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[0:00] Jessica Rush: Hi, and welcome to this episode of Mamas Talkin' Loud.

[0:03] Cara Cooper: I'm Jessica Rush and I'm Cara Cooper.

[0:05] Jessica Rush: And today we're talking to Lorin Latarro, who went from Broadway hoofer in 10 Broadway shows to one of the most sought-after choreographers today.

[0:14] Cara Cooper: And of course, she's a mama doing it all.

[0:17] ♪ Musical number: "Mama's Talking Loud" — performed by Jessica Rush & Cara Cooper ♪

[0:45] Jessica Rush: Welcome to this episode of Mamas Talkin' Loud.

[0:48] Cara Cooper: I'm Jessica Rush.

[0:48] Cara Cooper: And I'm Cara Cooper.

[0:50] Jessica Rush: Today we have the wonderful Lorin Latarro with us.

[0:54] Cara Cooper: Welcome.

[0:57] Lorin Latarro: It's early and it's cold outside.

[0:59] Jessica Rush: Very, very cold.

[1:00] Cara Cooper: If you're in the industry now, you probably know her as choreographer of the recently closed Waitress, among other things, and the upcoming Mrs. Doubtfire.

[1:10] Jessica Rush: But what you may not know is that before that she was in 10 Broadway shows.

[1:16] Cara Cooper: Is that 10?

[1:18] Jessica Rush: She was a hardcore Broadway person.

[1:22] Cara Cooper: I mean, I was gonna say a different word, but we can't say that anymore.

[1:26] Jessica Rush: That's right.

[1:28] Cara Cooper: No, hoofer extraordinaire, like the real deal paying all the dues.

[1:33] Jessica Rush: She paid all the dues.

[1:34] Cara Cooper: And now look at what's happened. This is amazing.

[1:37] Jessica Rush: Hi, Lorin. Welcome.

[1:39] Lorin Latarro: Thank you.

[1:41] Cara Cooper: Lorin has a very sweet baby girl, well, she's not a baby, but can you tell us about her?

[1:49] Lorin Latarro: She's 21 months old.

[1:50] Cara Cooper: Almost two.

[1:51] Lorin Latarro: Almost done with the months.

[1:53] Jessica Rush: Oh, yes. Almost where you don't say months anymore.

[1:55] Lorin Latarro: I never understood it before I had one of my own, and now I'm like, oh, I get it.

[1:59] Cara Cooper: And what's her name?

[2:00] Lorin Latarro: Arden.

[2:01] Cara Cooper: Arden.

[2:02] Lorin Latarro: Yes, that name.

[2:02] Jessica Rush: I do too.

[2:04] Cara Cooper: So welcome. Thanks for joining us today.

[2:06] Jessica Rush: We wanted to talk about, you know, we'll jump right in with back when you were a dancer on Broadway, nailing life.

[2:15] Cara Cooper: First off, I so Lorin and I backstory. Lorin and I did Guys and Dolls together.

[2:19] Jessica Rush: And to tell you a little bit about who she is as a person, I remember on the first day of rehearsal, this was in 2008, the end of 2008, it was gonna be my second Broadway show. I had lived in the city less than a year, and I walked into rehearsal into New 42, and I knew no one.

[2:39] Cara Cooper: I sort of knew Nick Adams, but like nobody else. And I walk in, and this person says, Hi, I'm Lorin. There's a seat next to me.

[2:46] Jessica Rush: And she just like that. She was on the front row, naturally. But like, just right away, just come over, sit with me. And I thought, oh my god, thank you so much. But that's who you are. Like your energy is so...

[3:01] Cara Cooper: I mean, you probably don't even remember that, but I was super young and new, and I knew no one, and you made me feel so comfortable. And then we were always at understudy rehearsal together because Lorin and I were the Adelaide and Sarah covers for that production.

[3:16] Lorin Latarro: Did we go on together?

[3:17] Cara Cooper: I never went on.

[3:18] Lorin Latarro: I'm the only one to go on because no, because we closed very quickly.

[3:18] Cara Cooper: Very quickly.

[3:25] Lorin Latarro: So I'm the only one that didn't go on out of all the covers, but yeah, so that's, you know, and that's so it's been awesome to see your success and see how you've transitioned and everything.

[3:34] Jessica Rush: Thanks. When you were a dancer on Broadway, you know, were there many mothers? Did you see many mothers?

[3:40] Lorin Latarro: I mean, because you know, your first credits were in the last century, the end of the last century, granted, right?

[3:49] Lorin Latarro: Uh, yeah, I started on Broadway in 2000.

[3:52] Jessica Rush: Okay, so swing, yeah, yeah.

[3:53] Lorin Latarro: I was looking at IBDB and it opened in '99.

[3:56] Cara Cooper: '99.

[3:56] Lorin Latarro: But I came in in January of 2000.

