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

[0:11] Robert Bannon: My name is Robert Bannon. You're listening to us on Broadway World over here on the Broadway Podcast Network, iHeartSpotify. My guest today, firstly, her story, you've seen her on everything and you've watched her on television and in film. Okay. She's been in part of some of your favorite television shows, favorite movies, and has been working in this business and then decided, I don't know, like a few minutes ago, that she was going to learn how to play the piano and become a super recording star and then tour the country and bring a show to New York City. What, how, when we are here and we're excited for the one and only Lindsey Kraft to join us on The Roundtable. Hi.

[0:43] Lindsey Kraft: Hi. Thank you so much for having me. That was what an introduction. Thank you. And I, as you're saying it, I'm like, I have no idea. Actually, I don't even know if I'll be able to answer this question. It sounds ridiculous. What a career. What a journey. Thank you. It doesn't, it's funny because it doesn't feel like that. I'm like, oh yeah, I forgot that I've done some TV shows. I, you know, I just, I haven't done a television show in a couple of years. So it feels like, oh, that was just like another chapter in a way.

[1:14] Robert Bannon: But a lot of people who have, have watched you and watched you on some, on some shows and as an actor, as an actress, as a model, all of the things that you have done, it's a really inspiring story that you can at any moment, pivot, change, learn something new. And then you could be on a tour bus in Saginaw, Michigan today. That's where she is, everybody.

[1:30] Lindsey Kraft: Yes. I haven't, I've just walked from the tour bus into the dressing room through the stage. It's a really nice theater. So I'm happy to be here. And it's, I always love, I love when it feels like a musical theater theater, you know, that's where I'm always like, ah, okay. I feel like home. I didn't grow up doing musical theater. It's what I sort of dreamed about in my mind, but like thinking, oh, like one day I would love to do that, but I didn't have any skills and I, you know, I didn't, I didn't study it or anything.

[1:59] Robert Bannon: It's incredible because you are currently in this moment tonight in Saginaw and then you're going to be in New York and then you're, you're with Ben Folds on this tour. And then Ben Folds is with you in your show, We've Been Here Before at the Soho Playhouse, August 4th to the 17th. You can get your tickets right now. We've been here before, musical.com. Ben Folds up on stage, Lindsay up on stage. Ben Folds, I don't want to say he's opening and supporting you, but he is supporting you in the musical.

[2:29] Lindsey Kraft: Yes, he's in the, in the band playing a keyboard, drums, and bass and going back between guitar and guitar and bass. So he has the piano keyboard between his legs and the drums on one in between his other leg. And that didn't make sense, but you know, they're all, it's all right there. It's just this compact thing because, you know, he's producing it and we're saving money.

[3:04] Robert Bannon: No, Lindsey, in all due respect, with all due respect, Ben Folds has got like millions of records sold and he's a very big music star and he has a big giant recording contract and, and he tours the country.

[3:11] Lindsey Kraft: Yeah. You learned piano like two years ago.

[3:17] Lindsey Kraft: No, five years ago, five years ago. How did you find Ben Folds and how did this all come together?

[3:23] Lindsey Kraft: Well, Ben and I have known each other for a long time and we were just friends. And when I first started writing music, I had a couple of musician friends and I would send them these songs that I was sort of just like, they would just be like little melodies just with my right hand. And I've always been able to play by ear just, just like, just, but I thought, I think there was nothing special to that. It was just like figuring it out. And, um, but then I would, when I first started playing, actually I would, I love Billy Joel and I would just kind of see his music and I would know how to play like some chords and I would just, the chords that I didn't know how to play, I would just play the one that came before it. And so then I started kind of like making my own melodies based on the fact that I couldn't play the chords that I saw on the chart.

