This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.---[0:14] Robert Bannon: Well, everybody, welcome to the round table. You're listening to us on the Broadway Podcast Network, or you're watching us over here on Broadway World on social media. I'm excited that you're here. You know, I'm fascinated by songwriters. I've been so fascinated by songwriters because I can't write a thing. How do you come up with an idea? Do you write it in a notebook? Do you sing in your phone? How do people write a song? Well, Gretchen Cryer has written songs that have been performed all around the world. Her show, which we're going to talk about from back in the day, was around for years. There's classics and standards that have come from it. And now she's teamed up. You know, I was thinking about songwriting teams, and this one literally fell into her arms, I think.It's her granddaughter. And they have a brand new album and a brand new show. Gracie Hyland is here. And I saw Gracie, you know, because there's that show about celebrity relatives on the ABC with the Jonas. I think it's the Jonas Brothers. There's the Jonas brother, and then the bonus Jonas host. That's not the Jonas. You know what I'm saying? Well, Gretchen Cryer is here, and Gracie Hyland is here, and we're gonna talk about all of the things and where you can get your ticket. Welcome to the round table.[1:20] Gretchen Cryer: Hey![1:21] Gracie Hyland: We're so glad to be here.[1:22] Robert Bannon: I'm so excited for you both to be here. Thank you for spending time and being here, and thank you for talking about your new album. So, Gretchen, my question is how the heck do you write a song? What is this? What's the process?[1:33] Gretchen Cryer: Listen, the songs come out of life, Robert. They come out of life. And what are you thinking and what you're feeling?[1:47] Robert Bannon: I've lived some life, Miss Cryer. I've lived a little life.[1:52] Gretchen Cryer: You could write a song too.[1:52] Robert Bannon: I could I have something to say. No, I get it. No, but do you do you hear the melodies? Do you hear the words? Like, how does it come to you? Do you write it down?[2:02] Gretchen Cryer: Sure. You do.[2:05] Gretchen Cryer: Yeah, the words come, the melodies come. Now Gracie is a singer songwriter. She usually writes on the guitar. I usually write on the piano. And until this show, I hadn't been writing music for the shows because I had teamed up with Nancy Ford, who's an extraordinary musician and keyboardist. And so I always just hung back and did book and lyrics. But then I started thinking about, you know, the climate situation. And I had wanted to write a show about climate 40 years ago and had written a couple of songs way back then, myself and the music as well. And then just sat there and nothing was coming. And then the then I mean there was an interesting evolution there in that then just a couple of years ago it started.Um I looked in the New York Times and there was this article about the last two northern white rhinoceroses on earth, Najin and Fatu, and I thought, oh, what's gonna they are mother and daughter? What's gonna happen when the mother dies and so forth? Then I read a thing about California condors were almost extinct in 1980. I know this is a long window. But this is how a song starts, is getting ready to say. Yeah, rhinos and the condors have rallied and they were down to 23 condors way back in the 80s. And the females started uh reproducing asexually, virgin births. So suddenly the idea for this climate this show about climate started taking this strange turn. And Gracie showed up in my life, and she had written her own thoughts at this time about stuff, but it's started out as a song called Early Twenties Crisis because she was early 20s at that time.[4:07] Gracie Hyland: And then carry on carry on about that back. Age. The quarter life crisis is a rough moment.[4:19] Robert Bannon: It's a rough moment. So you have plenty of things to write about, and and Gretchen has plenty of things to write about. And before we get into the rest of what is on this album and the singers and all that's going on, I want people while you're listening, House on Fire is available wherever music is heard. So you gotta see it. And if you want to hear it live and you want to see it at Green Room 42 with an artisan pizza and a little cocktail and a little moment out on the little turf on the ledge of the Yotel Hotel that where you could you could live life and and um and come up with songs while you're out there living your life. Go to the greenroom42.com. So my question to you guys is that Gracie, your your your grandmother is quite the songwriter and has toured and her music has been sung by some of the greatest singers of all time and you know shows that she's worked with a partner, uh songwriting partner for years.So what was it like for you to be like, I'm gonna write an album with my grandmother? And and and how did it did you have a conversation? Was it just divine intervention? Like what did you have an Entenmann's crumb cake and say, Will you write an album with me?