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[0:00] Joshua Turchin: Hello and welcome back to the Early Night Show Virtual Edition.

[0:06] Joshua Turchin: My name is Joshua Turchin, and thank you so much for being with us today to kick off our seventh season.

[0:12] Joshua Turchin: I'm so excited to welcome the incredible Alexa Lasanta from the Sound of Music Broadway National Tour, Emily Hoder from the Les Misérables Broadway National Tour, and Callie Chae Pyken from The Miracle on 34th Street, a live radio musical play.

[0:26] Joshua Turchin: So please stick around.

[0:31] Joshua Turchin: Welcome to the Early Night Show.

[0:33] Joshua Turchin: I can't believe that we're already in our seventh season of the Early Night Show.

[0:37] Joshua Turchin: Yeah, it's been that long that we've been dealing with COVID, but I'm so excited that Broadway is finally coming back.

[0:44] Joshua Turchin: And actually soon.

[0:45] Joshua Turchin: I bought tickets to see my first show, Six, later this year, and I have to admit that it was pretty emotional.

[0:51] Joshua Turchin: It's been such a long time for an entire industry to be shut down and for so many people to be without work.

[0:58] Joshua Turchin: I honestly cannot wait to be in the audience at Six and watch music director Julia Shady, who also happens to be the music director of The Perfect Fit, and drummer Elena Bonomo, who also happens to be the drummer of The Perfect Fit, shine on that stage.

[1:12] Joshua Turchin: Of course, I'm equally excited to see the rest of the band and the amazing cast too.

[1:17] Joshua Turchin: One thing that I do have mixed feelings about is the kids who were supposed to make their Broadway debuts this year.

[1:22] Joshua Turchin: As a Broadway kid, I know firsthand how hard many have worked to be cast in those shows and how excited they were to make their debuts.

[1:31] Joshua Turchin: The reality is that we kids grow and mature.

[1:34] Joshua Turchin: I mean, have you guys heard the difference in my voice since the show began?

[1:38] Joshua Turchin: Hello and welcome back to the Early Night Show Virtual Edition.

[1:45] Joshua Turchin: And for the record, I'm no longer a boy soprano, but that just means that there are so many new songs and parts that might be a really great fit for me and my new voice.

[1:54] Joshua Turchin: Like "Lucky to Be Me" from On the Town, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green.

[3:58] ♪ Musical number: "Lucky to Be Me" — performed by Joshua Turchin ♪

[5:23] Joshua Turchin: Hi, Alexa and Emily.

[5:25] Alexa Lasanta: Hi.

[5:26] Emily Hoder: Hi, I'm so happy to have you both on the Early Night Show again.

[5:31] Alexa Lasanta: Yes, I'm so excited.

[5:33] Emily Hoder: You too.

[5:34] Joshua Turchin: So are you both back in school now?

[5:37] Alexa Lasanta: I'm still doing homeschool, but I'm going back next year, and I'm super excited.

[5:42] Emily Hoder: I'm back in school. Like I'm back in in-person school.

[5:46] Joshua Turchin: Ah, so I know you both got your start at the Wick Theater in South Florida. What was your first show there?

[5:51] Alexa Lasanta: Our first show was Annie.

[5:56] Joshua Turchin: Uh, what was it like to work together at the Wick?

[6:00] Emily Hoder: We had so much fun. We kept getting like closer and closer, and I just loved hanging out with Alexa and all the girls.

[6:09] Emily Hoder: And the Wick Theater was so amazing, and the cast was so nice, and it was so nice to be on a stage.

[6:15] Emily Hoder: It felt so cool.

[6:17] Alexa Lasanta: It was truly a really fun experience. I mean, me and Emily did hang out a lot, like if not backstage, I think like out of like the theater area as well.

[6:27] Alexa Lasanta: And like we did get really close, so I'm really happy about that.

[6:31] Joshua Turchin: Did you both have a favorite moment from your show there?

[6:35] Emily Hoder: I think my favorite moment was probably when I was sitting on Alexa's lap while she sang "Maybe."

[6:43] Alexa Lasanta: That was so cute. My favorite moment was probably either that or "Hard Knock" because those were really fun numbers too.

