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[0:00] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's The Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon.

[0:09] Robert Bannon: Hey everybody, it's Robert Bannon, and this is The Roundtable here on Broadway World, the Broadway Podcast Network, iHeart, Spotify. It is a new season on Broadway, and that makes me excited because that means there's brand new and exciting shows that are coming to you all season long on The Roundtable. Do you love Broadway? I think so, because that's probably one of the reasons you're here, unless you love some of the other fun, exciting people that we get to talk to, right? Well, I have to tell you, I love the Manhattan Theater Club very, very much, and I love that we get to work with them, and there's an incredible new show off-Broadway called The Unbelievers. That's right, and you need to hear all about it.

It's by Nick Payne. People go nuts for him. Knud Adams directed it, and Lauren Ambrose, who you know from a lot, who you know from a lot of stuff, like Broadway, like My Fair Lady, like Six Feet Under, and this incredible all-star cast is here to tell us all about it. I had a chance to speak to them virtually during their press day, and it was a good time. Take a listen.

[1:13] Nick Payne: I am Nick Payne. I'm the writer of the play The Unbelievers.

[1:18] Knud Adams: And Knud Adams, director of the play.

[1:21] Robert Bannon: Incredible. Congratulations to you both. So, Nick, where did this idea come from? What inspired you to make this happen?

[1:27] Nick Payne: Well, it's been a long gestation, but the short version was probably wanting to write something about faith, not necessarily religious faith, but how belief may or may not be required when something kind of unfathomable or incomprehensible happens in your life. And if you don't have any religious beliefs, what other beliefs do you draw on in order to cope? That was the kind of beginning of the idea, yeah.

[1:58] Robert Bannon: Incredible. So directing this, it's heavy. It's a heavy subject matter. So how do you bring some levity into the room and get through this every day? Because he wrote you something incredible to work on.

[2:13] Knud Adams: It's very powerful. I mean, I think the heaviness is balanced by the humor of the play itself and the fact that sort of this family is so funny themselves and funny with each other and that our cast is so skilled at balancing that is a gift. But also that, you know, I think the theater in its most elemental, its most Greek, isn't afraid to take on the sort of the unnameable. And I think, you know, the plays that end up on my desk are hard because if they were easy, they would get an easier person to do them. But by the time they come my way, there's a challenge. And sort of the invitation that Nick has written. Incredible actors to do something very difficult that requires tremendous rigor and skill.

And also sort of provides an offer for design decisions, but doesn't dictate those is my favorite thing as well. So it just asks the most of us to sort of meet it. But just sitting around the table for a couple of days this week, there's a lot of laughter and love in the room. And as we sort of starting to figure out how to channel these people, they're speaking through our incredible cast already.

[3:41] Robert Bannon: I love it. It's a show you have to see this season, everybody. You have to run and see it. So for you both, tell me a little bit about the cast and what it means to be a part of the MTC family right here in New York City.

[3:55] Nick Payne: Yeah, I can say so. It's a play with nine actors, which is already like, you know, you've already blown the budget. But the way we sort of have populated this world has been done with such care. And it's just an embarrassment of riches, this ensemble, who are united in our sort of appreciation for the beauty and the challenge of the work ahead. And it's early days, but just watching them sort of rip off each other has been a delight. And I think in addition to the gorgeous, innovative text, what were the ambition of the design, just being in close proximity to that group of artists is going to be sort of unmissable.

[4:41] Knud Adams: Look, you're gorgeous and innovative with your text.

[4:45] Nick Payne: Well, I'll take the compliment. I mean, yeah, I suppose the interesting thing is I've worked in the space at City Center once before, I mean, nearly a decade ago. And I suppose I think that this play and the way in which Knut and the creative team are sort of envisaging it is really exciting because A, they're slightly reconfiguring the space, which I believe hasn't been done for a long time. So audiences familiar with the space are going to get a completely different experience of it. And audiences unfamiliar with the space are going to be drawn into a unique space that has only been built for this production, which I think, as Knut was saying, like part of the gesture in the writing is certainly to invite everyone working on it to be as imaginative as they can be.

