This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Elizabeth Stanley: Hey there, this is Elizabeth Stanley and you are listening to Behind the Awards.

[0:15] Eila Mell: Hello and welcome to Behind the Awards. I'm Eila. I am here with my Bruce. Hello, Bruce.

[0:21] Bruce Gotlieb: Howdy. How are you doing today?

[0:23] Eila Mell: I'm good. I'm a little scared because we just saw a paranormal activity. So the thing is, what I love so much about theater now, I feel like when you walk into a theater, yeah, a lot of the time, you know, depending on and we talked about this on our fantasy draft episode when we brought up, like Derek sets, Derek McLean, you're immersed from the minute you that those doors open and you walk in. If he needs lush purple or blue or red, whatever it is, you feel it. Um, and I feel like although he didn't do the set for paranormal activity, when you walk in, the lobby downstairs is beautiful and all the August Wilson, you know, little museum on the walls is fantastic. But then when you go upstairs and you're walking to your seat, it gets increasingly darker.

And right, you know, the ushers have these flashlights that are red lights instead of a white light. So I didn't even notice that I feel like you it, it sets you up to be a little on edge and to be a little a little wary of what may or may not be happening.

[1:42] Bruce Gotlieb: In the best possible way. Yes. Yeah. I mean, I so you know, I love her. No, I was all in for this. And it it paid off. I mean, I am not a huge fan of the original paranormal activity movie. I think it's kind of boring. Actually, I didn't think much happened until like the last couple of frames of the movie.

[2:01] Eila Mell: Okay. So this is nothing like that. For me, this is a very strong story.

[2:07] Bruce Gotlieb: You would not have liked that movie. Let me tell you first. I'm more of like, give me a suspense or you know, a psychological kind of thing. A thriller.

[2:13] Eila Mell: Well, I mean, it was building in that way, but just not enough for me. Yeah. Horror, I'm like, a little on the fence. So I was a little concerned going into this, like, how would I feel? Um, I will say, and everybody's talking about it, that, you know, Chris Fisher's illusions are just, I mean, they're top notch. I mean, coming off of Stranger Things, which we loved and was, right, like, the tricks are beyond. When I saw that he was doing this, I remember we were talking on the phone. And I said, Oh, my God, we got to get Chris. He did Stranger Things. And now he's doing this. And that was before we even put in the theater.

[3:03] Bruce Gotlieb: Right? And how do you even top Stranger Things? But he doesn't top it. He he goes in a whole different direction. And it's equally good, if not even better. Because it puts you you know, when you're feeling what the characters are feeling on stage, you're really part of the show, right? I actually, my opinion, I actually think the illusions and the magic call, if you will, that's happening on stage is better than the than the story itself. It's I just think it's just so exquisite. And my mind, like, you know, you want to figure out the puzzle, right? That's how my mind is. So I want to know how did they do it. But it's so satisfying to watch it. Even though you don't, even though you can't solve that equation. Right? Because you can't know what's coming.

[4:02] Eila Mell: No, you can't. And I think even if we went back, and we tried to look for things, we probably still wouldn't be able to see all.

[4:08] Bruce Gotlieb: No, because having seen Stranger Things multiple times knowing things are coming. So you're like, I know this is happening. Let me see if I can find the setup. You can.

[4:13] Eila Mell: Right? Oh, it's so good. And well, I think the story is great in the play. I really, really like what they did with it. But I think that we can announce that we're going to have Chris Fisher on as our guest are in a couple of weeks that'll come out. We had a really, really cool conversation with him. And I think it's fun to see or to hear his evolution from a child who loved theater and magic, and the ability to meld the two together. I mean, what's better than that? Right to being like the guy that you call now when you have something crazy to do on Broadway. That's incredible. So but we have a wonderful guest who also is dabbling in a show that kind of puts you at the edge of your seat a little bit.

[4:54] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh my gosh, yeah, disruption. It's really really it is edge of your seat kind of thing. And you're trying to figure out the whole time like what is actually going on. Right? So I'm let's bring Elizabeth out and talk about Elizabeth Stanley, come on out.

[5:16] Eila Mell: Welcome to our show, Elizabeth Stanley fancy Tony nominee. Thank you for having me. Hi.

[5:24] Elizabeth Stanley: We're thrilled to have you. Thank you for taking some time out of your busy, busy life. So tell us a little bit about how this piece came to you and your involvement and all that.

