Episoder
-
Eric Roberts and his wife Eliza join us to discuss his new book Runaway train and being a new cast member of Dancing with the Stars. The brutally honest Oscar Nominee goes into the Broadway run of Burn This, working with Bob Fosse in Star 80. He also gives us a glimpse of into growing with a difficult father and his lifelong friendship with Martin Luther King Jr’s family.
Also in this episode, Cher’s Oscar win and The Hills of California.
In a career spanning 50 years, Roberts has amassed more than 700 credits and appeared in blockbusters, independent films, television series, animation, short films, student films, and music videos. As of 2024, he is one of the most prolific English-speaking screen actors of all time.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Tony Winner Joe Mantegna talks all things Criminal Minds, Madonna, David Mamet, and being part of The Godfather. From Stage to Screen to TV Joe recounts his 55 year career as an Actor/Director/Writer.
Also in this episode, Andre DeShields Tony win for Hadestown. Eila & Bruce stop by Our Town rehearsal and give you a glimpse of what’s to come.
Joe Mantegna has starred in the CBS television series Criminal Minds since 2007 as FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi. He has voiced the recurring role of mob boss Fat Tony on the animated series The Simpsons, beginning with the 1991 episode "Bart the Murderer", as well as The Simpsons Movie (2007).
Mantegna began his career on stage in 1969 in the Chicago production of the musical Hair. He earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and a Joseph Jefferson Award for portraying Richard Roma in the first American productions of David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize–winning play Glengarry Glen Ross, the first of many collaborations with Mamet. His long-standing association with Mamet includes the premieres of A Life in the Theatre, The Disappearance of the Jews and Speed-the-Plow on Broadway. Mantegna also directed a highly lauded production of Mamet's Lakeboat, which enjoyed a successful theatrical run in Los Angeles. He later directed the film version of Lakeboat. In addition to theatrical appearances directed by Mamet, Mantegna appeared in Mamet's films House of Games (1987), Things Change (1988), Homicide (1991), and Redbelt (2008).
In film and on television, Mantegna is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos (1986), The Godfather Part III (1990), Forget Paris (1995), and Up Close and Personal (1996). He starred in the television series First Monday (2002) and Joan of Arcadia (2003–2005). He has earned Emmy Award nominations for his roles in three different miniseries: The Last Don (1997), The Rat Pack (1998), and The Starter Wife (2007). He has also served as executive producer for various movies and television movies, including Corduroy (1984), Hoods (1998), and Lakeboat (2000), which he also directed. Additionally, he played Robert B. Parker's fictional detective Spenser in three made-for-TV movies between 1999 and 2001, and has narrated a number of audiobook readings of the Spenser novels.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Manglende episoder?
-
Eila & Bruce and are joined by Robert Bannon of BPN’s The Roundtable to dish and predict this years Emmy’s. From The Bear to Abbot Elementary to The Guilded Age and everything in between. Jennifer Aniston, Matt Bomer, Carol Burnett or Selena Gomez…who will go home with a trophy. Watch the Emmy’s Sunday September 15th and see which of us predicts the best!
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Current Emmy Nominee Carol Burnett does a deep dive on Palm Royale, The Carol Burnett show, Annie and so much more. This legend also shared her excitement for Sutton Foster’s Once Upon a Mattress currently running on Broadway and her quest to have theater named for icon Hal Prince.
Also on this episode Martin Short’s 1999 Tony Win for Little Me. Broadway Boxed Up Founder Anant Das.
Carol Burnett is an American comedian, actress, and singer. Her comedy-variety show The Carol Burnett Show, which originally aired on CBS, was one of the first to be hosted by a woman.[1][2] She has performed on Broadway, on television, and in film of varying genres, including dramatic and comedic roles. She has received numerous accolades, including seven Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Grammy Award, and seven Golden Globe Awards. Burnett was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2013, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2015.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Coming off heels of an Off Broadway run in Pre-Existing Condition Tony winner Deirdre O’Connell stops by to chat about her new MAX Series The Penguin Starring Colin Farrell. She takes us back on the journey to create Dana H. And the woman the play is based on.