I mean, I don't write a lot of stage directions. I don't specify locations. And that's not out of not conceiving or considering those things. But it's because experience has kind of taught me that if you let everyone's imaginations free, that they're going to give you all the most kind of incredible, amazing, imaginative ideas. So I think the history with MTC has sort of taught me to be bolder and a bit braver with this particular show. So, yeah.

[5:59] Knud Adams: Well, you sound like writers and directors that actors would love to work with and audiences would love to buy a ticket with because you're going to see authentic, beautiful human behavior, an incredible story, an incredible cast in a beautiful space with beautiful words. And I love that you make you make him you make the director do the hard work. You figure out the stage.

[6:21] Nick Payne: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. My bit's easy. I just and then everyone else has to build it. No, I mean, that's perfect. I don't like zero stage direction. Zero. Figure it out. I'm incorrigible. So it works out. Congratulations to you both. Break legs out. It's going to be incredible. And I can't wait to see it. And I can't wait for the world to see it. Have an incredible run. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Take care. You too. Bye bye. To give you all big hugs and break legs and what an incredible cast and show this is going to be. Congratulations.

[6:47] Robert Bannon: Thank you. So for you both, Lauren, you know, you're not singing. You're not singing Eliza Doolittle in this. You're not. You're not. I mean, you could if you want to get a number. Can I get a dance number? Why? Yes. I get a song. Lauren, look, let's be real. We go way back. You too. And Lauren gets offers every day. So she's got movies. And so I have different Lauren.

[7:14] Lauren Ambrose: Yeah. Oh, and Ambrose. So why? Yes. Why? Why? Yes. To this. When you read this and saw it. Why did you say this is what's next?

[7:21] Lauren Ambrose: Oh, yes. Well, because because it's a beautiful play, because as you pointed out, I do these like ye olde revivals as a practice. Like that's that's I seem to find myself in these these these old fashioned things. And this is something that is happening now, contending with things that are happening now. And a family is in a crisis in sort of a hilarious way. And and a character, this character is baffling to me. What she's experiencing is super intense. Playing with time, which Nick Payne does so beautifully as a as a character. You know, that's that's really interesting to me. And yeah, I don't know. And with Knud, he's assembled this this beautiful group of actors. It just I know I'm just I'm very excited. I'm very grateful to be to be here working on this new play. I can't wait for people to see it. Manhattan Theater Club dot com. Get your tickets. Go, go, go.

[8:36] Robert Bannon: So, Tom, you have you come from another television star, theater star, lots of movies, lots of work. When you you read a lot of work, you you read you're an actor's actor when you read the words of this. How does that feel to be able to take this incredible legendary writer's words and be able to speak them for the first time here in New York City?

[9:01] Tom Riley: Wow. I mean, that's it, isn't it? And I and I do think it's what's been really special about this is reading this play is is his own thing. Seeing the words on the page that it's obviously witty. It's funny. It's moving when you read it. You cry, you laugh or all the good stuff just reading it. But when you speak out loud, Nick is such a he understands the theatrical experience so well that reading it is nothing compared to what it would be like to experience it for us on the stage and for the audience watching, because he just has that ability to write the type of play that just sort of hits you right in your center where you're at and sort of provides that like transcendental theater experience that we're all hoping for when we go to the theater that we're just going to feel like we're rising our seats at the end. And I think that's that's that's what this is. Am I overstating it? Probably.

[9:50] Robert Bannon: But that's perfect. Oh, you know, I think that's amazing and brilliant. So, Lauren, you know, you have you've done other work that has involved tough subject matters that also have some humor in it. There's no funeral home. Maybe there's a funeral home in this one. I don't I mean, there is some there's some missing controversy. How do you go to a funeral home?

[10:10] Lauren Ambrose: Yeah. So you live that weave that line between the humor and the drama and the seriousness of it. Is it a wild roller coaster for you on stage? How do you how do you balance the emotions you have to show?

