>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) MY NEXT GUEST ORIGINATED THE
ROLE OF ELIZA IN "HAMILTON."
SHE NOW STARS IN "AMEÉLIE" ON BROADWAY.
PLEASE WELCOME PHILLIPA SOO!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS ON "AMEÉLIE" STARTING ON BROADWAY.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: SO MANY CONGRATULATIONS IN ORDER FOR
SOMEONE OF YOUR TENDER YEARS.
YOU'RE 26 YEARS OLD.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: GRADUATED FROM JUILLIARD IN 2012.
>> WITH ONE OF THESE GUYS, WITH YVONDA!
HEY!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: LOVELY FELLAS.
THEY'RE GREAT.
>> Stephen: THE SAME YEAR, YOU WERE IN THE GREAT COMEDY OF
1812.
MIRANDA SAW YOU THERE.
HE CAST YOU IN THE BROADWAY CAST, NOMINATED FOR A TONY AND
NOW STARRING IN "AMEÉLIE" ON BROAD WAY.
ARE YOU SORRY YOU LOST ALL THE YOUNG YEARS BECAUSE AT 26 I WAS
STILL PUTTING CRACKED PEPPER ON SALADS.
>> I HAVE YET TO WORK A RESTAURANT JOB.
>> Stephen: THEY'RE WONDERFUL.
I KNOW ( LAUGHTER )
BUT I DID SPEND A LOT OF TIME DRINKING BEERS ON MY FIRE ESCAPE
WONDERING WHEN IS SOMETHING GOING TO HAPPEN?
AND IT HAPPENED A LOT SOONER.
>> Stephen: WEDNESDAY.
YEAH.
( LAUGHTER ) BUT IT'S CERTAINLY BEEN A WILD
RIDE AND QUITE AWESOME.
>> Stephen: CONGRATULATIONS ON "HAMILTON," FIRST OF ALL.
AN EXTRAORDINARY MUSICAL.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) UNBELIEVABLE.
I THINK IT PROBABLY CHANGED PEOPLE'S EXPECTATION OF I THINK
THE CULTURAL RELEVANCE OF A BROADWAY SHOW OR WHAT'S IN
THERE.
DO YOU THINK IT'S CHANGED PEOPLE'S EXPECTATIONS OF HOW HIP
THE BROADWAY SHOW NEEDS TO BE?
>> OH, YEAH.
I FEEL LIKE IT WAS SO GREAT ON SO MANY LEVELS AND THERE WAS
KIND OF A SAYING FLOATING AROUND THE THEATER WHICH IT'S A TRAIN
AND YOU CAN JUMP ON IT AT ANY POINT WHETHER YOU'RE A LOVER OF
MUSICAL THEATER OR HIP-HOP OR HISTORY.
THERE WAS, LIKE, A WAY TO JUMP ON THE TRAIN, AND I THINK WHAT
WAS MOST SURPRISING WAS THAT THERE WERE SO MANY KIDS WHO JUST
FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS SCORE AND WITH LYNN'S MUSIC AND THIS
STORY, AND THAT WAS SUPER INSPIRING.
>> IN 1985, IF YOU HAD DONE THIS MUSICAL, YOU WOULD HAVE TO
EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE IN MAINE WHAT YOU WERE ABOUT TO DO BEFORE YOU
DID THE MUSICAL.
( LAUGHTER ) I GOT THIS PHOTO SHORTLY BEFORE
THE SHOW.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?
IS THIS AN EARLY PRODUCTION OFF OFF OFF BROADWAY THAT YOU'RE
PART OF?
>> THAT'S OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF BROADWAY IN LIL' LIL'.
>> Stephen: HOW OLD WERE YOU IN THIS PHOTO HERE?
>> THREE OR FOUR.
PROBABLY THREE.
>> Stephen: WHAT HAVE YOU CAST YOURSELF IN HERE?
>> IT LOOKS LIKE THE MAGICAL HEADBAND DINOSAUR EXTRAVAGANZA,
FROM WHAT I CAN SEE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: IS THAT HOW YOU
STARTED, JUST SINGING AROUND THE HOUSE?
>> YES, I DID.
I WOULD PUT ON SHOWS FOR MY FAMILY AND ANYBODY WHO WAS
AROUND.
THE HOUSE WAS THE HOUSE WE MOVED INTO AND WE WERE HAVING A LOT OF
WORK DONE, AND WHEN WE WERE PAINTING HOUSE, THE PAINTERS
WERE THERE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, AND I DECIDED ONE DAY TO
JUST PUT ON MY TUTU AND JUMP ON THE COFFEE TABLE AND SING ARETHA
FRANKLIN SONGS FOR THE PAINTERS WHO WERE PAINTING HOUSE.
