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[0:00] Eli Tokash: Hello everyone and welcome to episode 113 of Take A Bow. I'm your host, Eli Tokash, and we have another incredible episode with you all. I'm so excited about it because I literally just finished recording it. Um this was this was so much fun and I'm so excited to share it with you all. Um we have a highly requested guest actually on the show this week. He was one of my Jamberries in Finding Neverland. We have the incredible Tony Yazbeck coming on the show to talk about his 11 Broadway shows. Just unbelievable. It's it's such a wonderful episode, and it has a little bit of everything. It has, you know, stuff about the industry, really the inside scoop on the industry and what it's like as a business and kind of that whole thing.

And then of course we talk about all the shows that he's been in. Not all of them, because we couldn't get to all of them because he's been in so many because he's ridiculously talented. It's like really not fair. Um, but it's great. And and um he he comes on and we talk about all the things you talk about. Neverland, we talk about his career and all of the wonderful things. So I'm very excited to share this episode with you, and uh I know you guys are gonna enjoy it, but first, before we turn it over to that, let's talk some Broadway news, shall we?

[1:15] Eli Tokash: Um, I'm so excited actually for a lot of reasons this episode. I'm actually seeing Into the Woods tonight, which is Wednesday, July 27th, and then I'm seeing Kite Runner tonight, kind of, but tomorrow, uh Thursday, July 28th. So when this comes out, I'll be at Kite Runner, and the night before I was at Into the Woods, and I'm about to give you all a scoop on Into the Woods and kind of like my review in a bit because I'm gonna have to go see it tonight and add it to the podcast in a little bit. So that's all happening, which I'm so excited for. And speaking of Kite Runner, I just want to extend my happy opening wishes to the Kite Runner cast, which opened on Tuesday of this week and uh Tuesday, July 26th.

So then I'll be seeing it tonight, July 28th. And speaking of Into the Woods, I know these these two things, I I've got so much news about it. I'm going to see them, they've opened, and then Into the Woods has been the hot topic in the news lately. Into the Woods extended till October 16th. So many things are happening. I was so excited because I was about to come on here and be breaking this news, but uh unfortunately Broadway World and Playbill and all the things kind of got there before me. I had known about this for a little bit, and I thought this week would be the week that I would be able to announce it because the piano lesson agreed to move to the Ethel Barrymore Theater so that the show could in fact extend.

And I will leave you with this. Unfortunately, I couldn't break this one, but I do want to go on record that I will not be shocked, and um I expect another extension past October for Into the Woods. I really do, and um, I hope I'm right. That doesn't have as much weight as this this one did, um, but because it's further away, but I really do think it's a possibility. So if everyone's continuing the crazy buzz that it has right now, if everyone continues to go see the show, I think it it will have another extension past October. I mean, they announced an eight-week performance. Everyone who wants to go see the show does not have the ability to see it within that eight-week span. So I'm so happy that they are doubling the run another eight weeks from August 21st to uh October 16th.

That being said, because of the incredible cast, it's really hard to to keep a show on Broadway with the cast, but I don't think this show needs this incredible cast to stay on Broadway. Like I think everybody just wants to go see Into the Woods, you know? And it it of course, of course, it it helps that this incredible cast is put in place with Patina Miller, with Philippa Soo, with Gavin Creel, with Brian Darcy James, like with all of these incredible people that they're forever bonded with it. And now they're making that cast recording with it. So it's there, you know, they're they're part of the Into the Woods history books. But you know, I think that this show is just so special that people just want to continue to stay with it and continue to tell the story.

And uh, I think that's what we've seen with this extension. We'll keep you posted on that and stay tuned for all of that, but it's great. I'm so excited to see it, and uh, I'll have a review right after this.

[4:32] Eli Tokash: Take a bow actually headed over to Skid Row to celebrate the 400th show and 60th anniversary of Little Shop of Horrors. They hosted an incredible block party for those of you who don't know. They they had like free ice cream and sticky chicken fingers and schmackeries and baked by Melissa, face painting, raffles, all the things, and it was just so much fun. It was great to see uh some of you listeners there and just the Broadway community back together in an outdoor space. You know, it was a hot Saturday, but that's okay. Um, but it was cool to see everyone kind of like in their street clothes and not like in you know, Broadway con stuff or or like Broadway flea and stuff like that. Like it was just a casual like day at at uh Skid Row on 43rd and 9th, uh over at the Little Shop Theater.

It was so cool, and it was cool to see some some Broadway people there too. And speaking of Little Shop of Horrors, I want to highlight some of the incredible, incredible achievements that's been happening for the Take A Bow family this week. This week has been incredible for the Take A Bow family. So I'll start off with the Little Shop announcement, where Lena Hall is going to be stepping in as Audrey. And I am so excited. They are she is stepping in as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. She begins performances in September. So we're gonna get a Rob McClure, a Christian Borle, and a Lena Hall. Come on. You need to buy your tickets now. I'm buying my tickets now. I'm so excited for this. Lena Hall is fantastic.

And I think that like her like rock punk voice kind of thing is gonna be sick in Suddenly Seymour. Anyways, that's my two cents. Moving on, there's more news. Um, so I know all of you are kind of like big fans of you know, Joe Serafini, Andrew Barth Feldman. Ever heard of them? Um High School Musical, the musical the series, season three. It dropped there. The season three is here. We the wait is no longer. We have season three, it is now on Disney Plus. I'm so excited for this. Um, send your love to Joe and Andrew. So exciting. And Joe's having a solo show August 14th that I'm going to. I'm so excited for that because I get to see him again, and it's gonna be so much fun. And um, what else?

There is Jelani Remy is coming back to the Lion King. He's actually already back on the Lion King uh on Broadway as Simba. The role he's already played before, they asked him to come back. So exciting. It seems like a short notice thing because they literally announced it the day he started performances. Um, just incredible. So happy to see him back on Broadway in that role because he's so good in that role. Last week's guest, Gabriella Pizzolo has some exciting news with Pretty Little Liars Original Sin, is coming out, is actually out today, July 28th on HBO Max. Super exciting. Gabby Pizzolo, check her out on the HBO Max Pretty Little Liars Original Sin. Fun fact there's actually a lot of Broadway people in there.

There's Ava DeMary, there's Derek Klena, there's a ton more. There's Gabby, of course. Um, but yeah, Gabby is a part of the Take A Bow fam, so had to shout that one out. And then, of course, I know he hasn't been on the podcast yet, but he is a part of the Take A Bow family. Gaten Matarazzo has a new movie coming out uh tomorrow, Friday, July 29th, called Honor Society. So huge, huge news coming out in the Take A Bow family. All of them are thriving, they're all killing the game, and uh, I'm so excited for all of them, so happy for all of them, and uh that's all the news I have for you folks this week. Uh so with that said, I just wanted to highlight them once more. I just wanted to say it again and support all of my friends and family.

[8:10] Eli Tokash: All right, y'all. I just got out of Into the Woods, and to be completely honest with you, I am still processing all of it. Um, there's so many thoughts going through my head right now, and I want to start off by saying it this show is absolutely amazing. I had never seen the show before, I had no idea about the story or what it was. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Um, didn't fully understand the whole premise. I had heard a couple songs, of course, because the songs and music in it are absolutely iconic. Um, and uh yeah, and I went in and I just like the first act just holds you the entire time. It's incredible. That cast is absolutely ridiculous. Patina Miller as the witch was one of the best casting decisions, maybe ever in musical theater history.

Um, I loved Sara Bareilles. Okay. I was talking to my friends afterwards that I saw the show with. I was seeing with Oscar Williams, Sky Alyssa Friedman, Benjamin Harding. Um, and I I saw it with them, and I was like, guys, I have to be honest with you, like Sara Bareilles being the baker's wife just made so much sense. Like, I saw Sara Bareilles as the baker's wife, and I saw her as Jenna in Waitress while she was on the stage. Like, I know it's completely different, but at the same time, it's like not completely different. And like, you know, the baker's wife, she's baking and she's like got the pies and she's got the bread and all kind of things, and then she has like she gets pregnant and she has like a little bit of an affair and like all these things you're going on, and I'm like, oh my god, this is like literally Waitress for one character.

Um, I don't know. It just it made sense. Like, I I was up there and I was like, oh my god, it that casting decision just made sense because it's not like Sara Bareilles is like, I mean, Into the Woods is a classical theater musical, and it's not like Sara Bareilles is a classical musical theater performer, you know. She's she's a pop star, and like that's how she got her start, and now she's coming over to Broadway and she's like killing it. Like everything. I have not seen Sara Bareilles on stage and been disappointed. Like, she is a she's a Broadway performer, like through and through. So um, huge shout out to them. I saw Cheyenne Jackson because this is the couple weeks that he's in Into the Woods.

