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[0:11] Robert Bannon: It's the Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon.

[0:14] Robert Bannon: Well, welcome to the Roundtable, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon. You're listening to us on Broadway World over here on the Broadway Podcast Network, iHeart and Spotify, and I'm very excited. You know, I love when a guest comes back and they bring friends. Come on. We all need to bring a friend on over. Listen, right now, coming up these coming months are going to be Reunions. Reunions is coming, and you need to get a ticket, and you know, all the cool kids are off Broadway. So the 12-pound look, Reunions, A Sunny Morning, October 24th, opens November 2nd for seven weeks at Center Stage, which is one of the greatest places you can see a show. An incredible cast. Chip's been here, Courtney's been here, Chilina's been here. Jeffrey's now, she's bringing friends. Jeffrey, this is your baby. I can't wait to hear all about it. Miss Kennedy is here. Jeffrey, JEFFREY, JEFFREY SCHARF is here. Welcome back.

[1:11] JEFFREY SCHARF: Thank you.

[1:12] JEFFREY SCHARF: Thanks for having us. This is so fun. I'm so excited for JEFFREY. I want you to let you know something about our friend that's sitting next to you. She can sing and act her teeth out. I've noticed that in rehearsals already. Just in case you didn't know. The whole cast is just incredible. It's like this all-star cast that, you know, came together. You know, Gabe Barre's directing and had a lot of influence and attracting people. I mean, you know, Chilina can tell you why she's doing it. Listen, no, I love working with Gabe, but this is such a gem of a show, and it's always so exciting. You know, my favorite thing is to create brand new theater. So to work on a brand new piece of theater, a new musical that's gonna be in this gorgeous, you know, intimate space.

Like, come on, who wouldn't want to do that? I mean, everybody needs to jump and get a ticket while we're talking nycitycenter.org. If you're listening to us, the link is gonna be below you or on YouTube, nycitycenter.org, and you can get your tickets. And what I love, JEFFREY, about City Center is they make tickets affordable and everybody has a chance to see this show.

[2:20] Robert Bannon: Tell me, you took two one-acts and made them a musical and stuck them together?

[2:25] JEFFREY SCHARF: Yes.

[2:27] JEFFREY SCHARF: How? Why? Tell me about it.

[2:29] JEFFREY SCHARF: Well, I was in a youth bookstore in Ohio, California looking for out of copyright plays that could be adapted, and there was a book called Thirty Famous One Act Plays, and both of these were in there. They both have a common theme about lovers who were separated by chance and meet again after a number of years. Two very different stories in very different places. The J.M. Barrie is in Downton Abbey, London era, and the other one takes place in Spain, it's by the Quintero brothers. And so, you know, the actors, it's this great challenge for them to play, you know, to go from British to Spanish and to play different roles. And they're quite unique in having two 70-plus year olds be the romantic leads in A Sunny Morning. And to have the two actors that you do, like there's so much chemistry between them.

[3:26] JEFFREY SCHARF: Something else that I want to say too that I think people don't know is that I was reading the one-act play the other day. I mean, you know, I read both of them, but the one that I'm focusing on particularly is The Twelve Pound Look. And, you know, I read that it was called the most perfect one-act play ever written. So like the source material for this is so beautiful, the stories are so gorgeous. I think people are really gonna relate to what these people are going through. I think there's none of that. J.M. Barrie deserves another musical hit after Peter Pan. You know, whatever happened to that show? I never heard about what happened after it originally ran. It just disappeared into the... This is classic. We're talking about classic. You're talking about Peter Pan, you're talking about these incredible authors. How do you, JEFFREY, you wrote music for these that have never had music before?

[3:37] JEFFREY SCHARF: Well, I wrote the book and the lyrics, and Jimmy Calire, who's still back in California, he wrote the music. So he actually, oh hi, this nice small artistic town where a lot of LA people congregate. Anyway, he's like right down the street from our Southern California house in Ohio, so we got together and wrote it. He's just an incredible musician. He toured with America. He had a band called Raven that almost made it big that opened for all kinds of people, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. And then, you know, he's branched out into he does all kinds of things and he writes choral music and does scores. And so anyway, it was really great working with him.

[5:04] JEFFREY SCHARF: But it's amazing, like during rehearsal he just sits down and he's like, "Can I just for a second?" He's like just going for it on the piano. I'm like, "Wait, who is this guy?" He's very talented.

