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[0:07] Jesse McInally: Hello, I'm Jesse McInally.

[0:09] Andrew DeWolf: And I'm Andrew DeWolf.

[0:10] Jesse McInally: And welcome to Musicals with Cheese, a podcast where I try to get Andrew to like musical theater.

[0:14] Andrew DeWolf: And Andrew, can you believe it?

[0:16] Jesse McInally: We have a super special guest.

[0:18] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, I can believe it.

[0:20] Jesse McInally: All of our guests are super special, but is this one extra special?

[0:23] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, yes, because they have like the best theater podcast ever, and like, like, they get all the hot gossip before anyone else.

[0:30] Jesse McInally: So now I'm excited, so um, today, please join me in welcoming um Ayanna Prescod, the host of What's Up Broadway, the Brooklyn-based founder, theater producer, journalist, and the last survivor of Titanic the Musical.

[0:45] Ayanna Prescod: Hi.

[0:46] Jesse McInally: Hi, thanks for having me.

[0:48] Ayanna Prescod: No worries, no worries.

[0:50] Jesse McInally: How'd you survive that?

[0:51] Ayanna Prescod: Like, I mean, it looked like we were on an angle. How did they do it?

[0:54] Ayanna Prescod: It was really it was really tilting. Uh, I saw it. I was falling down. It wasn't so bad.

[1:00] Ayanna Prescod: I uh took the rose way and just stood on the door, let no one else come on the door with me.

[1:08] Ayanna Prescod: And so there we have it, and I'm here.

[1:11] Jesse McInally: You didn't do the Ismay way where you just got on a lifeboat and rode to safety.

[1:17] Ayanna Prescod: He's a real king.

[1:18] Jesse McInally: That would have been my way.

[1:20] Ayanna Prescod: That's the easy way out.

[1:22] Ayanna Prescod: I I I have problems with him, but yes.

[1:26] Ayanna Prescod: Um, no, I did it the rose way. I was very brave. Got found, immediately saved, changed your name.

[1:32] Ayanna Prescod: Immediately got the whistle, found Jack's whistle.

[1:35] Ayanna Prescod: Through the heart of the ocean into the ocean where it belongs.

[1:40] Jesse McInally: Exactly. Well, in case you haven't noticed by our very subtle hints or outright just saying it, this week we are very lucky to talk about Titanic the Musical, key of the music Bree.

[1:50] Ayanna Prescod: She ring High Rod Ship of Dreams Sailing Death Morning Moral.

[2:15] Ayanna Prescod: Take your life, ship of dreams. She strains out her lives. The smoke from her funnels train. Her brown like a night. She'll come through the waves of Titanic the Musical is a musical with book by Peter Stone and a music and lyrics by Mary Yeston.

[2:46] Jesse McInally: Um it is based on the sinking of the RMS Titanic. It premiered on Broadway on April 23rd, 1997, at the Lunt Fontaine Theater, and ran for 804 performances and 27 previews, closing on March 21st, 1999.

[3:00] Jesse McInally: By coincidence, the musical opened the same year as James Cameron's epic film adaptation of the story Titanic.

[3:06] Jesse McInally: Um the plot of this musical is Mary Yeston and Peter Stone's musical examines the lives of the passengers aboard the doomed luxury liner Titanic, those in first class, middle class, and steerage in the nights leading up to the ship's fatal encounter with an iceberg at sea.

[3:20] Ayanna Prescod: That was what was in the playbill.

[3:23] Jesse McInally: That seems like a lot, but it's a lot of a show.

[3:23] Ayanna Prescod: It's a lot of a show, but Ayanna, this you've almost made this your brand on on the Twitters.

[3:33] Ayanna Prescod: I I feel like I have. Um, and it's been a blessing to me because right before theater shutdown, there was supposed to be a Titanic revival.

[3:42] Ayanna Prescod: I don't know if you guys know this. Um, but it was fully casted. Um, it was supposed to be at I might get the theater wrong, but it was fully casted.

[3:47] Ayanna Prescod: It was supposed to be at the Netherlander. Um now it's another revival of the music band. So and I feel like the Titanic in some ways is like cursed because every time it's supposed to come back, something happens, and we literally had a global pandemic.

[4:07] Ayanna Prescod: Um it just keeps sinking. Um, but yeah, I talk about it all the time, and um one of the producers from the show actually reached out to me because I talk about it so much, and he was just like, What is your interest with this show?

[4:23] Ayanna Prescod: Um, and I was like, you know, from the moment I heard the music, so I was introduced to the show.

[4:29] Jesse McInally: Oh, did you see that?

[4:30] Ayanna Prescod: Oh, yeah.

[4:30] Ayanna Prescod: Was that lightning? Did you hear the light?

[4:32] Ayanna Prescod: My lights just flicked.

[4:34] Ayanna Prescod: See, that's what I'm saying. This okay, I have a long history with Titanic, and every time I talk about it, it's a curse.

[4:40] Ayanna Prescod: Something we're I'm I'm gonna take you back. So the the day I was talking to the producer, it was uh last summer 2021. We were outside.

[4:48] Ayanna Prescod: The moment we started talking about Titanic glass from a building just comes out of a window. Not kidding. True story.

[4:57] Ayanna Prescod: I can get this verified as soon as this uh show is uploaded um by the producer. But seriously, every time I start talking about it, it's it's a little weird.

[5:07] Ayanna Prescod: Um, but he wanted to know my fascination with the show, and I was introduced to the show by the music. Um, and so the music just took me on this journey. Um, and then I became super obsessed with Titanic after the music.

[5:22] Ayanna Prescod: And listen, it's on from there. Like, I love the music so much. Saw I didn't get to see the Broadway production because I was like a kid. Um, but I saw an iteration in Virginia at Signature Theater.

[5:37] Ayanna Prescod: They did like a roundabout production of it, and it was beautiful, and I was even more obsessed. And so here we are talking about the greatest show of all time.

[5:47] Jesse McInally: So you found it through the cast recording, then went to see it, and it has not lost its luster at all.

[5:53] Ayanna Prescod: No, and it never will. And I hope I get some show sometimes.

[5:57] Ayanna Prescod: Too big to sink. Unsinkable show.

[6:00] Jesse McInally: It's unsinkable. Um, it it was a we I had never dived into this show, no pun intended, before this podcast.

[6:08] Jesse McInally: There's so many buttons. Stop.

[6:11] Jesse McInally: And I read. This that's the episode, it's just Titanic month.

[6:15] Jesse McInally: But I had heard a lot of the songs because I am a big Mary Yeston fan. I I think he is like one of the best Broadway composers to ever do the job.

[6:24] Jesse McInally: He wrote the better Phantom of the Opera, come at me.

[6:27] Ayanna Prescod: Um we did a whole episode about hot take.

[6:30] Jesse McInally: Controversial take.

[6:32] Ayanna Prescod: That's a controversial take, but I stand by it. Um but this show I I watched it three times to prepare for this, and I watched a two-hour documentary made for UPN um about the creation of this show and how it relates to the history.

[6:49] Jesse McInally: And I like it, I think the score is great. I think a revival would do a lot of good to this show. Um, but I am very interested in my co-host Andrew, who you don't particularly I'm very curious.

[7:04] Jesse McInally: What did you think of the show?

[7:05] Andrew DeWolf: Um, I actually really liked it. I thought that the music was I thought the music was very good, especially in the second half. I feel like it picks up a lot in the second half, but that's just the Titanic, I think.

[7:16] Andrew DeWolf: I think that's just that's how the story goes. I mean, it it's just a normal ship ride in the first half.

[7:26] Andrew DeWolf: So many people have watched just the first VHS of Titanic and gave up. And another so many people have worn out just the second VHS of Titanic.

[7:34] Jesse McInally: Wait, which which VHS had the Caden's Winslit drawing scene?

[7:38] Andrew DeWolf: Doesn't matter. That one got worn out too.

[7:40] Andrew DeWolf: Um that one they paused on and took some screenshots.

[7:45] Jesse McInally: Screenshots on VHS, yes, of course.

[7:47] Andrew DeWolf: But pictures. That that's how it kind of breaks up. I think the second act of most musicals are where things pick up. Um notable exceptions are variable.

[7:56] Andrew DeWolf: But I think it's effective here. However, it's a lot of just like dramatic irony, the musical is another alternate title I would give this.

[8:04] Ayanna Prescod: It's the Titanic, though. I feel like all Titanic media has that problem.

[8:08] Ayanna Prescod: It's always just like, I hope this doesn't sink. No way it'll sink. I'm so happy. We're gonna do great things when we get to America. We're gonna get to New York, and there's not we're not gonna sink halfway there.

[8:21] Andrew DeWolf: I know. That's the problem with the show.

[8:23] Andrew DeWolf: That's a problem with the show like this. Like you know how it's gonna end. Um and so it's like, well, there can't be any surprise, but what for me the surprise was the music and the nuance with the music.

[8:36] Ayanna Prescod: And so you do have a great argument. But I think I think both both acts do the show a lot of justice and gives a lot the first act for me was more of the history of the boat, and I learned so much.

[8:50] Ayanna Prescod: Um Mori Yeston's lyrics are so beautiful. Um that like you learn so much. You don't have to go like pick up a book to learn about the Titanic.

[9:01] Ayanna Prescod: And so that's what I loved about it. And then the second act, we get into like blame and why this ship actually sank, and who are these people on this ship, and what what does it mean to be a part of this like beautiful luxury liner, but also like you're about to die?

[9:20] Ayanna Prescod: Um, and so I don't know, I have so much thoughts about this, but I thought both acts work. I think they both work.

[9:27] Ayanna Prescod: I think this is one of those rare true ensemble musicals. Like, even just going through like the cast list, I'm like, man, this is a lot of big cast. And all of them are effective, but it also makes you a little scatterbrained of all right, who do I feel emotion for?

[9:42] Ayanna Prescod: When really you should be a feeling emotion for everyone. Everyone a first watch is confusing. Like, I I do not envy the the task of any critic that goes into this just once and be like, uh oh whoa, what was that?

[9:54] Ayanna Prescod: Um but once you listen to that cast album a bunch and watch a couple different versions, you really fall into it and it kind it really starts to fall together as like a really really effective musical.

[10:08] Ayanna Prescod: You just gotta go moment to moment the first time you watch it and just get the emotions of everybody dying.

[10:15] Jesse McInally: So, what character now I'm turning into the the question asker, what character did you? I know it's true ensemble for you, but what character did you connect with the most or did you feel for the most in this instance?

[10:28] Andrew DeWolf: I think Mr. Andrews, because A, he's got the 11 o'clock number, and B, it's Michael Serverse. Like those are two very big, big factors for me.

[10:38] Andrew DeWolf: Um, but then you got the Brian Darcy James like guy who likes to uh do the what is it, the coal work the coal. Um and the Kates, like I remember everyone in this show.

