Episodes
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Broadway star Ilana Levine returns to The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul to discuss all things kindness during awards season, an amazing Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews story and much more.
Ilana is a Broadway star best known for playing “Lucy Van Pelt” in You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown. She has also starred in the Broadway productions of Jake’s Women, Wrong Mountain and The Last Night Of Ballyhoo. In addition, she has appeared in many TV shows and films including: Tanner ’88, Law and Order, Damages, The Job, Cashmere Mafia, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Failure To Launch, The Nanny Diaries, Friends With Kids and Five Flights Up. Seinfeld fans will also recognize her from the infamous episode “The Contest.”
Ilana is also a podcast superstar with her show Little Known Facts. Her latest podcast venture is for all those out there who have ever dreamed of winning a Tony Award or Oscar. And the Award Goes To… sees Ilana interview some of the best and brightest in this business as they take a trip down memory lane and relive their winning moment. Guests include Kristin Chenoweth, Patti Lupone, Judith Light and so much more.
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Music:
"Awake" by Ricky Alvarez & "Sunshine" by Lemon Music Studio.
We are supported by the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Katie won a Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 2002 for her role as Brooke Ashton in the Broadway revival of Noises Off.
She played a "lovely but dim fashion model" in the original Broadway production of Neil Simon's Proposals in 1997–98, Sally Bowles in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret (from November 21, 2000 to January 18, 2001), and call girl Cora in the 1999 Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh, opposite Kevin Spacey. She also has appeared in My Favorite Year with Tim Curry, John Guare's Bosoms and Neglect, and Smell of the Kill, with Kristen Johnston.
Finneran's biggest film role to date may be Judy Rose in the remake of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. Her film credits include You've Got Mail, Chicken Little, Liberty Heights, Bewitched, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, and Death to Smoochy.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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“Please let me standing here be a little sign to you from the universe to make the weird art.”
Deirdre O'Connell has worked extensively on stage, screen, and television. She 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.
She made her screen debut in Tin Men, with additional film credits that 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.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Harvey Fierstein is an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for his theater work in Torch Song Trilogy and Hairspray and movie roles in Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, and as the voice of Yao in Mulan and Mulan II. Fierstein won two Tony Awards, Best Actor in a Play and Best Play, for Torch Song Trilogy. He received his third Tony Award, Best Book of a Musical, for the musical La Cage aux Folles and his fourth, the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, for playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. Fierstein also wrote the book for the Tony Award-winning musicals Kinky Boots, Newsies, and Tony Award-nominated, Drama League Award-winner A Catered Affair. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2007.
For his role on the television show Cheers, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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In a career spanning three decades, Allison Janney is known for her performances across multiple genres of screen and stage. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award (the subject of this episode now!), a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and seven Primetime Emmy Awards, in addition to nominations for two Tony Awards.
Janney made her professional stage debut with the Off-Broadway production Ladies (1989) before making her Broadway debut with the 1996 revival of Present Laughter. She won two Drama Desk Awards and has been nominated for two Tony Awards: for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in the Broadway revival of A View from the Bridge (1997), and for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the original Broadway production of the musical 9 to 5 (2009).
Her film roles include Private Parts (1997), Primary Colors (1998), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), American Beauty (1999), Nurse Betty (2000), The Hours (2002), Hairspray (2007), Juno (2007), The Help (2011), The Way, Way Back (2013), Tammy (2014), The Rewrite (2014), Spy (2015), Tallulah (2016), The Girl on the Train (2016), Bad Education (2019) and Bombshell (2019). She voiced roles in Finding Nemo (2003), Over the Hedge (2006), Minions (2015), and The Addams Family (2019). For her performance in the black comedy I, Tonya (2017), Janney won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award, all for Best Supporting Actress.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Known for his work in musical theater, Matt Doyle made his Broadway debut in 2007 in Spring Awakening as replacement for the role of Hanschen, and later had supporting roles in the Broadway productions of Bye Bye Birdie in 2009 and War Horse in 2011. He joined The Book of Mormon in 2012, replacing Nic Rouleau as Elder Price. Following a period of performing Off-Broadway and regionally, he joined the Broadway transfer of the gender-swapped production of Company in 2021 playing the role originated by Jonathan Bailey in the West End. For his performance, he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Joaquina is best known for playing Nelly O'Brien in the Broadway musical Paradise Square, for which she won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She was also nominated for Best Actress in a Play in 2020 for portraying Kaneisha in Slave Play. In addition to her theatre work, Kalukango has appeared in One Night in Miami and When They See Us.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Andrea Martin is an actress, singer, and comedian, best known for her work in the television series SCTV and Great News. She has appeared in films such as Black Christmas (1974), Wag the Dog (1997), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016), and Little Italy (2018). She has also lent her voice to the animated films Anastasia (1997), The Rugrats Movie (1998), and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001).
