This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Eli Tokash: Hello everyone and welcome to episode 71 of Take A Bow Podcast.

[0:05] Eli Tokash: I'm your host, Eli Tokash, and this week it is just you and me.

[0:11] Eli Tokash: I am so excited. I decided that we haven't had an episode where it's just been a little more intimate for a minute now, and I figured what better time to do so than the week of the Tony's.

[0:27] Eli Tokash: And so today there's also just a lot of news that I want to talk about, and I just know that with everything going on right now and the Tony Awards, that it would be a two-hour episode if we did have a guest this week.

[0:42] Eli Tokash: So I just figured why not just have your favorite Broadway enthusiast and actor and whatever you want to call me have an episode by himself and we can just talk about it together, and I can share some ideas and opinions and all kinds of views that I've had from this past week of all things Broadway, and I’ll be able to talk to you all about it, and I can't wait to hear feedback through whatever it may be, social media or messages directly or Patreon or whatever it is.

[1:21] Eli Tokash: So I'm very excited for this week's episode. There's a lot to unpack. Like I said, it's just me this week, so you're gonna be hearing a lot of me.

[1:30] Eli Tokash: Um, and I'm just looking forward to it. So I mean, why not just dive right into it, right?

[1:36] Eli Tokash: So we've had a lot, a lot of news going on on Broadway, and we'll start out with, um, we'll save the Tony discussions for later where the interviews usually go.

[1:53] Eli Tokash: Um, but for now, let's talk about what's going on and kind of the headlines surrounding Broadway this week. First off, let's talk about Lackawanna Blues.

[2:01] Eli Tokash: Lackawanna Blues had to delay their opening night, which was supposed to be Tuesday of this week, actually.

[2:10] Eli Tokash: So just two days ago from when this episode drops. That show is being delayed till October 7th as the star, writer, and director, Ruben Santiago Hudson recovers from a back injury that was recently sustained.

[2:27] Eli Tokash: Um, this was kind of a surprise to a lot of people, obviously. They had this event in Times Square called Curtain Up.

[2:37] Eli Tokash: He and a little bit he and the other members of Lackawanna Blues did a fabulous performance at Curtain Up in Times Square just last Sunday.

[2:50] Eli Tokash: Uh, so just a week ago, a week and a half ago now, I saw him in Times Square and he gave an amazing performance performing his blues music that he specializes in and is phenomenal at.

[3:07] Eli Tokash: Uh, he looked great, didn't show any signs of back issues or whatever. So when this came out it was a surprise to a lot of people, and I'm sure this is something that actually did happen very, very recently.

[3:22] Eli Tokash: Um, so best wishes to him and hopefully a speedy recovery so that they don't have to delay the opening any more than it already has.

[3:30] Eli Tokash: Um, thankfully it's not too long. It is just October 7th, which is just next week.

[3:36] Eli Tokash: Um, so good news there. But I'm sorry, that's very unfortunate that they did have to delay their opening.

[3:45] Eli Tokash: Let's see what else is going on. So lots of stuff surrounding Jagged Little Pill, and I'm gonna save that and do some of the smaller stuff first because there's actually a few headlines, actually many headlines, surrounding Jagged Little Pill.

[4:01] Eli Tokash: So we're gonna get to that in a second. Uh, but let's see what else.

[4:05] Eli Tokash: Andrew Lloyd Webber, he wants to bring his Cinderella, his version of Cinderella, to Broadway.

[4:12] Eli Tokash: Um, they have been open in London for the past couple weeks, and I mean, if you guys listen, if everyone here who is listening right now has listened to the previous episodes, um, they had some COVID troubles and they had to delay their opening.

[4:29] Eli Tokash: And then he said that he didn't want to even open it because it was just too much work with COVID and everything, and it was just too much.

[4:37] Eli Tokash: Um, you know, there was just on and on, and then they eventually opened the following week that he said he didn't want to open.

[4:46] Eli Tokash: Um, and now he's saying he wants to bring it to Broadway. You can buy the CD and you can listen to his music and the album and whatnot.

[4:56] Eli Tokash: And from what I hear, it's fantastic. So I am dying to hear it.

[5:01] Eli Tokash: Uh, I hear it's phenomenal. Everything, the reviews in London have been fantastic and everything.

[5:09] Eli Tokash: So very exciting stuff if he does make that work. Andrew Lloyd Webber is targeting an opening here on Broadway for his Cinderella to be next season.

[5:21] Eli Tokash: I'm not a hundred percent sure what next season means. If that does mean within this year, considering Six and Mrs. Doubtfire and all of these new shows coming, Chicken and Biscuits and all of that, um, Passover, they're all considered, well, I guess they're considered this season now, which is what I was kind of alluding to because the Tonys did just happen, but literally just two weeks ago they were considered next season.

[5:49] Eli Tokash: So it'll be interesting to see when that next season is. He left it very vague.

[5:54] Eli Tokash: I'm assuming he's just leaving it vague just because they don't have anything lined up at the moment.

[6:01] Eli Tokash: Uh, so it makes sense, and it's gonna be very exciting to see, and it's something that I will keep you all updated in.

[6:09] Eli Tokash: Um, I know his favorite theater, the Winter Garden Theater, is currently being occupied by Music Man.

[6:15] Eli Tokash: Uh, so it'll be interesting to see. I'm sure if that was open right now, he would just hop right in there.

[6:22] Eli Tokash: Um, but that's not the case, so it'll be interesting to see, and I'll keep you all updated on that.

[6:27] Eli Tokash: Um, Slave Play, which was actually my prediction to win best play at the Tonys this year, is going to be reopening on Broadway for an eight-week stint.

[6:42] Eli Tokash: And it got tons of nominations. It didn't win as many Tonys as I thought it would.