[10:19] Lauren Ambrose: We're going to find that out. We're going to figure that out. Yeah. No, this character is definitely getting a having a wild experience and having a unique experience with time and. I she's really struggling and. I don't know. I don't know. I mean, that's why I wanted to do it because it's confusing to me, baffling to me. I don't understand it. I want to understand it. I feel like it. Something I need to do in my life to. Play this, play this, this person who's struggling this way with something incomprehensible, I think. I think actually almost the experience of time is even more with the play is about and what the play is about.

[11:20] Tom Riley: Yeah, it just cuts through, like you say, cut through layers and it just it gets. Somehow like you're just living with this family and jumping around and this thing is happening, and then all of a sudden there's. Great, there's all this feeling and.

[11:39] Lauren Ambrose: Yeah, it's going to be a night. You all got to get a ticket. It's going to be a roller coaster, a ride. That's Lauren. That's humanity. That's what you both do is you bring humanity to stage the good, the bad, the ugly, the joy, the sadness, the bittersweet. It's beautiful, it's funny, it's touching, and you need to get a ticket right now. Go get a ticket and go see these tour de force. See, I like you all. You get you are a fun cast because I heard about how people love Times Square people. I said, really, you all are fun. You're a wild crowd.

[12:08] Brittany Bradford: No, well, what happened is Elizabeth said that her favorite place in the world is Times Square, so I asked. It's a part time Elmo. I said that to her. I said, I'm going to come see the show and get you a picture with Mickey Mouse. That's what I'm going to do. Bootleg Mickey Mouse, New York City, but not bootleg acting right here at the Manhattan Theater Club, bringing on this beautiful show. Thank you so much for being here. Congratulations. Break legs. Have an incredible run. Thank you. Nice to meet you.

[12:37] Brittany Bradford: I'm Brittany Bradford. I play police constable PC Angela as well as Mia. Yay.

[12:45] Marjan Neshat: Hi, I'm Marjan Nishat and I play D.C. Elizabeth and Lorraine.

[12:49] Brittany Bradford: Marjan and me go way back. I know.

[12:52] Jaspal Binning: Hi, I'm Jasper Benning and I play PCJ Shaw and Professor Anil Seth.

[12:58] Robert Bannon: How exciting. So, Brittany, you've known about this for a minute. We just found out during the show recently. You're here at Press Day. You're a week into rehearsal. They just announced the cast literally like 48 hours ago. Correct. How does it feel? How's the first week been so far?

[13:13] Brittany Bradford: It's fantastic. I'm such a big and I'm not just saying that because we're on Zoom. I'm such a big fan of all of the actors in this space. It's a real treat. My favorite kind of shows to be on are ensemble driven plays. I want to be able to feel like we're an orchestra, like we're a band and really see what everybody's instrument is in the space. And everybody is so smart, so intelligent. I feel like I'm learning already like, oh, yes, be better acting at that. You know what I mean? It's just great. I feel like I couldn't ask for anything more.

[13:43] Marjan Neshat: Yeah.

[13:48] Brittany Bradford: Marjan, you have had quite a few years. You've been off Broadway to Broadway to off Broadway to Broadway booked. Why? Yes. Why? Why is this show a big old yes for you for this season?

[13:55] Marjan Neshat: You know, for me, it's the people in the script. I would do anything with Knut. I trust him. And I think when you trust people, you can always take bigger risks. And I know I really like I trust his vision and his rigor. But I also reading the play was so undeniably beautiful and challenging. So that's the thing that always makes me choose. You know, it's like, is it hard? Yes. Is it? Will it be beautiful? Yes.

[14:28] Jaspal Binning: I mean, you're in jazz. Well, we've seen you on a lot of TV and we've seen you in a bunch of movies and we've seen you on stage. What's it feel like to you? It's not the newsroom. It's not New Amsterdam. It's not. It's not a piece like that. This is your MTC debut. So what's it been like so far?

