[laughs]

Um, and the, you know, it was like I had- I was f- climbing a mountain and I was reaching the summit with w- or I was about to reach the summit with this chemistry read with Stephanie.

And because it was that final thing I was so anxious, and I c- and I arrived at Lincoln Center and I was walking down the hallway and I just saw her, and she looked, and we s- we made eye contact and we saw each other, and she went-

... does that feel meaningful to you? Does that feel important to you to tell particular stories and to have a culture or, um, an ideology or a religion, have that grouping of people, of artists, to tell a particular narrative?

Yeah.

I mean, I think if that is, um, at the heart of whatever story you're telling, I think if...

I'll just use f- you know, I mean, I can't speak to others' experiences, but, like, for the Jewish community, for the gay community, I feel like, um, if identity is at the core of the story, and how can it not be, I mean, usually, um, then yeah, representation matters.

I mean, I think we, we hope to get...

Here's that song called Gliding.

[gentle music] See the silhouettes.

It's a little book of silhouettes.

When you flip the pages, they move.

Look how nice.

This is you on skates, turning pretty figure eights on this smooth cool ice.

We are gliding Close your eyes.

Yeah

Especially having one for Leopoldstadt, there's like some DNA here, but what distinguishes Tata for you and how, especially because he's a nameless but named person, who he is and how you build him distinct from anyone else you've ever played?

Well, there is some shared DNA.

Not just in the Jewish part of it, not just in the Eastern European part of it, but there are a special...

Honestly, with both Ludwig and Nathan from Leopold Schott and Tata, I've talked about this a bunch, but all three of them to me... and maybe this is just a very Jewish thing, but it's why I feel so drawn to these characters is they live at like the intersection of rage and buffoonery.

Yeah, buffalo nickel.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But do you know what I mean? But like not even just that.

And do you feel different, or not even different, is there something core in you that's activated when you play a Jewish role, whether it's American in Paris or whether it's Tata?

We are gliding

glidingClose your eyes.

Close your eyes.

We are gliding, gliding far beyond.

Close your eyes.

Close your eyes.

[laughs] Feel the wind as you pirouette.

Yeah

This is you on skates, turning pretty figure eights on this smooth, cool-

cool-Eyes.

We are gliding, gliding on a pond.

Close your eyes.

Close your eyes.

We are gliding, gliding far beyond.

Close your eyes.

Yeah

What types of histories do you channel? What do you what are some of your favorite things to bring to this role?

It's a great question.

I mean, I bring a lot of my family to this role and my ancestors.

um that's like sort of my first connection and my first pathway into tate um because it's a personal one um and that was sort of like my foundation for this character But as we've moved through this process, considering what is happening around us culturally in this country, the things that I built around that scaffolding is very much tied to the current state of the immigration story and, you know, going off of what Joshua was talking about, about how do we get through this every night? A big part of that for me is just the responsibility that I feel to tell this story right now and remind people of two things.

One, not just that things haven't really changed, but that we are sort of exactly the same.

And I think there's a small but distinct difference between the two.

And how can we change? How can we stop making carbon copies of ourselves throughout history? Um, the other thing that I love to play and that I think is so beautiful that I hope doesn't get lost on folks in, in, in the telling of the story is that Tata to me, uh, symbolizes the power that hope has, uh, in, in, in times of oppression and, and systemic brutality.

What in God's name was that like? How were you all dealing with that, putting the show on as the country was figuring itself out?

Um, at first, why doesn't she, he want her to say her name to anyone?

Uh, that's a, a great question.

Um, you know, I, I think coming over here and pursuing the American dream is, is exciting and, uh, filled with joy and, and unknowns, but I think there's an element of, um, anonymity that is important to him, uh, because I do think there is also a, a fear that sort of lives.

There is the undercurrent of all of the excitement and, and joy that, that comes with it.

So uh, uh, I think, um, it's really just for protection.

I mean, the, the thing that, uh, drives Tateh throughout the entire story is his daughter's livelihood, um, and her safety.

What do you think, Brandon?

Oh, I, I, I absolutely, uh, second what Casey said.