Pippin

We're in like the epicenter of Broadway and, You're right, like the 60s, it's such an interesting time because, you know, we've kind of moved from Rodgers and Hammerstein, these more, yes, social political narratives, but also like pretty gender role heavy.

And then we're moving into like Sweet Charity and Applause and Pippin.

And I mean, just like some really like you get the Fosse musicals and hair, I mean, right? There's, you know, sexuality being exploded on stage.

I mean, so, you know, what drives you or what inspires your passion for the Broadway theater? Like, what do you think is, was like a really exciting element that you got to play around with because of your own love and genuine interest about Broadway?

She's won two Emmys and two Tonys in her career.

one of which came from her role in Pippin, which was created by a Godspell composer, Stephen Schwartz.

Paul Schaeffer became David Letterman's musical director, bandleader, and sidekick from 1982 to 2015.

During that time, he picked up the Order of Canada, four Emmy nominations, a Grammy, and a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

In 1950, the highly influential jazz singer and actor Mr. Al Jolson, who starred in the historic 1927 sound film The Jazz Singer, which was the first talkie as they called him back then, passed away from a heart attack at the age of 64.

In 1972, Pippin premiered on Broadway.

It was directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse with music by Stephen Schwartz, and this landmark musical opened at the Imperial Theater, and it went on to achieve a run of 1,944 performances.

In 1978, while out on bail in New York City facing second-degree murder charges for the death of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen, the Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious attempted to leave the realm of the living at the Hotel Seville.

women like Diane

Paulus directed me before she did Pippin in America Pippin and Waitress and a million other brilliant musicals Annabelle Arden has directed me Anne Louise Sarks who is the artistic director of Melbourne Theatre Company just directed me and Carmen which was Brilliant.

Yeah, like a really great female exploration of all of the roles and from a female perspective, which is not to say anti-male, but to question some of the tropes that follow the female Carmen around and unpick those was really exciting.

You've recently joined though the cast in Hadestown in the West End, which is another completely different venture.

And I was like, who is this guy? Then cemented at a Broadway musical.

Bob Fosse's Pippin.

I saw the commercial.

I felt like someone was reaching their hand out to me, like to touch me.

...

it feels a little like cabaret, like, a little like Pippin, like, this kinda magical place.

Um, there's, like, a, a, a, an MC-type character.

Um, but it's, you know, uh, how are they gonna navigate that journey for themselves, which is also about their lives and surviving and also about performing or being an artist, right? Um-

Even if I don't think they work very well, I know that my presence there and doing the best that I can to fill those roles is always helpful.

And with shows you've workshopped like Pippin or other things like that, do you recall moments of suggesting changes or...

Yeah, I think Pippin was so wonderful.

Diane Paulus, I really respect her so much because she really wants you to just go to the depth of your soul and bring out something interesting.

And that's my

But one of my mentors, Mark Obenhaus, pretty much kicked me out of the nest.

He was a director cameraman, but he was hired to shoot a Bob Fosse commercial for Pippin, and there hadn't been commercials for plays.

We were on a sound stage, and Mark came out of documentaries, and so because I had come out of features, I was able to do all the lighting, the design.

And dailies happened, and I didn't get invited.