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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 15. I don't know about you, but I'm getting very excited for all the shows coming up this season. Today I'm chatting with Ryan Vasquez and Joy Woods, who are starring in The Notebook on Broadway. I'm also chatting with James T. Lane, who's playing MC in After Midnight at Paperville Playhouse. Today I'm also sharing some Broadway buzz, Broadway history, and doing a Broadway Behind the Curtain. This is an episode not to miss, and week by week I'll be sharing the shows I'm most excited for. And I'm starting with The Notebook. So without further ado, let's get on to this week's episode of The Weekly Dose of Joel.

[0:40] Joel Crump: Broadway Buzz. How to Dance in Ohio has unfortunately announced it will be closing on Broadway. The show's final performance will be on February 11th. The new neurodivergent coming-of-age musical opened at the Belasco Theater in December. And at the time of closing, the musical will have played 27 previews and 72 regular performances. I'm so sad the show is closing. I feel like it is such an important story, and I wish more audiences would be available to see it. But you still have time to go see this incredible show. So make sure you guys head to the Belasco Theater to see How to Dance in Ohio while you still can.

[1:15] Joel Crump: The Broadway-bound National Tour of The Wiz will ease on down the road after coming to Broadway. A second leg for the tour has been revealed to begin performances in February 2025. The only city to be announced so far is Dallas, Texas, where the production will play September 9th through the 21st, 2025. But additional cities will be announced. Y'all know I'm very excited for The Wiz to come to Broadway, and I cannot believe it will be shared on tour on Broadway in New York, everywhere. And this cast, y'all. This cast is fantastic. And now I'm just gonna say it, okay? I'm just gonna say it. I will probably be at the Marquee Theater seeing The Wiz at least twice a month. Cause y'all know. Y'all know this show's gonna be fantastic, and I love seeing Black excellence on stage, and that is The Wiz.

[2:01] Joel Crump: Disney Theatrical Group has announced that a reimagined production of Beauty and the Beast will embark on a North American tour in June 2025. The tour will hold technical rehearsals and begin performances at Proctish Theater in June 2025, before an official opening at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theater in July. In August, the tour will stop at Minneapolis's Orpheum Theater. Casting and a full itinerary for the two-year route will be announced at a later date. A spokesperson from Disney says there's no current Broadway plans for this new production, but I heard a little rumor that after the tour, it's headed straight to Broadway. But listen, I'm so excited for Disney Theatrical Group to be bringing more theater magic, and I feel like it's the perfect time to revive Beauty and the Beast.

[2:45] Joel Crump: There's going to be an industry presentation of a new musical, The Lost Boys, February 23rd. The cast will be led by Casey Levy as Lucy Emerson, Nathy Levi as Sam Emerson, and Lorna Courtney as Star. Tony Award winner Michael Arden is directing The Lost Boys, a new musical, which has a book by David Hornsby and Chris Hawk, and musical lyrics by The Rescues. Guys, this cast and its creative team are both just fantastic. And I'm excited for this new musical to come to the theater world. I mean they're having their presentation now, but I'm sure they will try to go, you know, regional and then to Broadway. So this will all be very exciting.

[3:24] Joel Crump: Now for some Broadway history. For this week's Broadway history, I'm gonna let you guess what it is before I talk about it. So here's a little hum to give you a clue. Bummm Bum Bonan Bonno no no no. Do you love Broadway and you're a theater fan? You know that is The Phantom of the Opera. 35 years ago on January 26th, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway at the Marquee Theater. Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, which I had the honor of interviewing, starred in the lavish musical. The production ran for 34 years and closed just last year. It holds the record for longest running show in Broadway history. And you guys, I was able to see The Phantom of the Opera on its last performance, and it was a performance to never forget, literally. It blew my mind to be in the audience, to be in that room, to be with all the Phantom alumni and all the big Phantom celebrity fans. It was the best thing ever.

[4:23] Joel Crump: And we all know Phantom's coming back to the city. Andrew Lloyd Webber said it himself on the Jimmy Fallon show that Phantom is not done with the city. So I can't wait till we get Phantom of the Opera back in New York. Now it's time for Broadway Behind the Curtain. For this week's Broadway Behind the Curtain, I'm talking about none other than Schele Williams, the director of The Wiz and co-director of The Notebook, both premiering on Broadway this season. She made her Broadway debut in Aida back in the year 2000 and is now making her Broadway directing debut for two of the most exciting shows of the season. Passionate about pairing social justice with the arts, Schele is a founding member of the Black Theater United crew.

Schele is the author of children's book Your Legacy, a bold reclaiming of our enslaved history, and is about to release another book, Your Legacy Begins, First Words to Empower. She's a fantastic example of Black history and is bringing theater magic to Broadway this season.

