--Hello everybody and welcome to Live at Five and we know we're a little bit late
today, unforeseen circumstances but it doesn't matter. It's the first day of
summer it is it's also national selfie day. -- Thank you I'm Beth Stevens
--And I'm Ryan
Lee Gilbert
--And we are here in the studio with Miss Caitlyn Moynihan and we
have one of my favorite people our guest
--Yes me too, Michael Benjamin Washington from the Boys in the Band is
here talking with us
--Really excited about that but first we're gonna do our
top five
--We got some Jellicle news today!
--I knew, I knew
that's how you were going to intro. -- With Jazz hands
--Yes we have a Cats movie update so I think a while ago we mentioned that
--20 years ago
--Yes that cats was going to be turned into a movie
but when was it first mentioned look at that yes but now
it's like really happening and Tom Hooper who directed the Les
Miserables movie, is directing. We know that rehearsals for are gonna begin
in September and then they'll begin shooting in November and we know that
Wayne McGregor is choreographing and then that's it. That's basically all we
know --That's it
--We know what no we know something a working title films and
Universal Studios are coming together to make the thing, but release day cast are
some of your Broadway favorites gonna be in it? Is Betty Buckley going back we
don't know we don't know any of this! None of it no but it's happening
Cats
movie. --It's not animated it's a real
--Live action yes and hopefully we'll get those
Tom Hooper right on the face --Super close ups
on the kitty cats --Yes as they're belting, yeah
As they are
jelical-ing --Not a verb
--It's a new verb. And some of the some of Broadway's biggest stars are giving back
to high schoolers
--Right so we know the Jimmy Awards are happening soon they're
happening on June 25th at 7:30 at the Minskoff Theatre. Now we know some
presenters so let me let you know. Newly minted Tony winner Ari'sl Stachel who
sat right here very recently, Kyle Selig. --Who also sat here and
participated in the Jimmy Awards before --Look at you knowing things!
Jai'len Christine Lee Josie
of Spongebob Squarepants super stand out
just tons of people and this is hosted by Tony winner Laura Benanti and this
celebrates high school theater. That's what's so cool about it.
--They'll go on to do great things a lot of them so
--And an upcoming Broadway
debut already has something new in the works
--Yes, so Ty Defoe who we all we took
like a poll earlier in the room we all love Ty Defoe and he's making his
Broadway debut and straight white men very soon but and then he's venturing
off Broadway with a G shack on Turtle Island it's part of new victory theaters
2018-2019 season it follows a whooping crane that is separated from its mother
and has to migrate from Canada to Texas all by itself.
And I think the message of the show is to like inspire a new generation of eco
champions.
--Oh look at that New Victory specializes in youth theatre
for children --Exactly the it
will feature puppets from the Jim Henson's Creature Shop because you know
it's about a whooping crane got it. It will run March 1st through
the 10th of 2019, so it's a little ways away but he has to make his Broadway
debut first you know?
--June 29 at the Hayes Theatre
--It is written by Dafoe and features music by
Kevin Durant Grammy nominee Don Avery and Grammy winner Larry Mitchell. It
sounds super interesting. I believe it happened at La MaMa before?
--Tony winning La Mama --So
it's now headed to victory so make sure you go see it next year.
next spring yeah
--And we don't have any heartbreak over this
casting news
-- Thank You Caitlyn. --Heartbreak house George Bernard Shaw
classic is going to go to theater row off-broadway but listen to this cast
this is a pretty fancy cast we've got Tony winner Karen Ziemba, Tony nominee
Allison Fraser, and Tony nominate Tom Hewitt, David Staller's directing
previously on August 28th and opening is scheduled for September 9th. It's a
quickie it closes September 29 oh okay get in there so classic show with really
amazing people Very good
--So what else do we have.
The Boys are back, they came back together the Bandstand boys are back
--The boys not the boys in the band, -- Not the boys in the band
--And they're not getting the band back together
--The boys in
the bandstand --They're not visiting
It is --Not today
--It is Bandstand so we know Bandstand is headed into theaters through Fathom
Events 700 different locations across the country. You can see it on June 25th
and June 28th. Tickets are on sale now we went to the premiere here in the
city. We've got some great photos of all of the wonderful people from the show,
including, its writer, its director choreographer Andy Blankenbueller, Laura
Osnes was there Corey Cott was there special guest all-around, see full coverage
and then make sure you go see it in theaters June 25th and June 28th because
it's an incredible show and we loved it.
--Ryan, happy summer to you --Thank you
so much Beth, happy summer to you. Make sure you take a selfie before the day is out
-- I'll work on that. Caitlyn, will you tell us about our guest today?