[6:51] Emily Hoder: Yeah, those were really fun numbers. Oh, I've seen the show Annie before, and it's just so good.

[7:00] Joshua Turchin: So fun. It's surely a Broadway classic.

[7:04] Joshua Turchin: So I know that you were also in Annie together in North Carolina, right?

[7:10] Alexa Lasanta: Yes.

[7:12] Joshua Turchin: So did you audition together or were you both cast by chance?

[7:17] Emily Hoder: We auditioned together. We flew up together.

[7:21] Emily Hoder: And basically we were like going up together and auditioning together.

[7:27] Alexa Lasanta: Yeah, our parents, like my mom found it. I think it was through...

[7:32] Emily Hoder: So at the Wick, we had a dog trainer because obviously we had to do stuff with the dog.

[7:36] Emily Hoder: And so he was like, "Yeah, I'm doing it again in North Carolina over the summer."

[7:40] Emily Hoder: And my mom sent it to Emily's mom, and she was like, "We have to both audition for this. They're a package deal."

[7:46] Alexa Lasanta: And so we both went and we both auditioned together, and we had so much fun, and then we got it together, and we were so excited.

[7:57] Joshua Turchin: How was it like reprising your roles there?

[8:02] Emily Hoder: It was really different because like doing it at the Wick, it was obviously like a much smaller theater because North Carolina, of course, it's not South Florida, so we didn't really know anybody.

[8:14] Emily Hoder: And um, I was happy that I got to audition with Alexa because we didn't know anyone, so it was fun auditioning together.

[8:22] Emily Hoder: And it was obviously a much bigger theater because it was a thousand five hundred seats, which was like insane, and it was gorgeous there as well.

[8:28] Emily Hoder: And meeting all the new people, it was just a great experience.

[8:32] Alexa Lasanta: I really liked it, and it was a lot of fun to work again with Emily because it was like we had both done it before, and so we both got to...

[8:40] Alexa Lasanta: Yeah, I think it was very different. There was a lot more dancing and stuff, but it was really fun, and I was really excited that Alexa got to be my Annie again.

[8:50] Joshua Turchin: So that was really exciting.

[8:54] Joshua Turchin: So now that Broadway is officially returning, is there a dream role in a dream show that you would both like to be in so you can work together again?

[9:04] Alexa Lasanta: Ooh. I feel like mine is Annie because I think that would just be so much fun because that's actually my dream role.

[9:14] Emily Hoder: So yeah.

[9:18] Emily Hoder: Um, what would my... I feel like what's on Broadway right now for me, I feel like um actually literally that's such a hard question.

[9:29] Alexa Lasanta: For us both to be in, it would be like I think Annie again, that would be cool.

[9:29] Alexa Lasanta: I feel like it would be so much fun because we've already done it together.

[9:37] Alexa Lasanta: So then we'd be like, "Oh yeah, this is easy, fun."

[9:42] Emily Hoder: It would be cool because then we like grew up into the roles, like you know what I mean.

[9:45] Emily Hoder: You went from youngest, and then I went from like I went from Annie, I don't know, she's not the youngest, but child, and then I would go to like an adult, and then you would be like Annie.

[9:57] Alexa Lasanta: I don't know. It'd be cool.

[9:59] Emily Hoder: Yeah, it would.

[10:00] Joshua Turchin: When you get back to NYC, is there a show that you can't wait to see?

[10:05] Alexa Lasanta: I really want to see Music Man because I love the dancing, and I know there's a lot of dancing in that show, so I wanna see Six because I have been obsessed with the soundtrack.

[10:19] Alexa Lasanta: Like, especially recently, I've been just listening to it in my car because it's like coming back because they did the whole announcement thing, and I really want to see it. It sounds so good.

[10:28] Emily Hoder: Same.

[10:29] Joshua Turchin: So what will you be singing today, and why did you select that song?

[10:34] Alexa Lasanta: We will be singing "Gift of a Friend."

[10:37] Emily Hoder: And we selected this song because you know, like we're both friends, and I don't know, it's a really cute song for me.

[10:45] Emily Hoder: And the song is about like supporting each other, and we support each other, and about being really good friends, and having a friend by your side.