Andrea has been equally prolific in the world of theater, winning Tony Awards for both My Favorite Year and the 2013 revival of Pippin. Martin also appeared on Broadway in Candide, Oklahoma!, Fiddler on the Roof, Young Frankenstein, Exit the King, and Act One. She has received five nominations for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, more than any other actress in the award's history. She received her first nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the 2016 revival of Noises Off.
This episode dives deep into how director Diane Paulus and Andrea breathed new life into this classic show. It's the idea of circus, and how to bring that to life.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Julie Taymor made history being the first female director to win a Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. One of the most iconic directors of our generation, Julie is also a writer of theater, opera and film. Her stage adaptation of The Lion King debuted in 1997, and received eleven Tony Award nominations, with Taymor receiving Tony Awards for Best Director and Costume Designer. Her film Frida, about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, was nominated for five Academy Awards, including a Best Original Song nomination for Taymor's composition "Burn It Blue".
Julie has a strong passion for mask work, puppetry work, and why many people who watch The Lion King may not understand the extreme levels of talent required to be a great performer with a mask on. Julie also discusses what the show means to her, why it's so important to the world, and what really drives her.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim wrote three shows together - Sunday In The Park with George , Into The Woods and Passion. In this episode of And The Award Goes To, Lapine shared what made working with Sondheim so incredible. He admits that when he first met Sondheim he was relatively new to the theater and he describes Sondheim as the person who schooled him in musical theater . "Working with Steve was fun. He is smart, fun, droll and keeps you on your toes but.. he is the most loyal friend you could have.”
The original workshop of Passion was just 60 audience members in a small theater and the intensity and daringness of the workshop was really embraced. Then Sondheim and Lapine got to work on bringing it to Broadway and at the first dress rehearsal they found that the audience was laughing at Fosca which was not their intention. They began to work on creating the show they wanted without dumbing it down and found a way to make Fosca a sympathetic character rather than a comedic one. Clearly they succeeded because the show won the Tony award for best musical, best book of a musical , best original score and Donna Murphy won the Tony for best actress.
This episode explores the relationship between the great James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim who together made American musical theater history.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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“I consider myself the luckiest person in the world because my avocation is my occupation” is how Charlotte St. Martin describes what it means to be President of The Broadway League. When Charlotte St. Martin was in high school she went to see her boyfriend in the King and I and that was the beginning of her lifelong love of theater. Even in her previous job in the hospitality business in Dallas she was known as “Broadway Charlotte.” The combination of her having chaired three major trade associations and her love of Broadway made her the perfect candidate for the role that puts her front and center in all that is the business of Broadway.
Along with The Tony Awards and The Jimmy Awards , Charlotte is also tremendously proud of the Broadway Bridges program which will allow for over 70,000 kids a year to see a Broadway show for free.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Tony Award winner Cady Huffman had just driven across the country to come back east after performing with Dame Edna. She has no agent and wasn’t sure what was next and then she got a phone call from a casting director asking her to do a reading for producers of a musical adaptation of the Mel Brooks film , “The Producers.” They rehearsed for just a few days and then did the reading with the glorious Ann Bancroft sitting in the front row. After they did a second reading Mel Brooks told Cady “ Kid when this thing goes- you are in!”
In this episode Cady describes what it was like to watch Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane find their way to the iconic pairing of Bialystock and Bloom and what happens on Tony night when you lose track of your Harry Winston jewels and your body guard !
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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“Everyone needs a good mole joke” is how five time nominee and two time Tony Award winner Donna Murphy made the audience howl with laughter during her acceptance speech for her stunning portrayal of Fosca in the Sondheim/Lapine musical, Passion. According to Mr. Sondheim when he heard Donna sing at her audition he felt she could have performed in front of an audience immediately - that is how deeply connected and breathtaking she was in the role. In this episode Ms. Murphy takes listeners behind the scenes detailing how she created the role, how Lapine and Sondheim worked seamlessly as a team and how all the designers helped her find what was to become the iconic performance that remains legendary in Broadway history.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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On the night John Lloyd Young won his Tony the stars who announced his category were Harry Belafonte and Glenn Close! During his emotional speech where he disclosed that his mother had died when he was only two years old, Mr. Young went on to dedicate his award to his father and spoke of the struggles they had gone through together. As a Commander in the United States military John's father was not encouraging of his son pursuing a life in the arts but after graduating from Brown University John made his way to New York City where he struggled on his own for ten years before he landed the role of Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys. His story is at times heartbreaking and completely fascinating but ultimately it is the story of an artist who could not be deterred from following his dreams.