[10:50] Andrew DeWolf: Like there's not a single mem unmemorable part, like even the couple, the Strausses. Um their songs, like still beautiful, beautiful, and that like real life people.

[11:01] Ayanna Prescod: Let's just say this. This is a significantly better interpretation of the Titanic story than the James Cameron film by a long shot.

[11:10] Jesse McInally: I was gonna say that too.

[11:13] Ayanna Prescod: But what is yours? What character do you feel the most connected with?

[11:17] Ayanna Prescod: Um it's funny because the Kates have always had a place in my heart because they have this song about their dreams when they arrive in New York.

[11:28] Ayanna Prescod: Um, but also Brian Darcy James as the beret. Like, I was just like, oh my god, like this poor guy, like is doing all this hard work for this ship to run, and it's like a failure.

[11:42] Ayanna Prescod: Um, but yeah, I want to say the Kates and then Brian Darcy James as Beret, because it's just like these, you know, these are not uh first-class passengers at all.

[11:55] Ayanna Prescod: Like, I don't I don't know if I necessarily feel for first class passengers as much as I feel for the workers and the third class passengers who are just trying to get to New York um and trying to do their job.

[12:08] Ayanna Prescod: They also they all die, so it's very hard to uh except for Bruce Ismay, but he got on, he got onto that boat.

[12:16] Andrew DeWolf: I love that no matter what, in every Titanic adaptation, Bruce Ismay is a horrible person.

[12:20] Ayanna Prescod: Sometimes he's like a horrible racist. Sometimes he's a rapist. Every version is like, we're gonna make him the worst.

[12:28] Ayanna Prescod: It's also like so fascinating that we're always, every time someone talks about Titanic, we'll always talk about like the rich people that are on the ship.

[12:37] Ayanna Prescod: And um, like you we had so many notables on the ship, like the Guggenheims, you had um the Strausses.

[12:45] Ayanna Prescod: So you had a lot of rich people, but no one talks about like the third class passengers and like who they were and what are their names.

[12:53] Ayanna Prescod: And I've been to a number of Titanic museums. There are a few. Um, and I feel like there was even like people thought there was not a single black person on the ship.

[13:03] Ayanna Prescod: Incorrect. There was a black man who was married to a white woman, had his kids on the ship. Uh the woman and the kids survived, but the guy died, they were in third class.

[13:14] Ayanna Prescod: Um, but it was just there's just stories that are so like that go under the radar um for this ship, and it's because we put so much perspective on the first class passengers.

[13:27] Ayanna Prescod: There was one middle class family that has a happy ending. I do want to tell this story because I learned in that documentary I watched. Uh not in this musical.

[13:35] Ayanna Prescod: But there were these two boys with uh guy and the boys got onto, like they were little kids. They got onto a lifeboat, and they were just assumed to be orphaned.

[13:45] Ayanna Prescod: Then their photos start popping up in America. Their mom finds them. It turns out they were kidnapped by their father, and they were reunited with their mom.

[13:53] Jesse McInally: What?

[13:54] Ayanna Prescod: I know.

[13:56] Jesse McInally: They didn't even know?

[13:58] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah.

[13:58] Ayanna Prescod: Or did they know?

[13:59] Ayanna Prescod: I I don't I think the kids, I think they were a little too young. I think they were like five and four, where you're kind of like, all right, I guess I'm going here now.

[14:06] Jesse McInally: What documentary is this?

[14:08] Ayanna Prescod: That was the same two-hour um Oh, it was okay. I have to watch the couple.

[14:10] Ayanna Prescod: Because they like, it's like half like, here's how we made Titanic the musical, and the other half, here's some history about the Titanic.

[14:17] Jesse McInally: Love that.

[14:18] Ayanna Prescod: So these kids get on the lifeboat, their dad dies, and they're like, Oh, your dad was actually terrible. Like he kidnapped you. Like, oop.

[14:26] Ayanna Prescod: That's just so crazy. That's the story you never hear about the Titanic. But however, if I'm on a carnival cruise line with Jeff Bezos and that ship goes down and we all die, who are they gonna put in the newspapers?

[14:38] Ayanna Prescod: Dumb, dumb little podcaster, me or Jeff Bezos.

[14:41] Andrew DeWolf: Jeff Bezos will be on the only lifeboat by himself.

[14:47] Ayanna Prescod: Uh even with like Kobe Bryant and uh the plane crash. Like there's just so many, so many terrible things that have happened with more famous people that we don't learn about the other people, which is so sad.

[15:00] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[15:00] Ayanna Prescod: Um it's like how no one gave a real shit about COVID until Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson got it. Like that's interesting. That's another podcast.

[15:09] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, yeah.

[15:11] Ayanna Prescod: Um, I do want to talk about like historical accuracies and media and how much they matter. Um because I feel like this is actually one of the more historically accurate interpretations of Titanic, especially compared to like A Night to Remember or the James Cameron film. Um the James Cameron one's pretty bad. This does not take very many liberties with the story aside from the fact that they're singing, which even for most musicals is very rare.

[15:39] Ayanna Prescod: I think that it's very effective in the fact that it uses its story very wisely, uses its characters very wisely, and how they execute it. Like the entire prologue is a master class in getting a lot of exposition out without it feeling like an exposition dump. I think that was one of the most brilliant openings to a musical I've seen in a long, long time. And it sounds so beautiful, but like I said before, um very informative. Very he Maury got everything that you can ever want to know about the Titanic in the first like what 10 minutes?

[16:14] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[16:15] Ayanna Prescod: It's incredible. It's incredible. That's the opening is like one of my favorite parts of the entire show because of the historical fact. Because even like we're talking about it sinking and not um succeeding on Broadway, I know for a fact a number of people saw the James Cameron film and then thought that Rose and Jack were actually real people and were upset when they saw the Broadway production and Rose and Jack were not in the Broadway production.

[16:45] Andrew DeWolf: What do they think Rose and Jack were like the Titanic main characters like in the real world? Like, oh where are they?

[16:50] Ayanna Prescod: People are stupid, Andrew. I don't know if they know this. There's a lot of dumb class out there. Listen you can't make a Titanic thing without Rose and Jack, the main characters of the Titanic.

[17:03] Andrew DeWolf: What do you mean Rose and Jack were like just this romantic interest that they threw in?

[17:09] Ayanna Prescod: But they set up more compelling romances in this that were actually more realistic and more honest because of that.

[17:15] Andrew DeWolf: Well some of them were actually real people weren't they or am I mistaken?

[17:20] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah for sure um there's a lot of stories about that but um the historical context is my favorite part of this entire show.

[17:28] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah but uh it's not it's not statistical. It's not systematic. It's not like here's a bunch of techno babble. It's not soulless. It has a lot of soul, in fact. I'd say it is its emotional context is what makes it matter.

[17:43] Ayanna Prescod: Which is why I appreciate in the second act, they don't focus that much on the deaths, the big spectacle. Oh, the ship's sinking. Like you get one cool song, and then we just kind of like, yeah, that was really bad what happened. Um you're not gonna get the spectacle. You're not gonna ooh and aw at this. We are people, and we matter more than the ship itself.

[18:04] Andrew DeWolf: Which I thought was a brave move for a musical.

[18:07] Ayanna Prescod: But you don't want a half an hour scene of people falling off the ship and you mean like an hour and a half long scene of people falling off the ship, smacking on propellers, fighting each other. It's like those aren't real people. This is it's all a spectacle. It's a fiction movie.

[18:20] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, she's so funny. Uh my boyfriend's trapped in the middle of the ship, but it's flooding. I have to get down there to save him. And oh, my ex-boyfriend shooting me with a gun.

[18:30] Ayanna Prescod: Did you see the entire show?

[18:33] Andrew DeWolf: Have you found it?

[18:34] Ayanna Prescod: I yeah, we saw the uh yeah, we it's very hard to find.

[18:39] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, is it oh, did you find it easier?

[18:42] Ayanna Prescod: It's very hard to find.

[18:43] Andrew DeWolf: Oh my god, this is tea.

[18:50] Ayanna Prescod: The Titanic's not the only thing sailing on the ocean. I've got there's pirates out there too.

[18:57] Andrew DeWolf: Yo ho, yo ho we have a couple variations too.

[19:03] Ayanna Prescod: Oh, interesting. I might have to share share conversation.

[19:09] Andrew DeWolf: The sad part is we we we talk about it a lot in our shows, and no one has brought it up to us. No one's no one has ever made a comment.

[19:16] Ayanna Prescod: No one's ever been like, hey, maybe don't. This is interesting. I've only seen one version of it, and I had to sear this is how I found it. I was like searching YouTube, I was like, there has to be something.

[19:30] Andrew DeWolf: And then it was the link for the entire show was in the comments, like deep in the comments in a YouTube video of like I mean, it was Titanic adjacent.

[19:40] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah.

[19:41] Andrew DeWolf: Um, so you're gonna have to share how and when and where and what the heck I was doing wrong. Cause I need that.

[19:47] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, there's communities that share things like this.

[19:51] Andrew DeWolf: Um that are locked off from the world.

[19:53] Ayanna Prescod: Well, pirates coves.

[19:55] Andrew DeWolf: It kind of is though.

[19:57] Ayanna Prescod: Um but uh I mean in the pandemic, they all started popping up a lot more because the desperation arose quite quite heavily, you know, like an iceberg out of the out of the deep water. They they arose up.

[20:11] Andrew DeWolf: Um but you know what? I think it's time for us to compare our opinions to those of the New York theater critics when this first came out.

[20:18] Ayanna Prescod: It's time for breeze.

[20:21] Andrew DeWolf: It's time for previews.

[20:26] Ayanna Prescod: It's time for previews.

[20:28] Andrew DeWolf: Bree's not here.

[20:29] Ayanna Prescod: Sadly, Bree has COVID, so she cannot be here with us today. Um send her love and give it to you. We miss you, Bree. We love you so much, Bree.

[20:38] Andrew DeWolf: But Andrew, you get to revive your Ben Brantley voice to read Lord Mr. Ben Brantley had to say about Titanic the musical. I'm sure it's nuanced and kind.

[20:50] Ayanna Prescod: Because he's known for being a very kind and nuanced man, and not just saying random horseshit and then calling it a review. Not saying Jesse Green's much better.

[20:56] Andrew DeWolf: Um, he's never he's never just vomited words onto the page or anything.

[21:03] Ayanna Prescod: No, he just feels like I'm making a deadline, gotta say some words.

[21:07] Andrew DeWolf: I pretended careers aren't relying on this fucking review. Gotta give it a positive here? Or negative?

[21:15] Ayanna Prescod: He's probably negative.

[21:16] Andrew DeWolf: I think that's the best way to see.

[21:19] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, I'm sure he's the negative.

[21:21] Andrew DeWolf: Well, middling is negative when it's Ben Brantley, isn't it?

[21:24] Ayanna Prescod: Um let's see. What's he got to say, Andrew?