He was fantastic. So excited that I got to see him. I didn't get to see Philippa Soo. Her understudy was incredible. Um, and yeah, just the whole show was just ridiculous. It the fact that, you know, they're doing this show, uh, like a whole Broadway show as like a staged reading blows me away. It's one of the coolest things ever. Um, and and by staged reading, it's like it's kind of adapted the New York City Center's production and kind of just did that same production, uh, just without like the scripts and stuff. So the whole orchestra is on the stage the whole time, which is fascinating because I l I can get lost, you know, watching people play instruments, um, and especially in in a score like Into the Woods.

It's it's brilliant. Um so that was fascinating. And then the whole show, like, kind of and and the set like happened around them, and they are kind of like the set, and that was really, really cool. So it it's not like you know, the cast had about I'd say a quarter of the stage, no more than half of the stage to work with. Um, and it was just fascinating what how they were able to make it work and how they were able to do it. Um, you know, with like the giant and everything, how they made that work was super cool. I don't want to like talk about it because I don't want to give it away for for those of you who want to go see it. Um it was just it was awesome, like everything about it, and it was so creative.

Like the puppeteer, the one who played the cow also played like the giant, and like it was just there were so many elements going on and so many wonderful things happening in the show. Um, there were some standout performances and some support performances that kind of surprised me. I just thought the whole show was amazing. I'm so glad I got to see Into the Woods. The one thing I will say about it is that I don't think the second act is necessary. Like, I was completely content at intermission, and then the second act started, and it opened a whole new can of worms, and I was like, why? Like, why did they have to like go off and like get dark and and and change all these things? Like I wanted that happy ending, but I I get it. Because it's like, you know, yes, it's the fairy tales with Rapunzel, Cinderella, the prince, and all these things.

[12:48] Tony Yazbeck: Um and the big bad wolf and like all these like store story uh bedtime story characters and all of that.

[12:56] Tony Yazbeck: Uh so he didn't Stephen Sondheim, of course, didn't want to like give that traditional happy ending ending.

[13:03] Tony Yazbeck: Um, but I thought it was just I don't know. I thought it was perfect. I thought act one was perfect, and then act two came out, and I was like, Okay, like I get it.

[13:12] Tony Yazbeck: And I don't know. I wasn't a huge fan of Act Two, but Act One was I was all for it, and I loved the show. I mean, act two is still incredible.

[13:20] Tony Yazbeck: The show's wonderful. I mean, everybody knows uh everybody knows the show is incredible, and just with this cast, uh, yeah, sure, keep me in my seat for another hour, hour and a half so I can see them continue to perform.

[13:35] Tony Yazbeck: Wasn't mad about it at all. I was just saying that the first act is by far better and could be its own show.

[13:42] Tony Yazbeck: Um, so yeah, that's just my two cents, and I thought it was absolutely fantastic. I absolutely want to go see it again, especially because I want to see Philippa Sue um as as Cinderella, and I also want to see Gavin Creel in it when he when he steps back into the role of the big bad wolf and uh Cinderella's Prince.

[14:03] Tony Yazbeck: So, yeah, amazing stuff. So happy I got to see it. I think that you all should go check it out because it's one not to miss.

[14:10] Tony Yazbeck: And uh yeah, that's that's all I have for you folks right now. We do have some exciting things happening around the Into the Woods things coming out on Take About.

[14:21] Tony Yazbeck: Uh so stay tuned for that on social media. It hopefully it will be a guest, but uh just to clear the air right now, it's not a guest and it's more so a giveaway.

[14:32] Tony Yazbeck: And that's all I'm gonna say. So uh follow us on Take About Instagram and TikTok if you are not currently.

[14:38] Tony Yazbeck: And uh yeah, stay tuned for exciting things and go see Into the Woods because it's amazing.

[14:43] Tony Yazbeck: That's all I have for you folks this week for the news section, and I think now is a great time to turn it over to Tony Yazbek.

[14:51] Eli Tokash: Tony Yazbeck curtain up.

[15:10] Eli Tokash: This week's guest has been highly requested for quite some time now. He is a Tony Wink Wink award and drama desk nominee.

[15:20] Eli Tokash: Uh he you may have seen him in one of his casual 11 Broadway shows. Um if you look in the Merriam Webster dictionary for the word triple threat, this guy is actually the definition in the dictionary.

[15:35] Eli Tokash: Everyone, welcome to Take A Bow, Tony Yazbek.

[15:42] Tony Yazbeck: Oh my god.

[15:44] Tony Yazbeck: This is crazy to me because I was one of the first Broadway shows I ever saw was on the town.

[15:51] Tony Yazbeck: And I saw it with my grandma, uh, my Bubba, who's probably listening. So hi Baba.

[15:55] Tony Yazbeck: Um, and uh I literally I I will never forget leaving that show and being like, Oh my god, Gaby was my man, like he was like the coolest person in the world.

[16:07] Tony Yazbeck: Um and I and then you joined Finding Neverland and all the things it was crazy. We'll get to that though.

[16:13] Eli Tokash: Um I usually like to start my my episodes and asking people, you know, how they got in the industry and what inspired them to get in the industry and what wanted what made you want to tell stories.

[16:25] Tony Yazbeck: I was primarily a dancer first.

[16:28] Tony Yazbeck: So I saw Fred Astaire on TV and I was hooked to the ability to move like that, how graceful he was, how effortless it all looked, and how he told his story so simply without saying anything.

[16:41] Tony Yazbeck: Um so I I gravitated to that right away when I was four and wasn't really pushed by my parents, I just wanted to do it.

[16:49] Tony Yazbeck: And um, but then you know, like you, I was a child actor, and my first job was gypsy as a pr as a as a kid at 11 years old.

[16:58] Tony Yazbeck: And that was my introduction to storytelling. Like that was the first time I had a family around me, like a cat, my new family on Broadway around me, showing me the ropes, how to affect an audience, how to make them cry and laugh, you know, in the same lyric, you know, so it was really fascinating to watch, and you know, I would watch from the wings.

[17:19] Tony Yazbeck: I was and I was glued to the musical storytelling too. I loved how the overture of gypsy told a story in itself.

[17:26] Tony Yazbeck: Like I loved I loved all the different ways you could tell a story, music, singing, dance, all of it.

[17:32] Tony Yazbeck: So um that's where I got I got hooked to the theater with that, but dancing, strictly dancing, was in my bones since I was born.

[17:42] Tony Yazbeck: Uh singing was more of a thing from I think it was more genetic, honestly, because I didn't I don't think I really had a good voice until I hit college and they all of a sudden it just came out.

[17:52] Tony Yazbeck: But I have a long line of singers in my father's side of the family dating back to the Titanic.

[17:57] Tony Yazbeck: Um my great-great uh uncle and my great-great-grandfather went down at the Titanic, and one of them was the singer on the ship, actually.

[18:06] Tony Yazbeck: So it it dates back. My grandfather was a blues singer, my my father was a singer, he sang he was like a wedding band singer forever.

[18:14] Tony Yazbeck: And so um it kind of just hit me um a little later, like in college, but all of a sudden it was like, oh, I can sing.

[18:21] Tony Yazbeck: I was that's good. I didn't break the lineage.

[18:24] Tony Yazbeck: Um but but no, I just um you know it's it's the simple joy you give somebody, and I think that made me really excited to just keep doing it.

[18:34] Tony Yazbeck: Like, what can you offer the world at a really young age? I think I sort of understood that in a very simple way.

[18:40] Eli Tokash: Right.

[18:40] Eli Tokash: I so you would say like you were a dancer first.

[18:44] Tony Yazbeck: Oh yeah, definitely.

[18:46] Tony Yazbeck: Oh always a dancer first.

[18:48] Tony Yazbeck: I don't know if I had a style yet, but I knew I loved everybody else's style.

[18:52] Tony Yazbeck: I loved Fred's style, Gene's style.

[18:55] Tony Yazbeck: I loved Gregory Hines style, and that was you know, in my teenage years, I I started to follow Gregory Heinz and and look at the the real tab dancers um that started it all and try to take that and the sort of the grace that Fred and the and the you know the charisma that Gene had and put it all together and sort of create my own style from it.

[19:18] Tony Yazbeck: I mean, that's that's what we do. We just steal things and try to make them our own.

[19:22] Eli Tokash: Totally.

