This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Mikayla Petrilla: Hey everybody and welcome to this episode of Tea Time. I am joined by the creative team of The Pyramid. Please introduce yourself and what your position is in this beautiful show.

[0:12] James Stryska: My name is James Stryska and I am one of the composers and lyricists for The Pyramid.

[0:18] Erica Molfetto: Hi, I'm Erica. I'm a co-book writer of The Pyramid.

[0:22] Logan Clark: And I'm Logan Clark and I just work here now. I'm the lead producer and very excited to be talking with you today. We're big Tea Time fans and so we're excited to be chatting.

[0:34] Mikayla Petrilla: I am so happy to have you here. I was thrilled to hear that we can make this happen. And I'm so excited because The Pyramid feels like such a perfect collision of theater kids, reality TV people, internet culture, camp, and actually very real emotional stakes. So before we get into the show, and I know a little bit about this, but I want to make sure the audience does. What was the moment where somebody said, wait, is Dance Moms actually a musical? What was the spark?

[0:59] James Stryska: Back in 2020, one of my co-writers, Izzy, who also is working on the music and lyrics, we went to college together and we were at a goodwill, just like thrifting as college kids do. And I turned to her and blankly, I was just like, what if Dance Moms was a musical? Because we both learned we were both watching it as like a comfort show at the same time because we were in each other's pods. And yeah. And then we started getting to work on it. And we wrote My Little Kendall, like all the way back in 2020. That was the first song. My goodness. I love that.

[1:31] Mikayla Petrilla: Great answer, James. And I will say, just to piggyback off of what James was saying, I saw a video of James and Izzy at the, you know, and as somebody who worked on Dance Moms, and I worked on Dance Moms for about three, four years, I kind of was like, oh my God, this is incredible. They are brilliant. And not only that, it's really good. You know what I mean? What they put together, what they put out in the world was really good. And it opened the door for all of us to kind of be like, how can we be a part of this?

[2:01] Logan Clark: True. Well, I'm curious to hear more about this from you, Logan. What made you want to be a part of this and continue your lived experience through the world of parody? And is that cathartic to you? Or is this a continuation of what you lived? Tell me more.

[2:18] Logan Clark: It's something. I'll tell you that much. It's something, girl. Now, listen, I worked on Dance Moms for a number of years. I was a talent coordinator. And the one thing I will say, and just to like, the fact that like, this is my tribe, and these are my people, is like, I, of course, like, had this idea. Oh, my gosh, I wouldn't like Dance Moms would be such a great musical. It lends itself to it, right? The camp, the drama, the music, the performances, the moms, the adults. But I think, you know, through that door, never to be seen again. Five years later, saw this, this video on TikTok, and just kind of fell in love with not only like what they were putting out there, but just the hearts and minds behind it.

And, and just reach out to them and have a conversation with like, Hey, like, this is who I am. This is what I what I, you know, do. And, you know, was helping them find their footing, because I think a lot of people probably reached out at that time, just because they saw the video, and they got excited about it. And, and then I just kind of, like, slowly began to help, like, you know, provide them resources to the continuation of the development of it, you know, like, it was about how to, to, to put some fuel in this fire. And, and then I think it was like, probably about a year and a half ago or so. And I've told this story before, but like, you know, both of my parents, unfortunately, passed.

And from that situation came additional resources that I was able to be like, I don't know what to do with this. And my mom was such a huge fan of the show. She was able to come to set one time and, and meet all the moms. And so I really kind of sitting down and being like, what, what do I want to do with this? Because it's so personal. And it's a very bizarre thing to have to go through. And so the pyramid has always been something near and dear to my heart. And so we kind of began conversations. And then enter stage left was tied to Lou, you know, creator, director, co writer, Titanic, just fantastic in every sense of the word. And we've been kind of off to the races since the beginning of July with working with him and table reads and, and workshops.

And these guys have been working with him on a daily basis on the book and the music and the lyrics and heading into a writer's retreat here at the end of the month to really be off the grid and let the pyramid kind of just develop within the wooded areas of upstate New York on the lake. Yeah. And so Camp David, it's like Camp Abby, even worse. But, but I think what's interesting is that there is so much talent and there's so much interest. Dance Moms has been a staple in pop culture for, you know, over 15 years. And I think that's the part that we're excited about is that the audience is there, the audience wants to see this. And the audience is really a part of making this all come to life with the Kickstarter and, you know, what we're doing from the development side of things. It's kind of like breathing fresh air into the streets of Broadway. So it's exciting. It's very exciting.

