Category: Interviews

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Interviews

Unsung Heroes: Company Manager Mike McLinden on the Heart, Hustle, and Humanity Behind Broadway

Jim Glaub sat down with Mike McLinden (Our Town, Hello Dolly!, Purpose, and the upcoming Little Bear Ridge Road) to discuss the pivotal and thankless job of Company Management; Broadway’s most under appreciated role. They balance the books, manage the cast, serve as first line HR, liaise with producers, and keep the machine running, all while staying out of the spotlight. For our Unsung Heroes series, Mike talks about what it really means to hold a show together.

Q: For people who don’t know: what is a company manager?

Mike: We’re hired by the producer and general manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of the show. We run payroll, pay the bills, settling with the box office, and keep the show on budget. But we’re also the first people to see problems brewing, whether that’s a dressing room that’s too warm or an actor who needs support. At the end of the day we are a conduit for communication. Basically, if you look at a show and wonder, ‘Who does that?’ it’s probably the company manager.

Q: As far as I can assume, nobody grows up saying, ‘I want to be a company manager.’ How did you find your way into this world?

Mike: I studied stage management and lighting design in college. My first company management internship was almost by accident, at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, a scrappy operation where the CMs also were on the run crew. Later, I spent summers at the Glimmerglass Festival, and that’s when I realized this work played more to my strengths. I wasn’t also running a show and juggling things outside my wheelhouse. Eventually, I landed at the Frankel office in New York on Standing on Ceremony Off-Broadway and then Leap of Faith. That was my front row view of legendary company managers like Kathy Lowe, and from there, every job I’ve gotten has traced back to those connections.

Q: Has there been a moment where you thought, I can’t believe this is my job?

Mike: All the time. During the Hello, Dolly! revival, I watched a rehearsal where the title number was just supposed to be marked. Suddenly Bette and the ensemble were full-out performing it, and I thought, ‘wow, small town Illinois kid in a Broadway theatre, pinch me.’ On the flip side, I’ve also dealt with stars threatening not to go on over something relatively trivial. That’s when you think, ‘Really? This is what I’m juggling today?’

Q: What’s harder: the numbers or the people?

Mike: Definitely the people. Everyone has lives outside the theatre… bad news at home, stress, illness. My job is to support them through that. If they don’t feel safe or valued, the show suffers.

Q: Has empathy ever changed the course of a situation?

Mike: Coming back after COVID, morale was low. People were on edge, worried about shutdowns. Small gestures like bagel Sundays, drinks after rehearsal, gave the company a chance to breathe. It bought goodwill and shifted the mood.

Q: Company management is so under the radar. How do you help people discover this as a career?

Mike: The NMAM apprentice program through our union is a huge step . It’s two years of seminars, training, and mentorship before becoming a full member. I also jump at any chance to talk to colleges. Students need to know you don’t have to sing or dance to build a career in theatre. And I love showing them: I didn’t move to Chicago like my peers, I tried New York, and it worked.

Q: What kind of person thrives in this role?

Mike: Someone with a knack for data, but who’s also a people person. And someone who doesn’t need the spotlight. If people outside the company know my name, something probably went wrong.

Q: If you could company manage any show in Broadway history, which would it be?

Mike: Phantom of the Opera. My grandma played the soundtrack constantly. And to be at the center of that phenomenon, a show that became a household name before the internet, that would’ve been extraordinary.

Q: This is a thankless job. What’s the best thank you you’ve ever received?

Mike: Glenda Jackson thanked me in her Tony speech. Nothing will ever top that. She was an icon, and to hear my name from that stage… I fell out of my chair.

Company managers are rarely in the spotlight, but without them, Broadway wouldn’t run. As McLinden proves, the role is equal parts accountant, counselor, negotiator, and cheerleader. Perhaps it’s time Tony speeches made ‘thank you, company manager’ as common as thanking agents and producers.

Pictured: Mike, Glenda Jackson, and SMs for Three Tall Women. Backstory on this photo from Mike: “Glenda had this sweatshirt that she wore EVERYWHERE. NYT Panel, she wore it. Tony Nominee luncheon, she wore it under a green camo jacket from Ann Roth. It drove some folks on the team a little crazy, so for closing we all got one and wore it.”
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Interviews

Inside the Art of Casting: A Conversation with Peter Van Dam

Jim Glaub sat down with Casting Director Peter Van Dam to talk about his journey from actor to casting, his philosophy on discovering talent, and how he’s reimagining classics like Chez Joey for a new generation.

Q: What first inspired you to pursue casting as a career?

Peter Van Dam: Growing up, I didn’t really know what a casting director did. I thought directors just picked the actors. But I was fascinated by theatre, listening to cast recordings, comparing different versions, and noticing how a single role could be transformed by different performers.

At 15, I went to Walnut Hill, a performing arts boarding school, and tried acting. I studied at NYU and then Boston Conservatory. But during senior year, when industry professionals came to speak, I realized I was more excited giving feedback to classmates than performing myself. 

That’s when it clicked.

