Guys Who Like Musicals

One of the coolest people on the planet is here. Our friend Ali Luff is hanging with us this week!! She’s most famous for being Alex Finke’s dressing roommate in Les Mis. She’s done a few shows… Waitress, Wicked,, a little ditty on Starz right now called HEELZ .. that’s HEELZ with a Z. This was such a fun conversation. Ali walks us through her difficult time leaving Waitress, shooting a TV show during a pandemic, and she inspires all of us to buy a Winnebago. Her insane resume includes Waitress, Wicked, Scandalous, Escape to Margaritaville, Matlida, Les Mis, Ghost, Mama Mia and a recurring role on New Amsterdam. COME ON!! Ali Luff is a LIFE FORCE. Check us out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have got a story for you that you've NEVER heard this week. I mean COME ON!! Adam Freaking Pascal. Yes, RENT. Yes, AIDA. Yes, he gives us 16 bars of Pity The Child. (this may be an exaggeration) Yes. It was just announced that he's taking PRETTY WOMAN on the road!! We were blown away by his insight and his thoughtfulness. In addition to creating the iconic role of Roger in Rent, Adam has also been seen on Broadway in Cabaret as the (Emcee), Chicago (Billy Flynn), Memphis (Huey Calhoun), Disaster! (Chad) and Something Rotten! (Shakespeare). Listen in for how Cabaret changed Adam's life, how hard it is, even for rockstars, to not quit, and when Joe tells Adam that he was in the audience for one of the craziest nights of Adma's life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NORBERT LEO FREAKING BUTZ IS HERE!!!! 11 Broadway shows. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Rent, Wicked, My Fair Lady... Have you seen Bloodline? Just stop what you're doing and watch the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Tony performance and then binge Bloodline. We can't keep it together this week. Joe is fan boy mess. This was one of our favorite conversations yet. This week we talk with Norbert about how singing in bar bands can be the best vocal training, that time he wept in Jason Robert Brown's bathroom, how the biggest job you ever have might be the least rewarding, and the genius of Jack O'Brien. We talk about his leap from stage to screen and what he learned from Sissy Spacek and Linda Cardellini while working on Bloodline. We have looked up to this man for so long (if you can't tell by Joe's rambling) and we're still blown away that the man spent so much time with us. He was generous, vulnerable, and a WELL of knowledge. his best advice? Don't take any fucking advice. Listen in this week! Check this out for a resume... On Broadway. My Fairy Lady, Thou Shalt Not, Big Fish, Dead Accounts, Catch Me If You Can, Enron, Speed-The-Plow, Is He Dead?, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Wicked, Rent. Most recently, Butz stars in NBC’s Debris series and nabbed a lead role as Rex Foster in the Disney+ adaptation of Tim Federle’s YA novel Better Nate Than Ever. Other TV credits include playing Dr. Byron Hale in David Zabel and Ridley Scott’s PBS series Mercy Street, performing the role of Kevin Rayburn in the Netflix series Bloodline, and playing Paddy Chayefsky on the FX limited series Fosse/Verdon. His film credits include Peter Hedges’ Dan in Real Life, Vera Farmiga’s Sony feature Higher Ground, Craig Zisk’s The English Teacher, and writer-directors Geoff Moore and David Posamentier’s Better Living Through Chemistry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re talking to Come From Away and Jersey Boys star De’Lon Grant!! Did you know they're making of movie of Come From Away and the whole cast had to quarantine together in a Times Square? Did you know that even Broadway stars deal with the fear of 'not being enough' and imposter syndrome? Did you know that you can pick up an instrument at any phase of life? Our conversation with De'Lon was hilarious, insightful, and timely as ever. Get pumped for Come From Away's triumphant return to Broadway on September 21st!! De’Lon Grant is an actor and singer currently performing on Broadway in the Tony Award nominated hit musical Come From Away. He spent three years touring domestically and internationally as Berry Belson in the Tony Award winning musical Jersey Boys and was recently named Best Leading Actor at the 2017 IRNE Awards for his portrayal of Haywood Patterson in Kander and Ebb’s The Scottsboro Boys; a role for which he also received an Elliot Norton Award Nomination. Some of his other credits include: Frederick Douglass in Douglass (The Wit Theatre, Chicago, IL), Tod Clifton in Invisible Man (The Studio Theatre, Washington, DC and The Huntington Theatre, Boston, MA), Jim in Big River (Lyric Stage Company, Boston; Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Conway, AR; The