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. I'm sure that's very sad.

[5:32] Dana Craig: I mean, Come From Away has had their run. They've had a good, healthy run. We just celebrated five years on Broadway.

[5:42] Steven Ferezy: And Tina had the COVID of it all in between.

[5:46] Dana Craig: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And so kind of did what? How I guess they were there long.

[5:53] Steven Ferezy: Well, they both did the pandemic. Honestly, they both did.

[5:56] Dana Craig: I know we kind of did a year on either end.

[5:58] Steven Ferezy: Yeah. We'll be just shy of 500 shows.

[6:04] Dana Craig: Come From Away has a tour.

[6:07] Steven Ferezy: Come From Away, absolutely is a tour. Tina has a tour launching right after we close, it launches in September.

[6:12] Dana Craig: Great. So the people of the world, people of the world can see it.

[6:16] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, so the show it is lovely to be able to share that both these shows are still alive and well. Um but the Broadway branch of those trees um has grown to its full capacity.

[6:33] Dana Craig: So anyone listening, um, Steven needs a job starting August what, 14th, 15th?

[6:41] Steven Ferezy: Well, I'm covering two weeks that Come From Away right after Tina closes.

[6:46] Dana Craig: Okay.

[6:47] Steven Ferezy: Um I'm I'm good through August.

[6:51] Dana Craig: Great.

[6:51] Steven Ferezy: And then Labor Day weekend.

[6:54] Dana Craig: Like give yourself a little like vacation moment.

[6:57] Steven Ferezy: It's funny you say that. I was looking at that this morning when I woke up. I was like, let me just see what numbers these are so that I could pitch, let's get the hell out of town for four days. Because, as you now know, well, you've always known, but now you're living it, is when you're on Broadway working on Broadway, your life is your show, and you sacrifice a lot of evening things, a lot of weekend things. There are not a lot of days where you can just be like, hey, let's go somewhere. I had to do my first RSVP no to a wedding. That didn't feel great.

[7:30] Dana Craig: Ooh.

[7:37] Steven Ferezy: Listen, the golden handcuffs.

[7:39] Dana Craig: That's right. Ugh, ran into Jessica Rush on the street.

[7:43] Steven Ferezy: You did?

[7:44] Dana Craig: Was she in a rush?

[7:46] Steven Ferezy: She was in a rush.

[7:47] Dana Craig: Dana cut that.

[7:47] Steven Ferezy: No. Because she was. It's funny. She was on her way to a play, but she was dropping off cookies.

[7:54] Dana Craig: Of course. Bless her heart.

[7:57] Steven Ferezy: Are we still doing Schmackery's? Are people still schmacker using Schmack away?

[8:02] Dana Craig: Shhmago, we're smacking away.

[8:04] Steven Ferezy: Great. Okay, cool. Uh, other things, other top line things. The Tony Awards, the Antoinette Perry Awards.

[8:13] Dana Craig: The meat of this conversation.

[8:15] Steven Ferezy: Sure, sure. Are we transitioning to the meat? Are there other sides to pick through? Any other apps?

[8:21] Dana Craig: Apps. Remember when app meant appetizer?

[8:25] Steven Ferezy: Yes, let's take a moment.

[8:28] Dana Craig: Let's take a moment.

[8:31] Steven Ferezy: Nothing on my end.

[8:33] Dana Craig: That was the noisiest moment of silence. You said, let's take a moment twice and then sniffed and it was over.

[8:40] Steven Ferezy: Well, I'm cutting all about.

[8:42] Dana Craig: Oh, okay. Um nothing on my end yet. It's been a very, very busy work.

[8:49] Steven Ferezy: We're both like in the trenches.

[8:50] Dana Craig: We are in the work trenches.

[8:53] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[8:54] Dana Craig: Yeah, it's a slog for real.

[8:57] Steven Ferezy: Get into it.

[9:00] Dana Craig: Alright. The Tony Awards.

[9:03] Steven Ferezy: The 75th annual Antoinette Perry Awards.

[9:07] Dana Craig: Steven.

[9:08] Steven Ferezy: Well, they were in two parts, famously.

[9:10] Dana Craig: They were in two parts.

[9:11] Steven Ferezy: The first part was not my favorite part.

[9:13] Dana Craig: I didn't watch the first part because I didn't really realize it was in two parts.

[9:20] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, I didn't love the first part felt like. I didn't love their hosting.

[9:26] Dana Craig: I didn't love Darren Criss and Julianne Hough.

[9:32] Steven Ferezy: Juliana Hough?

[9:33] Dana Craig: Nope, it's Julianne Hough.