[21:28] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, Ben Brantley in his review for the New York Times wrote that, and uh I'll I'll attempt the voice. We'll see if I can keep it up.

[21:36] Ayanna Prescod: The vultures have been salivating over this one for months.

[21:39] Andrew DeWolf: How could they not have been? All those stories of production freezing, technical glitches in previews, the reported rumors that the show might not even open, and beyond all that, the mere fact that a ten million mu 10 million dollar musical called Titanic, a singing and dancing rendition of the century's most famous maritime disaster.

[21:59] Ayanna Prescod: Yes, it all seemed to pretend a memor memorably I can never read his words. Memorably bloody chapter in the history of flops on Broadway.

[22:10] Andrew DeWolf: Theater disaster cultists will have to wait, however, as will headline writers arms with scalpels in the obvious puns. Uh Titanic, which opened on schedule last night at the Luntfontaine Theater, uh doesn't sink.

[22:26] Ayanna Prescod: Unfortunately, that is also probably the most exciting thing that can be said about it.

[22:31] Andrew DeWolf: Like what okay, as a topic sentence. Let's let's think about that.

[22:34] Ayanna Prescod: Um let me go into like theater history and how terrible flops are.

[22:40] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, this isn't that.

[22:41] Ayanna Prescod: But it ain't much else either.

[22:44] Andrew DeWolf: Um I don't know if I've ever agreed with a Ben Brantley review, and not just because this is Titanic. I just think he's been uh he's been right a lot of times, but he's been wrong more so, in my opinion.

[22:57] Ayanna Prescod: So basically who we are.

[23:03] Andrew DeWolf: Gotta love him.

[23:04] Ayanna Prescod: He stepped down because of you guys.

[23:06] Andrew DeWolf: Totally shaped.

[23:07] Ayanna Prescod: I hope it was us.

[23:08] Andrew DeWolf: I hope it was us.

[23:09] Ayanna Prescod: I honestly do, because once a week literally we call him Ben Brantley Shapiro because he's I try to do the voice. I used to do it better, but yeah, Ben Brantley.

[23:23] Andrew DeWolf: Um, you're a piece of sh.

[23:26] Ayanna Prescod: Should I go on?

[23:27] Andrew DeWolf: There is more.

[23:28] Ayanna Prescod: Yes, there is more. At its worst, this extremely ambitious vehicle is simply hokey and stereotyped. At its best, it's an admirably efficient piece of narrative, able to squeeze in a vast roster of characters, assorted chunks, and technological and historical information.

[23:48] Andrew DeWolf: Slews of statistics and themes ranging from class conflict to human hubris, all with minimal confusion.

[23:55] Ayanna Prescod: So that's a compliment, I guess. I'd agree with that. Um, yet the show never seems to leave port.

[24:02] Andrew DeWolf: Oh jeez, here we go.

[24:06] Ayanna Prescod: Titanic fails to capitalize on the two obvious trump cards its subject has dealt it: sentimentality and suspense.

[24:15] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, well, you know, the ship sings isn't the story. I feel like that has plenty of sentimentality, and the suspense is the entire first act where the ship hasn't hit the iceberg yet.

[24:26] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, that's just, it's like the ultimate Hitchcock thing where it's like if you know there's a bomb under you, you're suspensible forever. But if it just explodes out of nowhere, there's no suspense, it's a surprise.

[24:36] Andrew DeWolf: There's suspense.

[24:37] Ayanna Prescod: That’s a suspense, Mr. Brantley. This may generate cosmic resonance, a sense of humility sliding into the great sea of mortality.

[24:47] Andrew DeWolf: What are you saying?

[24:49] Ayanna Prescod: But it doesn't stir up much vicarious anxiety or sympathy. Unless you're allowed to know the victims of any catastrophe, they will remain statistics.

[24:59] Andrew DeWolf: With this Titanic, your heart doesn't, as it has to go down with the ship.

[25:06] Ayanna Prescod: So he's just saying, I didn't feel nothing. I have no empathy for these people.

[25:10] Andrew DeWolf: He didn't feel like that. Unless you're allowed to know the victims of like what is the entire show? There's so many songs about specific people.

[25:19] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, like the Strauss's. They have a beautiful song about like how much they still love each other, even though they're about to die drinking fancy wine.

[25:27] Andrew DeWolf: He didn't feel for not one of the Kate. Like that's ridiculous.

[25:31] Ayanna Prescod: That's like, I don't know. They give you opportunities to get to know people in the crew, the first class, the second class, the third, like everybody.

[25:41] Andrew DeWolf: Everyone has. Did he not even mention like the awesome set design? Like the set is not for that show.

[25:44] Ayanna Prescod: He threw it away, like, yeah, there's some technical marvels, but come on, I don't feel nothing.

[25:52] Andrew DeWolf: That's ridiculous. No feeling.

[25:54] Ayanna Prescod: And that is a truncated review because I do cut out the parts where he talks about specific actors, since that's not really what we do here. And I don't ever want to pick on someone.

[25:59] Andrew DeWolf: Mm-hmm.

[26:07] Ayanna Prescod: Makes sense. Um, but that's not all for wait. First of all, do we agree with that review?

[26:12] Andrew DeWolf: Obviously, no. We think it's a little too.

[26:14] Ayanna Prescod: Oh no.

[26:16] Andrew DeWolf: No. It's like, uh, it's ridiculous.

[26:19] Ayanna Prescod: Um, to say that he didn't feel for any like any one of the characters is beyond me. That means you have no empathy at all.

[26:28] Andrew DeWolf: Well, that's Ben Brantley. He's writing about it like it's, I don't know. He g it's always this thing where he gives it some praise and then he immediately undermines it with like extremely overwritten negativity.

[26:42] Ayanna Prescod: That's kind of the thing.

[26:44] Andrew DeWolf: One sentence of praise won't expand upon it. We'll expand for paragraphs upon paragraphs about everything he dislikes.

[26:50] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, it's like even if he's right in some senses about some of the negative things, he just goes so overboard it doesn't matter.

[26:58] Andrew DeWolf: It's like you can't agree anymore.

[27:01] Ayanna Prescod: And he does that with every show.

[27:03] Andrew DeWolf: Well, no longer.

[27:05] Ayanna Prescod: Heck yeah. Now we got Jesse Green bitching that we don't have enough set design. Great.

[27:09] Andrew DeWolf: So much better.

[27:11] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, that was an interesting review, wasn't it?

[27:13] Andrew DeWolf: That was a garbage review. Um, I'm almost thinking about picking on cyberbullying Jesse Green now.

[27:20] Ayanna Prescod: Um, I think theater critics just aren't really in tune with the...

[27:27] Andrew DeWolf: Rights for variety times.

[27:29] Ayanna Prescod: Oh, for New York Times.

[27:31] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, I think Maya is giving a new fresh perspective. I've enjoyed all of Maya's reviews.

[27:37] Ayanna Prescod: I think so. That's a problem. We can't really pick on everyone in the community anymore now because now I'm becoming friends with some of them.

[27:43] Andrew DeWolf: It's like, man, I can pick on whoever I want.

[27:47] Ayanna Prescod: Which is why I know this show will always work. Because even if I get bought out, he never can.

[27:53] Andrew DeWolf: No one will buy me.

[27:57] Ayanna Prescod: But you know what, Andrew? We have to look at the real critics out there. The true critics.

[28:02] Andrew DeWolf: Um, I don't think you can hold a candle to the insanity. That is the critics over on letterbox.com.

[28:10] Ayanna Prescod: It is time for our favorite game show, one star or five star. These are the real critics. These are who we should listen to.

[28:17] Andrew DeWolf: Ayanna, sorry. Do you know you know about this game?

[28:21] Ayanna Prescod: I don't know.

[28:23] Ayanna Prescod: I don't, but I'm scared.

[28:24] Andrew DeWolf: You and Andrew are currently in competition now for a brief little period. We're about to play a game of letterboxed reviews where I'm gonna read you a review, the full review, and you have to guess whether it's a one-star review or a five-star review.

[28:38] Ayanna Prescod: Just based on the review.

[28:39] Andrew DeWolf: Got it.

[28:40] Ayanna Prescod: Okay. Are these all for the musical here?

[28:43] Andrew DeWolf: No, this is for the Titanic movie, because there are no reviews for the musicals much as I wanted to. So slightly off theme, but we're gonna move on to the movie for a bit.

[28:51] Ayanna Prescod: We're gonna come back to it. Don't worry. We're gonna get back to the musical. We're only halfway through this episode.

[28:56] Andrew DeWolf: Alright. Ayanna, are you ready to go first?

[28:58] Ayanna Prescod: I'm ready.

[28:59] Andrew DeWolf: Alright. Um, this review. Full review. It was faked. One star or five star.

[29:06] Ayanna Prescod: Wait, that's it?

[29:07] Andrew DeWolf: That's what they fake.

[29:08] Ayanna Prescod: They faked it!

[29:09] Andrew DeWolf: They faked it.

[29:10] Ayanna Prescod: It was wait.

[29:13] Andrew DeWolf: I was so prepared.

[29:14] Ayanna Prescod: It was fake.

[29:16] Andrew DeWolf: Uh uh.

[29:19] Ayanna Prescod: Three stars?

[29:21] Andrew DeWolf: It's a one-star.

[29:23] Ayanna Prescod: What?

[29:24] Andrew DeWolf: I know, I know.

[29:25] Ayanna Prescod: And I am one or five.

[29:27] Andrew DeWolf: Just for clarity.

[29:28] Ayanna Prescod: It's either one or five.

[29:29] Andrew DeWolf: It's a binary.

[29:30] Ayanna Prescod: There is no in between.

[29:31] Andrew DeWolf: There's no three.

[29:32] Ayanna Prescod: There is no threes.

[29:34] Andrew DeWolf: There's no fours.

[29:35] Ayanna Prescod: It is either one or five.

[29:37] Andrew DeWolf: Okay.

[29:37] Ayanna Prescod: Okay, now I got it better.

[29:39] Andrew DeWolf: Okay.

[29:39] Ayanna Prescod: Alright, Andrew, are you ready?

[29:41] Andrew DeWolf: Uh, yeah, sure, sure.

[29:42] Ayanna Prescod: My dad saw this by himself 14 times in theaters when it came out.

[29:46] Andrew DeWolf: This is not a joke.

[29:50] Ayanna Prescod: I mean, their dad must have really enjoyed it.

[29:53] Andrew DeWolf: Uh five stars?

[29:54] Ayanna Prescod: That is correct.

[29:56] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, okay.

[29:56] Ayanna Prescod: Alright.

[29:57] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know.

[29:58] Ayanna Prescod: He's still got plenty of time.

[29:59] Andrew DeWolf: Alright.

[30:00] Ayanna Prescod: Okay.

[30:00] Andrew DeWolf: I lost my V card to this at my grandma's house.

[30:03] Ayanna Prescod: Five.

[30:04] Andrew DeWolf: That is a one.