--Of course,
We have Michael Benjamin in the studio today he is currently in The Boys in the Band and
he has previously been on Broadway in La Cage au Folles. I think I may have said that right.
And he was in Mamma Mia. His screen credits
include Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, 30 Rock, Save the Date, Law & Order. I could
go on and on because he's been in so many amazing things.
Be sure to follow him on social media at Michael B Washington and leave all of
your questions for him in the comments below.
Everybody please welcome Michael Benjamin and Beth.
--Hello, everyone! --Hello
Michael Benjamin Washington. --Hi Beth
--This is so excited to be here
--We're excited to have you
because you're one of our favorite people. I don't know why, sometimes you
meet someone like a long time ago and you're just like hmm
--And to see you where you are now, killing it!
--Right where I was before yes. --Killin it
--How's it going over there in The Boys in the Band?
--I think we're having a
little bit too much fun.
I think we have to turn that down a little --It is a party
--It is --At least at the beginning
--It is, but we
venture back 50 years in 1968 every single night, and somehow we all get on
the same page. We're having a ball we're having a blast we have a big ol birthday
party and people seem to love it.
--Well it is a wonderful cast of just
heavy-hitting heavy hitters and real stage actors. You might know their names
from the movies or from TV but they are real stage actors
and that's special too.
--Yeah. Every night at the end of the show Jim Parsons and
Brian Hutchinson do this sparring dance, I call its Venus and
Serena go head-to-head. And to think that they study getting their MFA at Old
Globe together and now they're on a Broadway stage doing that those kinds of
things are Matt Bomer and Zach Quinto training at Carnegie.
--You have a lot of Texans in this cast, --We do.
--You're a Texan --I'm a Texan,
Matt Bomer, I've known him for 20 years, is a Texan, Jim Parsons, and Lee Pace our
buddy down the street at Angels in America we used to compete in
speech and debate tournaments
together
--Oh my god are you serious?
--Oh Lee Pace if he was at a tournament, like I'm
hungry where is he! Let's go! We get to the one-act play contest. I did Six Degrees
of Separation and he was doing the Heiress! Oh!
He got Best Actor, but -- I'm so glad you're
here when we were talking about the Cats movie because you were like I get the
reference! -- I do
--Just watch the movie it's a great movie you'll understand
Well, I love you in this
role because --Thank you
--Well and Robin de Jesus was here and I talked to him about this as
well, and you have something in common with Mr. Robin DeJesus which was that
you were both in revivals of Le Cage au Folles
there you go.
It's okay not everyone took French in HIGH SCHOOL
And you played the same role
--Yes we did. --In two different revivals years
apart. -- I was in the 2005 revival directed
by Jerry Zaks playing Jacob the butler
maid, and then he did the 2010 revival and he was the first of the three
Broadway Jacob's to get nominated for a Tony --Because he's just that
--He's amazing.
--And he's good in the heels
--And in sneakers --Who's gonnawait wait let's just go back in
time first we'll get back to Boys in the Band. Didn't you audition in heels for
that role? --I did.
--Tell us about it
--I did I was like what does one wear to play a
cross-dressing Butler maid to Jerry Zaks?
--It is a good question --And I decided to wear
patent leather heels --What color?
--They were black heels with the bow on them and I
actually wore them in the show as the maid and I sang I enjoy being a girl and
the look on Jerry Zaks' face was worth the price of NYU, I gotta say. Just to see
that man be like are you really doing this in front of me right now?
I had three callbacks I did it for him three more times just to prove that it wasn't a fluke.
--In the heels every time?
--Every time --My god what people do in this business.
--All right Le'ts go back to Boys in the Band. One of the things I
love about this production is it has to be a period piece. It's 1968. It's pre
Stonewall and you are really digging into that period. I don't know I can't
put my finger on it, what you're doing but it's
something about your cadence. --Mm-hmm
--And certainly your look and your you know of
course costumes and everything will affect your posture tell me about finding that
period --Well, the past four years I've been
writing a play, or I wrote a play about
Byard Rustin, the openly gay civil rights leader who put together the march
on Washington in 1963, and that was developed directorally by Phylicia
Rashad who really worked on me with the period and the voice and the carriage.
So there are Miss Rashad esque type things that flowed into my performance
--If you're gonna be mentored by
a goddess --Hello? Must emulate her too. Yeah
so that really helped me in terms of
understanding too, what you can and can't do in a room of all white men, especially
when the racial stuff gets really charged up. There's a certain lid
that has to be put on it that Mr. Martello and I worked extensively on. You
know I really tried to push against him like at 68 and Huey Newton and the Black
power movement! --Anger's bubbling over but not in this play
--Not in this play, not in this room, at this time you
know
--And in some ways you could say he's a token person of color, but in other
ways how is he part of the circle?