[4:09] Lindsey Kraft: And so I was like, so that was part of the way I learned in a way. And then just sort of hearing this stuff and realizing, oh, I can add a left hand, but like, how do I do it? Like, I would just feel so frustrated. Cause I was like, I just wanted to sound big and like what's in my heart, you know? And then, um, then the pandemic happened and I had a lot of time and I just went down so many wormholes on the internet and like learned on YouTube. And then I got as many lessons as I could afford. And my amazing voice teacher, Doug Peck, who's also my, um, composing teacher would just be like, well, try this or try that. And my friend Lori, who has like all these companies, I mean, my friend Lori has, um, a website called louderLA.com. And it's basically like, she doesn't like to call it this, but I think it's about intuitive learning because I think someone had to meet me and understand that I wasn't going to learn in the way that most people learn.

[5:09] Lindsey Kraft: And I think that I actually am most people. So I think most people need to learn in this way that here's what I sort of understand. And then help me from there, as opposed to saying, you need to learn all of these things because you don't, you don't have to learn all of the things to get what you want to create. I mean, it's helpful now, once I've learned understanding what I'm playing. But in the beginning, there's some songs where I'm like, I don't know what those chords are, but I have to just be at the piano to be like, oh, oh, that's just an inversion of a C chord. I, I, like that would have, I didn't understand what an inversion was. I barely understood what a C chord was. I just, there were so many things like mathematically that I didn't understand about the piano that now I, I realize, oh, that's just, it's just easier than you think.

[5:49] Lindsey Kraft: Well, I took piano for 18 years and I could do, I could play an F and a C and a G7. So you are, you are magical. And you have, you have that natural gift and talent. And I joke about it being a five minutes ago that you started, but your music is really beautiful. And the storytelling, we talk about Billy Joel, you talk about Ben Folds, you talk about your music, storytelling, and as an actor, you're a storyteller. And now being a songwriter and a performer, you're telling these beautiful, very personal stories. This show is very personal. When did the idea come for you to make this one person show?

[6:20] Lindsey Kraft: Well, I had been writing these songs and I at first wrote a monologue that was a story that I wanted to tell. And I had one song at the end of the, of the monologue, which was like, and I did it for a bunch of my girlfriends and I played this song and I only wrote, I only finished it because I knew I was doing it at my friend, Katie Lowe's, this wonderful actress. I don't know if you know who she is, but she's on Hunting Wives and, and Scandal. And she was like, let's just do it, put it up at my house. And you just, just, and I've never done anything like that where I've asked people to come to a thing. And I'm like, and after I finished, I could feel this collective, like, like almost like a sigh of something was happening where maybe I was talking about things that people don't talk about a lot.

[7:12] Lindsey Kraft: And I had this one song at the end and one of my girlfriends at the end of the night was like, well, it would be great if you had more songs. And I was like, I don't have songs. And she's like, well, you, you wrote that one. I was like, well, yeah, but I, that's not, she's like, but what? And I thought, yeah, but what? And that was before the pandemic. And then suddenly the pandemic came and I just had these songs that were just kind of coming to me. There was no intention to write a musical. I was, I mean, I'm not a songwriter. I don't know how to, what, how, or why would I think that I could do something like that? So the songs just kind of kept coming and I kept on needing to get them out and needing to figure them out.

I mean, I was at the piano. I'm not even exaggerating eight to 10 hours a day, just being like obsessed, obsessed with when it needed to just like push it forward. And I would perform for anyone, like anyone, at any airport piano, any, any hotel lobby, I'm at that piano until they kick me off of it. And it's not good. It wasn't good, but I was expressing myself and people were listening for whatever reason.

[8:15] Robert Bannon: So when, when, when you see people, so that means when you're, when you're at the airport piano and you see Lindsey Krafton, you say, hey, I know you from Grace and Frankie, or hey, I know you from getting, that's her, she's playing that piano.

[8:29] Lindsey Kraft: Um, but the storytelling part of it, the writing, the, the, the music is one thing, and then it's another thing in a very vulnerable, vulnerable thing to not be a character, but you play you and you tell some stories about you. What is the story about? What is the journey that you take the audience on with this show?

