Latest / The BSB Podcast / Exclusive Interview: Russell Boyle, Rachel Gottlieb Kalmowitz, & Justin Heald of Birmingham Village Players' 'A Little Night Music'

Transcript

Exclusive Interview: Russell Boyle, Rachel Gottlieb Kalmowitz, & Justin Heald of Birmingham Village Players' 'A Little Night Music' · The BSB Podcast

• 0:00
  A Sondheim classic is coming to Birmingham Village Players with a little night music, and today we're talking with three of the cast members
• 0:05
  from this production, Rachel Gottlieb Kamlowitz, Russell Boyle and Justin Heald.
• 0:09
  Thank you so much for being here.
• 0:11
  So happy to be joining you.
• 0:13
  Happy to here.
• 0:14
  are so excited to talk about this and you're kind of entering into your final week of rehearsals before opening night.
• 0:19
  Rachel, how are you feeling about it right now?
• 0:21
  Well, it's a very exciting time.
• 0:24
  Here we are heading into our tech week.
• 0:27
  um So we have a super long rehearsal today and then dress rehearsals this whole week.
• 0:33
  um Opening night is Friday night and we are just incredibly excited to be presenting this production and getting to do it in front of an audience finally.
• 0:44
  Russell, this is kind of the part where it all comes together, all, everything kind of falls into place in this last week.
• 0:50
  Indeed, yes.
• 0:52
  What's it like for you?
• 0:53
  How are you feeling?
• 0:53
  You feeling good about it?
• 0:55
  This is the time where I start not sleeping as much and I'm overthinking everything that I have to do on stage.
• 1:02
  But that being said, it was really exciting yesterday to listen to the orchestra and sing with the orchestra and realize we're actually in a really great place to get opening on
• 1:12
  Friday.
• 1:13
  Now, if we can just put all the other pieces together like the set, the lights and the costumes, I think we'll all feel much more relieved when that curtain opens on our preview
• 1:23
  on Wednesday.
• 1:25
  with our mock audience, of course.
• 1:29
  Absolutely.
• 1:29
  And Justin, you know, it's kind of, I've heard a lot of people say that it's like when you put on a costume, you finally fall into place, but are you feeling good?
• 1:34
  Like you're kind of, you're getting to the place you want to be with the show.
• 1:38
  Oh, definitely.
• 1:38
  know, and there's certainly a lot of stress as you lead up to this final week where a lot of elements can be, you know, rather isolated from each other and you start to see them
• 1:48
  finally come together.
• 1:50
  And one of those things is your own character and personality that fully flushes out on the stage.
• 1:55
  And especially when you put on the costume for the first time and you really start to see yourself embody that identity of that character.
• 2:03
  just, it...
• 2:04
  something connects inside of you and with the cast and the set and stage and it just feels right and you feel ready to go.
• 2:10
  I mean, that's super exciting.
• 2:12
  I'm not an actor, but I always just love the energy that people talk about.
• 2:15
  Because like they say that it's the hardest week of your life, but it all comes together and just feels so like magnetic almost as you're just kind of falling into place and the
• 2:24
  characters are coming to their full realization.
• 2:26
  And so it has to be a lot of fun.
• 2:28
  And a lot of the work that we do prior to this is kind of individual actors and individual scenes.
• 2:36
  And now we're getting to like really work as a team to put together this incredible show.
• 2:42
  You know, we've added the musicians, we're adding the lights and the sound and all of that.
• 2:47
  And so it's that feeling of cohesiveness where we all are working together toward this common goal.
• 2:55
  And this cast has such synergy with each other.
• 2:58
  Everyone gets along very well.
• 3:00
  Everyone's firing on all cylinders.
• 3:03
  I can't express how talented every individual person involved in this production is.
• 3:08
  It's kind of a joy just to see everyone who has developed their character
• 3:14
  and watch it explode in real life at this time.
• 3:18
  It's kind of remarkable.
• 3:20
  You know, so I have to say, I've seen a lot of Sondheim musicals and this is actually one I have not seen.
• 3:25
  So I don't know much about this show.
• 3:26
  I know I'm a bad theater gay over here, but uh I was hoping Justin, maybe you could kind of tell us what is the story of A Little Night Music?
• 3:35
  gosh you got a lead on the call here and you're asking the quintet member.
• 3:39
  So I'm gonna go ahead and do my best job to explain the primary plot here but I'm sure Russell and Rachel will be able to back me up and provide a little bit more context here.
• 3:51
  So from my perspective getting to watch these fabulous leads from the wings
• 3:57
  uh The primary plot of the show, A Little Night Music, that it follows the uh romantic mismatches of several couples that we see and are introduced throughout the story.