[19:23] Eli Tokash: That's so interesting.

[19:24] Eli Tokash: Like I never realized that because you know, like Neverland, it's not like it was the most dance-heavy show, you know.

[19:29] Eli Tokash: Like, so I always viewed you as like this incredible voice who can like put on tears in a given second, you know.

[19:37] Eli Tokash: Like, it's an emotional role. So, like to hear that you're a dancer first, it's crazy to me.

[19:41] Tony Yazbeck: That's so cool.

[19:42] Tony Yazbeck: Well, it's interesting because I I was a dancer first.

[19:44] Tony Yazbeck: I would say when people ask me what what are you, dancer singer?

[19:47] Tony Yazbeck: I mean, that's I'm a s you know, I'm an actor, I like to tell stories, I like to change hearts and minds.

[19:52] Tony Yazbeck: Like, that's what we do. We we tell stories, whether it be with our body or singing, it's it's all breath to me, it's all the same.

[19:58] Tony Yazbeck: So um yeah, Neverland was it was one of those roles where I thought, oh, I'm gonna have to dance a lot, you know, but then I realized, well no, it's not that much dancing, it's a lot of it's heavy lifting, and I'm on the stage 99% of the time, but um nothing nothing compared to on the town, you know, in in that way.

[20:15] Tony Yazbeck: It was much more it was much more dramatic.

[20:15] Tony Yazbeck: It was much more about seeing the world through a childlike in a childlike.

[20:23] Eli Tokash: Totally, and that was what was so beautiful about that show.

[20:27] Eli Tokash: You know, it's interesting, like with On the Town, I it's one of the shows that I saw at a really young age, and then I still like s understand references from it.

[20:38] Eli Tokash: Like, I can't live through a New York fleet week without thinking of like Gaby's coming, you know?

[20:44] Eli Tokash: Like it just it's impossible.

[20:46] Eli Tokash: And like I like I don't know, when I when I saw shows as a young kid, I I would just be entertained and I totally I didn't fully understand the story, but like On the Town is one of those few shows that like have really like stuck with me, and I can make these connections now as an adult that I'm like, oh my god, yes, this was in On the Town.

[21:05] Tony Yazbeck: Look, I'm so glad that you say that.

[21:08] Tony Yazbeck: I mean, you know, Broadway has shifted so much, and on the Town is a real pure classic from one of the all-time greats, if not greatest, composers for you know classical music and new tool theater we've ever had, Leonard Bernstein.

[21:24] Tony Yazbeck: So it's it's it feels nice for a young person as you like yourself to say on the town really stuck with me because you know, I mean, not to say it's not a it's it's not a you know a bad thing that we're shifting into new directions.

[21:39] Tony Yazbeck: That's just what the theater does. We shift with the culture that we've been given.

[21:42] Tony Yazbeck: But it's nice to go back to how how all of this was how a music musical theater was encouraged in the first place.

[21:51] Tony Yazbeck: And um, you know, On the Town, West Side Story, these are shows that are so close to my heart and truly made an impact in my life.

[21:59] Tony Yazbeck: So when when I hear the next generation say the same thing, I I feel like I'm doing something right.

[22:06] Eli Tokash: Yeah, for sure.

[22:07] Eli Tokash: And who knows, maybe it's because like you know, it takes place in New York, and you know, with the taxis and everything, like there's so many references of like living in New York and what that's like.

[22:17] Eli Tokash: So, as like an I guess a New Yorker now, like I can totally relate to it.

[22:21] Tony Yazbeck: Well, and especially somebody who loves Broadway and is excited about, you know, there's such a magic when you come to New York for the first time and you're you're an artist of any kind, it's so incredibly magical because and there's a mystery behind it, there's sort of a darkness behind it.

[22:35] Tony Yazbeck: There's you know it's gonna be tough. You're gonna be trudging through, you're gonna be competing with yourself to to be the best you can be.

[22:42] Tony Yazbeck: And who knows what door is gonna be open? Who are you gonna meet today?

[22:46] Tony Yazbeck: Everything is a brand new, exciting adventure in New York.

[22:50] Tony Yazbeck: So that's what was so magnificent about On the Town.

[22:53] Tony Yazbeck: The music in itself, without the words or the scenes or anything, told that story.

[22:58] Tony Yazbeck: It was here we are in this beautiful, amazing, crazy city.

[23:03] Tony Yazbeck: What are we gonna do for the next 24 hours?

[23:06] Tony Yazbeck: What madness will ensue?

[23:07] Tony Yazbeck: And that is how New York will always be, I think.

[23:12] Tony Yazbeck: You know.

[23:13] Eli Tokash: It's wild.

[23:14] Eli Tokash: It's so cool though.

[23:15] Eli Tokash: And like it's cool to see that like a story that was written that long ago can still be relatable and told in today's world, you know.

[23:23] Tony Yazbeck: It's crazy.

[23:24] Tony Yazbeck: Yep.

[23:24] Eli Tokash: Um especially with how much things are changing.

[23:27] Eli Tokash: Um but yeah, so as I mentioned, like the songs of the show, your performance in the show, your performance was insane.

[23:34] Eli Tokash: It earned you a Tony Award nomination, it earned you a drama desk nomination.

[23:39] Eli Tokash: Like, what was that whole process like with like all of the awards stuff going on?

[23:44] Tony Yazbeck: Um kind of uh distracting in really nice ways, but also tough ways, yeah, because I didn't really sleep much.

[23:51] Tony Yazbeck: Um, doing that show was sort of an Olympic, um heroic sort of feeling for me to do it for a full year.

[24:02] Tony Yazbeck: Um, I was in the best shape of my life, but at the same time, when you do something the same way over and over and over and over, your certain muscles start to give out, and eight shows a week, you know, singing arias and doing 10 minute ballets every day, eight shows a week twice a day, and then you have to get up and then do you know three events for the awards you know for the next six weeks of your life.

[24:25] Tony Yazbeck: It was fantastic and honestly sort of a blur in a beautiful way, but it was the one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

[24:36] Tony Yazbeck: And at that point, I was still young enough that I didn't understand how to um balance it all.

[24:43] Tony Yazbeck: I think I was just thinking give a hundred and fifty percent at night and give a hundred and fifty percent during the day, and don't worry about sleep because adrenaline will drive you, and you know what I learned pretty quick is we're all human and we gotta treat ourselves a little better.

[24:59] Tony Yazbeck: But at that point, I was like, I didn't have anything to compare it to.

[25:02] Tony Yazbeck: This was the first time and maybe ever that uh this would happen.

[25:05] Tony Yazbeck: So I thought, you know, just enjoy it and give it everything.

[25:10] Tony Yazbeck: But it was that was a tough time.

[25:15] Eli Tokash: Yeah, it it seems like everyone says kind of the same thing of just how like you know, adrenaline is on your side for a month and then one day it all ends and it's like hits you like a ton of bricks, you know, like it's craziness.

[25:29] Tony Yazbeck: I can't imagine that whole process, but it's so cool that like that you were in that category and in being, you know, just honored in such a beautiful way for the incredible work that you were putting on stage every night.

[25:43] Tony Yazbeck: Yeah, and I think especially to be able to honor the past song and dance man. I mean, in that category that year, it was me and Robbie Fairchild in two song and dance roles. I mean, what an incredible honor and a gift to finally have two leading men in shows that are dance heavy, but also singing and acting. I mean, it just doesn't happen a lot, and there's not enough writers writing material for guys who do it all. They, it's just then, you know, the triple threat term is used rather loosely now. Everyone seems to be a triple threat. You know, you can, if you can walk in one foot in front of the other, you're a triple threat. So it's, it would, it was nice that they recognize that this performance in this kind of role should notate it.

Whereas, you know, last productions of On the Town, guys, you know, sang and when the Dream Ballet happened, they walk off the stage and the dream ballet came on and danced the role. And it was the first time they realized like, oh, you mean one guy can do it all. So it's nice that we're pushing the envelope and hopefully new generations do the same. I mean, I'm waiting for the new triple threat stars to come up. I can't wait to meet them because I want to work with them, you know, as a new director slash producer, I want to know who I want to create with again and it'd be interesting to see who's out there, you know.

[27:12] Eli Tokash: Right. Absolutely. Are you, you're directing and producing in some way?

[27:16] Tony Yazbeck: Always creating. I've been directing things for a few years now and I love to work with artists who are fearless and love to collaborate. I love collaboration. It's my favorite kind of thing is to work with artists who are ego-less but have a million instincts and ideas and some of my mentors are Tina Landau and Bill T. Jones and these are the guys that made me an artist. You know, it's one thing to have talent, it's another thing to be an artist. So I think I'm in the middle of that sort of evolution in becoming, you know, a storied up director producer, but you know what I've learned is you want to direct well, just go direct something. You want to produce well, just go produce something. Now you are one.