[9:35] Steven Ferezy: Yeah. Didn't sound right. It's like when you spell a word right too many times it looks wrong.

[9:45] Dana Craig: Okay. Yeah, or mine is license. I can never get it right the first three times.

[9:51] Steven Ferezy: Mine is weird. I never know how to spell the word weird.

[9:55] Dana Craig: I remember because it's spelled weird.

[10:00] Steven Ferezy: It's against the rule.

[10:02] Dana Craig: So you didn't like the hosting. Did we like the idea that it was on a different network?

[10:07] Steven Ferezy: Uh it oh listen, I have the streaming platform, so it is not a big deal to me. I don't think we should. I don't think that those awards, the presentation of those awards should be behind a paywall.

[10:23] Dana Craig: I don't mind if it's on Paramount Plus, but maybe it is a um like you have to download and go into the app, but it's free viewership. Like it's a free thing to watch on the platform. It gets you to download the app and all of a sudden you're browsing and seeing what else is there.

[10:43] Steven Ferezy: I had been seeing, you know, on Facebook, the social medias, the think pieces, the what have you's the Time Out New Yorkes, that hey, guess what? Here's how to watch the Tony Awards. It'll be in two parts. So I kind of knew that. But I was watching it in a room full of people who quote unquote care about theater. They had no idea that it was in two parts.

[11:06] Dana Craig: And we showed up at seven. And I'm like, you guys, there's something that starts at seven. It doesn't start at eight. So, like, I feel like so many people did not know that there was a part one. Um, that it was piecemeal. It felt weird, but also I didn't really watch it except the tail end.

[11:24] Steven Ferezy: And they did it last year. They did even more of it last year.

[11:27] Dana Craig: It was two and two.

[11:28] Steven Ferezy: It was two hours and two hours.

[11:32] Dana Craig: Um what?

[11:33] Steven Ferezy: Yeah. It was two hours of Tony's on CBS, followed by two hours of performances.

[11:46] Dana Craig: I think some might have been taped ahead of time and somewhere.

[11:50] Steven Ferezy: Where was I? I it was, I don't know. It was right after Broadway came back. I had COVID.

[11:59] Dana Craig: Um it was a weird Tony's last year.

[12:01] Steven Ferezy: It was an unconventional Tony's last year. They had to fill the time slot. So I guess is the reason because there's so much content, there's so much stuff happening that they can't make it a six hour show. Well, either way, it was still four. I just don't know why that one hour can't also be televised for everybody. I don't know why Middle America doesn't deserve access to those awards.

[12:27] Dana Craig: Go offsta. Those creative awards.

[12:29] Steven Ferezy: No, you're right. You're right. You're right. I get that we need the airtime to do the musical numbers. I get that those are the best commercial of the year. Um, I get that we need to allow time for the hosts to do host shtick. Um, you know, fine. Fine. I get that there's an in-memorium. I get that Steven Sondheim died and needed a tribute. You know, and uh, I think it was Adam Feldman also talking about this. Angela Lansbury won a lifetime achievement award. That was in the first hour, and people were upset about that, and his argument was like, well, what would you like to have it replace? The in memorium, a performance from A Strange Loop. Like, it's it's I hear your frustration. I think everyone has their things that they care about more than other things. So that's that in itself is a weird I mean, that's a weird statement. People like XYZ more than they like ABC.

[13:33] Dana Craig: Um all this to say the um the EGO of the Egot family, uh, doesn't have this setup and doesn't seem to be going this direction, and I don't know why Broadway is less than. I don't know why theater is less than. We're already at a different time of the year. You know, we're not in awards season.

[14:01] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[14:02] Dana Craig: Or in Broadway awards season. Our awards season is the summer. Everyone else's is February. Here's what it might be, and this is just coming to me now. Tony's are site-specific. They're just New York, they're just Broadway, right? Unless you know you can talk about the tours and um, you know, Carnegie Mellon of it all. But it is very New York. It's the highbrow, you know. Broadway is where Broadway is. Oscars are anyone can see a movie anywhere. Right. Same with television, same with music.

[14:35] Steven Ferezy: Yes.

[14:35] Dana Craig: And so maybe it's a financial decision and a non-commercial one. That's why we love it, right? It's absolutely it's always weird to me that the Tonys are televised because again, like we chose live theater because there's none of that shit. And thank God it was though. Like, can you imagine if I had not seen Bebe Neuwirth in an N ranking in 1996 and wasn't that?

[15:00] Steven Ferezy: Of course.

[15:00] Dana Craig: But it's theater people trying to do TV, which always looks a little scrappy.

[15:04] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, it's Laurie Metcalf on The Conners.