Barnstomers, Tamworth, NH), Achilles in Troilus and Cressida(Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Boston, MA), Posthumous/Cloten in Cymbeline (Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Boston, MA), Gaspard in A Tale of Two Cities (The Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston, MA), Kaine in Dessa Rose (The New Repertory Theatre, Watertown, MA) and Sawyer in Harriet Jacobs (Underground Railway Theatre, Boston, MA). De'Lon holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Michigan and a Master in Music with concentration in Musical Theatre Performance from The Boston Conservatory of Music. In addition to his stage work De’Lon is also photographer specializing in headshot and lifestyle portraits. View some of his portfolio here. To access more of his work visit www.delonphotography.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Professor is in! NYU's newest Shakespeare professor joins us this week. Maurice andJoe did Romeo and Juliet together back in 2013 where they bonded over margaritas and The Lord of the Rings. This week we talk about making Shakespeare accessible in 2021, how life as an actor isn't all star studded plays, how Joe literally conned his way into a Shakespeare play on Broadway, and how this "serious" actor found his love of musicals with the help of a little show called Ragtime. Mr. Jones is an New Jersey native and New York based actor. He is a graduate of Rutgers University where he earned degrees in English and Theatre. He holds an MFA from the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver, CO. He possesses a proud penchant for pocket watches, poetry, plums, percussion, potatoes, Pablo Picasso, Oxford commas, and alliteration. NY credits include, Broadway: The Lifespan of a Fact, Saint Joan, The Cherry Orchard, Romeo & Juliet, and Julius Caesar. Off Broadway: Sunday (Atlantic Theater Company), Linda (MTC), Troilus & Cressida, Pretty Hunger (Public Theater), Little Children Dream of God (Roundabout) Regional: Hamlet (Chicago Shakespeare), The Model American, A Legendary Romance (Williamstown) Julius Caesar (Folger Theatre), Lives of Reason (Two River Theater), Butler (Barrington Stage), As You Like It, Ruined, The Taming of the Shrew (Denver Center), The Learned Ladies (NJ Shakespeare) Television: “Blue Bloods”, “Elementary”, “The Good Fight”, “30 Rock”. Film: Winter’s Tale, Romeo & Juliet, And So It Goes • #broadway #broadwaymusical #broadwaymusicals #musical #musicals #musicaltheatre #musicaltheatrelife #theatrelife #theaterlife #theatrekid #theatrekids #theatrenerd #actorslife #podcastersofinstagram #broadwaypodcastnetwork #broadwaypodcast #podcastaddict #broadwaymemes #stevemauricejones #shakespeare #nyu #stellaadler #professor #romeoandjuliet #juliuscaesar #hamlet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JOE IS GOING TO BE A MARVEL SUPERHERO!!! Now, that is what they call "click bait". Joe isn't going to be a superhero, but it's hard not to feel that way every time the name BEN SANDS pops up on Joe's phone. Ben Sands a partner at Artists and Representatives Agency in New York and he has been Joe's agent for almost ten years. The relationship between agent and actor is sacred. It is an open, vulnerable, relationship that is also steeped in business. It's best friend, meets business manager, meets artistic partner. We have spoken to many of Ben's clients on this show including Caitlin Houlahan, Kerstin Anderson, Jason Gotay, James Monroe Iglehart, and Courtney Reed. This week we talk with ben about his journey from an undergraduate acting student to NYC intern to partner at one of the most prestigious agencies in the business. Listen in!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back with PROFESSOR Telly Leung! Godspell, Aladdin, Rent, Glee, Allegiance, In Transit ... the guy has had an incredible career and he's just getting started. Telly just returned from Godspell at The University of Michigan and Dan and Joe are ready to go back to college so they can be directed by Telly. This is such a joy of a conversation. We talk about why representation matters, the reckoning in our business, creating art, waiting overnight in line for 20$ tickets, and how the greatest buzz for Telly comes from teaching the next generation. We love this man. We love you. Happy Friday. Telly was born and raised in New York City. He grew up in a traditional Chinese home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School he attended Carnegie Mellon University.. Not a big deal :) It was also at CMU that Telly met fellow CMU-alum and KINKY BOOTS Tony-Award Winner, Billy Porter, who returned to his alma mater to direct the main stage