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[0:00] Unknown speaker: Mamma Mia, here we go again! Lost in the swirl of creative magic. But would we be here chatting if creators Kay and Bobby actually got to write the musical of their dreams? What do you think? Blockbuster avatar that sends Broadway into a fluorescent tizzy? Or a chamber musical about the isolating nature of social media? Yawn. Just kidding. I actually spend my free time reading scholarly analysis and case studies on the impact of social networks. And I'm not even kidding! But this is commercial theater, after all. To add insult to injury, Kay doesn't even get to write the avatar book. That gig, at least for the moment, goes to Bobby's ex, Babe. I mean, Bobby's ex, Thomas. And they have to deal with a demanding diva, a visionary director, a junior agent, and a science consultant who loves cookies and takes anything avatar extremely seriously.

Life is hard for Broadway's seventh favorite couple, and it's about to get harder. Let's see what Cheryl and Steve have planned for this less-than-dynamic duo now. But first, a little dish from none other than the Broadway Disher. I just came from Times Square, and it is a magical blue wonderland out there today. Which means one thing. Avatar is coming! Which means one other thing. My offer is only a phone call away. And on the other side of it is my Tony Award! Hashtag, if you can see it, you can achieve it.

[1:38] Cheryl Philips: Cheryl here. Look, Cheryl, we got off to a rocky start. What, 23 years ago?

[1:46] Steve Jones: Hey, we promised we would never bring that up. That was a New Year's Eve party. You were drunk, I was drunk.

[1:50] Cheryl Philips: I'm talking about Avatar. Let's reboot. We need to be smart here. We'll divide and conquer.

[1:55] Steve Jones: Divide and conquer what? All right, let's just be honest. You suck at marketing.

[2:02] Cheryl Philips: How dare you? Cheryl, Cheryl, Cheryl, take your last show. The old man in the sea, it was a snooze. But you also surrounded that bomb with an anti-marketing campaign.

[2:14] Steve Jones: How is it even possible that you've become more repulsive?

[2:19] Cheryl Philips: It's quite easy. Marketing is my jam. I got this. Remember Basic Instinct? I sent all the press outlets ice picks. Genius, right?

[2:27] Steve Jones: Sure. It takes a genius to spend obscene amounts of your investors' money to plaster the world and the New York Times with advertising and lethal weapons. You buy your press. That's great for you. But when have your shows ever recouped?

[2:42] Cheryl Philips: Recouped? Look, look, my campaigns are legendary.

[2:49] Steve Jones: Legendarily pricey. If anything, I need to be there to protect our show from your ego.

[3:00] Cheryl Philips: How dare you? Well, that sure went well. How are Kay and Bobby faring across town now that Kay has decided to be as chipper as a B-list celebrity on Jimmy Fallon?

[3:04] Bobby: Look, babe, let's settle this.

[3:08] Kay: Sweetie, you seem to forget that there's a new babe in the big city.

[3:17] Bobby: Babe. Now that's a movie I'd love to musicalize.

[3:25] Kay: What, Thomas? Come on. That was so long ago.

[3:32] Bobby: It's just an old habit. He's not my babe.

[3:39] Kay: Five years isn't that long ago and smoking is a bad habit. Calling a former lover babe in front of your current babe is not a bad habit. It's cruel, darling. I'm really sorry, babe, sweetheart. You know I don't mean it.

[3:50] Bobby: Okay, let's be adult here. We need to take a step back and look at the big picture. Everyone knows Avatar but us. We're clueless. Not only that, we don't even like science fiction.

[4:06] Kay: For heaven's sake, we want a Tony for a musical about Freud. I loved our work on The Last Cigar.

[4:12] Bobby: It was good, wasn't it?

[4:18] Kay: Yes, we killed it. Why can't there be more musicals with that kind of gravitas? That profundity. That nuance.

[4:24] Bobby: Because it closed in three weeks?

[4:31] Kay: Yeah, well, when something important is written, something that important should be mandatory.

[4:37] Bobby: I don't know about that, but if people saw it, I know they would have loved it.