[5:34] Elizabeth Stanley: I'm trying to remember what month it was, but I got a, you know, an appointment to do a self tape of it. And I read the script and was really like, okay, this, you know, I definitely couldn't wait to get to the end. And so, you know, some things you audition for, and you're like, okay, well, that'd be fine. But I was really hoping that I got it. So I was like, really delighted when my agent said, Hey, you got that show. So for those that don't know, the play is called disruption. And it's, I agree with you. It's like you're on the edge of your seat. It's, it's very cinematic, too. It could easily be a movie. Yeah, maybe it will be at some point, who knows. But you I for for my money, you have the most fun part because you actually get to have the biggest character arc, you go through the most changes in the play. Are you? Is it your own hair for for the show?

[6:29] Elizabeth Stanley: Yes. I mean, some parts of it are enhanced. But yeah, right. Yeah. Clearly. That's what I was wondering. I said it doesn't look like a wig. But you know, yeah. So let's talk about your character, Jill. Okay, let's talk. She is very buttoned up in Act One. Where does that come from?

[6:48] Elizabeth Stanley: I think that she's just she's holding a lot of stress. And I think she feels like in her relationship, she's the person who has to hold it. And she has two kids who are about to start kindergarten. And they're searching for the right school for them. And she's stressed about it. And I, I think they're not like, super easy kids. So she's feeling that she's also like the breadwinner of their house. Her husband is worse for a magazine that's sort of going under. And, and so she, she's someone who used to work in the nonprofit sector as a lawyer and felt very passionate about her work. And now she's sort of taken like a corporate law job that she feels like she sold out. So she's, she was holding a lot of resentment.

[7:33] Eila Mell: Oh, fun stuff, fun stuff. And she's an overachiever for sure. I mean, that comes up a lot. Yes. Right. She's not she didn't just go to law school. She went to Harvard Law.

[7:43] Elizabeth Stanley: Correct. Right. She's very fancy. And, you know, her sister played by a Renée Sophia Lucio, who we absolutely love. Yeah, she's just incredible. You know, she feels it too. You know, she feels in the shadow of her sister. And you know, a lot of fun stuff happens because of that, that we find out through the course of the play.

[8:06] Eila Mell: So as I'm sitting there watching the play, you know, I don't know where it's going to go. I don't know how you're going to transform later. So I'm thinking, look at them trying to make Elizabeth Stanley look plain. There's still that gorgeous face.

[8:23] Elizabeth Stanley: You can't hold her down. I don't know that that's true, but

[8:27] Eila Mell: it's very true. But I think that's kind of the point, though, that you can see that she doesn't have to be this way. Right. That you see that there's someone underneath. And that doesn't just come from looks. It's you know, it's just you can see that there's more to her. And just this like when we first meet you, I think you're folding clothes and stuff. And she just she seems very tied to the things that she has to do in life, but she's not having any fun. Right. And and her husband wants to have fun. And she sees that. Yeah. You know, so is that sort of what you're playing in that first dinner scene, or at least a shade of that?

[9:00] Elizabeth Stanley: Yeah, I mean, I think it's like, you know, she's being very practical. And and she feels like she wishes she didn't have to be the practical one. But she's she's sort of like, I think I feel like she's pointing out the obvious of like, well, we don't have child care. So I don't know how you think we're going to suddenly go out tonight until the wee hours, but also like we have to get up early and do our jobs tomorrow. And we have like important events next week that our kids need to like, be their best selves for. They have these kindergarten interviews. I mean, how crazy is it that we live in a world that kindergarten interviews are such a thing, but yet they are. I know. I mean, I guess people don't have to participate in that. But you know, then maybe they're at a disadvantage. It's crazy. It's that's a whole other podcast.

[10:01] Eila Mell: Yeah, I know. I know. It's so true. But what I loved about the play is that you don't know it's called disruption for a reason, right? Because you don't know where it's going to go. So when it first started, I thought that one character was an actual AI, but somebody else told me that really. And then I mean, I'm sure you remember this. When I was there, there was a medical

[10:51] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[11:21] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[11:41] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[11:49] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[12:09] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[12:29] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[12:49] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[13:09] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[13:29] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[13:49] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[14:09] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[14:29] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[14:49] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[15:09] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[15:29] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[15:49] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[16:09] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[16:29] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[16:49] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[17:09] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[17:29] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[17:49] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[18:09] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[18:29] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[18:49] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[19:09] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[19:29] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[19:49] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[20:09] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[20:29] Elizabeth Stanley: I’m also the co-founder and executive producer of Keeping Us on the Edge of Our Seat.

[20:42] Elizabeth Stanley: Incredible, you know, sadness and destruction. And so it has to be really regulated.

