BWW EXCLUSIVE: Roslyn Hart & Nick Chase of SHELLS

Today we are talking to the eponymous star of SHELLS herself - Roslyn Hart - in addition to the writer/director of the (mostly) one-woman-show, Nick Chase, that is equal parts 21st century party girl antics, Sandra Bernhard-esque confessionals, songs evocative of Kiki & Herb, and Joan Rivers-style in-your-face humor - all with an ultra-twenty-first century, tongue-in-cheek spin parodying the vacuous personalities of the people on magazine covers today and sending up the excesses of our own society and what we value. Plus, there are some specially selected song choices on display for all to enjoy, as well - ranging from outrageous original material to covers of songs such as Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People" and Janet Jackson's "If" - and, as a special bonus, performance clips of both those numbers from SHELLS are also available at the end of the article!

SHELLS premieres May 26th at 9:30 PM at Joe's Pub. Tickets are available here.

One Sext Too Many

PC: So, what does Shells think of GLEE?

RH: In character? OK. (Shells Voice. Long Pause.) "Uh... it's cute."

NC: Yeah, I could see Shells being a big gleek.

RH: You think she's a gleek?

NC: Yeah, I think she'd be wildly jealous, while still - in spite of herself - really loving it.

PC: She would want to be on it, right?

RH: Yeah!

NC: (Shells Voice.) "Why am I not, like, on there, you know?"

RH: (Shells Voice.) "I guess there's just commercial talent on it and I think, probably, the reason GLEE just doesn't want me on is because what I do is kind of, you know, edgy and not, you know, ‘network TV show?' So, they are, like, afraid of the things that I do onstage at Joe's Pub won't jibe with the, you know, family-friendly things they are going for. So, yeah."

PC: That was hilarious. Moving to SHELLS itself: you make a similar audience announcement prior to your performance of Marilyn Manson‘s "Beautiful People", yes?

NC: Yes!

RH: (Laughs.) Yes!

PC: Have there actually been children in the audience at any shows in the past?

RH: (Laughs.) Yeah, once, there was, I would say, a thirteen-year-old boy in the front row. So, that was really kind of awkward.

NC: New York kids are savvy, though. I figure that if you are thirteen years old in New York City, you probably have seen more than a thirty-year-old in Wisconsin has seen.

PC: Who do you consider your main influences? Sandra Bernhard?

RH: Well, I actually haven't been fortunate to see Sandra Bernhard live too much. I think the first time I saw her, actually, was after I started doing SHELLS with Nick. I know Nick and I are both big Justin Bond fans.

PC: From Kiki & Herb.

RH: Yes, yes. And, also, you know, Lauren Conrad and Tara Reid - if they were cabaret stars! (Laughs.)

PC: That's sort of the theme of the character of Shells.

RH: Yeah, it's like, "What would they sound like? What would they look like? What would they say? What songs would they pick?"

PC: And, also, I sense a Lady Gaga influence. What do you think of her?

RH: Oh, my God, we have to put in the next show what Shells thinks about Lady Gaga. What do you think, Nick?

NC: Lady Gaga? You know, more power to her! She's a fun, creative, interesting person and I feel like that's what people want in their pop stars. I mean, is she changing the face of music? I don't think that's her thing. But, she's a fun pop star.

PC: Could you both tell me the story of how you two found each other and developed this show?

NC: Well, we've known each other since we were twelve years old; since we were kids. So, we were living in New York City and working at Bryant Park Grill and saw all of these women who were, you know, late-twenties, early-thirties sort of cruising for a husband at cocktail hour. And, you look at them, and they have everything - at least, judging from my perspective - you know, they have the money and all the clothes they ever wanted. But, they are still sitting there dissatisfied because they don't have Mr. Right. So, Ros and I just started joking around, saying, like, "What would this woman do if she was given a platform to vent about it?" And, that's sort of how the cabaret concept sort of evolved.

PC: It's a reaction to the late-90s/early-00s SEX & THE CITY culture in a way, as well, then, yes?

NC: It's definitely a consequence of that.

RH: But, she's also her own thing - because when SEX & THE CITY was on the air there was no text messaging and there was no Facebook; and, I feel like that has really changed dating culture a lot, this whole technology boom. And, this boom in communication. There are more ways than ever to communicate now, yet people are connecting less and less - especially, emotionally.

PC: What a fascinating observation - and, true, too.

