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[0:00] Ollie Southgate: Previously, on Putting It Together.

[0:08] Ollie Southgate: There's an expectation that retail and businesses which are open to the public, where you can navigate footfall in an easier way than perhaps a live entertainment show might be able to.

[0:18] Ollie Southgate: I think there's certain things that we'll be able to learn from those industries about what consumers need to hear.

[0:23] Ollie Southgate: But I think it has to be led by research and the market that we exist in at the time that performances resume.

[0:29] Ollie Southgate: New York City is disproportionately suffering compared to many other cities.

[0:33] Ollie Southgate: And we as a Broadway community are a fundamental part of that community.

[0:36] Ollie Southgate: And so anything we can do to help people, helping out in food banks, whatever that is, I think we need to have outreach into our communities to help people because people need help.

[0:44] Ollie Southgate: They do not want to be talked to about the future in our brand language.

[0:48] Ollie Southgate: Theater won't come back before so many other things have come back.

[0:51] Ollie Southgate: So we're going to both have the benefit of safety communications that are successfully made on behalf of other businesses and safety messages that are unsuccessfully made from other businesses and the barriers to people's believing or non-believing those messages.

[1:07] Ollie Southgate: I know what I want to be able to say to consumers once the safety hurdle is crossed is that theater isn't theater until you're there.

[1:14] Ollie Southgate: Theater isn't theater without you, without you the live audience, right? Like we could all put on a show, but if nobody comes, the magic doesn't happen.

[1:22] Ollie Southgate: But from a truly gut instinct, honest standpoint, both as a fan and as someone who's in charge of helping craft this message for when we do come back, I really do believe that ultimately the message is theater doesn't happen without an audience.

[1:35] Ollie Southgate: And that audience is you.

[1:40] Ollie Southgate: Hello again, I'm Ollie Southgate. And from the Broadway Podcast Network, this is Putting It Together and our third COVID-19 special.

[1:46] Ollie Southgate: It's been a tumultuous month for so many reasons.

[1:49] Ollie Southgate: I want to start by saying Black Lives Matter.

[1:51] Ollie Southgate: Both myself and all my colleagues at the network are with you.

[1:54] Ollie Southgate: If you can, please join us in support of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Color of Change, and the National Bailout Collective.

[2:02] Ollie Southgate: I know the last few weeks have been so challenging for so many reasons. So if I can use my relatively small platform to help your cause or any organization that you know needs support, please get in touch with me at olisouthgate.com.

[2:13] Ollie Southgate: That's Ollie, spelled with an I-E.

[2:16] Ollie Southgate: The last month has been a dark one, but some light is beginning to emerge at the end of the tunnel.

[2:20] Ollie Southgate: If you listened last month, you'll remember I laid out a potential timeline for reopening, one that began theoretically with the end of lockdown coming on June 8th.

[2:28] Ollie Southgate: And this isn't me bragging or anything, but...

[2:32] Ollie Southgate: Reopening in New York City is more complicated, as we know, but we are on track to meet all the metrics.

[2:40] Ollie Southgate: We are on track to open on June 8th.

[2:43] Ollie Southgate: The rest of that timeline I spoke to you about, the one that ended with most Broadway shows up again by the end of September, you're right to still be cynical about it.

[2:51] Ollie Southgate: Another new piece of information announced since my last episode came out are the four phases of reopening in New York State.

[2:57] Ollie Southgate: Unsurprisingly, arts and entertainment businesses are in the fourth and final phase.

[3:01] Ollie Southgate: And this newly announced June 8th date is only Phase 1.

[3:04] Ollie Southgate: Other parts of New York State moved from Phase 1 to Phase 2 in just two weeks.

[3:09] Ollie Southgate: In theory, if every phase lasts two weeks, that means the city hits Phase 4 on Monday, August 3rd.

[3:15] Ollie Southgate: But we don't know yet if that two-week rule will apply between Phases 2 and 3, and 3 and 4, or if New York City specifically will even be able to move between phases as quickly as the less densely populated parts of the state have.