[20:47] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. Yeah. I mean, I hope that they use it for medical breakthroughs and things like that. Yeah, that's what we should be using it for. But I don't want to see deep fakes and things like that. I think that's dangerous. Yeah. Do you know about the Stop and Shop robot?

[21:00] Elizabeth Stanley: No. So, you know, for those not in the area that we're in, Stop and Shop is, you know, a national chain of supermarkets. And they have this robot that roams around the store. It has a name. I don't know what it is, but it doesn't look anything like a human. But it's but anyway, one day it went outside of the store. And what's notable about that is that it was clearly not programmed to do that. It just it had its own idea to go outside of the store. And, you know, it's scary. You know, the Stop and Shop robot is not dangerous to anyone. But still, it's the idea that it can, you know, think its own thoughts and do things outside of what it was programmed to do.

[21:46] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. I know. So all that to say, that disruption is really like an edge of your seat. Very cautionary tale for the times we're living in today. It's so relevant.

[21:52] Elizabeth Stanley: Yeah. But we'd be remiss if we didn't ask you about Jagged Little Pill because come on.

[21:58] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, my God.

[22:01] Elizabeth Stanley: We've had Sean Alan Krill on our show a couple of times. We adore him. And, you know, your husband in that show. What was it like working on Jagged Little Pill? Was that a favorite album of yours at any point?

[22:15] Elizabeth Stanley: Yes, of course.

[22:16] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. It's so iconic.

[22:18] Elizabeth Stanley: Yeah, it was magical. I mean, it was, you know, so many different things. It was an incredible opportunity for me to create such a juicy role. And then after, like, it had so many layers and with just, like, the world's best creative team with the CD Lover Chicari and Diane Paulus and Diablo Cody and Alanis and Tom Kitt. It was just like a real dream team. And the entire cast was also just really so good. Everyone was so good. And, you know, it was a real gift. And, you know, like in every way, it was creatively so fulfilling. And also, as an artist, like, I'm always really interested in telling stories that feel like they deserve to be told or like it's thought provoking for people. It starts conversations and Alanis is very passionate about the storyline and that it's speaking to, you know, issues that a lot of our people are dealing with.

And so that felt like that, you know, it felt a satisfying feels like the wrong word, but it felt like it's a great feeling to be able to feel like you're participating in elevating conversations and connecting people and making people feel seen.

[23:40] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. And a lot of those conversations, you know, were not being had at that time.

[23:45] Elizabeth Stanley: Right. Especially not on stage.

[23:47] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. So, you know, it was a real groundbreaker for those reasons.

[23:51] Elizabeth Stanley: One of my favorite moments in that show scenes, which I'm sure you get all the time, was Uninvited, where it was you, the featured dancer and the couch and amazing lighting. It's just so raw and so vulnerable in so many ways. Was that something that I guess the weight of it all after that song was over? I can't imagine the release that you must have felt after having that moment with such a powerful song.

[24:19] Elizabeth Stanley: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's probably my favorite like theatrical experience for me personally on stage, just in terms of the sort of power of that moment. And it really, you know, it's in true like Alanis fashion. It feels like it was just like it was all out on the table, like there was no trying to make anything be beautiful, even though I think at the same time, like LARBI's concept of it was actually quite like creative and artistic. But it was pretty raw.

[24:51] Bruce Gotlieb: Well, it was that it was like the juxtaposition of this beautiful sounding and beautiful looking picture. But what you're talking about is so horrible and, you know, just tragic.

[25:03] Elizabeth Stanley: Yeah.

[25:04] Bruce Gotlieb: I'm sure that you still get a lot of feedback from that show. It really touched so many people.

[25:09] Elizabeth Stanley: Yeah, I'm always very pleasantly surprised when people say they saw it because, of course, it was cut short by the pandemic. So it feels also like, oh, my God, no one got to see it. But so it is kind of a beautiful surprise that yes, people often do say like, oh, my gosh, that show.

[25:24] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Well, you know, I mean, not that this is the way you want people to see it, but there are bootlegs of it out there that people can still say, which I guess is good since it's not running anymore.

[25:37] Elizabeth Stanley: Yeah, yeah.

[25:39] Bruce Gotlieb: Did you get any insight into the music itself from Alanis when you were working on it?

[25:44] Elizabeth Stanley: She was so just like so generous. She really wanted everyone to feel like the songs were in their hands. Yeah. And she wanted something new to be done with them. She didn't want, you know, impression of her. She didn't want them to be saying the same things. So, yeah, I just felt like there was this really obvious when you're working on it, how brilliant the writing is, like how incredible her lyrics are. They were so easy to act like sometimes pop songs are kind of tricky to really make work in a musical because they're not they're not meant to be deep. You know, they're meant to be catchy or easy to sing along to. You know, they repeat the same lyrics a lot. And I think hers can kind of be both like are also quite catchy, but they're they're really deep.

