Broadway Profiles with Tamsen Fadal

This week I’m chatting with R&B superstar Shawn Stockman, founding member of Boyz II Men and judge on “The Sing-Off.” Shawn shares how he found inspiration for his solo album, Foreword, his post-pandemic touring plans and what TV shows he is binging while staying safe at home. For 20 years Boyz II Men has been charming millions of fans the world over with their smooth vocal harmonies, legendary hits, and unmatched stage presence -- and founding member Shawn Stockman has been there from the beginning. In addition to constant touring and creating iconic albums and with his group Boyz II Men, R&B superstar Shawn Stockman will also once again be bringing his musical talent back to NBC's hit show, “The Sing-Off.” The singing competition features dueling acapella groups, and Stockman, with his world-renowned voice, will be bringing his expertise to primetime yet again as a judge on the show's third season. Shawn’s bio   Instagram @shawnstockmanofficial Official Website boyziimen.com  Facebook @BoyzIIMen YouTube @BoyzIIMenVEVO For more information, please visit www.TamsenFadal.com or Broadway Profiles  

This week I’m chatting with Tony Award winning, Grammy nominated singer and actress Lena Hall who is celebrating a new marriage and a new home - as she debuts a new solo album, The Villa Satori, and a new television show, Snowpiercer. She shares how she has found creative inspiration from her family of artists and details how she transitions between stage and screen both as an actress and songwriter. Lena Hall is a Tony Award winner and Grammy nominee who recently received widespread critical acclaim for her feature film debut as the title role in “Becks,” (winner of the US Fiction Award at the L.A. Film Festival). Following her Tony-winning Broadway run in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hall toured North America with Josh Groban on his “Stages” tour and portrayed the dual starring roles of both Hedwig and Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch Los Angeles and San Francisco. She also originated the role of Nicola in the Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots. She currently stars as Miss Audrey on TNT’s “Snowpiercer,” and has been seen on HBO’s “Girls,” Amazon Prime’s “Good Girls Revolt,” and can be heard voicing the fan-favorite role of Countess Coloratura on “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.”     Lena Hall: http://www.lenahall.com/ Instagram Twitter Snapchat @lenahallrocker YouTube AppleMusic   For more information, please visit www.TamsenFadal.com or Broadway Profiles  

This week I’m chatting with two of Broadway’s most powerful voices, Orfeh and Andy Karl. Tony and Grammy Award nominee Orfeh most recently starred as Kit De Luca in Pretty Woman the Musical on Broadway with her husband, Andy Karl, an Olivier Award winner and three-time Tony nominee, starring as Edward. The power couple share how they are continuing to create during the Covid pandemic, how they are helping to raise funds for local charities and the lasting impact of Broadway.  Plus, the duo gives a special performance of Pretty Woman’s “Rodeo Drive.” She has a “powerhouse voice” (New York Times). He is “a theater world heartthrob” (New York Times). And together Orfeh and Andy Karl have had an impressively long run as one of Broadway’s best couples. Although they met while doing the Broadway production of Saturday Night Fever and were married in 2001, their irrepressible chemistry became the stuff of legend when they co-starred in Legally Blonde in 2007, which garnered Orfeh a Tony nomination. Karl earned his own Tony nods for Rocky, On the Twentieth Century and Groundhog Day (for which he received an Olivier Award). Fresh off their run in Pretty Woman as Kit De Luca and Edward Lewis, the power couple celebrates the release of their album with their hit show, Legally Bound.   Orfeh: official website Instagram and Twitter  Andy Karl: official website Instagram and Apple Music       Charities: Broadway Cares Humane Society of New York No Kid Hungry St. Jude’s   For more information, please visit www.TamsenFadal.com or Broadway Profiles  

This week I’m chatting with Rachel Chavkin, Director of Hadestown and founding Artistic Director of Brooklyn-based company the TEAM.  Rachel speaks about the importance of diversity in hiring and details her the work with The Trickle Up NYC,  a new grassroots subscription video platform of artists helping artists who have lost their livelihood during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Rachel is a director, writer, and dramaturg, as well as the founding Artistic Director of Brooklyn-based company the TEAM whose work has been seen all over London and the U.K. Rachel’s bio   Hadestown Official Website The Team  The Trickle Up    For more information, please visit www.TamsenFadal.com or Broadway Profiles 

This week I’m chatting with Choreographer and Director Sonya Tayeh who made her Broadway debut with Moulin Rouge! and is currently working on Sing Street, which was in previews when Broadway shut down.  Sonya details what has inspired her during the pandemic, how she is coping with social distance as a choreographer, and shares her secrets to finding new talent.  Sonya Tayeh is a New York City-based choreographer and director and has gleaned many accolades for her versatile work, including two Emmy nominations for Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, a Drama Desk nomination, an Obie  Award and two Lucille Lortel  Awards for “Outstanding Choreography” for her work on Kung Fu and The Lucky Ones.  Sonya’s Bio   Sonya Tayeh Official Website, Facebook and Instagram: @sonyatayeh  Sing Street Official Website Moulin Rouge! Official Website For more information, please visit www.TamsenFadal.com or Broadway Profiles   

