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[0:00] Joel Crump: What's up everybody and welcome back to another episode of The Weekly Dose of Joel. As we end the Broadway season, I'm taking you on to the Broadway red carpets of The Wiz, Suffs, The Heart of Rock and Roll, Stereophonic, Cabaret, Uncle Vanya, and The Great Gatsby for this Broadway Extravaganza. I'm talking to all your favorite stars, some very exciting VIP guests, and some creative team members behind the magic of all these shows. I'm also welcoming Broadway Time reporter Savannah, who interviewed on the red carpet of The Wiz. So let's get on to this very special episode of The Weekly Dose of Joel, The Broadway Extravaganza. So if you know about this Broadway season, you know it has been absolutely packed.

I mean no breaks. In the last two weeks, there have been 12 opening nights in nine days, which is wild. And we were able to cover 10 of those opening nights. It's been a whirlwind. It's been the best time ever. And I'm really excited to share some of my favorite interviews from these past two weeks with you. And just so you know, just so you know how wild this was, we had some opening nights where there were two red carpets in one day. We had a show that had two different red carpets because it's a huge show of the season. It was total madness. And a highlight for me was being able to have the Broadway Time family on the red carpet with me for The Wiz. So I was interviewing for Ebony, actually.

And my sister, Savannah, who I'm welcoming on the podcast in a couple of minutes, interviewed at The Wiz with my grandma being her camera woman. And it was just such a special moment. And as you all know, if you guys didn't know, you need to know, my mom, who's also my mom, was on the carpet with me, helping me out with Ebony. And so it was really cool to have family members, the Broadway Time family, on the red carpet. It was just an experience I'll never forget. So as you listen to some of the interviews for the Broadway extravaganza, you might realize that's not Joel's voice. Well, for the red carpet of The Wiz on Broadway, I was interviewing for Ebony. And so I had my sister, Savannah, join me on the carpet interview for Broadway Time. So Savannah will just talk to you guys a little bit about what The Wiz carpet was like. Hello, Savannah.

[2:06] Savannah: Hello, everybody. So Savannah, this was your first time interviewing on a red carpet, right?

[2:11] Savannah: Yes. What was that like for you?

[2:17] Savannah: I don't know. It was just a lot. You're seeing people that you looked up to on TV and in life, and they're in your face, and you're interviewing them. It's just a crazy experience. I was so blessed and happy to be able to do it.

[2:27] Joel Crump: Well, I'm so glad you had a good time. But Savannah, I want to know, who is your favorite person to interview on the carpet for The Wiz?

[2:31] Savannah: Ooh, this is a hard one, because everyone was so amazing to meet and talk to. I have to say, JaQuille Knight and Stephanie Mills are my two favorites. They were just so lovely. They were so excited. They had great answers. I just love speaking to everybody. It's so hard to choose.

[2:46] Joel Crump: Yeah. So if you guys don't know, JaQuille Knight is the choreographer for The Wiz, and he's also the choreographer for Queen v. Beyonce, which is so cool. And Stephanie Mills was the original Dorothy, which she won a Tony Award for at the age of 16. Bledging in the flesh, like, gosh. Yes. And so I agree with you. It was really cool to be on that carpet. And why don't we roll into it? Let's share Savannah's interview with Stephanie Mills and then JaQuille Knight.

[3:10] Savannah: Why is Dorothy so special in The Wiz?

[3:16] Stephanie Mills: I think because Judy Garland made it so special.

[3:22] Savannah: Yeah. And you?

[3:28] Stephanie Mills: I mean, and well, it started with Judy Garland and then myself. Right. And then Diana and then now, uh, Nichelle. Yes. So I think The Wiz itself is a family show. It talks about brains, it talks about courage, and it talks about love. Thank you so much. It's an honor.

[3:38] Savannah: And now JaQuille Knight. I saw you. You're dancing. The dancing of the choreography was so amazing. I was lit. How? What's the process of going into that?

[3:43] JaQuille Knight: Oh, my God. The process of choreographing this revival, you know, I started October would be two years, you know. So October 22, I started with my team. We just started to move. Last summer, we had a workshop with the ensemble. Yes. And then we started rehearsals in August, you know, for a little bit. And then it toured for six months. Then we came back for more rehearsals. And I changed everything. And now you're about to see everything that no one has ever seen before.