[3:27] Ollie Southgate: You'd be forgiven for guessing that it probably won't.

[3:29] Ollie Southgate: And even then, the League and the unions are still working out what safely resuming performances looks like.

[3:35] Ollie Southgate: Even if the government says, sure, you can give it a try, there's still enormous pressure and responsibility on the Broadway community to try it in a way that poses minimum possible risk.

[3:44] Ollie Southgate: Then there's the commercial viability of any reduced capacity, liability, the list goes on.

[3:49] Ollie Southgate: But this month, we're going to talk about that.

[3:51] Ollie Southgate: My guests for this episode are all frequent Broadway ticket buyers, and they'll be telling us exactly what would make them feel safe.

[3:55] Ollie Southgate: They're all different ages, some locals, some out-of-towners, all come with different levels of risk personally, and by their own admission, some of them are just more cautious than others.

[4:07] Ollie Southgate: And together, they paint a fascinating, and I hope helpful, picture of what Broadway patrons expect to find when they go back to that first performance, whenever it comes.

[4:16] Ollie Southgate: And once we've heard from them, I'm going to dig deeper into just how practical or impractical the ideas they suggest are.

[4:21] Ollie Southgate: So thank you for joining me for Putting It Together, the COVID-19 Specials, Episode 3.

[4:32] Ollie Southgate: First, an idea of who it is we're talking to. I asked all of my guests to introduce themselves.

[4:41] Bruce Silber: Hi, my name is Bruce Silber.

[4:44] Debbie Shorstein: Debbie Shorstein.

[4:45] Jeff Gross: Jeff Gross.

[4:46] Leslie Rosenberg: I'm Leslie Rosenberg.

[4:48] Christine: My name is Christine.

[4:50] Ryan Hancock: My name is Ryan Hancock.

[4:51] Robin Sharon: My name is Robin Sharon.

[4:54] Matthew Shorstein: Hi, my name is Matthew Shorstein.

[4:56] Jeff: Hi, my name is Jeff. I'm 37.

[4:59] Bruce Silber: I'm 71.

[5:00] Jeff Gross: I'm 28 years old.

[5:02] Leslie Rosenberg: 33 years old.

[5:03] Christine: 24.

[5:04] Ryan Hancock: I was born in the year of the tiger.

[5:08] Robin Sharon: I'm 37.

[5:09] Matthew Shorstein: I'm 64.

[5:10] Jeff: I am 32 years old.

[5:13] Bruce Silber: I'm currently in marketing.

[5:16] Debbie Shorstein: I'm living in Sunnyvale, California.

[5:19] Jeff Gross: I'm a part-time real estate agent in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[5:22] Leslie Rosenberg: I'm a human capital consultant in Brooklyn, New York.

[5:25] Christine: I'm a health educator from Boston, Mass.

[5:29] Ryan Hancock: I'm a software engineer in New York City.

[5:32] Robin Sharon: I'm a teacher in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

[5:35] Matthew Shorstein: I'm the CEO of an event planning company from Manhattan Beach, California.

[5:40] Jeff: I work in finance in New York City.

[5:42] Bruce Silber: And I see about 5 to 7 Broadway shows a year.

[5:46] Debbie Shorstein: 20 Broadway shows a year.

[5:47] Jeff Gross: 6 Broadway shows a year.

[5:49] Leslie Rosenberg: 25 Broadway shows a year.

[5:51] Christine: 18 to 20 Broadway shows a year.

[5:55] Ryan Hancock: 5 to 7 Broadway shows a year.

[5:57] Robin Sharon: 40 Broadway shows a year.

[5:59] Matthew Shorstein: 5 Broadway shows a year.

[6:01] Jeff: Anywhere from 10 to 12 Broadway shows a year.

[6:04] Bruce Silber: And I see about 20 Broadway shows a year.

