Episodes

  • #6 - Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer on Spamalot

    #6 - Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer on Spamalot
    Jun 11 2024
    Tony Nominations. Life Changes. Taking Comedy Seriously. Leslie Kritzer has been around for a second – two decades to be specific – and finally she has received a Tony Nomination for her brilliant turn as The Lady of the Lake in the 2024 revival of Spamalot. This episode is full of laughs as we talk about taking comedy seriously and full of tears as we talk about personal loss while performing one of the funniest shows in the musical theatre cannon. “I did not get here alone,” says Kritzer on this emotional episode. Let’s dive in and celebrate this comedic genius who gives us her all, not just eight times a week, but even after the show closes. Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer recently finished her run on Broadway as The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, for which she received a Tony Nomination. Other Broadway credits include Delia in Beetlejuice where she received Drama Desk and Drama League nominations, Something Rotten!, Elf, Sondheim on Sondheim, Legally Blonde, A Catered Affair (Drama Desk nomination), and Hairspray. Off-Broadway: The Robber Bridegroom (Lucille Lortel Award and Drama League awards), Gigantic (Lucille Lortel nomination), ROOMS: A Rock Romance (Outer Critics Circle nomination), The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Drama Desk nomination). Television credits include recurring roles in The First Lady, Bridge and Tunnel, New Amsterdam, Vinyl, and the final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, portraying the iconic Carol Burnett. Other television appearances include Difficult People, Slugfest, Kevin Can Wait, Younger, and Law and Order: SVU. Kritzer has created several solo shows, including Burn it to the Ground, Beautiful Disaster, and Leslie Kritzer Is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches, for which she received a TimeOut NY award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    56 mins
  • #5 - Will Keen on Patriots

    #5 - Will Keen on Patriots
    May 28 2024
    Thrilling political drama. Collective Imagination. Playing Putin. Patriots on Broadway is a political thriller written by Peter Morgan, writer of The Crown. You don’t need to know much about politics to be wrapped up in this electric drama to understand what’s happening in the world and on stage, especially with a little use of collective imagination. Lets dive into a little about what makes Will Keen’s (Putin) process and approach to this play, which also happens to be his Broadway debut. Will Keen has just closed the West End transfer of Peter Morgan’s Patriots, directed by Rupert Goold, for which he won the Olivier Award for Supporting Actor last year. He most recently wrapped “My Lady Jane” and the second series of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” both for Amazon, as well as indie feature Borderland opposite Felicity Jones and Mark Strong. He is currently on screens in “The Gold” (BBC1/Viacom), “Ridley Road” (BBC), and “The Pursuit of Love” (BBC) opposite Andrew Scott and Emily Beecham. His other TV credits include “His Dark Materials” seasons 1 and 2, “The Crown” seasons one and two, “Genius,” “Picasso,” “Wolf Hall” and “The Musketeers.” Stage credits include Ghosts, Waste (Almeida); Quartermaine’s Terms (Wyndham's Theatre); The Arsonists (Royal Court); and Mary Stuart (National Theatre). In 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the new Russia belongs to its oligarchs—and no one is more powerful than billionaire Boris Berezovsky. When an eventual successor to President Boris Yeltsin is needed, Berezovsky turns to the little-known deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin. But soon Putin’s ruthless rise threatens Berezovsky’s reign, setting off a riveting, near-Shakespearean confrontation between the two powerful, fatally flawed men. Tony® and Emmy® Award nominee Michael Stuhlbarg stars as Berezovsky and Will Keen reprises his Olivier Award-winning turn as Putin in PATRIOTS, a shockingly timely history play from Peter Morgan, creator of “The Crown.” Don’t miss this strictly limited engagement of Olivier Award winner Rupert Goold’s kinetic, exhilarating production, which reveals to us all how Russia's post-Soviet machinations continue to shape our world to this day. Patriots is playing at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre through June 23rd. https://patriotsbroadway.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • #4 - Bobby Conte on TOMMY