[4:17] Savannah: So what's a little special move that the audience can know?

[4:22] JaQuille Knight: You know, um, Emerald City is probably one of my favorite moments in the show. Right. You know, um, and it goes through a little, a little bit of dance. Okay. You know, so, um, so you're going to you're going to do it.

[4:39] Savannah: I'll do it. I'll do it. So you need to go like this. Okay. You jump on it.

[4:45] JaQuille Knight: Oh, yeah. Like that. Yeah. Do you need to? Oh, and your arms go with it like this. It's like, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

[5:02] JaQuille Knight: Yeah, we are the Emerald Vibe.

[5:02] Savannah: Yeah, we are the Emerald Vibe.

[5:02] JaQuille Knight: You just love that vibe. Okay, it was nice talking to you. Thank you.

[5:09] Joel Crump: Oh, Savannah, you were such a natural being on the carpet. You were trying to take my job at Broadway Time.

[5:16] Savannah: Yeah, I had so much fun. Thank you for letting me be on your podcast and host Broadway Time for that one night. I had so much fun. Thank you.

[5:21] Joel Crump: So next up is Suffs on Broadway. Suffs' opening night was such a fun time. The cast was incredible and the VIP guests were impeccable. There were so many VIP guests and a lot of people I've interviewed before, so it was so fantastic to see them again. I will be sharing my interviews with Hannah Cruz, who's making her Broadway debut as Inez in Suffs, and VIP guest Melissa McCarthy on the red carpet.

[5:44] Savannah: Hey, you guys, I'm here with Hannah Cruz and you play Inez in Suffs on Broadway. It's your Broadway debut. Tell me, what does it mean to make your Broadway debut in a show like Suffs?

[5:54] Hannah Cruz: Oh my God, it's such an honor. This show, I think, is doing a lot for so many people. It's teaching us a lot. It's making us laugh. It's giving us hope, and to be a small part of that is an honor.

[6:04] Joel Crump: Yeah, you've been on the stage for a long time, but you're finally on Broadway. Tell me, what have your past experiences being at Hamilton and all those shows done for you to now bring you here to Suffs?

[6:13] Hannah Cruz: Yeah, it's taught me perseverance. It's taught me how to take care of myself, because doing this eight times a week is not easy. You've got to take care of your body. You've got to take care of your voice and your brain, and so now that I'm 32 and making my Broadway debut, I feel like I know those things and so I'm not learning on the job anymore. I know, and that's a great feeling. I love it. Inez is such a powerful woman. Tell me, how have you tapped into Inez and made Inez your own?

[6:36] Hannah Cruz: It was a lot about posture for me, honestly, about her posture, the way she walks, the way she carries herself. You have to really put yourself in those shoes to go about life that way, because it's not easy, and Inez was a great example of really faking it, because she was very sick, and she still carried herself in front of people, always with poise, always with confidence.

[7:03] Joel Crump: And now, Melissa McCarthy.

[7:08] Melissa McCarthy: Hey, you guys, I'm Melissa McCarthy. We're here at the opening night of Suffs on Broadway. This woman is about woman empowerment. Tell me, how excited are you to see this show tonight?

[7:12] Melissa McCarthy: I'm so excited. This will be my second time seeing it. It is so powerful. It's so relevant. It's really funny, and the music's amazing, and I saw it the first time with my husband and my daughters, and it was really powerful, because it shows us how far we've come, but how far we need to go.

[7:29] Joel Crump: Yes. Fill in the blank. A woman that inspires me is?

[7:34] Melissa McCarthy: On this carpet, and it's Hillary Clinton.

[7:37] Joel Crump: Come on. I mean, that was just majestic for me to interview her. My friends and I are freaking out. It was so fantastic to talk to Hannah and Melissa, and listen, I was also feeling starstruck when I met Hillary Clinton on the red carpet. If you want to watch that interview, make sure to visit my Instagram, at joelcrumpofficial. The next opening night was Stereophonic on Broadway, so here's my interview with Juliana Canfield and Will Brill, who are both in the show.