--Well, I always rationalized that he happens to
be going to his Jewish friend Harold's birthday party on a Saturday night.
Does that mean he doesn't have any black friends? So I assume that tomorrow he's
having brunch with Jimmy Baldwin,
but --As you do
--But in this particular evening, how do you
survive your... Joe asked me he said um you have to
figure out what is the cost of being in this room and what is the price to
remain in this tribe? And that became like the thesis of Bernard for me. And it
really was exciting because you know Joe is so great about saying I don't know
the answer to your questions, and I would ask him like all the heavy hitting ones
--You also
have the playwright there. Mart Crowley was around --Yeah well when we got into
previews into New York, we rehearsed in LA for three weeks. So I had wrote Mart
to ask him when I hit a wall like why did you write a black man into this
all-white tribe?
--Good question --And he told me about this story of a boy named
Clarence from his youth that Bernard is based on. And suddenly I realized that
the playwright was putting himself in the character, that it wasn't just a
device, it wasn't just as you said a token
--It's not it's more personal --It's a human
being, and how do you make him come alive eight times a week? And if this you know
the text is limited, but we never leave the stage, and all of us are on it
the whole time. So it's up to you to bring a life to it, and
--It's so good you
guys go see it!
--Thank you --All right let's talk
about your play some more. So, you are a
writer. -- I am
--And you're developing some
new work aren't you? -- I am. -- Also in this
period --Uh-huh, which is so ironic I was
contacted by Maya Angelou's estate after my
play --Cause that happens to everyone
--My agent calls like you like Maya Angelou don't you? They're looking for a
writer for her story, and I had lunch with her grandson Colin Johnson and the
head of her estate The Caged Bird Foundation. And we sat down and I pitched
this play about April 4th, 1968, her 40th birthday, when she was planning a party
to tell her bougie New York friends why she was leaving The Black Power movement
to return to Dr. King's philosophy of non-violence on her 40th birthday April
4th. He was assassinated while waiting for her to join him, and she slipped into
mutism for the second time. So I've been writing a play about April 4th her birthday
--And she stops celebrating her birthday after that
-- She did, for a long time.
For a long time until Coretta
Scott King got her to start celebrating it again. So when this play came up about
April 14th 1968, for a birthday party, while I was writing this play
--This play
takes place on April 14th? I didn't know the date. --That's when it opened
off-broadway, so that's kind of when we set it
--Oh I love that.
-- So, --This is really getting deep you guys
--It is deep. It is deep. -- So you're developing this play about Maya Anglou
and you wrote about Byard Rustin, --I did.
--You ever going to leave 1968? --Well, I think it's time to leave the
sixties. -- I'm just asking
--Yeah we're gonna go to the 70s eventually. --We gotta get to Mahoganey
--Right, --Do you guys know who
Mahogany is? Let me tell you. Michael
Benjamin Washington had an alter --Alter-ego
--I'm trying to think of the right word.
and you were amazing, and this was during the La Cafe time right? --Yeah it was
during Mamma Mia. I was playing a the wisecracking best friend Eddie/
understudy to Joe Mahota who was the leading man and I'd go on.
--Now power
agent Joe Mahota --Yes my buddy and he would
never miss but when he did I finally got
to go on and be a leading man at the Winter Garden., --You got to be Sky
-- I
got to be sky and I was like oh well that was fun did that now let's see what
else I can do to scare my agents. So I wrote a two-act play about an up-and-coming
black songstress named mahogany, the ebony enchantress, and I would do it on
Monday nights at Joe's Pub. --Yes you would
and it was amazing. This is based on the
Diana Ross, the name comes from title --The name yes
--Billie Holiday movie. Isn't that what it is? --It was yeah late well actually
the Billie Holiday was Lady Sings the Blues, but Mohagoney was fashion design and
--She was in a movie called Mahogany. Look it up
you guys! I know what I'm talking about sort of --Google it
--YouTube that you'll like it. --Yeah,
so I wrote this play and I would do it, and she would start to host things
for Broadway cares/equity fights AIDS. And Alan Cumming and I would do like
dancers responding to AIDS, hosting things like that --All for charity
--So that was fun, and
it was just a way for me to practice my writing, and seeing what that was like.
--You really have always had this alternate career. I'm getting stuck on that word today
as a writer. --Yeah --And you were a
journalism minor --Mm-hmm
--I know things --You do, so impressed
--You were a theater major --Yeah.
--And and so you've always had this urge to write and it's
--Always --really paying off for you
--Always. I love to tell stories
--Never stopped performing did you?
