This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's The Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon.

[0:10] 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, Spotify, wherever artists are here talking about art. And I am so excited to be able to talk about a brand new piece that is coming right here to New York City, and you get a ticket for less than $23.18. You can't even get a turkey sandwich in New York City. A piece of pizza is $23. The Uber is more. So it's called Brody Went Missing. It's coming November 5th all the way till November 8th, and you've got to get your tickets and hear all about it. We have the incredible creative team, the playwright, director, and Doug. Matthew Stevens is here. And then Angie, Florence, welcome to the show. Welcome both of them to the show. Florence Friebe, did I say it right?

[0:51] Florence Friebe: Yeah, sure. It is that. That's how I say it.

[0:59] Robert Bannon: And if you're able to do the German, like, it's Friebe. But here, you know, it went mute. You went mute. That's how hard it is. I get it. It just takes people out. So don't worry. I had to practice it before I unmuted myself because I didn't want to make a complete fool of myself. I'm going to stick with what I said. And if you are able to make it the fancy way, then I could just say Matthew Stevens is here and Florence Friebe.

[1:20] Matthew Stevens: Yeah, perfect. I will say, I pronounce it just Matt. That's my pronunciation.

[1:34] Robert Bannon: Perfect. That's Matt. My Zoom says Matthew.

[1:37] Matthew Stevens: I know that's why I said it, but on the press release, it is Matt. So I apologize.

[1:43] Matthew Stevens: I accept it.

[1:44] Robert Bannon: Matt, what is this show? Where did you come up with this idea?

[1:47] Matthew Stevens: The show is Brody Went Missing. It's a road trip buddy comedy. I came up with the idea, I was doing a show, I came up with it two years ago now. I did a Christmas show and then one of my actors was like, you should do a summer play. So basically, I was just trying to think of a summer idea and the road trip, I think summer and I have this romantic idea of the, you know, road trip story kind of stuff. So I really like that stuff. And so I started getting to writing and I like the idea of doing a road trip on stage and meeting wacky characters along the way that steal the show and then you go to the next place and that character steals the show and, you know, the epic journey. And that's pretty much how I wrote it.

[2:35] Florence Friebe: Yeah, Matt is a fast and furious writer. It was kind of crazy. He was just like, all right, I'll write it, came back. He's like, here it is. And we were like, this is a fully flushed out play with great characters. What is happening?

[2:50] Robert Bannon: Florence, you're a comedian and actress, you sing, they call you a Victorian ghost as well.

[2:56] Florence Friebe: Oh, yes. Yeah, yeah. You can find me in your attic window.

[3:00] Robert Bannon: That scares the hell out of me. But besides the point, you've been doing comedy all around and she's sitting in your spooky attic. You have been doing comedy and doing improv. What's it like to bring your set of skills to Matt's words and make this character? Tell me about her.

[3:19] Florence Friebe: Well, first of all, I felt like Matt and I gained a friendship because we were kind of giggling and razzing each other about similar things. So that felt really kindred. So then when this came in, it felt really organic and really easy. And bringing in whatever I bring in, I think it's so fun. I think normally because we do a lot of improv, what's so fun about this, and I was worried about it getting stale because you repeat the same things over and over. But of course, of course, every time you do it, there's a new moment you find. And in almost every scene, you're discovering a new way to respond honestly, or somebody else fumbled something. So you have a whole nother way to deal with the scene.

And that's actually really fun for me. So I think this is something that I've really loved singing my teeth into. And not only because it's so silly, but because it has a lot of heart to it. And I think Matt, I attribute it to Matt seeing how I play. And I think he knew that that was in my wheelhouse and made me feel really seen.

[4:21] Matthew Stevens: Oh, that's great. That's true.

[4:22] Robert Bannon: Matt, there is a Brody who was missing in the show, but there is a character named Brody. Tell us a little bit about the rest of the cast, including Brody.