[5:27] Gracie Hyland: I love Entenmann's, first off it did fall into my lap a little bit because I mean she's a little biased so she loves everything that I do but as you know to follow in the footsteps of my grandmother who has set such a beautiful path for me it's an honor to be collaborating with her and truly right when she contacted me early 20s crisis was only my like third song that I've ever written ever I didn't get into songwriting until 2020 when I had a lot of time on my hands so and I needed an outlet so I taught myself guitar and started songwriting but to have my grandmother who is a renowned playwright a renowned lyricist you know just truly an icon in the theater community reach out to me her humble little granddaughter and say I want to work with you because I believe in your talent and I believe in your skills and the message that you want to share I felt incredibly honored and it I was just gonna visit New York for a month and write with grandma just for a couple songs and then I never left so and now I am a full time professional singer songwriter vocalist because yeah you with your own with your own great litany of of things I mean I love the satin dolls and I I love the like the things that you've gotten to do since you've been here.[7:02] Robert Bannon: So you should be very proud of yourself. Welcome to New York. You're a New Yorker now.[7:07] Gracie Hyland: Thank you.[7:09] Gracie Hyland: I never want to leave.[7:10] Robert Bannon: That's it. You're stuck. Grandma, she's staying forever. And now, yeah. Now the thing is that the fact that she had written that song, I heard that song, and suddenly it became the key to writing the whole show. When you were asking about where do the ideas and songs come, suddenly, this song, early 20s crisis, I thought, wait a minute, that could be early teenage crisis. And we could have a character, a young girl who's repel rebelling from her parents who wants to go save these almost extinct animals and so forth. And then I knew it had to be a fairy tale. So we just changed her song to early teenage crisis instead. And it became the key to the show that we have written. And the the show is written and the and the album is out, and you can stream it right as we're speaking and get those tickets. Go, go get them, go, go, go.[8:04] Gretchen Cryer: So, Gretchen, you know, people will know you because um I'm getting my act together and taking it on the road and old friends and and the things that you have done, Grammy nominations, lifetime achievement awards, dramatist guild, you know, bored fancy schmuckety schmuck.[8:18] Robert Bannon: Yes, come on. All of all of that said and done. You you could you could say you've done it and and you've you put out the show, you put out the music, but the art keeps the inspiration keeps coming.[8:32] Gretchen Cryer: Yeah, well, it does. The thing is that we really want to get this show out there, and this concert form might be a good way. Because, as you know, Robert, it takes eight years to get a show on. Or longer, or longer. And the subject matter that we're talking about is very urgent right now. And so we're thinking this concert that we're gonna do next Tuesday night is actually a good form. It really captures the show. Digestible, it's a great cast, it's a good amount of the show that you get the picture and the message. And we're thinking maybe this concert could become somehow a fundraiser for climate change activists and so forth. It is as urgent as ever, as we literally have rolled back all of the environmental protection that is in this country, and we just continue to just nosedive into this catastrophe.I feel so strongly that the voice of artists and and people who write and people who sing and people who act are the ones who are gonna spread light that government and politicians can never do. So what you're doing is gonna is changing the future for us for sure. So thank you both for taking this on.[9:49] Gracie Hyland: Oh thank you. That is so kind. I mean, that is we always say the least we can do um is to use our gifts and our talents and our joy for music and songwriting and storytelling to uh bring hope and light to other people.[10:09] Robert Bannon: So Gracie, tell us who is on this album. You got some heavy hitters, you got some singing singers.[10:14] Gracie Hyland: We we got some singing singers. So we have Mother Earth is Angela Birchett, I think that's how I say her last name. Burchette, and um I don't know if I can spoil this for you, but she just booked something big. So we have one of the biggest voices on Broadway on our album as Miss Mother Earth, and we have Tylene Gross, who is one of the most insane vocalists I've ever heard and actors, and then we have Michael McCorry Rose, who was just in the wicked part one movie. Yep. And who just has the voice of some unearthed angel, like none other as well. And then we have Gabriella Joy Rodriguez, who personally love her so much in life, and her voice is stunning, and she sounds gorgeous. We have the Gretchen Cryer on there.[11:10] Gretchen Cryer: And she sounds beautiful and gorgeous and never stops.