[5:10] Mikayla Petrilla: Well, it's such a wonderful thing to see how well parody has been doing and inspiring audiences and getting new audiences on to Broadway and off-Broadway spaces. I feel like the world of competitive dance is already so heightened. So this leans into the emotional stakes of then I would assume writing the book and writing the music for this. Like it really sounds like there's a natural cadence to that. And I like that the show is told through the perspective of Christy and Chloe. Like that just feels like such a great emotional anchor inside all of the chaos. I guess maybe Erica can answer this. What was like, why was that the right doorway into the story? Or how are you approaching the way that you're exploring the book?

[5:45] Erica Molfetto: Yeah, to us, exploring the narrative landscape of Dance Moms through Christy and Chloe's lens was simply the only way to go for us. Because we have Logan Clark as a gorgeous resource, we have come to the understanding that not only did we, the audience, understand Christy to be the voice of reason, but apparently on set, her real street cred was being the voice of reason. And throughout our interpretation of Dance Moms, watching it both when it was on TV and in reruns during COVID when we were thrifting, we really, really see Christy being the Joan of Arc of this tale. And so we're really excited to put some color and some new context behind that for new fans and diehard fans alike.

[6:39] James Stryska: Yes, in reality TV, I feel like it gives people, the characters, catchphrases, the villains and the heroes of the arcs of it. And I find it fascinating because you also have this backstage, or backstage, I guess backstage show with competitive dance, but you have this inside look of who the humans are beyond the edit of what is presented on Dance Moms, which is really cool. So how are you balancing those things and translating it into musical theatre storytelling? Because we know Christy to be the voice of reason, but we also know that they're pulling like the spiciest bits to put on the show. Where is striking the balance between the real people, the characters, and then creating these parody caricatures? Or are they already archetypes of their own?

[7:14] Erica Molfetto: I always respond in the same way, James. So if you want to give a more original answer, please go ahead.

[7:21] James Stryska: No, go ahead. And then I have a musical theatre nerd response to that question.

[7:28] Erica Molfetto: Cool. I think it's interesting because unlike with a lot of parody that we are seeing, this is based off of real people. And when I say real IP, I mean like reality TV, you know, a lot of these other parody shows, they kind of like have this almost luxury, like they can make almost any joke because as long as it's about this fictional character, a fictional setting, a fictional world, like everyone's like, ah, that's just the show, right? We are parrying real life people. And so we wanted to be really cognizant of that fact and really like figure out what is the line. As we all know, reality TV, there's a lot of people behind the camera doing certain things to get certain outcomes. And they're telling people to say certain things because they want to tell a story, right?

And it all comes back to a story. So we wanted to heighten who we saw on TV and use moments from the show and character traits from the show as inspiration. And like, what would that look like if it was like times 100? And how would that look like as a character? Maybe Kelly maybe said one line about this thing or like Holly, a better example, Holly has a doctorate, right? She's Dr. Holly. What if we took that aspect and times it by 100? And like, what would it look like if she's overtly proud of her doctorate degree, you know, and that's all she could talk about. And she talks about all the classes she took, all her education, and how can we find the comedy in that and finding, you know, the inspiration from the reality and then making it a fictional piece.

[8:58] Logan Clark: Right. That makes sense. And that's really congruent with the roles of like Second City seasonal style sketch comedy, which is really great. Just finding the one aspect that is funny, but then we heighten it and inflate it to a certain extent where it is really just so comical and that juxtaposes the grounding of the story so well. What did you learn from the audience responses to the early songs that were released? And how did that inspire what moments you were going to choose to highlight in the musical?

[9:22] James Stryska: That is a juicy question. Give me that tea.

[9:29] Mikayla Petrilla: This can be anyone can answer. Give me the tea. Okay, wait, what does your mug say?

[9:35] James Stryska: Welcome to Times Square where you can be the star for a day, which is where we're filming. To all of our listeners at home, Michaela has a lovely mug and she just read what it says.

[9:47] Logan Clark: No, we are fresh off a reading starring the one and only Deborah Cox.

[9:52] James Stryska: Is she Holly? Please tell me.

[9:54] Logan Clark: Well, she read for Holly and she said that she would buy tickets to the production, but I think that's only because a formal offer had not been given yet. Um, but we're working, we're working on it. Casting is underway. Please go to thepyramidmusical.com for casting updates.

[10:13] Erica Molfetto: Yes, Dr. Deborah Cox. Holly, I.

[10:17] James Stryska: Oh my God. I mean, talk about legendary range. If Deborah Cox, if I were given the opportunity to just like follow her around for a day, my God, what a gift that would be. She can do drama. She could do comedy. She can sing. She could, she could do it all. She's the Dr. Holly of my heart.