[6:48] Eli Tokash: Um, but I also thought that because it was one of the only plays that I saw this season, and I did really enjoy Slave Play.

[6:55] Eli Tokash: Um, I've said before, I don't get the same rush that I get at plays that I do at musicals, but at Slave Play, I really enjoyed it.

[7:04] Eli Tokash: So I really thought I gave it a lot of credit this year, and I really thought that it would excel and do well at the Tonys.

[7:10] Eli Tokash: Um, that being said, I didn't see The Inheritance, which did win a lot of them, so that was great to see as well, especially because I had Jonathan Burke and other friends in The Inheritance and we have talked about it on the podcast here before.

[7:26] Eli Tokash: So very exciting stuff. It was a very exciting weekend for Take A Bow friends, guests, and me in general.

[7:34] Eli Tokash: Um, there were so many friends that were on TV this weekend, so many friends' shows did fantastic, but we're gonna get more into that in a little bit when we talk about the Tony Awards, but that just got me thinking about it.

[7:49] Eli Tokash: Uh, Dear Evan Hansen, I have been advised to wait one more week to talk about Dear Evan Hansen.

[7:59] Eli Tokash: Um, I don't want to ruin anything, so I'm gonna give people one more week to go out and see it.

[8:05] Eli Tokash: Uh, it hasn't even been a full week that you've been able to see it, so I'm aware that a lot of people haven't seen it, but all I'm gonna say is if you like the show on Broadway, I really think you're gonna like the movie because especially like if you saw it in the original cast and you loved it, I think you're just really gonna like it.

[8:28] Eli Tokash: Personally, I think if you're a musical theater fan, which I know we all are musical theater fans otherwise we wouldn't be listening to this podcast right now.

[8:36] Eli Tokash: Um, but with that being said, I don't know, like there were some musical theater fans that didn't like Dear Evan Hansen and there's always been that kind of divide.

[8:46] Eli Tokash: So, um, I will say if you liked it on Broadway, then you're gonna like the movie.

[8:52] Eli Tokash: It's interesting to me what songs they took out.

[8:56] Eli Tokash: Um, I'm wondering if they took out some of the songs solely for time purposes, solely to make up for stuff that they were adding, and so they wanted to take stuff out.

[9:08] Eli Tokash: I do agree with taking out "To Break in a Glove" and "Anybody Have a Map."

[9:13] Eli Tokash: Um, but I don't know, like "Disappear" is just so good.

[9:17] Eli Tokash: Anyways, I'll go into this more in the breakdown next week.

[9:21] Eli Tokash: Um, I'm looking forward to it. I am looking forward to hearing everyone else's opinions about Dear Evan Hansen because of how poorly the reviews from critics have been, but audiences are loving it.

[9:34] Eli Tokash: So, uh, and that's what really matters. I saw a post from Ben Platt, and he was just saying, um, he didn't even like feed into like the critics saying it was poor and his performance was ridiculous because he's so old, but he sounds great vocally and blah blah blah.

[9:51] Eli Tokash: I don't know. It was very odd the reviews that it was getting, and he kind of didn't allude to anything, but he did say like I'm so happy, it warms my heart that audiences are taking a liking to the movie as this is for the audience.

[10:06] Eli Tokash: You know, he didn't really like talk about the critics and whatnot, but he kind of did take a little shot at it, which I love to see.

[10:14] Eli Tokash: Uh, I love the personalities being shown.

[10:17] Eli Tokash: Um, and so yeah, we're gonna talk more about that next week.

[10:21] Eli Tokash: So stay tuned, come back.

[10:23] Eli Tokash: Uh, especially if you've already seen it and you wanna hear someone else's opinion.

[10:28] Eli Tokash: Um, I'm very excited to talk about it.

[10:30] Eli Tokash: Um, Jagged Little Pill.

[10:32] Eli Tokash: You all know I love this musical.

[10:34] Eli Tokash: Okay. When I had Antonio Cipriano on, I literally told him I'm obsessed with this musical.

[10:39] Eli Tokash: I think it's fantastic. I think the story's fantastic. I love Alanis' music.

[10:44] Eli Tokash: Um, I thought the cast was incredible, which it was.

[10:49] Eli Tokash: I mean, the Tonys proved that everyone was nominated and won.

[10:55] Eli Tokash: Um, hello. It was just incredible.

[10:58] Eli Tokash: So there's a lot of new cast members going into Jagged Little Pill, okay.

[11:02] Eli Tokash: Uh, we're gonna talk about why in a second, but before that, I want to break the news of who's coming into the show because there's exciting stuff happening.

[11:10] Eli Tokash: Uh, Morgan Dudley will be making their Broadway debut as Frankie Healy, who was previously played by Celia Golding, and she gave a fantastic performance on the Tonys, and I'm going to talk about that.

[11:25] Eli Tokash: Um, it was so good.

[11:28] Eli Tokash: Um, anyways, she's going to be leaving the show as she got a starring role in a new TV show of the Star Trek universe, which is very exciting.

[11:41] Eli Tokash: She's a star, she's gonna be a star. We're gonna see her excel both on Broadway and film, which I love seeing as we see that being more and more of a trend that Broadway stars and Broadway artists and performers are getting more involved in the film and TV realm of the industry, which is so exciting to me.

[12:00] Eli Tokash: I've always said I love seeing Broadway representation in film and TV.

[12:04] Eli Tokash: Um, Heidi Blinkenstaff, and this is really cool too.

[12:08] Eli Tokash: Sorry to kind of give two thoughts.

[12:11] Eli Tokash: Uh, this is really cool because Morgan Dudley is kind of more known for her work in film and TV on Nickelodeon and The Prom and whatnot, and she's now coming to Broadway making her Broadway debut.

[12:22] Eli Tokash: So I don't know. I love that film and TV people just want to be on Broadway and Broadway people just want to be in film and TV.