    #4 - Bobby Conte on TOMMY
    May 14 2024
    Amazing Mazie. Practicing kindness. Leadership. Bobby was a little late to the party when discovering TOMMY, but now we can see him star on Broadway as Cousin Kevin in the Tony Nominated revival of TOMMY. This is his third Broadway show, and not only does Bobby discuss his approach to Cousin Kevin, but also talks very openly about what it’s like to lead a show where most of the cast are Chicago transplants making their Broadway debut. Bobby is currently reprising his performance in TOMMY from the Goodman Theatre’s 30th anniversary production. Broadway: Company (dir. Marianne Elliott); A Bronx Tale (dirs. Robert De Niro & Jerry Zaks). Select theatre: 50th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass at the Kennedy Center; My Fair Lady (dir. Michael Arden); A Funny Thing… Forum (dir. Jessica Stone); Starting Here, Starting Now (dir. Richard Maltby, Jr.); world premiere of Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors; three seasons at The Muny. Film/TV: If Beale Street Could Talk; Intervenors; “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”; “Madam Secretary”; “The Code.” Solo album: Along the Way. Training: University of Michigan; RADA. @bobby_conte In 1969, The Who created a rock opera that changed the course of music history. Today, it’s back on Broadway in a dazzling all-new production, Tony Award®️ nominated for Best Musical Revival, that feels more relevant than ever. “Everything about this exhilarating production shakes you awake and leaves you buzzed: Knockout singing, superbly inventive stagecraft and a star-making performance from 24-year-old Ali Louis Bourzgui as the Pinball Wizard that’s the most exciting New York stage debut in years.” (NY Post) “Broadway has nothing else like this wizardry going on, not this season and nothing I know of for next season. Visually and sonically overwhelming, it’s a prescient masterpiece of a rock opera.” Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • #3 - Nicole Parker on Titaníque

    #3 - Nicole Parker on Titaníque
    Apr 16 2024
    Past lives. Musical improv. Celine Dion. Nicole Parker joins us on what it’s like to leave a show not once, but twice. Nicole Parker has been able to play Celine Dion twice on the New York stage. The first during Martin Short’s Fame Becomes Me, and the second during Titanique. She’s had to say goodbye to the show once before, but returned for a second run – now having to say her heart will go on again. So what’s it like saying goodbye to a show that will keep running while you move on? This is a topic not many actors speak about, so tune in and listen to this hysterical, yet touching episode about Nicole Parker’s experience as Celine Dion in Titanique. Nicole Parker is best known for her work on Fox's sketch comedy show Mad TV (2003–2009, 2016), which she was a regular cast member. In July 2009, Parker concluded her run as Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked, a role that she reprised on tour across North America. She voiced Penelope Pitstop in the animated series Wacky Races (2017–2019) and has appeared in the parody films Meet the Spartans and Disaster Movie (both 2008). Parker currently co-hosts the Earwolf podcast The Neighborhood Listen, along with comedian Paul F. Tompkins. Titanique is a jukebox musical created by book writers Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, and Constantine Rousouli, and music supervisor Nicholas Connell. The musical is a parody of the 1997 film Titanic and uses music introduced by Céline Dion. The show premiered in Los Angeles in 2017. It began an off-Broadway run at The Asylum Theatre in June 2022, transferring to the Daryl Roth Theatre in November. The production won the 2023 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Musical and for lead performer (Mindelle) and costume design (Alejo Vietti). The musical follows the main events of the film, with the exception of the present-day framing device; instead of treasure hunters searching for the Heart of the Ocean, Céline Dion surprises visitors at a Titanic museum and hijacks their tour. Dion serves as a Greek chorus for most of the show. The musical uses pop culture references, including allusions to RuPaul's Drag Race and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. The critically acclaimed show has played off Broadway since 2022. Get Titanique tickets now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • #2 - Jordan Tyson on The Notebook

