( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪
>> Stephen: WOW.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) THAT'S A PRIVILEGE.
WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
MY NEXT GUEST IS A TONY-AWARD WINNING ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM
"MASTERS OF SEX," "IMPEACHMENT: AMERICAN CRIME STORY," AND
"KINKY BOOTS."
SHE NOW STARS IN THE CBS SHOW, "B POSITIVE."
>> GOOD MORNING.
IS IT?
YOU KIND OF LOOK LIKE MY DAUGHTER RIGHT BEFORE SHE WENT
INTO REHAB.
>> HOW KIND OF YOU TO SAY.
BACK IN THE DAY, I HAD A PERFECT HANGOVER CURE.
>> OH, GOD, TELL ME.
COCAINE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> THANK YOU.
LOOK AT THAT BACON.
EVERY DAY I ASK FOR SOFT, EVERY DAY I GET CRISPY.
>> DON'T TELL ME, TELL HER.
EVERY DAY -- I HEARD SCHU!
I WILL TALK TO THE CHEF.
>> HOW CAN YOU CALL A PERSON A CHEF WHEN THEY CAN'T COOK BACON?
( LAUGHTER ) >> MAY I JOIN YOU?
PLEASE.
WHAT?
( LAUGHTER ) >> YOU FEEL AS BAD AS YOU LOOK?
WORSE.
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW," ANNALEIGH
ASHFORD.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪
>> MAN, I CAN'T -- >> Stephen: EXTRAORDINARY.
I MEAN -- >> Stephen: NICE TO HAVE YOU
ON.
>> SO GRATEFUL TO BE HERE.
THERE'S AN AUDIENCE WITH PEOPLE!
>> Stephen: I KNOW, ISN'T IT LOVELY?
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) HAVE YOU NOT BEEN IN FRONT OF AN
AUDIENCE?
>> NOT LIKE THIS.
I'M GOING TO GET A LITTLE TEARY EYE.
IT'S A BIG DEAL.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE ON A BROADWAY STAGE AGAIN.
>> FULL OUT TEARS, GETTING CHOKED UP.
THIS IS A REAL THING.
OH, MY GOD.
>> Stephen: IS IT AT ALL IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM BECAUSE
YOUR BILLY PORTER, CO-STAR FROM "KINKY BOOTS" IS HERE?
>> WE HAD A REUNION.
I GOT TO GO TO CHURCH IN HIS DRESSING ROOM.
I CALL IT THE CHURCH OF BILLY PORTER.
>> Stephen: HE'S ALWAYS PREACHING.
>> I SAID, COULD WE PUT EVERY APPEARANCE HE'S EVER HAD IN A
PODCAST AND YOU CAN FEEL BETTER ABOUT WALKING AND LIFE AND BE A
HUMAN.
>> Stephen: NO ONE'S STOPPING YOU.
>> BILLY PORTER PODCAST.
THERE YOU GO.
>> Stephen: LAST YEAR AND A HALF REALLY HIT THE COMMUNITY OF
A THEATER REALLY HARD.
YOU ATTENDED THE TONY AWARDS.
I THINK I'VE GOT A PHOTO RIGHT HERE, RAN INTO YOUR FRIEND THERE
JAKE GYLLENHAAL.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE THERE AT THE TONY AWARDS THIS YEAR WHERE
Y'ALL ARE CELEBRATING THEATER WHEN THERE WAS SO LITTLE THEATER
THAT WAS ABLE TO GO ON IN THE PAST YEAR?
BITTERSWEET IN SOME WAYS, I IMAGINE.
>> SO BITTERSWEET.
EVEN WHEN I WALKED IN TONIGHT, THERE ARE ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL
THEATERS, THEY'RE OLD, MAJESTIC, THEY'RE HISTORIC, AND THEY HAVE
A CERTAIN SMELL, THEY HAVE A CERTAIN SPIRIT.
TONIGHT, I WALKED IN AND SMELLED THE RADIATOR AND IT MADE ME FEEL
THE FEEL.
>> Stephen: SURE.
YOU KNOW.
AND I WALKED IN THAT THEATER, AND THEY TOOK PLACE THIS YEAR AT
THE WINTER GARDEN AND I WAS TOTALLY OVERWHELMED BY THE
INCREDIBLE SPIRIT OF THIS COMMUNITY OF BROADWAY ACTORS AND
THEATER WORKERS AND CREW AND EVERYBODY WHO'S JUST KIND OF
MADE IT THROUGH.
YOU KNOW, A LOT OF US HAVE GOTTEN TO GO BACK TO WORK IN
SOME SHAPE OR OTHER BUT PEOPLE WHO DO PETER HAVEN'T.
SO WE'RE BACK NOW.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: IT REALLY IS THE
LIFEBLOOD, SPEEDS INTO ALL THE REST OF ENTERTAINMENT IN THE
UNITED STATES.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: YOU'RE PART OF THE
CBS FAMILY.
YOUR SHOW B POSITIVE IS IN THE SECOND SEASON.
WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY CAST.
LOOK AT THE CLIP, HECTOR ALZANO.
LINDA LAVIN, YOU, I MEAN, DO YOU EVER JUST LOOK AROUND AND SAY I
CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SHARING A SOUND STAGE WITH THESE PEOPLE?
>> ALL THE TIME.
THE FACT THEY'RE IN MY PHONE MAKES ME FEEL SO COOL.