[15:06] Dana Craig: Total. Well what I mean. She's always been like, TV is not my thing, and you can tell.

[15:11] Steven Ferezy: I'm like, but you make it amazing to watch.

[15:15] Dana Craig: As we do.

[15:16] Steven Ferezy: As we fucking do.

[15:18] Dana Craig: You turn your discomfort into something very weird, and we are here for it. Make the weird art.

[15:24] Steven Ferezy: Make the weird art. I okay, I have not seen a lot of things on Broadway yet. I'm kind of dying to see MJ now, obviously. I'm dying to see A Strange Loop, but fucking Dana H.

[15:40] Dana Craig: Deidra O'Connell.

[15:42] Steven Ferezy: Or is that Didi.

[15:45] Dana Craig: Didi, Didi Acons. I had not heard her speak yet.

[15:51] Steven Ferezy: And apparently you can do a show and not be heard.

[15:55] Dana Craig: I just brilliant. And her speech was what I hoped her speech would be. It was that's why I loved the show in general. It was that's the weird thing. Dana H was the show for me.

[16:06] Steven Ferezy: And this is so late in my theater going and participating alike. Dana H was the first time I ever understood the category of sound design.

[16:21] Dana Craig: I don't I don't know from sound. I don't have great headphones. I can hear when something's different than it usually is. I can hear things.

[16:30] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[16:31] Dana Craig: But I the design, the word design, I don't understand. And I would love to learn. But when the nominations came out and I saw Dana H was nominated, I went, oh sound design. I get it. A little more. I don't get it. I can't explain it to you, but like I get it a little more.

[16:54] Steven Ferezy: I understand the word design.

[16:56] Dana Craig: 90% sound design.

[17:01] Steven Ferezy: 90%.

[17:02] Dana Craig: So I was really excited to finally understand one of the nominees in that category from the perspective through which it was being presented to me. Cool. That excited me. And also, of course, seeing her nominated.

[17:18] Steven Ferezy: Um, but you know seeing her win and as she's doing her speech, it took me right back to the night that I saw it. Because that was a while ago now. That was October.

[17:29] Dana Craig: Mm-hmm.

[17:31] Steven Ferezy: What I think it was the second thing I saw back. It was the first thing I saw coming back, and it was the last thing I saw before the shutdown. I bookended my theater experience with it.

[17:45] Dana Craig: And I knew when I saw it, it was like in my bones. I couldn't stop talking to everyone that I saw on the street. I had gone to a birthday party right after. And I shut down that birthday party. I was talking to everyone. Like, I just saw Dana H. Like, you have to see Dana H. What is going on with that performance and the jangle of the bracelet, the breathing, the purse, the wrestling in the purse. It's everything is so I was like, I love when uh you see things and you didn't realize that could be done on a stage.

[18:20] Steven Ferezy: It feels like it's breaking a rule.

[18:22] Dana Craig: Yep. Love it. Or like teaching me a new rule.

[18:27] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[18:28] Dana Craig: Having said that, it's obviously a show I've seen. Uh I cannot wait to see the other shows I have not seen. I thought the performances were great, like overall.

[18:38] Steven Ferezy: I kept calling them the Olivers because they felt like the Olivier's, but in America.

[18:43] Dana Craig: Why?

[18:44] Steven Ferezy: Because there was so much British winning.

[18:47] Dana Craig: Oh, it's a British backup. To be clear, no harm, no foul, but what does that tell you about American theater? Not that I care. Theater's theater. I don't care where it's coming from. I want in.

[19:01] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[19:02] Dana Craig: But um, you know, it supports my theory that we need to be stepping our you know what's up.

[19:10] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[19:12] Dana Craig: When it comes to American theater, we are enough jukebox. Enough. 90s movie into musical. Enough. Thank you, Paradise Square.

[19:25] Steven Ferezy: Thank you, Paradise Square, for daring.

[19:33] Dana Craig: Favorite performance of the night.

[19:36] Steven Ferezy: Joaquina.

[19:39] Dana Craig: Yeah. I mean, from the show's favorite performance of the night, Bernadette Peters.

[19:49] Steven Ferezy: She's an alien.

[19:50] Dana Craig: How does she look that good? I mean, what is she? 70. How does she sound that good?

[19:56] Steven Ferezy: She sounds incredible.

[20:00] Dana Craig: I was so.

[20:01] Steven Ferezy: Sounds the same as when she originated that song.

[20:06] Dana Craig: In 1987. So moved. So moved. I heard there were whispers on the internet of people thinking it was not a big enough tribute for him, considering the impact he had on the industry.

[20:21] Steven Ferezy: I would argue that he would have hated anything bigger.