• 4:10
  And we watch their uh dynamic love affairs unfold and ultimately resolve in a lovely spectacle out in the country that really pulls you along for a ride.
• 4:24
  So I'll let Rachel and Russell.
• 4:27
  elaborate on that a little more.
• 4:29
  Russell, you wanna go?
• 4:31
  Well, that's about the gist of it.
• 4:33
  I don't know if I want to add any much more and give away, you know, what actually transpires.
• 4:38
  But I think what's also important to highlight is people forget that this is probably Sondheim's most whimsical, funny and farcical uh of his musicals.
• 4:47
  And it all of these mishaps that occur, uh unrequited love, people who have been apart for years that come together and get what they want, so to speak.
• 4:59
  uh all happens with a great deal of festivity on stage.
• 5:03
  And so it offers the audience a lot of time to breathe, to chuckle, um and also sink into the romantic moments, which are, if I may say so, coming together quite splendidly.
• 5:13
  uh
• 5:18
  like to highlight, it's interesting because my character is very funny, like wry humor, m and beneath that, um there's a lot of pain.
• 5:39
  And I think that's something that you find in this show is that there are really
• 5:45
  humorous moments throughout, but there's something substantial underneath.
• 5:51
  And so it's not just a farce where you're going to just be giggling the whole time and there's nothing, there are things to really think about um and relationships that you see
• 6:02
  evolving throughout the show.
• 6:04
  um And I think that's really wonderful.
• 6:06
  There's actually a line that Frederica, our one child in the show says, and
• 6:14
  She says, well, I think it must be worth it.
• 6:20
  And her grandmother says, why, basically, why do you think that?
• 6:23
  And she says, well, it's all there is, isn't there?
• 6:27
  So isn't it?
• 6:28
  So it's like this sense that, you know, there's all this craziness.
• 6:34
  And in the world right now, there is a lot of craziness and people are experiencing traumatic, you know, traumatic things within themselves and all around us, right?
• 6:47
  uh And so to have a place where people can go experience something that's funny and light but also heartfelt and you get these really beautiful moments, um it helps us to find what
• 7:03
  is important and what keeps us connected in these crazy times.
• 7:08
  That's one of the things I do love about Sondheim musicals is that there's so many layers, like when you're talking about adding some whimsy, um there's a beauty to that.
• 7:17
  You're right.
• 7:18
  Absolutely.
• 7:18
  There's always, there's so much negativity going on in the world that just to have little bits of positivity, but also to reflect on like what's truly important in all of this is,
• 7:28
  that's a gift that you keep on giving.
• 7:31
  So speaking of your character, Rachel, you mentioned, you know,
• 7:34
  Well, you didn't mention, but you are playing Charlotte.
• 7:36
  You mentioned about your character.
• 7:37
  But who is Charlotte to you?
• 7:41
  So it's interesting.
• 7:42
  um When I was um preparing for auditions and sort of figuring out which of these characters really feels like the right character for me, um Charlotte is the one that I
• 7:58
  most connected with.
• 8:00
  And I think I haven't often had the chance to do
• 8:07
  a character that has the funny lines, right?
• 8:10
  Like I get to say the little quips, which is really fun.
• 8:17
  But as I said before, there's more depth to it.
• 8:20
  And I really enjoy that in a character.
• 8:23
  It's not just one piece of this woman that we get to experience.
• 8:29
  We really see a lot of, you know, why she is the way she is.
• 8:35
  And, and
• 8:37
  the way that I get to do it is really joyful and fun for everybody.
• 8:43
  I get to say some of the lines that my colleagues are backstage saying along with me because they're so funny and fun to say.
• 8:55
  So it's really enjoyable.
• 8:56
  And working with this cast, really cannot emphasize enough how spectacular it has been.
• 9:02
  Everyone is cast so perfectly.
• 9:06
  And um we're just having the best time putting this together with our wonderful directing team.
• 9:11
  um It's just been great.
• 9:15
  That's awesome.
• 9:15
  And that's really cool though.
• 9:16
  You get to have a lot of those quippy lines.
• 9:17
  feel like that's the most fun you get to have kind of as an act.
• 9:20
  mean, yeah, serious is also fun too, hear, but like getting to have those fun lines that everyone's just those memorable lines, you know, that's great.
• 9:29
  That's awesome.
• 9:31
  Russell, you're playing Frederick.
• 9:34
  Who is Frederick to you?
• 9:36
  It's a hard question to answer and I can't answer it without going back to the beginning of the audition process because when A Little Night Music was put on the season, I was so
• 9:47
  excited.