[4:41] Kay: Oh yes, oh yes, that's very true. People want spectacle. They'll pay big bucks to see something they've already seen with lots of visual splash.

[4:50] Bobby: Again, yes. See? We're still on the same page, babe, sweetheart.

[4:55] Kay: So okay, let's start at the top. You know what? Here's the thing. I'm excited to take what we learned in Staten Island and really dig in again. And now, well, now I can focus on the lyrics without also having to write the book. I mean, oh my god. Maybe this is for the best.

[5:09] Bobby: Okay, act one, scene one. A preemptive strike on my heart.

[5:19] Kay: Oh god, I love that song. Earwormy for sure. But now, the most important part of a Broadway show. No, silly, not the actual show. The advertising. See, with the opening mere months away, a campaign must be created that knocks the socks off the ticket buyers. Literally. Socks must fly to pay for this juggernaut. Tennis socks. Fluffy socks. Knee-high socks. Compression socks. New York must be lost in a sea of swirling socks. Now I know where all my socks go when I can't find them in the dryer. New York City. But this won't be easy. The ad agencies are fighting with everything they've got to land this account, thinking this could be their bread and butter for decades. And they have no idea that they're pitching a campaign that can't have anything to do with Avatar the movie.

Where is Cirque du Soleil when you need them? Because this is some serious, high-wired, daredevil, sleight-of-hand magic time. Up first, the fabulous marketing team from Sereno Coin. Hold on to your eyebrows, unless you're a Na'vi, of course.

[6:21] Andrew Barth Feldman: Cheryl, Steve, Andrew Barth Feldman. The Andrew Barth Feldman. Welcome to Sereno Coin, or should I say, Oweel Negatikame. We're thrilled you're here and honored. Honored.

[6:36] Cheryl Philips: Yes, honored to present the ad campaign for Avatar the musical. I have to say, we're already mesmerized by your commitment. Getting the Times Square Alliance to approve turning 44th Street into Pandora was a big swing. Do you really think splashing blue on trash cans will impact our decision making?

[6:50] Andrew Barth Feldman: Works on me. Okay, yes, very blue. Well, let's get to it. Obviously, letting ticket buyers know that they are going to have a transcendent, immersive, one-of-a-kind theatrical experience is job one. Numero uno. Our big idea, transforming Times Square, indeed, New York City itself, into Pandora.

[7:17] Cheryl Philips: Pandora. I see what you did there.

[7:25] Andrew Barth Feldman: I did that for Close Encounters the Musical. Not so original.

[7:31] Cheryl Philips: Oh, that simulated flying saucer attack was so cool. I remember reading about that in fifth grade. When was that, last year? Like, eight cars crashed, six people passed out, and one woman gave birth in front of TKTS.

[7:41] Andrew Barth Feldman: Hey, that got a lot of press. But did it sell tickets?

[7:46] Cheryl Philips: Everything builds off this one simple idea. Imagine 100 blue Na'vi, and the Na'vi will appear at airports in LA, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, London, anywhere New York-bound tourists are. We are. Think of it as mobile avatar flash mobs. Avatar wherever you are. I suggest stilt walkers for a more genuine representation of the Na'vi. We're talking the most micro and macro kickoff campaign in theater history. History!

[8:18] Steve Jones: Yeah, yeah, we get it. We'll be in touch.

[8:24] Andrew Barth Feldman: Steve, wait till you hear our social campaign for people who don't use social. We call it our anti-social social media blitz.

[8:33] Cheryl Philips: No, Ned, you already told me it's the most thrilling, must-see, wrap-up-to-opening-and-beyond campaign, so I'm sure it's just peachy.

[8:44] Andrew Barth Feldman: Wow. Blue everywhere, just smurfiness all over the theater.

[8:50] Cheryl Philips: I'm so sorry. I'd love to see what the team has in mind. I'm calling the casting director. Clearly, we need to bring something to the table other than the biggest movie hit in all cinematic history for these agencies to actually do their job. I think this is a thrilling presentation.