[14:43] Jaspal Binning: It's been class to be fair, if I could be English in that sense. Again, like kind of going off of what Brittany was saying earlier, it's just so lovely to be around such a giving ensemble as well. And the energy has been fantastic in the room and just kind of having a proper education as I feel like coming out to the school again, just again, learning from everyone. It's been so much fun. And I can't wait to, you know, get to production and then just have the audience in the room with us and to share this really beautiful story that Nick's penned. I just feel very lucky and fortunate to be here. I love that. Brittany, you're a Broadway baby yourself and a Juilliard trained actor. That's what's up. What is your journey? All the credits that you've had bring you to this moment on the stage. What's it like when you look back and see the journey and to be working with this incredible new work?

[15:41] Brittany Bradford: Oh, man, I feel like it was really interesting coming out of school and starting to work. I did a lot more like older plays, classic plays. And slowly the transition came to working with more new playwrights, even though I am a part of a black theater collective that works with classic plays. And I've learned so much from working with new playwrights so much. It's so much about how to read a script, how to come into a room, recognizing that as an actor, it's not just about my ability and talent in a script, but it's also about how I collaborate, how I want to put my opinion in. You're growing something together. It really feels like a baby being created and molded in real time. And so I feel like that's what I've really learned and taken with me. And this is just a kind of a continuation of that. I've always been a fan of Knud and Nick. So it's a I love it.

[16:27] Marjan Neshat: When we spoke last, you know, you've got your Drama League nominations and your Theatre World Awards and your Tony Award nomination and come off of the incredible run that was English. Another piece that describes relationships and people in such a beautiful way. This show has a heavy subject matter about it, but I hear there weaves humor and humanity in it. How do you describe the language and story? You know, I was just talking about this in terms of the time that we live in and sometimes, you know, like, what is it that you need to see? You know, like, I really feel I go to the theater to have an experience and to I think it should be transgressive. I think it should move the air. And I feel like in our own ways, we're all struggling with, like, how to be good and how to be kind in this time where it feels like so much of that is not easily or readily available.

And I feel like with this play, even though it does deal with a hard subject matter, and we're all in families, you know, it's hard to be in a family even when nothing is happening. But I feel like the thing that the lens that he's putting up to it over and over is that even in hard times, they are doing their best in an impossible situation to love each other and be kind. And there is humor in that because, of course, when you take things really seriously inside a family, like things blow up. But also, there is this underlying faith and belief that if you love someone, you're putting the best of yourself in the world. And they're all trying to do that. So it feels like a very hopeful environment to be in, to see that people can still act like their better selves in impossible circumstances.

[18:23] Jaspal Binning: Speaking of acting and act, people act, your cast acts, it's worth the price of the ticket. But how can you surmise what kind of talent are people going to see when they buy a ticket and come see the show?

[18:38] Jaspal Binning: Well, world-class talent. But yeah, I think just the fact that we're all together here for the first time, as it is all of our MTC debuts as well, is really exciting. And the fact that this is such a privilege to be part of this new experience to be able to tell the story in a new way, compared to the version it was before, which is really cool as well. It's reimagined, the space is really cool. We've seen it, we can't tell you yet about it, but you have to come see it. But also the fact that especially in this kind of day and age of misinformation, like this is very authentic and real and human. And again, like we're not trying to shove a story down audiences' throats, we're trying to invite them into our world and just let them experience whatever they're going to experience for the first time and hopefully leave with, you know, a certain feeling of whatever experience and human emotion that they can harbor with. And hopefully having had a positive or negative or, or in betweeny, you know.

[19:46] Robert Bannon: Absolutely. Well, it's world-class, as you said. You all are world-class. I can't wait to see it. I can't wait for people to see it. ManhattanTheatreClub.com. Get your tickets. Break legs. Have an incredible run. Enjoy every single second. It's so nice to see you all. Thank you so much. Good to see you. Good to see you. Thank you all. Thank you. Go get them. Let's go.

[20:00] Nina Ross: I'm Nina Ross and I'm playing Nancy Khoury in the show.