[30:06] Ayanna Prescod: What?

[30:09] Andrew DeWolf: What is a V card?

[30:12] Ayanna Prescod: You're virtual.

[30:12] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, that's what that means?

[30:14] Ayanna Prescod: I've never heard of that term.

[30:15] Andrew DeWolf: I've never heard that term.

[30:16] Ayanna Prescod: What?

[30:17] Andrew DeWolf: What?

[30:17] Ayanna Prescod: Really?

[30:17] Andrew DeWolf: I'm not doing great.

[30:18] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, really.

[30:19] Andrew DeWolf: I've never heard that called a V card.

[30:21] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, yeah, you lost your V card.

[30:23] Andrew DeWolf: How is that not a five stars then?

[30:25] Ayanna Prescod: I know.

[30:27] Andrew DeWolf: That's terrible.

[30:28] Ayanna Prescod: That says more about their partner and not the movie.

[30:32] Andrew DeWolf: Exactly.

[30:33] Ayanna Prescod: Here we go.

[30:34] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, Andrew, are you ready?

[30:36] Ayanna Prescod: Yes.

[30:36] Andrew DeWolf: Now I am reading this verbatim.

[30:38] Ayanna Prescod: I'm gonna try to put no additional voice to it.

[30:41] Andrew DeWolf: But I'm glad none of those trifling hoes got their hands on the heart of the ocean.

[30:46] Ayanna Prescod: Good job, Rose.

[30:48] Andrew DeWolf: Um five five stars?

[30:51] Ayanna Prescod: That is correct.

[30:52] Andrew DeWolf: Not doing too well here.

[30:54] Ayanna Prescod: It's okay.

[30:55] Andrew DeWolf: Literally, there is no rubric to how to pass it.

[31:00] Ayanna Prescod: Alright, you're ready, you're ready.

[31:02] Andrew DeWolf: We got another one.

[31:03] Ayanna Prescod: James Kramen put his entire Titussi into this.

[31:08] Andrew DeWolf: Damn.

[31:09] Ayanna Prescod: That has to be a five.

[31:10] Andrew DeWolf: That is a five.

[31:17] Ayanna Prescod: Alright, Andrew, you ready?

[31:19] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[31:20] Ayanna Prescod: Um Saw this with high school GF and had the bluest balls of all time.

[31:25] Andrew DeWolf: Still dope.

[31:26] Ayanna Prescod: Ooh, didn't lose didn't lose the V card.

[31:29] Andrew DeWolf: Um, I mean, still dope.

[31:32] Ayanna Prescod: Sounds like five.

[31:33] Andrew DeWolf: Sounds like five stars too.

[31:34] Ayanna Prescod: That was five, no.

[31:35] Andrew DeWolf: You're right.

[31:35] Ayanna Prescod: Okay, okay.

[31:37] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, Ayanna, you ready?

[31:39] Ayanna Prescod: Mm-hmm.

[31:39] Andrew DeWolf: Uh-oh.

[31:40] Ayanna Prescod: Cinky great rom com.

[31:41] Andrew DeWolf: Would watch again.

[31:47] Ayanna Prescod: Sinky great.

[31:48] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, sinky great.

[31:51] Ayanna Prescod: One?

[31:52] Andrew DeWolf: That is correct.

[31:53] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah.

[31:54] Andrew DeWolf: Even though they said they're watching again.

[32:00] Ayanna Prescod: Alright, Andrew.

[32:01] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[32:02] Ayanna Prescod: All this could have been avoided if I was the captain.

[32:07] Andrew DeWolf: Everybody watching the movie, they're like, yeah.

[32:09] Ayanna Prescod: If it was me, we just I wouldn't have hit the iceberg.

[32:15] Andrew DeWolf: Um.

[32:17] Ayanna Prescod: Uh five?

[32:18] Andrew DeWolf: Five stars.

[32:19] Ayanna Prescod: I'm gonna I'm just rolling with the five stars.

[32:21] Andrew DeWolf: That is a one.

[32:21] Ayanna Prescod: You are c wrong.

[32:22] Andrew DeWolf: That's a one.

[32:23] Ayanna Prescod: Alright, Ayanna.

[32:23] Andrew DeWolf: You guys are currently tied, so.

[32:25] Ayanna Prescod: Oh!

[32:26] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[32:27] Ayanna Prescod: Watch this.

[32:28] Andrew DeWolf: Wait, watch this in a hotel lobby while playing bananograms with my family.

[32:32] Ayanna Prescod: But good for her for living, I guess.

[32:34] Andrew DeWolf: Bananograms.

[32:37] Ayanna Prescod: In a hotel.

[32:38] Andrew DeWolf: How long were you in this hotel lobby?

[32:40] Ayanna Prescod: Isn't the Titanic movie like three hours?

[32:42] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[32:42] Ayanna Prescod: It's really long.

[32:44] Andrew DeWolf: Um one?

[32:45] Ayanna Prescod: That is correct.

[32:47] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, you passed Andrew.

[32:49] Ayanna Prescod: Oh boy.

[32:50] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, alright.

[32:51] Ayanna Prescod: Andrew, you ready?

[32:52] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[32:53] Ayanna Prescod: This is even gayer than the stuff I watch on Pornhub.

[32:58] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, I feel like Titanic is straight for the most part, but sure.

[33:03] Ayanna Prescod: Um geez.

[33:05] Andrew DeWolf: Five stars.

[33:06] Ayanna Prescod: That is a one star.

[33:07] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, I'm a one star.

[33:09] Ayanna Prescod: Okay.

[33:10] Andrew DeWolf: Alright.

[33:11] Ayanna Prescod: Okay, we're just playing rock.

[33:13] Andrew DeWolf: I'm going with rock every time.

[33:17] Ayanna Prescod: It genuinely pisses me off that Rose is the one that survives.

[33:21] Andrew DeWolf: Eat the Rich.

[33:22] Ayanna Prescod: I agree.

[33:23] Andrew DeWolf: Um shit.

[33:28] Ayanna Prescod: One?

[33:28] Andrew DeWolf: That is a five.

[33:30] Ayanna Prescod: What?

[33:31] Andrew DeWolf: I know.

[33:31] Ayanna Prescod: How is she how she he pissed and still gave it a five?

[33:35] Andrew DeWolf: Okay.

[33:37] Ayanna Prescod: It's the letterbox critics.

[33:38] Andrew DeWolf: They don't make any sense.

[33:39] Ayanna Prescod: We're gonna do one more round.

[33:41] Andrew DeWolf: One more for Andrew, one more for Ayanna, then whatever we got, we got.

[33:45] Ayanna Prescod: Alright, Andrew.

[33:46] Andrew DeWolf: You ready?

[33:46] Ayanna Prescod: Sure thing.

[33:47] Andrew DeWolf: Too much love, not enough tits.

[33:49] Ayanna Prescod: False title.

[33:50] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, they sound upset.

[33:52] Ayanna Prescod: Uh one one star?

[33:54] Andrew DeWolf: That was a five-star.

[33:55] Ayanna Prescod: How was that a five?

[33:57] Andrew DeWolf: Why was that one of the five?

[34:00] Ayanna Prescod: I need to talk to everyone.

[34:02] Andrew DeWolf: All of these reviewers.

[34:04] Ayanna Prescod: This is letterbox for you.

[34:05] Andrew DeWolf: They're full of insane people.

[34:09] Ayanna Prescod: And I don't like using that word because it's a little ablest, but these reviews are pretty crooked.

[34:14] Andrew DeWolf: These are really interesting people, aren't they?

[34:17] Ayanna Prescod: Alright, alright.

[34:18] Andrew DeWolf: Last one, Ayanna.

[34:19] Ayanna Prescod: It would have been a better musical.

[34:21] Andrew DeWolf: I did not make that review up.

[34:22] Ayanna Prescod: I did not make the review up.

[34:24] Andrew DeWolf: I saw it and I was like, ah.

[34:27] Ayanna Prescod: Duh.

[34:28] Andrew DeWolf: Um.

[34:29] Ayanna Prescod: They called him out.

[34:31] Andrew DeWolf: One star.

[34:32] Ayanna Prescod: That is correct!

[34:33] Andrew DeWolf: And you are the winner of Breviews!

[34:39] Ayanna Prescod: Fantastic job, I love her.

[34:41] Andrew DeWolf: Thanks.

[34:43] Ayanna Prescod: I think you're the first one to like properly defeat Andrew, too.

[34:46] Andrew DeWolf: Wow.

[34:47] Ayanna Prescod: I feel like you say that every time I lose, because I don't think I've won recently.

[34:51] Andrew DeWolf: No, you've tied every time.

[34:52] Ayanna Prescod: This is the first proper win.

[34:54] Andrew DeWolf: Wow.

[34:55] Ayanna Prescod: Alright.

[34:56] Andrew DeWolf: We love that.

[34:57] Ayanna Prescod: Send her a gift basket or something.

[34:59] Andrew DeWolf: Full of Titanics.

[35:00] Ayanna Prescod: I'll send her a model Titanic.

[35:02] Andrew DeWolf: The one that Michael Servers is holding at the start.

[35:06] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, yeah.

[35:07] Andrew DeWolf: I have to message him.

[35:08] Ayanna Prescod: How do I get that?

[35:10] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, guys.

[35:11] Ayanna Prescod: How about we go into a mid-show and then we can talk about some songs?

[35:16] Andrew DeWolf: Sure.

[35:23] Andrew DeWolf: Hey guys, sorry to interrupt you in the middle of the show, but we've got a shill at you.

[35:27] Ayanna Prescod: Today's show is brought to you by the extremely kind donations by our donors over at Patreon.

[35:32] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, Patreon's where you can go if you want to donate money to us and also get extra content.

[35:39] Ayanna Prescod: We have uh another podcast that runs over there.

[35:42] Andrew DeWolf: We have commentaries that go up periodically.

[35:44] Ayanna Prescod: Um you get access to the video version of the podcast.

[35:47] Andrew DeWolf: You can see Ayanna's wonderful face right now.

[35:50] Ayanna Prescod: Oh, she's doing backflips.

[35:51] Andrew DeWolf: How did you do that?

[35:52] Ayanna Prescod: Get down from there.

[35:53] Andrew DeWolf: That's dangerous.

[35:57] Ayanna Prescod: You'll never know unless you get on Patreon.

[36:02] Andrew DeWolf: Alright.

[36:03] Ayanna Prescod: Another thing that we also get from our Patreon.

[36:07] Andrew DeWolf: If they donate a certain amount, they get to write a paragraph that we have to read every single time every week.

[36:13] Ayanna Prescod: And you know what?

[36:15] Andrew DeWolf: I'm gonna make you read it this week.

[36:17] Ayanna Prescod: Oh no.

[36:18] Andrew DeWolf: On the spot, like that's our full paragraph, Ayanna.

[36:21] Ayanna Prescod: I'm gonna let you take a crack at it.

