This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Eli Tokash: Hello everyone and welcome to episode 182 of Take A Bow. I'm your host, Eli Tokash, and this week's episode is like unofficially episode 182. I may go back to 182 next week. I don't know. This week's episode isn't really a real episode, uh, in the sense that we like to usually do things over here at Take A Bow. Um, but this week I am going to be providing you some fun things going on in the industry, both news and with me. Um, and we'll be just chatting about it. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to uh schedule a uh interview or chat this week with uh any of our guests because there's a few projects that I've been working on this week and this past weekend. I talked a little bit about it last week um as far as I Put A Spell On You.

It's officially over. Uh my time as a producer is currently on the shelf now as I just wrapped up the first kind of, I don't know, I guess like Truth was like my first producing venture, and then this was like the first time I actually got to see something on stage. So that was very, very cool and fun for me. Um, and now that all that madness is out of the way, it's semi out of the way. Truth is the workload is lightening up, and uh we have the next few weeks planned out now because of that. Um, as I have a little bit more time on my hands now that midterms are done as well in college and everything, so um everything's coming up uh great for Take A Bow, and we are ready and uh going to hopefully rejuvenate and um, you know get some great content for you until the end of the year, which is crazy that we're almost there.

Um, but truth is, uh, this weekend uh it was great. I spent my whole time at Sony Hall. I practically lived there. Uh slept and everything there, basically, um, when I wasn't running back and forth to a midterm, then back to the hall for um, you know, continuing the day of show uh madness. Um but it was great. So I Put A Spell On You happened and it was a huge success. So we raised almost 200,000 uh for the Ally Forney Center, which helps homeless LGBTQIA plus uh kids in our community uh through all around the world who either ran away or are not uh accepted at their homes uh due to uh you know who they've opened their hearts to and uh who they love, um, which is just so sad to hear. And nobody should be homeless, let alone children, um, in this crazy cruel uh, I guess crazy and sometimes cruel world.

Um but last night or I guess this past weekend, there was a lot of love and a lot of support uh over at Sony Hall as we uh raised money for such a wonderful cause. And guess what, y'all? You can still um show your love and support to uh the Ally Forney Center and uh the Broadway community who put together and volunteered their time to put on this wonderful I Put A Spell On You event, which is the Hocus Pocus uh branch, I guess you could say, of um, you know, uh of the Broadway version, I guess, of uh Hocus Pocus and whatnot. Um so I uh it's great. I mean, the cast is ridiculous. J.R.M., Shawn Johnson, Robin Herter, uh Demarius Copes, um we have uh Salisha Thomas made a guest appearance. Uh we had uh Jake Peterson and Ashley Maddox from Parade.

Um we had uh Tomas Matos, we had Neela Jam, we had Tiffany Mann. I mean, you name it. The list goes on and on. Uh Talia Suscauer, Ryan Redman, Taylor Iman Jones. I mean, it was just incredible, filled with talent and filled with uh cast members of them, and uh, it was just really great room to be in. And if you want to watch this for yourself, this is gonna be streaming on demand at Broadway On Demand, that is. So, yes, Broadway has their little own on demand channel. We filmed it. We are currently doing the post production, and that is currently gonna be live for you all on October 28th. So mark your calendars if and I know you are interested in it. It's coming out Saturday, and you will only have a week to watch it.

And if you buy uh the video version of it on Broadway On Demand, all of those proceeds are once again going to the Ally Forney Center. That's right. A hundred percent of the proceeds will go to uh supporting LGBT kids um and LGBTQIA plus youth um who are currently homeless and do not have meals on the table for them. So um it's just wonderful what they're doing over there. So highly recommend doing that, and it's just such an incredible show. I can't wait to be a part of it again next year and uh continue to raise money for such great causes in this Broadway community. So um that was a little bit about my weekend as well as the opening night of Here We Are, which I was thrilled to be a part of.

