Linda the Stage Manager is in the house! This week Ann Harada is in tech with Damian and Anne. You Might Know Her From Smash, Avenue Q, Seussical the Musical, Feel, Cinderella, Admissions, and Les Misérables. We get into growing up in Hawaii (and going to high school with Barack Obama), navigating the business as an Asian American character actress, plus EGOT stuff and the kindness and kookiness that comes with having Fran Drescher play your mom. And of course Theresa Rebeck and Bombshell til the cows come home. Thank you, five!

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Discussed this week

Anjelica Huston article (Vulture)

Maggie Smith in A German Life

Ann’s IMDB || IBDB

St. Louis style pizza

Provel cheese (swiss, white cheddar, provolone)

Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson (Robert Ackerman) directed by → Theresa Rebeck

Smash

Smash controversy: (Rebeck fired) (romance between co-stars) (brilliant recaps)

Seussical  (Eric Idle, Andrea Martin, David Shiner)

other Cat in the Hats (Cathy Rigby, Rosie O’Donnell)

Avenue Q wins Best Musical (“It Sucks to be Me” at the 58th Annual Tony Awards)

Harada as Christmas Eve in “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” from Avenue Q

Robert Lopez (double EGOTer)

Punahou High School (Barack Obama also attended)

Flower Drum Song (Rodgers & Hammerstein)

Mrs Potts

Feel (dir:Matt Mahurin) ft Billy Baldwin

Mary Testa and Jackie Hoffman

Played The Hawaii Chair in House of Cards (Chapter 48)

Lindsay Price in Lipstick Jungle

Cashmere Mafia (starring Lucy Liu fyi)

Kim Raver, Brooke Shields, Lindsay Price

Cinderella on Bway (Harriet Harris & Peter Bartlett)

Stepsister’s Lament

Sherri Shepherd, NeNe Leakes, Fran Drescher and coffee enemas (not an endorsement)

(living) EGOTers: Whoopi Goldberg, Rita Moreno, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jonathan Tunick, Scott Rudin, Mel Brooks,Tim Rice (John Legend doesn’t get to participate in this game, too sexy)

Admission with Tina Fey (we refer to it as Admissions once or twice, oops)

Bert Lahr story from Bossypants

Ann Harada’s essay: Acting While Asian