[36:23] Ayanna Prescod: Oh, lovely.

[36:24] Andrew DeWolf: There's a heart.

[36:25] Ayanna Prescod: Okay.

[36:25] Andrew DeWolf: Um this is from Joseph Evans Green, who sent this in, by the way, so blame him.

[36:33] Ayanna Prescod: Okay, Joseph.

[36:34] Andrew DeWolf: This is for you.

[36:35] Ayanna Prescod: Uh there's a star man who plays in blue and white.

[36:38] Andrew DeWolf: His name's Yuri Tyler.

[36:44] Ayanna Prescod: And he's Dynamite.

[36:46] Andrew DeWolf: Wilfred Indeedy.

[36:48] Ayanna Prescod: He'll take the ball off you.

[36:50] Andrew DeWolf: And finally, ooh, Jamie Varty.

[36:53] Ayanna Prescod: Ooh, Jamie Barney.

[36:55] Andrew DeWolf: What is what is it?

[36:57] Ayanna Prescod: Or maybe it's oh.

[36:58] Andrew DeWolf: Apparently, it's like a a football thing.

[37:02] Ayanna Prescod: Like actual, like proper European football.

[37:05] Andrew DeWolf: It's a soccer thing.

[37:06] Ayanna Prescod: Okay.

[37:07] Andrew DeWolf: Love that.

[37:08] Ayanna Prescod: Um thank you so much, Ayanna.

[37:10] Andrew DeWolf: Bravo.

[37:10] Ayanna Prescod: That was brilliantly read.

[37:11] Andrew DeWolf: Better than either of us have ever done.

[37:14] Ayanna Prescod: I still feel like it should be that that uh David Bowie or whatever, the Starman thing.

[37:19] Andrew DeWolf: It should be, but it isn't.

[37:21] Ayanna Prescod: But our current patrons are Melissa Goldman, Terry Needleman, John Donna, Layton Knuckles, Danielle Rennex, Just the Stampede, and Cassidy Testier, Monica Thoreau, Mina Maneri, Brent Black, Lathaniel, Stacey Coombe, Joseph Evans Green, Carrie Ahern, Mary Lou Choquette, John Van Alves, Russ Walker, Musical Hell, Emily Gracie, Tablam, Kyle Summer, Shin AC, Scootin' Detect and Color, Dreamcoat, Liz Lim, Allison Stellar, nothing is certain except Beth and Taxes, Thesbian, Ren Cullen, Wait in the Wings, Rafael Martinez Salaz, Robert Benjamin, Jessica T, Mitchell Young, Chai Teacup, Katie McDonough, Timothy Keyes, Jeffrey Machado, Chris Marcote, Tomimu Robinson, Kiji Marie Anastasio, Layla, RJ Norija, Sebastian Canino, Evan Regan, Charlie B.

[37:56] Andrew DeWolf: Patrick Deering, Courtney Shriner, Joe, Avery Brinson, Mary Lynn Brown, Mel Cormack, LaFemme Fictionale, Bjorn Herman's, August Gorman, Mac the Knife, Erica S.

[38:05] Ayanna Prescod: Tor Toriana Vestal, Sammy the Most Lopez, and Liana Morton and Angela.

[38:10] Andrew DeWolf: Forgot one more.

[38:11] Ayanna Prescod: They give us financial support that helps us put on this show and make it as good as it is, which I guess is debatable at this point.

[38:19] Andrew DeWolf: Oh no, it's a good show.

[38:21] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah.

[38:21] Andrew DeWolf: Not as good as What's Up Broadway, which you can now hear on the Broadway Podcast Network.

[38:26] Ayanna Prescod: Ooh!

[38:27] Andrew DeWolf: Dang, we shill we shilled enough for our own show.

[38:30] Ayanna Prescod: We could do that at the end.

[38:31] Andrew DeWolf: You're alright, you're right.

[38:33] Ayanna Prescod: Let's get back to the show.

[38:48] Ayanna Prescod: In every age, mankind attempts to fabricate great works at once magnificent and impossible.

[38:58] Andrew DeWolf: On desert sands from mountains of stone, a pyramid.

[39:03] Ayanna Prescod: From flying buttresses alone, a world of love.

[39:10] Andrew DeWolf: A chapel seething, screaming one man's ecstasy.

[39:41] Ayanna Prescod: No, not a pyramid.

[39:43] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, so that opening number, the prologue in every age.

[39:48] Ayanna Prescod: Like the entire launching sequence, to be honest.

[39:51] Andrew DeWolf: Everything, like in that first like chunk of the musical.

[39:54] Ayanna Prescod: I would just lump that into like one big opening number.

[39:58] Andrew DeWolf: It's so good, but in every age, I wish that was like its own song, like separate.

[40:05] Ayanna Prescod: Like it should like I feel I get chills.

[40:08] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, like a thank you, Maury, if you're listening.

[40:13] Ayanna Prescod: Um but yeah, like I love that song so much.

[40:18] Andrew DeWolf: It's it's a great entryway onto what like this man was thinking, what his hopes were for this ship.

[40:25] Ayanna Prescod: Um, you know, like it's a great entryway to the dreams and everything that comes in with the first act, and so love it so much.

[40:33] Andrew DeWolf: And then obviously, as we said before, all of the historical content in the prologue.

[40:38] Ayanna Prescod: It's it's needed, it sets up the show really well.

[40:41] Andrew DeWolf: Um, listen, you're not gonna hear a bad thing from me today.

[40:45] Ayanna Prescod: Like, if you love the show, love it hard.

[40:47] Andrew DeWolf: If you like it, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[40:49] Ayanna Prescod: I totally think it's a good setup.

[40:52] Andrew DeWolf: There are not many shows that set up as well as I think this did.

[40:56] Ayanna Prescod: Um, for something that's based on historical facts.

[40:59] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, it is daunting with the first watch, I will admit.

[41:02] Ayanna Prescod: If for for a first watch and listen, it's like, oh, that's a lot of stuff.

[41:06] Andrew DeWolf: It's it's really long.

[41:08] Ayanna Prescod: Have you seen the concert version?

[41:10] Andrew DeWolf: I have not seen that one.

[41:11] Ayanna Prescod: Um it's actually it's great because it does I agree with you that it can feel long in the show, but the concert version shows why the length of that song really works.

[41:23] Andrew DeWolf: Um, and it's with the original cast um from Titanic.

[41:27] Ayanna Prescod: So I I say give it a watch when you can.

[41:29] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah.

[41:29] Ayanna Prescod: What do you think of it, Andrew?

[41:31] Andrew DeWolf: I thought it was very good at setting up like the whole everything about the Titanic, like historically.

[41:38] Ayanna Prescod: Um, very quickly.

[41:39] Andrew DeWolf: Um because I mean there's a lot.

[41:41] Ayanna Prescod: There's a lot you have to go into if you want to tell the actual history of it.

[41:46] Andrew DeWolf: And they get it done faster than I could probably explain it all.

[41:49] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, that's kind of the hard thing about this show, especially doing a podcast episode about it.

[41:54] Andrew DeWolf: There was just so much to try to get down and be able to convey in such a short amount of time.

[42:00] Ayanna Prescod: And this musical does it very well.

[42:02] Andrew DeWolf: And you can tell from interviews, Maury Eston loves this show.

[42:05] Ayanna Prescod: Loves this topic specifically.

[42:07] Andrew DeWolf: Um in that TV special, that UPN special.

[42:11] Ayanna Prescod: He's like he is the most energetic, the most happy to be there.

[42:14] Andrew DeWolf: And then Peter Stone, the book writer is like, uh, I wrote a thing.

[42:17] Ayanna Prescod: Don't talk to me.

[42:20] Andrew DeWolf: He just seems like a very angry person.

[42:21] Ayanna Prescod: Maurice is like, I I I love all this stuff.

[42:24] Andrew DeWolf: And then we have all these characters, and I you get to hear them, and you can hear the themes here, and he's like, and I'm like, you know what?

[42:30] Ayanna Prescod: I think I fallen in love with this show because I fallen in love with you, Maurice.

[42:35] Andrew DeWolf: Mm-hmm.

[42:35] Ayanna Prescod: And he's the one that travels with the show.

[42:38] Andrew DeWolf: So like, um, any place that Titanic is being produced, he's gonna travel with it.

[42:45] Ayanna Prescod: So the day that I went to see it in Arlington, I missed him by a day.

[42:50] Andrew DeWolf: Like he had an entire after show sequence.

[42:52] Ayanna Prescod: He played the piano, and I was just like, Oh, this man is exactly what you said, really loves this show, and uh will travel with it to the end of days.

[43:02] Andrew DeWolf: So we hope Maury, if you're listening, we really want a revival.

[43:06] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, I think I want a revival.

[43:08] Andrew DeWolf: Honestly, like, alright.

[43:10] Ayanna Prescod: Uh we're taking a pause on songs.

[43:12] Andrew DeWolf: Who who would be your ideal casting for a revival, Ayanna?

[43:15] Ayanna Prescod: I actually want Brian Darcy James to come back in a more like I mean.

[43:21] Andrew DeWolf: He could play Mr. Andrews.

[43:23] Ayanna Prescod: He could, but like even he could even be the captain.

[43:27] Andrew DeWolf: Like, I just feel like I I want him he would need to come back in some part.

[43:32] Ayanna Prescod: Um in a mediator role, an older role.

[43:35] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[43:36] Ayanna Prescod: Me very uh a lot more meteor than uh the beret.

[43:40] Andrew DeWolf: Um who else?

[43:42] Ayanna Prescod: Oh my god, this is really putting me on the spot.

[43:44] Andrew DeWolf: I'm so sorry, but I haven't dreamcast this show, which is something I should do. Maybe that'll help it come back quickly.

[43:52] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah.

[43:52] Andrew DeWolf: Just a lot of people to cast.

[43:54] Ayanna Prescod: It's a lot.

[43:55] Andrew DeWolf: It's a lot.

[43:56] Ayanna Prescod: It's one of the biggest cast in a show.

[43:58] Andrew DeWolf: If I'm not and it's that's why it's like tough to do because it's can be very expensive.

[44:05] Ayanna Prescod: Um Bugsy Malone children's cast of Titanic.

[44:09] Andrew DeWolf: I saw that post that you did.

[44:11] Ayanna Prescod: That was hilarious.

[44:12] Andrew DeWolf: Well, they show at the end like all these children dressed up as the real people from Titanic.

[44:17] Ayanna Prescod: I am the captain and I died.

[44:20] Andrew DeWolf: Then they all sing a song, It was sad when the Titanic went down, it was sad.

[44:25] Ayanna Prescod: Children died.

[44:27] Andrew DeWolf: Those are real lyrics.

[44:28] Ayanna Prescod: Not in that order.

[44:29] Andrew DeWolf: That's terrible.

[44:31] Ayanna Prescod: But I'm like, I want this. I want this Bugsy Malone version of Titanic. Give it to me.

