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[0:00] Mo Brady: This episode is brought to you by our friends at Actors Connection, a professional development home for actors at all levels of their careers. You can check out their website at actorsconnection.com to register for a free seminar, learn more about their self-tape services, or sign up for a completely free one-on-one program consultation. And, since Actors Connection is a big fan of The Ensemblist, they have given us an exclusive discount code for our listeners. You can use this code ENSEMBL15 for checkout for 15% off of your next purchase for a class or an intensive.

[0:45] Mo Brady: You're listening to Fosse & Verdon from The Ensemblist, the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out. Welcome, I'm Mo Brady. This month, FX launched a new limited television series, Fosse-Verdon, based on the 2013 biography by Sam Wesson with a focus on his marriage and collaboration with Gwen Verdon. Now, there isn't a theater choreographer more associated with their own unique style than Bob Fosse, and much of that work was created with and fueled by his relationship with Verdon. So, this spring, The Ensemblist is speaking to some of the artists with Broadway cred who helped make this series possible.

[1:36] Mo Brady: The second episode of the television miniseries focuses on the creation of Damn Yankees, from rehearsals in New York to its out-of-town tryout in New Haven, Connecticut. We get to see real dancers like Evan Kaspersak, Darian Crago, Afra Hines, Amanda Lamott, and Kyle Brown in a rehearsal studio alongside Michelle Williams as Verdon. Now, much of the episode centers on Fosse's challenge to keep his own unique style of choreography present while the show is being shaped and cut prior to landing on Broadway. In the episode, Fosse inserts a Mambo-inspired dance duet called Who's Got the Pain into the show to showcase Verdon and a dancer named Eddie Phillips, played by this week's guest Ryan VanDenBoom. A veteran of Broadway's Bandstand, Ryan has performed on screen before as a sailor in the Channing Tatum-led film Hail, Caesar!, choreographed by Christopher Gattelli. In Fosse/Verdon, he has one of the series' largest dance features, and here's our conversation about it.

[2:34] Mo Brady: Is there a doctor in the house? If there's a doctor in the house, point him out for me.

[2:43] Ryan VanDenBoom: Hi!

[2:44] Mo Brady: Hi! Will you tell us your name and what you did on Fosse-Verdon?

[2:49] Ryan VanDenBoom: Yes. My name is Ryan VanDenBoom, and I appeared in the second episode of Fosse-Verdon. The episode was called Who's Got the Pain, and I was lucky enough to be the ensemble member Eddie, who appeared in Who's Got the Pain with Gwen Verdon in what would have been the out-of-town tryout of Damn Yankees.

[3:10] Mo Brady: Correct. That's correct. What was your relationship to Fosse or Fosse's style of movement prior to working on the show?

[3:17] Ryan VanDenBoom: So oddly enough, actually, one of my very first regional theater gigs was doing Damn Yankees at this theater called the Mack Hayden Theater. I had worked there the summer previously, and they brought me back as an actor, but they also allowed me to choreograph this production of Damn Yankees. So that was more or less my introduction to Fosse. I'd actually seen the show Fosse on Broadway. I can't tell you exactly which of the two musicals was my first Broadway show, but it was either 42nd Street or Fosse. I do know that I saw both those shows my first trip to New York City. And so admittedly, when I saw that production, I really didn't know who Fosse was, and therefore it didn't quite have the impact that it probably would have had, had I seen it later on in life.

The movement certainly did stay with me, and when I got this opportunity to choreograph this production of Damn Yankees, I knew sort of the gravity of that material. Fosse and Gwen Verdon, as we're learning through this show, had huge influence in the way that we consume theater and the way that theater is, especially through dance, produced on stage. And so when I was tackling the show, I did a lot of research and a lot of watching his material and sort of immersed myself. And in fact, I think anybody who choreographs the show Damn Yankees, everything makes a lot of sense until you get to Who's Got the Pain. And then you're like, okay, what am I doing with this? What is my take on it? And admittedly, it may be a cop out, but I was excited about really just reviving the original choreography.

And so that's what I did. And I performed in it. So like I said, I was cast in the season at the summer stock. And so I ripped the original choreography. And so it's really fascinating that this number has come back around in my life. And this time, getting to share it on television.

[5:16] Mo Brady: Okay, so you've worked with Andy Blankenbuehler before you worked on Bandstand and Hamilton. How did this opportunity to be on the show come about for you?

[5:25] Ryan VanDenBoom: Yeah, so the audition process actually was really thrilling. Anytime these dance gigs come around, you see all the dancers come out of the woodwork. That's how it went down. It started with the initial dance call. And it was a long day of dancing. And you see all these dancers you've admired from afar. They might be your friends, or they might be people that you've never met before, but have always wanted to. And you get to see them work it out for everyone. And so I actually, I remember, I think in my group, it was like Tyler Haynes and Ricky Ubeda and Reed Lovelow. And I was like, wow, this group, this is something. And so yeah, we did this number that I think is going to be appearing later on in the season. That was like our audition material. It was something that Andy had choreographed, actually. And then we also did a little bit of Who's Got the Pain. Morgan Marcel taught the combo and Dana Moore.

[6:21] Mo Brady: Dana, who is part of the Verdon Fosse legacy, right?