[7:58] Joel Crump: Thank you. Ready, Mom?

[8:04] Joel Crump: Hey, you guys. I'm here with Juliana Canfield. It's opening night. It's your Broadway debut. Tell me, how are you feeling?

[8:10] Juliana Canfield: I kind of feel like a bottle of champagne if you shake it up, and then you take the cork off.

[8:16] Joel Crump: Yeah.

[8:21] Juliana Canfield: So I'm just like spilling over. To make your Broadway debut in a show like Stereophonic, such an intense, powerful show, what has that been like?

[8:25] Juliana Canfield: Um, you know, the play is so engaging and engrossing as an actor, so in a way, like, it's such a comfort to be able to dig in the play, and all of the trappings, and more people, and all of the associations with Broadway kind of fall by the wayside, because I can just, like, rely on this play and this cast.

[8:49] Joel Crump: Yeah, to be in this cast, you know, the show is three hours long, which is an extremely long time to be working together. Tell me, how do you guys stay engaged and into the story amongst being such a long play?

[8:58] Juliana Canfield: Yeah, well, the play's so well written, and Daniel's such a genius director, so it doesn't even feel like there's any work to be done to stay engaged. Like, every step of the way feels like someone's holding our hands to keep us alive in the show.

[9:19] Joel Crump: And now, Will Brill.

[9:20] Joel Crump: Hey, you guys. I'm here with Will Brill. We're here at the opening night of Stereophonic on Broadway. It's opening night. Tell me, how are you feeling tonight?

[9:27] Will Brill: I feel so nice. I'm wearing this nice dress. People seem to like the show. I'm here with a bunch of friends. It feels really good.

[9:34] Joel Crump: Yeah, you've been with this show for such a long time. Tell me, what has this journey been like for you?

[9:38] Will Brill: Oh, gosh. Heartbreaking, scary, joyful, really challenging. You know, there was a time when I was in the very first group of people to be a part of it, and then it went off without me for a long time, and I was really sad to lose it. And then last year, I got to come back to it with force, and so it's been really incredible. I mean, it's been so many things.

[10:08] Joel Crump: Yeah, you've been in some Broadway shows before. I don't know. What's different about Stereophonic?

[10:14] Will Brill: Well, something that is different about Stereophonic, this is the first time that I've ever moved a play from off-Broadway onto Broadway. The production of Oklahoma that I was in a few years ago started at Bard College and then went to St. Anne's and then went to Broadway, but that whole company had been together, and I was the last person to come in and replace on Broadway, so that was a very different experience. This feels so cool in that we're sort of like this ragtag group of people who made this little show off-Broadway, and now we're in the big leagues. It's very cool.

[10:51] Joel Crump: So the next night, we had Cabaret opening night, which if you didn't know, Cabaret had a double opening night situation, and so if you know this Broadway season, you know Cabaret is one of the biggest shows of the season. They've redone the entire August Wilson Theater, and me and my mom saw the show. It was something else, you guys. It was a totally new Broadway experience from the moment you walk into the August Wilson Theater. They have redone every inch of that theater, and Cabaret is a Broadway classic, so to see these actors doing it, it was impeccable. It was truly amazing, and I also want to mention that that same day was Hell's Kitchen opening night, and I was once again interviewing for Ebony, and when I'm saying Ebony, I mean Ebony Magazine, so it was kind of a wild day for me, at least.

I was at Cabaret for a couple hours, then I ran to Hell's Kitchen opening night. It was a wild day of Broadway magic, but if you want to see a little bit of my coverage for Ebony, you can head to my Instagram, at joelcrumpofficial, to see what I was good enough to at Hell's Kitchen opening night. Before we get to my interview with Gayle Rankin, who's playing Sally Bowles, and Rebecca Frecknell, the director of this magnificent revival, a quick break. I hope you're enjoying this episode. Now let's get back to this Broadway extravaganza, starting off with Gayle Rankin, who plays Sally Bowles in Cabaret, followed by the director of the show, Rebecca Frecknell.

