Do you wanna ride? Sofia chats with the MAGNIFICENT actress, singer and songwriter Lauren Marcus (Be More Chill at the Two River Theatre, Never Really Done with You, The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks, ReWrite, Company, currently Be More Chill Off-Broadway)!!! Lauren is best known for her role as the sweet, frozen yogurt-loving popular girl Brooke Lohst in Be More Chill at the Two River Theatre, the Ghostlight Productions cast album and now Off-Broadway! She released her solo album, Never Really Done with You, in 2016. In the past, she has starred as Patty Jenkins in The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks and Jenny Vecharelli in ReWrite. As a writer, she has penned the book and lyrics for the musical The Meanest Birthday Girl (presented by Musical Theatre Factory as part of the New York Children’s Theater Festival). Sofia and Lauren discuss the two musicals she is currently in the process of writing, her major musical inspirations for Never Really Done with You, her favorite musical genres, why Brooke would make a great therapist, the never-ending battle against Diane Kitten, favorite frozen yogurt flavors and GEEK OUT TO THE MAX over Be More Chill!! Lauren is just one of the sweetest, most hilarious humans, and it was such an immense joy to talk with her today about her songwriting, her experience with Be More Chill, and life. Tickets for Be More Chill are sold out, but you can enter the online lottery at TodayTix. 

Sofia chats with the AWESOME Lisa Kron (Fun Home, 2.5 Minute Ride, Well, Good Person of Szechwan, Oedipus in Palm Springs)!! Lisa is best known on Broadway for writing the book and lyrics of the revolutionary musical Fun Home, based on Alison Bechdel’s autobiographical graphic novel of the same name, which won the Tony Award for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical. She has received critical acclaim for her autobiographical plays 2.5 Minute Ride and Well, and has also written the plays Brides of The Moon, The Ver**zon Play, 101 Humiliating Stories and In The Wake. Her other theatre credits include Good Person of Szechwan, The Normal Heart, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, The Secretaries, Brave Smiles, Spain, and Oedipus at Palm Springs. She is one of the co-founders of the theatre company The Five Lesbian Brothers. Sofia and Lisa discuss Lisa’s writing and collaboration process for Fun Home, her favorite motifs in Fun Home, female musical theatre writers, the relevance of My Fair Lady and more! Lisa’s writing always bursts with emotion and immediacy. She is one of the most revered playwrights of today’s theatre scene, and has been penning pivotal pieces for many years.

Sofia chats with the SPECTACULAR Laura Benanti (She Loves Me, Gypsy, The Sound of Music, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Meteor Shower)!! Laura is best known on Broadway for her roles as Louise in the 2008 revival of Gypsy, Amalia Balash in the 2016 revival of She Loves Me, and Candela in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. She made her Broadway debut as Maria in The Sound of Music at the age of 19. On television, she has been featured on Supergirl, Nashville and The Detour. Sofia and Laura discuss Laura’s obsession with Sondheim, how her favorite musicals inspired her, embarrassing tattoos, favorite musical numbers from She Loves Me, her daughter Ella Rose’s impeccable taste in music, and ask the eternal question: HOW has Laura not played Eliza Doolittle yet?! Laura’s knack for witty comedy and her incredible soprano have made her a force to be reckoned with in the world of musical theatre and beyond. You can catch Laura on television as Edie on The Detour and go see her perform at the Sarasota Opera House on September 21st! 