[4:33] Matthew Stevens: Yeah, Brody, coolest guy in Langstown, which is where the characters are from. You know, small town cool, I will say. Played by Andy Fitch, who is comically cool, I will say. And I can play real funny, real grounded. Most of the cast I got watching them do improv. And you see how people play and the different ranges and emotions they can do. But yeah, I got 16 people in the cast. They're all super funny, mostly improv people. One stand up who is in one scene and just kind of kills the delivery on that. Don't want to spoil it. But yeah, I mean, everybody's super funny. And I got lucky with the casting. But I was able to pick and choose all these really, really funny people who brought so much to it.

[5:26] Florence Friebe: Yeah. And Brody, just like something that I like about him is that the moment he appears in middle school, he has a full grown mustache and we never know when it appeared, but he's always been that cool. That's how he became immediately when he came to school. He was the first kid with a mustache and he's been cool ever since. You know, sometimes that's all it takes.

[5:49] Robert Bannon: That great. You're looking very cool with your mustache right now.

[5:53] Matthew Stevens: This I didn't have this in middle school, so I was not cool. Unfortunately.

[5:59] Robert Bannon: Well, everybody, when you want to go see this and you want to see the hijinks and the funny and the heart, people say they leave crying, they leave laughing, they leave having all the feels. You can go to Brody went missing dot com. It is at the factory series at the chain theater right there on 36th Street from November 5th to the 8th. So, Matt, how did this happen? How did the series how did you get. But what was the journey like for you now to have this run?

[6:26] Matthew Stevens: Oh, boy. OK, so you start with you do a read through of the script. Well, that's going to go back like two years now. But we did the Soho. I think a big thing for us was when we got into the Lighthouse series at Soho Playhouse and then we got into the finals by being the theater pick. So we got some buzz going that way. And then we did cap. It was the first place it is. We went back to cab out after doing so. We had a lot more buzz now and we sold out the show. So the buzz is going. And then I was trying to think, like, how do we keep this sweet, sweet buzz going? And an off Broadway run seemed like the move. So, yeah, emailed the chain theater and we booked the November shows. And this is our next, you know, bigger step to just make it more alive and more.

This is our biggest stage yet. So we're filling it in with more prop and set pieces that I'm excited about. We can move the screen over. When we're driving the car, we have like a road background. But when we did it at caveat, which is a great place, by the way, but the projector is a little high up. So but now we can move it down. So it looks like we're really in a car on the highway. Little things like that. I'm just excited to use this stage.

[7:42] Matthew Stevens: And I will say the kind of vibe is it's like very Muppet esque, clowny Muppet esque. Like we really we really like ham it up. But again, there's like heart to it. So it's very, very fun.

[7:55] Robert Bannon: It says music filled. So what what does that mean, Florence?

[7:59] Florence Friebe: Yeah, what does that mean, Matt? It went. He really focused in on the playlist. And actually, a lot of us artists contributed. So like I have a song in the show. And my partner has a song, some music as well in it. And then like his girlfriend has music in the show. So it is filled with like the community's contributions. And what's been so kind of incredible is seeing how willing people are to just volunteer their time and efforts because they love it so much. Like I know so many people that are kind of like sitting on the sidelines hoping that he develops a new scene so that they can get in on it. So yeah, that that's I think what it meant. And also the playlist itself is fantastic. Fantastic.

[8:42] Robert Bannon: Matt, you're the playlist curator. If I'm going on a road trip, I need you to hook me up.

[8:47] Matthew Stevens: I will. I'll give you the Brody playlist when we're done here. So yeah. But yeah, now the music was important because like when you're on a road trip, the music is a big part of going on a road trip. So I wanted that kind of on the road vibe, just jamming out to music.

[9:05] Robert Bannon: So in the press release, Matt, it says at the end of the press release that along the way, the play embraces themes of chosen family self-discovery and LGBTQ plus inclusion. What does that mean? What journey?

