BWW Exclusive: 'The Ensemblist' Live Show Guests Share Memories of St. James
By: Matt Tamanini Sep. 06, 2015
OKLAHOMA, THE KING AND I, THE PAJAMA GAME, HELLO, DOLLY!, ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, BARNUM, THE SECRET GARDEN, THE WHO'S TOMMY, THE PRODUCERS; some of the most iconic shows in Broadway history have opened at 246 W. 44th Street, The St. James Theatre. On September 13th, at 7:00 and 9:30pm at 54 Below, "The Ensemblist," the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out, will pull back the curtain of this beloved theatre district landmark.
Joined by Greg Young and Tom Meyers from the New York City history podcast "The Bowery Boys," Mo Brady and Nikka Graff Lanzarone will time travel through the incredible history of the St. James Theater, with the help of five Broadway ensemblists that have performed at the St. James; Krystina Alabado (AMERICAN IDIOT), Lauren Elder (SIDE SHOW), Jason Gotay (BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL), Grasan Kingsberry (FINIAN'S RAINBOW, ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER, LEAP OF FAITH), and Angie Schworer (THE PRODUCERS, SOMETHING ROTTEN).
In addition to fun facts and crazy stories, each of the St. James alums will perform songs from shows that originated at the venerable theater. To get tickets to this one-of-a-kind event, visit the 54 Below website.
Recently, Mo and all five of "The Ensemblist" St. James live show guests, shared their fondest memories of the St. James with me. Check out their thoughts below:
This live show sounds like it is going to be a little different than your last one. What was the idea behind a St. James-inspired live show?
Mo Brady: Our first live show was much more of a variety show, where we asked some of our favorite ensemblists to perform and share stories about being an understudy, or a swing, or a dance captain. You know, the kind of stuff that Nikka and I geek out about.
While we loved that show, we didn't really feel the format felt like us. Our whole perspective is shining a light on little known facts, experiences, and connections in the theatre community.
That being said, one of my favorite pages in any Playbill has always been the "At This Theatre" page, with the list of productions that have previously resided in that house.
This live show is really meant to bring the experience of "At This Theatre" to life; to hear about some of the unexpected history of the theater. At the same time, we've brought on five ensemblists who have all performed at the St. James to share their personal stories from the shows they created there. And, they're all gonna sing songs that originated at the St. James as well.
It's the perfect trifecta of a show: one part secret history, one part performance, and one part nerdfest.
For your fans who only consume theatre-related podcasts, who are The Bowery Boys and why did you want to collaborate with them on a St. James themed show?
The Bowery Boys do what we do for Broadway, but for New York City as a whole. They shine light on the cultural significance of a neighborhood, a street, or even a building in the city. But they do it in such a fun way. It's like a history lesson with your drunk, gay uncles.
Greg and Tom of the Bowery Boys are also huge Broadway fans. True story, when they were brainstorming podcast collaboration ideas, they almost created a Broadway-themed podcast instead of the NYC-themed one!
Since we knew we wanted to have a more scholarly spin for this live show, we thought that teaming up with Greg and Tom would be both fun for us and really interesting for our audience.
When was the first time that you stepped inside the St. James?
Mo Brady: Oh, wow. It was in 2003. I had spent the summer of 2001 interning at Manhattan Theatre Club, so I was in the city for all of the buzz surrounding THE PRODUCERS opening. It was like the buzz for HAMILTON is right now, except there wasn't a ticket lottery like Ham4Ham. So, as a poor intern, there was no way I was gonna see the show.
Two years later, I came back on a college break and finally saw THE PRODUCERS. I don't remember much about it, except for the leggy chorus girls popping out of the filing cabinets; gotta love a bit of scenic humor.
Jason Gotay: The first show I ever saw in the St. James was THE PRODUCERS. I was pretty young and still spellbound by the magic of Broadway, and loved the experience of seeing a show that, at that time, was the talk of the town. I sat pretty far back in the mezzanine, but I still felt like I was part of the action onstage.
Cut to stepping inside the St. James for the first day of tech rehearsal for BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL in July of 2012. After being welcomed by Jordan Roth and the Jujamcyn family, I knew that this was going to be a very special home for our BRING IT ON family, and I was so honored and excited to be making my Broadway debut in such an incredible place.
Lauren Elder: (I first stepped inside the St. James) when the HAIR tour came through for their summer of love. I was in the Broadway and London casts, but not the tour. However, I spent so much time with them I may as well have been in the show at that time. I would show up a few times a week to just hang out before or after the show. "Once in (the) tribe..." as we hippies like to say.
Krystina Alabado: The first time I stepped into the St. James was to see a preview of AMERICAN IDIOT with my cast at the time of SPRING AWAKENING. We were on a layoff from (the) tour and Michael Mayer who directed both shows invited us all to come scream our heads off in support of his new show. Needless to say, that night I fell in love with the St. James and decided that I needed to be in AMERICAN IDIOT. Fast-forward a year, and I was!
What makes the St. James such a special Broadway house?
Mo Brady: Well, from an architectural standpoint, it's one of the only theaters with both a mezzanine and a balcony, which I think is pretty cool. In that way, it reminds me of the touring houses where I used to see shows as a kid.
From a geographical standpoint, it's in the center of the Theatre District. To me, 44th Street really is the heart of Broadway, and the St. James is at the center of it all.