I interned with Roundabout Theatre Company’s casting office, and being in that culture confirmed this was the right path. Later, I even worked as Lonny Price’s assistant — years later, I ended up casting his shows, which felt full-circle.

Q: Did your acting background make you a better casting director?

Van Dam: Absolutely. Having studied acting, voice, and dance gives me empathy for what actors go through and vocabulary to assess stamina and technique. Add to that my time with directors and talent agencies, and it’s made me understand the collaborative nature of the theatre industry of musicals from all angles.

Q: What do people misunderstand most about casting?

Van Dam: Everyone asks, “So what do you do?” Some assume we pick the people, but we don’t. We build lists, organize auditions, and advise the team. Directors, choreographers, music supervisors, and producers all have different priorities — we’re the connective tissue helping balance them.

Q: Have you had moments where your instinct was proven right?

Van Dam: Casting Peppermint in Head Over Heels was one. The role was written as non-binary, and we reached out to the trans community. She sent in tapes, came into the room, and it was undeniable. It was groundbreaking — the first openly trans woman cast in a principal Broadway role — and the production’s celebration of diversity was something I’ll always be proud of.

Q: You also recently worked on Dead Outlaw. How did that process evolve?

Van Dam: That began as a workshop for what was then the “untitled Yazbek/Moses/Della Penna musical.” Because it was The Band’s Visit team, it was easy to get people in the room. But the material wasn’t traditional musical theatre — it was rock-folk. We needed versatile actors who could play multiple roles convincingly. Watching it grow from workshop to Broadway was incredibly rewarding.

Q: With Pal Joey (now Chez Joey) being reimagined, how do you approach casting a classic?

Van Dam: It starts with the re-imagined book — Joey as a Black jazz singer in Chicago, and the interracial relationship with Vera. Working with Savion Glover and Tony Goldwyn, auditions feel more like rehearsals. We have a jazz band in the room, and actors are encouraged to play, not just perform perfectly. That creative freedom makes the process thrilling.

Q: How has technology changed casting?

Van Dam: Self-tapes have always been around, but after the pandemic, virtual auditions and Zoom callbacks became common. It means we can work with actors in LA or abroad without flying them in. Virtual open calls also expand the net — like when we recast Phantom of the Opera’s Christine, we saw 4,000 submissions and discovered someone in Texas we never would’ve found otherwise.

But nothing replaces the energy of being in a room. Live theatre is about presence, and that’s something you only feel in person.

Q: Do you find talent on social media?

Van Dam: Constantly. I’m on YouTube and TikTok, and people send me links all the time. For Six, we found performers that way. If we only relied on agents’ submissions, we’d miss out. Discovery is part of the job.

Q: What advice do you give young actors?

Van Dam: Don’t walk in asking, “How am I doing?” Instead, ask, “What am I doing?” Be bold in your preparation and show what makes you unique. Forget “type” — focus on what makes you stand out.

Q: If you could go back and cast any show in history, which would it be?

Van Dam: The original A Chorus Line. The auditions for that must have been fascinating — casting a show about casting.

Q: Last fun one: what’s the audition song you never want to hear again?

Van Dam: Songs about the business. Unless it’s A Chorus Line or Smash, I want to see a human being, not just someone singing about showbiz. Otherwise, I don’t mind “overdone” songs — it’s about the take. Ultimately, what I’m looking for is the same as any audience member: to be moved.

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Interviews

The Broadway Career of Marcus Choi

Marcus Choi is one of four actors in the original Broadway cast of Maybe Happy Ending, now running at the Belasco Theatre. He plays a number of characters in the musical, including helperbot Oliver’s (played by Darren Criss) former owner James, his son Junseo, a motel clerk, a ferry worker, and more! This wide range is no doubt a result of his lengthy Broadway career leading up to this point. Here’s a look at the roles Choi has taken on over the past 2+ decades!

Flower Drum Song

Choi was in the original Broadway cast of the musical Flower Drum Song in the 2002-2003 season. He was in the ensemble and served as an understudy for the role of Chao, performing alongside Lea Solanga, Jose Llana, Telly Leung, and fellow Maybe Happy Ending cast member Daniel May!

Wicked

Later in 2003, the new witchy musical Wicked opened with none other than Marcus Choi a member of the ensemble! An iconic member of the original company, he also joined the Los Angeles company of Wicked a few years later in 2007.

Sweet Charity

In 2005, Choi joined the company of the Christina Applegate-led revival of Sweet Charity.

Allegiance

Approximately 10 years later, Choi appears in the Broadway company of Allegiance, a new musical based on George Takei’s own experiences with Japanese American internment camps during World War II. In this production, Choi reunites with some of his Flower Drum Song co-stars, including Solanga and Leung.

Miss Saigon

In 2017, Choi stepped into the revival of Miss Saigon at the Broadway Theatre. He was in the ensemble, also understudying the Engineer. 

Maybe Happy Ending

Following a long stint on the national tour of Hamilton as George Washington, Choi has returned to the Broadway stage, originating a principal role in a new Broadway show for the first time. Choi is a grounding force as some of the few human characters in the show, putting his years of Broadway training to use.