[20:26] Dana Craig: He hated being famous. He hated having his picture taken. He hated. I mean, I don't know him, but there were that that wasn't a secret. Like, that wasn't part of the game that he loved to play. Being the focus of attention was not his favorite place to be, however good he was at it when he had to do it.

[20:52] Steven Ferezy: If they had done a Kennedy Center style honor for him on the Tonys, I think that would have been too much birthday, you know?

[20:59] Dana Craig: That would have buried him. I think he would have much preferred a a beautiful song, singular.

[21:10] Steven Ferezy: One song.

[21:11] Dana Craig: Yeah. Sung beautifully by his favorite.

[21:14] Steven Ferezy: By yeah, by her.

[21:15] Dana Craig: By her.

[21:17] Steven Ferezy: Mm-hmm.

[21:19] Dana Craig: And you saw any time the camera would be, you know, late enough to catch her inner reaction between her verses. Um, you know, she would turn around and look at that screen and just grab her heart.

[21:36] Steven Ferezy: She misses him.

[21:37] Dana Craig: Yeah. Cheetah Rivera.

[21:42] Steven Ferezy: Front row.

[21:43] Dana Craig: Front row center.

[21:46] Steven Ferezy: With Lisa Mordente.

[21:48] Dana Craig: Same wig her whole life. What an actual queen.

[21:51] Steven Ferezy: What an actual queen.

[21:54] Dana Craig: So great to see her there. Um Ariana DeBose, I thought was fucking pro.

[22:05] Steven Ferezy: I thought she was incredible.

[22:07] Dana Craig: I thought she was um, I felt like I don't like to watch someone where I'm like, are they gonna make it? Are they gonna do it? I felt like she was a real pro about hosting uh hosting.

[22:22] Steven Ferezy: She's never hosted anything before, right?

[22:24] Dana Craig: Absolutely. Her debut host, Sing Gig, like checking. That's a huge undertaking for a major award show that I was just like, oh, she's actually really good at this, and she'll find her way, but it's just another thing on her list of like, oh, she like she nailed that.

[22:51] Steven Ferezy: And she was also singing and dancing huge numbers, like being flipped over people and singing live, and then being like, okay, the next thing.

[23:02] Dana Craig: And I just I know what how hard that is, and to keep those plates spinning and to deliver the words that have been written for you and inflecting your own a lot of it written in real time.

[23:15] Steven Ferezy: Yes, personality inflected, and also to a lot of people, she's new, so it's that thing of she's not established, she's not a Whoopi Goldberg yet, and so it is kind of that first Grammy album of this is my personality, this is who I am, and you're either gonna like it or you're not.

[23:37] Dana Craig: But I thought she um handled that job really well. I felt kind of like really taken care of, like, oh, she's got this, she'll she'll really just kind of take us through the whole thing. Um, and she'll I'm sure she'll be asked to do more hosting things regardless of what they are, um in the future, but yeah, I don't think a lot of people can do that.

[24:05] Steven Ferezy: I think that is a technical skill that you have to be a pro. That's why not a lot of people are asked. That's why a lot of people say no, because they know they can't do it. Um, I don't know. I think it takes a lot of balls to host the Tonies or any award show. You're gonna get a lot of people saying all of the above. Um, but yeah, I thought she did great.

[24:37] Dana Craig: Yeah, and I guess I see this across the board in not only award shows, but as you sort of touch on, like even talk shows, any sort of host audience connection gig. Um, the live theater of it a little bit. Just the evolution of it from when we grew up watching Rosie O'Donnell on her talk show, and Rosie O'Donnell hosts the Tonys, and Whoopi Goldberg hosts the Oscars. There's a style of hosting there that has evolved into something else, probably something younger for the next generation that I have just aged out of. And I love to see their joy about it. I mean, she's a true fan of theater, and I don't want to see someone who's not. It is crucial in choosing a host that you choose somebody who cares about the awards being handed out.

[25:35] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, I think that is. That's why Rosie is so worth as a host. It's like she's a huge fan. Huge fan. Absolutely. But there, they don't host like that anymore. Right. Those opening, you know, shticks, that moment where they can do their shtick, used to be 10, 15 minute sets that were worthy of being preserved. Oh, we grew up with Billy Crystal hosting the Oscars, and it's all about him. It's like, hello, and I'm here hosting the, you know, take it in. You are like you have the reins. Like, show us a good time. You are our leader. And now, in the last five, ten social media years, twenty, it's like the host script has been rewritten to be social media compatible.

[26:37] Dana Craig: Be memeable, yeah.