[5:23] Joel Crump: Schele inspires me because she is a true multi-hyphenate. She started her career as a performer and is now directing two Broadway shows in one season. She's paving the way for so many Black theater makers, and not to mention she makes such magical theater. Thank you, Schele, for your contributions to the Broadway community. Now I'm going to be talking about one of the shows I'm excited to see this season. And since I've been talking about The Notebook so much, and we're about to hear from Ryan Vasquez and Joy Woods, I think it's evident for me to talk about The Notebook. This story is being told like never seen before, and it's being directed by Schele Williams and Michael Grife. Music and lyrics are by Ingrid Michaelson, who is known for her pop career, and her score is fantastic.

I am very excited to see the transformations on stage and to see how the different Allie's and the different Noah's interact with each other. I know this show is going to be a hit, and I'm telling you now, get your tickets while you can, because I have a feeling it's going to sell out.

[6:32] Joel Crump: I had the opportunity to speak with the cast members of The Notebook at the Notebook Press Day this week. And this week I'm going to be sharing my conversation with Ryan Vasquez and Joy Woods, who play middle Noah and Allie. So here's my conversation with them. Hey you guys, I'm here with Joy Woods and Ryan Vasquez, and you guys are going to be in The Notebook on Broadway. Tell me how does it feel to bring this show to Broadway?

[6:55] Joy Woods: Oh my goodness, I'm so excited. It's been a year since we got to do this out of town, so we've been waiting in anticipation for a long time. And now that we're finally here, it's like a huge exhale.

[7:09] Ryan Vasquez: Yes. Yeah, I've been working on the show a while, so it's been really nice to see all the stages of development and everything, and to reach this point is just surreal truly.

[7:18] Joel Crump: We all know the characters from the film and the novel, but I want to know how you guys are making these characters your own for Broadway.

[7:25] Joy Woods: Well, I think what's really special about the show is that we're playing it three different ages and three different sets of couples, and they're all on stage at the same time, and timelines are interweaving through each other.

[7:38] Joy Woods: Um, it's really special to get to learn about the character from the other people that are playing it.

[7:43] Ryan Vasquez: Yeah.

[7:44] Joy Woods: And since we're all different backgrounds and different ages, um, being able to have that sort of freedom to be yourself is another huge exhale.

[8:00] Ryan Vasquez: Yeah, I love it.

[8:01] Joy Woods: Yeah, it's beautiful because these roles are played by multiple people, so we're able to both create as a group one cohesive person as well as sort of balance our own individuality in there in the time of your life that we're checking in on these people, which I think is a rare opportunity to be able to sort of collaborate with other actors to create one person as well as bring your individuality and have that sort of color it as well. So it's been neat.

[8:25] Ryan Vasquez: It's truly a study in humanity.

[8:27] Joel Crump: Yeah. Tell me, what is it like performing this beautiful Ingrid Michelson score? I mean, this is her first time writing music for Broadway. What has that been like for you guys?

[8:34] Joy Woods: It's her first time, and she killed it. The music is so, so good. It feels so good to do and to listen to the others sing this music. You're going to lose your mind.

[8:45] Ryan Vasquez: Yeah. She is so talented. I feel so lucky to be a part of this with her.

[8:49] Joy Woods: Yeah. And it really, I think, creates and is working toward making musical theater more accessible in terms of the style of music. We're seeing now a lot of these pop artists write for musicals but write original shows. And so I think as Broadway sort of has this surge in the 21st century in terms of mainstream popularity, uh, that's a huge part of it. And so I'm hoping that this is, uh, you know, luring more folks who have the interest to, you know, write original materials.

[9:19] Joel Crump: What can audiences see in this production that they didn't see in the novel or in the film?

[9:26] Ryan Vasquez: You wanna start?

[9:27] Joy Woods: Music.

[9:29] Ryan Vasquez: Right.

[9:29] Joy Woods: It's a musical, right?

[9:30] Ryan Vasquez: Yes.

[9:31] Joy Woods: True. I think also, uh, you know, we really are creating like our own entity. It's less of an adaptation in terms of, uh, creating exactly what we did or what the folks did in the movie or the book. We're obviously it's played by three different people at three different ages, folks are looking differently, bringing different personal experiences, representing different groups, and so the time period is different.

[9:52] Ryan Vasquez: Yeah, there's a universality to it, I think that when I watched the movie, I remember thinking, oh, those two people are going through this thing. And I think when you watch our show, there's a feeling of I've been through something like that.

[10:04] Joy Woods: Yeah.

[10:05] Joel Crump: And the last thing I want to know is how are you guys introduced to The Notebook?

[10:09] Joy Woods: How was I introduced to The Notebook?

[10:11] Ryan Vasquez: Yeah.

[10:11] Joy Woods: It was a movie that was too steamy for me when I was growing up, so I wasn't allowed to watch it. And then when I got older and the show and all of this was brought onto my radar, I sat down and watched it and my eyes almost fell out of my face from crying.

[10:27] Ryan Vasquez: Yeah.

[10:28] Joy Woods: So yeah, that was my introduction.

[10:30] Ryan Vasquez: I'm gonna date myself, but I saw it in theaters.