[8:59] Andrew Barth Feldman: I'm so sorry. Please continue. I bet Andrew Barth Feldman gets the whole blue thing. Casting legend and founder of the casting office Speak To Me Talent, Debra Hannaford, is the inevitable call for producer Steve Jones. But first, will the producing team be game for some deep dive pre-opening avatar behind-the-curtain PR? What do you think?

[9:15] Julie James: Hey, Steve, it's Julie James from SiriusXM. I am so excited about Avatar. So I was thinking, how about we do a whole behind-the-curtain series, put your whole Avatar team together, chronicle your road to Broadway, and air it all on Broadway names with Julie James? Of course. I'm so excited to chat about this, so call me.

[9:43] Debra Hannaford: Debra, Steve here. I need actors. Who have you got for me?

[9:52] Steve Jones: Hugh Jackman. He loves theater, and he's a box office god every time he steps on a Broadway stage.

[9:59] Debra Hannaford: Too nice. Sorry.

[10:07] Steve Jones: Did you say nice? Look, life is too short for that crap. Next.

[10:11] Debra Hannaford: Okay. Alan Cumming, a Broadway icon and already has experience playing a blue character. His Nightcrawler in the X-Men franchise, I mean, that was genius.

[10:17] Steve Jones: Love him, want him, next.

[10:21] Debra Hannaford: Denzel.

[10:28] Steve Jones: Of course. This is black people, black love. People love black people. Put him on stage.

[10:33] Debra Hannaford: Okay. Yeah. Not sure if he can sing, though.

[10:38] Steve Jones: Doesn't matter. Get him.

[10:40] Debra Hannaford: Oh, okay. Then I will reach out. What else you got?

[10:48] Steve Jones: More. Daniel Craig?

[10:52] Debra Hannaford: Don't see it. I need someone with serious abs. Chris Evans. He was great in Lobby Hero, and he can sing, and he wants to star in a musical.

[11:05] Steve Jones: Done. We're done. Get me Denzel Cummings and Evans.

[11:10] Debra Hannaford: What? Oh. Okay. I just... Hello? Steve?

[11:17] Unknown speaker: Well, so much for discovering new talent. Wow. Okay. What's going on with diva Emma Olivia and agent Maxwell Fernsby? Let's eavesdrop on their call, shall we?

[11:30] Emma Olivia: Fernsby.

[11:34] Maxwell Fernsby: Hello, Maxwell. Maxie, Maxie. I can't believe you got me that banana pudding from Magnolia. Thank you.

[11:40] Emma Olivia: Hey, you deserve it. Anything for you, Emma Olivia. Avatar would be nothing without you.

[11:45] Maxwell Fernsby: That's exactly what I was thinking. No, I'm not doing that. Where are you?

[11:50] Emma Olivia: My weekly therapy session with Dr. Harold. Somebody thinks that I'm going to do a trust fall, and somebody doesn't realize that that is exactly what I don't do. Fall? Trust.

[12:04] Maxwell Fernsby: Well, listen, I don't want to keep you, but I was wondering if you have any ideas about who could star as Jake?

[12:10] Emma Olivia: Oh, my God. Maxwell? Yes. Did Cheryl talk to you? Oh, wait. Doesn't matter. Don't listen to what she has to say. So my boyfriend, Stavros, is a really great trainer.

[12:26] Maxwell Fernsby: Hey, you know what? If you're sold on him, let's make it happen. But to be honest, it's so hard working on this show with all the different agents. Now I'm a little new to all this and the paperwork alone. Gross. Right? So I was thinking, okay, level with me here. It would be so much easier if you were my client too.

[12:43] Emma Olivia: Now I don't have to go back and forth with the other agencies, and I can get everything done really fast, like making sure that your contract has all the right language. You know, stuff about chefs and dressing room decor. And a backstage trampoline for cardio?

[12:51] Maxwell Fernsby: Sure. That sounds important to you, so it is important to me. If you wore cooler shoes, I'd love you. I'll call my agent. He's through. He doesn't even know how to work Zoom. Can you imagine?

[12:57] Emma Olivia: Oh, okay. I got to go. Dr. Harold is writing something on his little pad. Dr. Harold, hey, D-Hey, what are you writing? Back to the nitty gritty producing drama. Damien Bazzadonna, president.