RH: Yeah, that was what really struck us about those women. I remember we were listening in on this one conversation... (Laughs.)

PC: While working, of course.

RH: ... while working... and this woman was crying - she was in her late-thirties - and she was, literally, crying, because her e-mail boyfriend hadn't written her back.

PC: What did she say?

RH: Oh, she was like, (Whiny, Weepy Voice.) "Ugh, I just felt like what we had was so good and he definitely is on the same page - he wanted to have the same number of kids." And, then, she ends her rant with, "I just want to meet him."

PC: That's so funny. What a qualifier!

RH: Yeah, but what it says is that people are becoming emotionally invested in people they either had just one date with or haven't even met at all. It happens to men, as well. And, it happens to people of all ages - from my little sixteen-year-old cousin to my eighty-two-year-old roommate - we are all stressing about what the content of our text message is going to be and, you know, "why," within an hour and a half, "I haven't heard from him?" So, it's this sort of sense - and one of the biggest things about Shells is - that she is always uncomfortable in her own place and time because she's always got her mind on something else. "Where is he? Why isn't he with me?"

PC: What sources did you draw inspiration from in the creation of the show?

RH: Well, the thing about Shells is that she is a product of everything she sees on TV and onstage and on the internet, so her performance style tends to be - especially if we are doing cover songs - she starts out sort of emulating whoever the original artist was, but, then, it sort of twists into its own, sick, Shells thing.

PC: What about on a personal performance basis playing her?

RH: Well, performers I really admire: Joan Rivers, Mark Rylance - people who give off that sort of just raw stage energy. That is why I think audiences really love her - as detestable as Shells is, they still love her because, despite how dumb she is, she is brave and she is up there and singing her lungs out and being a badass and getting drunk and taking off her clothes and doing whatever she feels is right at the artistic moment. And, sometimes, she's even actually good!

PC: Indeed. In spite of herself.

RH: But, I think people actually really admire that about her - for, as dumb as she is, she is a woman who, at the age of thirty-four, said, "You know what? Being a banker isn't enough. I wanna be a star; I'm gonna make myself a star."

PC: Joan Rivers told me when she did this column that her secret to success was never stopping working. Do you follow suit - even if there are only two people in the audience?

RH: For sure. Two people, though? I don't know - I think that's negative dollars. (Laughs.)

PC: What about audiences who don't speak English?

RH: Oh, yeah, we've definitely done that! We've performed in dives everywhere. (Laughs.)

PC: You've seen the road - but, now you've arrived at Joe's Pub!

RH: Yeah, having Joe's Pub is such a blessing - they definitely make you feel like a rock star with their lights and their sound system. But, we still do gorilla performances and take the show to the streets - I mean, we've performed at many venues that don't have lights and sound. And, that's kind of the beauty of it: to take SHELLS into a place where they aren't expecting it.

NC: I think, sometimes what you think will be the worst audiences actually turn out to be the best audiences - because, who knows, they might feel like the performers will know if they don't pay attention. And, so, all of sudden, it becomes this beautiful theatrical experience - whereas that doesn't always happen with a big audience. Who knows - it just depends on the evening.

RH: Definitely.

PC: Do you consider SHELLS a performance art piece - especially given the fact you do it on the street and what not?

NC: Yeah. There is that sense that people don't know how real it is. People come to the show thinking they are going to get this JP Morgan senior analyst do a cabaret show and they don't always realize that there is a writer and a director and a performer behind the whole thing. So, when they see it, they are like, "Is this girl real? Does she really work at JP Morgan?" And, so, it's the blending of persona and character that is really exciting for audience members because they don't know where the lie ends and the truth begins.

PC: How do you deal with audience expectations? Is it better to be like Cher and give the audience what they want and expect, or, is it greater to present a new character like in SHELLS?

RH: I think it's better to always surprise your audience - you know, lull them in with the familiarity. You know, here's Cher with her ass hanging out, and, here's Shells with flat-ironed hair and Manolos. But, every time Shells goes on that stage it is a totally different story and a totally different song and something unexpected is always happening. I think that's the beauty of doing what we do with this sort of episodic theatre - we've never done the same show twice, ever. And, we won't.

PC: Really?

RH: It has to be always new - what's new to us as writers; what's new in the world right now; what we hope is true for the audience in that moment - so, in that way, it is very much a piece of Living Theatre. It is never completed. It is never finished.