[12:28] Eli Tokash: I love this scenario and this kind of irony going on here.

[12:35] Eli Tokash: But um, that's beside the point.

[12:37] Eli Tokash: Heidi Blinkenstaff will be stepping in as Mary Jane Healy during the maternity leave of Tony-nominated original star Elizabeth Stanley.

[12:46] Eli Tokash: Uh, Elizabeth Stanley will return to the role. Like I said, it is maternity leave, it's temporary.

[12:53] Eli Tokash: She just had a baby.

[12:54] Eli Tokash: Um, she'll be returning.

[12:56] Eli Tokash: Uh, Jagged Little Pill opens October 2nd, but she will be returning in November.

[13:02] Eli Tokash: Uh, so Heidi Blinkenstaff will have about a month in the show doing the role eight shows a week, and then afterwards, to kind of ease Elizabeth Stanley in, she will be alternating and sharing the role with Heidi Blinkenstaff for some time.

[13:24] Eli Tokash: They actually haven't announced how long that's gonna happen, if that's indefinite, whatever it may be.

[13:31] Eli Tokash: Uh, I will keep you all posted as I hear more and more is released.

[13:34] Eli Tokash: I feel like it's more of a learning process for everyone right now.

[13:38] Eli Tokash: It was a great move on Elizabeth Stanley's part to have a baby during COVID.

[13:42] Eli Tokash: Um, just so that she didn't have to like go so long without work because she was going so long without work anyways.

[13:49] Eli Tokash: So good on her.

[13:51] Eli Tokash: Timing was perfect.

[13:52] Eli Tokash: Uh, congratulations to Elizabeth Stanley on having your first child.

[13:56] Eli Tokash: Uh, very exciting stuff.

[13:57] Eli Tokash: And she also popped off at the Tony Awards.

[14:01] Eli Tokash: I mean, she just had a baby and she was like screaming her face off with Celia.

[14:05] Eli Tokash: I was like, come on, you better.

[14:07] Eli Tokash: Anyways, fantastic stuff.

[14:09] Eli Tokash: Heidi Blinkenstaff is also fantastic.

[14:11] Eli Tokash: So I'm very excited to see both of their takes on the same character.

[14:16] Eli Tokash: Um, the other new people in the cast, Ronica Campbell, Janine Davida, Veronica Odom, Ren Rivera, and Grace Sleer will all be joining the Broadway reopening in the ensemble.

[14:33] Eli Tokash: So lots of people kind of leaving Jagged Little Pill, lots of people kind of rejoining Jagged Little Pill.

[14:39] Eli Tokash: This is all fairly new information.

[14:41] Eli Tokash: They kind of did announce that a lot of the cast members were going to be rejoining, but now there have been some changes, and that's come because of the following. Actors Equity Association is going to be investigating Nora Shell's allegation against the creative team of Jagged Little Pill. Nora Shell claimed that she was mistreated, misrepresented, and was forced to work through a situation where she needed to have immediate surgery for polycystic ovarian syndrome, and she will not be returning to the show. She made it clear that she will not be returning to the show. She does not like how she was treated by the creative team. She felt like she was forced to come to work every day, which is very interesting because of the conversation that I just had last week with Calvin Cooper, in saying that Kevin McCollum, the producer of Six and Doubtfire and a few of these new shows, how he was saying that they are being encouraged to call out and they're being encouraged to take care of their mental health and their personal health.

So to hear this and to see how relevant that conversation truly is now just kind of puts everything into perspective and makes you think about the creative teams and the creative team's decisions. Obviously, moving forward, they are going to be more respected. I mean, I don't think there's a better way than saying there will be a little bit more respect for everyone's mental health and personal health and well-being, of course. But you know, it's one thing to do it. It's a shame that they have to do it once they learn that what they did was a very bad thing. She needed immediate surgery and she was unable to get it, and that obviously does not bode well for anybody, and it just hurts people in the long run.

The fact that they weren't supportive of her is very unfortunate, and AEA is going to be looking more into this. I don't know what the end goal is. I don't know if it's going to shut down the show. I don't know if it's going to be like a lawsuit of some sort with Nora Shell and the producers. I don't know, but there's going to be stuff to come of this, so I will keep you all posted on what happens with that. Jagged Little Pill also announced that, and no, this isn't really a controversy, but they did announce that all of their leads would be coming back to the show, but on Tony Sunday, I believe. So just the day before the Tony Awards, Antonio Cipriano actually took to Instagram and said the Tony Awards will be his last performance in Jagged Little Pill.

He announced that he will not be returning because of the current controversies surrounding the show, and he wants to stand with those who feel misunderstood, misrepresented, and mistreated. I talked to him a little bit about the situation, and he said it was a tough ride, but he's feeling relieved to be removed from that situation as it was taking a toll on him. Just everyone involved, it puts an added weight on your shoulders, you know, to have your show being such a focal point of being mistreated and misrepresented, and it's like, oh my god, I hope I'm not adding to that situation and whatnot. Being a part of the show and having your name attached to it, it feels like it can take a toll on you.

Yes, I did talk to him, and he was saying he was relieved to be removed from the situation, and he's really looking forward to the next thing that he will be doing, and I have no doubt that he will be doing something, and I have no doubt that it's going to be very, very soon, and I'm sure it's going to be very, very big because we all saw his performance, and we all saw his Tony performance, and we all know how talented he is. He's a Jimmy Award finalist. He's going to be doing some pretty big things. What a power couple, him and Renee Rapp. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Huge props to Antonio Cipriano. That takes some serious guts to do that, you know, to take yourself out of work after being out of work for so long to stand for what's right.