[12:06] Joel Crump: Hey you guys, I'm with Gayle Rankin. We're here at the opening night of Cabaret on Broadway. You're playing Sally Bowles in this show. Tell me, how are you feeling tonight?

[12:21] Gayle Rankin: I mean, totally overwhelmed, so grateful, so loved, so full, and just like very excited to get on stage, you know. Sally's such a strong character. She goes through such a journey to joy and then devastation at the end. Tell me, what is it like going through all those emotions in a show like Cabaret?

[12:35] Gayle Rankin: I mean, it really holds you. The bones of this show really hold you up, and I haven't ever been really scared because I just feel like Sally has my back.

[12:42] Joel Crump: Yeah. And the show has my back. Lastly, this choreography. You're doing it. You're really doing it all on this show. Definition of a triple threat. Tell me, what rehearsal's like, and now that you're doing the show, how are you staying on point for each and every show?

[12:56] Gayle Rankin: We have an amazing, amazing choreographer team, and Julia Chang, our choreographer, has changed my life. I mean, my relationship with my body and how to express myself, and we do amazing warm-ups, and yeah, it's a full-time job. It's a full-time job.

[13:11] Joel Crump: And now, Rebecca Frecknell.

[13:16] Joel Crump: Hey, you guys, I'm here with Rebecca Frecknell. You're the director of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. Oh my god, Rebecca. Me and my mom saw the show the other day, and we were amazed. We've never seen any piece of theater like this before. Working with such talented actors like the actors in Cabaret, what has that been like? And you know, of course the show is going to be different from the West End to Broadway. What pieces of advice did you give them while coming to Broadway?

[13:36] Rebecca Frecknell: I think I said to them to really believe.

[13:38] Stephanie Mills: Stephanie Mills.

[14:08] Will Brill: JaQuel Knight. Gayle Rankin.

[15:08] Jayne Houdyshell: Will Brill. JaQuel Knight.

[15:38] Gayle Rankin: Will Brill. JaQuel Knight.

[16:08] Will Brill: JaQuel Knight.

[16:38] Joel Crump: Tell me what has this last year been like for you?

[16:40] Mackenzie Kurtz: It really means so much. Like two of my biggest dreams have happened in this past year, which is pretty wild to say, but it's true. And I'm just so grateful and happy to be here and doing what I love to do.

[16:54] Joel Crump: Yeah. Delving into this Huey Lewis music. What has that been like for you?

[16:58] Mackenzie Kurtz: So much fun. I grew up listening to Huey. My dad is a fan. And so I grew up. I know. Come on, dad. He's around here somewhere. I grew up listening to Huey in my dad's car.

[17:09] Joel Crump: So singing it and then also just interacting with him on the day to day is like really crazy.

[17:15] Mackenzie Kurtz: It has to be crazy. Fill in the blank. The heart of rock and roll is still beating because?

[17:19] Mackenzie Kurtz: Because this cast is the best and amazing and it'll never, ever die. And I'll keep beating forever and ever.

[17:26] Joel Crump: Forever. And tell me, what is your favorite Huey Lewis song? And if you're up for it, give me a little bit of it.

[17:31] Mackenzie Kurtz: It changes all the time. But right now, Stuck With You is one of my favorites.

[17:37] Mackenzie Kurtz: Yes, it's true. I'd be happy to be stuck with you.

[17:44] Joel Crump: Thank you so much, Mackenzie. It was so awesome to talk to the stars of the show, Corey Cott and Mackenzie Kurtz. And they were singing for me on that carpet, OK? I know they had a show to get ready for and I was so grateful for them to be, you know, giving me a little piece of the action on the red carpet.

[17:59] Joel Crump: The next opening night on Broadway was Uncle Vanya. You know we had a good time at Uncle Vanya. This show is star-studded. I mean, oh, my God. I was like, whoa, whoa. What's going on? It was so awesome.

[18:14] Joel Crump: So why don't we hear my chats from William Jackson Harper and Jayne Houdyshell, who are both in Uncle Vanya.

[18:20] Joel Crump: Hey, you guys. I'm here with William Jackson Harper. We're here at the opening night of Uncle Vanya on Broadway. You're back on Broadway after 10 years. Tell me, what has it been like being back on Broadway?

