This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Eli Tokash: Hello everyone and welcome to episode 74 of Take A Bow. I'm your host, Eli Tokash, and we have a very exciting episode for everyone today. I'm actually very excited for this episode. I'm going to explain it a little more in a little bit. But we have some we actually have multiple guests on today. And some very famous names in the theater world, and a lot of them talked a lot about not only shows that we were about to see, but also they just talked about Broadway in general, and just to hear what some of them had to say and kind of pick their theatrical brains and artistic brains and how everything works. I got to speak with writers, I got to speak with directors, I got to speak with actors, I was able to speak with so many people, and just to hear all of their perspectives was just fascinating on all things, both specifically within this show, but also in Broadway in general.

So very exciting stuff coming at you in literally like give me 10 minutes. I'll try to make this intro and out show pretty quick this week and then I'll turn it over to a very, very exciting episode. But as always, I have to have an intro. I love talking to everyone about the news and what's going on in Broadway. So let's talk about it. Why don't we? There's lots going on. There's a lot of shows. I mean, we are in that time of the year where all of these shows are reopening and there's just so much exciting things happening in the Broadway world. I know I feel like I say that every week, but it's so true. Like, there's just so many great things happening. Starting out with Freestyle Love Supreme reopening on Broadway and Ain't Too Proud reopening on Broadway.

So happy opening happy. I don't know what they say for this. What do they say? Like, what should I say? Happy opening, happy reopening, happy second opening, hashtag happy like rebirth. I don't know. There's so many things that you can say, but nonetheless, they're back on Broadway, and that you can go see them again. And during the pandemic, I was able to talk to an Ain't Too Proud star. I was not, I have not yet. I'm emphasizing the word yet on that because there's something currently in the works that hopefully I'll be able to talk to a Freestyle Love Supreme member soon enough. And I'm very excited for that. So go check those shows out because they are literally some of my favorite shows.

Definitely some of my favorite shows that are currently on Broadway, but also were on Broadway. Also a very exciting openings for the new principal cast over at Waitress with Jennifer Nettles, who is taking over the role of Jenna. She's now going to be starring in Waitress, where I just saw Sara Bareilles, and I talked about that last week. You all know I love Waitress so much, but there's a new cast, and it's very exciting. So Jennifer Nettles, Eric Virgin, Nick Dodany, and Ben Thompson are all some rejoining, some joining the company of Waitress. So very exciting stuff for them too. Congratulations and happy opening to them. Book of Mormon is doing a free fan show. So all you have to do is talk about it is all you have to do is make a post on Instagram and tell us about someone who inspires you and someone who has helped you over the last 19 months throughout this pandemic.

It could be someone that has seen Book of Mormon or something that like bonded you guys like with Book of Mormon or whatnot, or it could just be like a regular story about them and whatnot and what they mean to you and how they've affected you and your life. And use the hashtag BOM Sweepstakes on social media, and that is how you enter this sweepstakes to hopefully get a free ticket to Book of Mormon. And the show is going to be on November 4th at 8 p.m. So make sure that you can go before you like make the post and whatnot. And then after you post on social media, you'll have to just like fill out a form on their website at BookofMormon.com slash mission companion. And you can you'll fill out a form and you'll basically just like put your contact information and then you'll put the URL or the link to the video that you posted on social media.

And then you will hear shortly after. You have until Sunday to do it. Whatever that may mean to you, it's kind of like four days depending on when you hear this, but it's also like three slash two slash one whenever you hear this. So you'll have till Sunday, October 24th, and yeah, try it out. It's a free ticket to a Broadway show. The whole everyone in the audience will be a part of that, I guess. It seems like. They're just giving out some a free fan performance solely for that day. So, and then it's kind of like their invited dress rehearsal because the next day is when they reopen on Broadway. So you could be the first to see Book of Mormon for free before they even reopen on Broadway. So very exciting stuff.

Go check it out if you're interested. And let's talk about some other things going on. So Courtney Wolfson, who has been a longtime friend of mine. She was actually on the podcast with her husband Curtis. They're the ones with the headshot company. They also did Secret Garden with me. Curtis is a director, choreographer, and actor. Courtney is a wonderful, wonderful performer. She's insanely talented, it's ridiculous. She was a part of this production called Romy and Michelle. And then kind of sh it just like kind of left her life. And no one understood why, and she kind of just stopped posting about it and whatnot, and I was always curious, but I never wanted to bring it up because it could be like sensitive topics.

