The Ensemblist

This week, I wanted to share with you an extra-special conversation from my friends over at The Spark File podcast. Now, if you haven’t heard of The Spark File podcast, I want you to open up your podcast app and and subscribe to them right now. The Spark File is hosted by Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien - two bad ass bitches with gobs of experience in the theatre space who are obsessed with sparking creativity and inspiration in others. 

I’ll take a page from their stump speech and share with you that a spark file is a place where one consistently collects creative inspirations and fascinations. Laura and Susan are on the hunt for fresh ideas, images and inspiration that spark creativity and peak curiosity. Things that inspire all of us to get up off of our asses and make something! Plus, they have a kick ass theme song that makes my butt bounce every time I hear it. 

I’ve been obsessed with The Spark File since its launch last fall, but when I heard this conversation with Phillipa Soo I knew I had to share it with you. In this selected short, Phillipa, who you probably know for originating the role of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton in Hamilton, takes about the disappointment she felt during her next Broadway outing, Amelie, and the lessons she learned from it. Here’s their conversation…

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As the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow, we are speaking with performing arts around the country about how the shutdown of theatre performances continues to affect their lives and work.

Today, we speak with John Tupy, who spoke to us from Palm Desert, CA where he was supposed to performing with the national tour of Chicago until performances were cancelled Thursday morning. Here's our conversation...

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As the coronavirus pandemic continues to grow, we are speaking with performing arts around the country about how the shutdown of theatre performances continues to affect their lives and work.

Today, we speak with Christopher Henry Young, who is currently in San Francisco performing in the "And Peggy" company of Hamilton, about how COVID-19 has affected the state of live performance in the Bay Area. Here's our conversation...

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Yesterday afternoon, Broadway theatres will went dark by order of Governor Andrew Cuomo. Performances will resume the week of April 13.

The announcement comes as venues and performing arts organizations around New York City and the country have announced closures of their own amid rising concerns about the global coronavirus pandemic.

Early morning, I spoke to Jessica Rush from the cast of Broadway's Tina: The Tina Turner Musical about how she heard the news and how she is coping with the prospect of being out of work for a month. Here's our conversation...

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Earlier this week, the Broadway League released a statement advising against stage door activities and increasing sanitation efforts in response to the coronavirus outbreak. But I’ve been wondering how COVID-19 has been affecting life backstage at Broadway theatres for folks like today’s guest: Adam Jepsen.

Adam is currently one of two actors playing Sven the reindeer in Broadway’s Frozen. Prior to clopping around Arandelle, he performed in the ensembles of Chicago and Cinderella on the Mainstem. He joined me in the studio yesterday to talk about how the coronavirus is affecting artists like him working on Broadway. Here’s our conversation…

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As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the country, it’s creating concern for many of us in the theatre industry. For those of us who make our living by occupying the same space as others to share stories in real time, the coronavirus is posing a real threat to our lives and work.

Just yesterday, Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington state, officially banned gatherings of more than 250 people. Of course, that includes theatre performances. As a Seattle native myself, I’ve been curious how the coronavirus is affecting the city’s theatre industry. And luckily, I knew just who to call.

My best friend Jason Kappus is currently in tech rehearsals for the 5th Avenue Theatre’s production of Sister Act. Well, he was supposed to until Governor Inslee announced the ban on large gatherings. After the announcement, I spoke to Jason over the phone to ask him about how COVID-19 is affecting theatre artists - and if the show really can go on. Here’s our conversation…

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Today’s guest knows a thing or three about covering roles of Broadway. Those three specific things are Otho, Adam and Beetlejuice - all roles he covers in his duties as a swing at the Winter Garden Theatre. Beetlejuice isn’t his first foray into covering leading roles either; He’s been a standby on The Book of Mormon, School of Rock, and understudied Michael Urie in last season’s Torch Song. I wanted to know how he manages to standby for such grueling characters, both living and undead. Here’s our conversation... 