[18:27] William Jackson Harper: Great. Kind of crazy. I didn't think I was going to get to do another Broadway show. It's not a given. So it's nuts, let alone getting to do Chekhov, which is something that I also didn't think I was going to do just because it's not done all the time. And so it's sort of surreal that this is the play that I'm doing and this is where I'm getting to do it.

[18:56] Joel Crump: Yeah. Talking about this last year for you. You kind of had a theater-y year last year doing a show around a theater company and now doing Uncle Vanya. Just talk to me about this last year for you.

[19:05] William Jackson Harper: I love coming back to theater. This is where I cut my teeth. I've done most of my career has been theater until I guess the last eight years or so. And so I get a big kick out of it. I love rehearsal. I love trying and failing. I love just taking the time with your castmates to find the most unexpected but inevitable way to tell a story and really taking time to figure that out. So I love it. I'm happy as hell to be doing it again.

[19:44] Joel Crump: Talk to me about unpacking Chekhov, unpacking his text and his play. What was that like and how does the story relate to today?

[19:51] William Jackson Harper: I think that for me it's feeling more and more like it's about the time in your life when doors are closing. And your life isn't going to completely do a 180 and you're going to get to really go down that road with all of your youth and all of that stuff still there. And for me, being a middle-aged guy now, that's something that really resonates with me.

[20:27] Joel Crump: Now Jayne Houdyshell.

[20:28] Joel Crump: Hey you guys, I'm here with Jayne Houdyshell. We're here at the opening night of Uncle Vanya on Broadway. It's opening night. Tell me, how are you feeling tonight?

[20:35] Jayne Houdyshell: Really great and I really thank you for pronouncing my name correctly.

[20:39] Joel Crump: Of course. But for legends I have to pronounce the name correctly.

[20:42] Jayne Houdyshell: Not everybody does.

[20:44] Joel Crump: Yeah, but you're back on stage in Uncle Vanya. Tell me, why did you return in this iconic play?

[20:49] Jayne Houdyshell: Well, there were a lot of reasons to want to do this iconic play. First of all, Heidi Schreck and Lila Neugebauer are both women that I've worked with previously and would do anything to be able to work with again. And to have them both in the same room working on the same project just felt like a piece of heaven. And then I started to hear ideas about the casting of the rest of the characters and I was like, oh yeah, I want to work with them. I want to work with them. I want to work with them. But also, fundamentally, the exciting thing is to be able to do some Chekhov because I just never get cast in Chekhov. I don't know why, but it's nice to be able to do a Chekhov.

[21:35] Joel Crump: Yeah, to unpack Chekhov's text. You know, what does that feel like for you and how is the play still relevant to 2024?

[21:42] Jayne Houdyshell: Have you seen the production?

[21:44] Joel Crump: Not yet. I can't wait to, though.

[21:46] Jayne Houdyshell: Okay, you will find out how it's relevant in 2024 when you see it. You know, they aren't doing anything crazy with modernization of text except that the kind of the mores and the sensibilities of the people are of this time now. And the language that they use is a little bit colloquial but comfortably American and comfortably modern but not slangy or cute or anything like that. So, I mean, I think the audience feels very comfortable in accepting the time frame and the place and it really lifts the characters into a different sensibility, too, to be American and modern.

[22:40] Joel Crump: You guys have to see Uncle Vanya not just because this cast is stellar but also because it's a classic Chekhov play.

[22:47] Joel Crump: The last opening night for this Broadway season was The Great Gatsby and let me tell you, this red carpet for sure was great. So, I know who you guys want to hear from, obviously.

[22:57] Joel Crump: Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada. So, first up, we have Jeremy Jordan who's playing Gatsby in The Great Gatsby.

[23:04] Jeremy Jordan: Hey, you guys, Jeremy Jordan here at the opening night of The Great Gatsby on Broadway. It's opening night. Tell me, how are you feeling tonight?

[23:10] Jeremy Jordan: I feel good. I feel good. I'm excited. It's cold. You know, I've got to do a show later so I'm trying to keep it all under wraps. But, no, I'm very excited. It's great to be celebrating this show and this incredible company. I couldn't be happier.