[6:24] Ryan VanDenBoom: That's correct. Yeah. In fact, she helped set the number for us when we were rehearsing to film it. She was like the Who's Got the Pain guru. She had actually learned the number from Fosse, I believe. Had a long time relationship with the number. And so she had a lot of great information.

[6:43] Mo Brady: Okay. So when you got cast on the show, did you know you'd be doing this episode, this number, be in the Damien Keyes company, basically?

[6:50] Ryan VanDenBoom: Pretty much. Yeah. So the way, if I'm not mistaken, if I remember correctly, the way it kind of went down, they had told me that I would be doing Who's Got the Pain. So I knew that. They didn't really, I found out later that, you know, I had this character whose name is Eddie, who's like kind of messing up the number, so to speak. If you haven't seen the episode, they're trying to figure out this dance number in Damien Keyes. And Fosse is becoming really frustrated because whatever number they had had prior wasn't working. And so they go back to the drawing board and they come up with Who's Got the Pain. And so, yeah, so I got brought on to play Eddie, dancing with Michelle as Gwen. And then, in addition, I'm a part of the Damien Keyes Ensemble. We do Two Lost Souls.

[7:35] Mo Brady: Right. So that's the number you do in the studio.

[7:38] Ryan VanDenBoom: That's correct.

[7:39] Mo Brady: Is that a real studio? Is that like a studio in Midtown or something?

[7:42] Ryan VanDenBoom: No, actually. So they built the studio in a soundstage and they built it based on the old Gibney Studios, which is kind of, I believe it's a...

[7:51] Mo Brady: Is that 890?

[7:52] Ryan VanDenBoom: 890. Yeah. 890 Broadway. That was kind of the place where a lot of the Broadway shows were rehearsing at that time. And so they sort of patterned it off of those studios.

[8:03] Mo Brady: Okay. And how much rehearsal did you do before getting to set?

[8:07] Ryan VanDenBoom: As you can imagine, Sam Rockwell and Michelle, they were really busy. They had a lot of scenes and a lot of dances to rehearse. And so we started a whole month before we were going to be on set at all. I filmed the number with Michelle right before Thanksgiving. And I believe that we rehearsed...

[8:29] Mo Brady: Oh my gosh, you've been sitting on this for a while.

[8:31] Ryan VanDenBoom: Yeah.

[8:32] Mo Brady: I didn't realize that.

[8:33] Ryan VanDenBoom: Yeah.

[8:34] Mo Brady: Okay.

[8:35] Ryan VanDenBoom: Yeah. So episode two wrapped probably right before Christmas. But we had started rehearsals the beginning of October.

[8:41] Mo Brady: Oh my gosh. Okay. So like two weeks, I mean, 10 to 6, 10 to 1, like how much time really are you really getting with this?

[8:49] Ryan VanDenBoom: Michelle's schedule was very specific.

[8:52] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Welcome to The Ensemblist, where we celebrate the performances and careers of ensemble performers.

[9:22] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: In this episode, we dive into the creation of Damn Yankees and the unique contributions of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon.

[9:52] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: We’ll explore how Fosse’s signature style transformed the world of musical theatre.

[10:12] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Joining us today is Ryan VanDenBoom, who plays Eddie Phillips in the series Fosse/Verdon.

[10:32] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Ryan has an impressive background, including his work in Broadway’s Bandstand.

[10:42] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: He also appeared in the film Hail, Caesar! alongside Channing Tatum.

[10:52] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re excited to hear about his experience working on Fosse/Verdon.

[11:12] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s jump into our conversation with Ryan.

[11:32] Ryan VanDenBoom: Thanks for having me! I’m thrilled to be here and talk about this incredible project.

[11:52] Ryan VanDenBoom: Fosse’s work has always inspired me, and being part of this series is a dream come true.

[12:12] Ryan VanDenBoom: The choreography is so unique and challenging, but it really brings the story to life.

[12:32] Ryan VanDenBoom: I remember the first time I saw the choreography for “Who’s Got The Pain?” — it was exhilarating.

[12:42] Ryan VanDenBoom: Fosse’s style is all about precision and attitude, and that’s something we really focused on in rehearsals.

[13:02] Ryan VanDenBoom: Working with the cast and crew has been an amazing experience; everyone is so talented.

[13:22] Ryan VanDenBoom: I think audiences will really appreciate the depth of the characters and the story.

[13:42] Ryan VanDenBoom: It’s not just about the dance; it’s about the relationships and the struggles they faced.

[14:02] Ryan VanDenBoom: Gwen Verdon’s influence on Fosse’s work is undeniable, and it’s fascinating to see that dynamic portrayed.

[14:22] Ryan VanDenBoom: I hope viewers feel the passion and dedication that went into creating this series.

[14:52] Ryan VanDenBoom: It’s a celebration of their legacy and the impact they had on musical theatre.

[15:12] Ryan VanDenBoom: I can’t wait for everyone to see it!

[15:32] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Thank you, Ryan! We’re looking forward to watching Fosse/Verdon and seeing your performance.

[15:52] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Stay tuned for more insights into the world of ensemble performers.

[16:12] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: We appreciate you joining us today, and we’ll catch you next time!

[16:32] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Until then, keep celebrating the unsung heroes of Broadway!

[16:52] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Thanks for listening!

[17:12] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: This has been The Ensemblist, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.

[17:32] The Ensemblist & Broadway Podcast Network: Visit our website for more episodes and information.