WEBVTT
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From the cast on stage and cruise behind the curtain to community partners supporting efforts to bring professional Broadway performances to West Michigan.
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Plus, all things in between, this is BGR's Backstage Buzz.
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I'm Jen Ferposco, VP of Marketing and Community Engagement at Broadway Grand Rapids.
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And I'm Steve Stegetty, producer, Broadway fan, and proud BGR ambassador.
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Steve, this is our last episode for the season.
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Can you believe that?
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I actually just thought that this morning and thought I was gonna have to put a little closer on or little goodbye to everybody until next season.
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Yeah.
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But I'm glad I get to enjoy it with you on a nice hot summer day uh here in Michigan.
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Got that nice cloud cover of uh with the wildfires that are unfortunately coming through here.
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But Well, I think we'll still be able to see the green light.
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I like what you just did there.
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Coming up, our last show, based on the classic American novel by F.
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Scott Fitzgerald, our final musical this 26-27 season is an unforgettable journey of love, wealth, and tragedy that brings the roaring twenties to life on stage.
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Of course, we're talking about the Tony Award-winning new musical, The Great Gatsby.
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Entertainment Weekly says it's a Broadway extravaganza that explodes with life and energy.
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Have you seen it yet, Steve?
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I have not.
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I mean, I'll use the retreat.
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Yeah.
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And I've read the book when I was a child.
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And actually, my daughter, it's her favorite book from when she was little, and she still maintains that.
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So I'm I'm very, very excited.
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Uh, I love the movie, actually.
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I mean, for whatever people thought one way or the other, how it was, but yeah, the timing is great too because we did a special showing over at Celebration Cinema.
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They did a cinema sunset series, and the great Gatsby was part of that.
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And, you know, I I just love that we're able to bring those movies on stage and see it in a different light.
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We've been there have been a few of those the last couple of years.
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It seems like that's ramping up a little bit more.
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This this I think so.
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Book to movie to Broadway kind of path that a lot of uh pieces of media are taking.
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So it's pretty interesting.
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It is interesting.
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And today we're gonna chat more about all of it with University of Michigan grad and the person you'll see playing Tom Buchanan.
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We have Will Branner with us today.
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Hello, good morning.
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Oh my goodness.
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Hello, Will.
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How are you?
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I'm doing well.
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I'm doing well.
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Obviously, you are the big man on stage.
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Tom Buchanan, what is it about this role that you really wanted to make it your own?
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Well, I've been playing a a lot of bad guys recently.
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Um I think this is my fifth one in a row.
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So uh I was like, let's keep the streak going.
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No, I think Tom Buchanan, there's there's something I love about villains, which is if if the villain is good, the show is good.
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I think Me Girls is a great example of that.
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I think Back to the Future is a great example of that.
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Um, so here comes another iconic villain that kind of fell into my lap, and I had ideas immediately.
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And as an actor, when you get the ideas coming into your head, that's when you know you should be playing the part.
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It was less about, you know, oh, the Great Gatsby is such a cool show, or or this is such a great opportunity.
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It was like, no, I know exactly how I want to play this character and uh please let me have it.
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Well, that sounds fantastic.
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That's gonna bring me past a couple of questions straight to something more relatable then.
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So, how do you find something relatable in a character that audiences are meant to dislike?
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Yeah, I think you it's I I call it uh making making it palatable or helping the medicine go down, right?
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If it's all uh if you're like a hammer just smacking the nail over and over again that you're the bad guy, it doesn't land on the audience quite in such a nice way.
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You know, they're they're there to have a have a fun time, a good night at the theater, and uh and and so you can really ruin a show if you're if you're too heavy-handed with your your villainy.
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So you gotta find a way to like make the audience like you, kind of bring them in and then break their heart at some point when they when they start to notice what the the less than ideal characteristics of your character.
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The other part is I believe, just so you know, when I'm on that stage, I'm I'm the hero.
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There's no I don't I don't know that I'm the villain when I'm up there.
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So I'm just trying to make every decision for Tom Bucanan to win the story.
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I hear, you know, hear that a lot that it's villains aren't villains because they decided to be bad one day.
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Villains are villains because they're doing what they believe is right to accomplish a goal.
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And it is, you know, the rest of the reaction that that makes them a villain or not.
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So for somebody like Tom, who's maybe a little more pulled down and grounded like physically from some of your other villains, right?
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He's got money, power, and confidence, but he's like majorly insecure.
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How do you how do you balance that quieter side of villains next to some of the more overt ones that you've played?
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Totally.
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It was a great another reason I wanted to do the show so bad was to uh have a have a job on my resume that was a little bit more pulled down, that was a little bit more grounded.
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So that's been the challenge with this character.
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He's not as big and and loud as Biff or or as as crazy as some of the rock shows I've done.
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So it is, there's a more grounded experience there.
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And what we do is we just go to the text of the book.
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So uh F.
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Scott Fitzgerald kind of it's an open book test when you're when you're in the Greek Gaston.
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He left you all these breadcombs to draw from within uh within the story.
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I think the first few pages, there's a great quote that's like the effeminate slank of his riding boots could not hide the enormous power of that body.
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So you just go right to a sentence like that, and that gives you everything you need as an actor.
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Well, you know, you mentioned Biff, so let's do a little rewind here.
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Tell us about uh your other roles and really what got you into the love of theater.
