We are just over the moon to be with Tony-nominee Saycon Sengbloh. You Might Know Her From Scandal, Eclipsed, Wicked, Fela, Delilah, In the Dark, and the upcoming reboot of The Wonder Years and the Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect. We got to celebrate this moment with Saycon with The Wonder Years revival officially being picked up to series at ABC, the premiere of Delilah on OWN, and the upcoming summer release of Respect starring Jennifer Hudson. Saycon gave up the goods on using her personal connection to the Liberian Revolution in Eclipsed on Broadway; reuniting with that play’s director, Liesl Tommy, to play Aretha’s sister Erma Franklin in Respect; making history as Broadway’s first ever Black Elphaba, and cutting her teeth as an understudy and standby to the stars. All that, plus our tribute to the late great Charles Grodin and a reminder that we are closing out season three next week! 

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RIP Charles Grodin (Clifford, The Great Muppet Caper, King Kong, So I Married an Axe Murderer, The Heartbreak Kid [directed by Elaine May}). 

Damian’s been watching Couple Therapy (Laura and Trey)

Anne’s been watching Mare of Easttown (Anne says it’s both good and not good)

We love Work in Progress (Showtime). DM Damian for his Showtime password

Jean Smart renaissance, thank god

Mare Winningham and Aunt Mair are the only Ma(i)re’s we know

CORRECTION: Kate Winslet HAS stopped defending Woody Allen as of 2020. 

French Exit is streaming now, watch it and listen to our Valerie Mahaffey (Ep 87)

Listen to our old episodes: Michelle Buteau Ep 11 

Starring as the mom, Lillian Williams in The Wonder Years reboot (produced by Lee Daniels) which just got picked up and is going to series. TRAILER DROPPED yesterday! 

Starring in the OWN series Delilah, and is featured in the Aretha biopic, Respect (out in August).

Had a few episode arc on Scandal as Angela Webster, where she got to dress down Fitz (“boy I am the director of the FBI”)  and have wine with Olivia.

Tony Goldwyn has the best hair

Kerry Washington was in dusters and carried a lot of briefcases while she was pregnant on Scandal

Tony nominated for her role in Danai Gurira’s Eclipsed (first show on Broadway to have an all black cast and creative team)

Saycon’s father is Liberian. 

Saycon left the Hair (Broadway show) text thread “Saycon has left the conversation”

Musical theatre credits: Fela!, Motown: The Musical, Holler if Ya Hear Me, The Color Purple, Aida, Hair, Wicked

Off Broadway credits: In the Blood (Anne’s fave), Hurt Village, The Secret Life of Bees

Liesl Tommy directed her in Eclipsed, and now in the Aretha biopic, Respect (trailer)

She plays Aretha’s sister Erma Franklin who sang backup on many Aretha tracks and sang the original “Piece of My Heart” later made famous by Janis Joplin

**Saycon’s “The Wizard and I”**

Brandi Massey was another Black woman who was an Elphaba understudy

Ben Vereen was feeling her Elphaba in rehearsal

Donna Marie Asbury played June in Chicago for  20 years 

Stars in the CW series, In the Dark (where she got tased, gassed, injected)

Rich Sommer plays her partner in In the Dark

Idris Elba’s woman in American Gangster (shot from the hip). Ridley Scott told her “you’re in it for the money, hun.”

Carolyn Franklin (Aretha’s other sister) wrote “Ain’t No Way” and is a lesbian. Maybe there’s a nod in the movie.

Played Mimi in the Rent tour (here she is doing it at Musical Mondays @ Splash {RIP}), and of course Elphaba on Broadway. Wicked has crazier fans for sure.

She took over the role of Aida from Michelle Williams, Deborah Cox, Toni Braxton. 

Check out sayconsengbloh.com

Daphne Rubin-Vega Episode 2 , Kathleen Turner Episode 9

Saycon starred in Scandal with Kerry Washington, who starred in The Prom (a fave?) with Mary Kay Place, who was in Big Love with Grace Zabriskie, who was in Child’s Play 2 with next week’s guest.