Also in this episode - Judith Lights Isabelle Stevenson Award Speech at the Tony Awards. Closing of The Notebook and the many lives of Catwoman past, present and future.
O'Connell began her career at Stage One, an experimental theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts. She made her Broadway debut in the 1986 revival of The Front Page, and was nominated for the 1991 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in the off-Broadway production Love and Anger. She is the recipient of two Drama-Logue Awards and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for her stage work in Los Angeles.
O'Connell made her screen debut in Tin Men. Additional film credits include State of Grace, Straight Talk, Leaving Normal, Fearless, City of Angels, Hearts in Atlantis, Imaginary Heroes, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Wendy and Lucy, What Happens in Vegas, Secondhand Lions, and Synecdoche, New York.
She was a regular on L.A. Doctors and has made numerous guest appearances on series such as Kate & Allie, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Six Feet Under, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Nurse Jackie. From 1994 to 2010, O'Connell appeared on six episodes of Law & Order, four of them as Dr. Valerie Knight, Anita Van Buren's oncologist in Season 20.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Adrian Martinez talks about working with Jerry Seinfeld in Unfrosted, Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building, and Nicole Kidman in the Interpreter. Adrian shares his love being a stage actor and directorial debut in the award winning iGilbert.
Also in this episode Christine Lahti’s bathroom break/Golden Globe win. Eila and Bruce reminisce about popular TV Theme songs and how they don’t have a place in Emmy history.
Adrian Martinez is an actor, director, writer, and producer, with over 120 film and TV credits, including his directorial debut, “iGilbert,” based on his original screenplay. iGilbert was purchased by Gravitas Ventures and is now available on all major streamers in the US and Canada. iGilbert has been accepted and archived as part of the Academy of motion pictures arts and sciences core collection and recently won best feature and the audience award at the London film festival, Dominican film fest, and several best actor nominations and wins including the prestigious Imagen awards as well as many other international awards.
Adrian is filming “The Amateur,” opposite Oscar winner Rami Malek for Disney and is in the new season of “Only Murders in the Building,” working opposite Selena Gomez and Steve Martin.
His other recent work includes “Renfield,” side kicking with Nicolas Cage, and Awkwafina, and directed by Chris McKay for Universal, and the soon to be released “Unfrosted,” Jerry Seinfeld’s directorial debut for Netflix.
Adrian can also soon be seen in ’Sugar,’ for Apple tv+ in a recurring role opposite Colin Ferrell, and Ben Stiller’s ‘Severance,’ for Apple TV+
Adrian’s hysterical performance in Warner Bros “Focus,” opposite Margot Robbie and Will Smith is presently running on Max.
Adrian’s work as a series regular in “Stumptown” opposite Cobie Smulders (How I met your mother) is now available on Amazon prime video. Adrian can also be seen on season 1 of CBS all access’ ‘No Activity’ produced by Will Ferrell and Funny or die. This is Adrian’s follow up to a Series Regular role in NBC’s ‘The Blacklist: Redemption’ on NBC. Adrian’s career began as a high school track star on NBC’s “Unsolved Mysteries”. Some in casting have called Adrian, “the sidekick to the stars,” as evidenced by his sidekick work in “The Guilty,” opposite Jake Gyllenhaal for Netflix, Amy Schumer’s sidekick in ‘I feel Pretty,’ now on all digital platforms, Ben Stiller’s sidekick in his Fox remake of “Walter Mitty,” Will Ferrell’s sidekick in Lionsgate’s “Casa de mi Padre,” and a lot of dogs in Disney+ “Lady and the Tramp” remake, to name a few.
Mr. Martinez’s TV work also includes over seventy guest spots.
Adrian is writing and developing film and TV projects through his production company, Paloma Pictures Inc., and is in pre-production for his untitled comedy for a major streamer.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Pulitzer Prize Winner James Ijames gives us the scoop on Fat Ham and his upcoming show Good Bones at the Public Theater.