>> Stephen: DO YOU MAKE UP NAMES FOR FAMOUS PEOPLE?
BECAUSE I PUT IN FAKE NAMES FOR PEOPLE IN CASE SOMEONE GETS MY
PHONE.
>> I USUALLY DO THAT.
I USUALLY PUT WHAT THING I'VE DONE WITH THEM.
LIKE LINDA LAVI IN IS B POSITIVE.
>> Stephen: SURE.
CONAN O'BRIEN IS IN MY PHONE AS PALE MALE.
( LAUGHTER ) NOW I HAVE TO CHANGE IT.
>> AMAZING.
>> Stephen: THIS YEAR, WE HAVE A CLIP HERE BECAUSE THE OPENING
CREDITS ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THIS YEAR.
I GOT BROADWAY'D UP A LITTLE BIT.
JIM?
♪ THE MORE YOU GIVE ♪ ♪ THE MORE YOU LIVE ♪
♪ YOUR HAPPINESS ♪ ♪ IS RELATIVE ♪
♪ AND IF YOU'RE FEELING LIKE CRAP ♪
♪ IT'S TIME TO FACE THE FACT ♪ ♪ YOUR PREROGATIVE ♪
♪ TO BE POSITIVE ♪ ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: LOVELY.
VERY POSITIVE.
ARE YOU ALWAYS KIND OF HOPING THEY WILL GO, MAYBE WE CAN PUT A
LITTLE SINGING AND DANCING TO THIS.
WAS THAT YOUR IDEA?
>> I WAS CHUCK LORI'S IDEA.
I SAID, I'D LOVE TO.
I SAID CAN WE FIND SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMERS WHO HAPPENED TO BE
SYNCHRONIZED CITIZENS?
WE FOUND A GROUP CALLED THE AQUA-DETS FROM 60 TO 90.
IT'S LIKE FERN, AQUA DEDET, B POSITIVE, LOTS OF TABLES.
THEY'RE INCREDIBLE.
WE HAD ALL THE INCREDIBLE DANCERS IN L.A. WHO THEY ARE MY
ELDERS AS WELL AND THEY WERE AMAZING AT TAP DANCING AS
WALKERS.
IT WAS A REALLY GOOD TIME.
>> Stephen: AT THE END OF THE SUMMER, WE HAD THE GREAT
STEPSTEPHEN SONHEIM ON.
YOU AND JAKE GYLLENHAAL DID SUNNY IN THE PARK 2004, A
BRILLIANT PRODUCTION.
AND WHEN I HAD STEVE ON, I REITERATED TO HIM HOW IMPORTANT
IT WAS TO HIM.
AS SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN IN THE SHOW, PLAYED DODDEN, KNOWS THE
SHOW INTIMATELY, DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PART OF THAT
EXTRAORDINARY MUSICAL?
>> I HAVE MANY FAVORITE PARTS BUT MY MOST FAVORITE IS THE
INTRO INTO THE SONG "CHILDREN AND ART," WHEN MARIE SAYS, THERE
ARE ONLY TWO WORTH WHILE THINGS TO LEAVE BEHIND WHEN YOU DEPART
THIS WORLD, CHILDREN AND ART.
AND THAT, I THINK, SORT OF SAYS IT ALL.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I'LL ASK YOU WHAT
I ASKED BILLY WHICH IS SOMETHING WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE THE
SHOW.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU ARTISTICALLY?
>> WHAT INSPIRES ME ARTISTICALLY IS THE POSSIBILITY OF A STORY
CHANGING SOMEBODY.
LIKE PUTTING IT TOGETHER DID YOU.
YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES PEOPLE ASK YOU, OH, WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU
WANTED TO DO THIS CRAZY THING THAT YOU DO?
AND I REMEMBER BEING A LITTLE PERSON, KNOWING THAT STORIES
MADE ME FEEL GOOD, THEY MADE ME FEEL DIFFERENT, BUT, MORE THAN
THAT, THEY TAUGHT ME SOMETHING, THEY TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE A
BETTER PERSON, AND I'M ALWAYS STRUCK AT THE CAPACITY THAT A
STORY HAS TO CHANGE US AND MAKE US FEEL BETTER, AND I THINK
SUNNY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE IS ONE OF THE GREAT PIECES OF ART
THAT JUST CONTINUES TO EVOLVE IN WHAT IT TEACHES YOU THROUGHOUT
YOUR LIFE.
THERE'S A CHORD STRUCTURE IN THE SHOW THAT DOESN'T RESOLVE, IT'S
IN MINOR, AND MOVES ON.
YOU WILL HAVE TO GET THE ALBUM.
IT RESOLVES, SO I GUESS THE LESSON IS THERE'S ALWAYS A
RESOLVE.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WELL, MY FAVORITE
LINE FROM CHILDREN AND ART, AND I APPLY THIS TO YOU AS AN ARTIST
OR BILLY OR ANYONE OUT THERE, IS THAT THE FAVORITE LINE IS THE
CHILDREN ARE SWEET AND THE GIRLS ARE SO RAPTUROUS, ISN'T IT
LOVELY HOW ARTISTS CAN CAPTURE US.
AND IT WAS LOVELY YOU COULD BE HERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, ANNALEIGH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: B POSITIVE AIRS
THURSDAYS 9:30 ON CBS.
ANNALEIGH ASHFORD, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> THANK YOU!