I don't know, I just thought it was a great thing, and it was definitely worth noting because he is definitely one of the stars of the show, and he's also one of Broadway's biggest uprising stars. So definitely worth noting. With that being said, there is one more controversy. I'm going to talk about it during the Tony recap because it surrounds a Tony winner, Lauren Patton. Very exciting that she won the Tony, and I'm going to talk about it right now. So, without further ado, Take A Bow's Tony recap, curtain up.

[20:37] Eli Tokash: Oh boy, so we got the return to Broadway that we all desperately needed with the Tony Awards this past Sunday. I couldn't have been more wrong on my Tony predictions. Like I said last week, I was posting my Tony predictions and my Tony ballot on Instagram, and it was not a good look. It was not a good look, but I noticed as soon as I was filling out the Tony predictions, I was like, I really haven't seen enough of these shows to really put out an accurate ballot. Also, I want to clear up with everyone. The people that I did choose and the shows that I did choose, please no one take it personal. Especially best actor and best actress. Obviously, I was kind of just going off of my personal knowledge and what I've read and kind of what I've seen.

Anything I've seen, I've voted for. Moulin Rouge, I haven't seen, but I voted for them a few times. I also wanted to vote in lieu of our current political climate. There were a couple things that kind of went into it. I thought everyone that won was absolutely deserving of the title. Everyone who was nominated was deserving to win the award, so that wasn't even a question. I did want to just clear that up. I am very happy for the ones that I did get wrong. I know, especially because I don't know. There were just a few that I was like, why did I not vote for them? Literally, they're my friends, like I should have voted for them, and I did not. But that's okay because this was all for fun, and this is just a little thing just to get more people talking about the Tonys and have more eyes on it.

So with that being said, let's talk about the Tony Awards, okay? I thought that they did a fantastic job all around. I don't know. Everyone I talked to, I said it to you all in the weeks leading up to it, that I was hearing that the Tonys were not getting enough funding. I heard that it was going to be a rough year. I heard that it's been a really rough time in scheduling everything and coordinating everything. But if I didn't have those conversations with anybody else, I would have never known because I thought they did a fantastic job. Everyone sounded great. We're going to talk about that in a second. Those performances were just unbelievable. No one missed a beat, okay? Everything worked out perfectly.

I thought what they did was fantastic. The Paramount Plus thing, I don't know if I would do moving forward. It was really tricky. Not everyone got to see the actual Tony Awards. I'm thankful that they did do some awards on the CBS Broadway's back version of the show from like 9 to 11, which is what I ended up watching. That's where all the performances were, so I was very excited that they did that on cable so that more people could see that. Let's talk about some of these awards, okay? Thank God, thank thank God, because with all of the controversies going on on Broadway right now, thank God Aaron Tveit won a Tony Award. Because if he didn't, I just couldn't imagine what would happen. I couldn't imagine what would happen for him, how he would feel.

It would have taken a lot of miserable people to vote against him, considering he was the only one in the category, and he was the only one. He still was able to lose the category technically. I just thought it was a really interesting situation. They gave him a really awkward moment when they were announcing his category. They announced him, then that he was nominated, and then they explained the situation that he could still lose, and explained what was happening and why that was the case that he could still lose and everything. It was just really, really, I don't know, like he handled it like a pro, and I gained so much more respect for him during this whole process because he had so many eyes on him, and he handled it like a true pro.

Even that night, you know, when they were explaining everything, he just seemed like in such good spirits, and he seemed very excited, very anxious. He handled himself exactly how he could have had the best way he could have handled himself, is what I'm really trying to say. His acceptance speech didn't fail either. It was beautifully said, it touched on all the right ways. He kind of alluded to that everyone needed to tell stories, not for the few, but for the many. Everyone needed to do it. Everyone needs to be more included, everyone needs to be more involved. Just a very, very well put together speech, or even an improvised speech. It was beautiful. It was perfect. It was very well done.

I can't say enough good things about Aaron Tveit and how he just handled himself throughout the whole Tony Awards experience. I cannot wait to see him in Moulin Rouge. I wish they did give him a little bit bigger of a piece in that performance. I do appreciate that the performance was so ensemble-focused because it is such an ensemble piece. But yeah, I wanted to see more from the stars. Especially because they were nominated, you want to get a glimpse of why they were nominated, and you want to show them off. They are also just stars in general, like Aaron Tveit. Everyone knows Aaron Tveit, everyone knows Danny Bernstein. I don't know. But nonetheless, I'm very excited for Moulin Rouge. I'm very excited to see it.

They absolutely stole the Tonys with 10 Tony wins. They deserve it all. Their Tony performance was incredible, very entertaining. It would put me in seats for sure, which is exactly what you want to do for the Tonys. You want to have a great performance that people would want to come see it and attract more audience members. I also was very excited to see my friends in the performance, which is great. Fred Odegaard, who was on the podcast, Julius Rubio, who was also on it. Very exciting stuff. If you follow Fred, you will see the sweetest video of him reacting to his partner, Sonia Tanya, who won Best Choreography, and how he was a part of that as her assistant in this whole Moulin Rouge process.

He's been saying 10 years in the making, 10 years of hard work, it's been worth it. You won a Tony Award. It was just very exciting times for him. Like I said, very exciting times for him and also for me as a Take A Bow host and bringing him on and having him be a part of the Take A Bow family. Very exciting stuff. With that being said, let's move on to the next one. Lauren Patton, who has had a really, really difficult couple of months surrounding the controversy of playing Joe, which is what I was kind of alluding to in the intro. This is another controversy surrounding Jagged Little Pill. It was announced that over the course of COVID and whatnot, they answered questions surrounding the character of Joe.

They were getting backlash and saying, like, why haven't you announced their gender? Why haven't you gone down this road and why haven't you specified that it's a non-binary character, etc.? Why haven't you shed more light on it? They did announce that they have erased the gender from the character.