[3:59] Jessica Rush: Oh, I mean, I came in like right after they opened.

[4:01] Lorin Latarro: Yeah. I can go down the line. I mean, I actually have some memories of women who became pregnant and then we threw them a party and waved goodbye.

[4:15] Cara Cooper: Really?

[4:15] Lorin Latarro: Yes.

[4:16] Cara Cooper: And did they come back?

[4:18] Lorin Latarro: No.

[4:19] Cara Cooper: Oh no. That's fascinating because there has been a major, major shift.

[4:24] Lorin Latarro: Yes, major shift.

[4:25] Cara Cooper: That's what I was wondering, is just like what you said about how you gave a party and then you wave goodbye and they didn't come back. And I think that was the story and the narrative for a very long time.

[4:36] Lorin Latarro: Yes.

[4:37] Cara Cooper: Right. I mean, there was just you couldn't figure out how to make it happen. It was something that people didn't even entertain, I feel like, for a while. So having seen that, was it something that you entertained? Did you know you wanted to be a mom? Was that something you came to later? Like, how did that fit into your vision of your career?

[4:53] Lorin Latarro: I always wanted to be a mom. I froze my eggs. That's how badly I knew I wanted to be a mom. Because being a dancer, your body is like you need your body to be working. So the idea of being pregnant as a dancer has all this other stuff around it that a normal person might not have. You know what I mean?

[5:13] Lorin Latarro: Because I do. Because I can work on, you can, when I was pregnant and choreographing, I stopped working three weeks before I gave birth and then went back to work three weeks after I gave birth.

[5:24] Jessica Rush: We're gonna get into that.

[5:26] Lorin Latarro: But if I were a dancer, that would not be the case. You know, you...

[5:30] Lorin Latarro: I mean, what I didn't know before I got pregnant was like how late you actually do start a show. You know what I mean? Like it was like, oh, you know, you can sort of keep this a secret until like six months. I mean, unless you're wearing like a leotard and tights.

[5:42] Cara Cooper: Well, true.

[5:43] Lorin Latarro: But I mean, yeah, exactly. So I think for dancers, there's a whole nother level of stuff around the actual pregnancy and working and, you know, how to make money during a pregnancy. But yeah, so I always knew I wanted to be a mom.

[5:57] Cara Cooper: Okay.

[5:57] Lorin Latarro: Mm-hmm.

[5:58] Cara Cooper: Well then being, when you said you froze your eggs, when did you do that?

[6:03] Lorin Latarro: Pretty early. I mean, early enough that it was sort of I thought it was the best thing I could do for myself to buy myself some time working and finding a partner that I really loved and, you know.

[6:16] Jessica Rush: Well, and it's great. I mean, because you were, I mean, you're nonstop, like you're Broadway's Lorin Latarro, you know what I mean? Like you really were.

[6:21] Cara Cooper: It's, it was you were show to show to show to show. I mean, if you look on IBDB, you know, as far as people who are performers who transition to being a choreographer or a director, I think you lead the pack, you know.

[6:35] Lorin Latarro: I mean, Casey and Jerry and Sergio and Andy and those people, they ain't got nothing on Lorin.

[6:42] Cara Cooper: And they're also men who know it's a just it's a different journey.

[6:45] Lorin Latarro: Mm-hmm.

[6:46] Cara Cooper: For sure. Did you always know that you wanted to be a choreographer? Is that how you envisioned everything?

[6:51] Lorin Latarro: I thought I'd be dancing for Pina Bausch or something by now. I don't know. I always thought I'd like leave Broadway and go move to Germany or I don't know. But I always was creative. So with most of the Broadway shows I did and a lot of the shows, other shows on Broadway, I was part of like skeleton crews.

[7:03] Lorin Latarro: You know, I choreographed like Gypsy of the Year and things like that, I remember years, always assisting choreographers, even before associates really had titles. I was sort of always in the room, and I really enjoyed it. And it just became this like inverse ratio thing. I started enjoying performing at night less and less, and I started enjoying being in the studio being creative more and more. And it was like I think this is what I'd like to do.

[7:36] Cara Cooper: That's so great because I feel like a lot of us dancers and actors, you know, at times you think, Am I doing this forever? Will I be going to auditions when I'm 70? And some of us will be.

[8:11] Lorin Latarro: And you're still in the world, you're just calling the shots a little more.

[8:15] Cara Cooper: Yeah, but I do think it took, I mean, it took a while. I mean, when I associate choreographed American Idiot, that was a big shift. And then Michael Mayer and I started working together a lot. So that was really big for me. But I think it took, you know, the good news and the bad news, the good news and the bad news is that I knew everyone in the industry, right? From doing 10 Broadway shows.

