--Hello everybody and welcome to Live at 5:00. It's Tuesday February 6th. I'm Beth
Stephens.
--I'm Paul Wontorek.
--And we're in the studio with producer Matt Rodin and
a fabulous guest. That's me.
--Yeah Max von Essen is in here. Oh my god Max von
Essen of Broadway's Anastasia is here. We love him.
--We love him. This is his third time on Live at Five
--And former vlogger or always
vlogger. --He's wonderful.
--We're waiting for him to turn another episode.
--But first, let's go to
today's top 5.
--All right so we'll start things off. We found it today that
Falsettos, Lincoln Center's Falsettos, is going on a national tour.
--That's right,
Falsettos, we love Falsettos. This is obviously William Finn, James Lapine. It's
going on tour, well it's going to California. I don't know how far it's gonna go.
--That's it?
--So far we know it's gonna play LA's Ahmanson Theatre and it's
gonna play San Francisco's Golden Gate Theatre. No casting yet, so get your
auditions ready.
--I think a lot of people in California are gonna like this show.
--All right fun fact, this show was our number one show of 2016.
--Thank you for --Yeah I just
looked up that list recently. I was trying to member where American Psycho made it
on the list because it did by the way, top five, but Falsettos was number 1 so
you guys, you can go see the number-one show of 2016.
--If you live in California
and that will be during the 2018-2019 season.
--I don't have dates yet but this is exciting
--Cool.
--Speaking of states, I'm just trying random non sequiturs the Helen
Hayes Awards nominees were also announced today.
--Okay so the Helen Hayes
awards are the DC Washington DC theater awards, and and they honored a lot of our
Broadway friends.
Well first of all Mean Girls, which is of course in rehearsals
for its Broadway debut. It played at the National Theatre in DC. It was nominated
for outstanding visiting production. I like that term the visiting production.
And Kate Rockwell and Gray Henson were both nominated for their performances.
Robyn DeJesus, who was who's coming to The Boys in the Band in just like a
month or two, a couple months, and I hear he's fantastic by the way in Boys in th
Band. He did In the Heights, of course he was in In the Heights on Broadway, was Tony
nominated. But he played Usnavi this time and he got nominated for that.
Dennis Jones, Holiday Inn choreographer was nominated
for Signature's Crazy for You, which stars Danny Gardner, who you saw in Dames at
Sea, also nominated. And Debra monk was nominated for a really interesting
musical called Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing, which I remember watching some
videos and I want to come to New York. So I'm hoping it does. Anyway
congratulations to all the nominees!
--Say hello to Dave Thomas Brown. He's
playing Elder Price in Book of Mormon.
I just wanted to try something interesting
--That was really special. --Was that your audition, Matt?
--Right so Dave Thomas Brown, who was on Broadway before is
coming. He's taking on for Nic Rouleau
who did it for a long long time.
--He's the longest running, or
--I feel like he did it for
at least 25 years. I could be wrong.
--He's been there a long time and he's fantastic.
--So Dave Thomas Brown made his Broadway debut in American
Psycho, which you looked up probably for that reason.
--Number 5, 2016
--Or just because youwere having a moment that you didn't remember it.
He was also in the
national tour Bridges of Madison County and he was in Heathers. Didn't we love
Heathers?
--And the legend of Georgia McBride, which is a drag show. We love that show.
-- I like the way you said that.
--Emphasize it. --Lots of enthusiasm
We also found out today that the standby for Amy and the Orphans, the lead role of
Amy is actually played by a man, and so they're going to be changing the title, I
guess, it'll be not changing the title, but it's called Andy and the Orphans.
--No, that that is changing the title. -- I guess it is.
--But, it's not being played by man. It's
just certain performances right?
--Jamie Brewer, who we all love in American
Horror Story a very talented actress who has Down syndrome. She plays Amy in Amy and
the Orphans, but her standby is Edward Barbanel, who is a male actor
with Down syndrome, and so when he's on, it'll be Andy and the Orphans
--So he's not replacing her, it's just at certain performances they'll switch.
--Right, he's the stand by. And so I guess it's a non gender-specific role?
--What is it about, Paul?
Do you know what it's about?
--It's about Amy and the Orphans and it's
off-Broadway and previews began February 1st and it opens March 1st. It's at the
Laura Pels theater.
--And last and sadly we found out yesterday that Tony winner
John Mahoney passed away on February 4th.