[10:35] Logan Clark: She's Dr. Holly of Broadway. Let's be honest. Like she really is like, she can do it all. And that was something I think that we noticed in the development of, you know, speaking about Holly in particular, Holly has always been that underdog, that mom with Nia who was always at the bottom of the pyramid, who maybe didn't always get the solo, but Holly is a mom. I mean, think about what these moms in real life, going back to James's point, like these are real people, real, real humans with, with families. They're struggling. They have to pay their bills. They have to, you know, raise a family and not to mention, especially when they're away from their families, filming a television show, there's a lot of complexities there.

And for Holly, you know, being a working woman, you know, she was in academia. So I think it's so interesting, Erica, when you made the comparison about the gravitas that is Dr. Holly and also the power that is Deborah Cox, like there is a lot of similarities there. And we have been really trying to give our audience an inside look at how the sausage is made with the show. Right. And like, this is our table read. This is our social media moment on the recording of My Little Kendall. We want people to be building an experience before they get to the theater and sit in the seat. And so that way there's an attachment to the show and they can say, okay, this is what I've been seeing all this behind the scenes for years now.

And here it all comes together. And it's kind of like, I mean, I don't want to, you know, give ourselves too much credit here, but it's almost like when Taylor, you know, Taylor Swift gave us that look at like the Aristore and all of that work that went into the Aristore. And then you look at what the Aristore was. I mean, so much work, so much time, effort and commitment. Right. And so that's what we want to do. We want to create experience. People come in and not just buy a ticket, come in, have a glass of wine while they watch a fun show, but make them feel like they're part of something bigger. And I think that experience piece is what we're unlocking within our show and our process.

[12:32] James Stryska: And just to add on to that super briefly, to be quite honest, the people associated with Dance Moms have given us so much fodder to do that. I would like in our role and by our, I mean, James and Izzy and Molly and I, it's essentially been to mine for this content that already exists, that already could be a fan favorite. I have a favorite author, Emily Nussbaum, who says in one of her essays about watching reality TV, these characters are giving a moral lasagna of questionable aesthetic choices. And that's very much everything that we've had to live by. So I hate to say it. James hates when I say this, but the show pretty much writes itself.

[13:14] Logan Clark: It's true. You can't make up what these ladies have done.

[13:18] James Stryska: The audience reaction and response to everything we're putting out is very overwhelming in such a good way. And I think the biggest thing we learned is that everyone's always talked about a Dance Moms musical, like how like it was a fun little silly idea. But putting all this out, we just learned like how much of a demand there is and how. Yeah, just how many people want it, you know.

[14:03] Mikayla Petrilla: There is such a strong pipeline right now from Internet fandom to stage parody like Titanic, unauthorized musicals, Ratatouille, the pop culture send ups. Why do you think audiences are so hungry for that?

[14:11] James Stryska: In our experience, analyzing the comments, being, you know, out on the streets, getting real time concert feedback, we are tapping into an IP and experience that people already know and love in the same way where we know and love it. Our job as writers is to reinterpret it into a new medium, which works very well.

[14:16] James Stryska: To our own horn, but to my knowledge, this is the only musical that is having this kind of traction that is based on reality TV. We have a million examples of jukebox musicals. We have a million examples of, you know, movies becoming staged productions, you know, Kramer vs. Kramer, Death Becomes Her, what have you. But the fact that this is really tying into an IP that people know and love that is based on real people with real human flaws, I think is appealing to a generation where they're a little bit more comfortable embracing their flaws, i.e. one of my favorite examples, I just saw one of my favorite Seattle comedians talk about this, Gen Z being the only generation to put colorful stickers on their pimples as a means to kind of show off and lead with flaws first.

That's the kind of security that reality TV gives people. And there's a reason why it's flourished so much in the last 20 years. I think, I mean, it's pretty low hanging fruit when we're talking about what people are experiencing and what people are streaming in their own homes. I mean, and nobody knows that better than Logan, who does this for a living.

[15:26] Mikayla Petrilla: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And I think it's true, too, like whether you're going to the theater or whether you're watching TV or listening to music or reading a book, you are trying to find catharsis and processing your own human experience through the lives and experiences of other people. It's through community and shared experience that we're able to either let go of our own problems for a while or be able to understand and alchemize what we're feeling and put it to action in a positive way. And reality TV, it's like, I feel like we don't allow ourselves as a culture, maybe, to feel anger, stress, higher stakes situations. A lot of people will shy away from conflict. Millennials, especially, we saw the rigid standards of discipline of like our parents, our parents' parents.

