I Wanna Be Like You with Elbi Cespedes

Cynthia Meng made history as first woman to ever conduct Ragtime on Broadway which now holds the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical and closes August 16th at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on Broadway! Her other work on Broadway includes Company (2021 Revival), Dead Outlaw and Hadestown (for which she was a part of from the original Broadway production as a music assistant), and much more! Onscreen, she served as the Associate Vocal Supervisor for the film Spirited (starring Ryan Reynolds & Will Ferrell) as well as the 3rd season of the acclaimed Hulu series Only Murders in the Building where she worked on music and lyrics written by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Sara Bareilles, Michael R Jackson, Marc Shaiman & Scott Whittman and sung by Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and many others! Most recently, she was the Music Director for Basura, the new Gloria and Emily Estefan musical which made its world premiere at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta Georgia! We get to talking about all of that plus how she went from computer science major to playing and conducting on Broadway!

Donna Lynne Champlin is currently starring in The Loved Ones as Cheryl-Ann at Irish Rep open now until August 2nd! Her most notable stage work includes playing Pirelli in the 2005 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd (directed by John Doyle featuring Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone as Sweeney and Mrs Lovett respectively), playing Older Helen in Hollywood Arms (a semi-autobiographical role created by Carol Burnett and directed by Hal Prince), and James Joyce's The Dead starring opposite Alice Ripley, Marni Nixon and Christopher Walken! Many may know her as Paula Proctor in the hit CW musical comedy TV series Crazy Ex Girlfriend! We get to talking about her greatest Hal Prince stories, meeting Carol Burnett for the first time and much more!

Joomin Hwang is a Broadway performer turned author currently in & Juliet (alongside Joey Fatone & Chrissy Metz!) which he's been in since it originally opened on Broadway in 2022! He made his Broadway debut in The Prom in 2018 after immigrating from South Korea where he was a competitive breakdancer! He's now written a self help book titled The Rule of Five Journal which is OUT NOW helping those struggling to balance negativity in their lives with positivity! 

Joel Blum is a 2 time Tony Award nominated actor with multiple Broadway, Off Broadway and National Tour credits! He received his Tony Award nominations for his performances as Frank in the 1994 Revival of Show Boat (directed by Hal Prince and choreographed by Susan Stroman) and Buddy in Kander & Ebb’s Steel Pier respectively! Some of his earlier credits include being a part of the original ensemble of 42nd Street on Broadway and Debbie Reynolds’ Vegas act! In 2000, he starred as Marcellus in a Broadway revival of The Music Man alongside Craig Bierko, Eric McCormack, and Robert Sean Leonard! We get to talking about his parents’ history in vaudeville, working with Robert Morse & Elaine Stritch on Show Boat and the numerous lessons he’s learned over the course of his multi-decade long career!

Ken Jennings is a Broadway star best known for originating the role of Tobias in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street! His other Broadway credits include the original Broadway casts of Grand Hotel, Side Show, and Urinetown (originating the role of Hot Blades Harry)! Disney Parks fans will know him as a hologram in the short lived EPCOT attraction The Astuter Computer Revue! His one man show The Gospel of John which he performed off Broadway was nominated for the Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Solo Performance and he continues to tour the show across the country! 

Jack O’Brien is a theater legend whose work spans genres and across the globe. He’s directed classic Shakespearean plays (incuding Henry IV, MacBeth starring Ethan Hawke and more on Broadway), original Tom Stoppard epics (The Coast of Utopia, The Invention of Love and more on Broadway) and some of the greatest musical comedies of the contemporary era (Hairspray, Shucked and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)! Having directed more than 50 Broadway productions and 4 Tony Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award he received in 2024), Jack has become one of the most prolific directors to ever work onstage. His work in the regional theater has not gone unnoticed either, having served as the Artistic Director of The Old Globe for 25 years overseeing the world premieres of Sondheim & Lapine’s Into the Woods, and August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson! Now, he’s making his acting debut alongside Lisa Kudrow in the final season of the HBO comedy The Comeback! We get to talking all about that, his podcast with screenwriter Alan Fox, Notes With Jack, and his upcoming projects! A very special episode - Jack O’Brien’s I Wanna Be Like You!

Stephanie Klemons is currently the Associate Choreographer for Hamilton (Broadway, National Tours and UK) as well as Heathers Off Broadway. She also appeared in the original Broadway casts of Hamilton, In The Heights (for which she also served as the Dance Captain) and If/Then! As a choreographer she worked on Rock & Roll Man, In the Heights (Kennedy Center), and numerous commercials and music videos. We get to talking about what it was like being in the room where it happened helping create the movement of Hamilton and In the Heights, working with Andy Blankenbuehler, the extent of an Associate Choreographer's job---- especially on a long running, international Broadway hit and much more! 

Grace Yurchuk is a singer/songwriter and musical theater composer, and a 2024 graduate of NYU Steinhardt (B.M., Classical Vocal Performance). She is best known for Caesar: The Musical, as well as her self-produced theater-pop songs like “30 Seconds” and “Mixed Messages.” Grace built her audience for Caesar by sharing each draft for the show online as it was written, as well as other peeks into her creative process. She funded the show’s studio cast EP through a Kickstarter campaign which was selected as a Kickstarter “Project We Love,” ultimately surpassing its goal and raising over $36,000. In addition to her work as a composer, she runs a private songwriting studio, mentoring artists as they develop and release original music. Across all of her projects, she is driven by a commitment to storytelling and bringing original work to life. Instagram: @graceyurchuk, TikTok: @itsthegraceplace

Alejo Vietti is our first costume designer on the show! His work is currently represented on Broadway in the Tony Award nominated Titanique which he's been a part of since it's premiere in NYC. Other Broadway credits include SMASH, Holiday Inn, Allegiance and Beautiful: the Carole King Musical! Originally from Argentina, Alejo has worked with some of the most prominent costume designers to ever work in the industry including Ann Roth and Bob Crowley! He also worked as an associate to Jess Goldstein on the original Broadway production of Jersey Boys! We get to talking about what it means to tell a story through costumes, the most challenging style to design, and wokring with Meryl Streep, John Goodman, and Christopher Walken on The Seagull!

Jim Borstelmann is a Broadway veteran having been in the original casts of The Producers, The Addams Family and many more. Jim was in the ensemble of the 1996 revival of Chicago starring Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth and Joel Grey which is still on Broadway holding the record for the longest running Broadway revival. A self taught dancer, Jim made his Broadway debut working under the legendary Jerome Robbins having been a swing in Jerome Robbins' Broadway. His most recent Broadway appearance was in 2023 in New York, New York, marking his 4th Broadway collaboration with former guest and Broadway icon Susan Stroman. We get to discussing all of those credits, Mel Brooks stories, the keys to being a successful Broadway swing, and more!