And that's the best advice I was given. It's as scary as it is. So that happened, I think the first thing I ever directed on my own was a big concert, a multidisciplinary concert in Miami at the Young Arts Foundation, 2016 or 2017. So it's been about five years of kicking around ideas, and I've got three new things in the works for the next year. And so it's exciting. I love that part of my career.

[28:30] Eli Tokash: Yeah. Yeah, we were just talking briefly before we like started recording that like, you know, I'm doing, I'm trying to learn more about the business of the industry and all of that stuff. So it's cool to like hear you now, you know, transitioning, I guess, but like you're still an artist, of course, you'll always be an artist, to that side of the industry.

[28:51] Tony Yazbeck: Right, right. I mean, I look, if there was one thing I wish I would have had more of in college, and I think it should be mandatory in all of the conservatories for all artists, it's business and management. Manage money, and what does it mean to own a business, and what does it mean to produce anything that is theatrical? What does that like? Everyone should learn this because it's just not taught. We're taught that we need to compete with each other, and everyone needs to be the best singer, the best dancer, or the best actor. And that's really not necessarily what gets the work done. What gets the work done are amazing ideas and the understanding of how to execute them. You know, someone who knows how to write a script, write it, write it so well that we're aching to produce it.

I mean, you know, so as somebody who likes to sort of do it all, I do wish I had earlier training with business and understanding how to network, understanding how to produce, and get it all together. And I've learned sort of in life with all my mentors, Hal Prince is another person I learned so much from as a producer director. And I didn't know so many of these things until I was, you know, 37, 38 years old. So it's nice to hear, but gosh, if I was 18, 19 or again, I would love a class about this.

[30:18] Eli Tokash: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's bonkers to me that, you know, some of these conservatories and these musical theater majors, they're not doing, you know, they're literally focusing on the performing aspect. And the industry is so much more than that. And you know, we see stuff now, like not to continue to harp on it, but like the whole Paradise Square thing. Like, how do you, how do you live with that? Like as a performer, they're not gonna teach you that. You don't learn those things. It's just like you're not gonna get paid for the work that you're doing eight shows a week. Like it's crazy and it's just not talked about. And so I'm excited to continue to learn more about the industry and see how, you know, from a producer's perspective and from a casting director's perspective and all these things, how they think and how their minds are rolling because as performers you're like, oh well, we're kind of on the side.

Well, no, they have their own stuff on their plate, just like we're not thinking about them every day, you know. Like it's kind of, it's a business. So like just to learn that and really have that kind of knowledge as a performer, as I feel has helped me in the little time that I've had that experience.

[31:27] Tony Yazbeck: Yeah, it's true. And I've learned even more, like as much as, you know, the bit we talk about the business. I used to say, and I've tried to stop recently. I used to say, I love, you know, being an artist, I hate the business. And I think it's because I didn't quite understand how it worked. And I think it's because I let it rule me. I let it, I became a pawn in its game rather than letting me be the business. Why don't I just create my own business for me? And I think that's the secret is to stop thinking of it as a transaction of I'll just work for you, I'll be a servant to the business and you'll pay me a salary. Well, why don't you create something, Tony, that is so good that everybody wants to work with it or wants to work for you, or wants to just collaborate with you and create that project.

Because the secret of, you know, great theater is first of all, it's at the end of the day, it's not a moneymaker. Nobody should be in this business to make money. We're here to change people's hearts and minds. And maybe a good repercussion of that down the road if the product is so good and so dramatically well written that there's money to be had, and for good reason, but in the end, I mean what I've learned is create a good product, you know, right. Invest yourself and like invest time, invest as much of your creative value into this product that everybody wants to be a part of it. And they don't just see dollar signs, they say, I have got to get an audience to be swayed by this. I want people to be affected by this.

That's the first thing that we should be thinking of, and I think that's where when we get a little marred by the business, it feels so commercial that it's like, well, this is just to make money. Am I just gonna be a pawn in their game? And I think, you know, Broadway is shifting here and there with that. The pendulum is swinging. I think Broadway will always be, you know, a tourist attraction money grab, but at the same time, it can still be an amazing product. There's no reason it can't be a tourist trap or whatever you want to call it and not and be amazing theater, even if it's just gleeful, happy, and fun and campy. Let it be really good at that. And yeah, I think that's when you won't feel destroyed by the business anymore.

We're just gonna be part of something and you're excited to be a part of it because it's the top of the craft. I think there are years on Broadway where we've had some really weak seasons, especially in the last 10 years. There have been a few weak seasons, and I think that's when everyone's like rolling their eyes and questioning what am I doing. But if we spun that a little bit and just said, what am I doing to make it better? What can I do to create a new, a better place for Broadway instead of just being the victim to it? Oh, this season stinks, why am I a part of Broadway? Well, make it better. Find a writer who writes something, create something. There's a way to, you know, produce a theater or a showcase anywhere for almost no money. And that's the pit that I think we've all fallen into being a victim to what we don't like, you know.

[34:55] Eli Tokash: Right. And I think with social media too, that that's played a big role in having that kind of mindset, you know, nowadays. But I want to go back because like you saying like there's been a lot of weak seasons. I mean, there you can see there are weak seasons of Broadway and everything like that. However, like this pandemic, these past two years where, you know, we there hasn't been Broadway and there hasn't been, you know, that kind of entertainment that is just flowing out new and new and new, it was a really hard time. But at the same time, within these next five years of Broadway seasons, we are gonna see a lot of really strong art because people had the time to actually sit down and create some beautiful stories and beautiful messages, and like if that's one thing that the pandemic can give us, and we can all comfortably say that, like, I'm so excited for that, you know.

And like you said, like the next wave of triple threats and everything, like everyone all you could do is kind of work on your craft and work on something that could be beneficial and just write and dance and sing, whatever, just to entertain yourself. So I think that the next couple years on Broadway, and we started off with this season, I mean, with Six and with Strange Loop and all of these fabulous shows, just what the next wave of Broadway could be, and I'm so excited for that.

[36:22] Tony Yazbeck: Yeah, me too. I mean, let's go. The only reason I think there's been weak seasons is because we've had such amazing seasons in the past that we look at it and we go, well, this isn't as good as that. So it's easy to compare. Because if you think about a lot of even 20 years ago, I mean, think about how many new shows and then how many revivals. And you know, it's only been recent that it's like here's we only have like two or three revivals, or we only have a few new shows, or there's, you know, it's the variety, the wide variety on Broadway, which makes it really exciting for me to be a part of because it's like everyone's coming to New York and they can look at that TKTS board and go, look at all these brand new shows, and what can I see?

And it's just like the magic and in all everyone's eyes of like, let's see this and let's see something else another night, instead of them coming and seeing the same old show they already saw. It's one thing to be nostalgic and go back to your favorite show, it's another thing to only see that show. So I mean, I agree. I think we're in for an awakening on Broadway.

[37:22] Eli Tokash: Yeah. At least that's my prayer, you know.

[37:24] Tony Yazbeck: Yeah, we can hope for it.

[37:27] Eli Tokash: Um, you mentioned Hal Prince, about you know, he's kind of a mentor to you, and I want to talk to you because the first time I ever saw you after doing Neverland with you was at the stage door of Prince of Broadway. Um, just fell in love with the show. Um, I wouldn't talk to you about it because it's such a unique show. And it for those of you who don't know, it's like an ode to Hal Prince, and all the shows that he's worked on were mixed together and like it was and it was done beautifully. And you have all of these shows and you're playing all of these different characters, like what is that experience like for you in like a two-hour, you know, performance where you're going from different shows, so different storylines, different characters, different looks, all the things.

[38:17] Tony Yazbeck: Like, what is that like? Look, anybody who's ever worked on a Hal Prince show will tell you the same thing, that they're in love with what they're doing. And it's not necessarily just what they're doing on stage, but Hal was a genius at hiring really kind, generous, talented. Sure, they were talented, but they were selfless and collaborative and really just good people. He was really good at bringing them all together and sort of sneaking out of the room and letting it all just magically happen. Um, that's why he was a genius. Um, it's real, so it's all about chemistry in the room. And it was a chemistry. So when the cast met each other, we just fell in love. And he knew we would. He was a genius that way.

