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[0:00] Matt Wilkas: Hey you guys, today I'm here with Lakisha May and that book is here for another episode of Broadway Time at Carmine's.

[0:10] Joel Crump: What has it been like doing Ginger Twinsies here on Broadway, New York?

[0:15] Lakisha May: It's been a dream, honestly. I mean, we get to be so foolish and stupid and we get paid for it. And I love everyone involved.

[0:22] Matt Wilkas: Lakisha, I love you, by the way.

[0:25] Lakisha May: I love you too, Matt.

[0:26] Matt Wilkas: No, it's been great. Ditto with everything, uh everything that Matt just said. I think also it's just beautiful to bring laughter to everyone right now.

[0:35] Lakisha May: And everyone's so talented. Like I'm listening to my cast members over the monitor, like, oh my gosh, like just silly, ridiculous.

[0:42] Matt Wilkas: I'm often off stage watching things happen in the wings and like laughing. Laughing still to this day. I'm still laughing at what's happening.

[0:49] Joel Crump: Well, when you guys first heard the words "parent trap parody," what popped into your head and how similar is that to Ginger Twinsies?

[0:58] Lakisha May: Okay. Um, I would say m initially I was like, well, this is rich for a parody because the circumstance of the movie is so ridiculous, you know, parents splitting their twin daughters apart and moving them to different continents as if that that's okay and not letting them know.

[1:19] Matt Wilkas: When you say it like that, it's like, oh yeah, yeah.

[1:21] Lakisha May: Yeah, yeah. So and what was the second part to the question?

[1:23] Joel Crump: And how much of what you thought it was going to be, is it?

[1:27] Lakisha May: Oh, okay. Well, I mean, I've known Kevin Zach, who is the writer and director for a while now, and I was pretty confident it was going to be as stupid and sorry to say disgusting as it turned out to be.

[1:41] Matt Wilkas: In the best way possible, yeah. So, um, I wasn't too surprised, although I well there were surprises. There are still little surprises for sure to me.

[1:48] Lakisha May: Oh man, you know, I didn't know Kevin before this. Um, I didn't think it was gonna be what it is right now. I don't think I had any expectations. I love the parent trap growing up. I watched, of course, the 90s version, uh, Lindsay Lohan, and I was just excited when I read my sides to do that like Devil Wears Prada monologue.

[2:12] Matt Wilkas: Oh, thank you.

[2:15] Lakisha May: Um, and to also like just play with this cast that he's assembled. Uh like I said, just brilliant, phenomenal performers. So I didn't really have any expectations, and yeah, I didn't know what to expect.

[2:28] Matt Wilkas: Yeah. It blows my mind every night. With a show like Ginger Twinsies, I have to imagine that some things could go wrong sometimes.

[2:34] Lakisha May: Oh, yeah. Talk to me about the most wild or ridiculous things that have happened on stage in Ginger Twinsies.

[2:42] Matt Wilkas: Oh, I there is this one moment, I don't like breaking. I don't like laughing on stage something that's happened. But um there is this one moment that I and Russell, who plays one of the Ginger Twinsies, we both have a hard time not laughing because Grace Ryder, who plays Chessy in the show, does something, and I don't want to spoil it, but she does something so ridiculous, and it's physical comedy and it involves her breasts.

[3:09] Lakisha May: Um and it is so alarmingly funny, and we sometimes can't hold it together. And Grace also. So it's like three of us kind of just trying to get through the scene without fully breaking, but it's hard.

[3:22] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, you look at it. Yeah, for me, uh one time I tripped on stage, which can happen in any play, but I think what made it unique to Ginger Twinsies is that my fellow cast member thought I was just making a choice.

[3:34] Lakisha May: Like I was just deciding to like follow.

[3:37] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, like I opened the door and I don't even know how it happened, but I'm wearing high heels. It's actually in the um Stafford Hotel section.

[3:44] Lakisha May: Which would make some sense.

[3:46] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, exactly. It actually makes sense for the character at that moment. But I tripped over my feet, and right as the lights were coming up. So like I tried to play it off and like looked at the audience.

[3:58] Lakisha May: Um but yeah, and then everything from sugar in my nose, which is also very fun and crazy and wild, and I'm like trying to like snort it out before I go on stage. It's just ridiculous.