[29:24] Eli Tokash: It is a non-binary character, and then that started an uproar in wondering why Lauren Patton, who identifies as a woman, is playing the role of a non-binary character.

[29:35] However, she handled herself wonderfully.

[29:39] Uh she gave a great speech, kind of alluding to uh say saying thank you to all the non-binary um friends and supporters and um kind of collaborators who have um been able to have open conversations with her and doing research and trying to portray this role of Joe as well as transgender people who uh who have also contributed to conversations with her in preparation for this character of Joe.

[30:12] Um so she did shout shout out and she did like kind of touch on it, but um in a very very professional way.

[30:20] She is going to be returning to the show, and she is spectacular in that show.

[30:26] Um obviously, I mean she won the Tony Award for her character Joe in Jagged Little Pill.

[30:32] Um she is fantastic, she did deserve that role.

[30:35] I mean, what she does on a nightly basis uh is just phenomenal.

[30:39] Um and I and honestly, I I don't know how many people in this industry can play that role.

[30:46] I mean, that role is is a very demanding role.

[30:49] It's asking a lot of anyone.

[30:51] Uh so that does take a very specific person and a very specific performer to perform that role.

[30:58] And uh I saw Lauren Patton in it and I thought she did a fabulous job.

[31:03] And um I think that if you're representing uh it properly, the character properly, and you uh are having the conversations and you are uh acknowledging the conversations uh and you are um acknowledging that who you are at the same time, um and you are open and have the conversations that you need to be having.

[31:25] I don't have a problem with it.

[31:27] Uh as long as you are, like I said, telling the story properly, as long as you are uh representing them properly.

[31:33] If it's falsely represented or um misleading, then it starts to get uh it's start I start to have a little bit of an issue and kind of question it.

[31:44] Um but if you can do the role justice and if you can do the character justice and you can tell the proper story that you need to tell, I I just think I I give you all the props.

[31:54] So um I I mean, yeah.

[31:56] I I won't go too much into it because I have been in a similar situation.

[32:02] Um, but I do want to say Lauren Patton, similar to Aaron Devade, kudos on you for all your professionalism.

[32:02] Kudos on you for uh being able to deal with all of this, and and you may it may be affecting you and your health, uh, but the way that you are handling it and you're just kind of it doesn't seem like you're letting it affect you as much.

[32:23] Um just congratulations on everything.

[32:26] Congratulations on uh the most honorable award that you can get as a performer in the theater industry, which is a Tony Award.

[32:34] Uh you've put in a lot of work into it, so uh huge shout out.

[32:39] I know she's a friend of the podcast, especially with all my friends, Oscar Williams, who was just recently on the pod, and of course Sydney Lucas.

[32:46] Um, so I've heard so much about you.

[32:49] Everyone's has the nicest things to say about you.

[32:52] So uh huge, huge congratulations on uh a well-deserved award.

[32:57] Um let's talk about some other Tony Awards and speeches.

[33:01] Sonya Tony, I already talked about it, very great speech.

[33:04] What she said in her speech was absolutely uh just it was it was really moving.

[33:10] Um she mentioned that she was the first female to win the award in over 10 years.

[33:18] Um it's been it's been males ever since.

[33:21] Uh so for a woman to win the award was was a huge uh groundbreaking moment uh once again for the Broadway community.

[33:28] Um she also shared a little bit of her background uh as she's a brown queer Arab woman.

[33:35] Um and she said that she has had a tough journey and she wasn't always welcomed in um many communities.

[33:41] And for her to to be able to win this award 10 years um since uh a female has ever won the award, it it's just it it's really really cool.

[33:52] Um and it's very moving and it's very inspirational as someone who's watching, and uh I love seeing the representation uh of different rep of different backgrounds and different cultures.

[34:04] I think it's wonderful.

[34:05] Well, she also talked about how what dance is to her and uh dance is that she was saying uh dance is an art and uh it survives on multiplicity color and layer, and it's surrounded by community.

[34:19] Um it was just it was really beautiful speech.

[34:21] If you if I would recommend checking them out.

[34:24] A lot of the speeches this year were very spectacular, very, very, very inspirational.

[34:30] I mean, obviously, we just came out of a very difficult time, so everyone touched on that.

[34:35] Uh, we also they also talked about the the movement and how Broadway needs to come back better and stronger and more inclusive.

[34:45] Just wonderful speeches in general, touching on everything that needed to be touched on.

[34:50] I was very inspired and I was very uh thankful and uh for this Tony Sunday for sure.

[34:56] Danny Bursting also had a great speech uh talking about the sense of community that he's felt from the Broadway community uh after his wife Rebecca Luther passed away from ALS.

[35:07] Um, I know that a lot of people kind of didn't know what ALS was, and it kind of shed a light on the ALS community and he's gotten to be uh part of that community so much more now.

[35:20] Uh he's doing a lot with the ALS community um and he was just kind of he was be able to touch on um what a community that this Broadway industry and community between actors, performers, producers, audience members specifically, um, and uh how how tight everyone everything can be and how supportive everything can be if everyone works together and helps each other and uh we we're all people we're all people at the end of the day and we're all one big community and we can all help each other in so so many ways.

[35:58] Um so it was very it was great to hear from him how strong he's been.

[36:03] I was so happy that he was able to win an award uh and kind of for her, I mean, in in uh in a way, um and especially after being nominated seven times and just this is his first win.

[36:18] So it was really cool.

[36:19] Um I'm very happy for him, very well deserved.

[36:22] Um, even if it wasn't like for Moulin Rouge, like at some point you gotta give the guy a Tony, right?

[36:28] I mean, he's Danny Burstein and he's never won a Tony.

[36:30] Um and he's known for so so many roles.

[36:33] He's one of the most diverse actors that Broadway has.

[36:36] So uh it's awesome to see him still uh giving it a kick at the can and uh going strong.