So when you have a cast that loves to work with each other, and you're working with Hal Prince and Susan Stroman, James Robert Brown, you're sitting there like, okay, pinch me. I don't care what I do. I'll be, you know, I'll be a brick on the wall. This is exciting. You know, I get to tell a story one day that I worked with these people. Um, so it didn't really matter what I did. But you know, at the end of the day, there were certain things in the show that I got to do that ended up becoming dreams for me from my childhood. I mean, in essence, um, long story short, I was very close to booking Tony in West Side Story the first go-round. In fact, Arthur Lawrence, God rest his soul, this was two revivals ago, one with Karen Olivo, one with Tony.

And um, I was playing Tulsa at the time in Gypsy, and Arthur single-handedly asked me after we bowed on one of the shows, he brought me onto the stage when we were at the St. James and said, I want you to be Tony in West Side Story. I'm gonna try to find an 18-year-old. If not, you're the guy. And it ended up being a horrible ending for me because he didn't find an 18-year-old. He found somebody else who's a friend of mine who was, I'm sure, fantastic, but like that was it for me. And it was very, it was like a heartbreaking scenario where that was always such a dream role of mine, and um, and so to not be able to go forward with it after the guy literally audibly in my face said, You're it, you are the part, that was hard.

And so um, I remember exactly where I was. I, you know, I was in my new house that I just bought, our new house, and I was in, it was like eight in the morning, and I knew we were going to Broadway with Prince and Broadway, and I was doing a couple things, um, doing like two or three numbers, and Hal Prince calls me at 8 a.m. and says, Can you sing the Tony material from West Side? And I said, Of course I can. And he said, He's like, Yeah, yeah, of course you can. Okay, good. You're gonna be doing that in the show too. And I just remember having like a massive, like, like, just it just started tearing from my soul, like went to my knees and started crying, like thinking like it, you know, it's weird how things work, but like I got to sing Something's Coming and sing Tonight on a Broadway stage with this amazing cast in front of Hal Prince.

And I just thought I'm so grateful, like I was just so grateful to, you know, to do that, but then obviously to like perform one of the best numbers I had ever created with Susan Stroman, who's a genius doing the right girl, the way we do it, the way we created it together and collaborated with Jason doing a brand new arrangement. I mean, that number to me was killer. It was insane, it was beautiful storytelling, it wasn't tap for razzle dazzle. Every single step had a story attached to it, and I'm just, I was so proud of it. So those few things in itself, um, I mean, you know, it was remarkable. It was beautiful. I loved doing it. It was tough. I mean, doing that number eight shows a week was, whoo, that was tough.

But man, yeah, I can't, I loved immersing myself into those characters. It was wild. It was the first show that I had ever seen of like a review show, you know, kind of thing. Um, and the way that it was just done was so brilliant in the cast, like you said, like you all could tell that like you were having the time of your life up there. And like as an audience member, it makes the show that much more enjoyable, you know.

[42:54] Tony Yazbeck: Well, yeah, I mean, we were, we all had like glasses on our foreheads, like Hal Prince. And we got to speak words that he would speak in rehearsal. And yeah, and he would come backstage, uh, or even intermission. He was always there in the theater. Yeah, almost every show. He would come back in the intermission and I was sharing a dressing room with Chuck Cooper and he'd grab us by the shoulders, you too. Hey pal, hey guys, great job, great job. And I just, and Chuck and I would sneak selfies with him all the time, like without, like, what is our life? Like that's Hal Prince and we would just like laugh about it. Like, this is the greatest gig ever. Like, we'll never forget this, you know. It was really special in that way.

[43:39] Eli Tokash: Yeah, that's awesome. Do you have like a favorite Hal Prince show or character?

[43:43] Tony Yazbeck: I mean, Follies has grown with me so much just from doing it. I hope someone like Stroman directs and choreographs it one day, and that it was, you know, to be able to look, I could play either of those parts. Um, but doing a role like that and immersing myself and being able to do it as a singer, as a dancer, um, those parts are really hard to come by. It's one thing to dance and to create joy. It's another thing to take everything that's melancholy and longing and sad and destroyed and heartbroken and put it into a tap step. And I think, um, I found something really special with that. And to know that Michael Bennett originally, you know, wanted the role to be performed like that, and to be able to finally, you know, say, here you go, sir. This is how you wanted it. Um, that was really me, you know.

[44:45] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[44:46] Tony Yazbeck: So, you know, so roles like that for sure. I mean, I mean, there's so many, there's so many roles out there that I would love to do. I mean, Hal just figured it out. I mean, Sweeney Todd's a masterpiece. Oh my god.

[44:59] Eli Tokash: So it's like you would be an insane Sweeney Todd.

[45:03] Tony Yazbeck: Oh my god, that is a first. But yes, I'll take it.

[45:06] Eli Tokash: Really?

[45:07] Tony Yazbeck: Oh my god, that would be so sick. I never even thought about that. But just like hearing Sweeney Todd come out of your mouth, I'm like, whoa. Because I feel like, isn't it coming back to Broadway? I feel like it's rumored to be coming back soon.

[45:18] Tony Yazbeck: I'm sure. I mean, it will every 10 years.

[45:21] Eli Tokash: Oh my god. There are shows like that that should come back.

[45:24] Tony Yazbeck: Look, uh, there are shows like that. One of my favorite shows of all time, a James Lapine show, Sunday in the Park with George. I mean, I think that show should, as an artist, it should like just like a chorus line for dancers should be for any artist. Uh, it should literally never not be on Broadway. You know, there are shows like that that should keep coming back and keep coming back and remind us why we do what we do and why we have to do what we do, you know.

[45:49] Eli Tokash: Yeah. I think it's important.

[45:51] Tony Yazbeck: Well, I want to talk. So you mentioned like chorus line. So you've done a couple shows, you've done Gypsy and you've done a Chorus Line, and you've done them twice, and like with a few years like in between each other. I, what is it like as like a performer? Because I've always thought about, you know, revisiting Neverland and because I was so young and I like I understood the story, but I look back on it now and I'm so much more like appreciative of the story, and I'm like, it like it makes me cry more and like just like to like think about what actually was going on. Um, anyways, but so like now as like you gain more knowledge and you live a little more and you visit shows like Gypsy as an adult and you're playing a new character, and then of course a Chorus Line, you're kind of revisiting the show. Like, what is all of that like?

[46:40] Tony Yazbeck: Uh, is it like just nostalgic? Is it, you know, you find pieces that you didn't even know were there? Like, what is that like for you?

[46:48] Tony Yazbeck: Yes, and yes, and yes, it all is. It's all of that. Um, with age grows a lot of maturity, but also, um, your sort of, um, it's like you have an arsenal of emotions and feelings and things that you can give a character, and when you get older, it just deepens that arsenal gets bigger and bigger and able to carry more weight. And um, I think, especially Chorus Line, you know, I came back and I did a different role why I played Al originally and then came back and played Zach. And I mean, I don't think I could have played Zach when I was younger and understood it the way I absolutely get it now when I did it at City Center. Yeah. And uh so, you know, and under look, I've always had appreciation with that show, but there are certain things about masterpieces like a Chorus Line that they just don't go away.

There's certain, like, you know, they're like songs out there. Like for me, like, you know, like every time I hear Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now, the first two bars, I'm weeping like a baby. It's just this kind of song it is. It will always be. It's a classic. A Chorus Line is like that. You know, you start to hear What I Did for Love, and it becomes an anthem for everybody, not just a dancer or a singer and actor, it's everybody who's gone through something and tried to, you know, keep things weighted with themselves, put themselves, you know, squarely into their business, into their career, and at the same time balance their love for people, their relationships, and how they made the choices they did, all the choices they made, you know, defined this very moment, and how you could have done things differently, but you can't go back now.

So you just look at all the decisions you made to get to this point, and you did the best you could, and that's all you can do. I mean, that you talk about being a paramelma parent now. That's all we can do is make the best choices for our kids. It's all the same thing. So, you know, Marvin Hamlisch was a genius in that way. He figured out a way to musically tell the story and then lyrically say something that was so universal that yes, it was coming from dancers who just loved what they did and just pushed their bodies to the limit to try to get a job in the chorus. But this pertains to everybody, what we did to get to where we are and how we can never go back. And we just push forward because we love what we do and we love who we're with.