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Yeah, I I did my I went to my mom when I was in third grade and said, Mom, I want to be in a commercial.
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And she was just like, What?
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Uh I don't know what to do with you.
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So she just dropped me off at the local community theater and we were off to the races.
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I think I did two or three full-length musicals every year while being a three-sport athlete.
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Wow.
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Um we come from a big basketball family.
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My dad played at um uh Chapel Hill.
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My mom was a cheerleader there, so we weren't ready to give up the sports yet.
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So we were a full uh Zach Efron, Troy Bolton from high school musical moment going back and forth um from play practice, as we called it.
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We didn't call it rehearsal then, we called it play practice to uh to sports practice.
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Um and yeah, and then I I realized I didn't have to do math ever again if I auditioned for musical theater programs.
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So we we went that route and landed at the University of Michigan and then had been uh did four wonderful years there and then launched uh that helped launch my career and been working ever since.
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So my my Broadway debut was Back to the Future on Broadway.
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I was in the ensemble and covered George McFly and Biff in that.
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And then eventually I I came back for a brief stint to just be Biff on Broadway, which was such a I mean that that show being your Broadway debut, I can't say it was it was an experience of a lifetime.
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I mean, it we met everyone involved with the Back to the Future production.
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It was it was uh Steven Spielberg was was there and Christopher Lloyd and Michael J.
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Fox.
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I mean, it was the the the full breadth of of everybody who has ever worked on that uh Back to the Future project.
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So it was it was such a gift, and uh and playing Biff every night was was so fun.
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The kids were always scared at the stage door, and you're like, no, I'm nice, I mean I'm so funny.
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Well, so clearly you like these big productions because back to the future, if you haven't seen it, boy, that was a production itself.
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I felt like I was at Disney when I when I first saw it because of all of the dynamic set features, but then you've got the great Gatsby, which is just really roaring 20s on steroids.
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We have a we have a joke.
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It's like I only do big shows with cars in them.
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Oh like so, like Bad It of Hell, which I did at City Center in like 2018, they had a car that like came on the stage and would move around and motorcycles and all this stuff.
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And Back to the Future obviously has DeLorean that flies in the air.
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And this show, The Great Gatsby, we're driving a Rolls-Royce on stage.
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The spectacle is amazing.
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When I had seen the show on Broadway, I was like, How are they gonna tour this?
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How are they gonna pare this down to get it on the road?
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I wonder what cuts they're gonna make.
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And they really haven't cut very much.
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Really?
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There's maybe one moving platform.
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Okay, but otherwise, they have found a way to fold this thing up and stick it into eight trucks and drive it from city to city.
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So it really is a marble, and every everybody is getting the broad, the full Broadway show, the full Broadway experience in your hometown, which is really cool.
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Uh, shifting back into kind of the themes of the show, right?
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I mean, obviously today we don't get too deep in this today.
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The, you know, there's a lot of pressures on all sides in the world about haves, have-nots, and you know, things like that.
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Uh, obviously, we're living in a world of opulence and uh extravagance with a lot of these characters, and there's a lot of pushback internally and externally in these roles here.
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Has any uh any of that gone through your head about how this kind of analogy of you know today's world kind of plays out while you're doing these performances?
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Definitely.
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I this was a this was a time that the 1920s mirrors our 20s that we're having right now with this boom in technology.
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Like we they're they are encountering new ways of thinking, new yeah, technologies for lack of a better word.
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There's this new stuff coming at them from all different angles.
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And uh I think there's with with new things comes new opportunities and also new challenges and new cultural struggles.
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And I think that mirrors our society exactly today with the the AI that's going on, with um it seems that our entire society is pivoting in new directions and no one quite knows which is the direction truly to go.
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And I think these characters represent that at all their different angles.
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You've got, you know, the working class guy trying to make it in society, you've got the guy who already has money, he's trying to figure out what's going on, and you've got the new guy who's coming to the new money that we like to say in the show, and he's also has no idea what to do with all this money.
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So there's three parallel storylines there that really sum up the uh American dream in that time.
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And I think it's a direct parallel to exactly the 19, this, this 2026 moment that we're having right now.
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Right.
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And it's a it's a strange, interesting, poetic, you know, loop, as you as you brought up.
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You know, uh, it's it's our version of the 20s.
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We're almost in the same, you know, same place as uh society.
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So that was deep.
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That was really deep.
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Fascinating observation.
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We went deep.
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We went deep.
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So, Will, we are gonna still chat with you.
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We gotta take a quick break, but are you game to play a game with us?
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I'm absolutely game to play a game.
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Let's do it.
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All right, we'll be right back.
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But first, a word from our sponsor, AHC Hospitality.
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If you have a stayed or visited us before, you might be wondering why does this place give off such good energy?
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Or make everything more flavorful?
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So we keep doing the small things that made you stay, your dinner, your event, your everything.
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All right, we're back with Will Branner, uh, Tom Buchanan in the Great Gatsby.
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Will, thank you so much for uh talking through some questions with you earlier, but now we want to take a little bit of a different angle.
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And if you're willing to come along with us, we'd like to play uh a form of a game with you.
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Are you are you up to do that?
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We're ready.
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We love games over here.
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We're very happy that you mentioned and we spoke around a lot of a similar topic uh with your performances over the years, that being villains.