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Creative Interviews

“The Joy of Finding It”: Cady Huffman on Directing New Musical EMPIRE

Photo by Matthew Murphy

by Ben Togut

When Cady Huffman was asked to direct Empire, the new Off-Broadway musical that focuses on the courageous workers who built the Empire State Building, the decision was a no-brainer. Huffman, who first participated in a workshop of the musical in 2011 as a performer and felt connected to the show’s message, jumped at the opportunity. 

However, when Huffman got the call in December 2023, she never thought the show would be up and running at New World Stages by July, where it is currently playing.

“It was so fast and furious,” Huffman said. “The set was designed in a week and built in a week. It makes it super exciting to do it that way. And you have to make decisions real fast. I learned a lot, I learned a lot about myself, about what I can do.”

One of the most exciting parts of Huffman’s process of working on Empire as a director was helping writers Caroline Sherman and Robert Hull from a dramaturgical standpoint. Empire goes back and forth in time between New York of the late 20s and early 30s, and  the city in 1976, where a woman named Sylvie reflects on her father who died during building the Empire State Building. In addition to the character of Sylvie, since Huffman first worked on the show, the writers added Rudy, a Mohawk woman who disguises herself as a man to be an ironworker during the building of the iconic New York monument.. For Huffman, showcasing Rudy and other Mohawk characters was critical, allowing her and the writers to shine light on an often overlooked piece of history.

“That’s the most thrilling thing for me,” Huffman said. “The legendary Mohawk ironworkers, I can’t believe how few people know that story. So that’s what I got really excited about developing. We did a lot of dramaturgy. And a lot of trying to combine these two worlds, because it was previously a much more traditional musical than it is now.”

Photo by Matthew Murphy

When it comes to her work on Empire, Huffman’s directorial ethos comes not only from her experience as an actor but from the great directors she had the privilege to work with as a performer.

“I auditioned for Bob Fosse at an open call with 1,000 people on stage,” Huffman told Broadway’s Best Shows. “When he broke us out into groups, he walked up to every single person and thanked us for coming in. Every single person got that bit of respect from him. So every person who walks into my audition room, I walk up and I shake their hand and introduce myself.”

Having been on the other side of the table, Huffman understands the unique pressures and anxieties that come with being an actor. Following in the footsteps of the directors who came before her, Huffman understands that leading from a place of friendliness and empathy is what encourages performers to be the best they can be.

In Empire, what stands out most about the production is the palpable level of camaraderie and among the cast. The kinsmanship among the members of the company emerges in part because Empire is a show about community, about people from different cultures coming together and persevering despite the obstacles in their way. However, it is also a testament to Huffman’s ability to nurture talent and to forge strong working relationships in the rehearsal room. 

Photo by Matthew Murphy

An experience that has shaped Huffman’s approach to directing came early in her career. In 1991, Huffman took on her first major role on Broadway as Ziegfield’s Favorite in The Will Rogers Follies. She recalls standing in front of Tommy Tune, 25 and terrified, uncertain of how to approach her big scene during rehearsal.

“Tommy Tune comes up to me and gives me the best direction I’ve ever gotten,” Huffman said. “He says, ‘Well, Cady, do something.’ I threw everything into that speech …kicks, cartwheels, splits, turns, everything, my ears were on fire. And I just put much too much into it, and he goes, ‘Great, now we can start.’ Come in with ideas. Because it’s much easier for me, as a director, to say ‘do less’ than it is to try to pull energy out of somebody.”

As a director, Huffman values this spirit of play and improvisation because it allows the rehearsal room to be a space of collaboration. While she can show performers how she would approach certain beats as an actor, Huffman is far more interested in what performers come up with organically.

“When I have allowed talented young people to do something, they always do something better than I would do and more creative than I would do,” Huffman explained. “My experiences have always been to allow people to do what they do well, and then I can always give notes and I can always say no. But mostly people are going to surprise me with their vision.” 

Expanding on her ethos as a director, Huffman borrows from an unlikely source: John Wooden, the former head coach of the UCLA Bruins.

“John Wooden has this great book about not creating great basketball players, but creating great scholars and gentlemen,” Huffman said. “And I would much rather approach life like that. I can teach you how to sing, dance, act, I can tell you all the technical stuff. But really, I want to enjoy being in the room with you. I want to help you understand the joy of rehearsals, the joy of finding it.”

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Interviews Long Form

Beowulf Boritt and Stephanie Bulbarella on The 1/52 Project, Diversifying Broadway Design Teams, and What Makes Good Creative Collaboration

Launched in 2021, the 1/52 Project is a nonprofit that raises funds from theater designers, asking them to donate just one week’s worth of royalties a year, and then distributes the funds to early career designers from marginalized backgrounds. Below, the program’s creator, Tony-winning set designer Beowulf Boritt, and projection designer Stephania Bulbarella, who received a grant in 2021 and made her Broadway debut in fall 2023 on Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, discuss the necessity of the project, the forces that make life precarious for young theater designers, and their creative processes.

This Q&A has been edited for concision and clarity.

Broadway’s Best Shows

I would love to just start by asking, why is the 1/52 Project necessary?