[23:27] Joel Crump: Yeah, to be reprising your role of Gatsby, last year it's been Gatsby role for all of us. Tell me, how have you deepened it bringing it to Broadway?

[23:35] Jeremy Jordan: For me, I think I've worked harder at sort of his level of restraint that he sort of has throughout the show. I think when we first meet him, he's very contained. You know, his whole character is a facade. And so, it's finding those different levels throughout the show and when he lets things seep through the cracks. That's been really fun to explore this time around.

[24:01] Joel Crump: Out of all of your career, I want to know what has been special and unique about doing The Great Gatsby?

[24:06] Jeremy Jordan: Oh, gosh. I mean, for me, I think for this specifically, it's been really getting to work with my friends. I feel like I'm walking to the room with peers on the other side of the table instead of feeling terrified that somebody's going to hate what I do or judge me. I never felt that once. I felt completely embraced and loved and trusted and I would like to feel that more and again in the future.

[24:30] Joel Crump: Yeah. And the last thing I want to know is what partygoer or someone you partied with would you bring to the Gatsby party with you?

[24:36] Jeremy Jordan: Oh, gosh. I don't know. Probably my grandma. She can get down.

[24:40] Joel Crump: I love that. She's coming.

[24:42] Jeremy Jordan: Yeah. Well, there you go. Thank you, Jeremy.

[24:44] Joel Crump: And now, Eva Noblezada.

[24:46] Eva Noblezada: Happy opening. I mean, you're back on Broadway in this show. How are you feeling tonight?

[24:51] Eva Noblezada: I feel so exhilarated and out of this world in the best way.

[24:54] Joel Crump: Yeah. You know, playing Daisy, of course, you guys had some time off between Paper Mill and now Broadway. Tell me, how did you deepen that character throughout that time?

[25:01] Eva Noblezada: Beautiful question. I tried my best to immerse myself into just 20s lifestyle. I watched every YouTube video you can imagine about what America was like in the 20s because I feel like the more I can familiarize myself with what it was like, the more it's easier to drop in and go, oh, I know this world. I'm listening to all the 1920s playlists and I know every word to all the 20s hits. It's great.

[25:25] Joel Crump: Talk to me about the response to The Great Gatsby. I mean, the Gatsby fans, they're crazy. They love the show. Talk to me about that.

[25:31] Eva Noblezada: I'm just like, in the beginning of the show, there's this moment where you first see Gatsby's back and it's so beautiful to hear everyone go, ah! To me, that's like, it makes me really excited to do the show. So I'm just grateful, super grateful for the people.

[25:46] Joel Crump: Yeah, and the last thing I want to know is, who would you bring to the party with you?

[25:50] Eva Noblezada: Reeve Carney! You know why? You've always been the love of your life because that's my best friend right there. We're going to have a good time.

[25:55] Joel Crump: Reeve, I love it.

[25:56] Eva Noblezada: Yeah, Reeve, thank you.

[25:57] Joel Crump: Oh, you're the best. And let me tell you guys, Eva is just the best, and so is Jeremy, and they are killing it in this show. I was able to see it actually opening night, which was yesterday, and whew, it is so good. And they made a lot of changes from the Paper Mill Playhouse version to Broadway. I saw both productions on their opening nights, which is kind of funny, and it's really, really good.

[26:17] Joel Crump: Well, that wraps up this Broadway extravaganza. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of different opening nights and traveling. If you didn't know, I live in the Washington, D.C. area, so we had to travel a lot for these opening nights, but it's so worth it. It's for the thing that I love most, which is Broadway.

[26:36] Joel Crump: Now we have the awards season, and oh man, it's just going to get busier and busier and busier. I don't know what's going to happen, you guys. The next guest on our podcast could be a mystery. We don't know who it's going to be, but this Broadway season is huge, as we all know, and let me just say this, we're going to have some awesome coverage of the awards season.

[26:57] Joel Crump: Thank you for listening to this episode, and please let me know what you enjoy, who you want to hear from, and if you have any ideas for the podcast, tell me what they are, and we will try to make them happen. I'll see you next time for another episode of The Weekly Dose of Joel.