This week, I’m chatting with Kathryn Gallagher, Singer, Songwriter, and Actress, currently starring as Bella Fox in Alanis Morissette’s musical Jagged Little Pill based on the album, written with Diablo Cody and directed by Diane Paulus. I spoke with Kathryn from her home studio where she is currently writing new music. In an intimate conversation, Kathryn shared how she is coping during the pandemic, what she is doing to prepare to return to the Jagged Little Pill stage once Broadway is back open and how she checks in daily with her father, actor Peter Gallagher. Plus - Kathryn plays an acoustic version of her song “Whistler.”  Kathryn’s bio:  In addition to her role as Bella Fox in Jagged Little Pill, Kathryn can currently be seen as Annika on Netflix’s mega hit show “YOU” produced by Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble, starring John Stamos, Penn Badgley and Shay Mitchell. In 2015 Kathryn made her Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated revival of Spring Awakening.    Kathryn Gallagher Official Website Facebook: @kathryngallaghermusic  Twitter: @Kathryng Instagram: @Kathryngallagher     Jagged Little Pill Official Website Facebook: @jaggedmusical  Instagram: @jaggedlittlepill  Twitter: @jaggedmusical    For more information, please visit www.TamsenFadal.com or Broadway Profiles   

This week, I’m chatting with Celia Rose Gooding, currently starring as Frankie Healy in Alanis Morissette’s musical Jagged Little Pill based on the album, written with Diablo Cody and directed by Diane Paulus.  Celia, who made her Broadway debut in Jagged, shares how she is coping during the pandemic, gathering her strength and resiliency from her mother, Tony Award winner LaChanze and how she is finding solace in creativity.  Celia’s bio:  Celia Rose Gooding is excited to be returning to the role after her debut as Frankie Healy in the world premiere of Jagged Little Pill at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Past roles include Penelope Pennywise in Urinetown and Carmen Diaz in Fame at The Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Academy in New York City. Celia has studied Acting and Film at the Berridge Conservatory in Normandy, France with a concentration in Shakespeare, and studied dance at The Alvin Ailey Institute. She is a graduate of Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York with hours in performing arts. She is currently a student at Pace University in New York City, majoring in Musical Theatre. Instagram: @celiargooding  Jagged Little Pill Official Website: https://jaggedlittlepill.com/ Facebook: @jaggedmusical https://www.facebook.com/jaggedmusical/ Instagram: @jaggedlittlepill https://www.instagram.com/jaggedlittlepill/ Twitter: @jaggedmusical https://twitter.com/jaggedmusical   For more information, please visit www.TamsenFadal.com/podcast Broadway Profiles: https://www.broadwayprofiles.com/

This week I chat with Pulitzer Prize and two-time Tony Award-winning Composer/Arranger/Music Director Tom Kitt.  During the pandemic, Tom is isolating at home with his family and shares how he is staying positive, taking comfort in art, and sharing his love of music with his three children. Plus- he reveals details on a special quarantine dinner date with his wife, set up by his children.  Tom received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as two Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Orchestrations for Next to Normal.  Tom’s bio Tom Kitt Band Official Website Jagged Little Pill Official Website Facebook: @jaggedmusical  Instagram: @jaggedlittlepill  Twitter: @jaggedmusical    For more information, please visit www.TamsenFadal.com or Broadway Profiles 

This week, I’m chatting with two-time Tony Award-winning singer Brian Stokes Mitchell, whose career spans Broadway, television, film, and concerts. Brian is recovering from Covid-19 and shares his health journey with me. He details his "Impossible Dream" the song he sings nightly to his Manhattan neighbors and his work with The Actors Fund “Stars in The House” concert series and Americans for the Arts, to help artists affected by the pandemic.   Dubbed “the last leading man” by The New York Times, Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a career that spans Broadway, television, film, and concert appearances with the country’s finest conductors and orchestras. He received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards for his star turn in Kiss Me, Kate. He also gave Tony-nominated performances in Man of La Mancha, August Wilson’s King Hedley II, and Ragtime. In 2016 he was awarded his second Tony Award, the prestigious Isabelle Stevenson Tony for his Charitable work with The Actors Fund.  That same year Stokes was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.  Brian’s bio   Brian Stokes Mitchell Official Website Brian’s new solo album “Plays With Music”  Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @bstokesmitchell    For more information, please visit www.TamsenFadal.com or Broadway Profiles