[36:43] So uh huge shout out to Danny Burstein and huge congratulations to him.

[36:48] Um let's talk about these performances.

[36:50] Um I know I've taken I see this is why this is why I I did an episode so alone.

[36:57] And I'm also doing this episode past midnight, and so if I'm seem quiet on your end, I'm very sorry, but my roommate's trying to sleep, so anyways, that's not the point.

[37:08] Um performances I don't know.

[37:12] I thought they were all very, very good.

[37:15] I think though, one of my favorite performances was John Legend and Ain't Too Proud.

[37:23] I was not expecting this, first of all.

[37:25] Um I was not expecting it because it was Ain't Too Proud and it's already been a Broadway show and it wasn't in the season.

[37:33] Um and just John Legend and Ain't You Proud, like I would love to see John Legend on Broadway, and I would love to see him in this role because you could tell, like, he had chemistry with this cast, and uh it was awesome to see Juwan Jackson up there singing with John Legend and uh Jelani Remy again.

[37:54] Uh he he's another friend of mine who was able to just kill it out there, and uh it was really cool to see them.

[38:02] Uh you all know I love Ain't Too Proud.

[38:04] Um, I love the music of the Temptations and to see John Legend out there singing it with them, it was just awesome.

[38:11] It it that performance was definitely a performance that I saw, and I was like, wow, I need to go see that show.

[38:18] It looks sick.

[38:19] Uh the music's just great.

[38:21] Uh another one of my favorite performances was actually from a not a show, and it was from the Broadway Advocacy Coalition with Daniel J. Watts leading the way.

[38:30] Um, he talk about inspirational.

[38:36] Um, it was all about silence and what silence was like for all of us personally.

[38:42] What is our silence?

[38:44] It got a standing ovation, very well deserved standing ovation.

[38:48] It got uh very high praise throughout the entire night.

[38:51] Everyone was kind of referring to it.

[38:53] Um, I mean, he came out and the everyone started to applaud for him, and he just screamed silence.

[39:00] And it was like he he pulled you in from the second it started and it j never lost you.

[39:07] It was truly one of the strongest performances uh of the night.

[39:12] And it was uh not even from a show.

[39:14] And I don't know if uh if it was written or if he wrote that himself.

[39:20] Um I it was just it was perfect.

[39:23] It was so poetic, it was so inspirational, it was so motivational.

[39:27] Um and once again it shed a light on how Broadway needs to come back better, more inclusive, stronger than ever.

[39:34] Uh so I look forward to seeing all of these conversations that are being being had and how it's taken into effect and how these conversations are uh really listened to and uh what is done about him.

[39:51] So uh huge shout out to the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, uh, and all of the work that they're doing there, as well as their Tony performance, which was just amazing.

[39:59] I could go on and on about it.

[40:01] Another amazing Tony performance, by the way, was Tina.

[40:04] Okay, I I haven't seen Tina yet, and I'm dying to see it.

[40:08] Um Tina Adrian Warren is fantastic.

[40:12] If I feel like if I would have seen Tina, I would have voted on my Tony ballot for her.

[40:17] Um just incredible, incredible performance.

[40:21] Another incredible performance.

[40:22] Adrian Warren stole the show, by the way, uh, for Tina.

[40:25] Obviously, she plays Tina, um, but she was fantastic.

[40:28] Uh I'm very interested in seeing that now, just to see her.

[40:32] Um, another great performance uh was Jagged Little Pill.

[40:37] I know it was just I I've said it before, and I would be remiss.

[40:42] I mean, it it could be biased or whatnot, but I I love Jagged Little Pill's performance.

[40:47] Okay.

[40:48] Antonio Cipriano killed him with Celia.

[40:51] Um they were they're so good together.

[40:55] Their voices just mesh so perfectly.

[40:58] Um he sounds great.

[41:00] Uh everyone, like I said, no one skipped a beat.

[41:04] We've been out of Broadway for a year and a half plus, and uh everyone's in top-notch Broadway shape right now.

[41:12] Um there was no fatigue, there was no vocal strains, there was nothing.

[41:17] It was just like nothing ever happened.

[41:20] It was it was incredible.

[41:21] Every one of these performances were were everyone was giving it their all.

[41:25] Um great stuff.

[41:26] Jagged Little Pill, like I said, uh great performance.

[41:28] They did like a little mashup.

[41:30] Uh I was surprised that Lauren Patton didn't perform considering she was nominated.

[41:35] Um, or even Catherine Gallagher for that matter.

[41:38] Um, but uh I was happy that Elizabeth Stanley came out after just having a baby and belting her face off with Celia.

[41:45] Um she was just so good.

[41:48] Uh they were giving it to each other and they were going they were going hard, and uh it was just a great performance, uh all in all, and just for Elizabeth Stanley to come out, just having a baby, uh not even doing the show.

[42:02] Uh has to take a break from the show to recover, but she gave a stellar performance on the Tony Awards.

[42:09] It was just it was incredible.

[42:10] Uh it was really cool, and uh huge props to them um I was I will say I was surprised that uh of how many non-shows performed so there were a lot of performances but there were a lot of performances from like actors like performers like Josh Groban and Leslie Odom Jr.

[42:33] Like they had a performance Leslie Odom Jr. and his wife uh Nicolette Robinson had a performance and uh Andrew Rannells and like Tituss Burgess had a performance Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal and Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald uh they all did performances um which by the way Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald what they did with Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal uh Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth with Wicked uh they all like these legends of Broadway came back to to kick off Broadway in doing their iconic numbers from the shows that they've been in and I loved this and I think that this is something that they should do every year.

[43:19] They have all of these people coming to to the award ceremony so why not have them perform and why not have them perform their the reprise these roles that they're so famous for uh it's just gonna get I mean you're on live TV you're nationally televised right now this is where you're gonna get all of your your new people checking out oh what is this and if someone so happens to change the channel to the Tony Awards um it's gonna and you have these legends reprising their role.