[4:13] Joel Crump: So Matt, you've done comedy and drama, all these different things before. Um film and screen and stage. What is different for you about doing Ginger Twinsies on stage? What's different about that type of comedy that you guys are doing for this show?

[4:26] Matt Wilkas: Um, I think it's just that kind of anything goes in Ginger Twinsies, it feels like it feels like you really like can throw like spaghetti at the wall and like see if it sticks, and the process has was like Kevin was just so open to us trying truly anything, and then he also on top of that was like so uh um he he he was not attached to anything, so like he was willing to cut and get rid of things that just didn't work constantly.

[4:57] Lakisha May: So, like we started off with a certain script that just kept getting pared down until we were able to make it 80 minutes, and also there's like play within the script, you know. We aren't there is like a bit of improv and then also night to night, our performances shift, I think not drastically, but like we are able to play within performance as well in a way that's really really fun.

[5:19] Joel Crump: For sure. Absolutely. Lakisha, for you.

[5:20] Lakisha May: Well I think is so special is that first off, you say booked and blessed all the time.

[5:27] Matt Wilkas: Well, thanks for watching.

[5:27] Lakisha May: I mean, the last time we were talking about Wine in the Wilderness, that's alright. A complete 180 from Ginger Twinsies.

[5:36] Matt Wilkas: I also saw you, I got to see you in Dodge's Advocate hair braiding. And you also do producing. I mean, to bounce between these different works like that, and in the speed that you do it, what is that like? And what is that transition specifically from Wine in the Wilderness to Ginger Twinsies than like?

[5:52] Lakisha May: Yeah, so it's such a beautiful like exercise, and I'm able to like stretch my actor muscles. It feels like I'm in grad school again where I can clown around maybe during the day and then at night do this like intense drama.

[6:05] Matt Wilkas: Um so that feels really good. And it's just fun. Like Matt said, we're up there acting a fool. It's in the attempt. Like, you know what I mean? Like we sometimes, like with um Wine in the Wilderness, there was some comedy in that, of course. But with this, we are just really clowning on stage.

[6:27] Lakisha May: And that's there's so much freedom in that as an actor to be able to do that. It's really freeing. Um, if I'm honest, I can be a little self-conscious about certain things too, because it is so different. It's like, well, what is my metric? Like, what in this leg, it doesn't matter. Girl, just go out there and maybe you might fall and land flat on your face, yeah, and you keep going and you make like a silly face, and you're like, okay, I guess I did that, and then keep it moving. It's actually such a gift.

[6:55] Matt Wilkas: And so to come full circle, booked and blessed, you know, has a certain meaning to it, but it's a it is a blessing to be able to stretch in this way and to show a little bit of the range that I have, you know what I mean?

[7:07] Lakisha May: Absolutely.

[7:07] Matt Wilkas: Yeah. I think Ginger Twinsies has to be one of the most unhinged theater pieces I've ever seen in my life.

[7:12] Lakisha May: Thank you.

[7:13] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, right. That's what made it so special and so enjoyable is that it's not like any theater I've seen before. What was it like for you guys creating that in the rehearsal room, then through tech, then to actually doing the shows each night? How did that become what it is?

[7:25] Lakisha May: The audience, I think it had everything to do with the audience ultimately, like because we were making ourselves laugh in rehearsal, but um we did not know what it was, really.

[7:38] Matt Wilkas: Absolutely. And the and I remember like our invited dress, our it was like insane. Like the they it was like being at a rock concert. I we couldn't we extended the show by like seven minutes because the laughter was so excessive.

[7:55] Lakisha May: Right. And that's like kind of what it is for the most part. I I mean we've had maybe like three like slightly quieter audiences, but for the most part, they are raucous, and um, and so it's like a real conversation.

[8:10] Matt Wilkas: I feel like we are constantly in conversation with the audience in a way that like you don't feel when you're in a drama, like you don't quite you can feel energy or vibe with audience, but you with a comedy you can like hear it. It's a real like exchange of energy.

[8:29] Lakisha May: So like these folks, they're anticipating what's about to come, yeah, and like losing their minds before that was what that first audience was like.

[8:37] Matt Wilkas: It was like before we had a chance to say a line, people were like, relax.

[8:44] Lakisha May: Let us tell the story.