[11:14] Gracie Hyland: And we have and we have Gracie Hyland. Yes doing her her own songs. Pretending to be a teenager on the track.[11:28] Gracie Hyland: My little kid's voice. And the show on the fourth Green Room is going to be the cast, is going to be there.[11:36] Gretchen Cryer: Yes. Everyone but Angela just Burchette just booked Hell's Kitchen.[11:44] Gracie Hyland: Which is extraordinary. She had to go right into rehearsal this week. So she just called up and said, Oh my god. So there we were passing, scrambling. Trembling. Um, and but we found Aurelia Williams, who is fantastic, who's gonna step in in our concert for Angela. Angela's on the album. She learned the material in like one day.[12:10] Gretchen Cryer: Yeah.[12:11] Gracie Hyland: She clocked in and she already owns the material. It's amazing. This is gonna be they're gonna blow the roof right off of the Green Room 42 with the voices that are gonna be coming from.[12:22] Gretchen Cryer: Not far now. Also, I I had to throw in a word for our musical arranger and the producer of our album, Jody Shelton. He is extraordinary. Um, the arrangements, and he's got his best people doing the band. We got a wonderful side. I feel so lucky to work with all of these artists, they're all phenomenal in their own right, but then when we bring it all together, it's just so powerful.[12:47] Gracie Hyland: So is there 13 tracks on the album? Is that what it is?[12:52] Gretchen Cryer: And you know, all the cool kids are doing concept albums.[12:55] Gracie Hyland: This is how things happen.[12:56] Gretchen Cryer: Yes, that's what I said. This is the way of the world now. It used to be you put on a show and then maybe you're lucky to put on an album. No, you gotta get the album out first. The whole world can hear it. There's gonna be somebody in Idaho or in Singapore that's gonna find this and be inspired and be bringing it into their their audition room, their book, they'll be singing your songs.[13:24] Robert Bannon: When you hear people sing, if Michael Feinstein says, I want to sing your song, or Betty Buckley says, I want to sing your song. What is it like to write a song and then give it to another artist and hear their interpretation? Is it like a baby that you're giving away? Is it in is it an honor? What does it feel like?[13:39] Gretchen Cryer: It really feels good because they want to do it and they're gonna do it, they're gonna make it their own, you know. And both Michael and Betty have done wonderful uh versions of our songs, so it feels good to me.[13:54] Gracie Hyland: I never feel like, oh, I don't know if I want that person to do it. I never feel that way. That's the whole purpose of the song is to just give it out to the world, and then people receive it and interpret it the way that they want to. So I'm always impressed when I hear people, well, I hear her song in the wild, and I'm like, oh my gosh, I know her. Like I know her. I know her. She wrote that. She wrote that. How is now that she's sitting next to you? So it's gonna be awkward just to answer this question. But how has you're an artist and your grandmother's an artist, your family is full of artists? What inspiration growing up did you see in her work ethic that you've taken into your own art?[14:34] Gracie Hyland: I think something that I really take from my grandmother is that she is so fierce in everything that she does, and she's unapologetically herself in every situation. What inspires me the most though is the space that she creates for other artists. This home, this apartment, some magical things have happened in this very apartment from Sondheim playing his latest works, from Steven Schwartz breaking one of the keys off of the piano while he was playing one time. Like this is such a safe space for artists in, you know, this harsh, harsh community. Sometimes it can be so difficult to share your work and be vulnerable, and that is what I take from my grandmother is that she creates that space for other artists to create, and in doing so, she creates beautiful art.So that is something that I feel so privileged and blessed to have grown up around is having my parents who are singer-songwriters as well and musicians fully support me, and my grandmother and my uncle, like everyone truly holds such a dear space for other artists, and that is my biggest inspiration from her.[15:58] Robert Bannon: Well, I've learned two things from this conversation so far. A, let other people sing your songs so that they can get a royalty check in the mail. You didn't say that, but I took that. B, Gretchen Cryer's house was the place to go to for a party. That's what I learned.[16:20] Gracie Hyland: That happens all the time. We have such wonderful people doing their work in our living room. We host little salons and showcases, a lot of open mics.[16:31] Robert Bannon: So Grandma Gretchen, what did you— that's what I'm calling now?[16:37] Gretchen Cryer: Go ahead.[16:37] Gracie Hyland: I call her Gigi.[16:38] Robert Bannon: Oh, Gigi, I love that because my grand, my dad is Greg, and my brother just had a baby. So I've been calling him Gigi because Grandpa Greg. So I love that.