And um, you know, it's that's brilliant. It's classic. Um, so yeah, it, it, those are the things that they deepen over time, they truly deepen. Uh, Gypsy, I think I was, I think I had something like spiritual hit in me when I was a kid about the show. I think I got the show at a very, very young age. Only because I think when you're young, when you're really young, music hits you in a pure, in even more pure way, I think, than it does as you get older. I think as you get older, you start to define it with words, but when you're a kid, you just define it with emotions. And so, like things like the overture of Gypsy. I just, I felt like I was like roaming the universe in pure ecstasy. Like it, that overture for me, like I would just sit there and like air guitar every single instrument for six minutes every night in the show.

You know what I mean? Like as a kid, it was just like I just felt like, you know, I was out of body. That's the best thing. And the whole, the whole score for me is that way. Yeah. Um, so as I got older, I was like, it deepened, but it stayed there. Um, and look, I was, I was really spoiled. I was, I was a child actor in the best show that's ever been written.

[50:51] Tony Yazbeck: I mean, I don't know, like how spoiled can I be at that point?

[50:56] Eli Tokash: Right.

[50:56] Tony Yazbeck: So um, you know, and then getting to play Tulsa.

[50:59] Eli Tokash: That's crazy.

[51:00] Tony Yazbeck: That's just like stupid luck of like doing your dream role when you're a kid, getting to do it, and the only part that was a down the downside of doing is when when that's over, you think to yourself, well, now what?

[51:14] Tony Yazbeck: What the hell am I supposed to do now?

[51:15] Tony Yazbeck: Because I don't have a dream job.

[51:17] Tony Yazbeck: That was my dream job.

[51:19] Eli Tokash: Wow.

[51:20] Tony Yazbeck: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[51:24] Eli Tokash: Nobody ever talks about that.

[51:26] Tony Yazbeck: No, that's why you need that business school, you need that management degree when you're in college, man.

[51:32] Tony Yazbeck: You seriously start organizing your life.

[51:35] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[51:36] Tony Yazbeck: Dreaming like a like this Pisces always dreams.

[51:38] Tony Yazbeck: Just dream, dream, dream.

[51:40] Tony Yazbeck: Maybe I'll get there.

[51:40] Eli Tokash: And then what if you do?

[51:41] Tony Yazbeck: Like, what happens if you do?

[51:43] Tony Yazbeck: Now what?

[51:43] Eli Tokash: You know, it's crazy.

[51:45] Tony Yazbeck: On to the next thing, I guess.

[51:47] Tony Yazbeck: Um, but it's crazy.

[51:48] Tony Yazbeck: I feel like listening to you and just listening to your love of overtures.

[51:52] Tony Yazbeck: I want to produce a show that just puts you on a stage and just plays a bunch of overtures and we want to.

[51:57] Eli Tokash: Like the man in chair, the drawing chaperone of overtures.

[52:01] Tony Yazbeck: Yes.

[52:01] Eli Tokash: Oh my god.

[52:02] Tony Yazbeck: I just but like no, just like not even like it just plays, and we watch you just like run through the world on S.

[52:15] Tony Yazbeck: Like, I will give that to you.

[52:17] Tony Yazbeck: Like, that was being my whole childhood with every instrument of gypsy.

[52:22] Tony Yazbeck: Like, even like you'll never get away from me.

[52:23] Tony Yazbeck: I could hear the the plucking of the the violins in the background, and I would just like move to them all.

[52:28] Tony Yazbeck: Like, that's why I was such a dancer.

[52:30] Tony Yazbeck: Like, I just it was just interpretive movement to everything I was hearing, you know.

[52:34] Eli Tokash: Right.

[52:35] Tony Yazbeck: Yeah, we need this.

[52:36] Tony Yazbeck: We need this to happen.

[52:38] Tony Yazbeck: Um, well, so your latest thing on Broadway you did was flying over sunset, and now I didn't get to see the show, unfortunately, because I really wanted to.

[52:47] Tony Yazbeck: I tried to see everything that like, you know, cast members are in, whether it's Mary Poppins, cast members, Pippen, Neverland, all the things.

[52:55] Tony Yazbeck: So like when I did when this closed, I was so unfortunate, but I did some research about the show, and I was just like, the more I read about it, the more I was just like in awe about the show.

[53:05] Tony Yazbeck: Like it was so bizarre, but so fascinating.

[53:09] Eli Tokash: Um your character, you played like an actual like human being.

[53:14] Eli Tokash: It was based off of the film legend Cary Grant.

[53:17] Eli Tokash: Um what how was did you have to like research him in order to like kind of find yourself in that character?

[53:24] Eli Tokash: Then of course, like with the whole like the LSDs and the drugs and everything.

[53:28] Eli Tokash: Like, what was that like?

[53:30] Eli Tokash: How do you step into that every night?

[53:33] Tony Yazbeck: Yeah, Strange and Bizarre was is is correct.

[53:35] Tony Yazbeck: I mean, I actually did a lot of research on Cary Grant.

[53:38] Tony Yazbeck: I watched a ton of his movies.

[53:40] Tony Yazbeck: Um there's some fascinating interviews where he's not solely on camera.

[53:46] Tony Yazbeck: That's very fascinating to watch, but um, and I read a few books on him and all of the true accounts of the fact that he did over a hundred uh sessions with a therapist with LSD.

[53:56] Tony Yazbeck: I mean, this is all very true.

[53:57] Tony Yazbeck: The first act was pretty true to form with what he did with his um psychologist, psychiatrist.

[54:03] Tony Yazbeck: And um uh yeah, I studied him a lot.

[54:06] Tony Yazbeck: And what what I tried to do is read, read, read, and then sort of drop it all and find out what is it that I can connect to?

[54:15] Tony Yazbeck: What do I assimilate with him with?

[54:17] Tony Yazbeck: And bizarrely enough, I had a lot to assimilate with him about.

[54:21] Tony Yazbeck: He was a child performer, he had a broken home, he he worked right away at a very young age.

[54:28] Tony Yazbeck: Um a lot of sort of regrets and resentments pushed the things away, created a new identity for himself.

[54:36] Tony Yazbeck: I mean, to the to the to the point where you know he created his own persona and his own language like own dialect, like no one even had a dialect like him.

[54:46] Tony Yazbeck: He just created one from things that he heard because his own speech was not at all what anyone's ever heard him sound like.

[54:54] Tony Yazbeck: So it was it was all put on to be somebody else because he wasn't able to face all of the trauma and the difficulties that that had happened to him as a as a child, um, with a a father, uh all these things.

[55:08] Tony Yazbeck: So bizarrely, I had I had some of that in my life, so I was able to really get to the root emotionally of where he came from, and and also, you know, he was at a point in his career where he felt unfulfilled.

[55:22] Tony Yazbeck: He's like, Okay, great, I'm a big star.

[55:24] Tony Yazbeck: I still don't feel fulfilled in my life.

[55:27] Tony Yazbeck: And I thought that was fascinating.

[55:28] Tony Yazbeck: And I think that's what James Lepine, I think that was the whole reason he put this this together.

[55:33] Tony Yazbeck: Uh you know, similar to, in a sense, of Sunday in the park with George, and how you know George Surratt does what he does and can't just set sort of be simple-minded enough to look at somebody else and love somebody else.

[55:45] Tony Yazbeck: He's invested in his work and he's hiding behind his work a little bit, right?

[55:48] Tony Yazbeck: Similar to Kerry Grant, where uh he was this big star and he got everything he sort of hoped to get with this persona, and yet had really didn't have any true happiness, and then that's why the LSD started to happen, and what did that, what was that going to do for him?

[56:07] Tony Yazbeck: And by the end of the show, I think the whole point of playing over sunset were these simple connections.

[56:13] Tony Yazbeck: Is that how do we fully stay present in the moment with somebody else?

[56:18] Tony Yazbeck: And how can that drastically improve our happiness and joy in life?

[56:23] Tony Yazbeck: And you know, instead of searching for something miraculous and life-changing to happen to us, perhaps in the simple joys is the answer to life's meaning, you know.

[56:34] Tony Yazbeck: And and I the reason why I was so content and wanting to do the show and really wanted to go after obviously was the team and working with Lincoln Center Theater, but that message of simple connection coming out of a pandemic to me was um kind of a big deal.

[56:49] Tony Yazbeck: Um out of this darkness, this isolation, and being able to once again be on a stage even and just look at people in the audience and see them and realize like hi, this is this is life.

[57:01] Tony Yazbeck: We are meant to connect with each other, we're meant to help each other.

[57:04] Tony Yazbeck: It's it's it's not natural for us not to, you know, it's it's unnatural not to.

[57:09] Tony Yazbeck: So um that was the the part of it that it was exciting to me, and um, you know, this sort of ever flowing theme of simple.