[6:06] Bruce Silber: And that's in addition to about 30 to 40 off-Broadway shows.

[6:09] Ollie Southgate: The threshold I'm using here is important. Anyone who sees 5 or more Broadway shows a year is what we refer to in marketing circles as a multi-buyer.

[6:14] Ollie Southgate: This is basically someone who makes the decision to see a Broadway show as a form of entertainment and works from there to pick one, rather than your average attendee who is more likely drawn in by the appeal of one specific show when they decide they're going to buy a ticket.

[6:30] Ollie Southgate: Theatre is firmly planted on these people's entertainment radar. They see a lot of shows, and they're no stranger to what the experience of being in a Broadway house is like.

[6:38] Ollie Southgate: This is an important distinction because these are the only people we can truly expect to be comfortable being in the house from day one.

[6:44] Ollie Southgate: Anyone else is going to be put off by that kind of proximity to strangers right off the bat.

[6:50] Ollie Southgate: Next up, I wanted to get to know their interests a little better, so I asked them what they were missing the most about seeing live shows during the shutdown.

[6:52] Bruce Silber: The answer was pretty unanimous.

[6:58] Bruce Silber: Everything. There isn't one particular thing.

[7:01] Debbie Shorstein: Everything possible.

[7:02] Jeff Gross: Can I answer everything?

[7:06] Leslie Rosenberg: I think it's everything, to be honest with you.

[7:08] Christine: Everything. That live experience.

[7:11] Ryan Hancock: I think the thing that I miss the most is just the experience of being in a theatre with other audience members and sharing that time with all the performers and everyone else that makes a Broadway show happen.

[7:25] Robin Sharon: And to just see a live production and to feel like part of this community of all the people who have seen this show on this day.

[7:34] Matthew Shorstein: And I think part of that also comes from going to see the show with friends and we'll make it a get-together, we'll have dinner, catch up, and go see a show, maybe grab drinks afterwards and discuss what we've seen.

[7:49] Jeff: I plan a big New York City trip once or twice a year, and I try to see as many as I can in the seven days that I'm there.

[7:56] Bruce Silber: So I just miss discovering new shows and things that I haven't seen before, whether that's off-Broadway or that's on-Broadway, and just kind of feeling all of these emotions.

[8:11] Debbie Shorstein: So when I was there last time, I saw Hadestown, and I tried to avoid listening to any music from it, which was hard, but I did it.

[8:18] Jeff Gross: So then when I actually saw the show, I was just so overwhelmed with the emotions and the feelings, and I was just like, this is incredible.

[8:25] Leslie Rosenberg: Because obviously we have Mirvish in Toronto, but it's just not the same.

[8:30] Christine: Once you're actually in the room and you're there in the theatre, it's just so overwhelming in the best way possible, and everyone else that's there is just as excited as you are.

[8:40] Ryan Hancock: I find sometimes when I go to shows here in Canada, it feels like maybe half the audience is there because they have to be, and half the audience is there because, of course, they want to be.

[8:51] Robin Sharon: But when I see stuff on Broadway, most people are there because they're super stoked about it.

[8:56] Matthew Shorstein: So it's kind of impossible to not feel that energy and feel that excitement from everybody that's sitting like 12 inches from you.

[9:03] Jeff: It's always thrilling because I go to New York once, twice a year. This year might only be once if I'm lucky.

[9:09] Bruce Silber: What I'm missing most is that moment when the show ends.

[9:13] Debbie Shorstein: I always close my eyes between the last bit of the show and the curtain call, and just look up and thank whatever's out there that I'm here in this moment, especially if I've enjoyed the show, to just really bask in that.

[9:25] Jeff Gross: I'm missing picking up members of the cast to follow and just enjoy the bits of their performance.

[9:30] Leslie Rosenberg: I'm missing the walk to the subway, waiting for the subway, talking about what we just saw.

[9:35] Christine: Really just the whole community experience of it.

[9:38] Ryan Hancock: The social aspect as well of being able to see performances live with friends and be there in the moment.