So I didn't know what where she stood with it. I didn't know what my place in asking her was and whatnot. Well, she came out this week and shared her story about her experience with that, where she was fired and then replaced for being pregnant at the time of the beginning stages of the production. So she it wasn't going on, it was still in readings and in workshops. She did this out-of-town thing. She's done multiple, multiple readings for it. Her latest was in 2018, and then no one ever heard of it since. And so throughout this pandemic and everything, you know, the production itself was just on hold as they were trying to do some rewrites and whatnot. So she was talking to them and she was like, What's the timeline of like the next thing with this production?

I'm interested in want to start a family and whatnot. And she was super transparent with them, and they were very supportive until they weren't when she was pregnant, and they kind of scheduled this last minute reading while she was pregnant and kind of was just fired for it, even though it was a reading. They didn't want to promote it with the star being pregnant. And that was kind of the message that she kind of relayed. She has a great post about it on her social media pages. She also has a wonderful, wonderful conversation with Mamas Talk and Loud, who is also on the Broadway Podcast Network, and you can search it up and you can listen to it anywhere, just like you are for with Take A Bow.

I highly, highly recommend listening to it. I highly recommend listening to her story, and I highly recommend following her on her future endeavors. Right now, it's kind of just like she's okay and she's accepted the fact that this has happened to her, but at the same time, she regrets not sharing her story because she knows that others have gone through the same thing because this business can be brutal. And so she's just upset that she didn't speak out at the time to for not only herself, but also for everyone else who has been who has had that same similar experience, which is kind of why I've alluded to lately how wonderful it is with the Jagged Little Pill star who's pregnant and splitting shows.

And there was another one where that was happening, and I was like, oh, this is so wonderful to see, and I hope I hope that we see more of it because it's just so not fair to be treated that way and to be kind of punished for bringing life into this beautiful crazy and not so beautiful at times world. But yes, that's my spiel about that. If you want to learn more, and I highly, highly recommend and encourage you to do so. Go check out Mama's Talking Loud because you will hear from Courtney directly. You're not gonna be reading a post and it could be like taken in several ways and whatnot. It's just better to hear her voice, hear her story, hear her explain everything, and I highly recommend checking that out.

And your support for Courtney as always would be much appreciated, and I definitely reached out to her. And Courtney, thanks for sharing that and your bravery in coming out and telling your story. So with that being said, let's talk about some lighter things. Dana H, which is one of the which is actually the show that the only show that I didn't kind of give a congratulations to quite yet, because that's what this episode is all about. So Dana H is a new play that is playing at the Lyceum Theater that opened just this Sunday or this past Sunday I should say. And they had an opening night and I was able to join the media portion of opening night to my first Broadway show. The first opening night I went to was a movie and whatnot.

So this was the first time I did it for a Broadway show and it was just incredible. I had such a great time and in this episode at the red carpet I talked to Andy Karl, Molly Bernard, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Judy Kuhn, Andy Grotelueshcen, John Behlmann, Max Jenkins, Nick Westrate, Emily Davis, Will Cobbs, and the director of Dana H himself, Les Waters. So this is just a wonderful episode and I can't wait to share it all with you. Emily Davis is you'll you'll kind of get a scoop of everything going on. I didn't have them say their names in between each time I interviewed them. I kind of just got sidetracked because I was just so excited to talk to each one of them, which is something that I should have done but hopefully you can kind of distinct their distinctualize their voice.

Hopefully you'll be able to kind of kind of get grasp who they are not only from their voice but also from the stuff that we talk about. I hope it's helpful. And then it also explains a lot about Dana H and hopefully gets you excited for that. But it also explains kind of the new wave of Broadway that Dana H and Is This a Room is creating. So without further ado, I'm not gonna leave you all in anticipation anymore. Let's turn it over to Take A Bow at the opening night of Dana H.

[13:01] Eli Tokash: Do you mind if I steal you really quick?

[13:03] Unknown speaker: No, not at all.

[13:04] Eli Tokash: Do you want to hold this?

[13:05] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[13:05] Eli Tokash: Thank you. Hello, this is Eli from Take A Bow on the Broadway Podcast Network, and I'm here with the director of Dana H. Thank you for speaking with me today. How excited are you about opening?

[13:14] Les Waters: I'm really excited. I mean, we were the show was happening at the vineyard, and we were closed from the pandemic because of the pandemic, so getting a chance to do it again is a big deal, and to get to do it with Tina's amazing production of Is This a Room? So the two plays are in dialogue. I'm absolutely delighted.

[13:40] Eli Tokash: Yes. I love it. I'm so excited. Now talk to me because this is a true, this based on a true story. So, like, what does this story mean to you and trying to represent it on a stage and telling someone else's story?

[13:54] Les Waters: Well, the big thing is probably like whose stories are being told now. And this is an important story that about, you know, the Dana H.