[8:45] Matt Wilkas: Right, let us just say it alive.

[8:47] Lakisha May: And so, um, yeah, I don't remember the rest of your question, but no, totally, totally.

[8:52] Joel Crump: So, have there been any funny audience interaction moments with the audience just being so into it? What like or what have been the funniest, you know reactions you've seen to the audiences from the show?

[9:03] Matt Wilkas: We have a super fan who like comes um and they are um they're constant.

[9:11] Lakisha May: Um they're constantly there, and like that I think that there's something kind of awesome about that.

[9:15] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, totally.

[9:16] Lakisha May: Yeah.

[9:17] Matt Wilkas: What else?

[9:17] Lakisha May: Oh, sometimes people dress up um with red wigs.

[9:21] Matt Wilkas: It's like gotten to that level, which is kind of cute.

[9:23] Lakisha May: And I mean like red, not like ginger, like we should have.

[9:28] Matt Wilkas: So where is the no, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[9:30] Lakisha May: It's um sh we should have had Bob Red Bob.

[9:35] Matt Wilkas: There's a wig store on 47 to run down and grab the book.

[9:37] Lakisha May: Yeah, let's go back.

[9:39] Matt Wilkas: Totally, totally.

[9:40] Lakisha May: But yeah, the audience the audiences have to be loving it because that's how I thought seeing it.

[9:43] Matt Wilkas: Oh, yeah.

[9:44] Lakisha May: So enhanced and such a great time.

[9:46] Matt Wilkas: You know?

[9:46] Lakisha May: Yeah, yeah.

[9:47] Joel Crump: Well this is staring at us, so let's dig back in.

[9:49] Lakisha May: Okay.

[9:52] Joel Crump: So for you both, what has made Ginger Twinsies so special? What about doing this show is special for you?

[9:59] Matt Wilkas: Um, I always like not to be like woo-woo, but I used to do this kind of like manifesting, like journal thing, and I used to write down things that like I wanted to have.

[10:08] Lakisha May: Um and like one of the things I wrote down, I remember the past year was I wanted to do a show where I got to like surprise myself every night and um experience like real joy and like creatively surprising myself.

[10:23] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, um, and being like, wow, I did that, or like I can't believe I did that.

[10:27] Lakisha May: That came out of me.

[10:28] Matt Wilkas: And I feel like this show actually um provides that for me um beautifully, and it makes me really really happy and I um just I have a lot of fun.

[10:38] Lakisha May: That's that's the bottom line.

[10:39] Matt Wilkas: I have a lot of fun and I surprise myself.

[10:41] Lakisha May: Absolutely.

[10:42] Matt Wilkas: Along the same lines, I actually journal every morning something that I was able to maintain since the pandemic, which was like something good that came out of the pandemic.

[10:52] Lakisha May: But in my journal, I would say, like constantly.

[10:56] Matt Wilkas: I wanna be in a musical type of play or a play that's like a spectacle, but I don't sing.

[11:01] Lakisha May: So I was like, okay, girl, how's that gonna happen?

[11:03] Matt Wilkas: Like what are you talking about?

[11:05] Lakisha May: Right.

[11:05] Matt Wilkas: I can move a little, and so I was like, you know, I can dance and I can anyway.

[11:09] Lakisha May: But this kind of came um and filled that desire and and that want, and it surprised me as well.

[11:18] Matt Wilkas: And the other beautiful thing is I can't say it enough, like listening and watching my cast members.

[11:24] Lakisha May: I have realized through this process how much joy I get from watching good actors or just actors in general, but definitely when they're so talented, it's just like I'm backstage, like, oh my god, I can't believe they said it that way.

[11:38] Matt Wilkas: Oh, look at that.

[11:40] Lakisha May: Oh, that screen went longer this time.

[11:42] Matt Wilkas: And I'm just like so excited, and I'm like, what is Grace doing?

[11:45] Lakisha May: I hear them losing their minds on stage, like maybe I can sneak and see it.

[11:49] Matt Wilkas: You have to see what she's doing.

[11:50] Lakisha May: I know.

[11:51] Matt Wilkas: The thing is, I have to enter on the other side, so I have to like um be on stage right and like peek for a second and make sure I'm there early enough to run around for my entrance to you know, enter clapping when her moment comes, um, when we all enter the stage.