[10:52] Alexa Lasanta: So Alexa's my friend, and we just thought it was a good song because it kind of represents our friendship.

[11:00] Emily Hoder: Yeah.

[11:02] Joshua Turchin: Well, I can't wait to hear you both sing it. Here we go.

[11:50] ♪ Musical number: "Gift of a Friend" — performed by Alexa Lasanta and Emily Hoder ♪

[13:35] ♪ Musical number ♪

[14:21] Joshua Turchin: Thank you so much, Alexa and Emily. That was amazing. I can't wait to see what you do next. My next guest recently won first place in the Music International Grand Prix semifinals and starred in Miracle on 34th Street: A Live Musical Radio Play prior to the pandemic. I'm so happy to welcome Callie Chae Pyken to the Early Night Show.

[14:43] Callie Chae Pyken: Hi Callie!

[14:45] Callie Chae Pyken: Hi Joshua!

[14:46] Callie Chae Pyken: Hi, I'm so happy to have you on the Early Night Show.

[14:50] Callie Chae Pyken: Thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here.

[14:53] Callie Chae Pyken: Hi yay! How has school been going for you?

[14:56] Callie Chae Pyken: School is going great. My school is doing a hybrid model, so one week we're virtual and then one week we're in person. So it's super exciting, and I'm so excited to meet my, uh, the friends that I've made over Zoom.

[15:11] Joshua Turchin: Yay! Now, although the industry has been paused for quite some time now, I know that you've been staying extremely busy during this insane time. About a year ago, you were in Laura Bonanti's Sunshine Concerts, right?

[15:25] Callie Chae Pyken: I was, yes. How did you get involved in that project?

[15:29] Callie Chae Pyken: Well, I mean, I think Laura is super fabulous, fabulous, and super talented, excuse me. So, uh, and you know, I follow her on Instagram, so I saw she made a post about Sunshine Concerts, and um, I thought that is so cool because my group, my music group, Good Trouble, we do a similar thing. We perform for senior homes and people feeling isolated. So I thought it would be really fun to submit, uh, you know, a self-tape of myself singing, and I was so fortunate to have been featured in one of her concerts.

[16:00] Joshua Turchin: Now, speaking of Good Trouble, your group, Good Trouble, I know that you've been doing many different concerts, right?

[16:07] Callie Chae Pyken: Yes, I have. How did the group start and can you share more about it?

[16:12] Callie Chae Pyken: Well, uh, my close friend Bobby, she's also the co-founder of Good Trouble. We both had, uh, grandparents who were in senior homes. My grandfather was in, uh, the Jewish home for the aging, and he had Parkinson's disease for over 40 years, and Bobby's grandmother was in a separate senior home, and they never got to see us perform, you know, whether it was a school play or just a performance outside of school, they could never see us. So we decided to bring together our music-loving friends, whether, uh, you're an instrumentalist or you love to sing or dance or act, we brought all of our performers, all of our performing friends together to create Good Trouble.

[16:53] Joshua Turchin: Yay. In addition to performing with Good Trouble, can you share information about your upcoming show with Kids of the Arts?

[17:01] Callie Chae Pyken: So I recently did a show with Coda, also known as Kids of the Arts, and, uh, I did Jane Eyre with Joe Carroll and Alex Fink. They're a couple, so Joe Carroll played Mr. Rochester, and Alex Fink played, um, Jane Eyre. So, you know, I heard about this through social media, like Laura Bonanti's show, and I thought it would be really cool to submit because I hadn't done a production, any production whatsoever, throughout the pandemic, um, or before the pandemic, so I submitted a self-tape of myself singing, I got a callback and was ultimately cast as Helen Burns.

[17:36] Joshua Turchin: That's so cool. What was the filming process like?

[17:41] Callie Chae Pyken: You know, Coda definitely had their stuff together. They were super organized. They know what they were doing, so they kind of set everything up for me and for all of the participants. So they said, you know, this is your schedule, this is what you're going to be filming on this specific day. Go do it. So, um, you know, it was definitely difficult filming every single thing, every scene, every monologue, every music piece. Um, so that was probably the most difficult part, but other than that, they know what they were doing, so it made it easier.

