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[0:00] Joel Crump: What's up everybody and welcome back to another episode of The Weekly Dose of Joel. This is episode 13. This week we are going to be talking to the seven stars of How to Dance in Ohio on Broadway. And I'm stoked. I'm giving you your weekly Broadway Buzz, Broadway History, Box Office Beat, and our fantastic interviews with Spectrum Club 7, a name self-given to the stars of How to Dance in Ohio. You won't want to miss this exciting episode. So let's get on to this week's Weekly Dose of Joel.

[0:28] Joel Crump: Broadway Buzz. This week there isn't too much Broadway buzz, but there are still some very exciting stories. So let's start off with the new star of Hades Town. Lola Tung, best known for playing Isabel Belly Conklin in the streaming series The Summer I Turn Pretty, will make her Broadway debut in Tony-winning Hades Town at the Walter Kerr Theater next month. Tung will be playing the role of Eurydice beginning February 9th, continuing through March 17th, and she will succeed Zelia Pfeiffer. I think it's so exciting that all of these stars are popping into Hades Town, and there have been so many rumors about who will be the next Eurydice, all this stuff. And so I'm so excited to see Lola Tung in this role. I'm wondering who else are they gonna be bringing to this show? Of course, right now we have Jordan Fisher playing Orpheus. We have so many exciting people in this cast, and I just can't wait to see who else they filter in and out.

[1:19] Joel Crump: The final Stephen Sondheim musical will release a cast album. I am beyond thrilled about this. If you know me, you know I love Stephen Sondheim so much. And this starry cast features Francis J. Batiste, Tracy Bennett, Bobby Cannavale, Michaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jen Ha, Rachel Bay Jones, Dennis O'Hare, Steven Pasquale, David Hyde Pierce, and Jeremy Samos. I mean, this cast is unbelievable. Not to mention, this is Stephen Sondheim's last musical. So it's very exciting that we will be getting a cast recording of this musical. It has not been announced when the cast recording will release, but they did post on the Instagrams and all the socials a teaser of them in the studio recording, getting ready for this cast album. So you guys better, better get excited for this. I know I'm excited, and I'll let you know when it's released.

[2:10] Joel Crump: Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, starring Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott, recoups off-Broadway. So this show has recouped after its initial 11-week run, which included 15 previews and 71 regular performances. I mean, it is so incredible when theater recoups on Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, because it's so hard to make shows and so much money goes into it. And the fact that this production did it in only 71 performances and 15 previews is incredible. So you guys only have a couple more, actually, you guys only have today and tomorrow to go see Danny and the Deep Blue Sea starring Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott. It closes on January 13th. But if you can't go see it, go see it. Clearly, it's amazing because it recouped in so little performances.

[2:59] Joel Crump: So this last piece of Broadway Buzz isn't necessarily Broadway buzz, but it's something happening in the Washington DC area that I really want to share with you guys. So Christian Borle, André De Shields, Christopher Jackson, Matthew Morrison, and more are set for Broadway's Leading Man concert here in Washington, DC at Howard University. This evening featuring the American Pops Orchestra will be filmed for a TV broadcast. So you guys won't want to miss this exciting concert. Tickets are pretty cheap online, and you can expect to hear a mix of Broadway hits from the best of the best Broadway actors. So I'm gonna be trying, I'm gonna try to be there, and you guys should try to be there too.

[3:40] Joel Crump: Now for some Broadway history. For this week's Broadway history, I'm talking about the 2012 Broadway revival of Porgy and Bess, starring Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis. So in 2012, Broadway gets a new look at Catfish Row with a fresh dramatic perspective and a cast boasting Norm Lewis and Audra McDonald when the Gershwins' Porgy and Bess reopens on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theater. The production condenses George Gershwin's, Ira Gershwin's, DuBose Heyward's, and Dorothy Heyward's folk opera into a two-and-a-half-hour staging. This revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, and Audra McDonald won Best Actress in a Musical, which is just one of her six Tony Awards because Audra McDonald is the queen. At your Broadway history, I want to know, have you seen Porgy and Bess? Were you able to see this revival of Porgy and Bess? Let me know.