[14:05] Les Waters: It tells about a particular time in her life. And I've never, I mean, I've worked in the past on pieces that are from recordings with, you know, other people, but I've never done a show before that is entirely one woman's story and is lip-synced to her voice.

[14:27] Unknown speaker: What is the difficulty or what are some challenges or what do you have to go through to put on a one-woman show, and how does that differ from the plays that you've done?

[14:35] Les Waters: Well, there are hours and hours of tapes of Dana H talking to Steve Cosson, who was the original thing. So I think there's eight, ten hours of tapes and we trimmed it down to eighty minutes. So that's a huge undertaking. Plus the performer Didi has to learn how to lip-sync and that I don't, I know very few people who know how to do that.

[15:07] Unknown speaker: Right.

[15:08] Les Waters: Well, what a, I'm so excited to see this show, and I'm sure you're very excited for it to finally open after its long history and getting to Broadway. So thank you so much for the first time.

[15:18] Unknown speaker: Thank you very much, and nice to meet you.

[15:19] Les Waters: Nice to meet you as well.

[15:20] Unknown speaker: Hi, how's it going?

[15:22] Les Waters: Nice to meet you. Thank you. I appreciate it. I like that. We were going with similar stuff. Similar to that, so you know, it's oh my god, that's hilarious.

[15:31] Unknown speaker: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, thank you for speaking with me. We're here at the opening of Dana H. How excited are you to see theater again?

[15:37] Unknown speaker: Oh man, so excited.

[15:39] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[15:39] Unknown speaker: So, so, so excited. I'm like beyond.

[15:41] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[15:42] Unknown speaker: Like, uh, it's not been enough recently. So, uh, I'm really, really, really looking forward to like getting in there and watching the show.

[15:49] Unknown speaker: What are you most excited to hear of this story with Dana H?

[15:52] Unknown speaker: Well, you know, I really don't, I know remarkably little about it in a very detailed way. I know exactly like what it is and who wrote it and who's involved. But like beyond that, I know it's a show that I wanted to see and like missed when it was off-Broadway.

[16:07] Unknown speaker: Right, so now I'm just ready to come in and, and like, you know, once I know I'm coming to something, I don't want to read too much about it because I don't want to know. I mean, surprise me. Let me, let it meet me. So, uh, I'm really excited for that, for like all of the surprises that are in store. And I love all of the creators of the thing involved. So yeah, they're incredible.

[16:22] Unknown speaker: I mean, it's Les Waters is right here, you know, director, right?

[16:27] Unknown speaker: It's amazing.

[16:27] Unknown speaker: Yeah. Um, I like your suit. It's very fashionable.

[16:31] Unknown speaker: I haven't worked, you know, it's been a while since, uh, how does it feel to like be in person again? Like, isn't it weird?

[16:36] Unknown speaker: A little strange.

[16:39] Unknown speaker: A little strange, you know, it's strange to be like talking to a person in a mask.

[16:43] Unknown speaker: Not a man, not being a mask.

[16:45] Unknown speaker: Like it's like, it's weird, yeah, exactly. It's very right. Like, shouldn't you have a little frame around you? Shouldn't we be on Zoom? Like what is this?

[16:51] Unknown speaker: Yeah, yeah. Um, I would feel more comfortable if this was on Zoom.

[16:54] Unknown speaker: I know, and I would be wearing sweatpants and not suit pants.

[16:57] Unknown speaker: Yeah, of course. You know, so yeah. Well, thank you so much for speaking with me. I appreciate it. I can't wait to watch this.

[17:03] Unknown speaker: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Same, same. Thank you.

[17:05] Unknown speaker: Hi, nice to meet.

[17:07] Unknown speaker: Nice to see you and nice to meet you in person. I don't know if you're, this is my daughter, but Eli.

[17:13] Unknown speaker: My favorite theater date.

[17:14] Unknown speaker: Oh my god, that's amazing. You came on the podcast with Sidney Lucas and I.

[17:18] Unknown speaker: Oh yes, of course, I didn't recognize you with your mask on.

[17:21] Unknown speaker: It's okay. I understand it's tricky, you know, the all these in-person meetings and I'd be like, yeah, it's weird. This is anyways.

[17:30] Unknown speaker: Hi, my name is Uli. Nice to meet you. Um, we are here tonight at the Dana H opening. How excited are you to see the show and tell this, hear the story?

[17:40] Unknown speaker: I'm very excited. I saw it downtown at the Vineyard Theater.

[17:43] Unknown speaker: Oh my gosh.