    #2 - Jordan Tyson on The Notebook
    Apr 2 2024
    Water on stage. Developing trust. The opening night of our lives. “I am seeing myself – it’s so emotional – in all the women who I’ve strived to be like.” Jordan Tyson is in the opening night of her life. It’s her Broadway debut and The Notebook is proving true what the magic of Broadway can be. So what is it like to make your Broadway debut as the lead of a new smash hit? What was the road like? Let’s celebrate the journey from a Zoom audition to becoming the toast of the town. JORDAN TYSON (Younger Allie). Broadway debut. Theatre: Bulrusher (McCarter/Berkeley Rep/dir. Nicole A. Watson) Into The Woods (PCLO/dir. Scott Weinstein) The Notebook (Chicago Shakespeare/dir. Michael Greif/Schele Williams), Lempicka (La Jolla Playhouse/dir. Rachel Chavkin) The Streets of New York (Irish Repertory/dir. Charlotte Moore), Folk Wandering (ART/NY/dir. Andrew Neisler), I And You (Weston Playhouse/dir. Johanna Gruenhut). TV: “The Chair” (Netflix/Recurring Guest w/Sandra Oh). Film: Vampires vs. the Bronx (Netflix). Readings: Hearts Beat Loud, Learned Ladies, Sweetee. 2017 Audelco Rising Star Award, 2018 YesBroadway 40 Under 40. Currently working on her debut EP. @curlybroad www.jordantyson.com Producers Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch present The Notebook, the new musical based on the bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks that inspired the iconic film, premiering on Broadway this Spring. The Notebook features music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and a book by playwright Bekah Brunstetter (writer and producer on NBC's “This Is Us,” The Cake). The production is directed by Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen, Next to Normal, RENT) and Schele Williams (Aida, The Wiz), with choreography by Katie Spelman (Associate Choreographer on Moulin Rouge! The Musical). Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart. With a book that has sold millions of copies worldwide and a film that’s one of the highest-grossing romantic dramas of all-time, the musical adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’s The Notebook comes to Broadway following a critically acclaimed world premiere engagement at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the fall of 2022. The cast of The Notebook features Tony Award®-winner Maryann Plunkett as Older Allie, Dorian Harewood as Older Noah, Joy Woods as Middle Allie, Ryan Vasquez as Middle Noah, Jordan Tyson as Younger Allie, John Cardoza as Younger Noah, Andre?a Burns as Mother/Nurse Lori. Playing various roles are Yassmin Alers, Alex Benoit, Chase Del Rey, Hillary Fisher, Jerome Harmann-Hardeman, Dorcas Leung, Happy McPartlin, Juliette Ojeda, Kim Onah, Carson Stewart, Charles E. Wallace and Charlie Webb. The Notebook features scenic design by David Zinn and Brett J. Banakis, costume design by Paloma Young, lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, and hair and wig design by Mia Neal. The production’s music supervisor is Carmel Dean, who also collaborated on arrangements with Ingrid Michaelson and on orchestrations with John Clancy, and the music director is Geoffrey Ko. Casting by The Telsey Office, Patrick Goodwin, CSA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    45 mins
  • #1 - Cynthia Nixon on The Seven Year Disappear

    #1 - Cynthia Nixon on The Seven Year Disappear
    Mar 19 2024
    Mommy issues. Performance art. Fisting. This first episode has it all. Welcome to The After Party, hosted by Michael Kushner and Eila Mell! Celebrate the mammoth effort of opening a show on Broadway. Whether you have seen the show, watched the slime tutorials, entered lotteries, or are begging for tickets for your birthday – dive into the beginning, middle, and sometimes premature end of what it means to be on Broadway straight from the people working on your favorite shows. This isn’t just an ordinary interview show – we dive in deep asking hard-hitting questions. Hosts Eila Mell and Michael Kushner will take you on an educational, yet emotional and very fun journey as you learn every detail of what goes into opening, sustaining, and closing your favorite Broadway shows. This podcast features spoilers, so make sure you’re ready for them if you haven’t seen the show. On our inaugural episode, we have the incomparable Emmy and Tony Award-winner Cynthia Nixon dive deep with us into the dark, humorous, and boundary pushing new play The Seven Year Disappear. Naphtali’s (Taylor Trensch) world-famous performance artist mother (Cynthia Nixon) disappeared suddenly seven years ago. And yet, he sees her everywhere: in the faces of friends, coworkers, the guy he’s flirting with. When his mother returns with few answers and a major request, Naphtali is forced to confront what he’s spent years trying to forget. A funny, deeply human mystery of mothers and sons, coming of age, and coming apart. The New Group presents the world premiere production of The Seven Year Disappear by Jordan Seavey, featuring Emmy and Tony Award-winner Cynthia Nixon (The Gilded Age, And Just Like That, Little Foxes) and Taylor Trensch (Camelot; Hello, Dolly!), directed by New Group Founding Artistic Director Scott Elliott. Previews begin Tuesday, February 6 in advance of an Official Opening Night on Monday, February 26. A limited Off-Broadway engagement is slated through Sunday, March 24 at The Pershing Square Signature Center (The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, 480 West 42nd Street). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    53 mins