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[0:00] Robert Bannon: Welcome to The Roundtable! I'm your host, Robert Bannon, and today we have a very special episode for you, fresh from the Tribeca Film Festival.

[0:30] Robert Bannon: We’re diving into two extraordinary conversations celebrating the power of music, storytelling, and live performance. First up, we have the incredible Sara Bareilles joining us to discuss her latest work and creative inspiration.

[1:00] Robert Bannon: Sara is a Grammy, Tony, and Emmy nominee, and her contributions to the world of music and theater are truly remarkable.

[1:10] Robert Bannon: Following that, we’ll hear from members of the Original Broadway Cast of Hadestown, reflecting on the lasting impact of this Tony Award-winning musical and its incredible journey from concept album to Broadway phenomenon.

[1:20] Robert Bannon: So, whether you’re a theater lover or just someone who appreciates great storytelling through music, you’re in for a treat!

[1:30] Robert Bannon: Let’s jump right into our first conversation with the talented Sara Bareilles.

[1:40] Robert Bannon: Sara, welcome to The Roundtable!

[2:00] Sara Bareilles: Thank you so much for having me! It’s great to be here.

[2:10] Robert Bannon: You’ve been involved in so many amazing projects. What has inspired you most recently in your work?

[2:20] Sara Bareilles: I think the biggest inspiration for me has been the connection that music creates between people. It’s such a powerful tool for storytelling and for sharing experiences.

[2:40] Robert Bannon: Absolutely! And your latest work has resonated with so many. Can you tell us a bit about what you’re currently working on?

[2:50] Sara Bareilles: I’m really excited about my new project. It’s been a labor of love, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone. It’s all about exploring new themes and pushing boundaries.

[3:00] Robert Bannon: That sounds amazing! I know your fans are eagerly awaiting it.

[3:20] Robert Bannon: Now, let’s shift gears a bit and talk about Hadestown. I’m thrilled to welcome the original cast members to the show.

[3:40] Robert Bannon: Joining us now are Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page, and Amber Grey. Welcome, everyone!

[4:00] Eva Noblezada: Thank you for having us!

[4:20] Patrick Page: It’s great to be here!

[4:40] Amber Grey: Excited to chat with you!

[5:00] Robert Bannon: Let’s dive into the journey of Hadestown. What has it been like for you all to be part of such a groundbreaking musical?

[5:20] Eva Noblezada: It’s been an incredible experience. The story is so rich, and being able to bring it to life on stage has been a dream come true.

[5:40] Patrick Page: I agree. The themes of love and resilience resonate deeply, and it’s been amazing to see how audiences connect with it.

[6:00] Amber Grey: And the music! The score is just stunning. It really elevates the storytelling.

[6:10] Robert Bannon: It truly does! What do you think makes Hadestown so relevant today?

[6:20] Eva Noblezada: I think it speaks to the human experience—our struggles, our hopes, and the connections we make along the way.

[6:40] Patrick Page: Yes, and it’s a reminder of the power of storytelling in times of uncertainty.

[7:00] Robert Bannon: Beautifully said! Thank you all for sharing your insights.

[7:20] Robert Bannon: I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Hadestown and for each of you individually.

[7:40] Robert Bannon: That wraps up our conversations for today. Thank you for joining us on The Roundtable!

[8:09] Robert Bannon: What was it like bringing you and the original cast back for this project?

[9:09] Patrick Page: It was no challenge. Look at me smacking my gum. It was not a challenge. I mean I've been playing the role for 12 years so it's extraordinary to come back to it after two years and I got to go deeper which is super fun. It's a very comfortable outfit to put on. I mean like spiritually, you know what I mean? I know that character very well. I can kind of play it in my sleep and that's from the work and the time I put in. That's not because it was easy early days. It was very difficult early days but yeah, really special to come back to it.

[10:16] Robert Bannon: What is your absolute favorite thing about the vibe of the show that you are most excited for moviegoers to see?

[10:23] Patrick Page: The music. The music is so beautiful and very emotional so I'm excited for the potential. I don't know. I haven't seen it either. This is my first time as well. I'm excited for the potential like closeness of it all to really see the emotion of the music.

[10:40] Robert Bannon: I'm really excited to see it as well. Congratulations.

[10:43] Patrick Page: Thank you. Appreciate it.

[10:45] Robert Bannon: How are you doing, Rachel?

[10:47] Rachel Chavkin: I'm so excited.