Um it was Sondheim's last ever uh I guess opening night. Um I guess if this comes to Broadway, it'll be his last Broadway opening night. Um, but I would say this is like the last premiere of a new musical of his, which is just so sad to hear. Uh, but we had a great time on the carpet with that star-studded cast, uh, and we were able to head to the party afterwards. So it was great to to catch up with some uh former Take A Bow uh guests as well as you know some new ones that we uh may have on that we may be in the works. Um so I'm very excited for that. And uh in that uh in those interviews and whatnot, that's gonna be on YouTube very, very soon once we get this I Put A Spell On You stuff out of the way.

Um and then um we talked with the cast uh of who uh the we made cast members kind of recast their current cast members of Here We Are in their favorite Sondheim musical. Um so that was really, really cool to hear everyone's kind of artistic uh opinions and thoughts and and love for Sondheim come to the forefront on that night as well as just talking about this process and working with the creative team and and the last production of Sondheim really. Um so very, very cool stuff, very exciting content coming your way, and that's gonna be on YouTube here very soon. Hopefully by next week's episode, it will already be out on YouTube. So stay tuned for that. Uh we'll post on uh Instagram or whatnot, uh saying that we posted it, or if you subscribe to the YouTube channel, you'll know right when it's posted.

Highly recommend doing so. And uh it was just an incredible night. Michaela Diamond uh is is worth the watch itself. So uh it was it was lovely. And Dennis O'Hara, Dennis O'Hara was one of the nicest people I've ever met. So uh very, very cool stuff. Um okay, moving on to like Broadway news of the week. We have exciting news out of Chicago with uh our lovely Max Von Essen, who we all know and love. He was on he's been on the podcast multiple times. Um, and he was one of our first ever episodes, and then he was in our 100th episode celebration. Um he is going to be joining Chicago on Broadway as Billy Flynn, uh starting November 6th, which is uh so exciting. It's so soon. Uh the announcement was just yesterday, Wednesday.

Um, and he is just gonna kill this role. I'm obsessed about this. I can't believe he's never played it before or never been in Chicago before because I feel like everyone's been in Chicago. Um, so I I I just can't wait. And um, it'll be a great reason to go back to the show and experience the craziness that is Chicago uh yet again, but uh also like the craziness but realness like of life um in Chicago.

[8:23] Eli Tokash: So um, anyways, that's very exciting. Congrats, Max. We are rooting for you over here, so uh always exciting to hear you in the news. Um, and then we have some uh speaking of like the November 6th uh date, I guess you could say, we have some sad news coming out of Sweeney Todd, where uh Gaiton Madarazzo is departing on November 5th. He will be uh taking his final bow in Sweeney Todd as Tobias starting November 5th. Um and he is stepping away, obviously, as they go film their fourth, I believe, season of Stranger Things. So uh very exciting stuff. Hopefully, I was talking to him uh um a few nights ago, two weeks ago, maybe. Uh, we were we were at a little event and we were chatting, and he was saying that he he was heading out on November 5th, and it was still not announced, so he was like, Don't mention anything, but yeah, I'm heading out.

We're gonna start filming again here soon. Um, obviously, the SAG after uh and At Pam um have some negotiations, some final negotiations to go through. Uh so we he doesn't have an exact start date, but it'll be nice for him to have a little break and kind of get back into that Stranger Things world after uh you know performing on Broadway uh a few times, I guess, like in the sense of Deervin Hansen and uh now Sweeney Todd um since filming season three. So he's been in two Broadway shows in between one season, which is pretty crazy, but also so well deserved because he's such a talented human being. Um so very excited for Gain, and we can't wait for Stranger Things season four. Um so yeah, that that's going on.

And then uh following the November 5th uh departure of Gain, they announced that Annalee Ashford and Josh Grobin will also be departing from Sweeney Todd, starting uh or I mean, not starting, because there is no start, um, departing January 14th. So uh you still have some time, you still have some time to go see the show with uh those two lovely leading actors. Um, and they are lovely and amazing in every sense of the word in this show. They are phenomenal. And um I hope that y'all get a chance to see it. I would have to say I'm a bit surprised because I thought that like once Grovin left the show, the show would kind of I don't know, not I guess close, like I don't know. I thought this was kind of like his baby in a sense, but um, you know, there's been a lot of interest lately of playing Sweeney Todd.