[43:49] There you're gonna get some Broadway fans, honestly.

[43:52] Uh just to see Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth performing for good again and crying uh while performing and just what those two that those relationships mean to them and what the show and the song means to them.

[44:05] Eli Tokash: I was like, if I wasn't a Broadway fan and I was watching this for the first time, I would be seeing every Broadway show right now. It's perfect for marketing, it's perfect for Broadway, it's everything that you want. It's perfect for existing Broadway fans to reminisce and cry with them. Um, I was in tears. I was tearing up watching them perform together again. It was just fantastic. Um, it was a great move. I think that they should do it a hundred percent. It was a great way to like bring Broadway back. Um, I would have done it like in the beginning, just to like really kick it off. Um, because I feel like it was just such a strong way to come back and remind everyone how impactful Broadway can be and everything.

Uh, but I am really happy that they did that. And, uh, but I will say I going back to my previous thought, sorry, it's the ADD in me. Um, I wish more shows would have performed. And I know listen, I know that there were only three musicals in the best musical category this year, but I would have had like six come out and did like a little preview, even if it wasn't like a full song. Like I would have had the new shows come out, you're on national television, okay. This is the broadest market that you're gonna reach as a Broadway community. This is Broadway's biggest day of the year. Why wouldn't you have your new shows come out and do like a medley of them just to get people's eyes on it and just to get hopefully awareness about the shows and hopefully it'll help your ticket sales.

Like I would have done it, you know. Like I would have had six, I would have had Mrs. Doubtfire, I would have had Chicken and Biscuits, I would have had all of these new shows come out and perform. Yeah, I would have had a medley going with Six, with Mrs. Doubtfire, with Chicken and Biscuits, with Company. I would have had it with, uh, who else was opening up that I just... Caroline, or Change. I would have had like this little medley going just to promote the reopening of these new shows coming to Broadway. Um, I don't know. I feel like it was a missed opportunity for Broadway. I know their season is coming. I know it's next season, I know they're gonna be performing then. Um, so if you even if you don't want to do that, then have like your top Broadway shows come out.

Have Waitress come out and do a performance, uh, as saying, "Oh, come see our revival." Um, I don't know. It was just like I feel like I wanted more shows performing. And, uh, yeah, I don't know. There was only Tina, Jagged, and Moulin Rouge, obviously David Byrne's American Utopia, but it's not like it's a Broadway performance. Uh, it's just not like your typical Broadway. So I was, I did like crave more shows performances. I don't know, that could have been just me. Uh, I don't know. I, I, that could start a different conversation, but hopefully it's, uh, I don't know. I would look into it and I would look into it as if I were the Broadway League and doing that in the future just to promote and help ticket sales, especially coming back.

You need those ticket sales, you need to recoup money. Um, so I just think it was a missed opportunity. And it was something that I definitely wanted to see, and I definitely thought would have happened with Broadway's just giant reopening. I will say too, opening number, fabulous. I want to know who wrote that opening number. Leslie Odom Jr. and, uh, and, uh, Audra McDonald did a fabulous job, uh, hosting the Tony, and I really want to see them like host, uh, uh, Tony's together because they kind of split it up, right? So they kind of made Audra McDonald do like the Paramount Plus, uh, version of the Tony Awards, I guess. Not version of the Tony Awards, the half of the Tony Awards. Um, and then had Leslie Odom Jr. do the CBS version of the Tony Awards.

So it was very interesting to see how they split it up and kind of had like different like nights into one. I don't know. It was very interesting. Uh, I don't know how to explain it, but I would love to see them do like a regular Tony Awards together because I think they all did, they both did a fantastic job, uh, in their separate times of hosting the Tonys. Um, and I would definitely just like love to see that. So huge shout out to Leslie Odom Jr. and of course Audra McDonald for doing such a fabulous job in hosting the Tony Awards. I thought everyone that they brought out, uh, everything that they did to just keep it going, uh, Leslie Odom Jr. really like kept it light and on your feet and very personal.

Um, I loved it. Also, final thing I'll say about performances, Freestyle Love Supreme killed their performance. Freestyle Love Supreme is literally like it's not your typical Broadway show, but it's one of, it's a Broadway show that I absolutely love and adore. And the more and more that I see them and the more and more I hear about them and read about them, I just love them more. Uh, they did a little recap that was absolutely like incredible, but at the same time it was actually really, really funny. Like they included all of like the funniest and best moments of the night and kind of like made fun in like a good way of, um, some of the things that happened throughout the night. And, uh, it was all on the spot.

Obviously they couldn't script it because they don't know what's gonna happen throughout the night. They don't know that someone's acceptance speech was gonna say, "Hey chickens," and whatnot. Um, you know, like they, what they did was just fantastic and they did it in four minutes, a whole recap of the entire night. It was just, it was really, really well done. Uh, really, really funny stuff, uh, great stuff and, uh, it was very impressive. They brought out all of their, uh, amazing, amazing members. Uh, obviously not all of them are on Broadway, um, at once, but they can show up here and there. Um, they brought their whole Freestyle Love Supreme of everyone who's been, uh, who has performed for them on Broadway, uh, and not just like the cast of five that you could see on Broadway.

So it was really, really cool how that, uh, all worked out. It was Lin-Manuel Miranda, James and Eigelhart, uh, Christopher Jackson, uh, Wayne Brady, um, a, uh, just so many people were, uh, out there and, uh, tons of big stars, um, that you definitely would know. Um, and, uh, it's definitely something worth looking at if you, if you didn't see it that night or if you shut it off early or if you were unable to access it. Um, look it up on YouTube. Uh, it's fantastic. It's definitely worth the watch. And it's definitely worth the watch. So, um, check it out. Freestyle Love Supreme recap of the Tony Awards. It's fantastic. Um, well, that's kind of all I have for the Tony Awards this year. Um, I kind of touched on everything that I wanted to touch on.