Beowulf Boritt

My quick answer is, I don’t think anyone is owed a career in the theater, but it shouldn’t be harder to have a career in the theater because you’re a woman or because you’re not white. And it is apparent and true that both of those things make it harder. My slightly longer answer is that my father came here as a refugee from Hungary in 1956, with no money at all, and got to live out the American dream. And by the time my brothers and I came along, he was able to provide a decent middle-class living for us. And it just feels, to me, that that should be possible for everybody. 

Stephania Bulbarella

As an emerging projections and video designer– before the grant, I was living month to month, meaning I did not have any savings at the end of the year, or the end of the month. It felt like there were moments where I could not breathe. And then suddenly, this grant gave me the possibility of having savings, for the first time in my life I could be comfortable. I could pay my rent. That felt really incredible and safe.

At the same time, I would get some associate designer gigs, and the associate fee would be much more than a design fee for an Off Broadway show. So [with the grant] I could take on more design gigs, and be the [lead] designer. 

Another key element, thanks to the grant, there were two celebrations each year, a little ceremony for giving the grant, where an incredible group of designers that I had always admired were all in the same room. It was all about presenting myself and saying hi. And it’s two years since I’ve gotten the grant and I’ve built some relationships with some of the most incredible designers in this world. Which if it was not for the grant, maybe I would have met them eventually, I don’t know, but it would have taken much more time. 

BB

It was not in my head when we started doing this, but the networking part of it is valuable. our business is all about networking. Initially, I wasn’t even going to do a ceremony like that. I didn’t, I hate the fundraising! But the first year we were doing it, and it was the end of year “hooray, I got the grant!” [moment,] the rest of the committee was like no, we have to do it. We have to do it. You have to raise some money to do it. Thank god Hudson Scenic Studios agreed to just sponsor the whole thing. They just paid for the party, they have for the past two years, and they’ve already offered to again this year. It’s the generosity of the community. Neil Mazzella, [CEO of Hudson Scenic Studios], specifically saying, ‘I will pay for this thing.’ And it allows us to have a party at the West Bank Cafe, and invite everybody who contributed and get everybody into a room together.

BBS

Absolutely! It’s all about the schmoozing. Is it different being an emerging designer in 2024, as opposed to when you were starting out, Beowulf? 

BB

I think it’s harder now. Because when I started out in the 1990s, there was a lot of money in the city and it meant there was a lot more small theater, [so] I got my start doing a lot of really small plays that didn’t pay very much. There were so many opportunities that I could cobble together a living doing them. It was hard work and a lot of hours, but there were more options.

I feel like –and I might be wrong about this– there are not hundreds of options for early career designers right now. And the pay gap [between assistant jobs and lead designer jobs] that Stephanie mentioned has always been true. But if you want to build a career as a designer, you have to take the [lead] design gigs. 

BBS

It can be surprising to learn that being an assistant on a Broadway show actually pays more than being the lead designer of a show in a smaller theater. Building off of that, how is the path of a designer different from paths people might know, like being an auditioning actor? 

BB

Part of it is, as designers, we’re responsible for big chunks of money. And if we screw it up, we’re wasting a lot of money. I think that is part of the fear of hiring people who you don’t know yet. But the result of that is it makes people likely to go back to the tried and true people and not give someone else a chance. I can sort of see both sides of the equation– a lighting designer said to me, that shows are less likely to take a chance on a set designer in particular, because on a Broadway show, I’m responsible for $1.5 million, $2 million of the budget. And if it’s not done properly, it starts taking too long [to build], and that’s also a huge part of the budget. At the same time, it also is the thing that can block people who haven’t had the chance to prove they can do it yet. And it’s that part of the pipeline issue we’re unsure how to solve.

BBS

Stephania,  congratulations on making your Broadway debut, on Jaja’s African Hair Braiding! What surprised you about the Broadway experience?

SB

Well, it’s funny, but –it’s not that it feels easier. But, I’m very used to working in the Off Broadway world where the budget and crew is limited. On Broadway, suddenly there was a huge team! For example, if the system breaks on an Off Broadway show, there might be an engineer, but there might not be an engineer, and then who’s the engineer? Me. But on [Jaja], the TVs would stop working, and I would not do anything! There was a whole team to fix [it]! So in that sense, it did feel a little bit easier. 

BBS

We have both a really exciting set designer and a really exciting projection and video designer here on the zoom call. I’m not saying it’s Sharks versus Jets, but I think it’s a really cool opportunity to talk about how these two different disciplines can work together. I’m curious what you think of the– not the tension between projections versus sets, but how you see them working together as technology changes and as Broadway changes.

BB

I mean, I think there honestly is a tension between them, or there can be. Almost every show I do I end up, at the end, apologizing to the projection designer because I’ve been so heavy handed with them, because I have a lot of opinions. It’s a tricky line. In general, I’m the one who’s hired first, so I’ve probably put something out there that the projection designer is then becoming a part of. And, if I’m doing a set that has a big projection element, I’ve probably conceived the set that way. Honestly, I will draw into my scenic sketches what [my] projection ideas are. Then, someone like Stefania, the projection designer, comes on board, and suddenly is faced with that. I try not to ever say, like, ‘this is what I want you to do.’ There’s no point in that because you want the collaboration! The projection designer should bring themselves and their ideas to it.

