Hey.
Good morning, or evening,
or whatever it is the day
of our first preview today,
and we've been working really hard during tech.
This week has been all
10 of 12's every single day.
We had our gypsy run, which
was really like, nothing I'd
ever seen before and the
crowd went totally wild and
demanded that we come and
bow again, which I've never
had to do in my short
little career up to this
point, and I got
so many amazing messages from
friends that they really dug it,
and so that fills
me with confidence and pride about tonight.
So, I'm feeling good.
I mean there's bound to be
some hiccups because there always are
at the first preview, but
I think the show transcends all that.
I think people forgive it a lot because it's so damn good.
So, I'm about to
go get fresh color and cut.
As you can see, I'm
really needing some attention, yeah.
Okay.
So, here I am with my dressing roommate
Alex Elizabeth Wise.
That is my true middle name
We've known each other for...44?
48 years?
We met at the callback
for "No, No, Nanette"
at the...at the Euris...theater
in 1970
a long time, and since then we've
had divorces.
Custody battle. After custody battle.
You know. And PILLS!
How are you feeling?
I'm good.
We're having a really great week.
Yeah.
We are almost through teching our show. I just
realized I had this moment of
like not quite terrible like,
realization this morning because
I was thinking about the first episode
of this little blog came out.
It's really sweet.
you can see how old we are.
Yeah, and I was watching
and thinking, oh my God, the next
episode because I drop off
my footage on a
Tuesday, the next episode
will end with our first
preview. By the time, the
next episode happens we'll be
performing it publicly for people.
HI, BROADWAY.COM!
Let's go inside!
Here you go into the stagedoor of the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
How do you feel?
Just ecstatic.
You look great, what did you have for dinner?
I had El Centro.
You must.
Hi everybody! Welcome back hello.
Hello.
Oh no.
Welcome welcome.
Oh dear me.
Welcome, welcome back
Broadway!
Welcome back.
Hi, Broadway.com!
So this is Jared,
our fearless music director, and we
have some beautiful review here
on the wall including this pull quote.
Jared Stein exploits the show's
young singers, let's end it there.
That in quotes right here.
That's what I do best That's what I'd say.
Exploitation.
Alright this is Sean Elizabeth Grandillo, Hello
Sean is the voice of Otto
and the conductor.
Do you know if you're the youngster conductor on Broadway currently?
I'm sure.
Are you the youngest conductor on Broadway ever?
I believe Charlie Rosen.
I know Charlie well.
I think he did "13" on Broadway
the conducting when he was younger.
Indeed.
But, I'm pretty proud.
Proud there it is.
What did you have for dinner?
What else?
We went to Bareburger and it was delicious and we got an Equity discount.
It was awesome.
Because you're Equity now?
Yes.
Oddly enough.
We've teched through the whole show
which is a big accomplishment given
that we have an invited dress rehearsal tomorrow.
Tomorrow!
It's sort of frightening but
today we're like stumbling through, it's
not quite a run but its
closer than what we've been doing, so... nice.
Yeah. Lets do it.
Here we have Broadway's Lauren Luiz
who plays a new character
Can we reveal her name I guess
we're gonna meet..,this episode will come out after the first preview.
Malita is a
new character in our production and
you also voice Thea.
Lauren is eating this
delicious ramen that we've been enjoying because.
Because I learned a very valuable lesson today.
Never go anywhere but City Kitchen
for lunch because you may find
a maggot in your salad.
Sorry what was that?
A maggot.
Could you please finger spell that out for clarity.
A maggot in your salad.
A maggot she just found. Oh my God.
That is so revolting.
That's what I get for not going to City Kitchen
New York City. Center of the universe.
Hi, everybody. I have here
Cameras on cameras!
I have here, Sandra Mae Frank, our Wendla, making her
Broadway debut tonight in our first preview. How do you feel?
Very excited. Very nervous. Ya know, it's Broadway it tends to be-
deaf and hearing, this is new.
There's no guarantee what the audience
is going to expect I don't know if
they're expecting, not expecting ASL
or not expecting deaf actors on stage
so we're going
to present it to them and
it's going to be amazing
but it's hard to adapt to new things
and changes, but I have
faith, I have confidence, I'm excited.
I'm a bit overwhelmed.
Yay! And you have
been with the show since ICA
which started a year ago today, right?
Yes.
In one year did you think when
you started rehearsal on that first day
of ICA that you'd be here a year later?
No.
If Broadway happened it was maybe I'd think
two, three years in time
to get the money to get the
process, to get the
investors, the producers from what
I understand it just doesn't
happen like this, you know
first run, second run were
very fast and now our
third run, I feel like it's all one run.
Yes.
It's just, okay here we go.
Cool, let's just keep going.
How are you liking New York and Broadway, is it what you expected?
Is it different than what you expected?
I've visited New York many
times with friends but living here, I'm happy this is my first experience.
I'm happy because I'm doing it with Broadway.
It's the right time, the right
people with the right
energy, it's the perfect time
to really experience New York and Broadway.
all in one.
Couldn't have asked for a better experience.
Very well I can't wait
for the audience to fall in love
with you tonight as I have
fallen in love with you already
It's gonna be amazing and
thank you Cath for interpreting once again.
Thank you Alex for being [bleep] quiet.
I'm here with Josh Castille
Hi, Andy.
My Ernst. My Hanschen.
I wanted because a
lot of people have been
asking me on Twitter for some
signs they can do
at the stage door to
tell you how great you are.
So maybe let's just go through a few.
How about you tell me the words and I'll sign them?
Maybe I loved the show.