[57:18] Tony Yazbeck: I love the word simple, it's um it's something that Albert Einstein used to use a lot, he used to talk about simple and and how simple was was godly, and how you know his own spirituality, Albert Einstein had an interesting spirituality about him, but it was a very similar thing that I found in Flying Over Sunset, which was through all the chaos and the complex nature of us trying to find something that gave us deep meaning, what was simple and pure under our noses was really the most profound, and I love that part of it.

[57:50] Tony Yazbeck: Um I think that's what the show is about, yeah.

[57:54] Eli Tokash: I I you know, believe it or not, because I read the reviews and everything, but like everyone I talked to really loved the show.

[58:03] Eli Tokash: Like it seemed like it was one of those shows that just like couldn't get the people in, you know, like to see the show.

[58:16] Tony Yazbeck: Well it it doesn't help that you're in the middle of the worst part of the in of a pandemic in a hundred years.

[58:21] Tony Yazbeck: You're literally smack dab into two weeks into Omicron which was literally pushed every single butt person out of the theater.

[58:28] Tony Yazbeck: I mean we had subscribers in the center theater who just didn't show up and wouldn't show up.

[58:33] Tony Yazbeck: So it was it was a desert out there and everyone was afraid to go to the theater anywhere.

[58:40] Tony Yazbeck: And when you're opening a show in the middle of that it's just the worst timing possible.

[58:46] Tony Yazbeck: And truth be told I mean we were a brand new original show.

[58:49] Tony Yazbeck: A similarly original show that needed to spread word of mouth which means we had to get butts in the seat so if we couldn't do that we were kind of dying off and uh and at the same time we were a polarizing show because it takes the uh the kind of person that would appreciate highly this this kind of show is somebody who is ready to feel who is open who's open to interpretation who is open to exploring something that possibly they have to confront for themselves within themselves.

[59:18] Tony Yazbeck: And I have to say not everybody's ready to do that.

[59:21] Tony Yazbeck: A lot of people want to go to the theater and want to judge and see if this is good enough for them.

[59:26] Tony Yazbeck: And that's not necessarily great art.

[59:29] Tony Yazbeck: It's it's entertainment, but I think real art happens when somebody can be open to interpreting it in a fresh uh begin, you know, new way.

[59:40] Tony Yazbeck: And I I think our show was a lot for people to handle, probably right after a pandemic.

[59:46] Tony Yazbeck: Because I think everyone was just like, please just let me laugh, please let me just smile.

[59:50] Tony Yazbeck: And I think I think the people who got it really got it.

[59:53] Tony Yazbeck: And I think the people that didn't, that's okay, because uh, you know, but in James Le Pine would tell you the same thing, you know, all of his works are pretty polarizing.

[1:00:01] Tony Yazbeck: They either love it or they hate it.

[1:00:03] Tony Yazbeck: He always and and you know what he was pretty he's sort of proud of that in ways, because I think it means that he's sticking to his own path as an artist, and uh his integrity is upheld.

[1:00:14] Tony Yazbeck: He's not swaying to everyone's needs, he's just trying to tell his story, and I think that's really important.

[1:00:21] Eli Tokash: I love that, yeah, for sure.

[1:00:23] Eli Tokash: It's cool that like for the writers to like allow you allow themselves to be like open and vulnerable about themselves to like present that on the stage.

[1:00:33] Eli Tokash: Like I've always wanted to like write out my emotions and thoughts, but I've never known how to like do it.

[1:00:39] Eli Tokash: So I always like applaud those kind of writers that are just like this is kind of like what I'm thinking, and this is what I'm putting out there, and like you either love it or hate it.

[1:00:47] Tony Yazbeck: Like that to me is like that's an artist, you know.

[1:00:50] Tony Yazbeck: Like that's James is a visual artist too.

[1:00:53] Tony Yazbeck: He was he was always a visual artist before he was a writer and a director.

[1:00:56] Tony Yazbeck: So if you think about what he did with photography or something like a painting or something like that, he would put it out there and he'd go, I don't know, I created this, it came out of me.

[1:01:04] Tony Yazbeck: It's authentic.

[1:01:05] Tony Yazbeck: Whether you like it or not is is another thing, but it is authentically what came out of me, and I tried to instinctually not stop that flow.

[1:01:14] Tony Yazbeck: And that to me is true artistry.

[1:01:17] Eli Tokash: Right.

[1:01:18] Tony Yazbeck: Um whether it wins people's hearts and minds or not, it's still art, you know.

[1:01:23] Tony Yazbeck: At the end of the day, we're all just trying to tell a story.

[1:01:26] Eli Tokash: And you know, like that's all.

[1:01:28] Tony Yazbeck: Um, I love that.

[1:01:29] Eli Tokash: Well, before I let you go, we had to talk about Neverland really quickly.

[1:01:32] Eli Tokash: Um, you just have so many credits that like we're not even getting to them.

[1:01:35] Eli Tokash: Uh, but it's great.

[1:01:37] Eli Tokash: This is fantastic.

[1:01:38] Tony Yazbeck: Uh, I want to talk to you because you joined the show, you know, like you came in after the show was kind of open, similar to me.

[1:01:45] Tony Yazbeck: And honestly, like watching you come into the show, I had been in the show for about longer than six months when you came in, and you came in and allowed me to kind of re-evaluate my show, um, which was fascinating because I I saw you come in and I saw you replace the person, Matthew Morrison who was playing Dan Barry before.

[1:02:08] Tony Yazbeck: Um, and you kind of just came in and made it your own.

[1:02:12] Tony Yazbeck: And for me, when I came in, like I came in uh three weeks after the show opened, and you know, I felt like I had to be this carbon copy, this blue like this stepping in and I'm the same person and nothing happened.

[1:02:25] Tony Yazbeck: Um, but seeing you come in and kind of just take the take the show, I mean you're you are the show, um, and and watch you kind of work and and make it your own and make it you was so beautiful, and it literally I would just go home at night and I was like, this Tony Yazbek, like he is making this thing his own, and I feel like I never got the opportunity to do that with this show.

[1:02:25] Tony Yazbeck: And I feel like for the rest of my run, it kind of changed that.

[1:02:50] Eli Tokash: So just talk to me about your experience with Neverland and coming in at at that time and everything.

[1:02:55] Tony Yazbeck: Well, it's interesting you say that because it you you you it grounded me to be able to do that because first of all, with the elephant in the room, Harvey Weinstein.

[1:03:03] Tony Yazbeck: I mean, it's like you look at the fact that when you know, probably when you were hired too, but when I was hired, it was all his push.

[1:03:12] Tony Yazbeck: He was basically manipulating the equation of I'm uh you're gonna work for me, Tony, because I think you're perfect for this, and I'm gonna give you a million TV shows, which were you know, BS empty promises, but it's Harvey Weinstein, and he was the most powerful man in the universe before ever right before everything went down.

[1:03:30] Tony Yazbeck: So you kind of just didn't say no to this guy.

[1:03:33] Tony Yazbeck: It was really hard to do so. So you know, I went along with all of this, and it was right after the Tony's wrapped around the town, and it felt like okay, I guess this is the next step, even though at the time, I mean, would I do things differently now? Maybe, but you know, you can't look back and regret. So when I saw the show, I was really surprised because before I said yes, I said I want to go and look at it and check it out. And um, I looked at the show, which obviously had we, you know, the show had terrible reviews, it got paid any nominations, so I was like, okay, what am I gonna get myself into? And I look at it and I go, Are you like this the script itself was in my opinion pretty damn profound?

And I thought, wow, we are we are totally undervaluing this show as a play. And I realized that this show actually was a play with music. It really for me, I and I looked at it that way, whether you want to say it's a musical, sure, it's a musical. But if you took the music, the singing and dancing away, and just did the show as a script as a play, it really works. It's emotionally weighted. There's a reason to do it. And I was able to decipher all that and take it out and not listen to our leading, the leading man that was up there at the time, but really listen to the words. And I went, Oh my god, there's something to be said here. And I think I have an interpretation that not just will make it my own, so it's like everyone knows it's my own, but like, how do I give this show its due, give the story its due because there's something that is profound by the end of the show with the kids with talking about mortality?