[26:39] Steven Ferezy: Yeah. Absolutely. In a smart way. It's shareable. It's you talkable. Um, I'm like, isn't the impact of all that better when the audience finds that for themselves as opposed to spoon feeding me the internet meme that now I have to go make? I don't know the answer to that. You make it. I don't know. Uh, what can I say? I'm an old soul and the inner conflict of Steven Ferezy.

[27:07] Dana Craig: The inner conflict of Steven Ferezy. Like, how do I, but truly, how do I evolve with an industry that is evolving in a direction that is like uncomfortable for me? Take a note from the people you love and see how they evolved with the changing times in their times, right? Even sound time grew with the 70s into the 80s into the 90s and put in things and kept that's how people stay relevant. And you can find examples of all those things. The people who do not stay relevant said, fuck it, years ago. We can't find them under their piles of shit in their apartments. You can't find them. Where they at? Where are they at?

[27:59] Steven Ferezy: Um, I am bummed that I never saw Lehman Trilogy.

[28:05] Dana Craig: Me too now. Me too.

[28:05] Steven Ferezy: I think that would have been just given the time. It was, you know, it was around Omicron that it was on Broadway. It was here for the holidays. Um, I think it would have been a relatively easy ticket to secure at a reasonable price. And I'm bummed I didn't take better advantage. In my defense, I was working. It really brings up all the regrets of the tickets not participating. There would have been time. That was my big if I could go back and see one thing that I missed. I think it would be that or Skeleton Crew.

[28:40] Dana Craig: Sure, yeah.

[28:41] Steven Ferezy: Yeah. Who else? What else? I'm looking through the list now as I scroll on my other tab.

[28:49] Dana Craig: Oh good. I'm glad one of us is prepared.

[28:51] Steven Ferezy: Obviously. Okay, you have not seen MJ.

[28:55] Dana Craig: No.

[28:56] Steven Ferezy: I have seen MJ. I love, I know it's like apparently we're not canceling it, so.

[29:04] Dana Craig: I have seen MJ. We're letting it slide, I guess. Um, loved Michael Jackson growing up. That is my thing. So I cannot wait. I thought Miles Frost was incredible.

[29:19] Steven Ferezy: And such a hard thing to do. Like again, with someone playing Tina Turner on Broadway.

[29:24] Dana Craig: Okay, yeah, go ahead. Be a theater person, but also be one of the greatest rock and roll performers of all time. Okay, good luck. Bye. The things we're asking these people to do and do it incredibly well is astounding. I love to see people do the thing. To see Stephanie J. Block as Cher. What? That was incredible. That was so great. It was so fun to watch as a fan of both of um Cher and Stephanie J. Block.

[30:00] Steven Ferezy: But Miles Frost.

[30:01] Dana Craig: Miles Frost?

[30:01] Steven Ferezy: Miles Frost.

[30:03] Dana Craig: Was astounding. And he's so young.

[30:06] Steven Ferezy: Jay Frost.

[30:07] Dana Craig: Jay Frost. He is so young and like glowing. I don't know. How was it? Did you love it? Do you have it?

[30:14] Steven Ferezy: Is it a jukebox?

[30:17] Dana Craig: Is it absolutely a jukebox? Um, and my opinion with most jukeboxes truly is like trim down your book, make it one act, throw it in Vegas, throw it in the appropriate venue that isn't Broadway.

[30:41] Steven Ferezy: To me, and again old soul, to me a Broadway musical is like book musical original score music and lyrics by here like we've written a story we have created a story we have adapted a story. I'm not saying don't adapt shit but like here is our thing and to me Tina's included in this there is some book trimming that could be done make it 90 minutes two hours throw it in a thing and make it a rock concert make it put it in a stadium where you can fit that those kinds of people and let them have the rock concert experience that they want you can't ask an audience to behave like a Broadway audience while also showing them Michael Jackson.

[31:36] Dana Craig: They think like do you think you're at a rock concert?

[31:39] Steven Ferezy: It feels weird. It looks weird to look at a like you're looking around the theater you're in from the early 1900s, and then like technology that hasn't even been invented yet is happening on stage, and you're like, why did they choose to do that here?

[32:01] Dana Craig: The Chroma loom.

[32:03] Steven Ferezy: Why did you choose to do that here?

[32:06] Dana Craig: I only have the tourists.

[32:09] Steven Ferezy: Sure.

[32:09] Dana Craig: And something to take your dad to. And I guess my takeaway is like I would have had more fun if I was charged twice as much and in Las Vegas. Because it would have been a different experience. It would have been a I would have had a different expectation of it. I would have gone in with a different like I'm I am a Broadway audience member. I sit there and I'm quiet and I clap and I react, but I am not uh what?