[5:14] Robert Bannon: How do you describe the music, JEFFREY? How do you describe what it's gonna sound like?

[5:16] JEFFREY SCHARF: Well, I'm sort of describing it as like a cross between A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Sunday in the Park with George, like A Little Night Music, Downton Abbey. It's that kind of world, you know? And, you know, the first piece, I guess, is very sort of in that classical world. And then it takes a different tone when we end up going to this Spanish theme in the second part. So yeah, it's got some very different flavors throughout.

[5:16] Chilina Kennedy: I am so excited for people to... I got into Downton Abbey recently. My husband made me watch every episode, and I said, "I'm not smart enough for this show." No, this is for smarter, sophisticated. I'm from New Jersey where we just watch The Sopranos and eat pizza. And then I fell in love with the storytelling. So don't let the time period or language or anything of it intimidate you. Go fall in love with the love and the relationships that you're going to see on stage. Jeffrey, what did you love about the two pieces that you felt they would be well married together?

[5:16] JEFFREY SCHARF: Well, one is this common theme. And to Chilina's point about The Twelve Pound Look, supposedly it was Ethel Barrymore's favorite play. She did it over and over again back in her day, which is pretty impressive. The Twelve Pound Look was way ahead of its time. I mean, this is about a sexist husband of the time who becomes very successful, and he's not particularly sensitive. Yes, and it's the story of how he kind of got that way, how he's treated his wives, and the aftermath when the two wives come together. The other one is just, I think it's just the sweetest, nicest little play about these two older people who meet again, and it's just so sweet. And, you know, I actually, I read the original Spanish and then I read the translation. And it's even in the introduction to the book, he talks about how one of his favorite plays is A Sunny Morning and how touching it is with these two older people getting back together. I think people will like it.

[8:08] Robert Bannon: I love that. And I really love... Chilina, what is your character? Which one are you in? Are you all in both? How does it work with this cast?

[8:16] Chilina Kennedy: Yeah, we're in both. So the people who play the leads in one of them play smaller roles in the other and vice versa. So I play Kate, the stronger first wife of Harry. She's the surprise. The thing is, I don't want to give too much away because I want people to be surprised when they come to see it. But I'm a bit of the... It's hard to describe my character without kind of giving it away, but she is the strong feminist voice in that first piece. And I won't sort of give it away like how she surprises Harry or why she's there. But anyway, that is my character, and I have a lot of fun with the way that she kind of gets around him and the way that she actually changes the story. Through actions that are kind of subtle, she changes the course of a couple people's lives in the show.

[9:05] Robert Bannon: Oh, I'm excited to find... I love a good spoiler. Easy to find out, you can follow her on Instagram so you can stay up to date on her incredible career. If you know anything about her, yes, we know Carole King. Yes, we know some of the regional stuff, Mamma Mia, The Little Mermaid. I mean, incredible singing songs and acts and works that you have done. Chilina Kennedy here. So what drew you to this? Why did you read this and say, "I know this character, I know I want to sing this music, I want to be at City Center with this crew"?

[9:36] Chilina Kennedy: Well, the thing, honestly, because I read the show first. I did, I listened to the music later, but it was the character that I was drawn to. I was like, "I know this girl, I know who she is, I want to get behind this and make her come to life because she is spunky and she's got so much to say, and she's got a great message." And I just love how ahead of the time that first show is. It really feels like I think everybody can relate to it in some way, and it's timeless, you know? Just like the Shakespeare themes are timeless. I mean, what you're saying about, "Oh, I'm not, you know, whatever to watch Downton Abbey." Like, I mean, all of those themes are timeless. I think people can relate to that, which is why the series is so popular, which is why I think people will fall in love with this show. They'll see themselves inside of it. Get your tickets at nycitycenter.org. Jeffrey, for you, you get to be now giving this baby up to a director and this cast.

[10:30] JEFFREY SCHARF: Tell us a little bit about how you work with the director. What's it been like to now see it move on from the page and the piano to now being on stage? Right. So we had a stage reading back in May where we did a lot of, um, I should say a lot. We edited and tightened and things like that. So that by the time we got to this, you know, the number of changes, I think is fairly minimal compared to what people are used to. Um, and it's interesting, you know. Everybody, you know, you have a vision in your head and then you see what's going on on stage, and sometimes you have to go, oh, that's wow. I didn't see that in that character. We were just having this conversation the other day about some line.