[12:51] Damian Bazzadana: Situation Interactive is about to make his avatar pitch to producers Steve Jones and Cheryl Phillips. Oh, and the adorable science consultant, Andrew Barth Feldman, is also in the room. Quick, take a seat. Welcome to Situation, or should I say, ooh, got a coming. I'm Damian Bazzadana, founder of Situation, and we are so honored to have you here and thrilled to present the Avatar the Musical digital campaign.

[13:20] Damian Bazzadana: The office looks gorgeous, honey. The ficuses everywhere are a nice touch. Look, obviously letting ticket buyers know that they're about to experience Pandora in actual 3D is our main goal. We want them to walk into the theater and know that this is the kind of experience they just can't have at home.

[13:37] Steve Jones: Yeah, yeah, yeah, live theater, got it. Next.

[13:42] Damian Bazzadana: Well, look, we want this to be heavily digital. Bring the world of Avatar into people's homes for just a taste. Bait the hook, as it were. We're pitching influencers sharing videos, speaking Na'vi, and you have to go to the show's website just to translate. And on top of it, all the messages will be something along the lines of Avatar the Musical, an out-of-this-world experience.

[14:11] Cheryl Phillips: Magnificent idea. Very exciting.

[14:15] Damian Bazzadana: Look, we're going to push hard for all the talk shows and just give them a taste. Once ticket buyers see what the show is, they'll be hungry for the real thing. We're working on technology right now to include on-screen QR codes to remove at least one big roadblock. Hold your phone up to the screen and you're immediately taken to buy tickets.

[14:31] Andrew Barth Feldman: Brilliant. What the hell is a QR code?

[14:34] Steve Jones: Hey, K, Bobby, it's Greg Evans from Deadline calling to chat about Avatar. I'm hearing a lot about the show. Line's going down Broadway. So give me a call when you get a chance. You have the number. Take care.

[14:46] Cheryl Phillips: Well, that's nice.

[14:48] Bobby Kearns: Are you kidding, Bobby? I love Deadline.

[14:51] Cheryl Phillips: Yes. So great. And what exactly would we talk to him about?

[14:56] Bobby Kearns: Well, I, uh, I, uh, uh...

[15:02] Cheryl Phillips: Yeah, you think about that, Bobby. I'll get the door.

[15:05] Damian Bazzadana: Bobby, K, so excited we could do this. Let's make it happen. Hey, Zoe. And Thomas.

[15:15] Damian Bazzadana: I am so excited you could join us for our first work session. Canapé?

[15:22] Thomas: Are they poisoned?

[15:23] Damian Bazzadana: Poisoned.

[15:24] Thomas: Are they poisoned?

[15:31] Kaye Fields: Oh, my God, Thomas. Poisoned. You're so funny. I can't wait to collaborate on this show with you.

[15:39] Bobby Kearns: Yeah, we're both excited. K, are you okay?

[15:43] Kaye Fields: Never better.

[15:44] Bobby Kearns: K, this canapé is interesting. Are those...

[15:52] Kaye Fields: Just some blue sprinkles to stay on brand. So how do we want to start?

[15:58] Thomas: I've had a chance to look over the first act, and this is a great, strong start.

[16:05] Kaye Fields: We thought so.

[16:06] Thomas: But a strong start is not a great finisher. Zoe, you had some notes after our Staten Island excursion. Why don't we run through those?

[16:14] Zoe Taylor: You know, actually, I think Thomas and I would love to hear more of the songs. I mean, we have a pretty good idea of how to handle the book now.

[16:22] Kaye Fields: Wait, have you guys already met about this?

[16:24] Thomas: We just met for drinks at the Marlton last night, and...

[16:28] Bobby Kearns: And it turned into a three-hour work session. I mean, honestly, Thomas is a genius.

[16:35] Kaye Fields: I've never heard such articulate ideas pour out of someone so quickly. I mean, I wish I'd been taking notes, but he practically wrote the entire first act.

[16:45] Kaye Fields: But you met without us.