Right. I mean, it was one of the best selling albums maybe of all time. I mean, I don't have the figures in my head, but I remember how big it was. But also it seemed very much at the time like she was going through something and that's why she wrote it. And it's just so beautifully written. And for someone that young to have written that masterpiece, it's incredible to me.

[26:46] Elizabeth Stanley: Yeah. Yeah. And then also, you know, Bruce and I always love that it brings a new audience to Broadway.

[26:52] Bruce Gotlieb: For sure. I mean, you know, it was I was like sort of surprised at what a huge fan base she had in terms of like age demographic. I thought it was going to be much smaller. But, you know, I would say it was like people who when the album came out were anywhere from like 13 to 40. It seemed like it really resonated with. And so, you know, like it now 20 years later or whatever it is like. And then it was cool because, you know, obviously, like people who are teenagers now like didn't really know it and was really awesome to have them be like, wow, this is so good. Yeah. Oh yeah. We know. But also the subject matter really covers that age group today, you know.

[27:42] Elizabeth Stanley: Right. So it really spoke to them also. So it's just I mean, I don't it's just such a smart approach to dealing with a story like that. Just, you know, it was just so good. And yeah, it is too bad that the timing of the show happened during the pandemic.

[27:53] Bruce Gotlieb: I know. Mwah, mwah. Right. I wonder, you know, but it certainly could come back. Yeah. Who knows? Right. I mean, I feel like Broadway is is is sort of really unpredictable now. So I like I couldn't pretend to predict anything that's going to happen in the next.

[28:12] Elizabeth Stanley: I know. Exactly. So how long does Disruption run?

[28:21] Elizabeth Stanley: Through October 4th. So there's plenty of time. I mean, people should really I hope they go to see it because they will not be disappointed. And, you know, just so people know, John David Washington is also in the show and he's very, very charming. He's wonderful. And if you close your eyes, you think, is Denzel Washington in the show?

[28:39] Bruce Gotlieb: Oh, really? Oh, that's interesting.

[28:45] Elizabeth Stanley: His voice. I've been watching him.

[28:51] Bruce Gotlieb: Right. Of course. Of course. But his voice is just the same as his father's. But, you know, but he he gives off a completely different vibe that's all his own. Everybody is great in this Conrad Ricamora.

[29:02] Elizabeth Stanley: Yes, I know. Yeah. Is there anything on the horizon after this that you can talk about?

[29:08] Elizabeth Stanley: No, actually, I don't know what's next. So wide open universe. Bring it in. That's right. Yeah. Right. Well, one thing that we know is that you're not going to be free for very long because you were.

[29:18] Bruce Gotlieb: I hope you're right.

[29:26] Elizabeth Stanley: A lot. As well, you should. Thanks. You know, you just you have such a quality. You don't have to respond to this because I'm just saying what I see in you. But, you know, you just you come across as a very real person, but also like so funny. And it's just it's such a pleasure to watch.

[29:38] Elizabeth Stanley: Yeah, thank you. Absolutely. And it's just it's not anything that people can try to do. It's just who you are or who you seem to be. Yeah, that comes through.

[29:50] Elizabeth Stanley: So, well, thanks. I like that version. So I'll take it.

[29:55] Bruce Gotlieb: Okay. We'll have the link to people buy tickets to the show in our show notes. So, you know, go have the edge of your seat night at the theater and watch, you know, the brilliant Elizabeth Stanley. See where she goes. And you never know who you're going to see at the theater because my seatmate was actually someone who I know, but she was the original Patty Simcox in Greece on Broadway.

[30:17] Elizabeth Stanley: I know. How cool is that?

[30:25] Bruce Gotlieb: That's very cool. I know. So and it's I love the space, too. It's just Signature is a great space.

[30:33] Elizabeth Stanley: Yeah, I do, too. I really love it. And so just go you'll have a great time and you're going to see a play that is just going to give you so much to think about and talk about. And I after I saw it, I think I said to you, I just want to sit with it now and just think for a while.

[30:42] Bruce Gotlieb: Yeah. Yeah. It does that to you.

[30:49] Elizabeth Stanley: Yes. In the best possible way. So thank you so much for joining us.

[30:54] Elizabeth Stanley: Thank you. It's so nice to chat with both of you. And we will see everyone next time on Behind the Awards. Bye-bye.