Get ready to more than survive! Sofia chats with the GENIUS composer, lyricist and performer Joe Iconis (Be More Chill, The Black Suits, Bloodsong of Love, Things To Ruin, ReWrite, Broadway Bounty Hunter)!! Joe is best known for his renown ballad “Broadway, Here I Come!” which was featured on NBC’s Smash and for writing the smash-hit high school-themed musical Be More Chill, which is now in previews Off-Broadway. Joe and I discuss his process for writing the music of Be More Chill, why he wants to release an underscore album for the show, his experience during previews, who his SQUIP(s) would be and more! With his profoundly complex, insanely catchy, explosively unique music, Joe is truly one of the defining voices of modern musical theatre and a spokesman for the misfits. You can see Be More Chill at the Pershing Square Signature Center from now until the end of September. Tickets are selling out fast, so get yours before they’re gone! 

https://www.bemorechillmusical.com 

Sofia chats with the INSANELY COOL Will Roland (Dear Evan Hansen, One Penny, The Black Suits, Wonderful Town, currently Be More Chill Off-Broadway)!! Will is currently best known for his breakout Broadway role as the title character’s snarky sidekick Jared Kleinman in Dear Evan Hansen and has a love for developing new work. Will and I discuss his experience in rehearsal for Be More Chill, why the Hamburglar inspires him, his favorite video games, places to travel, and we even sing some 1776! This podcast also marks the beginning of the unofficial series “Life Advice with Will Roland”. Will has a lot of wisdom and hilarious tales to share, and he is just such a nice guy. Run, do not walk, to see Will star as Jeremy Heere in Be More Chill Off-Broadway!

Sofia chats with the BRILLIANT Tony nominee Alison Fraser (The March of the Falsettos, In Trousers, The Secret Garden, Romance, Romance, currently A Blanket Of Dust Off-Broadway)!! We discuss her experience originating the role of Trina in In Trousers, her hunt for ghost signs on social media, her love for The Music Man, her Tennessee Williams solo album, her favorite composers and more! Alison is a true Broadway veteran, and has played a crucial role in the development of so many original musicals. Go see Alison star in the new Off-Broadway comedy Heartbreak House at Theatre Row this coming Fall!

Sofia chats with the FABULOUS Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family, Fully Committed, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, currently Log Cabin Off-Broadway)!! Jesse discusses his new play Log Cabin, the various hilarious accents he had to take on for Fully Committed, his experience performing in a one-man show, the future of Leaf Coneybear, the Andrew Lloyd-Webber musicals that influenced him the most, his love for cooking, his current favorite book and more! From the Broadway stage to Hollywood, Jesse’s signature wit and humor are ever-present in his fantastic stories. You can see Jesse from now until July 15th in Log Cabin at Playwrights Horizons. Catch him on television as Mitchell in Modern Family, which is now approaching its tenth season!

Sofia chats with the MARVELOUS Kevin Duda (The Book of Mormon, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Roman Holiday)!! We chat about his backstage rituals and favorite cut songs from The Book of Mormon, hilarious survival job experiences, his appreciation for Cats, audition mishaps, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and more! Kevin is such a nice guy and, as you will hear, a natural storyteller. You can see Kevin in Beautiful at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

Sofia chats with the SUPER RAD Russ Kaplan ( In Transit, Russ Kaplan’s Broadway Jazz Sessions, Dear Albert Einstein, The Clearwaters)!! Sofia and Russ discuss his songwriting process for In Transit, his new musical The Clearwaters, the origin story of Bob Ross Juice Box, his experience directing an a capella group and more! Russ tells hilarious stories about the development of In Transit and gives some sage advice to aspiring composers. You can go see Russ’s next jazz session on June 3rd at 7:00 PM at the YOTEL in NYC! 

https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/10281695

Sofia chats with the GLORIOUS Rema Webb (The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, The Color Purple, A New Brain, currently Escape to Margaritaville)!! We discuss her future jazz musical, the audition process for Margaritaville, her dedication to mentoring the next generation of artists and more! Rema is a true Broadway veteran, and she tells so many heartening stories about her experience in the crazy, unpredictable world of musical theatre. Don’t forget to support her On Broadway Performing Arts Training Program for young aspiring actors and actresses! 

https://www.onbroadway-patp.com

https://broadwayjourneys.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/rema-webb-interview-51818-12-17-pm.mp3