production of Sondheim's COMPANY. After casting Telly as Bobby in "Company", Porter made a phone call to his colleagues who were involved in the upcoming Broadway revival of FLOWER DRUM SONG which eventually landed Telly the understudy for Wang Ta. After playing Bobby in Sondheim's COMPANY in college, Telly would later get the opportunity to work with the legendary Stephen Sondheim in Roundabout's Broadway revival of PACIFIC OVERTURES in 2005. After PACIFIC OVERTURES, Telly originated the role of Boq in the Chicago company of WICKED, collaborating with fellow CMU-alum, Stephen Schwartz. Other Broadway credits include the final company of RENT - where he also got to make his film debut in Radical Media / Sony's RENT: FILMED LIVE ON BROADWAY, which is available on DVD and Blue Ray. After RENT ended its Broadway run, Telly went on an international tour with original RENT stars Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp in RENT: THE BROADWAY TOUR. He would later reprise the role of Angel in RENT at the Hollywood Bowl, directed by Neil Patrick Harris and starring Vanessa Hudgens, Aaron Tveit, Skylar Astin, & Wayne Brady. In 2011, Telly would get another opportunity to collaborate with composer Stephen Schwartz in the Broadway revival of GODSPELL at the Circle in the Square Theater. Telly was involved in the development of Broadway's ALLEGIANCE, creating the role of "Sammy" alongside Lea Salonga (MISS SAIGON) and George Takei (STAR TREK). ALLEGIANCE is the story of one Japanese-American family's struggles and triumphs during the Japanese Internment of World War II. The musical made its sold-out world premiere at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego in 2012 and premiered on Broadway in the Fall of 2015. In 2016, Telly starred opposite Justin Guarini (American Idol) in IN TRANSIT, Broadway's first a cappella musical with music by Oscar-winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Russell Kaplan, Sara Wordsworth and James-Allen Ford, with direction and choreography by Tony-Award Winner Kathleen Marshall. In June 2017, Telly Leung began his star turn as the title character in Disney’s ALADDIN on Broadway. He would continue to play the role for two years, and his caricature would eventually earn a coveted spot on the wall’s of New York’s historic Sardi’s restaurant. Telly has appeared on television in GLEE (as Wes of the Dalton Academy Warblers), INSTINCT (CBS), ODD MOM OUT (Bravo), DEADBEAT (on Hulu), LAW AND ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT and played Kevin in the pilot of ABC's performing arts drama, LIMELIGHT. He was also heavily featured in the PBS documentary BROADWAY OR BUST as a teacher and performance coach for the Jimmy Awards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WE GOING TO THE SHIP.. WHAT?! WE GOING TO THE SHIP.. WHAT?! Name that movie :) Dan and Joe read off the tally for the BEST MUSICAL OF ALL TIME 2021 edition. Rent vs West Side Story. The final show down. This week we also talk about The Masters, illegal gambling, cryptocurrency, and, of course, Broadway musicals... these are the things we care about. We keep it short and sweet this week and we'll be back next week with more incredible guests. Till then... listen to the soft baritone of Jim Nance and have yourself a pimento sandwich. If you know... you know. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WE'RE BACK with our dear friend Carson Higgins. Dan and Carson met on the National Tour of American Idiot and Carson has stepped into the octagon to argue through the greatest musicals of all time. This week we get to the FINAL FOUR!!! Thank you for all your voting and engagement on social media... check out our instagram page to vote on your picks to make to it to the National Championship of Musical Theater.... and Joe is hoping it WON'T be Hamilton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey. We love you all. This week Dan and Joe a minute to reflect on the past year. From the last shows we saw (Unknown Solider and To Kill a Mockingbird), to Dan’s move across the country, to happy hour with Robyn Hurder, to complete despair and grief, you have all stuck with us during the worst year of our lives and certainly the worst in theatrical history. We know that life could be so much worse for us... we’re healthy, our families are healthy. our unemployment benefits just got extended... it looks like we’re gonna make it. We don’t know the suffering of so many who have lost friends and family members and people who are still recovering from the effects of COVID-19. The theater will return. And GAWD do we miss it... until then... we’re gonna keep taking to you, talking to people we love, and loving musicals. Thank you. Stay