[44:35] Andrew DeWolf: That is terrible.

[44:38] Ayanna Prescod: Um, why put those kids through that? It's painful.

[44:41] Andrew DeWolf: And it's on national TV forever, too.

[44:44] Ayanna Prescod: I will uh so I can meme on it.

[44:46] Andrew DeWolf: All of them are probably older than me at this point.

[44:48] Ayanna Prescod: And you know what? I'm memeing on you children.

[44:50] Andrew DeWolf: They probably are.

[44:51] Ayanna Prescod: That was a 97.

[44:52] Andrew DeWolf: Those commercials were pretty funny.

[44:54] Ayanna Prescod: I know that you highlighted the commercials, but those are really 90s.

[44:59] Andrew DeWolf: Like I I'm so sorry to interrupt with the 90s commercials in a Titanic documentary on UPN.

[45:06] Ayanna Prescod: But in every commercial break, they would play an ad for like Windows word processing that is in Microsoft Office about how great their PowerPoint is.

[45:16] Andrew DeWolf: Where a truck is crashing and murders his boss in the background.

[45:21] Ayanna Prescod: I am not exaggerating. That is what happens.

[45:23] Andrew DeWolf: Ayana, you watched it too, right?

[45:25] Ayanna Prescod: Uh yeah, absolutely.

[45:28] Andrew DeWolf: And shot like a Michael Bay movie.

[45:31] Ayanna Prescod: So weird.

[45:32] Andrew DeWolf: Um, but also like it shows how much the car commercials haven't changed. They're literally like the same with newer cars.

[45:39] Ayanna Prescod: Um, here we are.

[45:40] Andrew DeWolf: Hey, if you got a formula, don't change it.

[45:43] Ayanna Prescod: Don't back in those days.

[45:45] Andrew DeWolf: Shoot in wide shots and make it all loud and incoherent, and then you'll want to buy McDonald's or something.

[45:51] Ayanna Prescod: I wonder what um they thought this was going to help with.

[45:55] Andrew DeWolf: Like, if you know, because when I think about marketing now for a show as difficult as Titanic, it has to be inventive because you know the story.

[46:04] Ayanna Prescod: You know how it's gonna end.

[46:05] Andrew DeWolf: And so, like, I don't know if giving the history was like the best thing to do.

[46:09] Ayanna Prescod: I mean, it's good for us that we can look back on it, but I don't know if just giving the history of Titanic makes the show sellable.

[46:16] Andrew DeWolf: I'm not sure how you compete with the movie that just came out.

[46:19] Ayanna Prescod: It didn't come out yet.

[46:20] Andrew DeWolf: This was like in May, and the movie didn't come out until December.

[46:24] Ayanna Prescod: Like, so all they had to go on was the trailer.

[46:26] Andrew DeWolf: So they're like, this could be big too. We don't know.

[46:28] Ayanna Prescod: That was literally the vibe I got.

[46:30] Andrew DeWolf: Like, yeah, this this is coming out, it could be good.

[46:33] Ayanna Prescod: We don't know.

[46:34] Andrew DeWolf: So that was one of the problems.

[46:36] Ayanna Prescod: Like the show came out first, and the show was obviously very expensive.

[46:40] Andrew DeWolf: Uh ticket prices were very expensive.

[46:42] Ayanna Prescod: So people said, well, we'll just wait for the movie.

[46:44] Andrew DeWolf: Very the movie is not the same thing.

[46:47] Ayanna Prescod: They thought it was, and here we are.

[46:49] Andrew DeWolf: People are stupid, is what you're telling me, I correct.

[46:53] Ayanna Prescod: Let's make a movie, movie of the musical.

[46:56] Andrew DeWolf: Wait, what's what movies are coming out next year?

[46:57] Ayanna Prescod: It was quick write a musical about it.

[46:59] Andrew DeWolf: Um Doctor Strange, the musical.

[47:01] Ayanna Prescod: Let's do this.

[47:04] Andrew DeWolf: We got this, we got this.

[47:05] Ayanna Prescod: It'll just be like Spider-Man, except worse.

[47:09] Andrew DeWolf: Let's talk about a beret song.

[47:13] Ayanna Prescod: From the station of Nottingham, also lads who works down in the pit.

[47:17] Andrew DeWolf: Knew if you're gonna walk the ground, you'd save your soul.

[47:22] Ayanna Prescod: Someway.

[47:25] Andrew DeWolf: Get on top of pit and westward, I knew I could roll.

[47:32] Ayanna Prescod: I'm she about to see.

[47:34] Andrew DeWolf: And there might life was being gone.

[47:39] Ayanna Prescod: The screws are turning at 71.

[47:43] Andrew DeWolf: Became my dream to go out to sea.

[47:46] Ayanna Prescod: Further up from the mine to put it before to the core, there's no place for you elsewhere.

[47:59] Andrew DeWolf: Mm.

[48:00] Ayanna Prescod: Best song.

[48:01] Andrew DeWolf: One of the best songs.

[48:02] Ayanna Prescod: I'm about to say, I feel like for you, every song is gonna be tied for the best song.

[48:06] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, but like top three would be Beret, um, Blame, and Autumn.

[48:12] Ayanna Prescod: I think those are my top threes.

[48:14] Andrew DeWolf: Well, this is Brian Darcy James at his most Brian Darcy James in a real tight t-shirt singing about Cole.

[48:20] Ayanna Prescod: I mean, what else could uh a little boy want for a Broadway album?

[48:27] Andrew DeWolf: Not at his most Brian's Darcy James.

[48:29] Ayanna Prescod: That is hilarious.

[48:30] Andrew DeWolf: Um he really likes Cole.

[48:32] Ayanna Prescod: What can you say?

[48:33] Andrew DeWolf: He loves Cole and being Shrek, and those are the two things we know about Brian Darcy James.

[48:37] Ayanna Prescod: Eyebrows, that's the third one.

[48:40] Andrew DeWolf: Shrek.

[48:40] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah.

[48:41] Andrew DeWolf: That's his legacy.

[48:42] Ayanna Prescod: He will always be Shrek.

[48:43] Andrew DeWolf: Sorry.

[48:44] Ayanna Prescod: So terrible.

[48:45] Andrew DeWolf: I wish he would his legacy was Beret.

[48:48] Ayanna Prescod: Um the beret from Titanic.

[48:50] Andrew DeWolf: Because Shrek is uh another uh episode, but it's not one of my favorite shows.

[48:55] Ayanna Prescod: Um, but yeah, I really love this song.

[48:58] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, it's just again showing the nuance of the third-class passenger, the worker, um, and what he had to really go through, like just putting on making this ship run, and just knowing that wow, his fate an hour an hour from now is going to be so different.

[49:18] Ayanna Prescod: Um, and so yeah.

[49:21] Andrew DeWolf: Sounds beautiful.

[49:22] Ayanna Prescod: One of literally one of the most beautiful sounding voices, I think, in Broadway history.

[49:28] Andrew DeWolf: One of the most distinctive voices.

[49:30] Ayanna Prescod: Um I was recently in a discussion about like how all Broadway voices have the Carnegie Mellon or University of Michigan sound, where they all just sound like the same person because all the same four people taught them.

[49:42] Andrew DeWolf: And then you got voices like Brian Darcy James and all that, that kind of like, oh, that's what a that's what a real voice sounds like.

[49:48] Ayanna Prescod: Like, there's no way a Carol Channing could have hit Broadway nowadays.

[49:52] Andrew DeWolf: Oof.

[49:52] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, she can't hit a high A or whatever.

[49:56] Andrew DeWolf: Ayanna, what'd you think of this song?

[49:58] Ayanna Prescod: Um, I thought it was pretty good.

[50:00] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know.

[50:02] Ayanna Prescod: The first the first act has some good songs.

[50:06] Andrew DeWolf: I I don't know.

[50:08] Ayanna Prescod: I feel like I I remember a lot of the prologue very well, and then I remember a lot of the second act very well.

[50:14] Andrew DeWolf: And then there's some other like okay songs between.

[50:18] Ayanna Prescod: Alright, let's talk briefly about Autumn then, and then we'll move on.

[50:25] Andrew DeWolf: We plough into the darkening night.

[50:31] Ayanna Prescod: Can't see the vow all then to such me start.

[50:44] Andrew DeWolf: No leaving the nothing to start.

[51:17] Ayanna Prescod: So this is one of your favorite songs.

[51:19] Andrew DeWolf: And it's also like the penultimate song of Act One.

[51:21] Ayanna Prescod: This one is pretty good.

[51:22] Andrew DeWolf: Yes.

[51:23] Ayanna Prescod: It's actually like something's happening.

[51:26] Andrew DeWolf: Um and sets up I I think it's one of the better um act one finale songs.

[51:34] Ayanna Prescod: Because it really sets up, I mean, again, we all know how the story's gonna end, but like it sets up the entire cast for like, wow, something's going going to happen, but we're gonna have like this one final run.

[51:45] Andrew DeWolf: Um, and so very like slow beat, really chill-moving song.

[51:51] Ayanna Prescod: So definitely one of my favorites.

[51:54] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, what do you talk about?

[51:55] Ayanna Prescod: Apparently, Lynn Manuel Miranda created songs like this.

[51:57] Andrew DeWolf: Um, I I hear that he's the only one that does this.

[52:00] Ayanna Prescod: Um, at least that's what Twitter is saying.

[52:01] Andrew DeWolf: Oof.

[52:02] Ayanna Prescod: Oof.

[52:03] Andrew DeWolf: I love Lin Manuel.

[52:04] Ayanna Prescod: Lynn Manuel Miranda.

[52:06] Andrew DeWolf: Um, I do too.

[52:08] Ayanna Prescod: But I just see idiot um sorry, children on TikTok being like, oh, he's just doing the same thing where everyone's singing right before a big event, like at the end of Act One, just like Hamilton non-stop.

[52:17] Andrew DeWolf: I'm like, Broadway's done that for years.

[52:19] Ayanna Prescod: It's not a Lin Manuel Murder.

[52:22] Andrew DeWolf: This is not uh Hamilton was the first one to do that, actually.

[52:27] Ayanna Prescod: But in the Heights came first, which they're also citing as like, oh, Lynn just does the same thing.

[52:31] Andrew DeWolf: Well, in the Heights actually came later.

[52:33] Ayanna Prescod: They released that one last year.

[52:35] Andrew DeWolf: I don't know if you saw that is a great song.

[52:41] Ayanna Prescod: Great act one finale.

[52:42] Andrew DeWolf: Um very, very effective.

[52:46] Ayanna Prescod: Um speaking of very effective, and this is the song that's like, oh my be still my beating heart.

[52:52] Andrew DeWolf: Um, it's still like just a cute song before the the big shit happens between this old couple that are like, yeah, we're gonna die together.

[53:01] Ayanna Prescod: Let's drink Champagan.

[53:06] Andrew DeWolf: Still the way I love you.