[18:16] Joshua Turchin: That's so cool, and it sounds like such a great experience, too.

[18:20] Callie Chae Pyken: Yes.

[18:21] Callie Chae Pyken: Yes, definitely. When and where can our audience watch it?

[18:26] Callie Chae Pyken: Well, we started rehearsals at the end of March, and Coda actually made a statement saying that they'll be done editing everything by the end of June. And you know, Coda had thousands of self-tapes sent in for Jane Eyre because there were six casts, and, uh, many, like I'm not sure how many people were in each cast, but a lot. I know that for sure. So there are thousands of self-tapes that they need to edit together, but by the end of June, I'm pretty sure.

[18:56] Joshua Turchin: Ah, I can't wait to watch you in it. I also can't wait to finally see some Broadway shows, since Broadway is coming back. So is there any show that you're really excited to see?

[19:10] Callie Chae Pyken: Yes, there are many shows. So the first one that I would love to see again is Hadestown. I saw Hadestown two summers ago, and it was a riveting performance, uh, by Eva Noblazada and Reeves Carney. They're a wonderful couple, and their chemistry was so magical on stage, and they're just both wonderful actors. I would also love to see The Music Man with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. I think that's coming to, uh, Broadway pretty soon. I'm not sure when, but I'll be really excited if I can see it. And it actually doesn't really matter what production I'm seeing, or, you know, I just want to go. I just want to be in a Broadway theater with other, you know, super, with theater enthusiasts around me, surrounding me, and just feel the energy.

[20:01] Joshua Turchin: So how about you? What do you want to see?

[20:02] Joshua Turchin: Oh, I really want to see, um, Six. It looks so good.

[20:10] Callie Chae Pyken: I loved Six so much. I saw it on the West End, and it was magical. It was so much fun. I can't wait.

[20:19] Joshua Turchin: Now, do you have any dream roles in any show, either now or in the future?

[20:25] Callie Chae Pyken: Yes, like I mentioned before, how much I loved Hadestown. I would love to play Eurydice, even Eva Noblazada's role. Um, Eurydice is such a strong independent role, uh, and I typically go for those types of characters because I feel connected to them. I also love Éponine in Les Misérables. She's definitely a dream role of mine, probably at the top. Uh, and I also played Éponine a couple years ago in a, like a small theater production, like a kind of like an outside of school production, but with kids my age, so that was so much fun. So those are probably the main two.

[21:04] Joshua Turchin: Ah, that's amazing. Now, what song would you like to sing for us today? And why did you select that song?

[21:11] Callie Chae Pyken: The song I'm going to be singing today is "What About Us" by Pink. And I chose the song because it's, well, I'm a big fan of Pink. I think she's a lovely songwriter. And this song really, you know, really touches on the recent political climate in America, and it really conveys a really, really strong message, and it talks about people facing discrimination and oppressed people groups. And I hope that I can, you know, convey this message to the viewers and really show what Pink was trying to write through the lyrics, and I'm so glad we got to work on the song together.

[21:54] Joshua Turchin: Well, I can't wait to hear you sing the song. Here we go.

[22:23] ♪ Musical number ♪

[25:57] Joshua Turchin: That was incredible, Callie. I can't wait to watch you in Jane Eyre soon and more of your incredible performances in the future. For some more Broadway fun, come join me on my Twitch at Joshua Turchin. We play Minecraft, Among Us, and play some music. So come follow or subscribe to my Twitch. If you're an aspiring performer, please send us a link to a video of you singing to earlynightshowcasting@gmail.com, and you may get a chance to go on with our show. If you're enjoying these virtual cabarets, please consider making a donation to the Actors Fund's Emergency Relief Fund at www.actorsfund.org to support people working in the entertainment industry who have suddenly found themselves out of work.

And if it helps, you can also find the Early Night Show on the Broadway Podcast Network where podcasts are found, and videos for episodes online on theearlynightshow.com. Thanks again to my guests, Alexa Lasanta, Emily Hoder, and Callie Chae Pyken. And let's keep entertaining. Any artists who want to be virtual guests, send me a direct message on my Instagram at Joshua Turchin, and let's keep making music to help the world. Stay healthy and wear a mask.