[9:47] Robin Sharon: And then during intermission and after the show, just enjoying that experience together is what's sort of missing.

[9:56] Matthew Shorstein: Recorded shows and Zoom meetings are okay, but it's just not the same as being there in the room.

[10:04] Ollie Southgate: Then I thought, in the words of Scott Rogowski, let's get down to the nitty gritty.

[10:08] Ollie Southgate: Let's say Broadway shows reopened again tomorrow. The government gives the green light, the league is all ready to go, and Broadway shows kick off again.

[10:16] Ollie Southgate: My question for this group of devout theatre goers is, are you ready to walk right back in with them? Or do you have other concerns outside of the world of theatre, maybe in the public health arena, that would still keep you at home as things stand?

[10:28] Bruce Silber: I don't have to wait for a vaccine, but I am nervous about doing anything in a crowd until there's some type of medication that doesn't make this a death sentence to some.

[10:40] Debbie Shorstein: Unfortunately, I am more on the conservative side of things, and safety and health are first and foremost in my mind.

[10:49] Jeff Gross: As fun as seeing live performances are, and as much as I love it, I definitely would want to understand more about what's going on, have more education.

[10:57] Leslie Rosenberg: I know the antibody tests haven't been as accurate as was originally hoped, and given we don't have a vaccine right now, I don't know I'd be comfortable getting on a plane, let alone flying to New York, staying in a hotel, and then seeing a show with a large crowd of people.

[11:24] Christine: I know a lot of places are doing social distancing protocols, where movie theatres are talking about not being at full capacity.

[11:33] Guest: To be really dependent on like what we know about what's going on, as well as like what measures Broadway takes. I know like theaters are typically pretty packed and the seats are close together. So I think it'll be interesting to see how they think through all those implications. I would love to go but I would feel uncomfortable going right away. I think I want to hang back a bit, wait to hear kind of what's happening in terms of what the shows are doing to keep people safe, what the scene is like. I'd want to get back badly, but I would wait to see a little bit more of how things are working out. I mean, I'm sure Broadway coming back is a huge story in New York, of course. So any sort of news I can get, whether it's friends or family or something more official online or elsewhere, we'll be looking at in a very detailed manner to make sure it's safe to go back.

[12:21] Guest: Yeah, sadly, I don't think I would be going anytime soon. It just comes down to I don't trust people. It just seems a lot of the news, a lot of people just are flouting social distancing and I'm just so scared for my and my wife's personal health and safety. I just don't know what theaters can do to guarantee that there aren't going to be any bad actors in the audience.

[12:52] Guest: If there were a day where Broadway shows were clear to open by all the experts, by the CDC and the government, and also by the judgment of the Broadway League and everyone else involved in putting on a show, then I would see no reason to go against those judgments, especially if they come from the experts on disease and on the pandemic and they know what the progression of the disease is and how to stop it while still going on with our daily lives. I would trust the judgment that would be handed down from that and I would definitely try to go to a show, especially because Broadway has been closed for so long and because I know I would be really missing that experience of seeing live theater. I would really want to help support all the artists who are going back to work and putting on a show again and just to, again, experience that kind of community that you only really get in seeing a live theater show.

[13:53] Guest: I would probably wait longer. I don't know how long it's going to be, but I even think of something like a movie theater. If movie theaters opened in two months, I probably wouldn't go see a movie and I'm probably going to bring the same precaution to seeing something in live theater. I just don't think that I would be super comfortable going yet. I don't want to be the first group to go. I'd kind of be like, all right, you guys go first and if you're okay and everything's cool, I'll go a few months after.

[14:21] Guest: If Broadway performances resumed tomorrow, I would have a ticket for tomorrow. I'm so ready to go back. I'm so ready to sit in a room and be waiting for that electricity of watching people perform something live. I cannot wait to be back in an audience and watching the show.