Also in this episode Henry Winkler’s Emmy win for Barry. Eugene & Dan Levy announcement as 2024 Emmy Hosts and possible 2025 Oscar Hosts.
James James is a Pulitzer Prize winning and Tony Award nominated playwright, a director and educator.
James’ plays have been produced by Flashpoint Theater Company, Orbiter 3, Theatre Horizon, Wilma Theatre, Theatre Exile, Azuka Theatre (Philadelphia, PA), The National Black Theatre, JACK, The Public Theater (NYC), Hudson Valley Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Definition Theatre, Timeline Theater (Chicago IL) Shotgun Players (Berkeley, CA) and have received development with PlayPenn New Play Conference, The Lark, Playwright's Horizon, Clubbed Thumb, Villanova Theater, Wilma Theater, Azuka Theatre and Victory Garden.
James is the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist recipient, and two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Brothers Size with Simpatico Theatre Company and Gem of the Ocean with Arden Theatre. James is a 2015 Pew Fellow for Playwriting, the 2015 winner of the Terrance McNally New Play Award for WHITE, the 2015 Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize winner for ....Miz Martha, a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award, a 2019 Kesselring Prize for Kill Move Paradise, a 2020 and 2022 Steinberg Prize, the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama recipient and a 2023 Tony nominee for Best Play for Fat Ham
James was a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia’s first playwright producing collective.
He received a B.A. in Drama from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and a M.F.A. in Acting from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. James an Associate Professor of Theatre at Villanova University. He resides in South Philadelphia.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Santino Fontana takes us behind the scenes of what it took to get Carol Burnett to introduce the Hal Prince Award at this year’s Drama Desk Awards. Santino describes what it’s like to be in the center of a Tootsie tornado and his secret Frozen identity.
Also in this episode Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Emmy win for Abbott Elementary, Phylicia Rashad, and Summer Binging.
Santino Fontana is an American actor and singer. He began his career in 2006 playing Hamlet at the Guthrie Theater and soon gained wide acclaim for his leading performances on and Off-Broadway. He has received a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Obie Award, and Clarence Derwent Award. In 2019, Fontana won the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his lead performance as Michael Dorsey in the stage adaptation of Tootsie.
Fontana is known for his dynamic versatility. In 2016 he appeared opposite Jennifer Lopez in NBC's Shades of Blue. He was awarded the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his work in Brighton Beach Memoirs. David Rooney of Variety wrote, "Fontana brings such strength of character to Stanley that his threatened departure sparks sobs in the audience.” Fontana won a Lucille Lortel, Obie, and Outer Critics Circle Award for his work in the 2011 Off-Broadway production of Sons of the Prophet. Charles Isherwood of The New York Times raved, "The sensitive performance of Santino Fontana, one of the most promising young actors to emerge in the New York theater in recent years is the play's trembling emotional heart. In addition to his stage and TV work, Fontana voiced Prince Hans in Disney's 2013 animated film Frozen.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Off the heels of a successful Off Broadway run White Rose Director/Award winner Will Nunziata talks about what it takes to get his new show Figaro to London’s Palladium Theater. Will shares how the Pandemic lead to an explosion of creativity, as well as what it’s like being in the business with his twin brother Anthony and the parental expectations that go along with that.
Eila & Bruce also discuss Patti LuPone’s Tony win for Gypsy and working with Arthur Laurents. Also in the Episode Eila and Bruce chat about a handful shows that surprisingly did win Best Musical including Dreamgirls, Into the Woods and Wicked.