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And so this game that we have, we're calling Send in the Villain.
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So, Will, you've played several men who could generously be described as problematic.
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And we want to take three of your best known villains and cast them into shows from our current season, if that makes sense, right?
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So let's kind of just do a quick recap of what you've done and what you're currently doing.
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Currently, you're playing Tom Buchanan, rich, powerful, jealous, and used to getting his way.
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One of your other favorites was Biff Tannen, obviously from Back to the Future, a loud, bullying kind of meathead who solves most of his problems by being intimidating.
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And then we have one of my favorites, Orin Scrivello, the charming dentist.
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Yes, the unhinged dentist from Little Shop of Horrors, one of my favorite movies when I was a kid.
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Those are three of your main villains.
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And what we want to do is provide a scenario in the seven of our show's seasons and have you tell us which villain you've played think may be the most successful or unsuccessful in these shows.
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Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
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Okay, so so we're gonna start and let you know what that show is and then give you a little tidbit about it.
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How's that sound?
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Okay, it sounds perfect.
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The Lion King.
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Which villain would make the strongest addition to Scar's team?
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You know, I think I gotta go with Orange Scrivello because those hyenas probably have pretty bad teeth.
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And like they wouldn't eat him like because if it's lions, you know, I think I think Biff's getting eaten by a lion.
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I think Tom Buchanan's getting eaten by a lion, but like Orange Cravello would offer something.
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And the the way I played him, he kind of had some hyena in him.
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So there's so I think he would probably slot into that really, really well.
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Well, he had absolutely that's a perfect answer right there.
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He had that laugh, and you could probably knock him out with the gas too if they got too uh.
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So okay, moving on.
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Uh, and we're assuming you've seen all these or at least familiar, but uh it's okay if you haven't.
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The outsiders.
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Who would fit most naturally into the battle between the greasers and the socias?
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Ooh.
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You know, Biff Tannin, I think, is there, actually.
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He's already in the outsiders, he's just like in the back.
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So probably Biff Tannin.
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I would agree with that.
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Absolutely.
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He heard there was a rumble and he drove over from uh from the other town and uh took him fight.
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Yeah, definitely, definitely Biff Tannan.
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All right, next one, and Juliet.
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Who would be the biggest threat to Juliet taking control of her own story?
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Oh, yeah, that's Tom Buchanan all the way.
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He would just buy he would just he would just purchase out what he would just use his money for absolute nefarious purposes throughout that entire story.
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These are going very well, actually.
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These make wonderful sites.
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All right, the Book of Mormon.
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Who would be the absolute worst of the three villains to send out as a missionary?
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Oh, definitely, yeah.
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Let's go back to Orin Scribello on that one because he would be just like experimenting, you know.
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Least social graces the opposite of somebody who goes to Africa to like help to help from from from a medical perspective, you know.
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Doctors without borders, like, don't send Dr.
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Orin Scribello on the city.
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Okay, water for elephants.
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Who would survive longest in a depression era traveling circus?
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Oh, Tom Buchanan.
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He just is like, the the money is got the money.
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This is something you gotta understand about Tom Buchanan.
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The the the money is is there there's no end to how much money he will spend to get what he wants.
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That's his media millin thing.
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So depression who?
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Depression where?
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Yeah, he's gonna buy himself out of that depression era.
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No kidding.
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Kimberly Akimbo.
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Who would make Kimberly's already chaotic family life even worse?
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Let's just go Biff.
00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:30.639
Like, imagine, imagine her imagine she had this like a biff level bully uh on top of her already, her already uh weird condition that she has to deal with every single day.
00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:31.200
Yeah.
00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:39.360
I can't imagine Biff would make that like I also his like Biff's mind couldn't he couldn't wrap his mind around what her condition was.
00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:45.679
He would just think there was this old woman at the school constantly, and that he had that and he had to deal with it.
00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:47.120
He had to be the hero and song.
00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:47.840
You know what?
00:15:47.919 --> 00:15:50.159
I think we just wrote a whole Broadway show, like the Mix and Mass.
00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:51.120
The Mix and Mass.
00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:53.039
Oh, I want to see this from the life.
00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:55.440
I'm it that happens in animation of it or something.
00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:56.000
Right?
00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:59.360
That happens in books, that happens in animation now in the Marvel universe.
00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:00.799
When are we gonna get theatrical?
00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:03.919
What ifs, yes, yes.
00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.639
Well, Will, thank you for going through the seven shows.
00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:25.519
I think your answers were awesomely, perfectly on point.
00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:32.720
And we want to go on to one more quick lightning round with these same characters, just a few more questions before we wrap up things with your game for that?
00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:33.519
Absolutely.
00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:34.399
Okay, here we go.
00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:36.000
Lightning round, answer quickly.
00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:38.080
Most likely to steal someone else's spotlight.
00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:39.120
Tom Bigannon.
00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:41.200
Most likely to get thrown out of a Broadway theater.
00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:42.320
Biff Tannan.
00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:44.639
Most likely to think he is the hero.
00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:46.159
Biff Tannan.
00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:50.000
Most likely to survive a musical where everyone else dies.
00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:51.679
Oh, Orin Scrivello.
00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:52.879
Scrappy.
00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:56.240
Most likely to demand his own 11 o'clock number.
00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:58.799
Oh, Orin Scrivello.