[4:38] Joel Crump: Now let's head on over to the box office. Coming back from a holiday season, a huge holiday season, Broadway shows will typically drop in the box office. But this week, most shows did great in the box office. Fifteen out of 26 currently running productions made over 1 million dollars coming out of this huge holiday rush. And those include The Lion King, Wicked, Sweeney Todd, Hamilton, Merrily We Roll Along, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Aladdin, MJ the Musical, Back to the Future, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, & Juliet, The Book of Mormon, Spamalot, Gutenberg! The Musical, and Six. Some shows that stand out on those lists to me at least include Gutenberg! The Musical, Spamalot, Back to the Future, and Merrily We Roll Along because all of those shows are shows from this season, the 2023 to 2024 Broadway season, and they're doing great in the box office, which means that they will of course last at the Tony Award season, and maybe even after that.

[5:35] Joel Crump: Broadway's newest show, Days of Wine and Roses, which played its first two performances last week, only two performances sold out Studio 54 entirely at an average ticket price of 81 dollars. This is fantastic for a new production coming to Broadway because it tells the producers that audiences are already loving the show and that it can even extend from its initial run because this show is gonna be a shorter run. But people are loving it. Oh, and I almost forgot, it is finally Broadway Week. New York City Broadway Week is happening January 16th through February 4th, and you can save and get two-for-one tickets with code BWAYWK24. Some shows that are having this two-for-one deal include Moulin Rouge!

The Musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Aladdin, The Lion King, & Juliet, Hades Town, Parade for the French Republic, A Beautiful Noise, Hamilton, The Book of Mormon, Chicago, Gutenberg!, Spamalot, Wicked, MJ, Sweeney Todd, Pearly Victorious, Back to the Future, Kimberly Akimbo, Days of Wine and Roses, How to Dance in Ohio, Harmony, and Six The Musical. So you won't want to miss these epic deals. You guys, you all love Broadway, but sometimes it takes it to be so expensive. So this is your perfect chance to go see Broadway with a pal for cheap.

[7:06] Joel Crump: But now for our interviews this week. It's time for some interviews. It's time for what you've all been waiting for. You get to hear from the stars of How to Dance in Ohio. So I had the honor of interviewing all of them on the opening night of How to Dance in Ohio. And this show is just so special. And it was so special meeting all of them and reading the real Dr. Emilio Amigo and meeting the producer for the original HBO documentary. So this show's so special. If you haven't seen it yet, go see How to Dance in Ohio. It's such an incredible show. My first interview is with Liam Pearce, who plays Drew in How to Dance in Ohio.

[7:41] Liam Pearce: Hey you guys, it's Liam Pearce. You are playing Drew in How to Dance in Ohio on Broadway. It's opening night. Tell me, how are you feeling tonight?

[7:47] Liam Pearce: I'm feeling crazy. I'm feeling great. I'm feeling excited. Yeah, I mean that song, Building Momentum. I love it so much. I listen to it all the time. What is it like performing that? And you know, just like really being able to do that show on Broadway every night?

[7:58] Liam Pearce: Building Momentum is one of the most fun songs I do in the show. It's just such an anthem for the message of the show, and it's so fun to sing, and I'm just like truly so filled with joy every time I do it.

[8:10] Liam Pearce: Yeah, tell me about the hashtag Spectrum Club 7. Tell me how is that created.

[8:14] Liam Pearce: That was actually something that I came up with. Like it was a play on the 90s 2000s band S Club 7, and I literally just like said it one day as a joke, and it kind of has just taken off since then.

[8:24] Liam Pearce: Yeah. Yeah, I love it so much. The last thing I want to know is, you know, you're making your Broadway debut on this show. What does that truly mean to you?

[8:30] Liam Pearce: It is a dream come true. Like I've been, this has been someone I've wanted since I was so, so, so young. And to be able to do it with this company that we've been in together for two years, who are like some of my best friends, it's just the best thing in the world.

[8:42] Joel Crump: Yeah, thank you so much, Liam. Liam's song in the show, Building Momentum, is always playing in my brain. He is just great in the show. My next interview is with Ashley Wool, who plays Jessica in How to Dance in Ohio.

[8:53] Joel Crump: Hey, you guys, we're at the opening night of How to Dance on Ohio. It's opening night. Tell me, how are you feeling tonight?

[8:59] Liam Pearce: Uh, just honored and grateful. This is such a special and iconic, I think, piece of musical theater that is gonna have a life above and beyond anything that any of us could ever fathom or ever accomplish on our own. And just to be on this team is the honor of a lifetime.

[9:25] Joel Crump: Yeah, I mean, you're making your Broadway debut tonight. How excited are you to do that today?