[17:44] Unknown speaker: And I think, oh, there's Emily Davis who gave such an extraordinary performance in Is This a Room. Anyway, uh, Dee Dee O'Connell also gives an uncanny mind-blowing performance in Dana H. And it's, I, it's just such an important story to tell. I mean, it raises so many important issues, and I, I just think it's so fantastic that more people are gonna be able to see it.

[18:13] Unknown speaker: Absolutely. It blows my mind that it's a one-woman show and she's kind of just like up there taking the reins, you know. Have you ever done anything like that?

[18:21] Unknown speaker: No. No, only the only the closest I've come to doing a one-woman show is doing my own concerts.

[18:27] Unknown speaker: Oh amazing.

[18:28] Unknown speaker: But at least I then I have a lot of musicians on stage with me, so I don't feel so alone.

[18:32] Unknown speaker: No, absolutely. Well, I'm so excited to see this. I have not seen it yet, but I did see Is This a Room. And it's very interesting to see how these shows, uh, kind of coincide.

[18:42] Unknown speaker: So I'm very excited to see.

[18:43] Unknown speaker: Yeah, no, they're both, you know, they have, uh, they're very different, but they, you know, they're both transcripted shows. They're both, I guess what you call docu-theater. So they've kind of, it's great that they're running and rent.

[18:56] Unknown speaker: Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for speaking with me and enjoy the show. Enjoy a good night.

[19:01] Unknown speaker: Thank you. It's good to see you of course.

[19:03] Unknown speaker: Thank you. How's it going?

[19:06] Unknown speaker: Nice to see you. How are you?

[19:08] Unknown speaker: Good, thank you. And yourself?

[19:10] Unknown speaker: Great, great amazing. We're here at the opening night of Dana H. Isn't this very exciting? What are you most excited to see today?

[19:16] Unknown speaker: Um, I am excited to see Dee Dee's work. I'm excited to see, I, I'm in the other shows. So, uh, yeah, just getting to see the whole layout, getting to see, uh, my other friends perform.

[19:29] Unknown speaker: Right. It's gonna be amazing.

[19:30] Unknown speaker: Well, I saw Is This A Room?

[19:32] Unknown speaker: Yes.

[19:32] Unknown speaker: And it, uh, absolutely incredible. So, I mean, you're not, you're, you're kind of familiar with, uh, kind of a script that is kind of already in place and taken from somewhere else. What are like some of the unique things that, uh, people don't always understand with those types of shows?

[19:49] Unknown speaker: Um, I think, I, I think that there's, there's a lot to mine out of how the, how the natural rhythms of how these people are actually speaking, um, is happening and it feels more real time. Um, I hadn't realized before working on our show and knowing about Dana H how, how theatrical, how far theatrical can be from how we actually do things.

[20:22] Unknown speaker: Sure.

[20:22] Unknown speaker: Um, also how revealing all those little, uh, mm-mm can actually be about what's going on, our, our mental, uh, our mental paths, uh, through these things. So yeah, yeah, it's, it's super interesting. Uh, I'm, I'm loving this kind of material. I hope to see more of it.

[20:41] Unknown speaker: Right, yeah, absolutely. And now Is This a Room? Uh, they do four shows and then Dana H says four shows. Have you ever been a part of a schedule like that?

[20:50] Unknown speaker: No, no, no. It's an, is it, it's an amazing schedule to be up. It's really great. Are you able to see other shows?

[20:57] Unknown speaker: Yeah, I'm able to get to see other shows. I'm able to, uh, still I'm a teacher as well, so I'm able to keep that going on. Um, yeah, it's, it's a very, very humane schedule.

[21:08] Unknown speaker: Yeah, I love it. It's very cool. I've never seen anything like it, but I love what they're doing with it.

[21:13] Unknown speaker: Yeah, yeah. We'll see, we'll see if it becomes a trend.

[21:16] Unknown speaker: Yeah. Especially like these quicker shows, these one hour some change shows.

[21:20] Unknown speaker: Right.

[21:21] Unknown speaker: They move fast, and yeah, we'll see how that goes.

[21:24] Unknown speaker: Yeah, you're starting in trends. Thank you so much for talking to me.

[21:28] Unknown speaker: Thank you. Enjoy opening night.

[21:29] Unknown speaker: Thanks.

[21:30] Unknown speaker: You're welcome. Hi, how's it going?

[21:32] Unknown speaker: How are you? Do you guys mind holding this?

[21:34] Unknown speaker: Oh my god, thank you. Oh my god, this is for me. This is for, sorry. You guys have to share it. I get my own. Thank you.

[21:40] Unknown speaker: Um, well, welcome. We're here at the opening night of Dana H. How excited are we to see the show?