From a cultural standpoint, it's where OKLAHOMA! began, as well as THE KING AND I, HELLO, DOLLY!, THE SECRET GARDEN and so many other iconic shows.
From a personal standpoint, it's where I watched two of my favorite shows I've seen since moving to NYC: BRING IT ON and AMERICAN IDIOT (I saw each three times!)
the St. James marquee
Jason Gotay: The St. James feels quite intimate, which was a treat for our (BRING IT ON) cast, especially after touring some of the country's biggest theaters before transferring to New York. Walking out onstage for the first time, we were surprised at how close the audience was to us, and although we were a bit nervous about that level of intimacy, we were excited to connect with our audiences in a different way, and have a home we could settle into for a while.
Angie Schworer: The backstage crew! A lot of them (that) were here during THE PRODUCERS, are (still) here now for SOMETHING ROTTEN! Feels like family!
Grasan Kingsberry: Not many Broadway theaters have three tier levels in the house. The St. James does. I love performing in front of multi levels of patrons! Also, the St. James has one of THE BEST working crews backstage!
Lauren Elder: Well, it is full of history, and so beautiful, but what really made it special for me, were the people who work there. Not just the cast and the orchestra, but the crew, the ushers, the box office staff, the house managers, the bar staff, the people who sell the merchandise, and the doormen. Every day I would be greeted with the most loving smiles, hellos, and even hugs. Every time I go back, they treat me like family returning home. It's a wonderful feeling, and I'm so grateful to have met and worked with all of them.
Krystina Alabado: What makes the St. James most special to me personally is that I made my Broadway debut there... so 'til the end of time, the St. James will always be #1 in my book!
What is your favorite memory of performing at the St. James?
Krystina Alabado: My favorite memory of performing at the St. James would definitely be closing night of AMERICAN IDIOT. Not only will I never forget the feeling of closing a Broadway show with all those rocking' fans, and the insane cast we had, but on top of that, to have Billie Joe Armstrong playing St. Jimmy that night. The whole evening was so epically rock and roll, seriously like nothing I, or the St. James, will ever experience again.
But the most insane part was after our final bow, we all exited to get dressed for the after party and then joined every cast member, past and present, of AMERICAN IDIOT on stage at the St. James to rock out to Green Day, who played a full set for the audience. So, not only did I do a Broadway show at the St. James, but I also was onstage during an effing Green Day concert. It will probably go down in history as the sickest night of my life.
Lauren Elder: Probably opening night of SIDE SHOW. It was the only night that we had the balcony open during our run, and the theater was packed with people who were so excited to see us back on Broadway. I'll never forget the sounds of their cheers, and the way my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.
Jason Gotay: I think the night of our first preview was my favorite memory, because it was the night that I truly felt I was making my Broadway debut. The previous night was our invited dress rehearsal, and we had an incredible crowd of friends and supporters there to cheer us on, but our first paying audience on the night of our first preview was just as enthusiastic, making my Broadway debut feel all the more real. Still gives me chills thinking about how I felt that night.
Grasan Kingsberry: My first time on the stage! I was a swing in FINIAN'S RAINBOW and I made my debut in the show for a track that I really didn't cover. At the end of Act I we sing "Great Come and Get It Day," and it's the full company onstage. Well, we do this intricate bobbing and weaving pattern towards the end of the song, and are holding these catalog order forms, and then all of a sudden, on the final note of the song and before the blackout, a whole bunch those yellow catalog order forms cascade and rain down from the rafters and we all revel in it! It was a very exciting moment!
Similarly, the first time we got to experience the rain (yes it really rained on the St. James stage) during LEAP OF FAITH; that was a magical moment!
What is your favorite part of the St. James building? Why?
Grasan Kingsberry: Well I have three; (one) for each of the shows I did there. The first one is the crew room just off the deck. They'd always have snacks, coffee, and the TV on. And they have cable! The second place would have to be the top floor backstage in the stairwell. It was my secret hideout for naps, phone calls, or just some solitude. Lastly, during ON A CLEAR DAY, Harry Connick, Jr. had a gym built underneath the stage. I would work out during the show! Thanks Harry!
Lauren Elder: The back fire escapes, that hang over the alley. I don't think we were technically supposed to be out there, but I hung out there a lot with the casts of HAIR and SIDE SHOW. It was a lovely place to be after a show.
Angie Schworer: My favorite area is what is now Brian Darcy James' dressing room; it was my Ulla dressing room! It's right by the stage door so I could greet the cast as they came in.
Krystina Alabado: My favorite part of the building is actually how you get to the stagedoor. It was always so fun arriving every day to that long hallway, especially that for our show (AMERICAN IDIOT), we had the fans write all over the walls with sharpies, so every time I walked in to work, I was reminded of all the peeps who loved our show as much as we did. I also got to know the St. James from high up in the sky, since I was an understudy for the role that flew. Lots of fly calls meant lots of time adoring the beauty of the St. James from above.
Jason Gotay: I loved being downstairs underneath the stage where I made my one quick change and where the band would hang out before every show. It felt like the most communal part of the theater, where the cast and stage management team would mingle and pass by each other numerous times throughout the course of the show. And my dressing room, of course, which became my home away from home. I loved getting to make it feel (like) mine and having my own space to come back to in between scenes and before and after every show.
What's your favorite memory of the St. James Theatre? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. And, don't forget to get your tickets to "The Ensemblist" live show next Sunday at 54 Below. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter.
Photo Credit: Lauren Elder and Krystina Alabado
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