tuned for more antics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey old friend!! Carrie St Louis is a rockstar AND an classically trained soprano. Carris is best known for her portrayal of ‘Glinda' in the Broadway and national touring company of Wicked, for her portrayal of ‘Sherrie' in the Broadway and Las Vegas companies of Rock of Ages, and as the closing Lauren in the Tony Award winning Best Musical, Kinky Boots. Dan and Carrie go WAAAAY back to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival back in their high school theater glory days. They've been circling each other for over a decade and then they auditioned together for the Anastasia national tour. Dan pooped his pants before he went into the audition room, but that's a story for another time. This was one of our most hilarious interviews. Along with Carrie being an absolute looney tune, she is insightful, introspective, thoughtful, and we loved chatting with her. After graduating from the Thornton School of Music at USC with a degree in Vocal Arts., she went on to play Amanda Bell in the world premiere of Justin Love at LA’s Celebration Theater, which received an LA Drama Critics Circle Nomination for Best Production. She then moved to Las Vegas to open Rock of Ages at The Venetian Hotel, for which she was awarded Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical by Broadway World Las Vegas. Carrie made her Broadway debut as Sherrie in Rock of Ages in 2014. Later that year, she went on the road as Glinda in the national tour of Wicked. In 2016, Carrie returned to Broadway, starring as Glinda at the Gershwin Theater, for which she was nominated for a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Best Female Replacement in a long running show. Her sold-out solo cabaret show in LA, Here I Go Again, received a Broadway World nomination for Best Female Cabaret in 2012. Her second solo show, Something Good, played to sold out crowds at New York’s iconic Feinstein’s/54 Below as well as cabaret clubs across the United States. Her third solo show, Always In The Ballpark, Usually In The Wrong Seat, is currently playing at 54 Below. In 2016, Carrie had the honor of performing "For Good" with her Wicked co-star, Jennifer DiNoia, for First Lady Michelle Obama at a United Nations event in New York City. She’s guested in concert with the band Foreigner, and she’s sung the National Anthem for the LA Dodgers, LA Lakers, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, New York Islanders and the PAC-12 Tournament. In 2017, she starred Off-Broadway as Annette Hargrove in Cruel Intentions: The Musical, based on the cult-classic film, which received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Off-Broadway Musical. In the Spring of 2018, Carrie joined the company of the 2013 Tony winner for Best Musical, Kinky Boots, as Lauren. She was the final Lauren when the show closed in 2019 after six incredible years on Broadway. Carrie has appeared in multiple television shows. She played Becca Mainzer on Elementary (CBS), working alongside Lucy Liu, Jonny Lee Miller, and Jon Michael Hall. She also appeared as Alice on the hit TV show Younger (TVLand) opposite Sutton Foster. This summer, she can be seen on Blindspot (NBC). Carrie just wrapped an indie film titled The Blonde Experiment, which should be released in the coming year. Carrie was set to begin rehearsals for a brand new Off-Broadway show directed by Jeff Calhoun and written by famous author, Jodi Piccoult, called Between The Lines. Set to open at Second Stage Theater this summer, it is currently postponed to Spring 2021 due to Covid-19. Carrie is also a vocal coach who travels often for masterclasses while also maintaining a private studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beetlejuice star Leslie Kritzer has done a few shows... Something Rotten, Elf, Sondheim on Sondheim, A Catered Affair, Legally Blonde, Hairspray, BUT MOST importantly... She is a student of the Dan Tracy school of video production. Leslie just wants Dan to like her more than he likes other people. Call Dan for all your video needs. Leslie Kritzer sure did! We're so stoked that Broadway's most hilarious leading lady is with us this week. We catch up with Leslie from her attic/ closet voice over studio in New Jersey where she has been holed up for the past year. We get to chat about her love for Alex Timbers, and her comedic roots, but also her early days in high school when she almost ended up outside the 7/11. Joe and Leslie commiserate about "being one bad decision away from being a f*** up" and how a great teacher can really change your life. Leslie is as hilarious as she is insightful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices