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[0:00] Joel Crump: Hey you guys, welcome back to the Weekly Dose of Joel. I have been away for a little while now, but I'm back for the spring season, and back better than ever. This week we have a full Broadway rundown. We are talking about the latest theater news, what has been going on on Broadway, this week's box office grosses, and a Broadway history fact. Plus we have interviews with Bryce Pinkham from Chess, Crystal Lucas-Perry and Grey Henson from Bigfoot, and Whitney White, the director of Liberation. So without further ado, let's get onto this week's episode of the Weekly Dose of Joel.

[0:33] Joel Crump: Let's jump into this week's Broadway news. Big news for theater fans everywhere! The 79th Annual Tony Awards are officially set! Broadway's biggest night will return to Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7th, 2026. The ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS and stream on Paramount+, with nominations being announced on May 5th. So yes, award season is already creeping up on us, and I can't wait!

[0:59] Joel Crump: In cast recording news, Chess is answering all of our prayers! The show will be recording a Broadway cast album, which I am very excited about. Chess stars Lea Michele, Aaron Tvei, Nicholas Christopher, and Bryce Pinkham, who you'll be hearing from later in this episode. Listen you guys, I'm going to be totally honest, I am thrilled for this cast recording. I haven't stopped thinking about the score of Chess since I saw it on Broadway, and I cannot wait to add all of these songs to my playlist.

[1:27] Joel Crump: And over at Just In Time, the Bobby Darin bio-musical, Jeremy Jordan is stepping into the leading role later this spring, taking over for Jonathan Groff. Jeremy has been seen everywhere recently on Broadway from Floyd Collins to The Great Gatsby, and now he's taking his turn in Just In Time.

[1:44] Joel Crump: Now let's talk numbers! It's time for this week's grosses update! Broadway brought in $34.7 million last week, which is up slightly from the week before. Over 274,000 tickets were sold, and the season overall is still running ahead of last year, which is very great news. A big story at the box office right now is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. With Tom Felton making his Broadway debut as Draco Malfoy, the show topped the charts with $2.65 million last week.

[2:14] Joel Crump: Other members of the top group included Wicked, Mamma Mia, and Stranger Things The First Shadow, which is seeing a boost thanks to the final season of the Netflix series. One show that had a strong week was Manhattan Theatre Club's Bug, which saw a major increase after opening and continues to build momentum with great reviews. And for those keeping track, 16 shows made it to the $1 million club last week, and 21 shows played at least to 90% capacity, so houses are full and audiences are showing up!

[2:44] Joel Crump: Now for this week's Broadway History Moment! 38 years ago this week, The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway. It would go on to become the longest-running show in Broadway history, haunting the majestic theater for decades and becoming a global phenomenon, truly one of the most iconic musicals of all time. Speaking of mass and mystery, I am so excited because I am heading to see Masquerade this week. Masquerade is the Phantom of the Opera immersive experience, and I will be back very soon to let you guys know what I think.

[3:15] Joel Crump: Alright, let's get on to this week's interviews! First up, I caught up with Bryce Pinkham, who plays the Arbiter in Chess. We talked about stepping into this epic musical, the power of the score, and bringing this show back to Broadway, all at its opening night red carpet.

[3:31] Bryce Pinkham: We're here opening night, how are you feeling today?

[3:34] Bryce Pinkham: I feel crazy. You know, this is thrilling. We've been waiting, gosh, eight, nine years for our production, and then the show of Chess has been waiting 30 plus years to come back to Broadway, so it's kind of bittersweet now that it's actually happened, and we've done it. It sort of feels like exhaustion and elation all at once. And the audience response has just been so mesmerizing and has blown us all away. Even tonight, the night you saw it, I know, was just electric. And I'm telling you, this is not an advertisement for drugs, but there's no better drug in the world than an audience that is going wild for your jokes and for your songs. So we're all, for lack of a better word, we're all high. We're high on that response, and getting to hear this music every night, this is a pretty cool job to have, I feel.

[4:32] Bryce Pinkham: I want to preface, I've never been high before.

[4:34] Joel Crump: Yeah, good.

[4:35] Bryce Pinkham: But I felt high walking out of the Imperial Theater because the score was so electric, you all killed it. The joke, I mean the comedy, it's a Cold War musical. It's a Cold War musical, but it feels so right. What is it like implementing Danny Strong's new book into the show?

[4:52] Bryce Pinkham: The collaboration that I've had with Danny has been one of the most amazing partnerships I've had in my career. He's given me agency to invent in the rehearsal room, which you have to be a very courageous writer to do that. And once we found our working relationship, we really started to read each other's minds, and he would write a joke for me that I felt like I needed a joke in this spot, and he would write one for me, and I would ad-lib a joke in a spot where I felt like it needed it, and suddenly we'd be off to the races. So I feel like it's one of the most collaborative experiences I've had on a Broadway musical, and I think the best collaborators will also tell you when it's too much, and once you trust them and they trust you, you can do the best for the piece because no one is more important than the success of Chess. And Danny, I hope many will say that he's responsible for making Chess work, and I'm proud to have been a small part of that.

[5:59] Bryce Pinkham: Out of all the chess pieces, which chess piece do you think you are personally?

[6:02] Bryce Pinkham: The horse. I mean, there's no question. I want to be able to jump over stuff.

[6:07] Joel Crump: That's what I said, too.

[6:09] Bryce Pinkham: I mean, I know it's at night, but I call it the horse because when my daughter and I play chess, that's her favorite piece because she's like, Daddy, the horse is going to jump over the fence. And also, what an unexpected move. I was saying to my family when I was thinking of the question, you make an unexpected move, you jump over people. It doesn't get better than that. And every time you move the knight, too, you have to think about it. You're like, wait, what is it? One and oh, yeah, what is it? And there's so many different variations to use in line from the show that I love for the knights, the horse, I mean.

[6:39] Joel Crump: Yeah, absolutely.

[6:40] Joel Crump: Next, I spoke with Whitney White at the opening night of Liberation. Whitney is the director of Liberation, and we got into her vision for the show, what makes this peaceful, urgent right now, and how she approaches building a world from the ground up as a director.

[6:54] Joel Crump: Hey, you guys. We're here at the opening night of Liberation on Broadway. I'm here with Whitney White, the director, another show on Broadway.

[7:01] Whitney White: Oh, my gosh, number three. I cannot believe it.

[7:04] Joel Crump: Yes. How are you feeling tonight opening up Liberation, this powerful play?

[7:09] Whitney White: I'm trying to pinch myself every moment, every conversation, because this was an off-Broadway transfer and we've gotten to keep the original cast. We have all of our original designers. This never, ever happens. It's like lightning in a bottle. So you want to wake up and smell the roses a little bit. I'm just trying to take it all in.

[7:25] Joel Crump: Absolutely. Now, the last time we talked about Liberation was the off-Broadway press day.

[7:29] Whitney White: Oh, my gosh.

[7:30] Joel Crump: Can you believe all this time later, the show was marinated with, I'm sure, you and Bess and this cast. What was it like re-approaching Liberation this time?

[7:38] Whitney White: I think we approached it a lot more unapologetically. You know, we ripped the band-aid off. These are issues we want to be talking about, and we want to make the audience feel something. I think that we were just a lot more tenacious about it. The lights are bolder. The sound is more trippy and transports you now. The actors are hitting it harder, and they know a lot more about it. The play may not have changed that much, but the world has. So I think this is the louder, unapologetic version of it.

[8:06] Joel Crump: Yeah. As a director, how did you leave your mark onto Liberation? How did you bring the Whitney White approach, if there is one, to this show?

[8:13] Whitney White: Uh-oh. Is there a Whitney White approach? I think the only thing I try to do is make an atmosphere where people can show up and be their best. If people can give you as much as possible, then the work will always be better. So that's what I try to do, is facilitate a room for the designers, for the crew, for my stage management team and all the actors that allow them to be their best selves.

[8:35] Joel Crump: Yeah. Now, you inspire me for so many reasons, but especially because you're a mom.

[8:38] Whitney White: Uh-oh.

[8:39] Joel Crump: We don't see enough mothers working in this space. What is it like being a mom on Broadway and then talking to someone like, you know, the different people in the cast, Betsy, for example, who are also mothers, and bringing that character to life on stage?

[8:51] Whitney White: I have to say, this is the first production in which I've worked with as many moms as we have. I've never worked with as many moms on Broadway, I'll say that. And it's been wonderful. You know, we're organized, we're mothers, we are on time, okay? You want someone to run your tech well, get some moms to do it.

[9:06] Joel Crump: Yeah.

[9:07] Whitney White: But it's been great. It's like, I have a lot of support at home. I'm very grateful for my husband, my mother, my mother-in-law, my whole family. But being in this room is very special because we know the obstacles we all face, and yet we get to come into the space and shed that and just do our best, be our best selves.

[9:20] Joel Crump: I love it. Thank you so much, Whitney.

[9:22] Joel Crump: And from the press day of Bigfoot, I chatted with Gray Henson and Crystal Lucas-Perry. We talked about bringing this new and very unique story to life, what audiences can expect, and where they think Bigfoot might be lurking.

[9:27] Joel Crump: Hey, you guys, we're at the press day for Bigfoot! Exhibition mark, a new musical. What has it been like gearing up for this show to begin?

[9:43] Gray Henson: Oh, I mean, creating a new musical is always like daunting and overwhelming, for sure, because it's just, especially when it's based on absolutely nothing other than the myth of something like Bigfoot. But it's been such a joy. It's a 90-minute show. It's a new musical off-Broadway. The group is unbelievable. And yeah, it's written by some of the funniest people I think I've ever worked with. So it's a joy.

[10:08] Crystal Lucas-Perry: And then we get to be in a room with incredible, incredible people, incredible human beings who literally, like, their first name is comedy. And so we are just having such a blast. It's such a warm room. It's such a treat to be able to collaborate in a space that is both equally curious but also just incredibly collaborative, yeah.

[10:28] Joel Crump: In a nutshell, what is Bigfoot about?

[10:31] Gray Henson: Well...

[10:32] Gray Henson: It's about a misunderstood creature, right? I mean, I don't want to really give anything away, but I guess our logo sort of gives it away. Bigfoot, surprisingly, has a really big heart. And so I think that the thing that I think that the show ultimately is about is about being misunderstood and then sort of learning that, I don't know, I don't really know the crux of it.

[11:00] Crystal Lucas-Perry: Yeah, I mean, I think you set it up really well. It's a chance for people to kind of step into the reality of what they fear and what they want to know. And I feel like being in a space like The Woods or being in a space where there's so much possibility and there's so much myth and so much mystery, finding out that what you thought might not be what is true. And so I think it's an opportunity for minds to be changed, hearts to be opened, and love to take over.

[11:32] Gray Henson: I love it. It's a show about community. It's about people coming together and about sort of being afraid of what you don't know, right? That's a scary thing for a lot of these people, but ultimately we're all the same. It's about humanity, yeah.

[11:48] Crystal Lucas-Perry: Being true to yourself.

[11:49] Joel Crump: I love it. Now, in your own hometowns, have you seen traces of Bigfoot? Like, do you think Bigfoot is where you're from?

[11:55] Gray Henson: Yeah, I've seen Bigfoot.

[11:57] Crystal Lucas-Perry: Okay.

[11:58] Gray Henson: Yeah, I saw Bigfoot in my house. Somebody came and just like destroyed my room. There were claws everywhere. Things were not put away. Things were very disorganized. So I'm pretty sure Bigfoot—

[12:10] Crystal Lucas-Perry: So that's crazy.

[12:11] Gray Henson: That wasn't me. It was definitely Bigfoot.

[12:12] Joel Crump: Do you have photographic evidence?

[12:14] Gray Henson: No. He was gone before I, you know, and then I had to clean up my room.

[12:20] Crystal Lucas-Perry: I have never seen Bigfoot, but like I am from Georgia, and like I know in the mountains he's a big, like in North Georgia I think he's like, because you can go to some little stores where there's Bigfoot merch everywhere, but the lore of Bigfoot I think does live in sort of the Appalachian Mountains, right?

[12:37] Gray Henson: Yeah, yeah.

[12:38] Crystal Lucas-Perry: But no, I've never seen him personally, but I'm attracted to a tall man with hair, so if Bigfoot's around, I'm down.

[12:44] Gray Henson: He's out there.

[12:48] Crystal Lucas-Perry: I'm available.

[12:49] Joel Crump: My last question for you is, if Bigfoot was in New York, in any of the boroughs, where do you think Bigfoot's hiding in New York?

[12:54] Gray Henson: Oh gosh.

[12:56] Gray Henson: In the subway.

[12:57] Crystal Lucas-Perry: Definitely.

[12:58] Gray Henson: Oh, like those mole people in the subway.

[13:00] Crystal Lucas-Perry: Yes.

[13:01] Gray Henson: Yeah, he's probably hanging—

[13:02] Joel Crump: Which line do you think?

[13:03] Gray Henson: The G.

[13:04] Crystal Lucas-Perry: Oh.

[13:05] Joel Crump: Oh, what's wrong with the G?

[13:07] Gray Henson: I don't know.

[13:08] Gray Henson: It just feels right?

[13:10] Crystal Lucas-Perry: It feels—I just—

[13:11] Gray Henson: You know what I thought? I thought the J, because I don't really enjoy the J very much.

[13:13] Crystal Lucas-Perry: Okay.

[13:14] Gray Henson: Yeah, he's probably—he maybe just hops around all the lines, but underground.

[13:18] Crystal Lucas-Perry: Underground.

[13:19] Gray Henson: Yeah, that's—

[13:20] Crystal Lucas-Perry: Definitely.

[13:21] Gray Henson: Yeah, so he's all across all boroughs.

[13:22] Crystal Lucas-Perry: Oh, yeah.

[13:23] Gray Henson: He's in all of them.

[13:24] Crystal Lucas-Perry: Yeah.

[13:25] Joel Crump: Alright, everybody. Thank you so much for listening to this week's Weekly Dose of Joel. Like I said, I'm back for the spring season, and I'm so excited for all the different shows that we'll be opening and bringing you along the journey. That is your Weekly Dose of Joel.