When it works well, it’s the most wonderful collaboration. My take on good collaboration is when the end result is something that neither I nor the projection designer nor the director would have come up with on their own. That’s the magic of theater and theater design. But getting there can be tricky and can lead to some hurt feelings and lots of opinions. We’re all in this because we’re passionate about it. We all have strong feelings about it. I’m very curious to hear Stephania’s take.

SB

The director will first meet with a set designer. And what I try to ask is that once I get onboarded into a project is, can I be present on those meetings? Because I really want to listen to where it starts, because after all, then we’re going to be projecting over that set or integrating video into that set. It feels really important to get involved from the beginning.

BBS

Beowulf, you’ve created this program to, as you’ve said, reduce the barriers to becoming a theater designer. Besides supporting the 1/52 Project financially, what are other actions that you would hope the design community could take in making the theater world–but particularly the highest levels, on Broadway– more welcoming to people who aren’t white, people who aren’t men?

BB

Well, it’s a big question. I don’t know if I have an answer for it. Broadway seems to have become a little more aware that this is an issue, morally, that it shouldn’t just be a white man’s club. The diversity that is appearing on Broadway right now, I hope it lasts. One of the reasons I started [the project] is I feel like the theater in general has a slightly shorter attention span. We’re always chasing the new shiny object. For about a year and a half we were all [working on getting] more women on Broadway. And then after George Floyd, we switched to, we have to get more BIPOC people on Broadway. And the thing before seems to get forgotten. And it doesn’t mean that the thing before is not still an issue! That’s why I keep pushing that this is about historically excluded groups. It’s women, and it is people of color. [The goal] is to diversify and strengthen the Broadway community and I genuinely believe that the broader the perspectives, the more interesting our storytelling goes. 

BBS

I’m curious if there is some aspect of design that you want to challenge yourself with, or what project you’d love to do next. 

SB

I don’t have a specific one, but one dream is doing a big Broadway musical. One that has lots of video from beginning to end.

BB

I mean, I’ve been, like, stupidly lucky in my career. So a lot of my, kind of ‘bucket list’ things I’ve already gotten to do…I do want to do Guys and Dolls on Broadway, and I want to do West Side Story on Broadway. I’ve done pieces of West Side Story, in multiple compilation shows: Prince of Broadway had a West Side Story section, Sondheim on Sondheim had a West Side Story section, Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About had a West Side Story section.

BBS

Oh my god, let Beowulf do a complete West Side Story!

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Interviews

“You can take the kid out of the theater, but you can’t take the theater out of the kid”: Jonathan Bennett on making his Broadway debut in Spamalot

Spamalot Production Photos Broadway

By Ben Togut

Jonathan Bennett has always had his sights set on Broadway. A self-professed “musical theatre freak” who spent much of his adolescent life performing, Bennett moved to New York at the beginning of his career with the hopes of getting on Broadway. However, fate had other plans. He soon booked a role on All My Children, and later landed the part of heartthrob Aaron Samuels in Mean Girls, leading to a successful career in TV shows and movies. After putting his theatrical aspirations on pause, Bennett finally fulfilled his dream of being on Broadway when he joined the cast of Spamalot as Sir Robin on January 23rd. 

Jonathan Bennett as Sir Robin in Spamalot. Photo courtesy of the production.

“You can take the kid out of the theater, but you can’t take the theater out of the kid,” Bennett told Broadway’s Best Shows. “And my whole life has been longing for that itch that has never been scratched. And that is Broadway.”

Bennett has been wholeheartedly welcomed into the cast of Spamalot, especially by Michael Urie, who played Sir Robin in the revival before Bennett. Ever since Bennett closed the deal to take over as Sir Robin, Urie has gone above and beyond to make sure Bennett feels confident for his Broadway debut, including taking him out to dinner and personally introducing Bennett to everyone backstage.

“[Michael] has been in constant communication with me from the day that this happened to make sure that I feel comfortable because he cares so much about the show,” Bennett said “And he cares so much about the character. I don’t know of that ever happening with someone coming into a cast. And that’s because Michael Urie is a superhuman with the biggest heart.”

For Bennett, one of the challenges of being Sir Robin is playing a character who isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed yet is completely unaware of their shortcomings. Taking over the role from Urie, Bennett plans to exaggerate Sir Robin’s naïveté and to channel his feelings about being on Broadway for the first time to capture Robin’s excitability. 

“I think my Robin is a little more eager for acceptance,” Bennett said. “He gets excited a little bit more than Michael’s Robin. And I think I’m going to just pull from my excitement of making my Broadway debut and my dream coming true.”

More than his time as an actor, Bennet believes his experience hosting shows like Cake Wars and Times Square Ball has prepared him most for the Broadway stage, allowing him to stay present, and think quickly and creatively on his feet. As someone who is often in front of the camera, Bennett is eager to go all out with Spamalot’s irreverent humor and make a fool of himself in front of a live audience.