[21:46] Unknown speaker: I'm nervous. I know that it's quite traumatic, perhaps, but I'm really excited.

[21:51] Unknown speaker: Yes.

[21:51] Unknown speaker: I've seen it before, so I'm very excited. I saw it before the shutdown.

[21:55] Unknown speaker: Amazing. And so I was just telling Max that, uh, whereas the content really shook me the first time. I'm here to just focus on Dee Dee O'Connell's technique.

[22:05] Unknown speaker: Oh my gosh. So talk to me about the first time that you saw it and kind of just like what you're preparing for tonight.

[22:12] Unknown speaker: It's, it's such an incredible virtuosic performance, and the story is so harrowing, um, and the direction and the design are, it's a, it's one of those truly rare and remarkable, uh, nights in the theater where everything gels and combines to make a truly, uh, unique and once in a lifetime event.

[22:30] Unknown speaker: That's what she's lip-syncing for her life, yes.

[22:32] Unknown speaker: Yes, she is.

[22:33] Unknown speaker: Yes, yes, and I can't, I can't wait. I don't know how she's doing it by herself, and then also lip-syncing. Like it's a one-woman show, she's lip-syncing, it's amazing.

[22:42] Unknown speaker: I mean, Dee Dee O'Connell has been the greatest actor in New York for a long time, and it, the reign continues.

[22:48] Unknown speaker: It's about time.

[22:49] Unknown speaker: The reign continues. Did you see Is This a Room?

[22:51] Unknown speaker: Obsessed. One of my dearest friends, Emily, played reality winner.

[22:55] Unknown speaker: Yes, and she's so good.

[22:58] Unknown speaker: She brought me to tears. I was like shook, like you said, like the first time. These two things in wrap together, it's a perfect pairing.

[23:04] Unknown speaker: Well, and you say, you know, you're, you're really just watching her acting because I was, I was in the second row watching Emily.

[23:10] Unknown speaker: Right.

[23:11] Unknown speaker: It was truly, it was like an, it was like a possession.

[23:14] Unknown speaker: No, literally. It really felt like I was watching reality, not Emily. And then when her sister came up on stage with reality on a laptop, I cried.

[23:23] Unknown speaker: Wait, what? At the very final bow.

[23:25] Unknown speaker: Oh my gosh. That's incredible. I'm obsessed. And just shout out to the Vineyard Theater for producing both of these incredible shows and getting them to Broadway.

[23:34] Unknown speaker: Absolutely. You know, we're gonna reimagine what Broadway looks like after all of this, and this is a step in that. And Vineyard has always been my favorite show.

[23:41] Unknown speaker: Speaking of reimagining Broadway, are you guys excited that Broadway's back? What show do we want to see?

[23:44] Unknown speaker: I'm at the show, I want to see.

[23:45] Unknown speaker: You're at the show that you want to see.

[23:49] Unknown speaker: I want to see Six.

[23:50] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[23:51] Unknown speaker: That's, that ends it.

[23:53] Unknown speaker: Okay, that is the way.

[23:54] Unknown speaker: Oh my god, yes, it's amazing.

[23:56] Unknown speaker: Have you seen Six?

[23:57] Unknown speaker: I haven't.

[23:58] Unknown speaker: He's gonna take me.

[23:59] Unknown speaker: He invested in it, so he's seeing I did not have to.

[24:02] Unknown speaker: Oh my god, wait, I got like really.

[24:06] Unknown speaker: Oh my gosh. Okay, well, thank you guys so much. I can't wait to see it.

[24:09] Unknown speaker: Yes, it's amazing. So empowering.

[24:11] Unknown speaker: Thank you. All of these shows on Broadway, it's like the perfect season to reopen the time. Well, thank you guys so much for talking to me. Enjoy opening night. Enjoy, enjoy the show.

[24:20] Unknown speaker: Thank you.

[24:22] Unknown speaker: Hi, sorry about it.

[24:23] Unknown speaker: It's okay, don't worry. Oh my gosh, how excited are you? Okay, we're at the opening of Dana H, and you are the star of the other show that coincides with this show, Is This a Room? So talk to me about tonight's performance and what you're excited about, and then we'll talk about Is This a Room?

[24:35] Unknown speaker: Uh, I was lucky enough to see Dana H at the Vineyard when it was the show that followed ours, and we thought that we as an ensemble at Half Straddle had figured out some sort of cutting edge, something new that had never been seen with our show. And then they loaded in the next show, and we were like, oh shit. Like there's something, something even wilder is afoot.