• 9:48
  It's one of my favorite Sennheiser musicals.
• 9:51
  I knew that I wanted to play Frederick, but all of my peer group was like, you're gonna go after Carl Magnus, right?
• 9:57
  And I was just like, it's interesting how other people see you in theater.
• 10:02
  Everyone kind of sees me as this boisterous, crazy guy, and I do get cast a lot in those roles.
• 10:08
  So going out for Frederick was an opportunity to showcase another side of my abilities.
• 10:14
  And I connect to him on the level of that he holds himself very well, but he has such an inner turmoil inside of him um that has to do with a number of things, such as class,
• 10:28
  showing up and wanting to show off.
• 10:31
  a bit, but he does it all in a very respectful way at times, not so respectfully.
• 10:39
  And I love the conundrum of Frederick.
• 10:41
  ah I feel like he's a role that on the surface doesn't look like he's quite deep, but I really have to sink my teeth into him.
• 10:49
  And there are a lot of wonderful, really quiet moments that he shares with the loves in his life in this show.
• 10:56
  And that really resonates with somebody like myself who
• 11:00
  is probably a hopeless romantic, um has not been in love for a long time.
• 11:06
  And I really feel the weight of what is facing him when he's confronted with these people that he just doesn't know how to communicate with, but he wants something from them so
• 11:19
  desperately.
• 11:20
  And I think that's an actor's dream.
• 11:23
  um He also gets to banter a lot and talk really quickly and make those moments
• 11:29
  that are very stressful for him, humorous to the audience, but like I said, there's a weight that is very resonant with his persona.
• 11:39
  And it's nice to see how that evolves throughout the course of the musical with the people that he plays with on stage and the connections he makes.
• 11:46
  You know, you had mentioned that this is one of your favorite musicals, and this also happens to be one of your bucket list productions.
• 11:51
  You you wanted to be in a sense college.
• 11:53
  What is it about this musical that really captures your attention?
• 11:58
  It's a funny story because when I was at Wayne State, I didn't actually see the show at Wayne State University at the time they weren't doing it, but I was hired to be uh kind of
• 12:09
  a cleaning boy for the box office manager at the Hilberry Theater.
• 12:13
  And uh he is now deceased.
• 12:15
  May he rest in peace, Mr.
• 12:16
  Fox.
• 12:17
  But he was a randy gay man and he just loved the idea of having a young man.
• 12:23
  At the time I was quite attractive, if I may say so.
• 12:26
  And he loved the idea of having me in his house.
• 12:28
  And he had an extensive musical theater collection on vinyl and on the scripted books themselves from the original cast.
• 12:37
  And when I came upon it one day when I was lounging in his house after cleaning, I put the record on and it was nothing like anything I had ever heard.
• 12:45
  That first chord and the little, like I'm not gonna sing it, Justin, don't worry.
• 12:49
  I'm not gonna ruin that tenor, that beautiful tenor.
• 12:51
  But it's so, it just encapsulated so many things and I'd never heard a show like that.
• 12:57
  You you have to remember at the time in the 90s, all the big musicals were Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera.
• 13:04
  And it was kind of like a deep dive into an unknown thing.
• 13:08
  It was where I first was introduced to Sondheim.
• 13:11
  It's weird that a little, I guess Into the Woods would be the first introduction many years before that.
• 13:16
  But I still was putting the pieces together of who was who, you know.
• 13:21
  when I started reading the book, I was like, Whoa, there's a lot going on.
• 13:24
  This is a weird show.
• 13:25
  And I love weird shows.
• 13:27
  It's not nothing is what it seems in it.
• 13:29
  So I hope that wasn't a long winded response.
• 13:31
  But I mean, I don't know if I answered your question.
• 13:34
  I probably told you a backstory.
• 13:35
  But yes, but that's why I like it.
• 13:39
  And I like that everyone in the show, it's an ensemble piece, truly an ensemble piece.
• 13:44
  Everyone in the show, including the quintet has a character name.
• 13:49
  and they all have time to be developed.
• 13:51
  And I love the quintet mostly because they serve as a Greek chorus in the show.
• 13:55
  So it's like we have shadow characters that are narrating and also kind of going into the past for us and speaking about what it was like for our characters back in the day and in
• 14:07
  the future, in the past and all that good stuff.
• 14:09
  So look at the kitty cat.
• 14:13
  of a quintet, we have...
• 14:14
  of us don't have our names actually said during the performance.
• 14:18
  So, not sure why I names.
• 14:20
  the script now.
• 14:23
  So, Justin, you're saying that your name, Mr.