[12:07] Lakisha May: But um, yeah, it's just been a joy and a blessing to like be a part of something that's also like you said, you've never experienced anything like this.

[12:16] Matt Wilkas: No.

[12:16] Lakisha May: I haven't either.

[12:17] Matt Wilkas: Yeah.

[12:18] Lakisha May: And so to be a part of something that I feel like it's making history, you know, within the New York stage uh scene, and so I'm grateful deeply.

[12:26] Matt Wilkas: Absolutely.

[12:27] Lakisha May: Yes.

[12:27] Joel Crump: So now we're gonna play Broadway time quick round.

[12:29] Matt Wilkas: Okay.

[12:30] Joel Crump: Just some rapid fire questions for you both. Are you guys ready?

[12:32] Lakisha May: Ready.

[12:32] Matt Wilkas: Let's do it.

[12:33] Joel Crump: Favorite Broadway show.

[12:34] Lakisha May: Sunday in the Park with George.

[12:36] Matt Wilkas: Uh Jaja's African Hair Braiding.

[12:38] Joel Crump: Dream Role.

[12:39] Lakisha May: Mrs. Lovett.

[12:40] Matt Wilkas: I love that.

[12:43] Lakisha May: I love that.

[12:43] Matt Wilkas: Lady M.

[12:45] Joel Crump: Uh funniest moment on stage.

[12:46] Lakisha May: Yeah.

[12:47] Matt Wilkas: Uh oh, the I've seen or the or or that you've been a part of.

[12:50] Lakisha May: Okay.

[12:51] Matt Wilkas: Well, the first thing that came to mind was uh in Peter and Starcatcher, Christian Borle when he gets his hand cut off as Black Stache is very, very funny.

[12:58] Lakisha May: It was was very funny.

[12:59] Matt Wilkas: Yeah.

[13:00] Lakisha May: Um listening to Russell in my show as a Ginger Twins, he scream when he's um thinks he's killed the dog.

[13:10] Matt Wilkas: So it's this like high octave anyway.

[13:12] Lakisha May: I hope I'm not giving anything away.

[13:13] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, that's one of those parts where I do laugh every night on stage watching it.

[13:17] Lakisha May: Oh, off stage or on stage?

[13:18] Matt Wilkas: I'm off stage.

[13:18] Lakisha May: Okay, you're off stage.

[13:19] Matt Wilkas: And I consistently laugh.

[13:21] Lakisha May: Yeah, I love it.

[13:21] Joel Crump: Show ritual.

[13:23] Lakisha May: Um I show up at half hour um on the dot, and I like sit at my dressing table and I don't put my clothes on until two minutes to places, and then I'll do seriously.

[13:34] Matt Wilkas: It's kind of like a let's just dive off the diving board and um see what happens.

[13:39] Lakisha May: To be a man, there's no way that I can do that.

[13:43] Matt Wilkas: I am there, I'd like to be there like an hour before, but I'm often there like 45 minutes before.

[13:49] Lakisha May: I sit in the audience.

[13:50] Matt Wilkas: Oftentimes I have a snack.

[13:51] Lakisha May: I like to like sit in the chairs and be like, audience, we'll be sitting here.

[13:54] Matt Wilkas: Like feel the vibes, feel the energy, and then I'm like mad dash, wrapping up these braids, putting on makeup, then warming up.

[14:00] Lakisha May: You're right.

[14:01] Matt Wilkas: It's actually so unfair, I'm sorry.

[14:03] Lakisha May: It's like the privilege, nothing.

[14:05] Joel Crump: Favorite scene to perform.

[14:07] Lakisha May: In this show?

[14:08] Matt Wilkas: In this show.

[14:09] Lakisha May: Um, oh god.

[14:10] Matt Wilkas: Uh oh, I love when Russell and I get in this um mother, sorry, father-daughter fight, um, and it becomes physical.

[14:17] Lakisha May: It's really, really fun.

[14:21] Matt Wilkas: Oh man.

[14:22] Lakisha May: Um, I the handshake comes to mind.

[14:24] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, the handshake is just it's become my favorite thing.

[14:28] Lakisha May: It was so strenuous in the beginning, and my legs would be sore for days and weeks at the beginning of this process.