[8:44] Lindsey Kraft: Um, it's sort of, it's so hard, you know, I, every time I start to try to explain it, it's difficult for me because it is, it is the show, the whole, I'll start to explain the entire show. I'll, I'll, I'll this whole thing would be an hour and a half long, like, because it really is just sort of like reflecting on the experiences that I think kept me in a cycle and it, and you know, it's not me, it's a character of live and it is a combination of things that I've experienced over my, over the course of my short life. I'm 46 years old. Um, and I think it's interesting because most people who are songwriters, they start writing, they write their first album at 18 years old and it's like about their breakups and what they're experiencing and, you know, important things for sure.

But as a woman in her forties to write my first songs in that phase and having the perspective that I do and the things that I've gone through to inform my first record, I think is, um, just unusual. And so that's why I think there's something that's sort of connected.

[9:56] Robert Bannon: Welcome to The Roundtable! I’m your host, Robert Bannon, and today we have the incredible Lindsey Kraft joining us to talk about her new one-woman musical, We've Been Here Before. Lindsey, thank you so much for being here!

[10:26] Lindsey Kraft: Thank you for having me! I'm so excited to be here and share about the show.

[10:56] Robert Bannon: So, let’s dive right in. Your musical is such a personal project. Can you tell us what inspired you to create We've Been Here Before?

[11:06] Lindsey Kraft: Absolutely! The inspiration came from my own journey of learning piano at 40. It was a transformative experience that unlocked a lot of memories and emotions for me. I wanted to explore that journey through this musical.

[11:21] Robert Bannon: That’s amazing! Learning an instrument later in life can be such a powerful experience. How did you go about writing the music and story for the show?

[11:51] Lindsey Kraft: I started by reflecting on my own experiences and the relationships that shaped me. The writing process was deeply personal, and I wanted to capture the humor and heart of those moments. It was a labor of love, and I’m really proud of how it turned out.

[12:01] Robert Bannon: It sounds like a beautiful journey. I know you collaborated with Ben Folds on this project. What was that experience like?

[12:11] Lindsey Kraft: Working with Ben has been incredible! He’s not only a talented musician but also a wonderful collaborator. His insights and guidance helped elevate the show, and performing alongside him has been a dream come true.

[12:21] Robert Bannon: That’s fantastic! It must be so rewarding to bring such an intimate piece to the stage. What has been the most meaningful part of this experience for you?

[12:31] Lindsey Kraft: Honestly, it’s been the connection with the audience. Hearing their reactions and knowing that the show resonates with them has been the most fulfilling part of this journey.

[12:41] Robert Bannon: I can only imagine! You’ve had such a diverse career in television and film as well. Looking back, what are some of your favorite roles?

[12:51] Lindsey Kraft: I’ve been fortunate to be part of some amazing projects! I loved my time on Grace and Frankie and The Big Bang Theory. Each role has taught me something new and helped me grow as an artist.

[13:01] Robert Bannon: Those are iconic shows! How do you feel your experiences in TV and film have influenced your work in theater?

[13:11] Lindsey Kraft: They’ve definitely shaped my storytelling approach. Working in different mediums allows me to bring unique perspectives to my theater work. I love blending my experiences to create something fresh and engaging.

[13:21] Robert Bannon: That’s a great way to look at it! As you continue to evolve as an artist, what challenges are you excited to tackle next?

[13:31] Lindsey Kraft: I’m always looking for new creative risks! Whether it’s exploring different genres or collaborating with new artists, I’m excited to push my boundaries and see where it takes me.

[13:41] Robert Bannon: That’s the spirit! It’s all about growth and exploration. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us today, Lindsey.

[13:51] Lindsey Kraft: Thank you for having me, Robert! It’s been a pleasure.

[14:01] Robert Bannon: And to our listeners, be sure to check out Lindsey’s musical, We've Been Here Before. You won’t want to miss it!