Um, I've, I've been going longer than I thought I would. I've been going for about an hour now. Um, moving forward, I hope they continue to bring Broadway legends back. Some of the performances, uh, they could have cut, like I said, uh, I would have liked to see more, uh, shows performing, uh, but instead they were bringing some like some of the most famous, um, obviously most famous Broadway performers, uh, to perform and, uh, give us a little taste of what we've been missing. Um, but, uh, some of them I was just like, uh, we could have done without it. Uh, I hope it's not on Paramount Plus ever again. Uh, yeah, uh, definitely. I hope that's just not a thing because it's a very big inconvenience and it only made a lot of us just watch half of the Tony Awards, which is not very good.

Yeah, that's everything that I have. I've, I've cut, I've touched on everything that I wanted to touch on. Uh, I've taken care of all my notes. Um, that's all I have for this week's Tony Awards. Um, I will say, um, I don't have any segments prepared for this week. We will continue to get a regular, um, episode going next week with, uh, with a guest. It was a big week for Broadway. Very exciting stuff. If you are not planning to already, please, please, please come to the Broadway Flea Market on Sunday. Uh, that is this Sunday, October 3rd. I'm so excited for it. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for it. I will be there. I will be working multiple book booths. I will be jumping around.

So, uh, come visit me. Uh, and of course, come visit your favorite Broadway stars because there's gonna be a lot of us there. Um, and you'll be able to, it's one of the most exciting days. It honestly, I find it more exciting than the Tony Awards because it's open to the public and you still get those same Broadway stars coming. Obviously, not like, uh, Bernadette Peters, who like went to the Tony Awards and stuff, but that wasn't open to the public. So it's like, you know, you, you, you get to interact with Broadway performers and you get to, it's open to the public and you get to see all of the Broadway memorabilia and merchandise and all of that fun stuff. It's interactive, it's a great time, it's a great way to grow, uh, Broadway as a whole.

Um, I, I, I love it, so, uh, I'm very excited for it. Like I said, if you're not planning to already, try to make it down here. Uh, it's gonna be here in New York. Definitely worth the trip. It's, uh, it's a great time. Um, and, uh, it's just a great opportunity. You're gonna get some discounted stuff. Um, you're gonna get some memorabilia from shows that no one else can get. Uh, it's gonna be used props, used, uh, signed stuff from comp casts and everything. It's, it's some really great stuff, and, uh, of course there's that component of meeting your favorite Broadway people. So, um, we love it. We love to engage with the audience members, we love to engage with them on a personal level, and this weekend gives us a perfect opportunity to do just that.

Uh, check out, come check us out at Broadway Podcast Network because we're gonna be doing some live podcasts at the Broadway Flea Market. We're gonna, we have a lot of fun stuff planned. Uh, it's gonna be a great time. So come by and be a part of the live audience and, uh, stay tuned for, uh, a lot of great stuff happening at the Broadway Flea Market this weekend, and it's gonna be another great weekend for Broadway. Uh, so Broadway continues to open up. Jagged Little Pill is opening, uh, this week, so huge, uh, shout out to them and happy opening to them. Six is opening, uh, uh, not this week, but it's gonna be like next week, but it's gonna be before I talk to you all next week. So happy opening to Six, happy opening to, uh, David Byrne's American Utopia.

Uh, happy opening to Freestyle Love Supreme, who I just mentioned, uh, talking about on the Tony Awards. And I think that's all we have for this week. So, uh, once again, thank you all for listening. I always appreciate all of your support. Uh, just you listening means so much and it makes me continue to want to produce these podcasts and create these podcasts. So as long as you guys are enjoying it, the longer I will continue to keep producing this content and creating this content. Uh, speaking of the Broadway Flea Market and, uh, talking about support and everything, uh, check us out on Patreon if you haven't already. Uh, I have some very exciting stuff coming on Patreon. I'm gonna be vlogging the Broadway Flea Market.

I'm gonna be talking to a bunch of Broadway stars on at the Broadway Flea Market, and that's all going straight to Patreon, as well as, uh, the Curtain Up series that was last weekend. Um, and so like I said, there's lots of great stuff. Patreon is where I, uh, post all kinds of exclusive content. You, I really get to, uh, engage with my audience for Take A Bow. Um, and they have a lot of say in what I do, um, kind of how the episodes are shaped, because they submit questions. Um, they are the first to know the guests and everything. So, um, check us out on Patreon if you haven't already. It's great stuff. Um, any contribution, you don't have to, there, there's like these little, um, membership pro packages and programs and or subscription boxes and whatnot.

I don't know what they're exactly called. My brain's mush right now. Um, but, uh, you don't have to follow those. If you want to give something less than what's, um, kind of, um, recommended, I guess, uh, with those packages and whatnot that is up there. You don't have to follow those. You can give any amount that you want. Uh, so any support means the world. Uh, just like I said, you know, as long as you guys are supporting this content, uh, and this podcast, I'm gonna continue to do it. So, with that being said, again, as always, thank you for your support. Uh, I hope to see you all at the Broadway Flea Market, and I hope you all enjoyed this episode of me just rambling my thoughts on what's happening on Broadway for the past week.

Um, I really appreciate you all listening. Uh, and if you've made it this far, God bless your soul. Um, and, uh, I hope to see you next week as well. So, uh, thank you and have a great week. For this episode's curtain call, I would like to recognize a few people who also deserve to take a bow. 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 a 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 T A B. 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 Take A Bow Podcast. Take a Bow's logo is designed by Giselle Bustos and the music is by Nikki Torsha and Cor McCollinon. Bye everyone. Hope to see you next week.