Welcome John Lloyd Young to the podcast.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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The first Tony Awards ceremony took place on Easter Sunday in 1947. It was a small affair where awards were handed out to notable artists of the day. Some of the winners that evening included actress, Patricia Neal and playwright, Arthur Miller. The ceremony was not televised and took place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. The first awards handed out were a money clip for the men and a make up compact for the women. It took many years until it took the form of an actual award and the only award that spins! Since 2011 Heather Hitchens has been the President and CEO of The American Theater Wing. She herself is an accomplished drummer who started out at a local radio station and then later went into arts management. She counts many women mentors in her life who gave her the confidence to take on leadership roles in the world of arts organizations which is how her career in the arts began at the age of 24.
“The arts is the only sector that I know of that lifts up every sector that it touches.” Heather Hitchens.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Tonya Pinkins had a very complicated journey with the musical Jelly's Last Jam. From the very beginning she felt she was up against a cast that was not happy that she was replacing the original Anita in the show, she was away from home with her nine month old baby and in rehearsal she found herself holding back. But at night she would dream of what the role could be. She wanted to bring the power and vulnerability she remembered so well about her grandmother to the role but it wasn't until the final run thru that she was able to bring all her ideas and show the cast and creative team what she could really do. Tonya shares that she was almost fired multiple times- even when she was in rehearsal for the Broadway production- but somehow she persevered and she won a Tony Award for her portrayal of this raw, powerful and vulnerable woman.
Welcome Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins to the podcast.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Stephanie J. Block was no stranger to playing real people on Broadway having portrayed Liza Minnelli in The Boy From Oz so when director Jason Moore asked her to take on the role of Cher in the Broadway musical The Cher Show, she was quite trepidatious. A long meal with Jason and an unexpected nudge from her Priest changed her mind. Once rehearsals began Stephanie found herself connecting deeply and easily with the role and Cher’s life but the real test came when Cher arrived at the workshop presentation. Stephanie hid in a bathroom not wanting to meet the real Cher until after the performance but she was summoned and that was her first introduction to the woman/icon who would become a lifelong friend. In this episode Stephanie shares details of her early conversations with Cher and what tricks she used to learn to channel and sing like Cher and then what happens when you sing WITH Cher.
Welcome Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block to the podcast.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Ruben Santiago-Hudson had dreamed of being in an August Wilson from the first time he was in the audience of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. He found himself crying during the play and realized he was not just deeply moved by the play and the actors in it but the tears were connected to this feeling that for the first time in his life he was seeing people on stage who were so familiar to him and he wanted to be a part of that kind of storytelling. It took a few tries but finally he was cast in Wilson’s Seven Guitars and that began a brotherhood and an artistic marriage between Ruben and the great playwright that lasted until the death of August Wilson. It was Wilson who encouraged Ruben not just to act in his work but to be one of the few artists he trusted to direct his work. Since then Ruben has directed his plays on Broadway and adapted Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom for the screen. This is an artistic relationship that will be a part of theater history.
Welcome Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago Hudson to the podcast.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Kristin Chenoweth first auditioned for You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, having no idea which character she was reading for. It wasn’t until she got to the first day of rehearsal and she looked at the place card by her seat and it read “Kristin Chenoweth as Sally Brown.” That was the beginning of a journey that took Kristin from working actress to global star. The reaction by audiences and press alike was unprecedented. Her uniquely operatic voice, her comedic timing, her ability to portray a child even though she was an adult- were all the ingredients for a perfect marriage of actress and part but the true game changing moment happened when composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, I Am Harvey Milk) showed up one day with a new song for Kristin called “My New Philosophy “ history was made.
Welcome Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth to the podcast.
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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Laura Benanti dreamed of one thing and one thing only- performing on Broadway so winning a Tony Award for her role in Gypsy was the most amazing dream come true and one of the happiest moments of her life. What people may not know is that early on in the rehearsal process she walked out feeling unsupported by the process and it wasn't until she had a deeply honest conversation with it's director, Arthur Laurents, that she returned and from that moment on it was the most joyous professional experience of her life. Find out how the two worked it out and why co- starring with Patti LuPone and Boyd Gaines was such an extraordinary experience on this episode of And The Award Goes To...
Hosted by Ilana Levine, Produced by Alan Seales, part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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