Ep. 82: Exploring Empathy in "Merrily We Roll Along"
In this episode, Andrew talks to director and performer Maria Friedman about the filmed-for-cinema release of Merrily We Roll Along, which closed on Broadway in 2024. Friedman, whose journey with Merrily We Roll Along dates back to the early 90s, when she played Mary, directed revivals of the show in London and on Broadway. Maria talks to us about her approach to directing the filmed version of the show, and tells us what she hopes audiences take away from the show's approach to empathy and forgiveness.
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Ep. 81: The Name on Everybody's Lips is Going to Be Leila Jung
In this episode, Jose sits down with Swedish actress Leila Jung, who’s taking on the iconic role of Roxie Hart in Chicago after starring in The Girl from the North Country.
They talk about what it’s like to go from Bob Dylan to Kander and Ebb, performing back-to-back musicals set in the Depression era, and how Swedish audiences connect with the language of musical theatre. Leila reflects on the shows that first made her fall in love with the stage, the craft behind keeping a musical alive, and what it means to find truth inside the sparkle.
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Ep. 80: The Power of Bodies in Motion
In every episode, the culture critics at Token Theatre Friends bring their fresh perspectives to the performing arts on their podcast and video series. You can find the podcast on Spotify, iTunes, and Stitcher (look for the all-red logo). The video series* is available on YouTube. The TTF theme song is by Sean Mason (with vocals by Angela Ramos). The video animation is by Brad Ogden, with logos by Jason Simon.
In this episode, Andrew talks about his summer of theatre by looking at six shows he saw over May/June and the trends that tie them together. From revivals (Appropriate, Uncle Vanya) new plays (Sally and Tom), new musicals (The Great Gatsby) and long-running musicals (Hadestown, Six), Andrew praises the ensemble powers of live theatre and the joys of great blocking with a reminder of the power that bodies in motion have when they move on the stage.
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Ep. 79: The Desire of Diana Pou
In this episode, Jose talks to actor/singer/educator Diana Pou about her role in Alván Colón Lespier's The Desire of the Astronaut, a poetic sci-fi play premiering at Pregones/PRTT next month. Pou talks about the way scripts and characters, including Astronaut, arrive exactly when they should, how she's putting her classical music training to use, and shares exciting news about other upcoming projects.
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Ep. 78: From Book to Movie to Musical to Movie Musical
In this episode, Andrew and Graceson talk about the film adaptations of two Broadway musicals, which once were films, which once were books. The Color Purple directed by Blitz Bazawule and Mean Girls directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. The friends discuss the changes that were made from the stage versions to the films, the reluctance of studios to commit to selling movie musicals, and how Purple epitomizes the meaning of "ensemble film."
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A community of BIPOC theater enthusiasts offering opportunities for theatre lovers to discover and engage with the works of artists we love. We bring a fresh perspective to the performing arts, exploring new work from underserved artists in our weekly web series and podcast, as well as our features and reviews. We don’t talk about representation, we are representation.Become a contributor on Patreon at www.patreon.com/tokentheatrefriends.