Will Nunziata is a NYC-based award-winning director, writer, and creator of theatre, concerts, television, and film. Film: The Old Guitarist (Writer, Director). Awards: London Movie Awards (Best Short Film, Best Director), New York Movie Awards (Best First Time Director of a Short), Paris Film Awards (Best First Time Director of a Short). Screenplay: Lillith (Winner of Best Original Screenplay, 2023 Hollywood Blood Horror Festival). Theatre: Figaro: A New Musical (Director, Co-Book Writer - West End 2024), White Rose: The Musical (Director - Off-Broadway). NYC: Miss Peggy Lee (Director, Book Writer, Co-Conceiver) starring Tony Award winner Cady Huffman. Award: Broadway World Best Director. Our Guy Cy: The Songs of Cy Coleman starring Tony Award winners Randy Graff, Cady Huffman, Judy Kaye, and Lillias White (Director, Conceiver). Over Here! starring Tony Award winner Debbie Gravitte (Director, Adapter). Upcoming: An Entirely Ordinary Town: A New Musical (Director), Faygele: A New Play (Director), By the End of Tonight (Director), Little Black Book: A New Musical (Co-Conceiver). Will is a proud graduate of Boston College and a member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Union. For more, please visit www.WillNunziata.com and @willnunzofficial on Instagram.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Christine Ebersole talks all things Grey Gardens, Bob Hearts Abishola, Tootsie & SNL. This Broadway legend is as much fun as she is tenacious, and impressed us how she took her career into her own hands and became a Producer. Join Behind the Awards for Christine’s stories of her 50 year career.
Eila & Bruce also chat about Jonathan Groff’s Tony win for Merrily We Roll Along, Being the Tony Awards, and listener picks for Frank N Further Dream Casting in Rocky Horror.
Christine Ebersole recognized with a string of honors that includes two Tony Awards, she has appeared in twenty Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, as well as gracing television series and specials, films, concerts, recordings and opera.
It was for her “dual role of a lifetime” as Edith Beale and Little Edie Beale in Grey Gardens that Ebersole won her second Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, as well as virtually every available Off-Broadway honor. Other memorable New York roles include her Tony-winning turn as Dorothy Brock in the hit revival of 42nd Street, her Tony-nominated portrayal of Elizabeth Arden opposite Patti LuPone in War Paint, her Tony- and Outer Critics Circle-nominated appearance in Dinner at Eight, her Obie-winning and Drama Desk-nominated appearance in Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, her performance as Guinevere alongside Richard Harris and Richard Burton in Camelot, and her leading roles in Oklahoma, On the Twentieth Century, Steel Magnolias, The Best Man and the revival of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit. In 2018 she made her operatic debut under James Conlon’s leadership as the Old Lady in Francesca Zambello’s production of Candide at L.A. Opera.
Recently starring as Lucille Dolittle, a role based on Lucille Ball, in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar-nominated Licorice Pizza, Ebersole has appeared in numerous feature films. Previous film credits include The Wolf of Wall Street, Amadeus, Black Sheep, Dead Again, Folks!, Ghost Dad, My Girl 2, Richie Rich, Tootsie, True Crime and The Big Wedding, which features her account of her original song “Gently Down The Stream.” Since launching her TV career alongside Eddie Murphy as a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live, Ebersole has also accrued a long list of television credits. Currently starring in Chuck Lorre’s hit CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola, she recently portrayed Estelle Schneider in the award-winning Netflix series The Kominsky Method, and has appeared on American Horror Story, Blue Bloods, Madam Secretary, Murphy Brown, Pose, Search Party, The Colbert Report, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Will & Grace and Gypsy, in which she played Tessie Tura to Bette Midler’s Mama Rose.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Adrienne C Moore drops by to discuss Orange is the New Black, Theater and the moment she made it as a New York Actress.
Eila & Bruce also discuss Lin Manuel Miranda’s Tony win for Best Book of Musical for Hamilton. Emmy Nomination standouts Carol Burnett and Aja Naomi King as well as Cher’s first appearance on Will & Grace opposite Sean Hayes.
Adrienne C. Moore is an accomplished television, film, voice over and theater artist. She is best known for her seven seasons starring as 'Black Cindy' on the ground-breaking hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black. Her work on the series earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series) as well as the Vanguard Award at Essence Magazine's Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon. She and the cast share three SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Additional TV credits include Law and Order: SVU, Homeland, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and 30 Rock. Films include New Line’s Shaft sequel, The Lennon Report and the recent indie Modern Persuasion.