00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:02.960
Most likely to receive a standing O despite being completely awful.
00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:04.480
Oh, Tom Buchanan.
00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:08.240
And final question: Will, which one of these three villains would you most want to play again?
00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:11.279
And which would you never want to be trapped in a dressing room with?
00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:12.480
Ooh, good question.
00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:15.920
Ooh, play again would be Orin Scribello.
00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:19.519
I think Little Shop of Horrors is an absolute musical theater masterpiece.
00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:21.359
Um, I had the time of my life doing that.
00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:23.279
Won an award for my performance in it.
00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:25.119
I'm ready to take another crack at it.
00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:26.480
So this is me manifesting that.
00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:27.920
That's what we gotta do.
00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:33.039
And then not share a dressing room with Tom Buchanan.
00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:33.279
Yeah.
00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:33.519
Okay.
00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:35.839
Yeah, that would be if we could.
00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:39.039
I could, I could, I could work with Biff and Orange Scrum.
00:17:39.519 --> 00:17:41.680
Tom, Tom is on another level, I think.
00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:44.799
Well, Will, thank you so much for spending time with us.
00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:49.920
We can't wait to see you on stage, and I know all of West Michigan's gonna happily welcome you back.
00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:50.559
Awesome.
00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:51.759
Thank you guys so much for having me.
00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:52.559
This was so fun.
00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:53.200
Take care.
00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:54.160
Take care.
00:17:54.559 --> 00:18:00.880
The Great Gatsby makes its way to the stage on Tuesday, July 21st through the 26th at DeVos Performance Hall.
00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:08.799
And we also want to take time to give a huge shout out to our season sponsor, Meyer, and our title sponsor, Fifth Third Bank, for making it all possible.
00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:17.759
And show sponsors AHC Hospitality, AARP Michigan, Blacks Enterprises Inc., the Law Group at Morgan Stanley, and Sharp Card.
00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:25.359
You know, Jen, since this is our last uh episode, I just want to I want to go out there and cheer you too and just thank everybody for giving us a listen over the last couple years.
00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:31.519
I think this is our third or fourth season we've been doing this and having a blast talking to these performers, the people behind the scenes.
00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:32.400
We're lucky.
00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:44.000
I mean, it's a cool moment where, you know, as people are driving through the show, they can listen to our podcast too, is what I've heard some people say that you know, as as we're headed out to Devon's Performance Hall, we listen to you and Steve and get the insights too.
00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:44.720
So that's kind of fun.
00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:51.359
And of course, we want to encourage everybody during our off season here to please go back through the catalog, take a listen to some of the older shows.
00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:53.920
You might gain some pretty cool insight on on some of these shows.
00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:59.519
And we're gonna be back again next year with more updates, more interviews, maybe a couple new surprises.
00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:00.799
Oh, I love surprises.
00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:07.359
And you know what, Steve, we don't get that much of a break because our new season starts in September with Alicia Keys Health Kitchen.
00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:11.279
So then it's like boom, boom, boom, month after month we've got shows.
00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:13.119
So people, you know, they're gonna tune in.
00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:14.480
They're gonna want to hear what we have to say.
00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:15.680
Sounds good to me, Jen.
00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:20.079
Of course, as always, we thank you for joining us, and we will see you at the show.
00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:20.960
Bye.
00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:10.240
From the cast on stage and cruise behind the curtain to community partners supporting efforts to bring professional Broadway performances to West Michigan.
00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:14.800
Plus, all things in between, this is BGR's Backstage Buzz.
00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:22.239
I'm Jen Ferposco, VP of Marketing and Community Engagement at Broadway Grand Rapids.
00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:26.800
And I'm Steve Stegetty, producer, Broadway fan, and proud BGR ambassador.
00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:29.280
Steve, this is our last episode for the season.
00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:30.079
Can you believe that?
00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:36.079
I actually just thought that this morning and thought I was gonna have to put a little closer on or little goodbye to everybody until next season.
00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:36.479
Yeah.
00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:41.359
But I'm glad I get to enjoy it with you on a nice hot summer day uh here in Michigan.
00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:46.640
Got that nice cloud cover of uh with the wildfires that are unfortunately coming through here.
00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:49.359
But Well, I think we'll still be able to see the green light.
00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:52.479
I like what you just did there.
00:00:52.799 --> 00:00:56.479
Coming up, our last show, based on the classic American novel by F.
00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:08.000
Scott Fitzgerald, our final musical this 26-27 season is an unforgettable journey of love, wealth, and tragedy that brings the roaring twenties to life on stage.
00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:13.760
Of course, we're talking about the Tony Award-winning new musical, The Great Gatsby.
00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:19.519
Entertainment Weekly says it's a Broadway extravaganza that explodes with life and energy.
00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:20.799
Have you seen it yet, Steve?
00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:21.200
I have not.
00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:22.879
I mean, I'll use the retreat.
00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:23.120
Yeah.
00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:25.120
And I've read the book when I was a child.
00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:29.359
And actually, my daughter, it's her favorite book from when she was little, and she still maintains that.
00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:31.840
So I'm I'm very, very excited.
00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:33.200
Uh, I love the movie, actually.
00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:41.599
I mean, for whatever people thought one way or the other, how it was, but yeah, the timing is great too because we did a special showing over at Celebration Cinema.