[16:47] Gretchen Cryer: I'm Gigi, yes.[16:50] Robert Bannon: What have you learned working now with your granddaughter? And what has she taught you? What have you learned from Gracie about art and creating?[16:59] Gretchen Cryer: Well, Gracie is one of the most—she can just, she's strong and fierce. This girl is strong. I mean, she's gonna haul furniture around and stuff. But it's very interesting the generational difference. She has skills that I do not have, and stuff that she can do really fast creatively because she knows how to put stuff together. She goes and records a whole song in two hours someplace with, uh, and you know, and her facility at being an artist is so amazing to me. Her ability to navigate the tech world right now, which I cannot. I cannot do that. I just—and but she can. And I mean, like, okay, when we were going to be with you today, she helped press the right buttons, you know, to get that going.[18:03] Gracie Hyland: I'll add it to the resume.[18:04] Gretchen Cryer: Yeah. And also her work ethic is just so amazing. She's working all the time. Coming up with an idea of a song, she's sitting on her bed with her guitar and starting to do something, and then it's going to get recorded next week. She's gonna go into the studio with this guy, and they'll do it, you know. So I'm—it's been wonderful to see how the generational difference actually facilitates her art.[18:38] Robert Bannon: Yes, I understand. I feel—I get it. I—there's a—I'm 41, and I remember going in the recording studio at 17, 18 and putting things on tape with tape, slicing things, and it took forever, and there were 24 tracks, and you know, you'd be—now when people go in and say she has a finished product. I know I'll just slice this and blend this and cut things, and I don't know what you all are doing, but you're all wizards and witches and magic. What so Gracie, do you—is there plans for like we want—we're ready for the Gracie's debut solo full-length album?[19:19] Gracie Hyland: I'm working on an EP right now, and so far I have four songs tracked, and I think I'm gonna do two more, so I'll say this now so I can hold myself accountable. I'm hoping to release it in April.[19:34] Robert Bannon: Wow. See, I'm talking about that. Quick! That's the hope to release a five to six song EP in April and just finally have that out there.[19:49] Gretchen Cryer: Well, let's do it. Let's put it out there.[19:51] Gracie Hyland: Do it. Let's do it.[19:53] Robert Bannon: So can we follow you? Can we stay up to date on what you're doing?[19:57] Gracie Hyland: Yes, I'm on Instagram, mostly just Instagram. I don't want to do a whole like TikTok and everything. But I'm Gracie Hyland on Instagram.[20:09] Robert Bannon: And we'll put it below so that in the link in the bio and all the information that you have that we have below about where to find the album and where to get the tickets, you can see, and we'll make sure we allow that for you. Gretchen, what do you do? Like what, uh, what is—you got this album out, the concerts coming. Do we ever—are we gonna hear new Gretchen Cryer music too after this?[20:29] Gretchen Cryer: Uh, uh, who knows. I don't know. I'm not stuck.[20:31] Gracie Hyland: She's been performing too.[20:34] Gretchen Cryer: Oh yeah, I've been performing. David Shire and Richard Malby have a new review called About Time. And it's so—I'm right, and she's—I'm in this review.[20:44] Robert Bannon: So, where can we find out more information about that or where you do it, or what's the scoop? Give us the whole story.[20:51] Gretchen Cryer: We just did some industry presentations a month or two ago, and we don't know what the future of that show is, but it's so exciting because I worked with Richard and David from years, decades ago. I was in their first musical, well their second musical at Yale University, because I was there married to a Yale student.[21:16] Robert Bannon: That's why back at Yale.[21:20] Gretchen Cryer: That's why she writes songs because she's got—she's got the Ivy League.[21:24] Robert Bannon: Yes, I think that's where all the craziest parties are.[21:27] Gretchen Cryer: I know about—I was a wife to an Ivy League.[21:32] Robert Bannon: But—and they had no women at Yale at that point in the undergraduate school, so they had to go out into the field and get the wives of the graduate students.[21:45] Gretchen Cryer: And you were in the field and he found you.[21:48] Robert Bannon: Yes, yes.[21:49] Gretchen Cryer: I auditioned for them, and they instantly gave me the lead in their musical.[21:54] Robert Bannon: And oh, not well, you didn't marry them, but you got married to someone that was at Yale.[21:59] Gretchen Cryer: They were at Yale. My husband was at the Yale Divinity School. He was going to be a minister. I was thinking I was going to be a—I was a minister's wife.[22:10] Robert Bannon: Yes.[22:11] Gretchen Cryer: But I just auditioned for this Yale show and I got the lead. And my life changed. Literally.[22:20] Robert Bannon: Well, that's because also my husband decided he didn't want to be a minister and decided to go into show business instead.