It's like, oh, really? Is that what so it it's kind of a revelation? And you know, actors will do things that really surprise you and improve what you have in mind to begin with. And Gabe's very good to work with. I mean, he's he's very good at dealing with the actors, he's very good at pacing, and we were just doing some trims this morning just to tighten up the ending a little bit. Um, so I'm I'm really excited to see it not just in a reading or not just in rehearsal, but actually, you know, get out there and see the costumes and the staging and everything. And it's also very different. I've never really, um, in any previous production had a thrust stage like we have at New City. So that was really interesting to see all the adjustments that you have to make because of that in a proscenium, you would just between the two acts, you would just drop a curtain and you're in the park.

But because we're out in the middle of, you know, the audience, we have a whole choreographed entree act. There's no intermission, that that changes from the drawing room to the park. And it changes totally how you stage the show, like all of your angles. Like instead of just standing, you know, facing front. I mean, that's a very simplistic way of saying how you stage in a proscenium, but you know, you have to think about the angles in a thrust stage. So that's it's really exciting because you think of it more in the round. You want to think of all three angles being able of, you know, sides of people being able to see you.

[12:44] JEFFREY SCHARF: I have to say too, like this cast, could we just talk for a second? Because I think it's worth the price of admission to just come and see Chip because Chip is phenomenal. I've heard about him, he's a legend. And but I've never gotten a chance to work with him before. And he is one of the funniest actors with such a big heart. I've just I fell madly in love with him from day one. I've this entire cast, like Courtney Reed, I've never gotten a chance to work with her before. You know, Brian and I did some readings together before, but we've never actually done a show together. So I just I I I just could go on and on about this entire cast. I mean, Joanna is such a delight. Joanna's so beautiful. And I I yeah. It's incredible. We've had Chim here and we've had Courtney here, and Chip is an absolute Broadway legend.

[13:26] Chilina Kennedy: I know, I know. And he's so funny. Like everything he does. We like we he did something the other day, and I don't know when the last time it left that I've laughed so hard. I think I laughed for two solid minutes. Like I was distracting everybody. I had to cover my I was I almost felt sick to my stomach because he did something so ridiculous. I was like, what is he doing? Well, what I love about Chilina, your career, Chilina, is that if you look at the body, where I'm just making an assumption. If you look at some of the choices of the parts that you've played of late, if it's Paradise Square, not always the good guys or bad guys or good, you know, whatever role you play in it. But if it's Paradise Square, if it's even when you're in Gatsby, if it's if it's um your the band's visit, you choose very interesting, like you're not afraid.

Carol King, you're not afraid to take on an iconic role, a big role, uh, a leader, somebody who is, and you I feel and talking to you and uh our chats that you love a strong woman, you love someone who has a point of view.

[14:20] Chilina Kennedy: I do. I love uh I love pushing the boundaries, and I love pushing the boundaries within myself. My favorite thing is when somebody comes to see the show, especially somebody that I know really well, like a member of my family, and they were like, That was you, or it took me 10 minutes to recognize you, or I couldn't believe that that was in you. Like that is my favorite thing. I just think it's so much fun to get lost in a character and to be really, really challenged. That is my absolute favorite thing to do.

[14:44] JEFFREY SCHARF: Well, you do it so beautifully and effortlessly. It's amazing. And I know it's not effortlessly because you put in incredible work.

[14:50] Chilina Kennedy: Thank you.

[14:51] JEFFREY SCHARF: It looks effortless. That's that's the right way. See, that's why I need some people that are smarter, not Jersey like me. That's the point of this whole interview, JEFFREY.

[15:01] Robert Bannon: Jeffrey, what's it gonna feel like opening night when you sit down amongst the crowd and people and you you now see your show? Not only is your show up and running, but it's at City Center in the middle of New York City this fall with this cast. It's gonna make, does it make all the work and all the hours and all the edits worth it?

[15:20] JEFFREY SCHARF: It's so cool. I mean, I you know, I've had shows, you know, regionally, and um a couple of them been like 10 minutes from my house. We go every night, you know. So I where else are you gonna see these people that 10 minutes away? Um, but it's so cool to to sit and watch, and you you kind of you know, there's a sort of like, oh, I have to let it go, you know, that it's not private anymore. But it's it's just so much fun to watch. So we're gonna be here the whole first week watch watching videos because uh, you know, we're from California, so we're you know, eventually we're gonna go back and uh but um I I mean I really hope that you know people will come that uh it can have an afterlife either you know some kind of an extension or or in um uh not necessarily on tour but in you know regional productions because it's very producible it's you know six people it's four people in the band and then you have the uh the ensemble three and so it's it's a and it's charming it's so charming like I think people are just gonna love it.