[10:18] Robert Bannon: I've had people come up to me in the grocery store after they saw the show and saw me on the street. I think they were like, I laughed so hard and also I felt so much. I cried at this point or I teared up or I choked up. So I think it's just feeling the breadth of emotion you can feel in life as well as in a show. But also we've had so many people come up and just tell us their favorite character and it's always different. So I think it's just like a show where everyone gets to shine. And I love that everyone has a favorite corner of that show that they get to take home. And it depends on their personal sense of humor where they are in life. And I love that the show covers so much of that. So they really do have something to hang on to no matter how obscure, no matter how obscure.

[11:01] Robert Bannon: So Matt, so if people are looking for date night, their boyfriend, their girlfriend, their husbands, their wives, their, I don't know, new blind date, random stranger. Whatever people that come, if you're looking, if you're trying to get together with your friends, it's fall. It's chill in the air. You want to go to dinner. You want to have a glass of wine or a drink and then go see something new and original and funny. If you want to, you know, people can't afford to go to a Broadway show. I can't mortgage my house to go see Hugh Jackman and I don't know, a little night music or something. Then this is for you for 23. How did you come up with the price? What is $23.16 or something?

[11:41] Matthew Fay: I got to be honest. I don't remember, but it seems pretty fair. Somebody did the math. Somebody did the math on it and so down to the cent. Oh, 18 cents. I'm sorry. Is it 18 cents? But we have a promo code if you want, if your listeners would like to use that.

[11:58] Robert Bannon: Sure. Where Brody.

[12:00] Matthew Fay: Where Brody? If I put in Where Brody.

[12:04] Robert Bannon: Yeah, I was going to use Where's Brody, but then there might be a question if there's a possible answer. I can't. Where Brody.

[12:10] Matthew Fay: Where Brody. No space. No space. Where Brody. Where Brody. And we're going to save money?

[12:16] Matthew Fay: Yes. I believe it's, is it $5 or $10? It's a good amount of money. Either way. Well, you're going to find out. You're going to find out. Yeah, yeah. Please, please get back to me. Let me know how much that promo code is. It might be $13. It could be. We don't know, but it's going to be less. We don't know. That's also part of the mystery of the show. With the promo code, you can get it for less than $20. You can go to the ATM right now, get a $20 bill, and go get a ticket to see this. It's the deal.

[12:45] Robert Bannon: Yeah, it's the deal of the town. There's video for this podcast too, right?

[12:49] Matthew Fay: There is. Yeah. I'm holding a pen. I'm not writing anything down. I don't even have a notebook or anything. Matt explained before we started that he was not interested in the aesthetics of his account. We established that. But we did get him to move a box from behind his head, and that was a change. Still got it. And I learned a lot about Matt in that exchange because I learned that Matt didn't care, and I like that about Matt.

[13:13] Matthew Fay: No, I care deeply.

[13:14] Robert Bannon: Badass Matt. He cares deeply when it comes to the play.

[13:19] Matthew Fay: I'm an artist, Florence. I care about the art. I just don't have the best department because if I go this way, then I've got the light thing.

[13:29] Robert Bannon: So, Florence, when did you decide you wanted to be an actor and improv? Many people are scared of improv.

[13:35] Florence Friebe: Oh, I know. And I got to say, every time I do improv, I say, I get it. I get why people don't do this. It is scary. I think your heart can still race at times because you're like, do I? There's this moment that you're like, do I know how to do this? Do I know what I'm doing? But when I think when I was like 12, I started doing some stuff in town in South Carolina and going to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I visited New York and I did like a competition up here. And I just kind of knew I was going to be a performer either way. It was just a matter of time. And so I came, I moved to the city after college and I took time away. I got sick and I couldn't do it. And when I was trying to figure out my future and really imagine it, there was this moment where I was like, when was I happiest?