Most recent animation work includes voicing ‘Etta Candy’ in DC’s animated feature Wonder Woman: Bloodlines and the upcoming Netflix interactive choose-your-own-adventure special We Lost our Human. Additional animated projects include Curious George and Doug Unplugged. It was also her distinct honor to be chosen by Ann Druyan for the audiobook narration of Carl Sagan’s The Varieties of Scientific Experience. She has completed numerous voice campaigns for brands such as Vaseline, General Mills, and Jergens.
Often calling it her 'gym,' Adrienne is just at home on a stage as she is on camera. She most recently starred in The Public Theater’s critically acclaimed and award-winning revival of Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When The Rainbow Is Enuf. She worked with Phyllida Lloyd on Shakespeare in the Park's The Taming of the Shrew and introduced the world to the timid ‘Keera’ in Kirsten Greenidge's Milk Like Sugar (LaJolla Playhouse & Playwrights Horizons), earning award nominations along the way. Other productions include Dot (Actor’s Theatre of Louisville), Ethel Sings (Dir. Will Pomerantz) and Suzan Lori-Parks' 365 Plays/365 Days (The Public Theatre.)
A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Adrienne was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her B.A. in Psychology, History and Religion from Northwestern University and an MFA from The New School University. She is most proud of and passionate about her advocacy work with rescue animals and enjoys volunteering with the 52nd Street Project in New York.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Miriam Silverman chats about Mary Jane, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window and more. Miriam gives us the scoop on upcoming project and what it was like to work with Anne Kauffman and Rachel Brosnahan.
Eila and Bruce also discuss Hannah Waddingham’s Emmy win for Ted Lasso as well as their most recent TV Obsession Claim to Fame.
Miriam Silverman won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her critically-acclaimed performance as "Mavis" in the Broadway production of THE SIGN IN SIDNEY BRUSTEIN'S WINDOW, opposite Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan, as well as winning the 2023 Drama Desk Award for the same role at BAM. Other Broadway / Theater includes: JUNK ( Broadway Debut), ANATOMY OF A SUICIDE (Atlantic Theater Company), world premiere of Ethan Coen's A PLAY IS A POEM (Mark Taper Forum), the recent world premiere of Find Me Here (Clubbed Thumb) & more. TV / Film: BREAKING with John Boyega and Connie Britton, DEAD RINGERS (Amazon) opposite Rachel Weisz, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL (Amazon), FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE (Hulu),THE BLACKLIST (NBC), and BLUE BLOODS (CBS). Upcoming feature MOTHERLAND, opposite Holland Taylor, Netflix’s THE NIGHT AGENT, and the new Apple TV series YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Anna K Jacobs takes a cult movie to the stage with Strange Loopâs Michael R Jackson. Campy, horror musical about Vagina dentata had such a successful run at Playwrights Horizons that it is moving to an open ended run at New World Stages. Anna gives us the scoop on all things teeth, partnering with Michael R Jackson and what projects are coming up next.Eila & Bruce also chat about Teethâs upcoming album release. Their visit to Empire the Musical and Denzel Washingtonâs Oscar for Training Day.Anna K. Jacobs is a Jonathan Larson and Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award-winning composer, lyricist, and book writer. She likes to disarm her audiences by telling stories that ask questions without serving up the answers, and by marrying them with music and language thatâs as surprising and delightful as, well, life.Annaâs projects are diverse, in part due to the many different collaborations she has enjoyed over the years. Her stage musicals include POP! (Yale Rep, Pittsburgh City Theatre, Studio Theatre; book/lyrics by Maggie-Kate Coleman), Teeth (NAMT, OâNeill; co-book/lyrics by Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winner Michael R. Jackson), Anytown (George Street Playhouse; book by Jim Jack), Harmony, Kansas (Diversionary