So it's like, I feel like everyone is leading with kindness and joy, and that's great. But there's a lot of like the higher stakes, like ugly, messy aspects of humanity that we may not let ourselves feel. And I feel like that's why reality TV flourishes so much, but also why we go to see a good drama on Broadway. So I feel like these all lend really well to what you're creating and then able to like parody. I love comedy because it effectively does the same thing as high stakes drama, where it allows you to find some sort of catharsis or joy or being able to like laugh at a circumstance that you're embodying or dealing with that you don't know how to process. All that to say, like, I think this is the best place to start when it comes to reality TV parody.

Like there's so much material here. And I feel like this team is so great. Like you, the three of you are an incredible team, the team that you brought together between Ty and your readings. I already feel like you're in such a great place and there's still so much more development you're doing. So, okay, tell me, where are you at in your process? And where do you see this developing? What is the timeline? What are your hopes and dreams?

[17:22] Erica Molfetto: Well, we open on Monday.

[17:23] James Stryska: We, uh, get your tickets.

[17:27] Erica Molfetto: Yeah, I think right. So right now we're in, you know, the hardcore development phase, right? We are sending our writers to a really exciting retreat to really be unplugged from the noise of the world to focus on Dance Moms, to focus on the book, the music, the lyrics, to really get the fingers fully submerged in the soil. So the show can fully be at its best potential. I think that we've seen some great responses of what works and what doesn't work in our current draft around some really well-respected people. And now it's time to like really kind of go in and do the surgery to make it the best piece possible. All the while we're in conversations with some incredible names that are dying to be a part of this because to your point, like reality TV transcends not only through, you know, at home audiences, but through people that you're seeing on stage and on screen, you know, today.

So we're, we're, we're actually getting people saying, Hey, my name is Celebrity A or Celebrity B. Like we want to be a part of this show. And so we're really excited about the response from a casting perspective as well. And people that I think that just it's kind of a no-brainer when she like kind of put it all together. It's like, Oh my God, this person wants to do it. Like this is a dream come true.

[18:42] James Stryska: Yeah. So, so we're in that phase, but we're also, like I said before, we're really in a phase right now where we're building an experience with the audience. We're really trying to like open the curtains, let you on back to the back room to say, this is how a musical is made. And to Erica's point, not only is this one of the very few or first shows of this caliber going to stage, but it's also the one of the first, if not the only and first show that's been born out of a TikTok video. You know what I mean? So it's kind of like it's showing a new way forward for dreamers, for creators to say like, you know, the old Bob Fosse and, and, you know, the Andrew Lloyd Webber of it all, like respect those that came before us.

But at the same time, there are new ways we are in a new age of content and of creating. So it's exciting to see something being done in a new way. And I mean, not for nothing, we have it on good authority that these Broadway legends, i.e. Andrew Lloyd Webber, agree with us wholeheartedly. Before Cats closed early, he published an entire piece that said, the Broadway landscape is changing. And I think it's up to us as young creators to make sure we change with it. So if Kander and Ebb needed a kick, don't get me started on Kander and Ebb. Don't get me started on Hal Prince. Don't get me started on Sondheim. You're telling me that if you wanted to put a musical on the market, like Cabaret, you wouldn't need a Kickstarter?

I'm sorry, what? If Cabaret were brought into today's market, and you told people that it was based on a source material, based on a piece of source material, you're telling me that Kander and Ebb, look, they're legends. And of course, they had legendary work before Cabaret, whatever, whatever. You're telling me that you wouldn't need a Kickstarter to bring the idea of Cabaret into a 2026 theatrical market?

[20:46] Mikayla Petrilla: Micaela, you're getting the tea. It's piping hot. And we're doing it now, right here on Tea Time.

[20:54] James Stryska: Thank God. It's not about needing a Kickstarter. It's not about needing to do this. It's about what is a new way forward that we can bring the fans, we can bring the audience in. They are pledging that they would love to see this. And they're getting rewards back. They're getting merch. They're getting tickets. They're getting EPs. They're getting posters. They're getting keychains. They're getting blah, blah, blah, blah. But it's about creating that experience. It's about saying, hey, come along for the ride. And why wouldn't we do that? Why wouldn't we open it up for the fans to feel like they're a part of something bigger? I'll tell you this. I own a casting company. I've had it open since 2020.