[14:36] Guest: I passionately want to go back. I'm totally positive that Broadway will not open until they can guarantee some sort of safety, some sort of precaution, not only for the audience, but for the cast, for the orchestra, for the people that work in the theater. If not, they're going to have a lot of lawsuits on their hands.

[15:05] Guest: So it's a real mix here, but the general consensus is this. There's an overall trust that theaters won't reopen until it's totally safe to do so. People have faith in the powers that be, be that the government or on Broadway specifically, to not make that call until the time is right. There are some devotees like Jeff who would be willing to come back into the theater right away, but the more commonly held opinion is that ticket buyers want to see reopened theaters in action for a short period before they commit to coming themselves. In this period, two things that are always important to a show will be more vital than ever. Word of mouth and press. We'll need those very first audiences to be posting on social media more than ever, giving the more hesitant a risk-free eye into what a post-COVID Broadway theater looks like and what the new normal is when you go to see a show.

This might be the opportunity we needed to finally embrace influencer marketing. People who can showcase an everyday experience to a huge following in a single post and get the word out that you can go to the theater again.

[16:02] Guest: The other element is press. In theory, we'll see many major publications and sites ready and willing to rapidly document those first performances back in some form or another. We just have to hope that it all happens in an otherwise quiet news week, and these articles will get the airtime they need in front of a big audience, so that everyone can see that Broadway is back and ready to receive an audience. But the good news overall is that people have faith in the decision makers, and if they say it's safe, ticket buyers will trust that it really is.

[16:29] Guest: Next comes the crux of the interview. We're all coming to terms with the fact that the new normal post-shutdown will not be the same as it was before. There will be rules about going to the theater that weren't there before. What does this first round of returning theatergoers expect to find when they go back that might not have necessarily been there prior to a performance in, say, March 2020?

[16:49] Guest: I would expect masks to be worn, and I would be careful about the seats that I would choose. So I would probably look for first row balcony, first row mezz, aisle away from people, or a box. Probably requiring people in the audience to wear face masks, I guess. I mean, I think we need to learn more about what's going on with COVID and what precautions need to be taken, as well as just understanding how would Broadway in-between shows be sanitizing the theater to make sure it's safe if someone else was sitting in the seat beforehand and things like that.

[17:29] Guest: I would hope there would be space between, so there would be proper social distancing between seats, which is obviously very tough for the shows and the theaters, but I think that's probably necessary until the vaccine kicks in. So that's a starting point. I would want to make sure that everyone going is wearing a mask, is protecting themselves and others. In terms of getting into the theater, it would really have to be as low touch as possible. So hopefully everything is scanning-based, ticket-wise, or they are able to scan you ahead of time, you're able to check in online or something like this, so you're not standing in a long line with people next to you trying to get into the theater.

[18:03] Guest: I wear a mask and I wear gloves, plastic gloves. I'd want everyone there to be in masks, and I imagine they will be. Social distancing, maybe a seat between the next seat, you know, a row of maybe 30 would only have like 10 people. The theater would need to be empty enough where people could stay six feet apart, and it'd just be such a weird experience being in a large, like, Broadway theater space with all that room. I think it would change the experience. I'd definitely, potentially be open to it. I'd want to, I guess, see if it works first, but it would definitely be weird.

[18:54] Guest: One of the things that I've seen circulating a lot online as theaters are thinking about potential openings has been socially distanced seating, which I do think is a good idea and would help a lot in making me feel comfortable with going back to the theater. I think separating groups of audience members by either taking out or just not selling certain seats is a really good idea and probably especially effective because not only are you sitting farther apart from people during the actual performance, but there's always a time if you get there early and get to your seat, if you're sitting near the side of the row, there's always a lot of people passing by you to try to get to their seats in the middle.

So to cut down on interactions like that, where you have to be really close to someone would help a lot. And I think that would also benefit from reduced seating. The other thing would be also along with that, making sure that everyone in the theater is wearing a mask just to try to reduce as much spread as possible. Having hand sanitizer everywhere and easy to access would also help a lot. And then to add on to that cutting down of close contact, I think somehow managing the lines for the bar, for merchandise, for restrooms would also be a big factor.