• 14:25
  Arlinson, is never mentioned in the show?
• 14:27
  Or is it?
• 14:29
  I don't think it is, actually.
• 14:31
  uh you know, to be honest with you, I think it's more of a differentiator between the quintet members.
• 14:38
  One of the quintet members has their name mentioned during the performance, but I think it's of a surname or our last name that is a relative of that member.
• 14:49
  That's what we have decided it is as a relative of the quintet member.
• 14:53
  They somehow seem to exist in their own world, yet somehow integrate into the existing world of the performance.
• 15:01
  Quite an interesting dynamic.
• 15:04
  So tell me about your character a little bit then, Justin.
• 15:06
  Who is Mr.
• 15:07
  Arlenston to you?
• 15:08
  Mr.
• 15:09
  Erlinson to me.
• 15:10
  So uh as I said, Mr.
• 15:12
  Erlinson to me is a nameless yet ever present uh experience on the stage.
• 15:20
  And I like to consider myself uh in the quintet, this nomadic polycule.
• 15:29
  could say that here because this is an adult show.
• 15:32
  Wow!
• 15:33
  Sure.
• 15:34
  We, so as a group, we seem to all be rather friendly with each other and certainly have had our own fair share of interesting romantic entanglements that you can learn about if
• 15:49
  you come see the show.
• 15:51
  But as Russell said, and you Russell can, you should just speak for all of our roles.
• 15:57
  You did it so eloquently.
• 15:58
  But as Russell said, we are the Greek chorus of the
• 16:04
  performance and we have a couple different roles that I would say that we provide and one as all the roles is a little bit of wit and levity to the entire performance, but we also
• 16:19
  do a couple things like setting emotional undertones to scenes that you're about to see and and through our song uh Which we only perform vocally.
• 16:31
  We don't have lines so
• 16:33
  you only see us singing or dancing, uh we will use our songs to foreshadow, again, the emotional undertones or maybe foreshadow the events that are coming up and what you might
• 16:45
  experience soon and help put you in that environment and atmosphere of what you're about to see or finalizing what you did just see a moment ago.
• 16:56
  oh We provide uh other atmosphere to the show.
• 17:03
  as well extras in the performance and you will see us throughout on the stage and one thing that we do a lot that some people hopefully will enjoy is we dance.
• 17:13
  We dance quite a bit.
• 17:15
  So if you're watching Waltzing, ahh I recommend a Waltz champion, Russell like to say.
• 17:23
  I dabbled.
• 17:24
  I dabbled in Waltzing back in college for a few years.
• 17:29
  I did do some competitive
• 17:31
  uh waltzing in my time and so it's been you know for me that's been really a blessing to be able to bring this skill that I had from many moons ago and be able to apply it to my
• 17:45
  other passion of musical theater and not just apply it but be able to share it with others share with others in the cast and then be able to share it with the audience so I'm really
• 17:56
  excited about that.
• 17:58
  um That's actually something that we should mention about the show as well is the reason there's so much waltzing is because this entire show is written in triple meter.
• 18:11
  So mostly it's three, four, which is like a waltz, right?
• 18:18
  One, two, three, one, two, three.
• 18:21
  But there are some parts that are in like six, eight.
• 18:24
  So it's, you know, it's still, it's like.
• 18:26
  It's still a triple meter or a nine eight.
• 18:29
  um So, but the entire show was composed that way.
• 18:34
  So Sondheim clearly made a decision that to tell this story, he wanted that waltzing um meter.
• 18:47
  so there's something to that and sort of waltzing through our lives and making sure that we're
• 18:56
  finding the right people and the right circumstances to give meaning to our lives, I think is part of what this story is trying to tell.
• 19:08
  um But it does it in this joyful um and dance-filled way.
• 19:18
  um So it's really lovely.
• 19:22
  Yeah, you'll spend your nights, you'll fall asleep, I'm tucked into bed and I can't sleep because I just have one, two, three, two, two, three, two, three, all night long.
• 19:32
  It's wonderful.
• 19:34
  No.
• 19:34
  No.
• 19:36
  It's an ear worm.
• 19:38
  but Justin, it truly does sound like you have such an important backbone to the story, like you and the rest of the quintet, because you're keeping, as you say, you're kind of
• 19:47
  moving with like this, what's the word I'm looking for?
• 19:52
  Yes, yes.
• 19:54
  Without it, you need that to move the show along in such an integral way.
• 20:00
  like Rachel said, I think the dancing, it is such a metaphor for what every character in the show, named or not, is experiencing throughout the course as it unfolds.
• 20:15
  It's a dance.
• 20:17
  Okay.
• 20:18
  and you move from one to another and you know now you're interacting with this person and that person and how everything is so in connected.
• 20:25
  Everybody is connected with everybody as you might see in a social dance.
• 20:31
  You know I've been to many social ballroom events where every person there is getting to know every person.
• 20:39
  You're dancing with everybody in every.
• 20:41
  individual and soul is interconnecting with everybody else and it's very uh describes the show pretty well.
• 20:49
  Awesome.
• 20:50
  uh
• 20:51
  have, we haven't mentioned, but some of this music is just so wonderful to sing.
• 21:01
  Like we get to do these ensemble songs where we're all singing together really, really quickly, lots of words, very Sondheim.
• 21:08
  um But then there are also these like incredibly beautiful, intimate uh songs as well.
• 21:16
  um As Charlotte, I get to do this beautiful
• 21:20
  song, it begins as a solo and then Anne joins in as a duet.
• 21:24
  It's called Every Day a Little Death.
• 21:27
  And it's just this moment that this woman who so far we had seen her only as um kind of caustic, we get to see some of her real um feelings behind it and how lost and alone she
• 21:46
  can feel.
• 21:47
  um And so
• 21:50
  You know, there is that song that everybody's heard of that Desiree sings near the end of the show, Send in the Clowns.
• 21:58
  um So, you know, it's clearly the most famous song in the show.
• 22:02
  And Natalie just sings it so beautifully.
• 22:06
  it's this.
• 22:08
  So it's a really lovely span of of music throughout the show, where you have the like the quick sound time and then you have the the emotional
• 22:20
  Sondheim as well.
• 22:22
  I love that, that it can have little bit of both in everything.
• 22:27
  with Russell, with the music, when you're talking about the music, as Sondheim music is so special, what song really kind of captures the show for you?
• 22:34
  Like, what do you think kind of defines this musical?
• 22:38
  think it's a personal, can't, it's a hard one to answer because I think it changes every time.
• 22:44
  think Every Day Little Death is up there for me.
• 22:47
  I love all the quintet stuff.
• 22:49
  um But I think for Russell, not for me as Frederick, I've always identified with the Miller son.
• 22:56
  I just, and it's such a, you don't expect this song.
• 23:00
  It comes kind of out of nowhere.
• 23:02
  know, one of our supporting actresses who is phenomenal, Haley Boggs plays Petra, who is basically the maid of the Egremans, sings this song after she's, you know, rolling around
• 23:13
  in the hay with, you know, one of the servants.
• 23:16
  um And she sings this song about, you know, what her life could be.
• 23:23
  who she could fall in love with, but she knows kind of what's set for her because of where she is in her.
• 23:30
  um I don't know, I can't explain it.
• 23:34
  I think uh a little, everyday little death tripped me up, to be honest, you know, considering, you know, the current week that I've had.
• 23:42
  But I think Miller's son is uh right now, it's...
• 23:48
  And I remember when I was at AMDA in New York City, we did a Sondheim showcase and my friend Rachel Sufflo sang that song.
• 23:56
  And it was like, you know, when you see theater and all of a sudden you're in a chair with a bunch of people, but it feels like everyone disappears.
• 24:05
  And all you see is this woman on stage, bearing her heart out to you.
• 24:11
  I just love that.
• 24:12
  I just love that about that song.
• 24:13
  I just really feel it's a testimonial.
• 24:16
  you know, about what it's like to be a woman of an age, coming of age in that time or any time.
• 24:22
  And I really relate to the feminine mystique in that way.
• 24:26
  um It breaks my heart and also fills me with such unwe but hope, if I may.
• 24:36
  So.
• 24:36
  uh
• 24:40
  Justin, how about for you?
• 24:41
  there a certain song you feel that really defines the show and or defines your role in this?
• 24:45
  Because I mean, being a part of a quintet, I'm sure there's quite a few great numbers that you're that you get to
• 24:51
  So I'm little biased.
• 24:52
  I'd say uh one of my favorite pieces in the musical is a quintet piece, shocker ah But it's actually, what are they called?
• 25:05
  They're called, throughout the second act, the quintet has a series of bits and pieces of what feels like.
• 25:16
  a larger picture of a song.
• 25:18
  Again, you know, we're setting this tone and we're telling this story alongside the primary story.
• 25:24
  But as the second act opens, we basically give you a little bit of the song and then some time goes on.
• 25:32
  And then we build on that and give you a little bit more.
• 25:35
  And then a little bit more happens with the leads.
• 25:37
  And then it culminates in this almost of this one song.
