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[0:00] Jackson Klein: You're listening to The Ensemblist, the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out. Welcome, I'm Jackson Klein.

[0:20] Jackson Klein: This month, we're digging deep into the Ensemblist archives to share highlights from some of our favorite interviews from our early days. Today, we're revisiting our 2014 interview with Broadway veteran Mary Beth Peil. Among her many Broadway credits are revivals of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George and Follies. Mary Beth spoke with us about the highlights of working on Sondheim's musicals, both on Broadway and regionally, the rewards of working with Sondheim, and what makes his musicals so special. Here's our conversation.

[1:02] Mary Beth Peil: I am Mary Beth Peil, and I live on the Upper West Side, just right south of Columbia University. The Sondheim shows I've performed on Broadway were Sunday in the Park with George and Follies. I have also regionally done, let's see, Sweeney Todd, Assassins, Little Night Music, I think that might be it.

[1:33] Jackson Klein: When did you first fall in love with Sondheim musicals?

[1:36] Mary Beth Peil: Oh, when I first fell in love with Sondheim musicals was an easy one, because I was still in trying to remove myself from the opera world, and a friend of mine was in the ensemble of the original Sweeney Todd. And she had actually started out as an opera singer, and I knew she was in it, and people kept saying, you know, you really should see this great Broadway show, because it's really an opera. I mean, it's fantastic singing. And I thought, okay, musicals, I'm not so crazy about musicals, but that's all right, I'll go. And it knocked my socks off. I can still hear that first whistle from the factory. Yeah, that was pretty mind-changing. It didn't change my life yet, but it did change my mind.

[2:34] Mary Beth Peil: New York has neon, Berlin has balls, but in Paris... I was raised, as far as musicals were concerned, it was Rodgers and Hammerstein, it was Carousel, King and I, South Pacific, and they're beautiful classics, but they were not what I thought of necessarily as groundbreaking, because that ground had already been broken. And then within a few years, after I finally had extricated myself from the opera world and started doing musicals, I did Little Night Music. So I sort of started with early Sondheim, you know, in his canon, and worked my way through. There's so many things that are fulfilling about doing a Sondheim piece. It's hard to know where to start, but I guess start with the most obvious is, if you are an actor who sings, or a singer who acts, to work on a Sondheim piece that so thoroughly invests itself in both.

I mean, I know he says he writes for actors and not for singers, but I defy anyone who is not a musician and or a singer to do a Sondheim musical. It's not possible. The fact that he has written for actors makes it all the more delicious, because the characters are so well-rounded and interesting and full of conflicts, and no good guys and bad guys. They're all different things going on at once. It's heaven.

[4:34] Mary Beth Peil: The moment that was the most hair-raising, bone-chilling, never-to-be-forgotten moment, and I dare say I'm not the only one that has experienced this, was in the first rehearsal of Sunday in the Park with George, when everyone stood around the piano to sing Sunday. Oh, my God. I mean, I get chills and kind of besmirched just thinking about it, and it never changed. It was always that way, through rehearsal to the last performance, just goosebumps and hair-raising to sing it and to hear it at the same time you're singing it. And it does the same thing to the audience, which is really unusual, that both the audience and the performer is experiencing that at exactly the same moment in time, over and over and over and over again.

[5:41] Mary Beth Peil: So, I have this theory, which is, his shows have a lot of principles in them, right? Follies, right? Into the Woods, all of those characters, assassins, right? Little Night Music, even. They're all, every Sunday, right? They're all principles, but the other side of that is that then everyone's part of the ensemble. Of the whole. So, how does Sondheim write with ensembles in mind? I don't think he does write with ensembles in mind. I think he writes characters, he writes for a character, for a situation, and he writes whatever he feels that character needs, by way of song, by way of one line, so that he's writing for the whole, he's writing to tell the whole story, but the whole story is not made of principal players and a chorus.

It's made up of, if there is a chorus, it's made up of individuals. I mean, I know that when they do Sweeney Todd, for instance, I've done it both ways. I've done it with a small group, and I've done it with a huge symphony orchestra and a symphony chorus. And assassins also, we did it that way at San Jose Light Opera. It was done like an opera. So, there were, there was an actual chorus, but each one of those chorus members, because the music is so demanding and so difficult,

[7:42] The Ensemblist: Welcome to The Ensemblist, where we celebrate the performances and careers of ensemble performers. Today, we're revisiting our 2014 interview with Broadway veteran Mary Beth Peil.

[8:12] The Ensemblist: Mary Beth has an impressive list of Broadway credits, including revivals of Stephen Sondheim’s "Sunday in the Park with George" and "Follies." In this episode, she shares highlights from her experiences working on Sondheim’s musicals, both on Broadway and regionally.

[8:42] The Ensemblist: We’ll explore the rewards of collaborating with Sondheim and what makes his musicals so special.

[9:12] The Ensemblist: Let's dive into our conversation with Mary Beth Peil.

[9:42] Mary Beth Peil: I think the first time I worked with Sondheim was on "Sunday in the Park with George." It was such a thrilling experience, and I learned so much from him.

[10:02] Mary Beth Peil: He has a way of writing that is so intricate and beautiful, and it really challenges you as a performer.

[10:32] Mary Beth Peil: The music is so complex, but it’s also incredibly rewarding when you finally get it right.

[10:52] Mary Beth Peil: I remember the first time I sang "Finishing the Hat." It was like a revelation for me.

[11:22] Mary Beth Peil: The way he captures the essence of the characters and their emotions is just extraordinary.

[11:42] Mary Beth Peil: Working on "Follies" was another highlight. The depth of the characters and the themes of nostalgia and regret really resonated with me.

[12:02] Mary Beth Peil: Sondheim’s ability to weave together music and lyrics is unparalleled.

[12:22] Mary Beth Peil: Each song tells a story, and you can feel the weight of the characters' experiences in every note.

[12:42] Mary Beth Peil: I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on his shows.

[13:12] Mary Beth Peil: The collaborative process with him is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

[13:42] Mary Beth Peil: He encourages you to bring your own interpretation to the material, which makes it even more special.

[14:12] Mary Beth Peil: I think that’s what makes his musicals stand out—they’re not just about the music; they’re about the journey of the characters.

[14:32] Mary Beth Peil: Every performance feels like a new discovery, and that’s what keeps it exciting.

[14:52] Mary Beth Peil: I hope to continue sharing these stories and experiences with audiences for years to come.

[15:12] The Ensemblist: Thank you for joining us as we revisited our conversation with Mary Beth Peil.