--So John Mahoney, everybody knows from
Frasier where he played Martin Crane, the dad. And he was 77 I believe and he
started his acting career late in life. He was
actually an editor of a medical journal, lived in Chicago, he's also a Brit. I
don't know if you knew that. Surprise information, but he came and was in John Guare's
House of Blue Leaves. Yes, Max von Essen, he was born in England I'm just
letting you know. He he did House of Blue Leaves off Broadway that John Guare's play
and then it moved to Broadway and he won a Tony Award. And then he did something
else.
--Well I saw him on Broadway in Prelude to a Kiss, which is such great
play. I loved it so much with Mary-Louise Parker. And he played the old man. You
know the old man and he did it on Broadway.
--He's kind of famously played
old men, but he was a wonderful actor and a wonderful person, and also earned two
Emmy and two Golden Globe Globe Award nominations.
--Yeah beloved TV dad.
Yesterday we had a beloved TV mom here didn't we?
--Yeah we have a lot of beloved people. --I'm going to head out.
--All right. Goodbye to Paul. We're gonna be right back with Max von Essen.
--Matt, tell us a
little bit more about Max.
--Okay here we go! So Max von Essen received Tony and
Drama Desk nominations for an American in Paris and he's performed on Broadway
in Evita, Dancing of the Vampires, Jesus Christ Superstar and two different
productions of Les Miserables. He's toured across the country and across the world
in Xanadu, Mary Sunshine in Chicago, he was Tony in West Side Story, and I love this
story, he sang backups for the one and only Liza Minnelli. He's currently
starring as Gleb in Broadway's Anastasia, please give a warm welcome to Beth and
our very special guest Max von Essen.
--Who gives the warm welcome? Are we applauding at home?
--People! Are we all?
--People in this room. Thank you.
I just wanted to hear some sort of warm welcome.
--Yes. That was the warmest welcome we can give you. I'm sorry
about that! --It was great.
--Well welcome back! --Thanks! Great to be here.
--This is your third time here. --I didn't realize that until you said it.
because each time it's a completely different set.
--That's right. We used to be in
front of a cardboard box sort of.
Yeah it's different. It's fancier now
--It just
gets, we all get fancier and fancier don't we?
--We do, and you always dress
up for us, which I really appreciate. In case you're just listening, Max is wearing
wearing a very fashionable... --Paul said I'm giving you Boys in the Band
--You're wearing a black turtleneck. --Well, you know casting. I know
that they say it's set, but you know
you never know!
--You never know so how's it going over there
at the Anastasia?
--It's going great! I love it. I love it so much .
--You are the happiest man on
Broadway. You always seem so thrilled.
--Well I've well I am usually very
thrilled because I mean this is what I dreamed about doing. When you're 8 or 10
or 12 on Long Island and you dream about doing it, even when it's hard, you get
down you have to remind yourself that oh my god I can't believe I'm doing this.
And actually as I get older, I have more and more of those moments. Like I could
be in the middle of a scene, which isn't emotional, and I'll get emotional
--Because you're on Broadway?
--Well I have this out-of-body feeling that like oh my
god they're watching me. I'm up here doing something that, there's a 12 year
old in the audience. There's me in the audience, and I get really like moved. Not
every show, but it really it's funny as I get older, it happens even more and more
because I just can't believe I get to do this .
--You are a real theater kid right? --Yeah.
--You were obsessed as a child with musical theater?
--Yes I was obsessed. I
didn't know if you meant like did I do theater. But I was obsessed. Like I wasn't a
child actor. --No.
--Yeah where I was like doing all kinds of things.
--Just in your room with cast albums.
--In my room and my mom's dresses, heels, all kinds of things and cast albums and all
kinds of things. And yeah I loved it. And I lived on Long Island, so pretty pretty
early on I was able to start like taking the train into the city. My parents would give
me a few bucks and I just spent all day Saturday or see a show or hang out with
friends and
--What was the first show you saw on Broadway?
--Dream Girls.
--That's a great one. That was a good one. I gasped.
--It was, who was the first replacement for Jennifer Holliday, she was in The Life!
Come on.
--Lilius White. --Lillius White!
--Oh thank god I knew it.
Pop quiz!
--Names on the tip of my tongue. That's who I saw and I mean this show just blew my
mind and I knew I wanted to do that and
people didn't quite understand because what do you mean?
You'll never do that! You know. -- Maybe in a
Micast or something.
--Right I just meant I wanted to do that. I just wanted to be on stage
and sing and yeah. --Let's talk about
Anastasia because these fans are insane.