• 25:41
  It's three parts that has this finale that builds to this great moment where all five
• 25:46
  of us come on stage and we bless just our ears with this five-part harmony that uh really just drives home this piece that we've been building up to throughout the first uh block
• 25:59
  of the second act.
• 26:00
  And for me, it's less about how it contributes to the story itself that I admire, but just musically how it comes together.
• 26:11
  And I think just the harmonies and the chords that are made against Sondheim is just
• 26:16
  fantastic with the music that he writes and to me it just brings this satisfaction and when we come together for that final moment and for me that's what a lot of performing in
• 26:29
  these shows is about is just those beautiful moments of art that you get to create and share with others.
• 26:36
  And also the quintet really, I mean, part of what is, what they say over and over throughout the show is remember.
• 26:46
  And they're helping us to see memories of Frederick and Desiree and bringing those to light.
• 26:57
  um And it also, I think for those watching, allows you to have that moment, remember.
• 27:06
  Remember of different moments in your life that had impact, different moments in your life that you want to bring to light, that you want to hold and that continues to be a part of
• 27:22
  us, right?
• 27:24
  And I think it's those moments too that bring the audience back into the story.
• 27:28
  Those little breaks when the quintet, you know, makes those phrases.
• 27:31
  ah It's almost a love letter to them, you know, saying, come with us, you know.
• 27:38
  Don't you recall?
• 27:40
  I don't know.
• 27:40
  It's beautiful.
• 27:42
  Rachel, you worked as a cantor for over 20 years.
• 27:44
  What is it like to switch from religious to secular music?
• 27:47
  Well, I've been doing some secular music all along, but this is the first year that I have had space in my life really to do more theater.
• 28:03
  You know, I had been working full-time as the cantor at Temple Beth-El since 2004.
• 28:10
  And now here I am, I'm...
• 28:15
  doing this show and then I'm actually involved in Oliver at Nicely Theatre Group at the Berman in July.
• 28:24
  So I'm going straight from this show into another one.
• 28:26
  I never could have done that when I was working full time.
• 28:29
  It really has allowed me to spend more of my time doing something that has always been a passion of mine.
• 28:40
  I lived in New York for many years.
• 28:41
  I was a member of Actors' Equity.
• 28:44
  But for about 20 years, I really sort of shut that part of myself away.
• 28:52
  You would see little hints of it in the Cantor's Concerts or things like that.
• 28:56
  um And we do this annual Cantor's Concert at the Berman Theater.
• 29:02
  This year's is coming up on May 28th, um which I'll still be a part of.
• 29:09
  So there I would do some theater.
• 29:12
  But it...
• 29:13
  It's something I've loved since I was seven years old.
• 29:17
  And m so to be able to um bring this part of me um to the forefront has been really lovely.
• 29:28
  um finding ways to still be a canter uh in a less time consuming way um and to be freelance in town has been a real gift.
• 29:41
  And that's awesome that you can share your gift with so many people in different ways now too.
• 29:47
  And Russell, you lived and worked in New York, as you mentioned, ah but you've returned home and you're kind of getting involved in community theater.
• 29:53
  What is it like to kind of return back to the community?
• 29:57
  You know, it was it I lived in New York for 25 years.
• 30:01
  Coming back to Detroit was bittersweet.
• 30:03
  I won't lie, but I was ready for change.
• 30:07
  I had my own business for 13 years and it was very successful until it was time to like wrap it up and call it a day.
• 30:14
  I never.
• 30:16
  It's interesting because those of us who moved to New York to pursue a career in acting will take on so many bizarre jobs.
• 30:25
  plays that no one's ever heard of, like I skipped the prom and got my nipples pierced instead, you know, for like $500 for two weeks.
• 30:33
  And then you come back to home and you see these community theaters.
• 30:37
  And Michigan is truly blessed with an array of community theater of really good quality, to be honest.
• 30:44
  And you meet these people when you get cast in a show that have been in Les Mis five times, and you've been doing these crazy off-Broadway plays that no one cares about.
• 30:53
  And you're like, wow.
• 30:55
  This is kind of cool.
• 30:57
  And I have to say coming back has been a blessing because I've gotten to reconnect with that part of myself that loves to act.
• 31:06
  I'm an actor first before anything and I love to take on a character and the roles that I've been blessed to play that I've been grateful enough to be cast in since I've been
• 31:16
  back in Michigan have changed my life.
• 31:19
  And I know that sounds really cliche, but like,
• 31:23
  Like playing someone like George in La Cage aux Folles or and being in Ragtime, like which is my favorite musical of all time.
• 31:29
  It's like, I don't know, it's wonderful.
• 31:32
  So I love Michigan.