“I am a gay, only-child actor,” Bennett exclaimed. “There is nothing I love more than attention, and people clapping and laughing at my stupid jokes. I can’t wait to get on stage and play and test out material and jokes and different ways to deliver lines and different improvs.”

Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of Spamalot for his first Broadway curtain call. Photo by Andy Henderson.

Speaking with Bennett ahead of his Broadway debut, his enthusiasm for Spamalot’s spirit of play and the revival’s dynamic cast is palpable.

“I’ve never seen a cast that has such an unexplainable spark,” Bennett said. “It’s different every single night because you never know what the heck is going to come out of Alex Brightman’s mouth. You never know what the heck Leslie Kritzer is going to sing. And so every night the whole cast is electrified as they stand there and wait to hear who’s going to try to crack the other one up. And when you have that happening on stage, the audience just goes nuts for it. I’ve never seen lightning in a bottle on Broadway the way that you see it when you see Spamalot.”

Bennett is making his Broadway debut soon after the movie musical version of Mean Girls comes to theaters, which he finds mysterious but in no way a coincidence. As the film that launched his career reaches new audiences, Bennett will take the next step in his career, finally realizing his Broadway dreams. He hopes Spamalot is just the beginning.“My goal, with doing Spamalot, and making my Broadway debut, is to continue to aggressively work in the Broadway and theatre space, “ Bennett said. “Because, as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz once said, ‘There’s no place like home.’”

Jonathan Bennett celebrates his Broadway debut. Photo by Andy Henderson
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Interviews

The ‘Rorschach Test Possibility of Theater’: An interview with Job playwright Max Wolf Friedlich

By Katie Devin Orenstein

Max Wolf Friedlich made a splash this fall with the world premiere of his play JOB. Starring Sydney Lemmon (Tár) and Peter Friedman (Succession), and directed by Friedlich’s longtime collaborator Michael Herwitz, the psychological thriller about tech workers in San Francisco, opened last October at Soho Playhouse. Now, the new play moves to the Connelly Theatre beginning on January 19th. 

We recently spoke to Max about his inspirations, from Martin McDonagh to AI Instagram influencers, and how the production hopes to bring new audiences to the Off-Broadway space. 

JOB playwright Max Wold Friedlich. Photo by Nikky Ayra

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

Broadway’s Best Shows

Congratulations on the upcoming remount of Job at the Connelly! I’d love to know your influences, and how this script began. 

Max Wolf Friedlich 

I think at my core, it was growing up seeing Conor McPherson plays and Martin McDonagh plays, and Jez Butterworth and Sarah Kane, very British [and] Irish. Dark, twisty, supernatural, perverted, surreal, but also very real, often with a horror element. I think those were the things that as a kid were really foundational, and they are the kind of writer I still aspire to be.

Job is not the most autobiographical work. I started writing it as part of a theater development group in LA in fall of 2019. We were really actively working on it until the final preview that we locked. This past summer, we did a week-long workshop, where going in the script was 14 pages longer [than it is now.]

BBS

That was a very fruitful workshop if you cut 14 pages! Congratulations.

MWF

Thank you! I have worked with our director, Michael Herwitz, and our dramaturg-slash-producer Hannah Getts for many years. I write the plays, but we really develop [them] as a core trio. To be honest, it was pretty seamless. Where the play comes from is twofold. One is, I met someone at a party who had the job that is portrayed in the show, working in content moderation [for social media.] And the other element of it was, I worked for this very strange tech company that built fictional influencers, the most famous of which was called Lil Miquela. 

So I have the strange experience of being a famous woman on the internet by playing this character professionally. The parts of the play that are really autobiographical are like, when you have 1.3 million followers, and you’re portraying a 19-year-old young woman–I didn’t mainline the internet the same way that the character in the play does–but, I could look at my phone any hour of the day, and someone [would be] saying something really heartfelt, or really disturbing, or very weird, or, you know, “I’m in the Philippines, I love your fashion.” That’s crazy. It’s literally me, you know? 

BBS

That sounds like a truly surreal experience.

MWF

Really ran the gamut from Martin McDonagh to fake influencers. Yeah.

BBS

I’m imagining you at eight years old, just reading The Pillowman.

MWF

Maybe not eight, but probably…10. Yeah.

BBS

What was the theatrical experience that got you from a general interest in theater to playwriting?

MWF

I was a really self-conscious kid, which is why my mom suggested that I try acting. I really didn’t enjoy being on stage in that way. I didn’t like being told what to do. And then I wrote a Christmas play that I won’t disclose the details of because I picked it up again recently, like 10 years later, and it’s the next play that I want to do [after JOB.] It was a very perverse Christmas play. And my eighth grade English teacher, Mr. Byrne, was like, “I need to tell your parents about this. Because this is disgusting.” And also, “This is great, and you should keep going.”

JOB at Soho Playhouse. Photo by Emilio Madrid

BBS

The play takes place in a therapist’s office. And without saying too much, it is about a woman, Jane, who has been deeply traumatized. The show is constantly questioning mental health care, its relationship to being a participant in labor, and then also how trauma functions [in the brain]. 