[8:37] Lorin Latarro: So basically I knew every producer on Broadway. I knew many, many directors on Broadway. So now I had to go convince all of these producers and directors who knew me as like, oh yeah, the little girl who will sell yes, yes, she says yes to everything. Right. She'll come or like she'll get thrown around the room. She's, you know, she's easygoing. Like, she's gonna choreograph my $18 million dollar Broadway show. I'm not so sure.

[9:01] Cara Cooper: So it took a while to convince the people in charge that I could also be in charge because their perception of me was a chorus girl.

[9:12] Lorin Latarro: Right.

[9:13] Cara Cooper: You know, but I think that it speaks also though to while they do see you as the chorus girl, and so it might take a minute to shift their thought as to you as a choreographer. I do think though that because of who you are, like you were just saying, the girl who says yes to everything, the girl who will be thrown around the room, easygoing, all these things shows up, gives a hundred percent every show. Do you know what I mean? Someone who is fully committed to the job, that spoke volumes of who you were. So that when they had this moment thinking, oh, do we hire her in this position? We've never seen her do that, but we do know she's great to have in the room, she's always positive, she works hard. All the things we tell up-and-coming actors and dancers that it's important, like your reputation precedes you, and it will come into play, and it will have a lot to do with how often you work.

[10:02] Lorin Latarro: I think you know, like people notice that, people notice how you are in the room. And so I think that was a huge advantage for you, right?

[10:08] Lorin Latarro: I hope so. I mean, I'm very happy.

[10:11] Cara Cooper: And then were there really specific steps that you took to transition? I mean, it sounded like it just happened so naturally, but were there, you know, showcases that you did or things like that where you put your work out there?

[10:26] Lorin Latarro: Yes. I mean, I did everything I could, yeah, and most of it was for free. You know, I did Dance Break, I did Dance Break. I always choreographed Broadway Bears in the opening numbers of Gypsy of the Year, or now Fred Buckley Folly Spice. And, you know, wrote notes to directors, said I would come in as an observer for free just to watch the process and get to know somebody, assisted choreographers. I mean, I did everything.

[10:49] Lorin Latarro: Yeah, but it never felt like work. I always loved it, you know. I mean, what's bad about, I mean, what could be more fun than spending the day being like, what about this? What about this? What about this? And being an assistant to a choreographer actually offers you the chance to practice having ideas without any repercussions.

[11:10] Cara Cooper: Yeah.

[11:10] Lorin Latarro: So if I'm the choreographer of a Broadway show and I have a bad idea, there are repercussions to that bad idea. Whether it be the director being like, uh, that's terrible, or even worse, a critic being like, oh, that's terrible, or even worse, a producer being like, uh, you're fired. But as the assistant, you can practice. You can sort of say out loud these ideas, and then you have the choreographer who you start to learn. If the choreographer goes, Oh, that's a good idea. And maybe if we do this, this, and this to that idea, it's even better idea. Or you can see the choreographer being like, Hmm, well, you know, hold on to that thought, we'll try something else. So all of a sudden it sort of helps shape your taste, yeah, in a way. And you're sort of practicing like what you like and the way your brain works, and so it was none of it was wasted time.

[11:59] Cara Cooper: No, of course not.

[12:00] Lorin Latarro: No, not at all.

[12:01] Cara Cooper: I mean, it's what I wanted to ask you with American Idiot. I know that was the first time you were associate, right?

[12:04] Lorin Latarro: Yes.

[12:07] Cara Cooper: You're also in the show.

[12:08] Lorin Latarro: Yes.

[12:08] Lorin Latarro: Yes. I was a swing, yeah, dance captain.

[12:11] Cara Cooper: Yes.

[12:12] Lorin Latarro: Many times you're a dance captain.

[12:14] Cara Cooper: Yes. I noticed, which obviously just makes so much sense with you. You know what I mean? For you transitioning to this position. But did they approach you? Like, were you hired as a swing and a dance captain, and then they had the idea of having you be an associate? How'd that go down?

[12:28] Lorin Latarro: Yeah, it was the other way around. So I was performing on Broadway, and then they came to me. Michael Mayer asked me to associate choreograph Spring Awakening, and I said no because of Guys and Dolls.

[12:39] Cara Cooper: Oh my gosh.

[12:41] Lorin Latarro: Isn't that funny?

[12:42] Lorin Latarro: Yeah. I was like, no, I still have to perform. I still have some more shows in me. And then he called me again. He said, Listen, don't say no to this, do this. So I said yes. But then I was panicked about money. So I said, I'll do it, but then I need to be in the show. So I said, I will swing dance captain and associate choreograph. And I remember the producers being like, Do you think you could do all those things? And I was like, Absolutely, yes, I guess.

[13:07] Lorin Latarro: Exactly. But I had, I mean, there was no other way. I was single, and you know, I couldn't just not be working on Broadway just to take a job that ended on opening night.

[13:15] Cara Cooper: Mm-hmm. And the benefits for associate choreographers are non-existent, I to my knowledge.

[13:22] Lorin Latarro: They're getting much better.

[13:23] Cara Cooper: They're getting better.

[13:23] Lorin Latarro: And we're fighting. I'm on the steering committee.

[13:25] Cara Cooper: So that's wonderful.

[13:27] Lorin Latarro: So we are, they're doing much better now. And those producers were very generous to me, but the position ends at opening night so often, right? And it doesn't have health insurance, right? I mean, if there are things that logistics and just life things.

[13:40] Lorin Latarro: So I was just in a place it was perfect for me, you know, except for the time I had to go on for Alicia Umfhrist, who belts ease and I don't. I think I took a shot of whiskey and like just went on there and was like, whoo. One of the most embarrassing moments of my life.

[13:59] Jessica Rush: Yeah, I wouldn't want to have to go out for her either.

[14:02] Lorin Latarro: Oh my gosh, no. My riffing skills and the naughty to speak. But uh, well, let's transition maybe a little bit to the more motherhood side of things. So you talked about freezing your eggs.

[14:13] Jessica Rush: Yes.

[14:15] Lorin Latarro: So how did you have Arden?

[14:19] Jessica Rush: With the frozen embryo.

[14:20] Lorin Latarro: You did it.

[14:20] Jessica Rush: Yeah.

[14:20] Lorin Latarro: Oh yeah, I did it. How long did you how long was it between when you froze them and then when you because then you got married?

[14:28] Jessica Rush: Like five years.

[14:30] Lorin Latarro: Oh, okay. Yeah. All right. Well, I was like, well, we could try, you know, but why not use these younger eggs?

[14:37] Jessica Rush: Right.

[14:38] Lorin Latarro: Yeah. So so it was like so easy. I mean smart of you to freeze your eggs.

[14:41] Jessica Rush: Yeah.

[14:42] Lorin Latarro: Oh, I say it out loud because I just want women to know that this option is getting more and more viable. It is like I mean, it's just so wonderful. It just offers you. I mean, I decided when it was going to happen. Now, look, it's not always 100%, but um still it just offers you um a lot of control.

[15:02] Jessica Rush: Yeah, absolutely.

[15:03] Lorin Latarro: And a little peace of mind, maybe too. Because you know, as we work longer and longer, and particularly in this industry, you don't see a lot of young parents, you know, people under 30 in New York City. Even under 35, no, I mean, yeah, so it's you know, it's um it gives you the the peace of mind to a certain degree that okay, I don't have to feel that clock tick tocking, you know, quite as loudly. Because it's hard, it's hard to make your way in this business, it's hard to prove your worth, it takes a while sometimes, you know. Um, and then to find the person that you want to have your child with. Um, that's very important, obviously.

[15:41] Lorin Latarro: Um, I remember we were doing um I don't think I'm speaking off turn with this conversation, but we were doing a workshop together with Des. Independence.

[15:52] Jessica Rush: Right.

[15:52] Lorin Latarro: Oh yes. Independence, the musical. And um, and I remember talking in the hallway at New 42, and you're like, So, how hard is it really to like be a mom easy after this? You're like, can we go for drinks?

[16:07] Jessica Rush: Because we did, and we did. I think right after we went for drinks, I had to have the I already I think had on the books like the day, and my husband and I were like, Are you sure you want to do it? Are you sure you want to do it in July? You sure you want to do, you know.

[16:19] Lorin Latarro: But you and I we went out for drinks, and I just remember like a list of questions. You were like, okay, but is it really hard? And like, what do you do? You know, and I mean what did you say when she asked you if it was really hard?

[16:31] Jessica Rush: Yeah, it's hard. It's like it is really hard, but also like everyone has different circumstances, and I mean, one thing that's helpful is your husband is a brilliant uh neuro, no brain surgeon, yeah.

[16:46] Lorin Latarro: Yes, so that changes your situation a little bit in regards to just having being able to have more help, perhaps, or or even being able to do IVF with you know, with your eggs, yeah, for sure.

[17:00] Jessica Rush: Yeah, I use I froze my as I was single, you know. I used and that was where the bulk of the money was. I used my I set the non-union tour of American Idiot, and I used that entire chunk of money that I made to freeze those eggs. I just did it. Um, you know, I think there's honestly, I think it it all evens out. It's like because my husband works Monday through Friday, he's out of the house by 6:30, 5:30 in the morning, and when he comes home, he's pretty tired from doing like four-hour surgeries. And so we are reliant on, we have a really awesome nanny. I mean, it's like the real life Mrs. Dalfire. Like, I guess she's like the greatest, but but uh, we are reliant on her. Whereas, like, I think if your partner is in the industry, sometimes, you know, he can be home during the day. And Mondays are fun days.

[17:50] Jessica Rush: And sure. I mean, I think I do think it all truly evens out. You know, yeah, the pros and cons of all of it. I mean, there's there's benefits, and then at the same time, the the trade-off, like you said, is that he's gone. I mean, you know, operating on brains. It's just a whole I don't even know my brain is blown up about us like in the theater industry. I'm like, it's not brain surgery.

[18:11] Lorin Latarro: Yeah. That is always like the comparison that I make. It's really fun, except when you come home and I've had a hard day, and my husband's like, yeah, well, did you do brain surgery today? No, but you did. I get it.

[18:23] Jessica Rush: All right. Um have you so you decided to get pregnant?

[18:29] Lorin Latarro: Yeah, we had that conversation, and you were sort of already, you clearly were. I think you did say that you had had a date in mind, and or that you had scheduled it, but you were there was some trepidation there, right?

[18:42] Jessica Rush: Oh my gosh, I was so scared.

[18:43] Lorin Latarro: Yeah. I mean, it's it's scary. And I think the thing about, you know, everyone sort of not everyone, most of the time we decide, oh, let's start trying, or let's try to figure it out. But you never know, like, how long will that take? Will I, you know, will it take? Will it take?

[19:00] Jessica Rush: Right.

[19:01] Lorin Latarro: You you knew, like, okay, when we when we do this, there's a good chance it's gonna work, right?

[19:07] Jessica Rush: You know, well, that was the goal, but of course it still is like there's like a there's like a 30% right rate of it not not right sticking. You're gonna be able to do that. But it's like knowing that, like, oh, on this day when I go. Oh yeah, it's crazy. This is what's gonna be happening, you know. You know, that's wild.

[19:20] Lorin Latarro: That's wild. And so you so it took, yay, Arden's on the way. I know the doctor was like, you know, it's nobody's choice except he was like, Do you know if it's a boy or girl embryo? And I said, No, I know it's a girl. And he said, Great. Well, then you know that it's her choice. Either she wants to stick around or she doesn't. There's nothing any of us can do about it. It's it's up to her. So I thought that was that was really a lovely sort of yeah, kind of take the pressure off of you and away. It was really great.

[19:46] Jessica Rush: Yeah. Yeah. And she decided to stick around. So tell us, you saw you touched on this earlier, because I think this is very interesting. And I think this is something that uh is a discussion that needs to be have had. But um you worked until three weeks before you had her. But no one people didn't know all that time.

[20:03] Lorin Latarro: No way.

[20:08] Jessica Rush: Yeah, exactly. Will you speak a little to why you decide? I mean, to that experience. I mean 'cause you were choreographing at this point, obviously.

[20:15] Lorin Latarro: Yes, you're choreographing. And I and I know that you waited a very long time to have it be public.

[20:21] Jessica Rush: Oh yeah, I had this great black schmada that I wore every day. It just hid any hint of bump. I think it was Kevin McCollum who was like, I just I'm almost afraid to ask this. I just I got but are are are we pregnant? Because I was like eight months pregnant. And I said yes, and he was laughing. He was like, I just thought maybe you gained a lot of weight or something. I didn't know. It was really funny. I I w I was I was genuinely scared. It it it wasn't manipulative, I wasn't manipulating anything, or I I was genuinely scared. I was deathly afraid that if people saw me pregnant, producers or directors wouldn't want to work with me. I was deathly afraid. That is the that is the truth. And that is the reality of it.

It's feelings. And because I didn't tell anybody, I ended up being able to, well, look, I'm not sure. If I told people, I still might have the same jobs that I had. But I ended up being able to book myself choreography jobs after the pregnancy. So then by the time that I had the baby, people were like, oh well, she's already right back to work. You know, she's still she's still doing her thing, nothing's changed.

[21:32] Jessica Rush: They didn't take into consideration the fact that you were going to be a mom before they gave you the job.

[21:36] Lorin Latarro: That's right. And you came to the job and you're like, I'm a mom. Cool. Let's do this. I do think that I know that comes into play. You know, and that's a conversation. I mean, I think that's that's something that it's it saddens me that we feel that you felt that, which, but it's the truth of the matter, you know. And I think that I've heard stories of people saying, you know, that they're behind the table and they'll be like, oh, well, she's a mom, don't even bother asking if she can do this job or if she wants to do it, because they have preconceived notions of what we're capable of. And so you showed them it's also why more the the to have more women in positions of power and in charge, will this will slowly shift. And that's the only way it will shift. Is like when I'm in charge behind the table and a mom comes in, I'm actually like, We let's do it. Like, let's, you know, yeah, absolutely.

[22:26] Lorin Latarro: So it we need more people, you know, who who aren't afraid of it and who understand that you know, it doesn't for me. I can tell you that um all it did was make me a thousand times better of an artist. I am so much more creative, and if I'm going to be away from my daughter to be at work, then my work is gonna be great. Because I'm not gonna come to work and sort of half ass it, excuse my language, but then that would be um that would feel icky. But when I go to work and I have real pride in what I do, it's because if I'm going to be away from her, then I want to create some version of a legacy for for myself.

[23:07] Jessica Rush: Yeah.

[23:07] Lorin Latarro: It has to be worth it. It has to be worth it. Exactly, because otherwise you're half-assing your job and being and you're and running your child. You know what I mean? It's like, wait a minute, what's the and also I am so much I am so deeply happy in a way that I was never this happy before. I I am our my daughter has made me so deeply deeply happy and like deep joy, like real joy, like not the kind of joy that goes away after you eat your chocolate bar. Like, but like real deep joy. So nothing bothers me. You know what I mean? It's like, okay, if we have to re-chore graph a whole number, we will do it. It's like I'm not attached to those babies, you know, you know, you're those little things. It's like for sure. Whatever you need, it's like let's make it happen. It just because I just walk around with this a sense of happiness.

[23:59] Jessica Rush: I love that.

[24:01] Lorin Latarro: Yeah. And uh deep, you know, your priorities shift, you know. It's like in terms of it's like I I've said this before, it's like you go to an audition, you're like, if you don't like me, that's cool, because like my kid thinks I'm awesome, and I'm gonna go right back to her, and you know, right. It is what it is, you know. There's you realize that sort of like you talked about with the legacy, it's like life as a whole um changes and becomes deeper and more and richer. So I love that you said when you're on the other side of the table and you see a mom that comes in and you're like, let's do this. Have you had a lot of experience being on the other other side of the table with pregnant women coming in?

Because you were nervous about showing your pregnancy, and that is a big issue in our industry that when women go in and audition for something while they're pregnant, even though the job they are auditioning for is after they have the baby, it's very, very difficult for people to see beyond um the physicality of a pregnant woman and to envision them not being pregnant and being able to do the same thing.

[25:02] Lorin Latarro: Well, Katie Rose Clark, who was our lead actress in the Huey Lewis show, which hopefully will come to Broadway in the next year. Uh, the heart of rock and roll. That woman was pregnant, our entire rehearsal process. So we did a four-week workshop with like producers coming to invest in the show, and she did that right. It was really funny. And there was like this one moment where she's like falling in love with a guy and they kiss, and like she was just like, just ignore the belly. Because it was like you know, it was hilarious. Nobody battered an eye, I have to tell you. Yeah, Gordon Greenberg was the director, he was wonderful, the producers were wonderful, and then she had the baby, and I had my baby a little before she had her baby, and the two of us were out at the old globe.

I had like a 14-month-old, no, I'm sorry. My baby was five months old, and her baby was like two months old. Oh my god. And the two of us would just be like, pump break, right? And we'd be like, the whole rehearsal process was sort of bent around our pump breaks, and no one cared. It was fine. And guess what? The show got done, right? Everything got done, everything was fine, it was all good. It was a lot of fun, you know.

[26:16] Jessica Rush: That's wonderful.

[26:17] Lorin Latarro: It was great.

[26:17] Jessica Rush: That's wonderful. It's nice to hear stories like that.

[26:20] Lorin Latarro: Yeah, because we hear so much of the other, so it's really encouraging.

[26:23] Jessica Rush: Yeah, she was a she was a rock star.

[26:25] Lorin Latarro: Yeah, that's amazing. Well, and I think it also just says, like you just said, guess what the show got done we did it you know not only did the show get done but you know my work in it was great and guess what she was unbelievable in it she is I I hope it comes to Broadway because she her performance in this is extraordinary she's an extraordinary creature and if she did that when she had a two month old and pumping and no sleep imagine what she could do now exactly um have you noticed with the creative teams being on them uh when and because waitress was all female holla yeah um with Diane Paulis and Sarah and yourself and um but not every team is all female so have you noticed any differences with in regards to

[26:26] Lorin Latarro: no I mean I think that um but no I mean I don't like I I definitely sort of separate my lives sometimes on Saturday I'll have my nanny bring the baby on a the during lunch break or something but um I you know I sort of when I'm at work I'm at work but um excuse me but what I do notice is that you know the ratio of two two out of ten seems to be real like most of the time I'm in a room with mostly men and maybe one other woman or it's just me and a men but what what I what I love about it is I've become honest when I see something in the script that isn't realistic.

[27:58] Lorin Latarro: And I don't do it in a mean way or but I'm just like, I just I think I think a woman who is working, she's been working for what, 15 years, she has three kids, she has a husband, like you know, I think I can add a perspective that sometimes this men don't have. I mean, you know, I I I don't have a perspective on on what it's like to uh I don't know, you know, be feel like you're responsible for being the the financial provider in a in a in a marriage, or I don't know what it's like to pee standing up. I mean, there's things that I I would have a harder time writing about, right? So it's like I think it's um really important. And everybody's been very respectful, and uh most of the time things get changed because it's like, well, I know you what you're trying to say, but a woman, I don't think a woman would say it that way, or you know, stuff like that.

But that just speaks to the importance of having women on the team, because they're they're not shows, it's just about men. I mean, like these the majority of the the shows on Broadway are about men and women. So you need both perspectives. Right, and everybody's been really receptive. I mean, and but I I do think it's important to point out. Do you do you think that that's been because what American Idiot was 2010, right? So that was almost that was 10 years ago now. Has have you noticed more of a shift since that time, like since you started being in the room? Because I do think the national conversation, you know, like has shifted. And I do think women inequality and um in the workplace and also just in general has become such a hot topic. And so I'm wondering if if that has seeped into the conversations or if you felt from the beginning that that you were listened to in that way.

[29:43] Lorin Latarro: I I I mean in American, I always felt listened to. Right. I mean, like I'm very lucky in that way with them as as um my um my people, you know, they're my my mentors. But I think that because the creative, the zeitgeist is completely different. So I think even things that you could say on stage, look, being you know, we keep saying gypsies of the year, like even that's a great example. It's like everything has shifted. Yeah. Um and uh and it's continuing to shift, you know. So in that sense, something that you wrote in 2012, you have to go back and look at and make sure you're not offending anybody, or you know, it's just like a joke at the expense of another person, especially a person who's in a position of um minority, and like whether it's a sexual um uh LGBTQ or uh whatever it is, gender, um, it's just not worth the joke anymore.

Whereas 10 years ago, you those jokes were all over the place. So um I think there's a whole slew of conversations, and the same thing with women and autonomy and you know, cracking a joke at a at a woman's expense when it when especially when it comes to sort of um domestic or sexual you know vexing situations. So have um uh I don't want to ask you, are you gonna have another one? Because that's what the worst question is. But I don't know, truthfully, like have your experience of how it's been since you became a mother, uh that influences like because for me, I'm like, um good to go. So like Kara knew she wanted to. I always knew that you know what I mean. So and I just wondered if being in in the world of it now and juggling motherhood and choreographer and being a choreographer, and also like you're becoming, you know, you are the choreographer.

You're not the associate anymore. You're not, you know, you're setting these Broadway shows and choreographing them and um the push pull of motherhood. If you see like, oh maybe I'll do it again or I I probably would. My husband is an only child, so he's like one is awesome. So it had for me, it I have to say I have I really have enjoyed um working and having the baby. And and though um I just haven't um perceived it as harder, I can't explain it. When I say like I'm so much happier now, like I feel like there's no I have no time where I feel lonely anymore. Like I'm I'm go home my home life is so beautiful. I wake up in the morning with this little like you know, joy bomb, you know, and then I go to work and I have a day, I have fun at work, and then I come home with joy bomb, and so I I I can't imagine why having a second joy bomb would be a bad thing, but at the same time, the balance of my life right now is absolutely perfect.

So I'm not sure that you know, like just sort of tipping the scale one way or the other is now's the right time to do it. I also have frozen eggs, so five years from now might be the time to do it. You know, so who knows? But right right now, I've got a few Broadway shows heading, you know, almost the outsiders, almost famous, Mrs. Doubtfire. You are a couple of more working. So it's like so. I feel like everything is in a really healthy, yeah, manageable place. So it's probably going to stay like this for a while. And then we'll see. And then, you know, but then there's like big questions about let's just say I make it to 65, 75 years old. It's like, what do you want your life to look like?

Then like there's you know, it's like also like as we're managing the next week and the next month and you know, opening night on Broadway, it's April 5th, like getting to April 5th, and then the summer and like managing these small increments of time. It's also I think really important to remember these long increments of time and to go, well, where do you want to where do you want to be at 60? Yeah, at 70. Totally, you know, yeah. That's a really good question to ask, and having children changes that. Yes, yes, for sure.

[34:03] Lorin Latarro: Um, let's shift gears a little bit um and talk. You are um a super vocal advocate of moms demand action, right? Yes. Yes. Yes. And you were before you mom. And that's what I wanted to say, yeah, right? It was before you were a mother, so I'm sure that's only heightened it. But what is it that drew you to that cause specifically? I mean, it honestly was uh the kids in Connecticut, I think was was it. I mean, that's when my I sort of gathered all the Broadway shows and we did this big demonstration in Times Square, and then we took it around the country. Um, I just it just it just doesn't make any sense to me as a mom. Like these the lax gum laws in this country are it's just it's just crazy that anyone is willing to sort of let this be an option.