I'm very proud of the work that we've done. We do shows for Fox, Hulu, Netflix. We worked on a show called Legendary for HBO Max, which is an underground ballroom competition series, a voguing competition series. And let me tell you, it was the largest trans cast and largest black cast ever on television. And I'm proud of those things. But what I'm also proud of is that we've sprouted a development arm. And I'm also proud of the fact that I co-executive produce a lot of these shows. And I'm doing things in a way that aren't necessarily the traditional way. I'm a casting guy, and I'm sticking to casting. I'm proud of that. And so we are thinking outside the box here at The Pyramid to really unlock a new way forward for how musicals can be produced.

Because guess what? That Kickstarter and what we've gotten attention from has gotten a lot of attention from some of the biggest investors on Broadway. And that is the way forward, truly, everything you're saying.

[22:21] Mikayla Petrilla: Part of the reason why I started this podcast is because we ever since 2020, but even before, we were inching towards something has got to give in this industry and how we do things. Certainly now in this economy, how were we meant to do things? Well, wait, first of all, I have a question. Was somebody dissing your Kickstarter?

[22:40] James Stryska: Listen, we.

[22:43] Mikayla Petrilla: Did I miss something?

[22:45] James Stryska: I think so. I didn't hear anything.

[22:47] Mikayla Petrilla: Okay, I didn't hear anything either. But yeah, I just I thought maybe somebody was saying something negative about having a Kickstarter. I'm just making sure.

[22:58] James Stryska: I will say that we have fans in many places, and they come in all shapes and sizes. They come in all forms and all colors. And what's interesting is sometimes the different amount of wheels. I got to backpedal out of here. I gotta go.

[23:13] Mikayla Petrilla: Stop it. What I will say is.

[23:16] James Stryska: Yes.

[23:16] Mikayla Petrilla: Not what I'll say is there are some people that are naysayers. And for me, that is the fuel that we're going to re-bottle and put into our little rockets. And we are going to go even further because nothing, nothing fuels creators more than somebody saying you can't do that.

[23:35] James Stryska: Cheers, cheers, cheers and cheers again.

[23:38] Mikayla Petrilla: Truly to that, so many of studio days in like early Hollywood into the birth and development of musical theater, we had theater companies, we had studios that were supporting and developing work and producing work through their studios over and over and over again. Every like major SNL star has been brought up by an improv troupe from Second City or something like that, all to say that we find our collaborators through these shared communal spaces. And as we become more isolated in some capacities while also having significantly more visibility because of social media and the Internet, we have to change accordingly. And I think that what you're doing is incredible. You're reaching a high visibility of audience.

We can't like you'll never get it done and you'll never get it right. So putting out the content and just being able to give that as a gift to an audience to consume. I mean, it does invite, you know, those naysayers, but it also invites fostering a community that is really going to get something wonderful out of what you're giving. And you'll never know unless you try it. So you have to keep putting it out and look at how much you've done already. That is truly incredible. And as far as Kickstarters, like, listen, like that is all part of the community in this economy, in this business of looking at Broadway producers, there's X amount of producers that have X amount of houses or, you know, there's been a lot of changes in how we're producing Broadway shows. So why wouldn't we want to build that up through the community itself? I think we're all like filling each other's cups. That's a beautiful thing.

[25:07] James Stryska: And when I say how I really do think the universe was looking out for us by Logan reaching out, Logan for the video to see Logan, and then for Logan to then take that initiative to reach out to us. I think we on the email, I like emailed everyone and I was like, we need to respond to him right now. We need like that. He feels like this is right. He's the right person for this project. Like we want to work with him. And I just think we're very fortunate, very lucky that the Cosmic Universe, the Saturn Return, the whoever, whenever, showed that, put that video on Logan's feed. So then Logan could reach out and connect us. And it's just been such a treat to be able to work with him. Talking like he's not literally right here. Logan's a guy, sounds pretty great. But seriously, I really, the universe had a plan and I'm really thankful for it that it all worked out like this. Logan, tell me about your perspective of that. Give me the play by play.

[25:57] Logan Clark: You're scrolling through TikTok. Did someone send this video to you? No, no, no. I went, it was a Sunday. I came home from a boozy brunch. I'm sitting on the couch. I'm scrolling. I've got about 17 mimosas in my system. And I remember scrolling on TikTok, which by the way, hot take, I'm not a TikTok guy. I don't know why I was on TikTok. I'm glad you were that day. I'm a reels guy. You know, I'm a millennial, so I'm an Instagram. So for me, it was on TikTok. I scrolled, I saw the video and I kind of sat up through the mimosa haze and was like, Oh my God, I must talk to them. And so I reached out and I think on Monday we ended up getting on a call. And yeah, I mean, the rest is kind of history, but I do think that good things come to those that deserve it.