00:01:41.680 --> 00:01:46.079
They did a cinema sunset series, and the great Gatsby was part of that.
00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:52.319
And, you know, I I just love that we're able to bring those movies on stage and see it in a different light.
00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:54.400
We've been there have been a few of those the last couple of years.
00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:56.000
It seems like that's ramping up a little bit more.
00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:57.280
This this I think so.
00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:02.159
Book to movie to Broadway kind of path that a lot of uh pieces of media are taking.
00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:02.959
So it's pretty interesting.
00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:03.920
It is interesting.
00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:11.120
And today we're gonna chat more about all of it with University of Michigan grad and the person you'll see playing Tom Buchanan.
00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:13.599
We have Will Branner with us today.
00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:14.960
Hello, good morning.
00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:15.919
Oh my goodness.
00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:16.800
Hello, Will.
00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:17.439
How are you?
00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:18.639
I'm doing well.
00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:19.599
I'm doing well.
00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:22.159
Obviously, you are the big man on stage.
00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:27.520
Tom Buchanan, what is it about this role that you really wanted to make it your own?
00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:30.800
Well, I've been playing a a lot of bad guys recently.
00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:33.680
Um I think this is my fifth one in a row.
00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:36.639
So uh I was like, let's keep the streak going.
00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:43.120
No, I think Tom Buchanan, there's there's something I love about villains, which is if if the villain is good, the show is good.
00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:45.520
I think Me Girls is a great example of that.
00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:48.159
I think Back to the Future is a great example of that.
00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:54.479
Um, so here comes another iconic villain that kind of fell into my lap, and I had ideas immediately.
00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:58.800
And as an actor, when you get the ideas coming into your head, that's when you know you should be playing the part.
00:02:58.960 --> 00:03:04.000
It was less about, you know, oh, the Great Gatsby is such a cool show, or or this is such a great opportunity.
00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:09.120
It was like, no, I know exactly how I want to play this character and uh please let me have it.
00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:11.039
Well, that sounds fantastic.
00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:14.080
That's gonna bring me past a couple of questions straight to something more relatable then.
00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:19.840
So, how do you find something relatable in a character that audiences are meant to dislike?
00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:25.520
Yeah, I think you it's I I call it uh making making it palatable or helping the medicine go down, right?
00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:33.840
If it's all uh if you're like a hammer just smacking the nail over and over again that you're the bad guy, it doesn't land on the audience quite in such a nice way.
00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:44.319
You know, they're they're there to have a have a fun time, a good night at the theater, and uh and and so you can really ruin a show if you're if you're too heavy-handed with your your villainy.
00:03:44.479 --> 00:03:56.560
So you gotta find a way to like make the audience like you, kind of bring them in and then break their heart at some point when they when they start to notice what the the less than ideal characteristics of your character.
00:03:56.800 --> 00:04:01.039
The other part is I believe, just so you know, when I'm on that stage, I'm I'm the hero.
00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:04.319
There's no I don't I don't know that I'm the villain when I'm up there.
00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:09.039
So I'm just trying to make every decision for Tom Bucanan to win the story.
00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:14.080
I hear, you know, hear that a lot that it's villains aren't villains because they decided to be bad one day.
00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:18.879
Villains are villains because they're doing what they believe is right to accomplish a goal.
00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:22.240
And it is, you know, the rest of the reaction that that makes them a villain or not.
00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:29.680
So for somebody like Tom, who's maybe a little more pulled down and grounded like physically from some of your other villains, right?
00:04:29.759 --> 00:04:33.439
He's got money, power, and confidence, but he's like majorly insecure.
00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:39.519
How do you how do you balance that quieter side of villains next to some of the more overt ones that you've played?
00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:40.079
Totally.
00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:49.360
It was a great another reason I wanted to do the show so bad was to uh have a have a job on my resume that was a little bit more pulled down, that was a little bit more grounded.
00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:51.199
So that's been the challenge with this character.
00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:58.480
He's not as big and and loud as Biff or or as as crazy as some of the rock shows I've done.
00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:01.680
So it is, there's a more grounded experience there.
00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:04.480
And what we do is we just go to the text of the book.
00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:05.439
So uh F.
00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:09.920
Scott Fitzgerald kind of it's an open book test when you're when you're in the Greek Gaston.
00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:14.000
He left you all these breadcombs to draw from within uh within the story.
00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:22.240
I think the first few pages, there's a great quote that's like the effeminate slank of his riding boots could not hide the enormous power of that body.
00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:26.800
So you just go right to a sentence like that, and that gives you everything you need as an actor.
00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:30.079
Well, you know, you mentioned Biff, so let's do a little rewind here.
00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:34.959
Tell us about uh your other roles and really what got you into the love of theater.
00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:42.160
Yeah, I I did my I went to my mom when I was in third grade and said, Mom, I want to be in a commercial.
00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:44.000
And she was just like, What?
00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:45.920
Uh I don't know what to do with you.
00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:50.560
So she just dropped me off at the local community theater and we were off to the races.
00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:56.160
I think I did two or three full-length musicals every year while being a three-sport athlete.
00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:56.560
Wow.
00:05:56.720 --> 00:05:58.480
Um we come from a big basketball family.
00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:00.879
My dad played at um uh Chapel Hill.
00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:04.720
My mom was a cheerleader there, so we weren't ready to give up the sports yet.