[20:17] Guest: I'm one of the crazy ones who I'm not a denier of the severity of the situation. I understand it's serious. I am in a low risk group. I take care of myself. I am generally healthy. I generally have a good immune system. I'm happy to follow any rules people want to put in place. I don't look forward to wearing a mask for three hours, but I also understand that that might be a possible necessity. But to be honest, I'm ready to go back whenever you're ready to have me, however you're ready to have me.

[20:46] Guest: So first, the good news. Masks for audience members, that's super easy to implement. Better yet, if someone shows up and they don't have a mask, let's give them a show branded mask. Maybe a mask becomes the new version of the show cup or free button we were giving away before. Moving down the scale of what's manageable, entry lines, bathroom lines, bar lines and merchandise lines. We can take a page out of the books of grocery stores and put markings on the floor to keep people separated when they're waiting to use in-house amenities. But if you're listening to this podcast, I'm guessing you've seen the bathroom lines during intermission of a Broadway show. There are literally hundreds of people trying to use the bathroom in a 20 minute window.

You would run out of space very quickly if you kept them six feet apart. Possible fixes here include lengthening the intermission so more people can get in and out before the show starts again, or maybe relaxing our attitudes towards people getting up to use the bathroom mid-show like we do at a movie theatre. But all these things just make the problem a little less severe without really solving it.

[21:40] Guest: Of all the answers I got to this question, however, there's an obvious one that's troubling. Time and time again, social distancing in the auditorium itself came up. When they're in their seats, people are expecting to have space around them that just isn't there. This problem has been solved in some theatres in continental Europe already. You might have seen the pictures circulating on social media of theatres with most of the seats unoccupied, if not removed altogether. The unspoken part of those pictures, however, is that the government subsidies for the kinds of theatres that are doing that are very generous. They can offset the lost revenue of removed seats with grant income. On Broadway, as in most commercial entertainment settings, the tickets are all we have.

[22:27] Guest: I was previously cynical that this idea was maybe being dismissed too quickly, that there must be a way to make it work. So I did the math. I drew up a seat map for a Broadway theatre with a capacity of 1,232. That's the average capacity of theatres currently in applying some broad brushstroke rules about average price in each part of the house, eight shows a week, minus the theatre's fees, credit card processing costs, etc. I landed at a potential net weekly income of around $1.3 million for a quote-unquote typical show. It's important to remember that shows do not operate at that number. When a show is priced, something I often do in my line of work, we price it to break even at about 60-70% of capacity, depending on the show.

[23:07] Ollie Southgate: The remaining 30 or 40% represents the show's profit margin each week. But here's the issue. With social distancing, you're cutting the size of your house by way more than 30 or 40%. Call me stupid, but like many of my guests, when I thought about social distancing, I was thinking solely about the fact that you could leave a seat or two empty, either side of each seat sold. But that's only left and right. You also have to put that distance in place forwards and backwards, and that effectively means every other row is completely unusable. That's half your seats gone right away. Then, you have to make the rest of the house available according to the typical sizes of groups you see coming to shows.

Generally, that number averages somewhere between two and three people per booking. But there's also a handful of ones, a handful of fours, some bigger groups. You get the idea. Putting two to four seat blocks on sale, with two seats between each block and every second row killed, a 1,200 seat Broadway house is left with around 375 sellable seats, about 30% of what they're built to sell to. I know math is a difficult thing to follow along with when it's being read aloud rather than shown in front of you, so I'll put it in the simplest terms possible. In order to be able to make the amount of money that they need just to pay their costs, Broadway shows would have to literally double the cost of tickets at a socially distanced capacity.