Now break down one. That one's tricky
Point and then you do like these little Ss
cross them and then
you do like thumbs up.
but then it goes in a circle around your chest
How about, Great Job!
Great great.
Job.
Two fists
Truth is.
Wrist on to wrist. Boom boom
Will you have my baby?
Yeah, perfect. How about can I have a picture with you?
Do you mind?
Picture. Or you can do, do you mind.
Do you mind.
And then do this.
That's two options What is like gloss about?
I don't know.
Do you mind?
Oh!
Can you do it in a shady way?
Like, do you mind?
Do you mind brushing my teeth?
How about are you single?
Are you single?
How do you work asking this question?
You never know.
I feel like that's good, right covered it?
I think so.
Well thanks for your time.
Oh wait.
Do you mind signing?
Oh signing?
Yeah, signing.
my.
My Program.
Program.
Looks good, looks great.
Well, thank you Josh.
Oh, thank you.
This is really fun
Could you please
give a slate, we're going to
ask for one scene probably but
if you really impress us we might ask for second scene.
Hi, I'm Ali Stroker
and I'll be reading for
the role of the first person on Broadway in a wheelchair.
The first person ever!
You got the part!
You booked it!
How do you feel?
What is that like?
You're making history tonight.
That's so [bleep] cool.
It's crazy.
I'm so excited to be a part of it.
Thank you.
It is so exciting.
It is a total dream come true.
I just think, Ali
I have to say.
I think you're such a bad bitch
for like being in this chair
and pursuing a career that
already is like foolish and
impossible, I mean like, no,
I'm going to do it I'm gonna
like be on Broadway and
here you are, when no one had
ever done before, I think that's really worth celebrating.
Thank you, thank you so much, I
was talking to somebody this morning and the
first show I ever
saw was Beauty and the Beast
Second grade. And I saw the show and I
was like I have to do that
I have to do that, and then
I went to school for musical theatre and
I was like "Uh oh. There's a lot of dancing involved
This is actually not going to be so easy
And then I found out
no one had ever even done
it and I was like,
how am I going to
do this and then
you never think that you would go to
LA to get a Broadway show
but my life took me to
LA and I audtioned for this
show over a year
ago and got cast and people were like,
do you think you
got cast because ya know it's like a deaf show? And I was like, uhh...No.
And you're like I'm not deaf, I'm in a wheelchair. But, close.
Not the same thing.
People were like "Do you like use your, like do you acknowledge your chair?"
I was like no, that's the best part.
It's not about being in a
chair, it's about playing a role, playing
the truth and like who says that
Anna isn't...in a wheelchair?
isn't rollin?
How would you acknowledge it? Just point to it a lot?
She comes out and gives a curtain speech. Just so yo know at this
performance and I've got to
give a shout out to the wonderful
staff here at the Brooks Atkinson and
the Nederlanders for coming in
here before we arrived and making
this dressing room 100% accessible, can we show
the bathroom? Is that vulgar? No it's super cute.
They didn't show a bathroom on television until the 70s I think
So, first of all
it's very important, I'm
just making sure that it looks perfect.
Very important that one
has a bar cart in
their bathroom. Yes, it's part of the accessibility.
and also this rug is very important, but actually it's so fresh.
It's so cute in here.
But actually like all kidding aside.
This is so cool that
they did this for me and
that they made it accessible because
most backstages at theaters are not
Because no one has
ever done this ever needed it!
So great.
Well your place is so cute.
Hey, Krysta. HI!
Yeah, it's important to not know where to put things.
Ya know, we're still in previews all finding...you have a really cute table.
Someone's won an Oscar I see. Our hero.
I happen to be
very lucky because I get to room with Krysta.
Nooo! The best, the best!
We're having a pretty
good time, you like our letters? We're having fun.
We have a refrigerator.
You have a chair that was cut from the show
And we have a bed. You have to have a bed constructed.
One must you must. one must sleep.
I already did. I took a nap. I just woke up.
I just had a vision, almost like a
prophesy because I'm seeing you guys' as roommates and I want you to be
Elphaba and Glinda
That'd be fun. Wouldn't that be the most.
Make it happen, Broadway. It's Andy. Andy will make it happen.
I will make it happen.
Broadway? Broadway.
But we'll do the Deaf West version-
But must.
I'm so excited to take the
stage with you ladies tonight,
the first preview. We can't wait we're so excited.
Now, what are we wearing to the stage door tonight?
Because I know you've both thought about it.
I love this black number, I've been talking about it all day. I have a black maxi
with a little cut out that shows, my- peek-a-boo
red skin, little radiation,
this is a simple light
denim, stretch jacket.
This dress is not actually the one
that I'll be wearing.
I'll be wearing a red dress.
Oh yes, it's hung up.
Well I won't give it away.
You'll see it on social media.
Well have so much fun guys.
I love you.
We love you.
Bye.
So, just moments ago
got off stage, from the first preview
and it was pretty freaking great.
We had a really good dress
the other day, but you know
that was all friends, they were all here
for free so we didn't know how this was gonna
go and Michael said to us he said don't be
fooled by that crowd because
they got their tickets for free.
Yea.
But.
But tonight was like just the same.
So now I'm thinking maybe
everyone else is going to see what we see.
in this little play.
Such a labor of love.
We hope you like it.
We like it so much.
Okay ladies and gentlemen if
you have any backstage guests
that you've signed in on the
list at the stage door,
please be sure to pick them
up there and escort them.
Yes.
Thank you.
And that's how Broadway works.
Thanks for watching this week,
tune in next week for more
adventures as we continue in
previews and get really tired
and come see
our show, we're playing to
the public you can buy a
ticket right now, please come see us we love it we love you bye.