Somehow, the alchemy that is a musical can help us feel seen, heard and valued. So we here at The Ensemblist are talking to some of our favorite musical theatre performers about their favorite musicals.
We couldn't think of a better person to launch this mini-series with than our co-creator Nikka Graff Lanzarone. She joined me over the phone from her home in Brooklyn to talk about her favorite musical, the 1975 seminal hit A Chorus Line. Here's our conversation...
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#262 - A Chorus Line (feat. Nikka Graff Lanzarone)

The Ensemblist celebrates the performances and careers of ensemble performers, recognizing the unique contributions they bring to the theatrical landscape. Thanks for eight great years of sharing the stories of Broadway’s unsung heroes!

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Making one’s Broadway debut is a momentous occasion for every actor lucky enough to do so. Sometimes it happens years into a long run on a seemingly ordinary Tuesday, and other times, it happens on opening night of a highly anticipated Broadway juggernaut. On this episode of My First Time, we invited Carleigh Bettiol into our virtual studio to chat about making her Broadway debut in the original cast of Hamilton in 2015. We discussed how Hamilton came into her life, her incredible memories of working on the show, and how the experience shaped her as an artist. Here’s our conversation...
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#323 - My First Time (Hamilton - feat. Carleigh Bettiol)

No bones about it, Shoshana Bean is a force. She’s a Recording artist, having released four studio albums. She’s mastered the art of YouTube, creating and participating in striking collaborations that feature her powerful voice. A Broadway girl by heart, she’s received acclaim for her portrayal of Jenna in the Sara Bareilles musical Waitress. But before Waitress, before Beaches, before Wicked, Sho made her Broadway debut in a little show called Hairspray. 
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#148 - My First Time (Hairspray - feat. Shoshana Bean)

What do you get when you cross Dracula with a podcast? Bite-sized episodes that will have you howling with laughter! Welcome to the official companion podcast for off-Broadway’s Dracula A Comedy of Terrors, now playing at New World Stages. Hosted by blood curdling Broadway veteran Andrew Keenan-Bolger, this podcast takes you inside the show’s (teeny tiny backstage) world with interviews and games featuring the cast and creatives that helped bring this hilarious comedy to life. So grab a wooden stake, a satchel of garlick, pull out your bloody mary recipe, and settle in under your favorite cape for a podcast guaranteed not to drive you batty!
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Introducing Dracula the Podcastula

Usually, our “My First Time” episodes feature Broadway stars looking back at the very first time they stepped on a Broadway stage. But on this episode we are going to hear about a series of firsts from one of the biggest hearts on Broadway, Marisha Wallace. 
Since making her national tour debut in 2012 with The Book of Mormon, her career has been filled with firsts in quick succession: her Broadway debut in Aladdin in 2014, to her 2017 West End debut in Dreamgirls. She joined me in the studio during a brief stop in New York, before returning to London to play Motormouth Maybelle in the new West End revival of Hairspray. Here’s our conversation...
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#218 - My First Time (Aladdin - feat. Marisha Wallace)

Nobody has climbed the Broadway ladder with as comprehensively as Desi Oakley. Fresh off a run as Jenna in the national tour of Waitress, when we spoke she was starring in Chicago on Broadway as the iconic role of Roxie Hart. But that stardom comes on the heels of experience, after standing by for the role of Eva Peron on the national tour of Evita, as well as swinging two Broadway musicals: Annie and Wicked, her Broadway debut. Here’s our conversation...
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#262 - A Chorus Line (feat. Nikka Graff Lanzarone)

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