[32:38] Steven Ferezy: Like when you go to a rock concert, the audience is in it. They're not sitting there watching it. I'm sit there and watch it.

[32:45] Dana Craig: Yeah.

[32:46] Steven Ferezy: I observe. I go to the theater to observe, not to participate. And jukebox musicals ask their audience to participate.

[32:56] Dana Craig: What was the first jukebox musical to be on Broadway?

[33:03] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, I'm just curious where this because obviously they're moneymakers, and Broadway needs money to survive, just as a general no question. I think that's why you're seeing so many of them in the now and like particularly now, but in the last five, ten years.

[33:21] Dana Craig: It's definitely a please come thing.

[33:26] Steven Ferezy: Yeah. There's a lot of people. And listen, Tina's a great show. We saw it together. We had a great time. Loved. Loved.

[33:35] Dana Craig: Um.

[33:37] Steven Ferezy: But I'm curious. What was the first?

[33:39] Dana Craig: Yeah, yeah. Jersey Boys was made.

[33:41] Steven Ferezy: Is that a jukebox?

[33:43] Dana Craig: I mean, it kind of is. It's all their music. Crazy for You kind of is. It's all like standards that were put into a storyline.

[33:55] Steven Ferezy: The music of George and Ira Gershwin.

[33:58] Dana Craig: Right, right. That's sort of a jukebox musical.

[34:02] Steven Ferezy: But do you see how that's different from Tina? Do you see how that's different from you haven't seen MJ? How that's different from...

[34:09] Dana Craig: Well, just in style of music. We're talking about rock music as opposed to very, you know, George and Ira Gershwin.

[34:19] Steven Ferezy: But also one transformed the music into a Broadway musical.

[34:26] Dana Craig: And that's what these new ones are trying to do.

[34:32] Steven Ferezy: Mama Mia.

[34:34] Dana Craig: I mean, they're very difficult. There's also the two different kinds of jukebox musicals, the kind that take the music of somebody and create an original story around it. Jagged Little Pill, Crazy for You, Mama Mia. Or there are the jukebox musicals that take the music and tell the story of the artist using the music to support it. I think those are the more successful Jersey Boys, Tina. Um, help me.

[35:02] Steven Ferezy: I can't.

[35:03] Dana Craig: Okay. There's more of them. Those are the two that stand out to me. One because I'm in it, and the other because it was the first on my radar.

[35:15] Steven Ferezy: Jersey Boys was the first jukebox musical advertised to me as a jukebox musical.

[35:22] Dana Craig: Sure.

[35:23] Steven Ferezy: Smoky Joe's was not advertised to me as a jukebox musical.

[35:28] Dana Craig: It was a review.

[35:30] Steven Ferezy: It was a musical review.

[35:32] Dana Craig: There we go.

[35:33] Steven Ferezy: It very much is a review. You know, a song cycle.

[35:38] Dana Craig: The word, the term song cycle entered my vernacular in the early 2000s with things like Songs for a New World.

[35:47] Steven Ferezy: Mm-hmm.

[35:48] Dana Craig: Love cycle.

[35:51] Steven Ferezy: Yes.

[35:53] Dana Craig: Um, okay, so this has been your class on jukebox.

[35:58] Steven Ferezy: That's my jukebox.

[36:00] Steven Ferezy: And there are plays.

[36:05] Dana Craig: Exactly.

[36:05] Steven Ferezy: I mean, there's definitely a financial reason. There's a question. Commercial reason. For a reason and have the I feel like jukebox musicals are a whole separate genre of musicals from Broadway musicals. At this point, there's enough of them.

[36:22] Dana Craig: Totally.

[36:22] Steven Ferezy: Uh all shook up.

[36:24] Dana Craig: There you go.

[36:26] Steven Ferezy: There we go. There we go. Um you know, maybe I don't know. I feel like a curmudgeon now.

[36:35] Dana Craig: No, I think this is very I mean it's interesting. It's like it's I have a hard time putting the work of Steven Sondheim under the same umbrella as a jukebox musical that is just, you know, millions of dollars, but not in quality above a theme park show.

[37:02] Steven Ferezy: There's just more money and more glitter and more stuff than a theme park show, but the quality of the material being under the music. If you are performing your work in a certain theater, you are by default a Broadway show. And I think that that needs to change.

[37:26] Dana Craig: Or we need to stop treating Broadway houses. Houses I consider as sacred as a church or temple. Um as rental venues.

[37:43] Steven Ferezy: Is this a fun episode?

[37:45] Dana Craig: Nope. Are people gonna listen to this?