[14:36] Matt Wilkas: But now, like I've gotten stronger.

[14:38] Lakisha May: And so I'm like, yeah, let's go.

[14:39] Matt Wilkas: Let's do it.

[14:40] Lakisha May: Yeah, yeah.

[14:41] Joel Crump: Broadway inspiration.

[14:43] Lakisha May: Oh god.

[14:45] Matt Wilkas: Um man, rapid fire, Matt.

[14:50] Lakisha May: Come on.

[14:51] Matt Wilkas: I'll go.

[14:51] Matt Wilkas: Mine is easy.

[14:52] Lakisha May: LaChanze.

[14:54] Matt Wilkas: Of course.

[14:54] Lakisha May: I knew it.

[14:55] Matt Wilkas: You already knew it.

[14:56] Lakisha May: You already knew it in all the ways.

[14:57] Matt Wilkas: Yeah.

[14:58] Lakisha May: Um there's so many.

[15:00] Matt Wilkas: Um sorry, I'm not.

[15:04] Lakisha May: Everybody on Broadway for you.

[15:06] Matt Wilkas: Everybody knows.

[15:06] Lakisha May: Actually, you know what?

[15:07] Matt Wilkas: Literally everybody.

[15:08] Lakisha May: No, um, I want to be specific, but I guess I I guess I can't be.

[15:13] Matt Wilkas: I would say Steven Sondheim.

[15:16] Lakisha May: Oh, absolutely.

[15:17] Matt Wilkas: But like, you know, that's like uh he's a not something that I I can do at all.

[15:22] Lakisha May: But I like um I love his uh everything he's made.

[15:25] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, yeah.

[15:26] Lakisha May: Yeah.

[15:26] Joel Crump: Dream Broadway co-star.

[15:28] Lakisha May: Oh, uh Andrew Scott.

[15:33] Matt Wilkas: Can I just take that one?

[15:34] Lakisha May: Because Andrew Scott came to the show and I lost it.

[15:37] Matt Wilkas: Like, I didn't lose it in front of him.

[15:40] Lakisha May: Like y'all are friends, I think.

[15:42] Matt Wilkas: But I was like, oh my god, because I think he's so talented.

[15:45] Lakisha May: He's phenomenal.

[15:46] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, and just that is incredible.

[15:47] Lakisha May: That Vanya performance.

[15:49] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, yeah.

[15:50] Lakisha May: I didn't even expect like on stage.

[15:52] Matt Wilkas: I just saw clips of it online.

[15:54] Lakisha May: It is unbelievable.

[15:55] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, yeah.

[15:57] Joel Crump: Favorite place to relax in New York.

[15:59] Lakisha May: Prospect Park.

[16:03] Matt Wilkas: I go to Morningside Park.

[16:04] Lakisha May: Do some bow staff work.

[16:06] Joel Crump: Yeah, and lastly, best piece of advice you've ever received.

[16:09] Lakisha May: Make your own stuff.

[16:11] Matt Wilkas: Kind of like what you're doing.

[16:13] Lakisha May: Literally, yeah.

[16:14] Matt Wilkas: Thank you, man.

[16:15] Lakisha May: Make your own stuff.

[16:16] Matt Wilkas: Yeah.

[16:16] Lakisha May: Um for this show, it's in the attempt.

[16:20] Matt Wilkas: Don't overthink it.

[16:22] Lakisha May: Just throw it out there and see what happens.

[16:24] Matt Wilkas: Yeah, make mistakes.

[16:26] Lakisha May: That's it.

[16:26] Joel Crump: I love it.

[16:27] Lakisha May: Well, thank you both so much for joining me here, Broadway Time at Carmine’s.

[16:30] Joel Crump: This was nice.

[16:31] Lakisha May: You guys have to go see them in Ginger Twinsies.

[16:33] Joel Crump: I mean, it's gonna be the best time you've ever had at a theater.

[16:36] Lakisha May: You're gonna hurt from laughing like I did.

[16:38] Matt Wilkas: It was such a wonderful time.

[16:39] Lakisha May: Thank you.

[16:40] Matt Wilkas: But thank you guys so much.

[16:41] Lakisha May: Thank you.

[16:41] Matt Wilkas: Thank you, Joel.

[16:46] Lakisha May: Broadway time!