Hi everybody.
So, one Broadway tradition
that I was sure to
uphold for this opening is
that immediately after opening you
have to get really sick because that
is what always happens when you are doing a show.
But the show must go
on and so I'm
going to show you some of the
things that we use to get through to that.
The most important is this guy.
The Vicks personal steamer.
Now you don't want to
put anything besides water in it
but basically fill it with
water and you turn on this little
button, and eventually steam rises
out of it, and this is
important because steam will
reduce the swelling on your
vocal folds, And I
have these fancy Kleenex, DayQuil
and NyQuil, Emergen-C Immune Plus
if you have this chain where you
live Juice Generation, they make
this thing called a Cold Warrior,
which is like orange juice, and
ginger, and echinacea and honey and like lot's of good stuff.
And other than that I'm gonna sleep a
whole lot.
And do the show
Hi everybody I'm here
with my Michigander
old friend we just realized
that we've know each other for 10 years.
10 years man We met because you were in the theater.
I want a version and I want my
version Oh God that scares me.
My version is I injured
myself my first Ballet
class at Michigan because
I have this weird fun fact
I have a really strange neurological disorder
and it chose to act up
at my first ballet class
and my foot was paralyzed for
like a few months so I
was taken out of Ballet
put into tech 250 with you with all the theater kids which is how I got to know them
Because let's correction here, we were actually, there's
the musical theater class which
like the savants were in
and then there was like the
theater class where we were
like in the corners smoking cigarettes and reading Chekov.
Oh Stop it.
You guys were like the golden geese.
We it turned out well for you so yeah turned out crazy.
How have you never been in Spring Awakening that's what I want to know.
That's a good question I just,
you know what I think it's funny
when you get as we get
older it's like oh
my God, there's all these
young roles that just I kind of missed.
Well listen I'm here to tell
you I'm still
playing this part I know I
saw I know you are
an inspiration to Darren Crisses everywhere.
We were in Costa Mesa
it's basically like a mall with a theater.
It's outside.
It's a huge mall it's Los
Angeles but it's like orange county.
It was lovely I had a great time there
And I remember you coming
to see the show as my
friend and at that
point the Harry Potter thing had like really.
Had just happened.
And but I didn't know about this
because I wasn't at Michigan at
the time this was like a
Michigan home brewed thing that i was
not a part of because I was
on leave to do this tour.
For those who are unfamiliar StarKid
was a company that was born from a Michigan accident.
Senior year we made
a musical Very Potter musical check it
out YouTube if you don't know
what we are talking about.
Still plugging.
And so you came to see
the show and afterward I'm doing
stage door, I 'm like
hang out five minutes I will
be really quick and you definitely signed
like more autographs than I did. Did I? you were
like a really big deal at the Spring Awakening stage door in orange county.
And this was pre-Glee
pre what was that show about witches that you did?
Eastwick no It
was right in the interim.
It was the interim of Eastwick
Of Eastwick and Glee
I'm remember taking a girl on a date and that was like a long shot because I was like a drive
It was like an hour's drive
from Los Angeles I remember wait I remember her.
What's her name?
Segue
Why would having seen that Spring Awakening and
having seen this Spring Awakening why would
your girlfriend then and your
girlfriend now is waiting just
outside, I think this room think this Spring Awakening is cool.
Well this one is
cool for way more like
it sounds unfair because A
it's on Broadway that one is
in Costa Mesa with all due
respect to Costa Mesa we love you.
Second thing is the obvious
element of the sign
language and deaf component which
is such an incredible variable
to add when you deal
with characters who are
handicapped societally is that a word?
Yeah it is I think
that is what so cool
about this show and Deaf West
in general is that you are
onto something like this
could work for so many other shows.
This show in particular is so special
again because of sort of
tie in with what it
means symbolically to have
to sign through things just again augments. that's what we were going for
I got it I
win. No, because it
just hit you like a ton of bricks alright we should probably go we should go.
Thank you so much.
You know my little talk show here.
Andy Mientus, ladies and gentleman. And this guy go
blue we are
breaking really sad news I'm
in a deep panic right now
because I got off stage and
my favorite detail, on my costume has gone missing.
I lost it somewhere on stage let me turn my little camera around.