00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:12.800
So we were a full uh Zach Efron, Troy Bolton from high school musical moment going back and forth um from play practice, as we called it.
00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:17.120
We didn't call it rehearsal then, we called it play practice to uh to sports practice.
00:06:17.519 --> 00:06:24.639
Um and yeah, and then I I realized I didn't have to do math ever again if I auditioned for musical theater programs.
00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:35.680
So we we went that route and landed at the University of Michigan and then had been uh did four wonderful years there and then launched uh that helped launch my career and been working ever since.
00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:40.240
So my my Broadway debut was Back to the Future on Broadway.
00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:44.720
I was in the ensemble and covered George McFly and Biff in that.
00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:57.920
And then eventually I I came back for a brief stint to just be Biff on Broadway, which was such a I mean that that show being your Broadway debut, I can't say it was it was an experience of a lifetime.
00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:01.600
I mean, it we met everyone involved with the Back to the Future production.
00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:06.720
It was it was uh Steven Spielberg was was there and Christopher Lloyd and Michael J.
00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:06.959
Fox.
00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:14.639
I mean, it was the the the full breadth of of everybody who has ever worked on that uh Back to the Future project.
00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:19.040
So it was it was such a gift, and uh and playing Biff every night was was so fun.
00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:23.120
The kids were always scared at the stage door, and you're like, no, I'm nice, I mean I'm so funny.
00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:29.920
Well, so clearly you like these big productions because back to the future, if you haven't seen it, boy, that was a production itself.
00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:41.360
I felt like I was at Disney when I when I first saw it because of all of the dynamic set features, but then you've got the great Gatsby, which is just really roaring 20s on steroids.
00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:43.519
We have a we have a joke.
00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:45.920
It's like I only do big shows with cars in them.
00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:56.399
Oh like so, like Bad It of Hell, which I did at City Center in like 2018, they had a car that like came on the stage and would move around and motorcycles and all this stuff.
00:07:56.480 --> 00:07:59.839
And Back to the Future obviously has DeLorean that flies in the air.
00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:04.639
And this show, The Great Gatsby, we're driving a Rolls-Royce on stage.
00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:06.720
The spectacle is amazing.
00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:09.759
When I had seen the show on Broadway, I was like, How are they gonna tour this?
00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:12.079
How are they gonna pare this down to get it on the road?
00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:14.160
I wonder what cuts they're gonna make.
00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:16.079
And they really haven't cut very much.
00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:16.480
Really?
00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:18.480
There's maybe one moving platform.
00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:24.399
Okay, but otherwise, they have found a way to fold this thing up and stick it into eight trucks and drive it from city to city.
00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:33.279
So it really is a marble, and every everybody is getting the broad, the full Broadway show, the full Broadway experience in your hometown, which is really cool.
00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:36.960
Uh, shifting back into kind of the themes of the show, right?
00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:39.360
I mean, obviously today we don't get too deep in this today.
00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:44.639
The, you know, there's a lot of pressures on all sides in the world about haves, have-nots, and you know, things like that.
00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:53.840
Uh, obviously, we're living in a world of opulence and uh extravagance with a lot of these characters, and there's a lot of pushback internally and externally in these roles here.
00:08:54.000 --> 00:09:02.559
Has any uh any of that gone through your head about how this kind of analogy of you know today's world kind of plays out while you're doing these performances?
00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:03.440
Definitely.
00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:11.519
I this was a this was a time that the 1920s mirrors our 20s that we're having right now with this boom in technology.
00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:18.320
Like we they're they are encountering new ways of thinking, new yeah, technologies for lack of a better word.
00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:21.919
There's this new stuff coming at them from all different angles.
00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:29.600
And uh I think there's with with new things comes new opportunities and also new challenges and new cultural struggles.
00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:43.759
And I think that mirrors our society exactly today with the the AI that's going on, with um it seems that our entire society is pivoting in new directions and no one quite knows which is the direction truly to go.
00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:47.200
And I think these characters represent that at all their different angles.
00:09:47.360 --> 00:10:01.039
You've got, you know, the working class guy trying to make it in society, you've got the guy who already has money, he's trying to figure out what's going on, and you've got the new guy who's coming to the new money that we like to say in the show, and he's also has no idea what to do with all this money.
00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:07.600
So there's three parallel storylines there that really sum up the uh American dream in that time.
00:10:07.759 --> 00:10:13.440
And I think it's a direct parallel to exactly the 19, this, this 2026 moment that we're having right now.
00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:13.840
Right.
00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:19.200
And it's a it's a strange, interesting, poetic, you know, loop, as you as you brought up.
00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:21.519
You know, uh, it's it's our version of the 20s.
00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:25.200
We're almost in the same, you know, same place as uh society.
00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:26.639
So that was deep.
00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:27.279
That was really deep.
00:10:27.679 --> 00:10:28.480
Fascinating observation.
00:10:29.679 --> 00:10:30.240
We went deep.
00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:31.120
We went deep.
00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:33.759
So, Will, we are gonna still chat with you.
00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:38.480
We gotta take a quick break, but are you game to play a game with us?
00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:40.559
I'm absolutely game to play a game.
00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:41.039
Let's do it.
00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:42.799
All right, we'll be right back.
00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:46.639
But first, a word from our sponsor, AHC Hospitality.