Right. And I think that, you know, cosmically there's been a lot of wins for the pyramid thus far. The fact that we all connected, the fact that the response is so positive and people love what they're listening to and what they're getting to consume. We hit the moms.

[27:08] James Stryska: Yeah.

[27:08] Logan Clark: The fact that like the moms are supporting it, the fact that Jill's loving it. And there's more on the horizon. I mean, we talked about Holly earlier, but Holly liked the Debra Cox. I mean, listen, not all of them are saying like musical from the top of the rooftops, but they are supporting it in the ways that they feel like they want to. And we love that. But also the fact that we are having some conversations with some sorry, before that cosmically high blue, high blue. I mean, he's so he's so great and he's so wonderful and so busy. And the material, I think he saw what was there and what he could, you know, how he could contribute. You know what the cosmic thing is? You know what show he was watching when he got our email?

Dance Moms. He was watching Dance Moms. That's crazy. I did not know that. Yeah, that was like the first thing he said. He was like, I was watching Dance Moms in the background and I got your email. And that's when he was like, this something feels divine. This is James' return. This is my sad return. Cosmically speaking, like the fact that we're having conversations with some really, really, really incredible talent that want to be a part of this. It's like karma is really, you know, it's an interesting beast. And I think that the show it's going to really, really, really knock people's socks off. And it's going to be something really excited to watch.

[28:33] Logan Clark: The Pyramid is such a brutal visual metaphor. What does this represent in your version of the story?

[29:04] Erica Molfetto: A visual representation of how the moms think they're doing as mothers. And the higher that their kids are placed, they think that they are doing a better job of being a mom. Because I think half the time it was never an objective. It was never viewed as an objective thing. Whoever placed higher, whoever got a higher score was placed on top. There are a lot of weeks where one of the girls would get first but still not hit the top of the pyramid because a certain person just didn't want to place them on top. Because maybe they didn't like their attitude as much. Or sometimes the girls would get punished by being low in the pyramid because of how a certain person would feel about the mom that week. You know?

[29:52] James Stryska: Right. Yeah.

[29:53] Erica Molfetto: So, which is something common on the show. And a heartbreaking thing to watch them try to explain that to their children that don't have a scope or understanding of like, I thought my job was to do well.

[30:03] Logan Clark: Exactly. So that's how I've always viewed the pyramid. And that's my emo writer.

[30:09] Erica Molfetto: I view the pyramid differently because I literally had to help set it up when we would film. So I look at it as making sure that the page is extremely straight on the mirror, that the tape is securely fastened, that we have enough of the headshots. So I look at it as a purely logistical thing, which is so funny that my brain went there. But if I were to get myself into like the artsy fartsy of it all, I do think that it is a metaphor for, you know, what I think Abby's goal was to show how people can climb. And I think that her goal was to show the girls with hard work and determination, you can make it up here. Now, it's like good intent, bad execution, right? Like, I think that there is like a real and I think a lot of things with Abby, listen, she's a very complex, complex, complex woman.

But I will say that I think that she has a lot of good intentions and bad execution moments. And that is what made the show. You know, she was originally supposed to be just the on-camera choreographer. And then she had that infamous line, season one, episode one of this woman who was chasing her around her studio, the pastor, and she calls the police and she's on the phone, the police and they asked her, does the woman have a weapon? And she says, does the woman have a weapon? No, just her mouth. And Lifetime was like, who is this woman? And she needs to be the star of the show. And then, you know, 15 years later, she's still in our mouths. Look at that. God.

[31:40] James Stryska: Truly, truly. Oh, my gosh, I'm still thinking about it. I still replay Dance Moms with my friend group. And there is a catharsis in that too. Like whenever we gather together, we know we're watching Dance Moms, which is stunning. I will say, okay, I have a I have a I have to ask. It's a pretty serious ask. And I'm going to put you on the spot. So I'm a fan of Dance Moms. And I think I should be in this musical and a part that I've written for myself. Can I pitch it to you right now?

[32:00] Logan Clark: Please, please. Yes, I would like to play the role of Broadway Baby.

[32:11] Erica Molfetto: Wow. Okay. Okay. Talk to us. What is it with no spoilers?