When was I most joyous and like connected to myself? And every memory was in performance. And so it was just a matter of like figuring out, I remember my partner at the time was like, what are you doing? You haven't been acting. How are you going to go? How are you going to do this? And I was like, I don't, you mean, I was like, that's the wrong, like you're coming at me with that. Like we, what you do is you just take a step by step. You just go, you find a theater, you meet people, you do one day at a time and you figure it out. And I did that. And now I have a breadth of community. I feel rich in people and community. So, and I've been doing it. I'm really doing it. And so it feels, it feels really fantastic to see that, like, if you just follow your heart, follow your instincts, it is, it is where you're supposed to be. No matter how.

[15:18] Robert Bannon: Yeah. Take a step in the path. Well, I paid a lot of money, a lot of money in therapy to learn, take a step in the path we'll follow. Florence could have saved me thousands of dollars. Matt, you're not scared of the, you know, if this was an all improv show, you could have saved yourself the edit and the typing.

[15:36] Matthew Fay: Right. Crap. But you decided to do it.

[15:40] Robert Bannon: Yeah. When did you want to be a writer? You wrote three plays, including this one, plus stand up. So when, when did you feel like I have something to say?

[15:49] Matthew Fay: I've always written stuff. Like even when I was a kid, I was always writing stuff. So it wasn't like, so I'm not decided. I just, I like doing it or I just like coming up with stories and stuff. Like even before I thought to myself that, like, I want to do this forever and I want to get paid for it. I would just do it for fun, you know? Like before I was writing plays, I would write movie scripts, like, but like, I didn't have a way of getting them produced or anything. I just like movies so I had to write them. And then, um, I mean, yeah, I moved to New York, started doing comedy stuff and a good way to get your story on stage is to do it on a stage, like a, like a play, as opposed to trying to write a movie or something. So, um, yeah, that's just how I, you know, I just like writing stories.

[16:38] Robert Bannon: And where'd you grow up?

[16:40] Matthew Fay: Right outside Philadelphia in Langhorne.

[16:43] Robert Bannon: And the town in the play is called Langstown. So there might be some, uh, inspiration.

[16:51] Matthew Fay: Yeah. But to be clear in the play, we never know what state they're in.

[16:55] Robert Bannon: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's kind of, I'm also a big, um, Simpsons fan and you don't know where Springfield is. It's similar to that.

[17:01] Matthew Fay: I love that. And I love Philly. And I love a little, I'm from Jersey. So we have like a, but.

[17:08] Robert Bannon: What part of Jersey are you from?

[17:10] Matthew Fay: North Jersey. Not like scary South Jersey.

[17:13] Robert Bannon: Yeah. Sure. I love Jersey. I think it's really pretty, you know? And I like Philly. I like the Philly Pretzel Company. I like that little crab fries from that little chicken and pizza place, which is probably very touristy, but I love it. I love, you know, I love Philly and I love the show. And I think it is something you need to all go check out. So why don't you go to the website, grab yourself some tickets. Where Brody is the code. Go to Brodywentmissing.com from November 5th to the 8th. You have one, two, three, four, five shows, five chances to see it right there on West 36th Street. And Matt and Florence Breaklegs have an incredible run.

[17:50] Matthew Fay: I hope.

[17:51] Florence Friebe: Yes, please, Florence.

[17:52] Robert Bannon: Yes. And don't snooze on the FAQ at the end of the website. It's just a nice taste of the humor of the play.

[18:00] Florence Friebe: Oh, yeah.

[18:01] Robert Bannon: Brodywentmissing.com website. Yeah. Go to.

[18:04] Matthew Fay: Yeah. They're both funny because Florence is a Victorian ghost in your window. And Matt has been told that he is the voice of a generation in his diary. So if you get the idea of what kind of an evening you're in for, it's going to be a good time. So make sure you check it out. And thank you, Florence. I'm going to look at the frequently asked questions right now.

[18:24] Florence Friebe: Yes.

[18:25] Matthew Fay: Yeah.

[18:29] Robert Bannon: Thank you so much for being here. And congratulations. I can't wait for this and all that's to come. Have the most incredible run. Enjoy every second.

[18:34] Florence Friebe: Thank you, Robert.

[18:35] Matthew Fay: Thank you, Robert.