Theatre; book/lyrics by Bill Nelson), Echo (Musical Theatre Factory), and Stella and the Moon Man (Sydney Theatre Company/Theatre of Image; play by Richard Tulloch, co-composed by Adrian Kelly). She contributed music and lyrics to the multi-composer works, Witnesses (California Center for the Arts, Escondido; book by Robert Freedman) and Letters to the President (Cooper Union). She also penned the screenplay for The Real Gemma Jordan (University of Nebraska-Lincoln; music/lyrics by Rob Rokicki, directed by Alexander Jeffery & Alisa Belflower), which she is now adapting into a stage musical, and music and lyrics for the movie musical Kaya: Taste of Paradise (NY Film Academy; screenplay by Jerome A. Parker, directed by Paul Warner).Currently, Anna and her playwright-collaborator, Anna Ziegler, are working on A House Without Windows, a new musical about the life and disappearance of child prodigy author, Barbara Newhall Follett, and commissioned by Barbara Whitman Productions and Grove Entertainment. She is also writing the book for a new musical adaptation for Disney Cruise Line Entertainment.In addition to the Larson and Ziegfeld awards, Anna is a recipient of the Eric Salzman Award for New Music Theater Composition. She has had the honor of being a former Sundance Fellow and Dramatists Guild Fellow, and has been an Artist in Residence at Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Goodspeed Musicals, Ars Nova, New Dramatists, Musical Theatre Factory, and Barrington Stage Company. A classically trained composer, her choral works have been commissioned and performed throughout the world by choirs including the New York City Gay Menâs Chorus, the National Lutheran Choir, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir, the Nightingale-Bamford School, the Hotchkiss School, the Sydneian Bach Choir, and Coro Innominata.As an educator, Anna is passionate about helping the next generation of songwriters to develop their voices and craft. She is the founding Artistic Director of the New York Youth Symphonyâs Musical Theater Songwriting Program, and has served on the faculties of the Institute for American Musical Theatre, Temple University, Mannes School of Music, and the Dramatists Guild Institute. From 2013-18, she facilitated the NYMF Songwriting Workshop.Originally from Sydney, Australia, Anna has called Brooklyn home since 2006. Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.Connect with Eila and Bruce:Instagram @behind_the_awardsEila @eilamellBruce @cominghomewithbruceLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
-
Grammy Winner Sean Alan Krill went Behind the Awards to discuss working with Alanis Morissette in Jagged Little Pill. Sean tells us how he went from play Sam in the tour to his Broadway Debut in Mamma Mia opposite Carolee Carmello. He also goes into what it was like to be in Parade during a turbulent political climate.
Eila & Bruce share their experience attending the final performance of Here There Are Blueberries at the New York Theater Workshop. They also discuss Nathan Lane’s Tony win in 1996 for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Listen to episode to hear who Nathan calls the best Pseudolus ever.
Sean Allan Krill is an American actor who has appeared in film and television, on Broadway, off-Broadway, and at prestigious regional theaters across the country. He studied acting at Wayne State University, where he received the Lily Tomlin Scholarship for Theatre. Sean was nominated for a 2020 Tony Award for his role as Steve Healy in Jagged Little Pill, and the original cast recording of the critically-acclaimed Broadway musical was the recipient of the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Sean is also a Carbonell and Leon Rabin Award nominee, and a Joseph Jefferson and Craig Noel Award recipient.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Emmy Winner Yeardley Smith began her career on Broadway as Cynthia Nixon’s understudy in The Real Thing directed by Mike Nichols. She is best know for the voice of Lisa Simpson on the Simpsons, and has also appeared in Herman’s Head, Family Guy, The Big Bang Theory and Mad Men. Yardley is the co-host of popular True Crime Podcast Small Town Dicks with Paul Holes, and Dan & Dave.