[20:10] Hadi Tabbal: Hi, Nina. Sorry, I just opened Lauren's bottle of water and I realized that I messed up. My name is Hadi Tabbal and I play Carl Khoury, Nina's character, Nina's father.

[20:25] Nina Ross: Amazing. So both of you. Nancy's father. There we go. Yeah. Nancy, got it. So tell me, what's it been like to be cast in this? It's been a secret. The cast has been finally revealed. You guys are in front of the public. Are you ready for this journey?

[20:36] Hadi Tabbal: I think ready as I'll ever be, I suppose. Yeah, it's, I was curious. I didn't know when they were going to announce. I've known for a little bit. But yeah, I've been looking forward to this for a while. We're just in week one of rehearsals, so it's super fresh, but so far, it's been so lovely and exciting. And it's a really nice group. And it's so nice to be around truly like very, very dedicated and talented people. It's yeah, it's the, you know, for lack of a better word, I feel like it's just a very high-class group of artists. And I don't mean it in a classist way. I mean, in an artistic way, really, everyone is fantastic. And Knud, you know, we've both worked with Knud before. I saw Nina in a show where she was incredible.

So I didn't know she was going to play, you know, my child. And here we are. And I was like, we're incredible. So anyway. Yeah, I think everybody's like super, super serious. Not, but not in a way that's like, it's deadly serious in the room, but everyone's just very grounded and very like into the work and very serious about the work in a very exciting, cool way. That's very inspiring.

[21:57] Nina Ross: When people come and see the show, what do you, I know you can't hear it cause it's a party. When people come and see the show, what do you hope they leave? What's the theme? What's the message that, that us out here, we're going to get our money. We're going to get together, spend a night out. What are we going to learn about? What are we going to feel when we leave?

[22:14] Hadi Tabbal: I hope everybody has their own relationship. I think too. I think the subject, subject matters, hopefully going to hit everyone differently. Actually, like this is kind of subject matter about human nature and how we deal with kind of very vast insurmountable almost things and like the mundanity and the weird murkiness of something so huge and events so big happening to you. And how to deal with that. And I think every character deals with it in a completely different way. And I think what I hope is that audiences can relate to like one experience or all experiences, but like, I think everybody might have a totally different emotional feeling walking out of it.

[23:16] Hadi Tabbal: Yeah. I think, you know, the play is, I hope that people will really find some kind of understanding of how to deal or some kind of feeling around how to deal with a vast unknown, because something very unknown happens in this play and this family is thrown into the unknown. And I think after an hour, whatever, for however long the play is, I think I would like audiences to leave with some new way of dealing, thinking, feeling about how to deal with this, like this of what life really is sometimes.

[23:53] Robert Bannon: Yeah, that's real life. I'm excited for people to check it out, buy a ticket. Everything that MTC does is amazing. Break legs, have an incredible run. I can't wait to be in New York City and see it. So nice to meet you both.

[24:00] Nina Ross: Nice to meet you too.

[24:01] Hadi Tabbal: Great to meet you. Thank you.

[24:06] Elizabeth Yeoman: I'm Elizabeth and I play Margaret.

[24:13] Jack DiFalco: Hi, Elizabeth and Jack, would you, who do you play Jack?

[24:18] Jack DiFalco: Hi, my name is Jack and I play Benjamin.

[24:23] Elizabeth Yeoman: He plays Benjamin and she plays Margaret. Elizabeth is a new Juilliard grad who just decided to leave school and become a big giant star. I hate that. I'm happy for you, but I'm very jealous.

[24:32] Elizabeth Yeoman: Oh my gosh. Well, thank you. Congratulations. I like your pink background.

[24:38] Jack DiFalco: Thank you. I appreciate it. It's kind of my vibe. You know, the queen in me loves the pink background. Why, why this show? That's it. You better clock it. Why, why this show? Why, why does the show move you? Why did you say yes? What's it mean to be a part of it?

[24:47] Elizabeth Yeoman: Oh, you were going to toss it to me that quickly.

[24:53] Jack DiFalco: Me? Yes.