[16:48] Bobby Kearns: Oh, it's okay, babe. It's probably really productive for them to have that conversation.

[16:54] Kaye Fields: Actually, I would love to hear Thomas' take before we start on the score. I mean, we may need to go back to the drawing board to match his level.

[17:03] Bobby Kearns: I don't know about that, but I do think that the prequel idea is inspired. Why retread what people have already seen?

[17:11] Kaye Fields: It's like I told Lin-Manuel. We already have 1776. We need a fresh take on American history.

[17:18] Zoe Taylor: Oh, God. Not the Hamilton story again.

[17:21] Kaye Fields: Hey, ideas are free. I bear no grudges. I'm just glad I was able to help the history of American theater in my own small way. But shall we get started?

[17:30] Thomas: I think I'm comfortable enough with the material to walk you guys through. First, though, I want to take a moment to say this.

[17:41] Thomas: This is why we do what we do, right? This overwhelming feeling of supportive collaboration, being in the room together as equals, as people respectful of everyone's individual talents. I could just hug you guys.

[18:00] Kaye Fields: In fact, group hug?

[18:02] Bobby Kearns: I'm good.

[18:04] Kaye Fields: Bring it in.

[18:04] All: Aw.

[18:05] Kaye Fields: Yeah.

[18:06] Thomas: Every show needs an ace press team. So get comfy while PR wizard, the one and only Rick Miramontes, pitches Cheryl, Steve, and Andrew Barth Feldman.

[18:20] Rick Miramontes: Cheryl, Andrew, good to see you again, Steve. Or should I just say welcome? I think the team knows everybody here, but just in case, I'm Rick Miramontes, president of O&M. And what an honor and a thrill it is to present what we are certain will be the Avatar the Musical PR campaign.

[18:46] Rick Miramontes: And you've gone for extra credit by all dressing as Na'vi. I'm impressed. Can't wait to find out what other mind-boggling ideas you have. Okay, so our main goal today is to share our vision that I am sure will have the world racing to buy tickets to see Avatar the Musical.

[19:05] Rick Miramontes: Now to start, when you think of Avatar, what do you think?

[19:11] Steve Jones: The Hallelujah Mountains.

[19:12] Cheryl Phillips: A timely story of climate change.

[19:14] Steve Jones: A huge mistake.

[19:16] Andrew Barth Feldman: Blue.

[19:17] Rick Miramontes: That's right. This campaign is going to redefine the color for a generation to come. We're going to do more for this shade than say Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.

[19:31] Rick Miramontes: Then Alan Cumming in X-Men. Then Smurfette in The Smurfs.

[19:37] Steve Jones: Is everyone just out of ideas?

[19:42] Steve Jones: What's all this immersive digital marketing crap? Where are the posters? Where are the print ads? Where's my New York Times spread? The Times Square billboard.

[19:55] Rick Miramontes: Oh, wait, you're serious. Um, first of all, we're PR, Steve. But that will all come. People consume marketing differently now.

[20:07] Steve Jones: No, they don't. Fix it.

[20:14] Rick Miramontes: Your ideas are inspired. Excited to hear more.

[20:18] Cheryl Phillips: I apologize for my colleague. He's having a bad adulthood.

[20:23] Steve Jones: Well, that's putting it mildly. Meanwhile, is it time for margaritas already?

[20:29] Debra Hannaford: College besties, casting diva Debra Hannaford and lyricist Kay Field meet, as they often do, for some serious dishing and drinking. Bottoms up.

[20:40] Debra Hannaford: Ah, there you are, Kay. Bartender, two martinis, please.

[20:44] Kay Fields: Kay, I was wondering if I was being stood up.

[20:46] Debra Hannaford: Oh, sorry. The work session ran long. Thomas can't write dialogue. He can only write monologues for himself.

[20:55] Debra Hannaford: How was your day?

[20:56] Kay Fields: Oh, just dandy. Steve wants me to hire Denzel Washington, Alan Cumming, and Chris Evans to star in whatever opus you and Bobby have cooking.

[21:05] Debra Hannaford: No, not me and Bobby. Thomas and Zoe. And maybe Bobby will get an idea in there somewhere. We're already being squeezed out.