Eila and Bruce also share their behind the scenes look at new musical Empire directed by Tony Winner Cody Huffman playing at New World Stages from July 1st - September 22nd. They also discuss Ke Huy Quan’s Oscar win.for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Yeardley Smith is an Emmy Award® winning actress, producer, novelist and playwright who has appeared on television, film and Broadway. She has been the voice of Lisa Simpson on Fox’s hit television show The Simpsons since 1987. She has also appeared in numerous films including All Square (in post production), New Year’s Eve, Miles, Offer and Compromise, As Good As It Gets, Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive, City Slickers, and The Legend of Billie Jean. Favorite television appearances include The Mindy Project, The Big Bang Theory, Mom, Fresh Off the Boat, Hot In Cleveland, Mad Men, the sitcom classic Murphy Brown, 5 years as Greg’s crabby secretary ‘Marlene’ on Dharma and Greg, and 3 years as ‘Louise Fitzer’ one of the Fox network’s earliest sitcoms, Herman’s Head. She wrote and performed her one-woman show, “MORE” off-Broadway in 2004, and in Los Angeles in 2005. She published her first novel, I Lorelei, through HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2009. She owned her own women’s luxury shoe line called Marchez Vous for 5 years beginning in 2010. And in 2015, she co-founded the development company, Paperclip Ltd., with Ben Cornwell, for the purpose of developing stories at their earliest stages across all mediums.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
11yr old Tony Winner takes us from The Secret Garden to the The Strange and Unexplained
Daisy Eagan shares the unique experience of being the youngest female winner in Tony history. She recounted working with Mandy Patinkin, Rebecca Luker and John Cameron Mitchell who was writing Hedwig & The Angy Inch at the same time. Daisy was shocked to learn of her impact on Broadway star Sutton Foster, and had no idea that Neil Patrick Harris watched her perform from the wings. Now a podcaster herself, Daisy is the host of the popular Strange and Unexplained as well as Dear Daisy.
Also in this episode - Marissa Jaret Winokur 2003 Tony Award win for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for Hairspray. Eila & Bruce discuss Jenifer Lewis & Marc Shaiman and give their thoughts on The Notebook.
Throughout a multi-decade career, Tony award-winner, Daisy Eagan, has dazzled audiences from the stage to television and film, and award-winning writing, and several podcasts.
At age eleven, Eagan became the youngest female to win a Tony Award for Best Performance by A Featured Actress for playing Mary Lennox in “The Secret Garden,” for which Eagan also received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations.
Eagan also appeared on Broadway in “Les Miserables” and “James Joyce's The Dead,” as well as countless off-broadway and regional plays and musicals, including two stints at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019 (30 Minute Musicals and Steve Yockey’s “Sleeping Giant.”). Favorite productions include world premieres of Christopher Shinn’s “On the Mountain” (South Coast Rep), Annie Weisman’s “Be Aggressive”(La Jolla Playhouse), and Barbara Dana’s “War in Paramus” (HB Studios), as well as Lachuisa’s “Wild Party”(The Blank Theater Company) for which Eagan won an L.A. Weekly award.
Eagan has appeared in several films including “Losing Isaiah,” “Ripe,” and “Tony and Tina’s Wedding.”
On television, most recently, Eagan had a recurring role as one of the first non-binary characters on Network television, in Freeform’s “Good Trouble.” Before that, Eagan starred in HBO’s “Girls” playing a version of Lena Dunham’s character opposite Adam Driver. Additional television credits include HULU’s “The Path,” CBS’ “The Mentalist,” “Without a Trace,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “The Unit” and “Numb3rs.”
Eagan is also an award-winning writer with a loyal and growing audience, and a fierce fighter and activist for women's and LGBTQIA2+ rights. She is a rousing voice in political arenas and continues to fight for change throughout her literary career. She has penned op-eds for publications including HuffPost and Playbill.com, and had a column for USA Today Network’s The Journal News. Eagan is currently adapting her award-winning short screenplay, “Tony and Annette” into a full-length feature by popular demand.
Most recently, Eagan has switched focus to podcasting, with three successful podcasts, “Strange and Unexplained with Daisy Eagan” (named one of Rolling Stone’s top 20 podcasts of 2021), available wherever you listen to podcasts, as well as “Dear Daisy: A podcast about secrets,” and “STFU Nick Lachey” A Love is Blind recap podcast with co-host Broadway sensation Ellyn Marsh, both available either exclusively or early and ad-free on Grab Bag Collab an egalitarian podcasting network on Patreon which Eagan co-founded in 2023 with Pulitzer Prize winner Amber Hunt and Pulitzer and Emmy award winner Amanda Rossmann. Grab Bag strives to provide a platform for voices that may struggle finding a home at big name networks. The network is profit-sharing, and all creators retain ownership of their content.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Our day at the Tony’s from rehearsal to show…and awards recap.