[37:49] Steven Ferezy: They shouldn't. Um we're not even talking about the Tonies.

[37:55] Dana Craig: We're not. I think that they were pretty. Did you have anything else to say about the Tony's?

[38:00] Steven Ferezy: No, I don't think there were a ton of surprises. I think it was cool that while shows led in numbers of awards won, no show swept.

[38:09] Dana Craig: No shows swept.

[38:11] Steven Ferezy: I did. I really liked seeing how many Brits were up there. I hope that it was eye-opening.

[38:20] Dana Craig: What are they doing? What are we missing?

[38:23] Steven Ferezy: It's uh I've never been to the West End, and I'd love to go.

[38:29] Dana Craig: Let's go.

[38:30] Steven Ferezy: I've never been to London.

[38:33] Dana Craig: Let's go.

[38:34] Steven Ferezy: But it looks great.

[38:36] Dana Craig: It is great. I love it.

[38:40] Steven Ferezy: I had a great time there. Um, so Steven, we ask all of our guests this.

[38:46] Dana Craig: Don't you? There are seven.

[38:49] Steven Ferezy: Wait. I have a better one. We don't ask any of our guests this, but I'm gonna ask you on our Tony recap turned soapbox episode.

[38:59] Dana Craig: Yeah. I don't know how you're gonna edit this to make it good.

[39:04] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, I definitely don't know when we can drop it, but maybe tomorrow morning. Um if you could have anyone hand you your Tony award, who would it be?

[39:16] Dana Craig: Martin Short.

[39:19] Steven Ferezy: That's actually definitive. Sorry.

[39:22] Dana Craig: Martin Short done. Good answer. Good answer.

[39:27] Steven Ferezy: As Jiminy Glick.

[39:32] Dana Craig: Jiminy Glickett. I mean, yours is Bernadette Peters, but it is Bernadette Peters. Do you have another answer?

[39:39] Steven Ferezy: If she were unavailable, Judith Light.

[39:43] Dana Craig: Okay, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Broadway Bears, Judith Light.

[39:48] Steven Ferezy: If Bernadette Peters were unavailable, or unwilling or unable. God forbid. If she was like, yeah, no. Uh, Judith Light.

[39:59] Dana Craig: Did you hear the dressers shout out?

[40:03] Steven Ferezy: Yes. I forgot who made the shout-out, but I was like, oh.

[40:08] Dana Craig: There were several, Patty being one of them.

[40:10] Steven Ferezy: Yep.

[40:12] Dana Craig: Um. She was actually a surprise for me.

[40:15] Steven Ferezy: Her win. It wasn't so much a surprise. I knew it would be her or someone else.

[40:22] Dana Craig: Okay. Uh I was hoping Samard, honestly.

[40:25] Steven Ferezy: You were hoping SMARD.

[40:27] Dana Craig: Yeah. I thought it was gonna be Patty or Elle Morgan.

[40:32] Steven Ferezy: Ormard.

[40:33] Dana Craig: Yeah, I had some art. I yeah, I had some art in my mix. But I really thought that the race kind of was showing Patty for her reasons and Al Morgan's for hers.

[40:46] Steven Ferezy: Um to be the front runners, and you know, I have not seen Company yet.

[40:55] Dana Craig: But I really know. I'm on the schedule. I had not known. I had not known this.

[41:03] Steven Ferezy: Yeah. Have not seen Company yet. Um but I know that show and I know that part, and I know that it can win you a Tony, and it can also not win you a Tony.

[41:18] Dana Craig: So I thought it they didn't have to give it to her for that. The way that Mama Rose was so undeniable. You know what I mean?

[41:27] Steven Ferezy: Yep, I do.

[41:28] Dana Craig: And she's not undeserved, I'm sure.

[41:31] Steven Ferezy: Not undeserved. Let's be sure. She started her acceptance speech saying she's been with this production forever.

[41:39] Dana Craig: Right. You know, like what four or five years started already. So that's no surprise to me. But I wasn't sure which direction they were going to go.

[41:50] Steven Ferezy: Yeah. I miss I will I will end on this because I actually do have to get in the shower and go to work. Um I miss when plays did scenes on the Tonies.

[42:03] Dana Craig: Plays used to get airtime, Middle America doesn't care. They're limited engagements. They're not gonna be here by the time the tourists get here anyway. They've already closed.

[42:18] Steven Ferezy: Plays remain highbrow. You have to know what plays are coming in and out of New York. You have to stay on top of that in order to go see a play, with the exception of Harry Potter.

[42:30] Dana Craig: Correct me if I'm wrong. Like what other long running plays are there?