>> Stephen: WOW.
LIKE WHAT SONGS?
WHAT WAS YOUR GO-TO ARETHA?
>> DEFINITE "THINK" BECAUSE BEING FROM "CHICAGO" WE LOVED
"THE BLUES BROTHERS" AND I LOVED THAT SCENE.
>> Stephen: DID YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS?
>> I DIDN'T KNOW THE WORDS.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU SING A SONG WITHOUT KNOWING THE WORDS?
>> YOU HAVE YOUR MARKERS.
YOU HAVE THE BEGINNING AND END.
YOU WOULD BE LIKE ♪ ♪ THINK ♪
♪ THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME ♪
♪ PEOPLE GO AROUND EVERY DAY -- MUMBLING -- YEAH, THINK ♪
>> YOU KNEW THE WORD "THINK" HAD TO BE IN THERE.
>> Stephen: THROW IT IN THERE AS MANY TIMES AS YOU CAN.
>> YES, AND I'M PERFORMING THIS SONG TO THE FULLEST OF MY
ABILITIES.
>> Stephen: IN HAMILTON, I'M TALKING TO THE CAST MEMBERS
ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO WOULD COME TO THE SHOW BECAUSE EVERYBODY
WANTED TO SEE THE SHOW.
WERE THERE PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO COME BACKSTAGE AND OTHER
PERFORMERS WHO CAME TO SEE YOU AND YOU SAID, I CAN'T BELIEVE I
GOT TO MEET THIS PERSON?
>> THERE WERE A LOT OF GREAT PEOPLE.
THE MOST GEEKED OUT MOMENT I HAD WAS WITH JULIE ANDREWS.
( AUDIENCE REACTS ) YEAH.
>> Stephen: THAT'S THE SOUND YOU MAKE WHEN SHE WALKS INTO THE
ROOM.
>> EXACTLY.
LYNN WOULD DO THIS THING.
I DIDN'T -- I DIDN'T LIKE TO KNOW WHO WAS THERE BEFORE WE
PERFORMED.
LIN, WHEN WE WOULD EXIT THE STAGE, HE WOULD SAY, LIKE,
STEPHEN COLBERT IS HERE!
THEN WE WOULD RUN AWAY FROM ME.
( LAUGHTER ) THEN THAT EVENING HE SAID, JULIE
ANDREWS IS HERE AND I WENT -- GASPS -- SHE'S REALLY HERE?
I WOULD SINGING SPOON FULL OF SUGAR, SO EXCITED TO MEET HER.
WHEN I FINALLY GOT DOWN TO THE STAGE TO MEET HER, I COULDN'T
STOP SMILING, MY CHEEKS WERE HURTING I WAS SMILING SO MUCH.
I DIDN'T WANT TO STOP SMILING.
>> Stephen: YOU CAN'T AROUND HERE.
>> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: IT'S EVERYTHING YOU EXPECT JULIE ANDREWS TO BE
AND MORE.
>> SHE'S SO POISED AND BEAUTIFUL AND A GIFT TO US ALL IN TERMS OF
AN ARTIST, RIGHT?
( APPLAUSE ) YEAH.
>> Stephen: THE NEW PLAY AT THE WALTER KERR IS "AMEÉLIE."
YOU CALLED THIS A LOVE LETTER TO THEATER.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS IT YOU LOVE ABOUT THTHEATER ITSELF?
>> I LOVE THE COMMUNITY ASPECT.
WHAT'S SO GREAT IS NOT ONLY MY COLLABORATIONS I GET TO HAVE IN
THE ROOM CREATING THE THING, BUT ALSO THE COLLABORATION I GET TO
HAVE WITH THE COMMUNITY I'M SHARING IT WITH.
>> Stephen: THE AUDIENCE, YOU MEAN?
>> YEAH, THE AUDIENCE.
IT'S A COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE.
WE'RE ALL THERE COMING FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS HAVING
THIS ONE EXPERIENCE, AND I THINK THAT'S THE POWER OF THEATER IS
IT CAN BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TRULY.
>> Stephen: I AGREE.
AS I TOLD THE AUDIENCE, I LIKE DOING TO SHOW FOR THE AUDIENCE
BUT I LOVE DOING THE SHOW WITH THE AUDIENCE BECAUSE WE'RE DOING
IT TOGETHER.
>> YEAH.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >
>> STEPHEN: "AMEÉLIE" IS AT THE WALTER KERR THEATRE.
PHILLIPA SOO, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY GORILLAZ.