The Ensemblist Podcast is an inside look at the experience of being a Broadway performer- from the first rehearsal through performing eight shows a week and beyond. Whether you’re an experienced theatre professional or a passionate fan, The Ensemblist lets you know new performers and the great work they do onstage, while also shedding light on some of the hidden innerworkings of the Broadway experience.
Created and hosted by Mo Brady (The Addams Family, SMASH) and Nikka Graff Lanzarone (Chicago, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), The Ensemblist is the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out.
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If you want to take the Actor Hub Musical Theatre Challenge please get in touch
A song from the first musical you saw/heard
“New York, New York” from Jerome Robbins’ Broadway
“That sh*t changed my life.” – Nikka
A song from your latest musical obsession
“Everybody Say Yeah” from Kinky Boots
“A year and a half later, I’m still obsessed with Kinky Boots. This song makes me feel all the feelings.” – Mo
A song demonstrating how underrated you think a musical is
“Island” from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
“Although this isn’t the show version, this song took my breath away every night, and I had to watch it from offstage. It’s heartbreaking and stunning and I will never get tired of listening to it.” – Nikka
A song which can make you cry
“Whatsername” from American Idiot
“American Idiot is hands-down my favorite show I’ve seen since moving to NYC. If you see my singing and crying while walking down 46th Street, it’s probably because I’m listening to this song.” – Mo
A song which makes you laugh
“Too Much Exposition” from Urinetown
“Literally anything featuring Officer Lockstock and Little Sally makes me, well, pee with laughter.” – Nikka
The musical you’d kill to be in
The Wiz
“Although this dream is impossible for multiple reasons, I would really just like to sing “Ease On Down The Road” on a Broadway stage for eight shows a week. Is that so wrong?” – Mo
A song sung by your favourite female character in a musical
“When Velma Takes the Stand” from Chicago
“My favorite number of all time to do. It’s thrilling when it all goes right!” – Nikka
A song sung by your favourite male character in a musical
“This Is Not Over Yet” from Parade
“I love the complexity of Leo Frank – his eagerness, his passion, his flaws. I also love his baritone range.” – Mo
A song from the musical you know all – or nearly all – the lines to
“Joseph’s Coat” from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
“That’s what happens when you do a show in 3rd grade, you know every single color in the coat for the rest of your life ” – Mo
Your guilty pleasure musical
Ruthless
“Maybe I saw this show a great many times when I was a kid. Maybe I memorized every single lyric. Maybe I still have them memorized and maybe the assistant is still a dream role. Maybe…” – Nikka
The musical which made the most impact on you
A Chorus Line
“This was the first musical my father taped off the record for me.” – Nikka
A song you could listen to all day.
“The Song of Purple Summer” from Spring Awakening
“I’m a crunchy granola-loving Seattleite, so these sweet indiepop harmonies send delicious shivers up my spine” – Mo
A song by your favourite musical composer
“Mistress of the Senator” from Hello, Again by Michael John LaChiusa
“I think he writes some of the most complex, innovative, and beautiful music in the theatre today. We are lucky to be living in a time where he is working.” – Nikka
The character you’d kill to play
Louise in Gypsy
“Gypsy Rose Motherf*cking Lee. That is all.” – Nikka
The character you’d kill to play – if you were the opposite sex
The Emcee in Cabaret
“Timeless, ageless, and such an important observer- anyone who holds a mirror up to humanity and doesn’t realize they’re made you question everything you believe in until he’s left the building is necessary to all theatre.” – Nikka
A song which inspires you
“You Can’t Stop The Beat” from Hairspray
“This song is a thrilling masterpiece, masterfully blending the joy of theatre with a passionate social message. It just makes me so friggin happy.” – Mo
The musical you’ve seen over and over
Newsies
“From Paper Mill to first Broadway preview to opening night to closing night to the opening of the national tour, I’ve seen Newsies eight times. Sorry not sorry.” – Mo
The character in a musical you can most relate to
George – Sunday in the Park with George.
“Nikka and I talk all the time about how our podcast is a ‘hat,’ one that continually gets finished over and over with each new episode.” – Mo
A song from your favourite musical
The opening to the film All That Jazz
“Not technically from a musical, but it is my favorite musical sequence of all time. It’s a masterpiece, and so much of the visceral feeling is so true it hurts.” – Nikka
Your favourite song NOT from a musical
“Home” by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros
“For as much traveling as we do as artists, this song is a beautiful reminder of how there’s nothing as wonderful as home.” – Mo
Big thanks to The Emsemblist for taking the Actor Hub Musical Theatre Challenge.
Nikka Graff Lanzarone – Wild Horses
Nikka Graff Lanzarone sings “Wild Horses” (The Rolling Stones) at 54 Below
Mo Brady – I Won’t Have To Anymore
Mo Brady sings “I Won’t Have To Anymore” from Thirteen Stories Down (Jonathan Reid Gealt) at 54 Below
If you want to take the Actor Hub Musical Theatre Challenge please get in touch