It's beautiful. And so that's when I fell in love. By the end of the show, I turned to my friend who came with me, and I was like, um, there is something here, isn't there? And he's like, absolutely. We were both kind of in tears. So I just uh, you know, and I never worked with Diane Paulus until the very end. She never saw me work. It was like I got thrown into the show, I had six days of rehearsal, and it's great. I was directing something down in Miami at the time, and I said, I'm not gonna leave this. So I told him I will I will memorize the entire script before I start rehearsals, which is what I did. Memorized everything before I walked on that first day of six rehearsals, and I was working with Kelsey Grammar, and you know, I was working with I remember who I was working with, and um got thrown into the show, but I was able to do things a certain way, and you know, there were other people on the stage that didn't want me to do that, but I was sticking to my guns because I thought I'm not gonna just be a replacement, I'm gonna try to give this show its due because I don't think it's quite, I don't think we've sucked the marrow out of this play yet.

Um, but I was able to uh find some stuff in it, and I was really excited by that. And I think I think when you ground yourself in things and and you're able to really say lines to us to another actor on the stage and not have to rush it because of timing and not have to just really simply be the other actors can be. You know, everybody, everybody else morphs around you and goes, Oh, this is real. We can just talk to each other. Right. That's what started to happen probably with you is like we started to like find the show again that was like a musical, and now it was a play. And I think that was the difference, you know.

[1:07:08] Eli Tokash: Yeah, it was it was brilliant, like the way that you came in and kind of because all of a sudden I remember all of this now that you're saying this this whole six-day thing, because we were like, they waited forever to announce it. We were like, he's leaving in in like a couple of weeks. Like he we don't have it. Anybody in rehearsals yet? Like, fine, we don't have to get out of school and everything. But I was like, no, I want to get out of school, like to go rehearse and all the things. Uh, but it was so like crazy that whole time period, and then your first show, like, I'll never forget. Like, it was the put in the day that I think the day of, or it could have been, I don't know. But it was like everything was happening so quickly, and it felt like, you know, oh my god, like what is the show gonna be?

Like, it was totally I I'll never forget your first show, because I actually had to talk to my Wrangler, the Caroline, and and was like, what is happening now? Like, what's happening today? Like, I feel I've never felt like unprepared for a show, but there was something about it. And and then, like, I just went out with there with you, and uh you're right, like I could just be. Like, we started the show, and it was as if nothing changed, but everything changed at once. And it was like it was like we were shaking each other alive. I remember going out there with you kids and being able to like, even with you, I remember I remember s watching in rehearsal a little bit, just seeing like how sometimes, because you know, what did you know?

You were a kid, you would do things similarly in the same way, with the same inflection every single time. And like, like it didn't matter what was spoken to you, you just spoke back. And I thought, I'm gonna shake this kid up. We're gonna talk on that. Yes.

[1:08:43] Tony Yazbeck: And you were you looked me in the eyes, and you would like we would just give each other joy and give each other energy and push each other around. And that's what made that show, I think, start to come alive, and the script start to like come off the page because we were able to like you know, it was a new moment every show, brand new.

[1:09:01] Eli Tokash: Yes. Um, and that that was that that part was really it's always exciting in theater. That's the best theater, you know. It's so crazy. Like, to that I'm glad that you kind of remember that or you know, can kind of verbalize that because I didn't know, like, literally, I look back on it and I'm like, when Tony came to the show, it was a new world, and I found a new show for myself. I found myself in the show, and I wasn't doing, you know, Aiden, who was there before me. Like, you know, I was doing my version of the show, and you somehow you're just so good, got that out of me, and I forever grateful for that. Seriously, because then when you left, you know, like I felt like I could still there was still more to explore with a new person, you know, with Alfie, even though he was like there for a couple weeks.

Um, but he was cool. Yeah, so um, but yeah, crazy. And then one more story that I have, and then I'll let you go. Um I a part of that unpreparedness came from nerves because when I auditioned for the show and they said that Matthew Morrison was in the show, I had no idea who Matthew Morrison was. My brother and sister are huge fan of Glee. And I never seen Glee a day in my life, so I'm going into audition, and they're like, oh my god, like you're auditioning for like a show with Matthew Morrison and blah blah blah. And I was like, yeah, whatever. Like, who cares? So then he leaves, and they announce that you're in the show. And I was going bonkers in my house. I was running around the house.

I was like, you're not gonna believe this guy. He is so unbelievable. Like I the whole circle kind of turned, and I was the one fangirling, and I was like, this guy was in on the town, he was Tony Ward nomination, and and he was just gave the best performance I've ever seen on like stage, and I was so excited. And and that day, like that first performance with you, I was so nervous, like more nervous than I was for my like first show in the show. Uh is crazy. But uh yeah, I'll never forget that. And I just felt like I needed to tell you that because I was such a view of town.

[1:11:04] Tony Yazbeck: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was so excited to get have the chance to work with you.

[1:11:08] Eli Tokash: Oh man, that's so funny. Well, you know, nerves, all the nerves are is just another uh reason to to know that you love what you do. That's all nervous, man. That's why it's good to have that's why good to be nervous. People ask me all the time, like, how do I get rid of nerves like when I'm on stage? And I'm like, Don't don't do it. Because if you don't have nerves, that means you probably stop loving it, man. You know, it's like nerves are good, just kind of embrace it when you embrace them, they go away anyway.

[1:11:34] Tony Yazbeck: Oh, that's so cool. That that is that is awesome. I love that. Oh my god. You you were like my like star for like for a long time, and I was like, oh my god, this guy is about to be in fighting neverland, and I'm not gonna be able to do it. Here we are, you like you're now you're an old man like me. I know we're chatting and it's we're in a pandemic, and we're talking this this kind of platform, and oh my gosh, what has happening where did the time I know what a world and it's cool to just be like you know like he's a he's human and he's a performer and he's we're just trying to do the same thing and make people feel something so it's just so cool to have those types of experiences. So I appreciate you uh for just coming in and kind of just changing my whole perspective on performances in general like it didn't just help me with finding neverland it just like helped me in the industry as a whole so I appreciate that and I appreciate you coming on here today and and giving me your time and and reconnecting and kind of chatting again. It's been so wonderful and I'm so thankful.

[1:12:35] Tony Yazbeck: My pleasure pal and best of luck to you coming up oh my god thank you so much.

[1:12:40] Eli Tokash: Take about Tony Yazbeck come on he is I I mean I don't even know what to say after that the whole interview was so so lovely. I it was so great to reconnect with him and talk to him about Neverland and being able to talk to him about the industry a little bit and kind of hear more about him because as I said like I don't know if I actually said this on the podcast or not but w in being in the industry as a kid and I mean I'm still a kid and I'm but I'm still learning but to have more knowledge to have the knowledge that I have now and to understand it a little bit more in the way that I do now and to see how cool the people that I was working with were like to just be able to reflect on all these things and have the opportunity to to reconnect with them and talk to them again has just been so um fulfilling for me, I think is is a bit the best way I can put it.

And this was a perfect reminder of that. Tony Yazbeck was w literally one of my like idols at the time when I saw on the Town and I said it. So the fact that you know he came on here today to talk with me again about you know our experience in Neverland and to talk to him and pick his mind a little bit about the industry and about you know his career, just to even like the fun things that he talked about in Flying Over Sunset and the way that he described Chorus Line and Gypsy and all these things, like it wasn't even like the answers to my question. It was just like the things that he was offering to put out there and to tell me. It really meant a lot. So I appreciate Tony for coming on here today.

And I hope that you all enjoyed this episode and um you know kind of learned something today because there's so many good things to take away from this, not only from a performer's perspective, not only from a dancer's perspective, but just as like an artist, you know, or even as like a human, like as a fan. I don't want to ramble too much, but I want to say thank you all for listening to this week's episode. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did because I had a wonderful time. Stay tuned for next week for the Kite Runner review because I'm really excited to see it. I'm seeing it probably as you listen to it on Thursday, July 28th. Very excited. And yeah, so everyone continue to stay safe, continue to be kind, and I'll see you all next week. Bye everyone.

[1:14:56] Eli Tokash: Have a great week. For this episode's curtain call, I would like to recognize a few people who also deserve to take a vow. This podcast would not be possible without the help from Dory Berenstein, Brittany Bigelow, Katie Rosen, Alan Seales, and the team at the Broadway Podcast Network. Next in line to take the bow is Tessie Tokash, who edits the audio and all the visuals for this podcast. A special thanks to patrons Brian Thompson, Pat McNamara, the listeners at PCC, as well as all of the other patrons for their continued support. If you're interested in becoming a patron, go to patreon.com/slash TAB. And if you enjoyed this week's episode, don't forget to subscribe on the platform that you're currently listening to this on. Also, feel free to give us a follow on Instagram at TakeA Bow Podcast. Take a Bow's logo is designed by Giselle Bustos and the music is by Nikki Torsha and Cormac Collinon. Bye everyone. Hope to see you next week.