PC: How much improv is involved? What percentage of the show?

NC: I feel like when we are creating there is a lot of improv that is involved. Physically, we will talk about: "What do we want the show to be about? What truth do we really want to discuss in the show?" And, then, Ros and I will sort of bat it back and forth and try to come up with jokes and stories, and, by the time we get to show time, we pretty much know what it's going to be. But, when there is a live audience in there - all bets are off! Because, when Ros sees something in the audience she wants to go for, I always say, as the director, "Go there! Go for it! Go do what you need to do." But, she knows where she is starting and where she is ending and there are certain little guideposts that she needs to hit in order to create an interesting evening for everybody.

RH: And, it's fun when the audience contributes to that overall interesting evening - because, with this show, there is no fourth wall. So, the audience always feels free to talk to Shells. They sometimes get involved in the most unexpected ways - in ways that sometimes change the story we originally intended - so, there is always this really fun element of danger because you never know what is going to happen: you don't know what Shells is going to do; you don't know what the audience is going to do. Our musical director - Emily Otto - is so good at rolling with that. She comes from a classic theatre background, as well, and this is her first time doing this episodic cabaret show. She just goes with it - whatever happens, she is so professional. It is so great to be onstage with someone like that - knowing that, no matter what you decide to do, they will have your back and you won't be out there just all on your own, floundering.

PC: You have a palpable rapport with Emily, too.

RH: Emily's been with us for probably about two years now.

NC: Yeah, about two years now.

RH: She's also become a character in the show now - before she was just kind of playing along. She's just so brilliant.

PC: What do you think of musical theatre today - specifically: Sondheim?

RH: I love Sondheim.

NC: Sondheim is a genius. What is not to like about him?

PC: Who are your songwriting influences?

RH: I am a really big fan of Steven Trask - you know, HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH?

PC: He's also a great scorer of films now.

RH: Yeah, I also am a big fan of the old school stuff like Rodgers & Hart.

PC: What can you tell me about your first show that you did together, BROS BEFORE HOS?

RH: (Laughs.) Tell him, Nick!

NC: (Laughs.) It was sort of a variety vaudeville - it was sort of a series of five mini-plays. It was the same sort of idea as SHELLS because we were changing every single time - a new fifteen, twenty minute one-act that we would do. It was mostly comedy. Two person - me and Ros doing it. I suppose it was different in that it was four or five mini-shows every night.

PC: How does the writing process work with you two? Is there a script that is constantly   evolving and being rewritten?

NC: Definitely. I mean, what usually will happen is that we will improvise for a little bit and then I will go away and write something down - and, it will be in script format; not just ideas. It will be the stuff that I want her to say. Then, she will come back and she will say, you know, "Oh, let's switch this and change this word." We've known each other for so long that is kind of hard to say where it begins and where it ends. But, there is a script!

RH: There is a plot, too. It's always a story - beginning, middle and end. It's not just, (Shells Voice.) "La la la, politics; la la la, my mother!"

PC: Are there any unexpected surprises as the performances occur that you have now woven into the permanent texture of the show?

NC: There's always a beginning, middle and end and we look at these pieces as hour-long plays that we are just writing again every month.

RH: Of course, also, the conceit is that she is making everything up as she goes along.

NC: Yeah. Exactly. I mean, yeah, there have been moments where I was surprised when she went off-script, but there is always a strong narrative when she does.

PC: What about audiences yelling back at you?

NC: They always do!

RH: Yeah, they always do. And, their reaction is surprising at times - you know, sometimes we will write something and we think they will react one way but they will be against it; or, all of a sudden they are for it! Or, you think that something is tragic and, then, they see it as triumphant. Sometimes they won't even let it go on until they get what they want - it's really interesting.

PC: What is next for SHELLS?

RH: Well, we are probably going to take it out to the West Coast. We have also had an offer to take it to Shanghai. So, we might do that, too. And, then, what we are trying to do is to develop it for television right now and trying to find a partner who would share our vision and take our character further. We would really like to see this character in her world and see the other characters that are in her world.

PC: Sort of like THE Sarah Silverman SHOW did?

RH: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

PC: Shells shares that post-modern, tongue-in-cheek humor.

RH: Yeah, right.

PC: What do you think the secret of this show's success is?