That means the seats way up in the back corners of the mezzanine would be over $150 each, and the best seats in the orchestra would be upwards of $400 apiece before you even start talking about premiums. There, you're up to $700 or more. Suddenly, the price of tickets to Hamilton doesn't seem so crazy. So how do you make a show work in a Broadway house operating on 30% capacity? Well, the good news is that eliminates the bathroom line problem we were talking about before. The bad news is that whilst I'm not privy to the operating budgets of every single show, it's safe to assume that none of them would be able to break even at 30%, and indeed that none of them would sell nearly enough seats if they literally doubled their prices.

So this poses a huge problem for the shows that were playing until the closure began on March 12th. But it may also potentially pave the way for new productions to be the first shows that play when Broadway reopens. The Broadway adaptation of Frozen has taken its final bow. Disney says it will not reopen the production when the pandemic finally comes to an end, marking Broadway's first permanent closure due to COVID-19. Frozen's two-year run at the St. James Theatre grossed more than $150 million. Disney says it does plan to continue the musical's national tour and international shows eventually. That was CBS News reporting on May 15th that Disney Theatrical had just announced that the Broadway production of Frozen at the St. James will not resume performances post-COVID-19.

The reporting was not completely accurate. It's actually the third show to announce that it will not continue performances, not the first. Hangmen at the Golden and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Booth have also both announced they will not be coming back. I say this to make the point that there will be Broadway real estate available in the wake of all this, something that can't often be said. And there may be a world in which shows specifically built to be able to survive on limited capacity could temporarily be our saving grace. Can any of the musicals that should be playing right now survive on 30%? Absolutely not. But what about two or three person plays that make exceptional and temporary deals on theatre rent, ones that perhaps pay their staff below their usual minimum wages with some union negotiations? I'm not saying it will happen, but as a community and an industry, we should certainly think about the possibilities.

[26:33] Ollie Southgate: My last question for my guests was something of a twofer, in that I'm really asking two questions. I asked them what shows they were planning to see first when Broadway comes back. In part, this is because I wanted to end on a lighter note and hear them talk about what shows they're excited about, to remind us all why we do it. But underneath all that, I also wanted to know if the darkness of the last few months would incline them towards more carefree shows that would lift their spirits. Do we need to put a pin in shows with heavy subject matter if what audiences need is joy and relief? The good news, if you're a producer of a real thinker of a show, is that there's still strong appetite for the full gamut. Although, as ever, they are more inclined towards musicals.

[27:11] Guest 1: Mrs. Doubtfire, for sure. West Side Story. And I'm very excited about Company. Those are the shows. And then the thing that's on the books that's supposedly going to happen is you, Jackman, Music Man.

[27:25] Guest 2: I really, right now, with everything going on, would be looking for a really fun, lighthearted show. I didn't get to see Mean Girls yet, so I'd love to see that one. And, you know, as new shows hopefully open, I'll continue to add to my laundry list.

[27:46] Guest 3: I had tickets to see Six with my wife and some friends, so that's very high on the list. We still have tickets to see Hugh Jackman and Music Man this fall, so that's up there. Flying Over Sunset sounds intriguing, very different, so that's very close to the top of the list. Carolina or Change, Plaza Suite, Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, and then everything else, of course.

[28:10] Guest 4: I've been thinking a bit about which show I would like to see first once Broadway does come back. And I've narrowed it down to two very likely candidates, and those would be Phantom of the Opera and The Company Revival. They kind of represent the two different kinds of shows that I would want to see immediately. Phantom of the Opera was actually one of my first introductions to Broadway musicals, so it's a show that I've seen many different times. It's a show that I feel really comfortable with, that I always enjoy seeing, no matter who's in the cast or who I'm seeing it with. It's like a comfort show where it's just kind of like coming back to an old friend, which is what I would be doing by coming back and seeing a Broadway show anyway.

One that I wanted to see last time that I didn't was Moulin Rouge, and I don't know if it would be terrible or not. I don't know how I'd feel about it. I've never seen the movie, so I honestly have no idea what it's even about. Some people have just said, you know, it's a karaoke type thing. I'm like, sure. But I am obsessed with Aaron Tveit, so if I was to see a show that he was in at that point, who knows? If it's a year from now, maybe he's not in it anymore. And I was looking online. They have those seats that are on the stage as part of the bar, and I'm like, okay. I know 400 US dollars is a lot of money for this poor Canadian, but if you're telling me that I could sit at a table as Aaron kind of comes around and dances around me, I'd be very okay with losing all of that money. So that's probably the one that I was the most excited about possibly seeing, even though I kind of accepted that it might not be something that I love.

[29:56] Guest 5: So I will mostly be seeing the musicals I missed from the spring season. So one is especially the revival of Company. I was supposed to see that literally the day after Broadway shut down, so that is first on my list to see. I flew to London to see it last year, and I can't wait to see it with Katrina Lenk. I also saw the revival of West Side Story shortly before the shutdown. I loved it. I already had tickets to go back. I already have re-bought them for when hopefully things come back, and if not, I will buy them again for when things actually come back. I can't wait to see and experience that again. It was amazing. I had tickets for six. I had sold them because I was supposed to be on a work trip the week things shut down, and that trip got canceled as well.

So that's a bummer, and I can't wait to see that. I'm just honestly excited to catch up with whatever comes back, and whenever the non-profits come back, I'd love to see Assassins. I'd love to see The Bedwetter. I'm just really excited to see what comes back first, and I will be there in the audience cheering along.

[30:48] Ollie Southgate: I want to end with one of my guests in particular. You may have noticed listening along this month the very distinctive voice of Lesley Rosenberg. Lesley reached out through a Google form I posted to find my guest for this episode. God only knows how she found it. But we were talking about Broadway shows and what they mean to her, and she told me the most wonderful story. Lesley told me over email that she is, quote, "the proud owner of her unusual speaking voice," unquote, as a result of a head injury she received in a car accident. And the way she finds herself being treated differently in everyday life since she's spoken this way since that accident is why she feels such a kinship with one particular show. The number one show that I plan to see, that I am going to see, is Jagged Little Pill.

[31:35] Lesley Rosenberg: It's like rain on your wedding day. It's a free ride when you've already paid. It's the good advice that you just didn't take. And who would have thought it'd figure? I have seen Jagged Little Pill eight times already, and I love the show. God knows why. No, I lied. I did figure it out. Jagged Little Pill is accepting of everyone. My voice, it sounds very strange and unusual and kind of funny. People think I'm drunk or on drugs, or they think I'm impaired in some way and think that I'm stupid. I know what it's like to be treated unjustly and be discriminated against, although it's not quite the same thing. I think that's why I have such a kindred spirit with Jagged Little Pill.

[32:55] Ollie Southgate: It's like rain on your wedding day. It's a free ride when you've already paid. It's the good advice that you just didn't take. And who would have thought it'd figure?

[33:27] Ollie Southgate: Putting It Together is produced by Dory Berenstein and Alan Seals for the Broadway Podcast Network. Our theme music is by Ulus Pekan, with additional music in this episode from Sheridan Tongue, High Street Music, and the original cast recording of Jagged Little Pill. As a side note, I should mention that this episode is not sponsored by or affiliated in any way with Jagged Little Pill. I just thought it was a great story to share. Artwork and editing is by me, Ollie Southgate. You can find me on Twitter, I'm at Oli Southie, again, that's with an I-E, not a Y. And there's more info about me, including my contact details, at olisouthgate.com. The same rules around spelling apply. Since things are moving all together a little more slowly than we originally thought they would on Broadway, I won't be recording an episode in July.

The first Friday in July is not only the July 4th holiday, but it's also my birthday. So in this newfound era of self-care, I'm giving myself a break. In the meantime, for more podcasts from the network, visit broadwaypodcastnetwork.com. And I'll be back on the first Friday in August. That's August 7th, but until then, thanks as always for listening, and goodbye.