MWF

Yeah. I did very little research into the actual job. That is encapsulated in the fact that it used to be fairly obvious that Jane worked at a very specific company. And then we were like, well, we’re not really doing the due diligence. We’re not representing these people. So the play is really an accentuated hyperbolic version of what it is to be on the internet. The experience of being online and growing up online is so ubiquitous that we don’t think of ourselves as having our brain chemistry altered and having seen traumatic images and had experiences that we shouldn’t have had, due to our access to the internet. 

There’s a lot of my own relationship with therapy too, which is I think a very uneasy one. I don’t go, not currently, but, I have historically gone. I think therapy is good. But I’ve always been unnerved by that relationship and being like, Who is this person? What have they done? I had a therapist once who, anytime I’d mention something in my relationship, he would be like, “women can be really difficult.” And then I found out through our setting [that] he was divorced. And I was like, “Okay, you’re kind of bringing your own stuff.”

I’m more interested in the Rorschach test possibility of theater, rather than being like, this is where I want you to get to. I think anything people take away from it is something that I’m cool with.

BBS

You’ve spoken about how this play is about and for young people. Can you tell me more about how Job is trying to show young people that theater can be about them?

MWF

I’m an avid theater goer. I grew up in New York and have seen a s***load of theater, and I simply don’t see a lot of things that address our generation’s experience. And I think that that can exist across lines of race and gender and sexuality. JOB is really about our modern relationship with labor. First and foremost, it’s a play about how Millennials and Gen Z see work and see their role in the world. We were really conscious [of that] in our branding. We used photographers and graphic designers who typically work in music editorial, because we didn’t want it to look like a play. Which – accessibility means a number of things, right? There’s very tangible things like ticket prices. And then there’s things in the middle. How do we actually reach this audience? You can make your ticket prices as low as you want but if the content isn’t for the demographic that it seeks to reach, and if you’re not reaching them, then there’s no way to get them there. It’s little things. I’m a huge advocate of saying, “hey, doors at 6:30, show’s at 7”, because, when young people go see music, and it says the show’s at 7, the show is never actually at 7. It lets people know that this is for them, that there aren’t tricky rules that they don’t understand. As a young person seeing theater when I was 10, or 11 or 12, I was made very aware that I was an outlier in those spaces. I don’t want 10 year olds coming to see JOB, to be clear! 

BBS

Ha, yeah, I was going to say.

JOB starts performances at the Connelly Theatre, 220 East 4th St, January 19th, and runs through March 3rd. $32-$127. 

Categories
Interviews

TONY TALK: Kara Young

Meet Kara Young, Tony-nominated actress from Manhattan Theatre Club’s COST OF LIVING.

COST OF LIVING. Photo by Jeremy Daniel.

After her Broadway debut in last year’s CLYDE’S and stunning turn in COST OF LIVING, Young is nominated in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role for the second year in a row! She is recognized alongside her co-stars Katy Sullivan and David Zayas, the production’s director Jo Bonney, and the play itself by Martyna Majok, nominated in the Best Play category.

CLYDE’S. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Young is an exciting rising Broadway star, with several film and theater projects on the horizon. Learn more about her with our TONY TALK Q&A:

Who was the first person to text/call you when you got the nomination?

My mom and dad! 

Show some love to a fellow nominee this year. Whose work blew you away?

Crystal Lucas PERRY!!! I’ve been watching her for years and her work always blows me away. Also, Nikki Crawford, when I saw her at The Public Theater’s production of Fat Ham, I walked out of the theater crying to the entire cast… This is what theater is supposed to be (and I’ve seen it twice on Broadway.) Nikki’s work is literal magic. Stephen McKinley Henderson. Omg!!! This man is our golden gem; watching him is a masterclass!! And David Zayas!!!! I can’t believe I was in a play with him; after watching him for years, I was watching him from backstage every night and genuinely feeling like, “Whoa, is this real?”

Top restaurant in the theater district?

Glass House Tavern

The first Broadway show you ever saw?

The Christmas Spectacular, the fabulous Rockettes!! 

When did you decide to become a theater artist?

I was a mime when I was five years old at the 92nd street Y. My instructor Zahava Gratz took me under her wing. At the time, I didn’t know the full concept of what theater was, but I believe that was the first time I fell in love with performing. 

What is your earliest Tonys memory?

There are too many!!

Who’s your favorite Tonys host in history, and why?

Well I have to say Ariana [DeBose] because I gotta see her do it live! 

All-time favorite Tonys performance on the telecast, and why?

Also because I was there last year, being a long time fan of the great Bernadette Peters; seeing, hearing and feeling her from my seat was one of the most magical experiences of my life. 

Most memorable Tonys acceptance speech, and why?

Phylicia Rashad for her performance in [A Raisin in the Sun], and her speech last year as well in Skeleton Crew. Her grace is colossal, her work is paramount, and her legacy is monumental. 

What is one play or musical (and role) would you like to perform on Broadway, and why?

I’m not a singer but I would love to be Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd.

Categories
Interviews

TONY TALK: David Stone

Meet David Stone, the Tony-nominated producer of KIMBERLY AKIMBO.