[25:07] Unknown speaker: Um, I have gotten the chance to talk to Didi about sort of how this moment, as pause, we'd connected during the pandemic. I am excited to see how, uh, how the time away has primed her for, um, for this iteration of the show. I'm very excited to see it.

[25:31] Unknown speaker: Now I want to talk to you about your performance in Is This a Room? Because I absolutely fell in love with the show, and a lot of that had to do with your performance. Um, talk to me about like what it's like to kind of tell the story of reality winner, who it's like a true story and a lot of people know it. Talk to me about kind of doing it justice.

[25:51] Unknown speaker: You know, at this point, I think that, uh, it feels, the story of reality, um, personally feels like a little locket that I keep with me. But the show has always been about sort of like meditating on, um, on all the different questions that her particular situation brought up. So it's never limited to just the one day and the one person, and I think she's such, her hugeness of heart has sort of helped, um, us to realize that as a company as we keep doing it, that it, that it will be this show that grows and means different things to different people at different times.

[26:35] Unknown speaker: Absolutely.

[26:37] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[26:39] Unknown speaker: Yeah, that was perfect. I mean, so have you in, like, so you obviously these two shows followed each other? Are you enjoying, but now on Broadway they're like switching shows because they do four shows and then you do four shows.

[26:51] Unknown speaker: That's right. Is that a schedule that you like? Is that something you want to see more in the Broadway community?

[26:57] Unknown speaker: Right now I'm gonna highly recommend it to all fellow actors, but we are still so early in the run that I'll need to see if I can keep my, you know, keep my balance in the, you know, it's once you, it's, it's definitely a bubble that you go into when you're in a pr in a eighth show a week thing. So, um, so I've never done anything like this, no. But it is really, it's an experiment, so yeah, especially with a demanding role, like you don't leave the stage, you know, it's very emotional. It's like, it's amazing. You do an amazing job.

[27:29] Unknown speaker: Thank you.

[27:30] Unknown speaker: Yes, of course. Thank you so much for talking to me and enjoy the opening night.

[27:33] Unknown speaker: Pleasure. You as well.

[27:34] Unknown speaker: Thank you.

[27:35] Unknown speaker: Hi.

[27:36] Unknown speaker: Hi. It's so nice to see you.

[27:38] Unknown speaker: Yeah, sorry. I could hold it for you.

[27:40] Unknown speaker: No, that's fine. Um, I see you everywhere.

[27:43] Unknown speaker: Okay, you're like a theater guru. I love it. Are you, what are you most excited to see tonight and in this season of Broadway in general?

[27:50] Unknown speaker: Um, well gosh, I'm just so excited theater's back.

[27:53] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[27:53] Unknown speaker: People are coming to see live theater again. Um, it felt like this thing that wasn't really ever gonna happen for the longest time, and now that it is, I'm just so grateful that it's actually happening and people are coming. So I'm just hoping more people come to see theater because it's back, which is really exciting.

[28:08] Unknown speaker: I'm a huge Didi O'Connell fan. Oh my gosh. In my opinion, she might be one of the greatest stage actresses we have. So I'm really just excited to see anything she does. I know, I can't believe like it's a one-woman show. Yeah. You know, she's lip syncing. It's like, I'm so ready for this master class that we're about to watch. Is there a show that you want to see the most on Broadway right now? Oh my gosh. I'm sort of tearing through them. I just saw Carolina Change yesterday, which I cried for hours after seeing it. I had a really hard time shutting off the waterworks. You know, I I'm gonna see anything and everything. I'm just I want to see it all. What does theater mean to you, like just in general?

I mean, I've been a theater kid since I was very young, and it's all I wanted to do. And TV was a very strange, um welcomed distraction from that for a little while. Sure. But I always my heart has always been with theater and always will be, so I just am so happy that it's back. Yes. Well, thank you so much. Thank you for your time. Enjoy opening night. Thank you, thank you. You're welcome.

[29:13] Unknown speaker: Hi, how's it going? Do you mind monochromatic? Look at that. Oh my god, thank you. I appreciate that. I love your outfit. It's amazing. An adult French toddler. No, no, no, it looks amazing. I'm so excited. So we're here at the opening night of Dana H. Is there something that you're like most excited to see in this show tonight? I mean, I am a huge Lucas Nath fan. This and Is This a Room is like my favorite style of theater, so I'm so excited that this genre is one of the first to come back. Yes. And it's mind-blowing how they're kind of intertwining them and just how they're relating the stories and everything. I know, it's really impressive. It's brilliant. It's super smart. Yeah, I've never seen anything like it.