[42:37] Steven Ferezy: There always seems to be a Martin McDonagh.

[42:41] Dana Craig: I don't know, actually. Plays tend to I don't know. Get limited engagements because of the star power they're bringing in to perform them.

[42:49] Steven Ferezy: Right, like the Angels of America. God forbid we do a play with people who are local and available.

[42:57] Dana Craig: God forbid. Um, For Colored Girls was such an example of that. You know, unlimited engagement and shortened and then extended, but still shortened from its original run. Um, it was beautiful. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I would have loved for America to see three minutes of it.

[43:21] Steven Ferezy: You know, plays tend to have shorter runtimes, so advertising them to people who will not get to New York in time to see them, or many of which have already closed. Um it's a shame.

[43:35] Dana Craig: And they said that about Caroline too. They said, you know, Caroline was a limited engagement that ended its run earlier, which is why you're not seeing a performance of it tonight. Really, we can't show two minutes of B-roll. We can't show 90 seconds of B-roll.

[43:49] Steven Ferezy: Yeah.

[43:50] Dana Craig: Yeah. We can't show like a clip with sound to like show how great that was. It deserved something like that. Same with plays. Like show some B-roll. Show the stuff that like CBS will show when they have Laurie Metcalf on.

[44:09] Steven Ferezy: Right. What does it take? Maybe we have some kind of Tony Awards producer on because we can ask all these questions. I want the working room creative.

[44:23] Dana Craig: Anyway, so uh listeners, thank you so much for listening to these 99 episodes. Yes, I hope I honest to god did enjoy the Tonies. I sat with Kevin.

[44:34] Steven Ferezy: Me too. Like we hung out. It was nice to have them feel a little more normal than last year.

[44:40] Dana Craig: Yeah, they're it's getting back. I loved that no show swept. I loved that every show that performed showed well. I loved um it felt like a big party again.

[44:52] Steven Ferezy: It was a nice Tonies. I was on the couch leaning forward. I wasn't in the corner, kind of half paying attention.

[44:59] Dana Craig: Okay. Um great. It was a good energy this year. I was happy about that.

[45:05] Steven Ferezy: Next time we speak to you, it will be our hundredth episode.

[45:11] Dana Craig: We have yet to know who will bless us with their presence.

[45:18] Steven Ferezy: Yeah, we have to do that. Hopefully, hopefully it's someone that will really knock your socks off.

[45:27] Dana Craig: Hopefully.

[45:28] Steven Ferezy: It might not. Yeah, we no promises. You know us. We don't make promises we can't keep.

[45:35] Dana Craig: No.

[45:36] Steven Ferezy: Um, we're very excited for our next episode. It will be 100. Please join us, and we're not gonna tell you who it is, but you're gonna be able to do that.

[45:43] Dana Craig: Okay, we're gonna tell you it's Angela Lansbury.

[45:45] Steven Ferezy: Okay. She's gonna be able to do that.

[45:46] Dana Craig: She's doing her first podcast on ours.

[45:49] Steven Ferezy: Oh my gosh. Can you imagine?

[45:51] Dana Craig: Can you imagine?

[45:54] Steven Ferezy: Do you have any theater you're seeing soon?

[45:57] Dana Craig: Like within the next month or so?

[45:58] Steven Ferezy: That's a good question.

[46:02] Dana Craig: Into the Woods.

[46:05] Steven Ferezy: Good for you.

[46:06] Dana Craig: I do. I did secure those tickets in advance. Mostly to make sure that I didn't book work. I knew that I have to work, and that if I didn't pick a date and buy it and keep it before I got busy, that it would come and go in the eight or ten weeks that it's running and I'd miss it.

[46:32] Steven Ferezy: I think MJ and A Strange Loop are next on my to-dos.

[46:36] Dana Craig: Yes. I highly, highly recommend the Strange Loop of it all. It's astounding to me.

[46:47] Steven Ferezy: Um, and with that.

[46:50] Dana Craig: Bye.

[46:52] Steven Ferezy: Bye.

[46:57] Steven Ferezy: In the Room with Steven and Dana is produced by Steven Ferezy.

[47:01] Dana Craig: And Dana Craig.

[47:02] Steven Ferezy: Special thanks to Joel Wagoner for tinkling the ivories on our theme song. Hit him up at joelwagoner.com.

[47:09] 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.

[47:23] 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.

[47:35] Dana Craig: We are all over the internet on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at In the Room Pod. Follow us, like us, share us, pant us out. And don't forget to subscribe to In the Room Podcast.

[47:47] Steven Ferezy: We're everywhere, so subscribe. And thank you so much for listening.

[47:51] Dana Craig: Thank you so much.