--Yes. --In a good way.
--In a good way. Not like legally insane. --They are obsessed.
--No. --Like a great amazing way. I'm actually really
kind of shocked because, I mean, I think I've been in some terrific shows and
some kind of iconic shows with with a really serious following of people, but
these fans are serious and energetic and
the stage-door is like a whole other act to the show and it takes us time to get
through, but they they love it so much, and they give us so much positive energy
that just feels...It's probably the most exciting show I've ever done in that
respect. I think.
--In the screaming fan respect?
--Yeah the fan base is legit. --All
right I want to talk to you about two really important things, and the first
one is your cat.
--I knew it!
--I'm sorry! --Fans are even giving me like artwork of my cat.
--Okay so let's talk about your cat and just go to tell everyone
how they can see you on social media so they can see this cat.
--Oh well you can
see me at Maxizpad, but Pocket, but pocket my cat also has an Instagram
pockettheSphynx.
--And of course every cat should have an Instagram. Not just cats on Broadway.
--It was Daniel, my partner's idea, and I I'm like a full support of it because I love it.
--I'm obsessed
with this cat because this is a hairless cat. I'm allergic to cats. Would I be allergic
to Pocket?
--No I'm not. I'm allergic to cats and I'm not allergic to Pocket.
It's amazing and and
she actually does have like a fuzzy face and furry paws. She's not 100% hairless,
which makes her even more adorable like she we should have named her mittens cuz
it looks like she's got these little like crocheted mittens on her paws.
--Is she cold all the time. I
would think without the fur, you know.
--Yes they run at a higher temperature and
their metabolism, metabolism is faster. They eat more throughout the day and it
you people think we're like just dressing her up to be cute, but no they
should be in little outfits. so we keep her in little outfits. And she's always
like hanging around by the radiator.
--Does she have her own closet? --Her own closet?
--Yeah a wardrobe.
--Oh yeah. Well she's starting to and
like people are sending different outfits. It's I'm obsessed. She's so she's
so cute. I've never had a pet like this. I mean quickly as a child, but we love her.
--Okay and one more question for you and then we have to get to the Facebook Live fans
--There's so many
--There's so many. So here's my question. You always have the best
dressing room so tell me about your dressing room at
Anastasia.
--Oh! I moved in I was like no disrespect to a Ramin, but I was like we
have to change this over.
--Right, so you took over for Ramin Karimloo and you
have a different aesthetic, shall we say?
--Yes, no, I think well most people
actually came in this show just went into their dressing rooms like okay this
would it's like shelves are all over and it was a
a basic white color. But I came in I was like oh it felt a little small, so I
asked we get rid of all the shelves and paint it like a deep gray, and then I
ordered some furniture and I like have a lot of vintage pieces.
--You moved in. --I moved in. Well we're
there so much! You live it's your it's little like having another home. And
very often, when you work in an office, you don't have that freedom to
change it the way you want. And to have this little room, and you want to feel
really comfortable. And for me sometimes I'll do like a little bit of a theme. For
American in Paris, it was a little bit like a french kind of throwback feeling. This one, I
just wanted to be like an extension of my my home. So just I just felt super
comfortable immediately when I
--So you didn't go Russian? --I didn't go Russian, except for a
vintage map of Russia that I put up, just like I kind of look at it and like feel
like I'm getting into the world, but I just made it super cozy.
--Nice. --I love it.
--Okay Matt tell us some questions from Facebook Live.
--Okay let's get started.
Preksha wants to know if you weren't Gleb, which character would you want to
be in Anastasia?
--Oh my gosh. I would want to be Countess Lily, the Caroline O'Conner. We were
just talking about like gender neutral and things like why not?
--Yeah. --It just seems like a really fun role. if I could
just think completely, like what if I my
dream, yeah.
--I'm here for that. Kaley wants to know, what shows have been the most
influential to your life, either as an actor or just in general?
--Oh, early on, the first thing that comes to my mind. I don't I'm sure there are more,
but the first thing that comes to my mind was seeing Tyne Daly in Gypsy as a
kid. It was the first production that I also knew some of the like the child
actors in the show. So I hung out backstage. I got the first sense of like
that Broadway community, and then I watched the show. I was in standing room
and one of the ushers, like hey come here!
I was young and she knew I knew
people to cast and there was an empty single seat in the second row Orchestra.