It's just you know, so I'm fighting hard for it and um but a lot of progress has been made even under this Republican Senate and presidency. I heard actually recently a statistic that mom's demand action uh raised more money this year than the NRA. Yes, that that is true for the first time ever. Yep, to see a chance. That's amazing. Yeah, that's amazing. Well, because I think you know, we've often said, like, after Sandy Hook, if nothing changed, then it's not gonna change. And it truly is something that you wonder because especially once you become a mother and you see, like when they get to that age and you think of those poor sweet kids, and it's just like, how can you be that heartless to let it continue like this?

So the fact that sort of more and more people in the country are waking up and donating to mom's demand action and taking to the streets and really fighting for it. I mean, I think even the statistic is like even a majority of gun owners are in favor of what I mean. Like it just makes sense. If you have nothing to, if you're not gonna do anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about. So of course nobody's advocating sort of removing everybody's gun, but we are all advocating for stricter laws that are national, so they don't shift from state to state exactly and um well and it's a very real fear. I mean, I you know, I uh Elliot started kindergarten this year and I had a huge uh anxiety attack.

It's what finally drove me to getting on medication to be honest. My husband was like, It's time we gotta do this because you know, her classroom is near the front, and you know, there's a security guard, but you know, all these things go through your mind, and I was like, I'm not gonna be able to send her to school every day and worry about this. This is not feasible for the next you know 12 years, 13 years or whatever. And so it would be so lovely if we could not worry about that as much as well. No, I know. And also, I don't know, like for me, like the love that I of course that you feel for your child for me that extends now. Like I used to feel nothing for other children, but now, like if I see a like a baby on the airplane, like I have love for this baby, like it's like it extends.

It's like, you know, why you know separating parents at the border for me has been also like triggering because it's like these b could you imagine the agony that a mother and a child are going through, you know. And so it's like so it ex so I think that's why maybe these moms are really making progress, is because this empathy that is like it's like a spider web. It's like the moms of this country have created this spider web of empathy and love, and they're just you can't you can win against that. No, you can't keep them down. Mamas make it happen. You know what I mean? Like, I think a mother's love is super powerful, and then like you said, yeah, it's a shared consciousness. It's that's right.

And can put ourselves in the shoes of any other mother out there who experiences this tragedy and know what that feels like, and that's super powerful and super empowering and motivating, right? That's right, driving force.

[37:55] Lorin Latarro: Yeah, um, you still have Mrs. Doubtfire coming in. You were just in Seattle with that, right? So Arden went with you, I'm assuming, yes, yeah, with the nanny. That's awesome. Was your husband able to come or he did? He came for a week. We actually did it differently this time. The nanny stayed home and and slept at our apartment here in New York City with my husband for the first week. Then they all flew out together. Okay, and then they stayed, and my husband left after a week because he had to go back to work, and then that's a good transition. It gives you like a week to get settled and get it was great. I went to the gym every morning. I walked around, it was great, it was really fun. And then um, but then I missed them dearly.

Of course, and my nanny and I have become very close friends. I love her. Has she been with you since Arden was born? Yes, that's awesome. Yeah, yeah. And then, and it gave my husband less time alone because he gets lonely when we travel, right? It's like so he got to spend the week with the baby and not be in a lonely apartment alone. Yeah. So it all it made everything better. And you learn after every process, I'm sure. Like, how's the how can we make this work even better? Right. After each one. Yes. But I think this is going to be my, you know, also like that first week of tech. I wanted to be a hundred percent present. And um it was so it was perfect. It really was great. Yeah. And going into so are you here now for a while?

Like you've got no more in Chicago in June for the outsiders. Oh, okay. That's exciting. Um, well, that's not that far away, Lauren. But in the meantime, you're a way to put up a whole new Broadway show and open it and get through Tony season. Yes. Yes. I'm doing the visitor at the public also. Oh wow. You're just like joking. I know. I'm like all these things. I'm like, how is that actually into the schedule? Nothing compared to to that. Oh no. That's just amazing. You're a rock star. It's awesome. And it's so exciting, and we can't wait to see what what's coming next down the pike. I mean, you've literally got them like lined up lined up there in order. And you somehow fit us in. So thank you so much so much.

Thank you. It's so fun. It's so great to see a fellow, you know, a fellow chorus person making it happen. We came up together. We came up together. Yeah, I mean, it was like I'm just I'm so proud of you, and it's so exciting. Yeah. Congrats on it all. Thank you for doing this to everybody. Absolutely.

[40:27] Jessica Rush: Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Mama's Talkin' Loud. Special shout outs to Rachel Spencer Hewitt for our fabulous graphic, Kristen Anderson Lopez, Bobby Lopez, and Justin Ward Weber for our awesome theme song. Our producers Dori Berinstein, Alan Seales, and of course the Broadway Podcast Network for bringing us to you. If you like what you're hearing and you want to keep the conversation going, you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and of course, subscribe and review us wherever you listen to your podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in.