[21:14] Kay Fields: Oh, come on, Kay. This is your baby. I know you're pissed now. But hey, I have known you since college. You're gonna get seduced by the work all over again, and the score, it's only gonna be better for it.

[21:26] Kay Fields: Not this time, Deb. I have one goal.

[21:29] Debra Hannaford: Uh, make it work with dignity and grace?

[21:33] Kay Fields: Burn it down.

[21:35] Debra Hannaford: Oh, perfect timing. Thank you.

[21:37] Debra Hannaford: Cheers.

[21:38] Kay Fields: Okay, cheers.

[21:40] Debra Hannaford: Whoa, I need a drink now, too.

[21:42] Kaye Fields: Will Kay actually sabotage this musical that's ruining her life and maybe her marriage? Will Thomas ever stop yapping? Will casting diva Debra Hannaford actually get Denzel Washington, Alan Cumming, and Chris Evans? Will Zoe ever read the room correctly? Will Emma Olivia actually use a backstage trampoline? Will Furnsby end up with a monopoly on the talent involved in Avatar? Will Kay and Bobby agree to do a deadline interview with Greg Evans? And will Steve and Cheryl ever be able to see the color blue again without feeling queasy?

[22:18] Kaye Fields: Tune in next week for some of, or more likely, none of, these answers. I mean, I'm still waiting on why Sardi's doesn't offer pigs in a blanket on their menu. Hello?

[22:28] Debra Hannaford: You used to.

[22:29] Kaye Fields: What, do I have to come in at a special hour? Pigs in a blanket!

[22:34] Kaye Fields: Thank you from the bottom of our cold hearts for listening to As the Curtain Rises. A gargantuan thanks to our brilliant cast.

[22:44] Kaye Fields: James Monroe Iglehart as producer Steve Jones. Lillias White as producer Cheryl Phillips. Ashley Park as book writer-lyricist Kay Fields. Michael Urie as composer Bobby Kearns. Sarah Stiles as diva Emma Olivia. George Salazar as agent Maxwell Furnsby in the bathroom. Ariana DeBose as director-choreographer Zoe Taylor. Andrew Barth Feldman as science consultant Andrew Barth Feldman. Mauricio Martinez as Thomas. Bonnie Milligan as casting director Debra Hannaford. Lesli Margherita as the Broadway disher. Rick Miramontes as O&M's president Rick Miramontes. Love the glasses. Tom Callahan as Serena Coyne's Tom Callahan. Marcy Kaufman Myers as Serena Coyne's Marcy Kaufman Myers. Damian Bazzadana as Damian Bazzadana, president Situation Interactive. And me, the incredible two-time Tony Award loser, Alex Brightman as the narrator!

[24:06] Kaye Fields: Also, huge, gigantic, stupendous thanks to our phone message leavers, Deadline's Greg Evans and SiriusXM's Julie James. Written by Dory Berenstain and Mark Pikert. Directed by Dory Berenstain. Music, sound editing, and design by Bart Fassbender. Avatar music by Matthew Sklar. Sound engineering by Alan Seales. Banshee wrangling by the wonderful Bill Perloni. Produced by Dory Berenstain, Alan Seales, and the Broadway Podcast Network. Associate directed and sound edited by Marty McGuire. Executive produced by Liz Armstrong. And absolutely everything else by our extraordinary BPN team, Brittany Bigelow, Joanna Nikolova, Katie Rosen, Cindy Schatz, and Beatriz Westby.

[25:02] Kaye Fields: As the Curtain Rises was created and recorded entirely in quarantine. This Broadway soap opera celebrates and supports the Actors Fund and the BPN Frontline Worker Initiative, which you can find at bpn.fm slash frontlineworkers. That's bpn.fm slash frontlineworkers. And finally, a very special thanks to our producing partner, Liz Armstrong, for your extraordinary support and inspiration. Buh-bye!

[25:36] Kaye Fields: As the Curtain Rises through the Sound and Light Initiative is a sponsored project of the Gotham's Fiscal Sponsorship Program.