Um but have you so you've obviously seen Is This a Room as well too? I have not seen Is This a Room. I know way too much. I actually I wasn't able to go to the opening, but I'll see it probably next week. So talk to me about like the genre, like we mentioned already, and just like with these true stories, you know, like it's already they're taking word from word for words from these like recordings and messages that they've already discovered. Right. Um talk to me about like that style and seeing that on stage. I feel like it's it's not it's kind of like a really well-kept secret that verbatim theater is some of the most interesting theater to watch. Yeah. In terms of someone else's words literally being used and then embodied by another human being.

Absolutely. It's a very um kind of bifurcated experience, and I think it it's I know it's why that people have been so excited about this, because it's thrilling to see something that dissonant. Right. Well, thank you so much. Enjoy the opening of Dana H. I'm so excited to see it. So yeah. Me too. Yes. Thank you.

[31:02] Unknown speaker: Hello, how are you going? How are you? Nice to see you. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Um we're here at the opening of Dana H. How excited are we to see this show and to hear the story? Well, I again uh this this play and Is This a Room I missed because I was doing other shows when they were running. Oh both of these shows were ones that I really really wanted to see. Right. So I'm just so thrilled that I've got the chance. Um Is This Room was just fantastic. Fucking thrilling. Yeah. And um and this, I already know, because Didi is an actual treasure. Right. Um I know that this is gonna be this is gonna be amazing. So I'm just stoked. Can we talk about the genre of these plays really quickly and just how they're their stories, they're literally the recordings.

Right. Um and they're word for word, and they put it on a stage to tell this story. Like, what do you think like what what just what are you thinking about when you hear that? Like, and what are like some of the unique things that we don't get from other shows? Well, in a sense, like we have reality television, right? Right. So these are non-actors who are portraying these real situ real life situations and whatever, you know. And so it's different than watching scripted content. Right. This is a different kind of flip. So this is transcript theater. But oftentimes, as we saw with Is This a Room, it's like if you wrote what is in these plays, it would be unbelievable. Right. You know, and so that's one of those things where it's like the truth is often stranger than fiction, and like the writers couldn't write like this.

But I think that something else happens when you stick transcripted words inside of professional actors' mouths and imaginations. For sure. There's a heightened, curated, carved um quality to it that enhances what might just be on the page, just like I don't know, I think this is just boring, you know, whatever. Oh um uh it's got all these stutters and things. But when they're heightened, it's it's it's really very powerful, and it's just sort of like it's one of those old quotes about making the strange familiar and the familiar strange. Right, absolutely. Well, I'm just so excited. So you saw Is This a Room? Yeah, okay, let's see. Okay. And what would what did you think? I mean, Emily Davis's performance is just incredible, uh who played reality winner.

Yeah. Uh yeah, it was it was just fantastic. Um I mean, again, like a totally unique um piece that's okay. It takes a lot of care and dedication to make it as essential as that show was. Right. Because you could really tart it up. Um or say, like, again, this is gonna be this is this is gonna be this part's gonna be boring. Let's cock this. But really saying no, we're gonna adhere to every word that we can say from this transcript and enact it, you know, end to end, means that it's again got a heightened quality to it that um is was just totally riveting. It's amazing. And I love what they're doing with these two shows and how they're intertwining them and doing like four shows a week and kind of combining them together and a continuation story almost.

Um so it's just brilliant. Is that something that you could see i Broadway doing more often in the future? Or I absolutely hope so. Yeah. Um the only thing that I wish they would do is because they're running in rep, I wish they could sell tickets in rep so that you could buy two in a cent for the price of one Dory because you know, it's still Broadway and it's still really fucking expensive. Right. Oh my god. And when these plays were downtown, they didn't cost as much as they do now. Right. Oh my gosh. Well, that is brilliant, and uh definitely something that we will we will have to talk to them. We'll have to write a letter, okay? Yeah, well, thank you so much for talking in. Nice to meet you. Enjoy the opening. Yes, nice to meet you.

[34:53] Unknown speaker: How's it going? Do you mind sealing me for a second? It's okay. It's okay. Oh, uh oh, I'm Eli, nice to meet you. Elizabeth. Andy very nice to meet you. Yes, nice to meet you as well. So, I mean talk to me about what it's like to be at the theater again seeing at opening night of Dana H. I know this is uh my first show back. Oh my gosh. So this is my first one. Uh I this is actually pretty exciting for me. So yeah. I'm sort of uh breaking my bust of my cherry again. Yeah. Um and this should be a really intriguing play. I'm I'm really interested to see it. I I heard all about it and I'm kind of I'm looking forward to seeing the work being done. Yeah, it's gonna be a masterclass for like 70 70 minutes.