00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:54.799
If you have a stayed or visited us before, you might be wondering why does this place give off such good energy?
00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.759
Or make everything more flavorful?
00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:01.919
It's because we believe one degree of difference makes all the difference.
00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:05.440
That the little details are what set your experience over the top.
00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:12.799
So we keep doing the small things that made you stay, your dinner, your event, your everything.
00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:21.759
All right, we're back with Will Branner, uh, Tom Buchanan in the Great Gatsby.
00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:28.080
Will, thank you so much for uh talking through some questions with you earlier, but now we want to take a little bit of a different angle.
00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:32.080
And if you're willing to come along with us, we'd like to play uh a form of a game with you.
00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:33.200
Are you are you up to do that?
00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:33.840
We're ready.
00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:34.960
We love games over here.
00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:43.200
We're very happy that you mentioned and we spoke around a lot of a similar topic uh with your performances over the years, that being villains.
00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:47.279
And so this game that we have, we're calling Send in the Villain.
00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:52.240
So, Will, you've played several men who could generously be described as problematic.
00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:59.600
And we want to take three of your best known villains and cast them into shows from our current season, if that makes sense, right?
00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:03.039
So let's kind of just do a quick recap of what you've done and what you're currently doing.
00:12:03.200 --> 00:12:07.200
Currently, you're playing Tom Buchanan, rich, powerful, jealous, and used to getting his way.
00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:15.360
One of your other favorites was Biff Tannen, obviously from Back to the Future, a loud, bullying kind of meathead who solves most of his problems by being intimidating.
00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:19.840
And then we have one of my favorites, Orin Scrivello, the charming dentist.
00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:25.200
Yes, the unhinged dentist from Little Shop of Horrors, one of my favorite movies when I was a kid.
00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:26.879
Those are three of your main villains.
00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:38.240
And what we want to do is provide a scenario in the seven of our show's seasons and have you tell us which villain you've played think may be the most successful or unsuccessful in these shows.
00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:39.440
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:46.480
Okay, so so we're gonna start and let you know what that show is and then give you a little tidbit about it.
00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:47.200
How's that sound?
00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:48.399
Okay, it sounds perfect.
00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:49.440
The Lion King.
00:12:49.600 --> 00:12:53.200
Which villain would make the strongest addition to Scar's team?
00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:59.519
You know, I think I gotta go with Orange Scrivello because those hyenas probably have pretty bad teeth.
00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:05.759
And like they wouldn't eat him like because if it's lions, you know, I think I think Biff's getting eaten by a lion.
00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:10.080
I think Tom Buchanan's getting eaten by a lion, but like Orange Cravello would offer something.
00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:13.440
And the the way I played him, he kind of had some hyena in him.
00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:17.279
So there's so I think he would probably slot into that really, really well.
00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:20.000
Well, he had absolutely that's a perfect answer right there.
00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:23.279
He had that laugh, and you could probably knock him out with the gas too if they got too uh.
00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:25.600
So okay, moving on.
00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:29.840
Uh, and we're assuming you've seen all these or at least familiar, but uh it's okay if you haven't.
00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:31.120
The outsiders.
00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:35.919
Who would fit most naturally into the battle between the greasers and the socias?
00:13:36.399 --> 00:13:36.960
Ooh.
00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:40.080
You know, Biff Tannin, I think, is there, actually.
00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:42.879
He's already in the outsiders, he's just like in the back.
00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:44.639
So probably Biff Tannin.
00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:45.919
I would agree with that.
00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:46.799
Absolutely.
00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:52.000
He heard there was a rumble and he drove over from uh from the other town and uh took him fight.
00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:53.759
Yeah, definitely, definitely Biff Tannan.
00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:55.679
All right, next one, and Juliet.
00:13:55.759 --> 00:13:59.679
Who would be the biggest threat to Juliet taking control of her own story?
00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:02.399
Oh, yeah, that's Tom Buchanan all the way.
00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:10.879
He would just buy he would just he would just purchase out what he would just use his money for absolute nefarious purposes throughout that entire story.
00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:12.559
These are going very well, actually.
00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:14.000
These make wonderful sites.
00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:15.919
All right, the Book of Mormon.
00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:20.559
Who would be the absolute worst of the three villains to send out as a missionary?
00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:22.159
Oh, definitely, yeah.
00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:27.279
Let's go back to Orin Scribello on that one because he would be just like experimenting, you know.
00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:37.360
Least social graces the opposite of somebody who goes to Africa to like help to help from from from a medical perspective, you know.
00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:40.080
Doctors without borders, like, don't send Dr.
00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:41.600
Orin Scribello on the city.
00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:44.799
Okay, water for elephants.
00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:48.559
Who would survive longest in a depression era traveling circus?
00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:50.320
Oh, Tom Buchanan.
00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:52.799
He just is like, the the money is got the money.
00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:54.960
This is something you gotta understand about Tom Buchanan.
00:14:55.039 --> 00:15:00.879
The the the money is is there there's no end to how much money he will spend to get what he wants.
00:15:01.120 --> 00:15:02.639
That's his media millin thing.
00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:03.759
So depression who?
00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:04.559
Depression where?
00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:07.039
Yeah, he's gonna buy himself out of that depression era.
00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:08.559
No kidding.
00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:10.639
Kimberly Akimbo.
00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:16.320
Who would make Kimberly's already chaotic family life even worse?