--No, no no even when I try to
like when I was in Texas writing this. You know I didn't have an agent
manager publicist at the time and when I got the call to do this is like yeah
I'll come back to do this for a minute, but I do want to go back behind the
table and keep creating villages for other people to perform in.
--You're not just writing
for yourself you're writing plays for others
--Others yes yes --Telling stories
--Mm-hmm which is fun it's
really fun to be able to create you know an alternate universe for other people
to play in
--So when you guys are getting ready at the boys in the band just to go
on stage do you listen to music from the 60s? -- I do.
--So funny you asked that --Really what do you listen to?
You don't have a turntable backstage?
--No. Robin has has a turntable upstairs, but I listen
to a lot of Marvin Gaye. For whatever reason the tone of his
voice just sits right in my ear, and I'm like yes, Bernard would, Bernard would
go to a Marvin Gaye concert on Friday night. He would be... there's something
sultry and soulful and and yet fun you know. It's a fun party that we have over
at the Booth until it turns kind of dark
--Right. It's fun and until someone gets
hurt. I'm just saying I know we have questions
from you guys. So let's take a few and then we can get out of here
--Sure thing. So, Bri says I saw your
show I saw your amazing new show this past week and wondered how you think
your character's story continued after when he went home
--That's a good question. --I think everyone wants to know
--We know you wrote that full character for yourself.
--Oh yes, what happens when
we turn the corner Robin and I have a beautiful exit together and and
people always ask what happens when you walk down the hall and down the stairs?
And I believe he has to make a big decision about what tribe he wants to be
a member of after this. Considering that Dr. King was assassinated ten days
before this play takes place, and a great integration experiment is imploding,
Bobby Kennedy dies two months later. It's like where does he sit with these people?
And I think he's gonna not go get a drink. He's gonna go sleep it off and
have to make some big decisions tomorrow after his brunch with Jimmy
Baldwin. -- Obviously that's what he's doing
--A full story going. And a lot of people want to know how do you get into
your emotions because you know after you make that phone call,
no spoilers, but you really get in there.
--It is a 50 year old play --How do you get that moment how do
you get to that part?
--Well one of the things that Joe and I talked about is
how necessary it is to shut up at least an hour and a half before the curtain
and just try to let this world go away, 2018 fall away. --Put on the Marvin
Gaye --Yeah and the reality of what it was
then, we had a hard time in rehearsal
room remembering how detrimental everything was to these men in terms of
identity. And so to forget the magical-ness --To forget Pride Month
--Yes, exactly --All of
the stuff that you see walking here --The freedom that we get, or the kids outside
of the Stage Door who are coming with their parents who accept them fully, or
you know, who are the head of their LGBTQ communities and and organizations. It's
so hard to forget that and go back, so it releases about being quiet and letting
the ancestors and the elders come in. There's so many beautiful uncles who
aren't here who we lost during the AIDS plague, who I feel, you can feel their spirit.
--Including original members of the original cast
--Absolutely many of them.
You know what else, when you we the the set design of this play is really
gorgeous. David Zinn's work who just want another Tony Award for SpongeBob, but
it's a it's almost like a little womb that they've created inside, that is very
engaging and beautiful and perfect and then there's a harsh light right outside
the door. --Right
--And that's where you're going back into
--Absolutely --It's just a
beautiful metaphor for what's going on, and I asked David about it, and he goes oh
that's all Joe Mantello.
--Well, I asked him too and he's like yeah I wanted a red
velvet jewelry tray to present these men on, and so it's this gorgeous red
velvet world, and it's so fun to play on that jungle gym every night. It really is.
--Really great --We can do one more question
and... how does it like has their what of
the what does a stage door been like for you? Like the stories that you've been
told or how have those interactions been?
--It's really neat to see people who saw
the original production and who've seen this one.
--Wow --It's been great to see the
kids as I just said who are so out and proud at a young age, and look to us as,
not only an example of what it's what they can be, but what is now possible
--Because it's a completely out and proud gay cast and creative team.
--Of many classically trained actors as well, so they're like well I want to go to school
and study to make sure that I can get in line for these kind of opportunities.
That's been a big one, and then you have like some of the you know people who
love Zachary Quinto from Star Trek, who didn't see the show and all of that. But we love everyone.
We welcome all at our borders. --But please see the show guys
Just consider it --Please do. Please do we'd love
to have you.
--Well, we're gonna get out of here. Guys go
see The Boys in the Band at The Booth Theatre. When does it close?
--August 11th
--Too soon --Too soon but you still have time.
Happy summer to you and
we will see you on Monday!