So uh I assume they'll they'll get another name in there in no time, and it'll continue to thrive on Broadway. Um the names being thrown around for replacements right now. I don't know if y'all have heard, uh, some of you have. It's kind of gotten out there uh that it's gonna be Aaron to Vate uh replacing Josh Grovin as Sweeney Todd, and then Sutton Foster is gonna come in for Mrs. Love It. Um I love both of those, and uh I think both of them would be very interesting. Uh but we will see what what happens with all of it. I'm I'm just very excited to to see it all. So uh we shall we shall keep our eyes on that and I will update you as we hear. Um, okay, and then uh out of six, they have some new queens coming into the show as the OG Aragon Tour Queens of Six will be reprising all six of their roles here on Broadway.

Um and I can't wait because the six uh like OG tour cast kind of blew up on uh uh on the internet, and uh everyone was loving their performances. So I'm excited for New York audiences to see that and uh continue to see those six queens thrive, uh, which is so exciting. And then uh another piece out uh like our final piece, I guess, and then we'll wrap up this week's episode. Um L Fanning is making her Broadway debut in appropriate at Second Stage Theater, a new play by Brandon Jacobs Jenkins. Uh it's gonna be phenomenal. I can't wait for that show. I've read the script multiple times. I went in for it, and um it would it's it's really something to to put on your list here for the season. So uh very exciting stuff.

It's got a stacked cast, and uh I can't wait to see how this goes. L Fanning making her Broadway debut. It's a big one. I'm excited, and uh y'all should be too because this role is no joke. So uh welcome to Broadway L Fanning, the star that you are. Uh the very exciting stuff. All right, that's all I have for the news this week, and uh we'll get back next week on here with a another one.

[13:30] Eli Tokash: Um I was thinking about doing two episodes next week due to uh the lack of interview. This week I I don't think that uh two episodes is gonna be it because we have a bunch of content coming up on YouTube from all of these events that I've been working lately um with Broadway and Broadway Forever, and here we are, and then we have Spam Lot opening, hopefully that we will be attending. Um so there's just been a lot going on lately, and we're just sorting all of this out and trying to get this all to you. But the content is being made, and the entertainment will be at your uh on your computers, on your screens, on whatever. Uh they will be accessible for you as always um in no time. So uh thanks for staying with us.

Thanks for tuning in, and uh, we have an exciting one for you all next week with uh with either a uh writer or a uh performer. Hopefully it's gonna be a wicked cast member um to talk about the 20th anniversary, which by the way, shout out wicked, congratulations on 20 years on Broadway. That is no easy feat. Um, so very exciting stuff, and uh hopefully we'll get someone on to talk about that. If not, it will um, you know it'll be an exciting episode nonetheless. So come back next week. Hopefully, I will no longer be battling whatever I'm battling right now. I've been battling this thing for like a couple weeks now, so uh apologies. And um, you know, uh I think that uh that about wraps it up.

Oh, um, today, Thursday, um, Thursday, October 26th. Oh my god, I'm the worst. Because I meant to announce this on last week's episode. I did not. This today on October 26th, tonight, 9 30. Um, if you're listening to this on Thursday, 20 the 26th when it comes out and you stayed long enough. I appreciate you and you are a real one, and I would appreciate you uh even more and think that you are the realist if you come to Green Room 42 tonight. Um we have a cabaret going on, and I'm going to be singing in it. Uh that'll be interesting. Um, it'll be my first time back on a green room stage since I believe the 100th episode of Take a Vow. Um, oh no, no, no. I think I I don't know. Anyways, uh crazy stuff.

So gonna be singing for the first time in a long time. Come on out. Tickets are super cheap. You can get like $20 tickets. Uh, you could use coat you could use couch 5 for $5 off your ticket. Um, and that's gonna be tonight at 9 30, October 26th. So come on out uh on Thursday, and I hope to see you there. If you do come, please come say hi to me after the show. We'll chat, we'll hang, we'll do whatever, and uh we'll kick off the Halloween in a spooky cabaret with me singing a song about zombies. So um thank you so much for tuning in, and uh until then, I hope to see you all next week. Bye everyone. Have a great week.