I'm so excited from D Doug. 75, they told me. It was seven five. Yes, fair enough. Um well talk to me. So this is your first show. Is there any other show that you're like most excited to see that you're like dying? I mean, everything. You know, it's I think uh I want to partake in the family that is the Broadway scene. Yeah, which uh you know I've been on stages plenty of times and I've seen lots of shows. I've actually uh back in the day I used to sell merch here at the Lyceum Theater for the National Theater and uh Sunshine Boys, I think I did when I was just starting out, so it's gonna be back to this theater. Well, listen, the COVID pandemic and everything, it felt a lot like Groundhog Day.

What what is did that bring back any memories? Like what was that kind of what was your pandemic like? Uh my it was, you know, everybody got to feel how I felt, you know, doing that show every day. Right. You know, it's uh taking on I think we all had to re-examine ourselves and re examine what we do and what we find joy in, and and I certainly am gonna find joy here tonight, you know, being back at the theater. Absolutely. Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Enjoy the opening. So that was Take About at the opening night of Dana H. I had such a blast. It was wonderful to talk to all these brilliant, brilliant people. Uh I especially loved, of course, talking to the director Les Waters, who gave such beautiful insight on both uh the show Dana H, but also Is This a Room? and how his directing style was with everything and and working with Deidre O'Connell.

It it was just incredible and and again you probably could have told uh as well through the interview. Um I enjoyed speaking with Emily Davis, huge huge, huge, huge new fan of hers, um for her performance in Is This a Room. She was brilliant. Um and it was awesome to get to talk to her. Andy broad alution, his brain was just fascinating, and I could have talked to him about theater in Broadway all day. It was fun to poke some fun at Annie Carl with Groundhog Day and stuff like that. Speak to Jesse Tyler Ferguson after meeting him at Finding Neverland and Pippin and all these shows that I've been in, um and seeing him in the audience at shows, but always being too shy, even though like he's seen me in a bunch of shows.

I don't know. It was just like I've always been shy and then to be able to talk to him again, uh, and kinda bring those back to light. It was really cool. So thank you everyone who was willing to talk to me at the Dana H performance. Uh I that's obviously not everyone that was there and I couldn't have gotten everyone that was there because you know, we only have a certain amount of time and I'm talking to a lot of people, so uh I I miss some of the key people, but uh everyone that was willing to to give me their time. Um and Andy Carl like gave me his time in in Broadway World, didn't really get to speak to him. So like that was a that was a cool moment. I really appreciated like things like that that that were willing pe these these big people were were willing to talk to a uh smaller, smaller brand uh at at the opening night, which is uh really, really cool and um I really appreciate it and I think it made for a great episode.

Um we talked a lot about Broadway coming back and whatnot, but um I know it's back, but it's still very new and it's still very exciting. So that was it and I hope you all enjoyed that episode and uh I'm gonna do a drama dictionary before we leave and um I'm gonna I'm gonna bid you adieu. But before I go, I I do want to say that Trevor the musical is opening on Monday. Uh well not opening it's starting it it's having the its first preview um and I could not be more excited for them. And uh I I just wish them nothing but the best the best success and uh I have very exciting announcement that I will be at the opening of Trevor the Musical and I will also be at Trevor the Musical's uh preview on Friday uh uh October 29th but I will also be there on November 10th when it opens uh off Broadway.

So if you uh are happened to be there uh I hope to meet you all and I hope that you will come and you will support this amazing show and it's amazing story. Uh hopefully I'll be able to do a little kind of press thing a press little moment here like I did uh with Dana H and uh the pr the opening night of um show must go on the movie um so that's TBD we're trying to work it out work it out but I think it'd be fascinating to get to talk to the young Trevor cast as well as the the creative team and everyone else involved um and kind of get like a little Trevor episode going because I've talked so much about it. So um hopefully we can do something of that sort, and uh I'll get that out to you all as soon as possible.

But uh until then, next month we also have a very exciting um situation going on. We're gonna be dedicating it to a new um kind of um not like a brand, but it's a new show, uh the Rainbow Lullaby, and it's a it's a concept album, and uh it's gonna be it's gonna be really cool, and it has some incredible guests being featured in it. So uh stay tuned. It's gonna be a lot like the Ethan Slater and Nick Blemeyer interview, um, a little bit about like the Antonio Cipriano interview um and stuff like that. So it's gonna be a good time, and uh I have some exciting guests like uh Lauren Patton from Jagged Little Pill, and uh there's a lot of other ones too. So stay tuned for that, and uh yeah, I'll see you all next week. So bye everyone and have a great week.

[41:12] Eli Tokash: 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 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 takeabout 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.