• 31:34
  I never thought I would say that because I ran for Michigan screaming back in 1995.
• 31:41
  So it's great to be back.
• 31:42
  Of course, I miss my family and friends a lot and I miss the subway because it sucks driving everywhere, but Michigan is great.
• 31:51
  pierced?
• 31:53
  Did you come back with nipples pierced?
• 31:57
  No.
• 32:00
  What do they call that?
• 32:01
  uh That kind of acting, right?
• 32:03
  that for that rent and for $500, you know, you can't do both.
• 32:09
  And Justin, this is actually your second show with Village Players.
• 32:12
  You were also in The Music Man, which was an incredible production.
• 32:16
  What is it about Birmingham Village Players that keeps bringing you back?
• 32:19
  proximity, it's right down the street.
• 32:21
  uh That's only partly true.
• 32:31
  actually, I did Music Man, which was my first production with Birmingham Village Players, actually my first production in Michigan, and my first production I had done in at least
• 32:44
  six years at the time.
• 32:45
  So it was really just...
• 32:47
  really kind of diving back in for me.
• 32:50
  at that time I lived out in Keego Harbor.
• 32:53
  uh so it was a little bit of a commute to come out here.
• 32:58
  So it certainly was something that I wanted to do and I was very happy to do it.
• 33:02
  uh the community around Birmingham Village Players, it sucks you in immediately.
• 33:10
  uh
• 33:12
  It's doing music man, Joe Vercellone, think I pronounced his name right, uh Vercellone.
• 33:20
  He directed that one and ah just the spirit and passion and compassion that he had for the show and for the cast members.
• 33:30
  It was so, so tangible and something that was, it was interesting for me, it was that we did uh our first.
• 33:38
  of vocal rehearsals while the stage was preoccupied with another show, we actually did it in his home.
• 33:44
  And so here we are coming to a music lesson or music rehearsal and we're taking our shoes off at the door, walking around in our socks.
• 33:53
  And he's like, you know, here's my kitchen.
• 33:55
  And it was so, it was just so close and connected.
• 34:00
  like, you just really, people become a part of your family.
• 34:04
  And that was just a music man.
• 34:07
  And so moving to a little night music, you know, I was when I did Music Man, Holly, the director, you know, she she was telling everybody, you know, hey, we're going to be doing
• 34:19
  the show in a year from now.
• 34:21
  And we would just really love for you guys to come out.
• 34:24
  And, know, and she basically went around to everybody individually.
• 34:27
  She just talks to you as an individual person who cares.
• 34:31
  And it's like, you know, I'd really like for you to come out and audition for the show.
• 34:36
  And
• 34:37
  you know, especially for me going from the quartet to the quintet of Music Man, it just seemed like a natural fit for me to audition for.
• 34:45
  And when I showed up to the auditions, I can't tell you how many people who I hadn't spoken to since Music Man a year ago, they all remembered my name and they were all so
• 34:54
  happy and excited to see me there, Holly and Brian and everyone that I knew from Music Man who was at auditions.
• 35:00
  There was just so much love in the community.
• 35:03
  And that's just something that
• 35:05
  you don't find everywhere and when you do find it, it's something that you want to hold on to and foster.
• 35:10
  You never want to leave.
• 35:12
  So I've really enjoyed my time with BVP so far.
• 35:15
  they might convince me to come back for a third show.
• 35:18
  I hope so because it is like a family, you know, it really is.
• 35:24
  Plus now I live 10 minutes down the street.
• 35:26
  I'm gonna pause.
• 35:26
  Yeah.
• 35:27
  come back Justin you have to
• 35:30
  There's a quick story I'd like to share about that.
• 35:35
  know, some theaters tend to be kind of clicky and um it's really difficult to get cast if you don't know the people that are creating the show and you haven't worked with that
• 35:50
  director or in that theater.
• 35:52
  And I was coming to these auditions
• 35:54
  really not knowing any of the creative team.
• 36:01
  so I didn't know if I had a chance really.
• 36:05
  um And I have found that this theater and these directors um have been so open.
• 36:18
  I mean, they were just looking for the people who would embody these characters.
• 36:43
  Hey.
• 36:45
  and they all stopped what they were doing and sang to me and Holly brought
• 36:52
  treats and a little there was a little sign.
• 36:55
  It was just it was so incredible.
• 36:58
  And I came home and I said to my husband, this is a theater where I love to be like this is it.
• 37:06
  It's just this Hamish, you know, this very like warm and um friendly and welcoming place.
• 37:15
  um You know, Brian immediately showed me all the little
• 37:20
  ins and outs of the theater.
• 37:22
  it's just, everyone has been so lovely.