[9:29] Liam Pearce: I mean, the way I see it is now we get to just share the show with that many more people. How lucky are we?

[9:39] Joel Crump: Last thing I don't know is have you been to a school dance for yourself?

[9:43] Liam Pearce: Yeah. So what is your favorite moment being at a school dance?

[9:47] Liam Pearce: That's hard to say. I think when I was in high school, my favorite thing to do because I took like hip hop classes with some of my friends. And every now and then a song would come on that we all knew some choreo to that we learned in class, and then we just do it, and it wouldn't even really be.

[10:10] Joel Crump: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love it. Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to meet you. I want to be like Ashley and Pop and Lock in the middle of the dance floor. My next interview is with Imani Russell, who plays Mel in How to Dance in Ohio, the DJ.

[10:21] Imani Russell: Imani Russell, and you play Mel in How to Dance in Ohio on Broadway. It's your Broadway debut tonight. Tell me, how are you feeling?

[10:27] Imani Russell: I'm feeling so excited. A little nervous in the good way, like where it's something that you know is important happening. And just so grateful to be here with this show and this team of people.

[10:41] Joel Crump: Yeah, you DJ in the show, which I love so much. What is it about DJing and just being in this show at the Belasco Theater?

[10:48] Imani Russell: Yeah, um, the Belasco is such a special space. It's super intimate, and I think that's perfect for the show that is about human connection. Um, we get to like really talk to the audience. Um, yeah, I feel like this is it's like the perfect place, and it feels so special every night.

[11:04] Joel Crump: Yeah, have you ever been to a school dance yourself?

[11:06] Imani Russell: Yep. Tell me, what is your favorite moment being at a school dance when you were younger?

[11:11] Imani Russell: Um, when I was younger, I think I just loved dancing with my friends. I think it was like we didn't need to talk. We could just listen to our favorite songs and dance together and connect and have so much fun.

[11:22] Joel Crump: Exactly. And I get to do it eight times a week on Broadway.

[11:22] Imani Russell: Eight times a week on Broadway, yes. Thank you so much. I just feel like one time in my life, I just want to DJ. Somebody, somebody let me DJ your party, your whatever. Just let me do it one time. I just need to do it one time.

[11:35] Joel Crump: My next interview is with Conor Tague, who plays Tommy in How to Dance in Ohio.

[11:40] Conor Tague: Hey you guys, I'm with Conor Tague, and you're playing Tommy in How to Dance in Ohio.

[11:43] Conor Tague: Yes, that is right! It's opening night, it's your Broadway debut. Tell me how you're feeling tonight.

[11:47] Conor Tague: I'm feeling just overjoyed, and just I'm really excited to finally be here. It's oh, it's crazy.

[11:55] Joel Crump: Yeah, tell me what is that hashtag that How to Dance in Ohio has been using, actually autistic, mean to you?

[12:00] Conor Tague: Oh my, well, so this the hashtag we've been using is called Spectrum Club 7, which is kind of like um the group that us seven have created. Because you know, we've grown into like a huge, huge extended family. And you know, it's just, I really love being with everyone in this company.

[12:22] Conor Tague: I just ugh that I wish I had more words.

[12:25] Joel Crump: Yeah. Hashtag Spectrum Club 7. I love it so much. I mean, what would you tell your younger self about you making your Broadway debut tonight?

[12:32] Conor Tague: I would tell my younger self to never give up on your big dreams. Because as long as you work your hardest, you will get to where you need to be in like what a few seconds?

[12:47] Joel Crump: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love it. The last thing I don't know is what is your favorite memory at a school dance?

[12:53] Conor Tague: Oh my gosh. Um, I actually I've been to a few school dances, and there was one where someone where the DJ played uh a Michael Jackson song, and I just I just danced to Michael.

[13:07] Joel Crump: Which one was it?

[13:08] Conor Tague: It was there was a lot of Michael songs. The one one was Thriller, and I know the choreography by heart. And Michael is one of my inspirations on becoming who I am, and I thank him every day for this and everything.

[13:25] Joel Crump: Yeah, thank you so much, Conor. One day the MJ musical cast and all the Broadway cast have like a big like thriller, like flash dance in the middle of Times Square.

[13:34] Conor Tague: I would love it. And I think Conor would love it too. My next interview is with Amelia Fei, who plays Caroline in How to Dance in Ohio.