[10:30] Joy Woods: I saw it in the book in theaters. I was a kid, but I, uh, I remember loving it and also just sort of, uh, not being able to process a lot of what was going on. I'm like, wow, they seem to be going through a lot.

[10:47] Ryan Vasquez: Yeah, yes, exactly.

[10:47] Joy Woods: Yeah, so yes, better to revisit now for sure.

[10:50] Joel Crump: Yeah. Thank you guys so much. Aren't they both just fantastic? I'm thrilled to see them in this show, and their chemistry was beaming throughout the room. Everywhere I turned, I saw them together, having fun, laughing, and I think they're going to be playing the perfect Allie and Noah. Now I'm going to be sharing my interview with Triple Threat, James T. Lane, who was playing MC in After Midnight at Paper Mill Playhouse. I had the honor to see James perform a little bit of what's going to be in the show, and it was absolutely fantastic. He sings, he dances, he acts, he does it all. And we talk a little bit about Harlem, which is where After Midnight takes place and what this show is truly about. And I'm telling you right now, it is going to be a good time. So here's my chat with James T. Lane.

[11:30] James T. Lane: Hey you guys, I'm here, James T. Lane, and you're playing MC in After Midnight.

[11:35] Joel Crump: You are the host of the show. Tell me, what has it been like creating this show so far?

[11:38] James T. Lane: Oh my goodness, Harlem, it's black.

[11:41] Joel Crump: Right, right?

[11:41] James T. Lane: You know, um, we're having such a good time, you know, and I love a space or I love a creation process where they give you the structure and they're just like blossom, bloom, fly. These ten or nine other folks that are on that stage were having so much fun and this material.

[11:57] Joel Crump: Yeah.

[11:57] James T. Lane: It's the classics. It's Harlem. I love it.

[12:01] Joel Crump: And we were able to see you perform. He killed it, you guys. Can't wait, you guys see the footage. But you are a true triple threat.

[12:07] James T. Lane: I mean, you had your show Triple Threat.

[12:09] Joel Crump: That's right. But what is it like being triple threat in this show and this After Midnight show?

[12:13] James T. Lane: Well, you know, it's so interesting. Dom and Jen really talk about, you know, it's you get up there and you do your thing, but it's like, but really think 1920s, 1930s. So it's an opportunity to educate yourself in the styles and times of the day, and in the language and the vocabulary of that time because we just do things differently now. So it's like back to the drawing board of what a triple threat is. And I'm thinking of people like Maurice Hines and Greg Burg and Gregory Hines, like all of those like old school folks that I thought I was coming to Broadway to be a part of, but you know, Broadway has changed, you know. But like After Midnight is back to that old style Broadway, and Dom and Jen are doing that for us, and it's great.

[12:54] Joel Crump: Yeah, and performing this music, this Duke Ellington, this jazz music that brings you back to Harlem. What is that like and be able to have your moments in this show?

[13:01] James T. Lane: Oh, it feels good. It feels like it's written for me. It's written for my soul.

[13:05] Joel Crump: Yeah, you know, it is written for this black skin that I'm in.

[13:07] James T. Lane: Yeah, you know, and so I there is room. It's I had the same experience when I did Ain't Too Proud.

[13:13] Joel Crump: Yeah.

[13:14] James T. Lane: That music is me inside. So this music is like, I don't have to go very far to feel it. It is of me. This is what I'm made of. And those opportunities are few and far between. We need more of those opportunities.

[13:27] Joel Crump: Exactly, especially on Broadway. The last thing I want to know is what is one of your favorite moments being in Harlem in real life?

[13:33] James T. Lane: Oh goodness. Well, I what you know, it's as an actor, 125th Street is a character study.

[13:40] Joel Crump: Yeah.

[13:40] James T. Lane: You have all types of people. All and that it you get to just kind of absorb what that culture is, what culture is there, and it feels good to do that.

[13:52] Joel Crump: Yeah, well, thank you so much, James. It's a pleasure to see you. After that interview, I want to go down in Harlem and feel the music, feel the jazz, eat the yummy food. Because let me tell you, my favorite thing about Harlem is the food. And you can never go wrong with Mailbus. Mailbus is the bomb.com. After Midnight's gonna be very exciting at Paper Mill Playhouse, and you guys need to get your tickets right now to see this show. And it's a cast of 10, but they are all beaming. They are all so talented. And it's gonna be a show not to miss. That's it for this week's episode of The Weekly Dose of Joel. What a fun episode. The Notebook is coming to Broadway, and you can go see After Midnight at Paper Mill Playhouse.

Both shows are going to be thrilling and exciting and everything you wanted more. But next week, I'm gonna be having more Broadway magic, more Broadway fun, more Broadway everything. Because this podcast is what? Everything theater and more. I'm having so much fun every week. And let me just tell you now, guys, you guys better get ready because as the weeks keep on coming, we're getting closer to all these new shows opening, and we're gonna have so, so, so, so, so much to talk about. But I'll see you next time for another episode of The Weekly Dose of Joel.