[53:13] Ayanna Prescod: Still lives in my heart.

[53:19] Andrew DeWolf: Often all the years we've been together.

[53:32] Ayanna Prescod: Still me.

[53:39] Andrew DeWolf: Still feels as it is when you first became mine.

[53:47] Ayanna Prescod: Whispers.

[53:50] Andrew DeWolf: I win.

[53:54] Ayanna Prescod: I love you.

[53:57] Andrew DeWolf: I write you.

[54:04] Ayanna Prescod: Still is beautiful.

[54:07] Andrew DeWolf: Um God, I feel for the old couple.

[54:10] Ayanna Prescod: But they were like just they were just like, Oh, we're so in love, and we're just gonna die together.

[54:15] Andrew DeWolf: And that's that.

[54:16] Ayanna Prescod: That's the song in a 30-second um It's a pretty good song, though.

[54:16] Andrew DeWolf: It's a pretty good song.

[54:22] Ayanna Prescod: It's a hilarious song.

[54:23] Andrew DeWolf: It's a very, very funny song.

[54:25] Ayanna Prescod: It's a laugh right.

[54:26] Andrew DeWolf: Laugh a minute.

[54:27] Ayanna Prescod: I I in a more serious note, it is nice to see an older couple, um, older actors having a place in this show, which is so rare in Broadway in general.

[54:36] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, absolutely.

[54:37] Ayanna Prescod: An older couple in love.

[54:39] Andrew DeWolf: I can't think of I'm almost sure there's another show.

[54:42] Ayanna Prescod: I mean, another show that has yeah.

[54:45] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, I should be able to know this.

[54:47] Ayanna Prescod: And I can't think of it.

[54:48] Andrew DeWolf: So maybe you're right.

[54:49] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, I'm about to say Cabre and maybe uh Gypsy.

[54:52] Andrew DeWolf: Forgive the the slur name.

[54:55] Ayanna Prescod: Gypsy and maybe gypsy.

[54:57] Andrew DeWolf: Um, yeah, that's terrible.

[54:59] Ayanna Prescod: Write more senior citizens in your shows, please.

[55:03] Andrew DeWolf: Nights at Rodanthi, the musical, please.

[55:07] Ayanna Prescod: Something's gotta give the musical.

[55:09] Andrew DeWolf: Something's gotta give the music.

[55:11] Ayanna Prescod: My local retirement home need they need work.

[55:14] Andrew DeWolf: You know what? I would not be mad at a retirement home, like a musical based on a retirement home.

[55:20] Ayanna Prescod: I wouldn't be mad at that.

[55:21] Andrew DeWolf: I think it could be very comedic.

[55:23] Ayanna Prescod: It'd be very fun to watch.

[55:24] Andrew DeWolf: So if you're listening, producers commission that AC.

[55:27] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, put Joel Gray up on stage.

[55:29] Andrew DeWolf: What other elderly Broadway actors can we throw up there?

[55:32] Ayanna Prescod: I know.

[55:34] Andrew DeWolf: Andre the Shield.

[55:35] Ayanna Prescod: Okay, Joel Gray Andre de Shields Two Hander and a retirement home.

[55:39] Andrew DeWolf: Listen.

[55:40] Ayanna Prescod: That's it.

[55:40] Andrew DeWolf: That's all you need.

[55:41] Ayanna Prescod: That's it.

[55:41] Andrew DeWolf: I actually want to see this musical really bad now.

[55:44] Ayanna Prescod: They're just retired.

[55:46] Andrew DeWolf: Very good.

[55:46] Ayanna Prescod: They're trying to figure out what to do with the time.

[55:48] Andrew DeWolf: It could be like the first act, like going back into like their personal lives and what they've done and and been through.

[55:56] Ayanna Prescod: And then the second act can be really like not to sound so like dark, but like the homegoing kind of like what they look for now.

[56:03] Andrew DeWolf: It could be really good.

[56:05] Ayanna Prescod: You know what? I I pitched who should we pitch Mari Austin.

[56:08] Andrew DeWolf: Write this.

[56:09] Ayanna Prescod: Marius.

[56:12] Andrew DeWolf: You're so good at these things.

[56:13] Ayanna Prescod: Write it.

[56:14] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, you did the better phantom.

[56:16] Ayanna Prescod: Let's do it.

[56:16] Andrew DeWolf: You got this.

[56:17] Ayanna Prescod: You said the better phantom.

[56:18] Andrew DeWolf: They can write old people.

[56:20] Ayanna Prescod: I almost think he would make it dark and not comedic, which is not.

[56:24] Andrew DeWolf: I mean, I I think it would be a nice sentimentality mixed with darkness.

[56:28] Ayanna Prescod: Like a little old age comes with darkness, but you got Joel Gray.

[56:32] Andrew DeWolf: You gotta add a tap number.

[56:36] Ayanna Prescod: That is hilarious.

[56:38] Andrew DeWolf: Do you not like the blame?

[56:39] Ayanna Prescod: I think that's another there's actually um there's so much good songs in the second act.

[56:45] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, I I know.

[56:46] Ayanna Prescod: You love the second act.

[56:47] Andrew DeWolf: The second act I like it when the ship sinks.

[56:50] Ayanna Prescod: Uh oh, oh, but that's that's controversial because you know the first couple of previews, the ship actually didn't sink in the show.

[57:00] Andrew DeWolf: Oh no, it didn't sink.

[57:02] Ayanna Prescod: It didn't sink.

[57:03] Andrew DeWolf: And it was it's pretty wild that you the show must go on.

[57:06] Ayanna Prescod: What are you gonna do if your ship doesn't sink on the on the set?

[57:10] Andrew DeWolf: Um you you go into a hold and then you're like, sorry, ladies and gentlemen, have some more wine, and then you you prattle around with the fucking set for two hours.

[57:20] Ayanna Prescod: We are torpedoing it now.

[57:22] Andrew DeWolf: We're making sure it sinks.

[57:24] Ayanna Prescod: It's hilarious.

[57:26] Andrew DeWolf: Um, but in Virginia, signature theater did it in the round, so it made you everyone it made everyone in the audience feel like part of the ship, which is really cool.

[57:35] Ayanna Prescod: So, which part of you sank?

[57:36] Andrew DeWolf: Which which part of the audience died, Iana?

[57:39] Ayanna Prescod: The whole thing sinks.

[57:40] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, a good thing about that that production, um, they gave you a card.

[57:45] Ayanna Prescod: So everybody was somebody on the ship.

[57:48] Andrew DeWolf: So the card was like the ticket that said you're either first class passenger, second class.

[57:52] Ayanna Prescod: I was actually in second class and survived.

[57:55] Andrew DeWolf: So, to your answer.

[57:57] Ayanna Prescod: You survived.

[57:57] Andrew DeWolf: I'm not sure.

[57:58] Ayanna Prescod: That's actually a really brilliant idea.

[58:01] Andrew DeWolf: Actually is the last survivor of the Titanic musical.

[58:04] Ayanna Prescod: We did.

[58:04] Andrew DeWolf: We literally set that up.

[58:08] Ayanna Prescod: I didn't even know that going in.

[58:12] Andrew DeWolf: Love that.

[58:13] Ayanna Prescod: Love that.

[58:14] Andrew DeWolf: Um, that song is wonderful.

[58:16] Ayanna Prescod: But would you consider Mr. Andrew's vision um the the penultimate song, the 11 o'clock number, would you if you'd say the ship will start to plunge beneath the surface.

[58:32] ♪ Musical number ♪

[59:14] Ayanna Prescod: I mean, I'm not a fan of this musical, but I don't know if I'm a fan of how like it necessarily ends. I mean, we know.

[59:21] Andrew DeWolf: Did you want the Titanic to not sink? They should have made it not sink. It was too sad. Make it sink and then they pull it back up and they're like, and then everyone lived happily ever after.

[59:36] Ayanna Prescod: Exactly. Make it extremely unpredictable. No, it actually would have been a brilliant move to have like the Carpathia come like two hours early, and like everyone's saved.

[59:46] Andrew DeWolf: Exactly. Yay! You can just have a, do what James Cameron did, have a mix of historical fact and then some fluff.

[59:54] Ayanna Prescod: I'm saying go full Last Temptation of Christ, like literally, just it doesn't happen.

[1:00:00] Andrew DeWolf: Love that. In another world, I think Mr. Andrew's Vision's a good song, and I think, um, oh yeah, it's a good song. Whatever the name of the finale is, is also a good song.

[1:00:10] Ayanna Prescod: It's called finale, uh, like most music.

[1:00:12] Andrew DeWolf: In every age, yeah, it's literally an every age reprise. I think that's, uh, it was very good.

[1:00:19] Ayanna Prescod: My husband died.

[1:00:20] Andrew DeWolf: All of our husbands died.

[1:00:22] Ayanna Prescod: Except for Bruce.

[1:00:24] Andrew DeWolf: Except for Ismay, who magically got up on a boat somehow.

[1:00:31] Ayanna Prescod: He swam there.

[1:00:32] Andrew DeWolf: Come on. He paid somebody.

[1:00:35] Ayanna Prescod: That's terrible. He's the one who told them to go faster.

[1:00:38] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah. Isn't that, well that's it? Is it he was like one of the owners of the line?

[1:00:42] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, he owned the cruise line or whatever. He probably just got on the first lifeboat and just got out of there.

[1:00:47] Andrew DeWolf: Um, no, he told his lawyer said he was helping women onto the boat. The boat was going down, they were on the starboard side, and they're like, "Come on out to the boat." And he was like, "Alright, no one else is here. If you insist."

[1:01:02] Ayanna Prescod: That was tripped and fell onto it.

[1:01:05] Andrew DeWolf: That was literally the description his lawyer said happened.

[1:01:09] Ayanna Prescod: That is crazy. Did you, after seeing Titanic, did you go down a rabbit hole of like what other ships have sank?

[1:01:19] Andrew DeWolf: Because I did that, like the first time. It's just like Titanic can't be the only ship to sink. If you look up all the Titanic stuff, like every ship involved has sunk, sunk because of World War One. Like the Germans just blew all these ships up.

[1:01:34] Ayanna Prescod: So they all ended up sinking. Like you look up the Californian and it got sunk by the Germans. You look up the Carpathia, it got sunk by the Germans.

[1:01:42] Andrew DeWolf: What about the Costa Concordia?

[1:01:44] Ayanna Prescod: Which got sank because, um, the captain was fucking around with his mistress and then it fell onto the side. They're not really, have you never heard about this?

[1:01:53] Andrew DeWolf: No!

[1:01:54] Ayanna Prescod: Okay, well the Costa Concordia. This is recent, like 2016, around there. Um, so he's in Italy. They're about to go back off onto their cruise, because it's like a carnival cruise line.

[1:02:07] Andrew DeWolf: Um, he hits some rocks because he wasn't at the deck when he was supposed to be, because he was having sex with his mistress. He comes down, the rocks have like, imagine this is the boat. It's cut a hole, so this boat's just like sinking in the shallows on its side.