[16:24] Chilina Kennedy: Like I could see it you're so right it could run like in all of these different places. I could see it everywhere in every regional theater across the country. I think people would eat it up you know it's and what a joy like so many people write and it's so it's so uh few and far between that you actually get to see your show produced and then let alone produced in New York City. So I just want to say like well congratulations like it's such a dream come true for so many people.

[16:48] JEFFREY SCHARF: Yeah it is I mean it when I when I first got the idea for it I thought you know this could this this could be producible in New York. You know that my other shows are what just way bigger you know there are like 15 people or 17 people but this is you know very doable and it's just these two classic stories and um David O'Celznick had his you know in his memoirs he was talking about adapting and he basically said when you have something that's classic the main thing is don't screw it up. Well when you have the source material that's that good I mean you really you've done so much more than not screw it up he's done such a wonderful job.

[17:25] Chilina Kennedy: But it's funny like how you say like a big cast like 15 17 people like I was in the original Lord of the Rings that was like 55 people. Now like 15 is a huge cast. That's what's so crazy.

[17:38] JEFFREY SCHARF: How much Broadway's changed? We uh the San Francisco opera did show boat like it would have been done in 1927. You know, no microphones, 60 people in the opera house. It was just fantastic.

[17:51] Chilina Kennedy: Wow.

[17:52] JEFFREY SCHARF: But you know, who can do that now? I get it. And now that's why it's so great because we can now have this show where tickets start at $29. So you can get tickets to see it, and you can get a ticket for less than you can get a pizza in New York City, literally, and go to beautiful city center and see these incredible Broadway stars and this piece with this new original music.

[18:11] Robert Bannon: Jeffrey, you wrote other classical shows. You have you had a show about David Copperfield, you have a show about it, was it a Hoodoo Houdini show? Do you love? Do you go towards the more classic pieces and then zhuzhing them up and making them for today's audience?

[18:25] JEFFREY SCHARF: Um you know, I I started out as a lyricist, and then I I um been a journalist for a long time. And somebody said, Well, why don't you you're a brider? Why don't you just write your own book? So I started doing that, and then I I you know can write music. I don't know if you know it's to some level. Um so I think adapting is what I'm better at than original stories. Um I saw Doug Wright at a dramatist skill conference, and he said, Well, don't be embarrassed. Shakespeare did adaptation. No, I I think it's easier if you start with something that's already great. Um, but who's got me is like my um it's like 42nd Street. It's a it's a 1930s musical. It's about a small family in Peoria that wants to make it big in New York. And um, it's it's really cool. It's a the whole tap dancing thing that's that is actually all original. So I'm I'm willing to do either one.

[19:23] Chilina Kennedy: Well, we love we're here for more, and we're ready for your shows to be done everywhere, and everyone needs to follow Chilina because she means she sings her teeth out, and she's so beautiful and so incredible on stage. And we are always so honored and so excited when she's here.

[19:36] Robert Bannon: So go see her live and go see this incredible cast. Go to nycitycenter.org. The the show, the previews are starting at the end of the month, and then the show opens on the seventh.

[19:45] Chilina Kennedy: No, the second four-seven weeks.

[19:48] Robert Bannon: Seven weeks on the second. Get your tickets, everybody. Just go find the date. Previews start on the 24th. There's invitation only opening night on the second and full on the fourth.

[20:03] Chilina Kennedy: Yes. Onward and upward for this show. Even my friends in New Jersey. Don't be scared. See, I can figure it out. You can figure it out too. Jump across the bridge and go see the show, everybody. I'm inspired and I'm very moved. We're gonna follow you. We're gonna follow the whole show and the experience, and we're all gonna get our tickets to go to. I'm in Detroit right now, but when I come home, I'm looking at Canada, Miss Kennedy across the way. Your people are over there. Please wave hello to them. I miss them.

[20:27] Chilina Kennedy: She's back in New York, y'all. Everybody come visit. Come see the show. And your my show is your show anytime. I hope to see you all again real soon. Congratulations. Break legs. See you.

[20:40] JEFFREY SCHARF: Thank you.

[20:41] Chilina Kennedy: Thanks for having us.

[20:41] Robert Bannon: Thank you. Pleasure. Bye.