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“Understudy” premiered on April 9th, 2012. It was written by Jerome Hairston, and directed by Adam Dernstein. The viewership dipped yet again from the previous week, premiering to an audience of 5.99 million viewers.

Songs this week featured one cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” and two original songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman: a sort of reprise of Marilyn’s very first song in the series, but this time Katherine McPhee singing “Never Give All the Heart,” and a new song featuring stand-in Christian Borle called “Don’t Say Yes Until I Finish Talking.”

The episode opens with a room of cast, creatives and investors waiting to start a reading of the Bombshell script. Waiting, that is, on Hollywood star Rebecca Duvall - who misses playing Marilyn in the reading because she’s stuck in Cuba. In Rebecca’s absence, Tom, Julia and Derek come to Karen telling her that “they want her to understudy Marilyn.”

Many of her ensemblist cohorts giggle with Karen excitedly, but Bobby and Sam note that “she’s never going to hack it - especially after Ivy breaks her kneecaps.” Ivy is furious that Karen has been given the job, even when Derek tells her that her outburst at Heaven on Earth means he can’t “even hire her for the chorus.”

Derek verbally assaults Karen in rehearsal, which causes Bobby and Jessica and place bets on whether Karen will cry. Later at her apartment, Ivy shows a moment of kindness and advises Derek that “the only directors that were ever successful with Marilyn were the ones who babied her.” She continues her rebranding campaign, joining Karen and the ensemblists of Bombshell for appletinis after rehearsal and bringing her once-rival a pair of Monroe-inspired sunglasses. 

Back in rehearsal, Derek calls the cast to run “the Zanuck number” about Darryl R. Zanuck, producer of All About Eve and The Grapes of Wrath. When Derek asks “Where is Zanuck?,” Tom replies “You don’t want to know, but I’m standing in today.” The steam room-inspired number is performed full out by Manuel Herrera, Curtis Holbrook, Keith Kuhl, Spencer Liff, Leslie Odom, Jr., J. Manuel Santos, Phillip Spaeth and Wesley Taylor, One run through seems to be good enough, as Derek gives no notes and quickly moves on to Karen to guide her with kindness.

When Rebecca Duvall’s return is imminent, Derek shows up at Karen’s apartment to thank her for her good work. Not only that - he apologizes to Karen for his behavior back in the pilot episode. When Karen’s boyfriend Dev sees Derek walking out of their building, the two men get into a sidewalk fist fight. Dev floats the idea that she quit the show to avoid Derek. She argues back, telling Dev “Marilyn is everything I came to this city to do - everything that I want to be.” She goes to rehearsal the next day, covering the role of Marilyn until Rebecca Duvall shows (played by real life star Uma Thurman!)

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Understudies are required to replicate another actors’ performance, knowing exactly where they move and how they move there. They must have the bravado to lead a show, but also the humbleness to know they are merely standing in for another artist. Understudies are asked to jump onto the moving train that is a Broadway musical and make sure it doesn’t come to a screeching halt. 

What can make the challenge all the more daunting is when you’re joining a long-running show as an understudy as was the case with today’s guest, Jeff Heimbrock. For more than two years, he’s performed in the show’s ensemble while covering the role of Boq. I was curious about the challenges of bringing yourself to a character that has almost 16 years of history baked into its movements, vocals and infections - especially one that he only goes on for sporadically. Here’s our conversation…

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If someone knows a thing or two about understudying, it’s Becca Petersen. Her national tour debut was as the female swing on the national tour of Newsies, followed by making her Broadway debut covering Laura Osnes in the new musical Bandstand. She’s spent the last two years as an original company member of Mean Girls, where she covers multiple roles including the leading role of Cady Heron. She joined us in the studio to share her favorite stories from each of these shows, as well as how she keeps her wits about her in what is undoubtedly one of Broadway’s most challenging jobs. Here’s our conversation...

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