[13:41] Joel Crump: Hey you guys, I'm here with Amelia Fei, and you're playing Caroline here on How to Dance in Ohio. It's opening night, it's your Broadway debut. Tell me how you're feeling tonight.

[13:49] Amelia Fei: I feel ecstatic, I feel unreal. Like it we've been with the show since 2021, and I can't believe that we're now opening this show on Broadway in one of the honestly, in my opinion, most gorgeous theaters.

[14:04] Joel Crump: Oh, yeah. That's so beautiful. I'm so happy.

[14:07] Amelia Fei: Yeah, I mean, tell me what the hashtag Spectrum Club 7 and hashtag actually autistic mean to you.

[14:13] Amelia Fei: We started this hashtag, I think back in 2021 in the readings, the seven of us, we have a group chat and we just name it Spectrum Club 7. And then whenever there's some like, you know, because this journey could be really intense sometimes, and we all like this is like our real life circle in that group, and then we just like know we have each other's back and all that stuff, and then we trust and care about one another. It's great, they're the best people to make a Broadway debut with.

[14:43] Joel Crump: I love it. Yeah. The last thing I want to know is what is your favorite memory at a school dance if you've ever been to one?

[14:49] Amelia Fei: It's really funny you asked me that because Taiwan doesn't have prom, so it's not a thing. And I'll every time I watch any Hollywood movie, I'm like, oh, American kids get to do that. I'm so jealous, but now I get to do that.

[15:02] Amelia Fei: Yeah, with awesome clothes with my best friends on a Broadway stage, even better. I'm so happy. Thank you so much, yeah.

[15:09] Joel Crump: Oh, what a special sweet interview. My next chat is with Madison Kopec, who plays Meredith in How to Dance in Ohio.

[15:17] Joel Crump: Hey you guys, I'm with Madison Kopec, and you are playing Meredith in How to Dance in Ohio on Broadway. It's opening night. Tell me how are you feeling tonight?

[15:23] Madison Kopec: Oh my, I'm so excited. I just have so many feelings.

[15:27] Joel Crump: Yeah, this is your Broadway debut. How does it feel to make your debut in this show?

[15:32] Madison Kopec: It's so special to be able to, you know, this cast has really become like family to me, and it's so nice to be making my Broadway debut alongside like all of my friends, and yeah.

[15:44] Joel Crump: Yeah. Tell me about the hashtag Spectrum Club 7 and actually autistic that you guys created.

[15:50] Madison Kopec: We created the Spectrum Club 7. That was for the seven of us, that's just what we call ourselves. So that we just talk, I don't know. I think we're I love it.

[16:00] Joel Crump: Yeah. It's so fun. Thank you. And it's the seven of you guys, which I love so much. I love how they created their own hashtag. It's just so empowering and uplifting.

[16:08] Joel Crump: My last interview is with Desmond Luis Edwards, who plays Remy in How to Dance in Ohio.

[16:13] Joel Crump: Hey you guys, we're at the opening night of How to Dance in Ohio. It's opening night. Tell me, how are you feeling tonight? You're making your Broadway debut.

[16:19] Desmond Luis Edwards: Oh my gosh, I'm speechless right now. Yeah, I'm so incredibly honored to be here and so very excited.

[16:24] Joel Crump: You're playing Remy in the show. How has it been playing Remy, creating Remy in this show?

[16:28] Desmond Luis Edwards: Oh my gosh. So Remy is an avid cosplayer. Um, he's actually right over there. Um, but it's the character is a mix of both the real life person that is Remy and myself as an actor. So it's just been incredible to like originate this role and have parts of myself embedded in this character.

[16:47] Joel Crump: I mean, I loved your cake during the Thanksgiving phrase. When you came out, I was like, yes, it's so perfect. It's so interesting how this show is a combination of the actors and the real life people and seeing them merge together and seeing them there together on opening night was just so special.

[17:01] Joel Crump: Well, that's it for this week's Weekly Dose of Joel. I cannot give away what's coming up soon, but you guys better get excited. Interviews with your favorite Broadway actors. Okay, I'll give you a little hint. We have some stuff from cast members from The Notebook coming up later this month, and a star from Back to the Future. But that's all I'm gonna say for now. You guys have to keep on tuning in, and we'll be having our first long interview. But thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of The Weekly Dose of Joel. Make sure to visit our website www.bewrightime.com so you can get all the information on Broadway Time and The Weekly Dose of Joel. See you next time.