[10:48] Robert Bannon: Alright. Now this is an incredible moment. How does it feel to have this amazing show be put on the big screen?

[10:54] Rachel Chavkin: I mean Hadestown has been the center point of my life since Anaïs and I started working on it together in 2013 and so this is the culmination of capturing so much and to have gotten to do it with the original five actors with whom we made the final version of the show and just to be here at Tribeca. It's a total dream.

[11:15] Robert Bannon: Were there any challenges that you faced translating this show to the big screen using cameras?

[11:21] Rachel Chavkin: Yeah. I mean so working with Brett and Steam on the capture was really, I have to say, they're just mind-blowing cinematographers of live theater so that helped a great deal but it was very important for me to be very involved in the editing process with Brett because there are certain things thematically. For example, Phil might want to put one of the fates on screen alone and I had to say they always sort of have to be together. They're an entity and so attention between close-ups and wide shots and of course ultimately capturing the glory that is "Wait For Me." All were challenges but I'm so excited about how it's come out.

[12:04] Robert Bannon: That's incredible. It looks like you had a little guest over there.

[12:08] Rachel Chavkin: I'm so happy to see you. That's Amber's partner.

[12:11] Robert Bannon: Oh very nice. I didn't realize. Now my last question for you. We noticed Patrick had a bit of an injury. Were there any challenges moving that around? I mean staging all that had to be made it better for him to be able to work.

[12:27] Rachel Chavkin: Yeah, the injury was not a dream for anyone most especially Patrick. So the way the time went is we all got to London together. We began rehearsals on stage in preparation for them doing the live show for three weeks to prepare for the filming and the moment that Patrick went down it was like pin drop silence. And I think initially he was so afraid and also encouraging that the capture might have to happen without him. And for me, there was never a moment's hesitation. I was like we will restage what we need to stage. I've already begun working on that. And so we then spent the next two and a half weeks like strategizing together about how to approach every moment of the show. And I think audiences will actually see. Friends who I showed it to kind of sneak peeks secretly. They are like it feels as though the cane was there the whole time. And so I'm very proud of how integrated we were able to be about the whole thing.

[13:34] Robert Bannon: That's amazing. I'm so excited to see everything. Congratulations on the show. Congratulations on the pro shot. Thank you very much. How are you doing today?

[13:50] Patrick Page: I'm well.

[13:51] Robert Bannon: Alright. Now how does it feel to be here to see this amazing event and have this amazing show finally be on the big screen?

[13:59] Patrick Page: It's totally thrilling. It's the best. We've waited a long time to be able to do this. And we're really excited. And I just can't wait to see it.

[14:13] Robert Bannon: Now I want to talk about, you know, Patrick Page had a little bit of an injury. Yeah. How did that affect the choreography? What were some of the changes you had to make? And what are some of the struggles you faced with that?

[14:27] Rachel Chavkin: Well, you know, I deal with people with different dance abilities or abilities in general and Patrick's, you know, bum foot. What was in a bummer. We figured it out and we went into a studio and we walked through the whole thing and we figured out how to make that dance happen.

[14:37] Robert Bannon: So yeah, that's amazing. Well, I'm really excited to see this show. I'm really excited. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you. Congratulations on everything.

[14:53] Brett Sullivan: Hi, I'm Brett Sullivan, film director of Hadestown the musical. Awesome. Now I'm so excited to see this. I saw this on Broadway. And my question for you is what were some of the difficulties or maybe challenges that you had translating this Broadway show to the big screen?

[15:18] Brett Sullivan: Yeah, I mean the big challenge is like how much of it stays live like wider as we experience theater in a big wide shot and how often we go close. So because we're making it for the screen I like access. I like to get into the actor's eyes and that's kind of a thing that we will. This is something that we're going to see with these amazing five original actors seeing them like this is going to be pretty special for the fans I think.

[15:35] Robert Bannon: So we're seeing it in a new way. And I think it's just we're acknowledging that this is a different way of seeing Hadestown.

[15:43] Brett Sullivan: I love that. Now if you had to, you know, after this amazing success what Broadway show would you take to the big screen next if you had the opportunity?

[15:57] Brett Sullivan: Oh that's a really difficult one. I would love to see Les Mis at some point. You know what I mean like give it justice. Like I just love to do Les Mis. So we're just finishing Stranger Things right now which is going to be another kind of eye popper. So it's gonna be great. So we're excited about that.

[16:19] Robert Bannon: Congratulations on everything. I'm so excited to see everything that you've done for us. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.