[32:20] Logan Clark: Okay, no spoilers. I just I just see a world one of my favorite Dance Moms moments is when Broadway Baby gets taxidermied and the moms all have to like open it up in the in the box that's filled with very like the styrofoam. And I just I don't understand that. And it stresses me out. And I think about it more often than I should. And I just that's my Dance Moms moment. I was gonna ask you guys what your favorite Dance Moms moment is. And that may be mine. So I just think that my ego wants you to know that that could be a brilliant part of the show. Which leads me to my next question. Are people giving you input about what they think should be in the show? And how do you deal with that? That's the real question. The fake question is, can I play Broadway Baby? Can we circle back to this?

[33:03] Erica Molfetto: Yeah, go. Can we circle back to this?

[33:09] James Stryska: Michaela, you want to Okay, no, just so I understand. And this sounds judgmental. It's only because I have COVID. Do you imagine for the public health advocates? We're not in the same room. Do you imagine you playing a human version of a taxidermied Broadway Baby? Do you imagine you being the hand of a puppet? Like, like, really? Like, I want to understand this from this perspective. Is this is this a podcast that has video or audio only?

[33:34] Logan Clark: It has video and we can choose to keep the video or cut it truly up to you guys.

[33:39] James Stryska: Okay, because I want you to know your videos been frozen for like the past like 10 minutes for me. So the fact that you say that you want to be a taxidermy dog is actually hilarious because it's been frozen.

[33:44] Logan Clark: You're so frozen.

[33:55] James Stryska: It hasn't been frozen for me.

[33:57] Logan Clark: This is Kismet. This is Kismet. Wow. I the universe delivers. It's giving you my audition tape. You didn't even know. How do I envision this? Wait, I need to take a photo and show you guys what I've seen.

[34:08] Erica Molfetto: Yes, please. This is what I've been seeing for the past 10 minutes.

[34:14] Logan Clark: Oh my god, I look like I'm taking a number two.

[34:21] James Stryska: No, it's so great. It really added to the sales pitch of I want to play Broadway baby is what I'm saying. I would be cracking up. I don't know how you've kept a straight face this whole time, Logan. I've had to look at Erica. Erica is our grounding. Yes, of this institution. Okay, go sorry, continue to explore Erica, you were asking about what which version so she wants to play. Logistically, are we thinking like, it's like a Wilson where like, you know, you're human in a dog costume? Is it your interpreting like a puppet with your hands? Is it the ghost of? Is it like a phantom voice? Like, like, and I say this without any judgment, what what the what the hell are you thinking?

[35:03] Logan Clark: Ask myself that so often? Well, I didn't this was just going to be a joke. But now I'm gonna I'm gonna double down on it because I said it out loud. And now we're here. So I think that there is a commercial market for puppets considering next season's Paddington Bear and Happy Feet. So you know, we could have a puppet animatronic. Isn't that crazy time?

[35:22] James Stryska: Befeat next season? Apparently, so don't quote me on it. But that's what I was told. Yeah. So maybe just like me in a suit, we could have an Avenue Q puppet moment. I mean, I did. I worked at sleep no more for a long time. So while I'm not a fan of taxidermy, I have been surrounded by it. I feel confident in my skillset.

[35:39] Erica Molfetto: No more. The immersive show with the masks that you wandered around the hotel. Do you remember this? It was well, it was in the theater before he rivalry.

[35:55] Logan Clark: Yes. I imagine probably baby being like the cow and into the woods where

[35:59] James Stryska: Yeah, that's actually that's perfect. Look, you've given us a lot to think about. And per our previous comments, we are in a developmental stage. So give us your best Broadway baby pitches. Give us your best puppet pitches. We are here for it. I think what's been interesting to Michaela is like, to answer your question on have people been giving us like, you have to use this product? Yes. And like, it's so fun. Like, it's fun to see the comments of people saying, oh my god, please tell me that they're you know, Jill will have a number called my little Kendall and it's like, well, actually, yes. Or like, you know, other people saying, I mean, are you going to have something to do with like, well, Holly talked about the empty chair.

Like there are moments and then there's moments where it's like, oh my gosh, like, maybe we didn't think about them. And we should add that back to the vision board. So right. That's the thing about this fandom. Again, when you let people if we were developing this in a closed door, where we didn't tell anybody, we didn't have an Instagram, we didn't have songs out there, nobody would know that we're doing it. We wouldn't have this type of interaction with people, we wouldn't be able to have this two way communication of like, fans are really responding to this, fans are not responding to this. It only makes the work.

[37:04] Erica Molfetto: Right. I agree with that. What is the hardest thing to musicalize? Do you think the moms, the kids like the competitions or the fandom mythology? And how do you balance it from becoming just references to creating an arc of a story that fits on a stage that fans and newcomers alike can understand?