[1:02:23] Andrew DeWolf: So, and then the captain's the first one off the boat, and the, oh my god, this is scandalous. The Coast Guard are like, "You get your ass back on that boat. There are people still there, you're the last one off." He's like, "No, I'm not gonna do that."

[1:02:34] Ayanna Prescod: Then he's like, "I'm already off the boat. You want me to go back on there?"

[1:02:43] Andrew DeWolf: And then he never goes back on the boat. He sits on like a ledge of a cliff for five hours considering suicide, and now he's in prison for 20 years. So eight people died.

[1:02:54] Ayanna Prescod: That's a nice one. Only eight people died, thankfully, but because they were trapped in elevators or whatnot, because yeah. Um, messed up. Like, that is the one thing worse than Titanic. And it's just on like the island's like half a mile away. They can see each other, so you can see this boat, and it just sat there for three years until they just tore it apart and sold it for scrap metal.

[1:03:14] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, I'm totally Googling this tonight.

[1:03:16] Ayanna Prescod: There's so many videos on it.

[1:03:22] Andrew DeWolf: And I've heard of Titanic once. It's like literally he basically crashed into the island that he was leaving.

[1:03:27] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah.

[1:03:28] Andrew DeWolf: It's like how, how do you even do that? You had one job, keep the boat afloat.

[1:03:34] Ayanna Prescod: You had one job.

[1:03:36] Andrew DeWolf: And that's fairly recent. That's crazy.

[1:03:40] Ayanna Prescod: Don't go on.

[1:03:41] Andrew DeWolf: I'm not going on any boats. I'm not going on a cruise line. You couldn't pay me to go on a cruise line.

[1:03:45] Ayanna Prescod: Oh my goodness. Uh, did you hear about COVID-19 and how it like it?

[1:03:51] Andrew DeWolf: Came to New York City.

[1:03:53] Ayanna Prescod: Oh, so that actually made it, unlike the RMS Titanic.

[1:03:57] Andrew DeWolf: Exactly. It would have been better if it sunk halfway through because then the COVID wouldn't have made it.

[1:03:58] Ayanna Prescod: The COVID wouldn't have made it.

[1:04:04] Andrew DeWolf: Oh yeah. Well, some of it would have been on a door and then it would have gotten picked up on a lifeboat and on that note, what's everyone's overall thoughts on Titanic the musical and our cheese rating?

[1:04:20] Ayanna Prescod: Hiana, are you aware of our cheese ratings?

[1:04:23] Ayanna Prescod: I am, but please remind me.

[1:04:26] Andrew DeWolf: Basically, it's just any justification you can make to call it a cheese, that's your rating. You, as long as you can convince yourself, you can convince the rest of us. Andrew, you're up first though.

[1:04:37] Andrew DeWolf: Sure. Um, I think it's pretty good. Uh, I hadn't really heard anything about this until we're gonna do the episode on it. But some really strong music and some good emotional beats as well. I think it's just good, and there's, it's historically accurate, which you can't say for all Titanic stuff. I don't know. I'd give it a at least give it a listen. Or you know, yo ho, you can go watch it. Uh, uh check it out, and hopefully there is a revival. As far as a cheese rating, I'm gonna give it the um 340-year-old cheese discovered at a shipwreck site and man does it stink. Um, from like this is an article from 2016. I guess it's very stinky cheese from uh, uh old shipwreck. Um, stinking being good in this case, because stinky cheese tastes better. Um, just my total one. That's my cheese rating.

[1:05:37] Ayanna Prescod: No, it's a cheese rating.

[1:05:40] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, I don't know. What's yours?

[1:05:42] Ayanna Prescod: Oh, well, you know, I absolutely love this show. I love the music, the score, the lyrics, um, the people who originated the roles. I love Mori Yetsen and what he did. I love Peter Stone and what he wrote. Listen, it's a hundred percent for me. Give this show a watch if you can find, if you can hook up with Jess and Andrew and find the link for it. Or be lucky enough to, uh, hope and pray that we get a revival soon enough. Um, bring your camera to go see that and then don't bring your camera. Actually, let someone else do that. Still trying to figure out how people create bootlegs. But anyway, my cheese rating would be let's go with my favorite cheese, smoked gouda. Um, because it's really good.

It's really good. Don't do the pun. No, you don't have to do the pun, just forced you to I don't know that was wonderful. But I love the Titanic. Classical. I really really liked it. I will say it's kind of grew on me, like a little bit more. Like the first listen to, I was like, alright, I like it. The score is obviously great. Don't Ben Brantley style. I don't know if I felt things yet. Watched it a few more times. Really felt things, really hit for me. It really really works. And the visuals are just top-notch. Um, yo ho. Um, we didn't talk about the visuals enough. The leadership and everything. It was really great. It was fantastic. I really, really liked it. I love the part where there's like chairs like sliding down. That's like, or even like during Mr. Andrew's vision, where he's like the room slowly tilting and he's just trying to pull himself up. That's so cool.

[1:07:32] Andrew DeWolf: So cool. Um, but you guys, there's only one cheese rating I can give this. Um, really, it this is so this is so crazy, and I need to share with you guys. Um, so they have Ismay Dorset Brie cheese, but it has a literal ship on it. So I'm curious if this is connected to Mr. Bruce Ismay, the coward that hopped onto a lifeboat while women and children drowned in third class. It looks like it must be, because that's the Titanic.

[1:08:03] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah.

[1:08:03] Andrew DeWolf: That is totally the Titanic. They named it after Bruce Ismay. This is interesting. It is made by the Book and Bucket Cheese Company, who had to make artisan cheese in the heart of Dorset County from locally produced milk. All their milk is sourced from small. You're not gonna explain to me the reason why you named it though. It's definitely the Titanic, though. You can see it's the ship is the Titanic, and there's a white star on it.

[1:08:29] Andrew DeWolf: Like the white star one. This is incredible. So that is the only cheese rating I could have given it. Brie.

[1:08:30] Ayanna Prescod: Yep.

[1:08:38] Ayanna Prescod: Um, Ayanna, you were a wonderful guest. Anytime you want to come back, you have an open story.

[1:08:43] Ayanna Prescod: Oh, you guys are awesome. Love this podcast. Thank you. Promote your wonderful stuff out for the world to see.

[1:08:49] Ayanna Prescod: Oh, uh, what do I promote? I guess What's Up Broadway. Uh, you can listen to it. We do, we do have a podcast. Um, second season started this week. We recorded, so it should be out later this week. Um, and it's, we do once a week everything going on on Broadway, and sometimes we give a little bit of a hot tip if we get it and if we can confirm it. We do not share hot tips unless they are confirmable.

[1:09:17] Andrew DeWolf: Um, can you share a hot tip here on our show? Any cheesy hot tips you got?

[1:09:22] Ayanna Prescod: Can I share a hot tip? Um, there is an off-Broadway musical that a lot of people loved. Um, that made some buzz today that's actually going to come to Broadway. That's all I can say.

[1:09:39] Andrew DeWolf: So Strange Loop coming to Broadway.

[1:09:44] Ayanna Prescod: No, it no.

[1:09:45] Andrew DeWolf: Oh, so we know Strange Loop is coming to Broadway. This is a show no one knows is coming to Broadway, which is a show that made a splash.

[1:09:53] Ayanna Prescod: So Tic Tic Boom is coming to Broadway.

[1:09:55] Andrew DeWolf: Listen, oh, I would love a Tic Tic Boom revival. I wouldn't be mad at that, but that's not the show.

[1:10:00] Ayanna Prescod: Okay. Alright, I'm gonna stop guessing before I get Ayanna in trouble. Listen to What's Up Broadway. And also, if you're not following Ayanna on Twitter, what the, what the, are you calling yourself a theater fan? The fuck?

[1:10:11] Ayanna Prescod: Oof.

[1:10:12] Andrew DeWolf: It's the best Twitter in the Broadway world. It like popped up one day and my life has been better for it.

[1:10:18] Ayanna Prescod: Oh, really?

[1:10:19] Andrew DeWolf: Listen, some people hate my Twitter feed.

[1:10:22] Ayanna Prescod: Fuck them.

[1:10:23] Andrew DeWolf: Thank you. Fuck them. Um, yeah, you can follow me at Ayanna Prescod on Twitter. All I do is talk about theater. So if you don't want to hear me like ramble about theater, then I'm not the person you want to follow, because that's all I talk about.

[1:10:39] Ayanna Prescod: And if they're following me, they probably already are used to it.

[1:10:43] Andrew DeWolf: Exactly. So there you are. Um, and then What's Up Broadway can be found on any podcast platform.

[1:10:49] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah.

[1:10:50] Andrew DeWolf: Um, alright, you guys. That was Titanic the Musical. And you know what? We made it through and it didn't sink.

[1:10:56] Ayanna Prescod: We did it.

[1:10:57] Andrew DeWolf: We did it. But you know, Icebergs here. You know who definitely didn't get hit by an iceberg, though? Our wonderful patrons. Thank you guys for listening. We're on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher at Musicals with Cheese. We're on Twitter at Cheesy Musicals, Patreon Musicals with Cheese, Instagram Musicals with Cheese, YouTube page Musicals with Cheese. We have a patron only podcast called Patreon with Cheese. Go check that out. We're currently finishing up Encore, and I think we're gonna move on to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, so that's gonna be fun. Email us at musicaltheatrelives@gmail.com. Our title card is created by the amazing Jolene Casco over on Instagram at Jolene Casco. Our keeper of the cheese is Juliet Antonio.

Thank you for keeping up with that, because God knows I wasn't gonna do it. This show is produced by the wonderful, the incredible, the sadly absent Brianna Jones. We miss you, please feel better. Our theme songs were created by Robin Nash of IOU Music UK. Thank you to the Broadway Podcast Network for having us on the platform and for not pirating the high seas and kicking us off for that. Because man.

[1:11:54] Andrew DeWolf: Alright, my wonderful, wonderful people. Do you have anything else left to say?

[1:12:00] Ayanna Prescod: No.

[1:12:01] Andrew DeWolf: Go watch the Titanic. Don't sink. Don't let 2022 sink. Not again. Um, we'll see. Well, I mean, today, uh, this year is the 110th anniversary of the Titanic.

[1:12:16] Ayanna Prescod: Yeah, 110 years.

[1:12:19] Andrew DeWolf: Wow, I didn't even know that. So make it a good 110 years, guys. Think about it. What a year to listen to this, listen to this show.

[1:12:27] Ayanna Prescod: Exactly.

[1:12:28] Andrew DeWolf: Yeah, exactly. Perfect. Alright. We'll see you next time on Musicals with Cheese.

[1:12:42] Ayanna Prescod: But oh no. What's the thief?

[1:12:44] Andrew DeWolf: But on boah, boom boy.

[1:12:50] Ayanna Prescod: My wrong show.