Photo by Joan Marcus

With this season’s new musical KIMBERLY AKIMBO, which transferred to Broadway’s Booth Theatre after endearing audiences at Atlantic Theater Company last year, David Stone earns his eighth Tony nomination as a Broadway producer.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Stone’s contribution to Broadway theater is immeasurable. He is responsible for bringing to Broadway so many of the musicals that we now consider modern classics, including WICKED, THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, and NEXT TO NORMAL. He has also produced a number of plays, including THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, THE BOYS IN THE BAND (for which he won his Tony Award in 2019), and this season’s revival of TOPDOG/UNDERDOG.

Topdog/Underdog. Photo by Marc J. Franklin

Get to know this Broadway producing giant in our TONY TALK Q&A:

Who was the first person to text/call you when you got the nomination news?

My husband and I were watching on CBS and then New York 1. My phone immediately buzzed with a text from my nephew. 

Show some love to a fellow nominee this year. Whose work blew you away?

Ben Platt’s deeply soulful performance in Parade makes me very proud to be Jewish. And, it’s impossible not to acknowledge Jessica Stone’s miraculous work on Kimberly Akimbo. She navigated the trickiest tone imaginable, with grace and confidence. 

Top restaurant in the theater district?

Joe Allen for food, Glass House for drinks

The first Broadway show you ever saw?

Man of La Mancha at the Martin Beck Theater for my 5th birthday. I eventually produced Man of La Mancha starring Brian Stokes Mitchell at the Martin Beck Theater. It was my mother’s favorite show. 

When did you decide to become a theater artist?

Ha! I wish I could remember the moment. I don’t know if there was a decision. It’s all I’ve ever done. 

What is your earliest Tonys memory?

My parents had taken us to see A Chorus Line right when it had opened, so we got to watch the Tony Awards that year. I think I was 10. 

Who’s your favorite Tonys host in history, and why?

My dear friend Kristin Chenoweth (I call her Bubbles) was dressed in an E.T. costume when she hosted. I mean…

All-time favorite Tonys performance on the telecast, and why?

Patti LuPone singing A New Argentina from Evita (1980). And Jennifer Holliday singing And I Am Tellin’ You I’m Not Going (1982). It’s a tie. 

Most memorable Tonys acceptance speech, and why?

Idina Menzel’s speech. My heart almost burst.

What is one play or musical you would like to adapt or revive on Broadway, and why?

Our Town, but I think it may already be in the works 🙂

Categories
Interviews

TONY TALK: Annaleigh Ashford

Meet Annaleigh Ashford, the Tony-nominated star of this season’s revival of SWEENEY TODD.

Photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

Ashford earns her third Tony Award nomination as Mrs. Lovett in the latest revival of Sondheim’s demon barber murder musical, this time for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. She has already collected several of the season’s precursor awards for her performance, taking home a Drama Desk Award and the Drama League’s Distinguished Performance Award. 

She has previously received Tony recognition for her role in the 2013 musical KINKY BOOTS and then for her performance in the 2015 revival of the play YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, for which she then won the award.

Photo by Joan Marcus.

A regular of the Broadway stage, Ashford has appeared in seven Broadway shows before this year’s revival, dating back to her turn as Glinda in WICKED. She was also seen in LEGALLY BLONDE, HAIR, SYLVIA, and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE.

Get to know more about this distinguished diva of Broadway with our TONY TALK Q&A:

Who was the first person to text/call you when you got the nomination?

The first person to hug me and give me a kiss was my sweet husband who was sitting with me having our morning coffee as I was also getting my blood drawn for a physical. The blood draw timing was very apropos for Sweeney Todd. 

Show some love to a fellow nominee this year. Whose work blew you away?

I have so many wonderful old friends and new friends who are nominated this year. I haven’t gotten to see any of the other shows except for Into the Woods. Sending big love to that beautiful production and all involved. 

Top restaurant in the theater district?

Always Joe Allens. It’s a theatre legend and always top notch tasty.

The first Broadway show you ever saw?

Les Miserables.

When did you decide to become a theater artist?

Even as a young child I knew that I wanted to be a storyteller. I found theatre as a 7 year old and my soul immediately loved the light that came out of the dark space. I knew I was home.

What is your earliest Tonys memory?

I remember watching the Tonys with my theatre friends and cast mates in Denver, Colorado. Someone would always host a party and we would huddle around to watch the magic. 

Who’s your favorite Tonys host in history, and why?

I can’t have a favorite host. They are all brilliant in their own ways. And I’m friends with a bunch of them. I can’t have a favorite.

All-time favorite Tonys performance on the telecast, and why?

I love the anniversary celebrations where they would perform snippets of past years. Angela Lansbury sang By the Sea to celebrate Sweeney Todd one year.

Most memorable Tonys acceptance speech, and why?

There have been so many incredible speeches but I will always remember Lin Manuel Miranda saying love is “love is love is love.” We needed to hear that right at that moment.

What is one play or musical (and role) would you like to perform on Broadway, and why?

A new play written by a female playwright with a strong female character… and Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.