[22:31] Gretchen Cryer: That's the pipeline.[22:32] Robert Bannon: It's the same thing. It's all of—it's all of something.[22:37] Robert Bannon: I don't think you both—I can't wait. I want the Gretchen Cryer memoir. I want the whole—[22:40] Gretchen Cryer: Well, someone's making a documentary on her.[22:44] Gracie Hyland: Yeah, they're following us around.[22:46] Gretchen Cryer: They were following us around the other day with their little gimbal. Yeah, as we were going down to our rehearsal for this show on Tuesday night. The guy was filming us.[22:56] Gracie Hyland: And he was filming us on the subway when a woman came by going, I'm three months pregnant.[23:07] Gretchen Cryer: I'm—and this just cut right in between. He was showing New York live. He was showing us showing the life that we live as we're going to rehearse for our show.[23:19] Robert Bannon: See, everyone knows how glamorous it is.[23:23] Gretchen Cryer: Hopefully, can't you tell? That's the life in showbiz, that's glamour and blitz of New York City.[23:28] Robert Bannon: Yeah, that's New York. I'm excited. I'm going to spend my night. I'm gonna listen to your album. It's out wherever you listen to things. So please make sure that you listen to it. I'm gonna stream the House on Fire.[23:41] Gretchen Cryer: It is—I just get it, just find it. Just play it.[23:46] Gracie Hyland: I mean you can come too because in the show that we do on Tuesday night, there are bits of dialogue and stuff in there, which aren't on the album.[23:56] Gretchen Cryer: Oh, there are a few lines, but you get even more of the show on Tuesday night.[24:03] Robert Bannon: And if you go to Broadway World, which we partner with here on the Roundtable, you can hear Early Teenage Crisis. It was released there exclusively, but we also want you to make sure you stream the whole thing from beginning to end because they put this whole story together. So don't just listen to the single, take a moment and listen to the whole piece and get the full brevity and breadth of what you're doing here, all the voices and all of the things that are being done. And I thank you so much, Gigi, for a lifetime of work and for everything that you've done and all the music in and the theater and that you've shared with us. And we are so, so excited, Gracie, for all of the work that's to come for the EP. And I hope when your music, your album comes out, you come reach out and we can have you back on and chit chat all about it.[24:41] Gracie Hyland: Oh, thank you, Robert, you're so sweet.[24:41] Robert Bannon: What was it like to do reality TV?[24:41] Gracie Hyland: Oh my goodness, um, very, very different from what I'm used to. I've never been in front of cameras like that, um, but I had the best time and I made an amazing weird family out of it. But it's true, like the cameras are on you at all times and you're just living and you don't have any word on what's edited, what stays in, what stays out, what they make it look like. Well, they definitely edit everyone to be a certain character in the show, um, so they edited some things out and they edited some things in, I'll tell you, and they would tell us to say certain things sometimes.[24:41] Robert Bannon: Okay, I get it, but you know, that's the fun of reality. That's the—it makes good TV, so it's a fun show. Everybody, if you want to check out a lot of fun, it's very fun to guess who everybody is related to and it's super fun to see the story and how it all ties together at the end.[25:51] Robert Bannon: I love it, it was so good. I mean honestly, I couldn't do it again but I would do it again if maybe there's another reality show.[25:55] Gracie Hyland: Maybe you'll be a real housewife of New York, who knows?[25:55] Gracie Hyland: Maybe I will be. She had to pre-pretend. I mean her image that she wanted to put forth was as a southern country singer, so that no one would suggest who her claim to fame was. So a lot of people thought, oh, she's related to Reba McIntyre or something because that's—and she played on the talent show night. She played the guitar and sang kind of country, you know.[27:19] Gretchen Cryer: Thank you.[27:21] Gracie Hyland: I'm gonna go live some life so I could write some songs.[27:25] Gretchen Cryer: Hey, write some songs.[27:30] Gretchen Cryer: It was an original song that I turned into like a playing country song in order to mislead people as to who her claim to fame was.[27:42] Robert Bannon: So you mean you're not related to Reba McIntyre?[27:45] Gracie Hyland: No, unfortunately, I'm not.[27:48] Gracie Hyland: I really do wish I was though. She's got really nice hair.[27:53] Robert Bannon: Well, I had so much fun with you all, and I hope you all come back. You could bring Uncle John on too. And we'll have a big old party. Um, thank you. I'm so excited for you. I hope everybody gets your tickets. Your show's gonna sell out, it's gonna be a smash hit, and House on Fire is gonna be something that's gonna live on forever. Congratulations, thank you all for being here, and I'm so grateful to spend some time with you.