And the show, the music, Tyne Daly was like so electrifying that there other
things have made an impact and male performances but this overall is
like a theatrical experience at that age just mesmerised me, and I was just so
blown away and inspired.
--What a great show to be mesmerized by.
--Speaking, of
inspiration, Cassie wants to know, what is the best advice you've ever been given?
--Um, oh gosh. Follow your bliss and work your ass off. Mm-hmm
--Those are good. That's a good combination. Don't do just one.
Do both. --It's what I
dreamed of being a part of but it actually took me a little bit more time.
I thought it, you know things are supposed to come easy. Like rely on your
talent, but no you have to work your butt off. It's particularly in this industry.
--Nathan Joel says, Hi Max. I'm a huge fan
and love your stories lip-syncing backstage. How do you keep your
performance fresh and consistent through every show?
--My lip sync performances? --Very fresh. Very consistent.
--How do I keep my performances consistent?
Well you know every --And fresh!
--And fresh, every
show is a little different. The audience reacts differently, you feel a little bit
differently, an understudy might be on. So there are a lot of things that
naturally propel it like in a new energetic way, but sometimes I'll just
try I'll challenge myself to come up with one new choice, whether it's an
acting beat, or vocally. I just want to try one different thing, one different
sound on a note. And I've done been doing this for like, like 10 years ago I got a
little bit of a rut in Les Mis, and so I just challenged myself on this. And I'm
telling you one different thing propels a chain of events in a show that it's
just it's you'd be so surprised, so.
--Do your co-stars comment about that?
--Um
sometimes sometimes, um, Christy will do that. The other day I tried some
new things. She came up to me after in the wings, she's like did you
get notes? Did they give you notes? That was so excited.
I was like I just won a contest.
--Christy Altomare is on top of it!
--Instantly, right off in the wings. Did you get notes?
Umm, I was just, it was a matinee.
I was a little tired. I need just a little
something extra today. And that usually works for me plus I love doing what I do
so it's not that hard.
--Michelle wants to know, what superhero power would you like
to have?
--Oh... --So many to choose from.
--You know this is gonna sound kind of silly,
but like it's not so much like I want to be invisible or I want to be like be able
to fly. It would be like sort of like healing the earth. Does that sound
ridiculous?
--No.
--The earth is just like it's such flux and it's so dramatic
what's happening from leadership to climate change. Like if there was just a
way to sort of like bridge that all together and like heal people's hatred
and heal the earth, --That is a superpower.
--I mean that is a major super power, but --Sing out.
--Help me with my lip syncs tonight. We'll reach you know a little really inspire
people.
--Um we're getting a lot of questions about Murder on the Orient
Express and how if you're excited to go back to do that?
--Well I'm not going back
to do it. They're actually doing it right now
at Hartford, but because I got Anastasia, I had to pull away from that project,
which was really sad because it's it's a shame we can't do it all because I love
doing it. The cast is out of this world and we had so much fun doing it, but I
just wish it the best and I hope it has a life.
--You just knocked on the table to wish it the best.
Max, we have to go, but
before we do, you've got some concerts coming up and I want people to
be able to see you!
--Oh I do, yeah, and Anastasia has graciously given me a few days off for these
concert dates I had booked before. And they're exciting because I've never done,
well I've sort of did, this is my first like official solo concert. I'm doing
them in Florida April 8th 9th and 10th. It's all on my website maxvonessen.com, but
it's like in Fort Lauderdale, than two nights at Del Rey at the Crest Theatre.
But it's all on my website, and it's the first time I've really tackled like a
90-minute concert of just myself with my music director Billy Strich, and it's a
little bit of shows I've been in, some standards, like golden era of
Broadway. I feel like it's kind of got a romantic kind of throwback kind
of feeling. And I'm terrified and really excited about it, so if you're in the
Florida area come check it out!
--Thank you so much for coming by Max von Essen.
--I love it here. --All right Matt, take us out.
--All right. Thank you guys so much for tuning in. If you want more Max
von Essen, and who doesn't, you can go watch his episode of Side-by-Side with
Susan Blackwell, which is just so funny and hilarious and adorable. And you can
watch Live at Five every single weekday at 5:00 pm on Broadway.com's Facebook
page. And if you're a fan of podcasts or want another way to consume this show, you
can subscribe to the Live at Five podcast wherever you you listen to your podcasts.
Be sure to tune in tomorrow! Emily Skaggs is coming to the studio to
hang out with us live. Thank you again everybody! Have a good one. Bye.