00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:18.320
Let's just go Biff.
00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:30.639
Like, imagine, imagine her imagine she had this like a biff level bully uh on top of her already, her already uh weird condition that she has to deal with every single day.
00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:31.200
Yeah.
00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:39.360
I can't imagine Biff would make that like I also his like Biff's mind couldn't he couldn't wrap his mind around what her condition was.
00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:45.679
He would just think there was this old woman at the school constantly, and that he had that and he had to deal with it.
00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:47.120
He had to be the hero and song.
00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:47.840
You know what?
00:15:47.919 --> 00:15:50.159
I think we just wrote a whole Broadway show, like the Mix and Mass.
00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:51.120
The Mix and Mass.
00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:53.039
Oh, I want to see this from the life.
00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:55.440
I'm it that happens in animation of it or something.
00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:56.000
Right?
00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:59.360
That happens in books, that happens in animation now in the Marvel universe.
00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:00.799
When are we gonna get theatrical?
00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:03.919
What ifs, yes, yes.
00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.639
Well, Will, thank you for going through the seven shows.
00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:25.519
I think your answers were awesomely, perfectly on point.
00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:32.720
And we want to go on to one more quick lightning round with these same characters, just a few more questions before we wrap up things with your game for that?
00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:33.519
Absolutely.
00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:34.399
Okay, here we go.
00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:36.000
Lightning round, answer quickly.
00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:38.080
Most likely to steal someone else's spotlight.
00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:39.120
Tom Bigannon.
00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:41.200
Most likely to get thrown out of a Broadway theater.
00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:42.320
Biff Tannan.
00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:44.639
Most likely to think he is the hero.
00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:46.159
Biff Tannan.
00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:50.000
Most likely to survive a musical where everyone else dies.
00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:51.679
Oh, Orin Scrivello.
00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:52.879
Scrappy.
00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:56.240
Most likely to demand his own 11 o'clock number.
00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:58.799
Oh, Orin Scrivello.
00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:02.960
Most likely to receive a standing O despite being completely awful.
00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:04.480
Oh, Tom Buchanan.
00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:08.240
And final question: Will, which one of these three villains would you most want to play again?
00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:11.279
And which would you never want to be trapped in a dressing room with?
00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:12.480
Ooh, good question.
00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:15.920
Ooh, play again would be Orin Scribello.
00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:19.519
I think Little Shop of Horrors is an absolute musical theater masterpiece.
00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:21.359
Um, I had the time of my life doing that.
00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:23.279
Won an award for my performance in it.
00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:25.119
I'm ready to take another crack at it.
00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:26.480
So this is me manifesting that.
00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:27.920
That's what we gotta do.
00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:33.039
And then not share a dressing room with Tom Buchanan.
00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:33.279
Yeah.
00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:33.519
Okay.
00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:35.839
Yeah, that would be if we could.
00:17:36.079 --> 00:17:39.039
I could, I could, I could work with Biff and Orange Scrum.
00:17:39.519 --> 00:17:41.680
Tom, Tom is on another level, I think.
00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:44.799
Well, Will, thank you so much for spending time with us.
00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:49.920
We can't wait to see you on stage, and I know all of West Michigan's gonna happily welcome you back.
00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:50.559
Awesome.
00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:51.759
Thank you guys so much for having me.
00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:52.559
This was so fun.
00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:53.200
Take care.
00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:54.160
Take care.
00:17:54.559 --> 00:18:00.880
The Great Gatsby makes its way to the stage on Tuesday, July 21st through the 26th at DeVos Performance Hall.
00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:08.799
And we also want to take time to give a huge shout out to our season sponsor, Meyer, and our title sponsor, Fifth Third Bank, for making it all possible.
00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:17.759
And show sponsors AHC Hospitality, AARP Michigan, Blacks Enterprises Inc., the Law Group at Morgan Stanley, and Sharp Card.
00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:25.359
You know, Jen, since this is our last uh episode, I just want to I want to go out there and cheer you too and just thank everybody for giving us a listen over the last couple years.
00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:31.519
I think this is our third or fourth season we've been doing this and having a blast talking to these performers, the people behind the scenes.
00:18:31.759 --> 00:18:32.400
We're lucky.
00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:44.000
I mean, it's a cool moment where, you know, as people are driving through the show, they can listen to our podcast too, is what I've heard some people say that you know, as as we're headed out to Devon's Performance Hall, we listen to you and Steve and get the insights too.
00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:44.720
So that's kind of fun.
00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:51.359
And of course, we want to encourage everybody during our off season here to please go back through the catalog, take a listen to some of the older shows.
00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:53.920
You might gain some pretty cool insight on on some of these shows.
00:18:54.000 --> 00:18:59.519
And we're gonna be back again next year with more updates, more interviews, maybe a couple new surprises.
00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:00.799
Oh, I love surprises.
00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:07.359
And you know what, Steve, we don't get that much of a break because our new season starts in September with Alicia Keys Health Kitchen.
00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:11.279
So then it's like boom, boom, boom, month after month we've got shows.
00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:13.119
So people, you know, they're gonna tune in.
00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:14.480
They're gonna want to hear what we have to say.
00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:15.680
Sounds good to me, Jen.
00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:20.079
Of course, as always, we thank you for joining us, and we will see you at the show.
00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:20.960
Bye.