So my favorite detail is that
Haschen has two little
medals here, one is
this little head boy medal and
one is this medal that
it's gone that had a little
sail boat on it so I
would like to imagine that Hanschen is the captain
of the sailing team or something
at the
academy and it made me
feel super, fancy, and like the head
of the class and better than
everybody else which is really
important for Hanschen now it's gone.
So we're hear at intermission
and a lot of people have been curious
about people sign names and
like what that means and what
everyone's sign names are?
So Josh do you mind explaining?
A sign name is a name given
to a deaf person to
go with their personality or a
unique trait that they
have because when hearing people talk
other hearing people you
don't say hey A-n-d-y you say Andy so since
we don't use our voice we
have sign names, so my
name is Josh because
my hair is always better like that Josh.
I didn't know that's why.
My sign name is Amelia
like this A because I
was born and I
had long eye lashes when
I as born so my mum
called me Amelia, my sign
name is like this with an A
because my first letter was S
so S is awkward on my
cheek so I put an A
so it's smooth as a baby
cheek, also my cheeks
are very easily turned red
so it's cute, cute
Marlee? As a new student
at school I
didn't miss school and the
deaf kids came up to
me and said what's your name sign I said I don't have one.
So they all looked at me and
they said we'll give you one, because
I have been smiling for the
times your new sign name is
M with a smile.
Cute
Do you have one Lauren?
It's Lauren they gave it to me.
So if you
are a hearing person you
have to be given your sign
name by a deaf person
you have to confer with each other?
It's a great honor.
It's a great honor and Josh
could be mine in the last run do you want
to talk about mine and why it is what it is
His sign name is Andy because he is a double Scorpio.
And on the mouth.
These is Broadway Kathryn Gallagher.
Kathryn what's your sign name and who gave it to you?
I have like 17 and my first
one was Kathryn given by
Sandy because it's like a guitar
Like a K to an N. Oh, OK
Right, but then everyone is talking about my eyebrows obviously.
Yeah, it's Kathryn
It's very close to Daniel Durant
Which is like that but yours is
with a K shape. It's a K and it's like
a little more feminine a little flirtier I wonder why.
Thank you.
Okay Ali what's your sign
name you have one of my favorites okay
my sign name is this, Ali.
Katie sounds great by the way right now let's
just acknowledge it whispering is
happening she is nailing it to the wall
Okay so the idea behind
this sign is that this is
model and we
change it to an A on
the shoulder like Ali and
it kinda looks like you were carrying your bag.
Yeah sort of like
I was have my purse.
this is Treshelle and what
is your name sign?
Treshelle. It's Treshelle. and do you know why it is what it is?
It's like a question mark
to show I was a freshman in college. And I keep
raising my hand.
How? How? Why why why why?
So someone said, She asks a lot of questions
Treshelle, not because
I had an attitude.
I thought it was like a diva move.
No.I just ask a lot of questions
No I'm glad I know now.
My name sign is
Miles
because I always ask when
we were out eating
out, are you done with that?
Are you done with this?
Are you eating that?
Alright I love that.
Alex, what's your sign name? I'm not telling you. It's private
and I've asked for a new one because it's inappropriate.
Alex is a little inappropriate
well I've lived.
I've come to
the swing room to talk to
Robert Ariza who last night
I wish I had footage
right, but I didn't because I wasn't here
because he made his Hanschen debut and
his Broadway debut at the same time.
How was it?
Tell me everything.
Oh my gosh, it was the
single most remarkable night of
my entire life amazing.
It was ridiculous I had
a over 100 people here friends and family t
to see me some people were
surprises so Hanschen became the
lead of the show a little bit
We did our second bow
some of the casts came back
and ran on and hugged me and
stuff and I heard this
cheering and I turned around and
I realized the audience is all
on their feet and they are
cheering me on and it
was just wild for anyone
who was there thank you,
it was the best night of my life
Well you'll never go on again
for Hanschen so don't
get used to it. thanks Robert, Thank you Andy.
We just finished the show
my medal is still missing I'm
deeply upset but I'm glad
you're watching thanks and tune in again next week.
and come see our show Spring Awakening we're running on Broadway.
This is Andy, signing off