• 37:26
  And um I do think that that is um the way this theater functions.
• 37:34
  And so it's really, um it's such a pleasure to work there and oh to be a part of this cast and crew.
• 37:45
  There is definitely a fantastic energy at Birmingham Village Players.
• 37:48
  They just, you could tell that they care about everybody who comes in, whether they're a guest or they're an actor.
• 37:53
  There's just, and that's just, it's very warm and inviting.
• 37:56
  And that's definitely a highlight for this theater.
• 37:59
  So one final question for all of you before I let you go, because I know we're getting close to rehearsal time.
• 38:04
  So Rachel, I'll start with, Rachel, I'll start with you.
• 38:07
  Just what are you hoping, honestly, take away from this production of A Little Night Music?
• 38:11
  um I think that as I was saying earlier that the um the fact that there's so much difficult stuff happening in the world right now the fact that people are having a hard
• 38:29
  time um I think what's so important is to find connections and this show is really about that it's about
• 38:39
  finding connections and the people who you are meant to be with and m finding um the relationships that you're meant to have um and in the most joyful music-filled way
• 38:58
  possible.
• 39:00
  So that's, think, a takeaway.
• 39:02
  I do also just want to mention, um just because we haven't mentioned it, that I
• 39:09
  did put out uh a new album last year.
• 39:15
  And if anybody is interested, it's an EP called Woman in the Moon.
• 39:22
  um Yes.
• 39:26
  And it's on all the platforms.
• 39:27
  You can find it on Apple Music or Spotify or wherever you listen to music.
• 39:32
  um And I'm really proud of it.
• 39:35
  um It has some
• 39:37
  incredible musicians playing with me.
• 39:40
  um And so, yeah, so I would love to share that with all of you.
• 39:46
  um But hopefully, Brian, we'll get to see you at Little Night Music.
• 39:51
  Hopefully, you'll be there.
• 39:54
  Excellent.
• 39:55
  I look forward to meeting you in person.
• 39:57
  Yeah, this, really, it's such a great show and every person is so well cast and...
• 40:05
  It's really, it's gonna be, I think it will really have an impact on the people who come to see it.
• 40:13
  such a beautiful answer.
• 40:14
  And absolutely people check out her EP.
• 40:16
  If there's a link for like a website or something, send it our way and we'll put it in our write up as well.
• 40:20
  So Justin, how about for you?
• 40:23
  What do you want audiences to take away?
• 40:24
  And I know I'm making you follow Rachel's beautiful answer.
• 40:28
  Yeah, thanks, Rich.
• 40:29
  uh
• 40:31
  But uh I'll take a slightly different approach.
• 40:35
  I'd say for me, one of the main reasons that I do these shows is I'm sure everyone in the cast probably feels the same way as that.
• 40:48
  doing these shows, it's an opportunity for us to use our talents to not only express ourselves, but to come together and at the end of the day, create a work of art.
• 40:58
  And it is such an honor to be able to present that work of art to the community.
• 41:06
  I put myself in the shoes of myself when I go to a professional theater or just go to a concert.
• 41:15
  see the opera or I hear the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and just those feelings that beautiful art can make you feel in that moment and it just gives you this you know sense
• 41:28
  of life and wonderment that you may not have had going into it and so that's what I really hope to present to the audiences is a good piece of art that people can enjoy and take
• 41:42
  with them and feel something and hopefully
• 41:45
  you know, a positive change in their lives because of it.
• 41:48
  answer.
• 41:49
  Russell, close us out.
• 41:50
  What do you hope an audience's take away?
• 41:52
  Yeah, right.
• 41:52
  They all said it all.
• 41:54
  um I guess to quote, I know, um but they really, they really said it.
• 42:03
  I think to quote, Frederick Eggerman, if I may, a coherent existence after so many years of muddle.
• 42:12
  That's what I hope people take.
• 42:14
  Not that people, all the audience members are, you know, in a conundrum of their lives, but life is short.
• 42:21
  Live your dreams, scheme those schemes.
• 42:24
  You know I mean?
• 42:26
  Go forward and get what you want because tomorrow is not promised.
• 42:31
  For sure.
• 42:32
  Absolutely.
• 42:33
  I appreciate all three of you being here.
• 42:34
  Thank you so much for joining me and talking about the show.
• 42:36
  It's been such a pleasure and we are so excited for it to arrive.
• 42:40
  Thank you, Brian.
• 42:43
  Yeah, this was fun.
• 42:46
  So a little night music arrives at Birmingham Village Players on May 1st and runs through the 17th.
• 42:50
  So get your tickets now and we'll see you at the show.