[24:55] Elizabeth Yeoman: Well, I studied Nick Payne's work once upon a time. So just seeing his name in my emails as an audition was very exciting. And just being in the room with such amazing, talented people. It's just, I feel really blessed. I'm like near Times Square, which is like my favorite place.

[25:15] Jack DiFalco: Really? I don't like Times Square, but I do.

[25:22] Elizabeth Yeoman: I was going to say. It's like the best. Do you like Mickey Mouse's and Spider-Man's?

[25:31] Jack DiFalco: Okay. I love that for you. I do. Yeah. It's just a great place. Great place.

[25:35] Elizabeth Yeoman: You've got to come see it. I'm coming. I'm going to be there. Jack, we know you've done a lot of television and a lot of films. And if you've seen him in everything from Gerard Butler to The Law and Orders to, I don't know, you've done it all. And Broadway. Jack, you do like serious, scary Broadway. Like real acting. So this show also requires some real acting. When you read the script, what was your thought? And what did you think of what life could you bring to Benjamin?

[26:00] Jack DiFalco: Oh man. I mean, Nick Payne is a singular writer. I mean, I think everybody knows who that person is. Knud, me and him had worked together before and it came across my desk. And I honestly was just, I saw Nick Payne and I saw Knud and I said, absolutely. And then of course, reading the script, it's such a unique take on grief and the comedy that comes with grief and a non-linear structure that kind of blends us all together.

[26:33] Robert Bannon: Yeah. So Elizabeth, why should we buy a ticket? Why should people get up, go online, go to manhattantheatreclub.com and get their tickets to see you all?

[26:42] Elizabeth Yeoman: Okay. Well, I will say the first day of rehearsals, which was two days ago, I think. We did a read through and the room was completely transformed. I'm telling you, this is an incredible play. It's about grief and it's a very important, meaningful, poignant story. And there's also these moments of just joy and hilarious conversation. It's about a family in England, which is where I'm from, if you can't tell. And English people, families sometimes have, you know, difficulty saying what they feel. There's some communication, distancing. And this is really a play about, you know, how a family deals with loss and how they can ultimately communicate and love each other through all of that. It's really great.

[27:36] Robert Bannon: I love that. My husband is from America, but I always tease him. He loves English culture and he's very English in the sense that my dog and the horse matters more than his husband. But I mean that as a joke, of course. I'm kidding. I'm not kidding.

[27:51] Elizabeth Yeoman: You have a horse?

[27:52] Robert Bannon: I don't have a horse. There's a horse in the neighborhood next door.

[27:57] Elizabeth Yeoman: It's not even their horse.

[27:59] Robert Bannon: Of course.

[28:01] Robert Bannon: I'm not off Broadway and going to the yard. So Nick, who should see this? Who do you envision coming to see this besides every human being that has money and a ticket?

[28:11] Nick Payne: Yeah, I think if you want the highest caliber of writing, highest caliber of directing, highest caliber of venue, and of course, highest caliber of acting, this is what you, I think it's required viewing.

[28:25] Robert Bannon: Well, congratulations. I'm so excited for you both. I know you're going to break the boards out here, break legs, have the most incredible run. If you meet Elizabeth at the stage door, take her to Times Square and give her a picture with Spider-Man. Come on. She loves Times Square, everybody. You can get a dirty hot dog and a picture with the King Kong. That is New York.

[28:46] Elizabeth Yeoman: That's it. That's New York.

[28:48] Robert Bannon: Thank you both. Have an incredible run. So nice to meet you both.

[28:51] Elizabeth Yeoman: Thank you so much.

[28:52] Jack DiFalco: See you, bye.

[28:54] Elizabeth Yeoman: Thank you.

[28:54] Robert Bannon: Well, there you have it. Broadway sprung, Ralph Broadway has sprung, New York has sprung. Get your tickets, go see shows, and a lot more of The Roundtable is coming to you. Super guests every single day here on The Roundtable. God bless you. Thanks for being here and the best is yet to come.