[37:33] James Stryska: Yeah, you could take that any way you want to take it. It's interesting, because a lot of the songs, it's an ongoing process, but it all comes back, like what I said, what I said earlier to the story, right? And I think first and foremost, like, obviously, we want to get references and we want to get everyone's favorite lines in. But the challenge for us as the writers, which it's been a fun challenge is, how could Holly say empty chair do a solo in a way that it's going to make sense to this story, rather than her just being like, aha, I said the line, wink, wink, you know, we want to be able to implement that in the big thing when it comes to like musicalizing is what moments, obviously, a lot of dance moms, emotions are heightened, but like, what moments in our story are the most heightened?

And like, they say, well, you can't speak, you sing, right? Like, that's a big thing. But my belief in that is that you sing in a way that you can't speak, you know, like, that's where lyric comes in, right? It's not just I'm singing what I could be speaking, it's I have so much emotion, I literally have to change my way of verbiage to, to express how I'm feeling. And we get that with My Little Kendall, because that was her, that was her big mantra. We get that with songs like The Pyramid, we get that with other songs we've released, like Dance Mom. And we have new songs coming out to also show these moms when they have these heightened moments of emotion and anguish, how does that musicalize?

And also with each song and the score being a different musical style, we also wanted to get inspired by these moms' personalities and characteristic traits and whatnot. Like my favorite one is Holly's song, Nia's Time, her big song is a patter song, you know, because Holly's always speaking, she's always like talking, you know, really fast with like, lots of like, you know, heightened vocabulary. And in musical theater, you know, a patter song is, is, you know, given to the character who has a lot to say.

[39:20] Logan Clark: Got to James's point. You know, we are telling a story. You could argue that it's parody, although it's not in our title anymore. But really, we are writers with a whole lot to say we're using Dance Moms as a vehicle to really articulate a message that I think audiences will get the moment that they sit down in their seats.

[39:40] Erica Molfetto: That's beautiful. I'm so excited for this. I'll end the conversation on this note, what and you pretty much just said it, but what do you want Dance Moms fans to feel? What do you want musical theater fans to feel? And how can we follow your journey? What is we have our retreat at the end of the month, we are going to noodle on all of these themes. But what is your the biggest takeaway you want to leave audiences with?

[40:00] Logan Clark: Go to the Kickstarter.

[40:01] Erica Molfetto: I was like two questions. Go to the Kickstarter.

[40:04] James Stryska: No, I think I think the biggest thing, you know, a musical theater, it requires a lot of resources to continue development. So if you are somebody that's listening and believes in original work, if you're somebody that believes in folks that are creatives expressing and if you believe in comedy, and you believe in the powers that are Broadway, then please head to the pyramid musical.com to contribute to our Kickstarter. Again, it is a an opportunity for you to become part of the journey. You receive rewards in return for your pledge different levels, you get different rewards. But I also think it's like follow us on socials, come along for the ride, like cheer us on from the sidelines. I mean, we are I don't want to say we're the little show that could but like we're kind of the little show that will. And, and that's exciting. You know, it's really exciting to be a part of a collective that is working to bring something really, really, really big to a stage.

[41:04] Erica Molfetto: And hopefully something big to the stage that will leave audiences feeling like, wow, they did justice to this show that I know and love that really has been, you know, streaming in my living room since 2012. And addresses the complexities of mother daughter relationships, and what happens when mothers and daughters talk past each other, and I'll leave them with that.

[41:32] James Stryska: Yes. Oh my goodness. And then it's James' Saturn return.

[41:37] Logan Clark: And then my Saturn return. But yeah, just echoing everything that they said and want people to have a good time and hopefully starting a conversation, whether that be about their relationship with their mom or, wow, I really enjoyed Dance Moms or like, I just I didn't think about it like that, you know?

[41:56] Erica Molfetto: Yes.

[41:57] James Stryska: And James' Saturn return.

[41:58] Logan Clark: And James' Saturn return. Oh my goodness. Well, thank you all for coming on. And thank you for the work that you're doing, not just for Dance Moms, but in all of the work you're doing. Like we discussed with James and Erica, and now Logan with your Wealthy Hype Network, from casting to producing. It is just so important, I think, to have like, we used to specialize in one thing, and that was it. And that's beautiful and glorious. But I also think being a jack of all trades or mastering one and lending your skill set to other capacities to keep things alive and awake and exciting is just so valuable. And the three of you are really doing that. So thank you for doing that and for coming on.

[42:33] All: Thank you for having us.

[42:40] Mikayla Petrilla: Until next time, keep dreaming big, and I'll see you for the next cup of tea.