NC: Well, as ridiculous as Shells is, she is doing things that everybody else has done when it comes to texting people and, basically, making all of the mistakes that we make when we try to date or find love in New York City. And, I think that's what really charges people.

PC: SHELLS is that drunk text at 2 AM.

RH: Totally.

NC: Yeah, it's like: you wish you could suck it out of the phone the moment after you send it. And, then, you keep on piling on, text after text after text - and, then, she wakes up the next morning like, "What did I do?"

RH: Shells is always trying to win, you know? And, I think everybody wants to win - no matter what situation in life; be it professional, or, be it personal. She wants to win. She wants to be the best. I think a lot of people relate to her unrelenting push for that. And, I think people really admire the fact that she has the balls to get up onstage and sing these songs and do the performance art - when she knows nothing about it.

PC: And that's the key to the comedy.

RH: Yeah, you know, she doesn't know who Andy Warhol was or anything about it, but she's gonna talk about it like they were best friends! She's fulfilling her dreams, and I think a lot of people wish they had the balls to do that. So, I think people get a little charge out of seeing her go for it. When she succeeds, the audience feels like, "Yeah, good, you do get rewarded when you go for things - unless you're Scott!"

PC: The Scott qualifiers throughout the night are the funniest part.

RH: (Shells Voice.) "Maybe he'll call back!"

PC: What have you both seen recently onstage that you really responded to?

RH: JERUSALEM.

PC: What did you think of it?

RH: It was just brilliant. Just the raw energy of that piece and the truth to it - you are just there and everything they say is so true. Even though those people are so far removed from you, you still have been them. And, that's something we try to do with SHELLS, for sure, and, most of the time, I think we definitely succeed - and, that's why our audiences are so diverse in age and sexuality and everything. Everybody has been Shells. Everybody has felt the way she feels. I mean, you can see audiences cringing when she says or does a certain thing. You know, "Ahh, that's me!"

PC: What about you, Nick?

NC: I loved GOOD PEOPLE. I thought it was excellent.

PC: Frances MacDormand.

NC: Oh, yes. Even the costumes - I remember when she comes to Tate Donovan's house in the play and she takes off her jacket and she has on, what I would call, her "Friday night shirt" on - you know, her best thing - and there was something so sad and moving about it and Frances was really trying to reach for it. So, I just thought it was a really beautiful and simple piece.

PC: Define collaboration.

NC: I feel like it's listening to your partner and valuing their ideas, while still trying to maintain your own artistic vision.

RH: To me, collaboration is getting an idea that you are really excited about and coming up with a plan; then, bringing that plan to somebody who you really admire and you are so excited to share the plan with - and, you've gotta accept that that plan is going to change! And, you've gotta accept the pain that comes with that, at first, and, then, the pleasure that comes when something totally new comes out of your idea and his idea, and it just turns into something that you never would have imagined. But, it wouldn't be this, now, if you hadn't come with your idea and allowed him to add his own ideas to it.

PC: So, collaboration is S&M - pain and pleasure!

RH: (Big Laugh.) It is! Collaboration is S&M - who says that?

NC: (Laughs.)

PC: One last question: Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People?"

NC: "The Beautiful People" gets to the heart of what Shells is all about - this woman who has no license to be doing this song and is just rocking out with it.

PC: Thank you both so much. Break a leg tomorrow night!

NC: Thank you so much for your interest, Pat. We really appreciate it.

RH: Aww, thank you so much, Pat. Have a great night!

Now, be sure to check out two performance clips from SHELLS below!

"The Beautiful People"

"If"

For further information, SHELLS is being billed as such: After her SOLD OUT winter residency, Michelle Hoffman (better known as "Shells"), the famed JPMorgan Chase analyst-cum-cabaret sensation, returns to Joe's Pub for a limited spring engagement. Shells is ready to shed her 9-to-5 facade and prove she has what it takes to become an international pop sensation. During these rough financial times, she is certain that she has what it takes to become the next "insta-star," connecting with her audience in an authentic way and rising to her stardom. Performing elaborate, original numbers ranging in style from Lady Gaga to Radiohead, and incorporating covers written by her "celebrity friends," this Carrie Bradshaw wannabe challenges the audience with her bold style. When matters of her personal life are brought up, the show takes an unexpected turn. Armed with a glass of Shiraz and a penchant for drunk-dialing, SHELLS leaves audience members laughing deliriously, saying: "I know her," or worse, "I am her!"

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!