Eila & Bruce share what it was like to be at the Tony awards rehearsal as well as the big show. Listen to hear the who, what, where and wow of the biggest day for Broadway. Plus, who predicted the winners best from our deep dive episodes.
Also in this episode, Eila & Bruce share one of their favorite speeches of the night. Kecia Lewis winning Featured Actress in a Musical for Hell’s Kitchen.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Jeff & Rick Kuperman give us a deep dive on the process of creating the choreography for The Outsiders. They discuss their unique collaborative relationship as brothers and how that helped form the framework for The Outsiders, a show about brothers. Eila and Bruce also discuss Jennifer Aniston SAG award for Outstanding Actress for her work on the morning show and how our Friend got her SAG card doing a Bobâs Big Boy commercial.Rick Kuperman & Jeff Kuperman (CHOREOGRAPHY). Upcoming: co-directing & choreographing an immersive show with Emursive of Sleep No More. Recent choreo: Alice by Heart (MCC; Lortel, Chita Rivera, and Callaway Awards), Cyrano (Goodspeed/The New Group), Alien/Nation (Williamstown), Phish at MSG, The Count of Monte Cristo (St. Petersburg, Russia), Peter Pan (Beijing, China), The Light Princess (ART/New Victory). Film: Verona, Dicks: The Musical (A24), Silent Retreat (Miramax). TV: âLiving with Yourselfâ (Netflix). As directors: Roll! (Ars Nova), Dispossessed (HERE), Smile (FringeNYC). Education: B.A.s, Harvard & Princeton. kupermanbrothers.comMake sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.Connect with Eila and Bruce:Instagram @behind_the_awardsEila @eilamellBruce @cominghomewithbruceLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
-
Celia discusses working with Jessica Lang and Jim Parsons and having a role created for her in Paula Vogel’s Mother Play. Celia takes us on a journey of her career including The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bell, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Gilded Age. Celia shares what she was doing the morning nominations came out and how she balances being a working actor and motherhood.
Eila and Bruce also discuss Sarah Jessica Parker’s Golden Globe win for Sex and the City and a career that has spanned 50yrs beginning with Annie on Broadway
CELIA KEENAN-BOLGER. Broadway: To Kill a Mockingbird, Glass Menagerie, The Cherry Orchard, Peter and The Starcatcher, Les Misérables, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Off-Broadway: Parallelogram, The Oldest Boy, Merrily We Roll Along, A Small Fire, Bachelorette. Select Film/TV: “The Gilded Age,” “Bull,” “Louie,” “The Good Wife,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Good Behavior,” “Elementary,” Diane, The Visit, Breakable You. Tony Award, Outer Critics Circle, three Drama Desk Award wins. Member of The Actors Center. NYCLU Michael Friedman Freedom Award recipient. UMichigan graduate. Training to be an end-of-life doula.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Rumors have it that Stereophonic will bring home the Tony
Feature Friday! Eila & Bruce bring you the sixth installment of their Tony deep dive. They are joined by expert Matt Stashin and share who will win and who they want to win in the following categories. Best Musical, Best Play, Scenic Design of a Musical, Lead Actress of a Musical, Lead Actor of a Musical.
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Mary Jane, Mother Play, Prayer for the French Republic, Stereophonic, Hells Kitchen, Illinoise, The Outsiders, Suffs, Water for Elephants, Brody Grant, Jonathan Groff, Merrily We Roll Along, Dorian Harewood, The Notebook, Brian d’Arcy, Days of Wine and Roses, Eddie Redmayne, Cabaret, Eden Espinosa, Lempicka, Maleah Joi Moon, Maryann Plunket, Kelli O’Hara, Gayle Rankin, Back to the Future, Here Lies Love.
Make sure to check out Eila's book, "The Tony Awards", and all her other amazing books: https://amzn.to/43WMu5Y.
Connect with Eila and Bruce:
Instagram @behind_the_awards
Eila @eilamell
Bruce @cominghomewithbruce
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices - Vis mere
