EPISODE 100 - MATTHEW BRODERICK Recorded Live

In celebration of 100 episodes Matthew Broderick joined Ilana for a live podcast event and  proceeds from the  ticket sales went  to The Trevor Project. 

    Broderick is a two-time Tony award-winning stage actor and instantly recognizable film presence, Matthew Broderick was most recently on screen in Rules Don’t Apply opposite Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and Lily Collins. He will next star in Look Away alongside Chloe Sevigny and Aidan Turner set for a 2016 release. On stage, Broderick most recently starred in A. R. Gurney’s comedy Sylvia alongside Annaleigh Ashford. Previously he starred in the smash Broadway hit It’s Only a Play opposite his frequent co-star Nathan Lane, as well as the award-winning Broadway run of Nice Work If You Can Get It. Additionally, he starred in the Broadway production of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple and The Foreigner at the Roundabout Theatre. In 2005, he starred in the feature film version of The Producers, reprising the Tony-nominated performance he gave on Broadway in this smash hit musical.  A New York native, he made his professional stage debut opposite his father, James Broderick, at age 17 in the production of On Valentine’s Day.  His performance in Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy, won him the Outer Critic’s Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor. Broderick won his first Tony Award for Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs, and starred in the play’s sequel, Biloxi Blues.  He won his second Tony for his role as J. Pierrepont Finch, in the Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Broderick also starred in the record-breaking production of The Producers for which he was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his role as Leo Bloom. Additional theater credits include Night Must Fall and Taller Than a Dwarf. On screen, Broderick starred in the critically acclaimed You Can Count on Me opposite Laura Linney.  He also earned considerable acclaim starring opposite Reese Witherspoon in the Independent Spirit Award winning political satire Election, directed by Alexander Payne.  Broderick has also starred in such blockbuster movies as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Glory, War Games, and Disney’s The Lion King, as the adult voice of Simba.  Additional credits include Dirty Weekend, Tower Heist, Margaret, Bee Movie, Then She Found Me, Deck the Halls, The Last Shot, The Stepford Wives, Inspector Gadget, Godzilla, Addicted to Love, The Cable Guy, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, The Night We Never Met, The Freshman, Family Business and Max Dugan Returns.In addition to his stage, screen and Broadway credits, he has also appeared on Modern Family, 30 Rock, the Showtime film Master Harold…and the Boys and received an Emmy nomination for the TNT production of David Mamet’s A Life in the Theater in which he starred opposite Jack Lemmon.

EPISODE 99 - ROBBIE ROZELLE

Robbie Rozelle is a director, writer, performer, producer and graphic designer. He has directed and written or co-written sold-out cabaret shows for Tony Award nominees Melissa Errico and Kate Baldwin, Nikka Graff Lanzarone (Women on the Verge...), RuPaul's Drag Race season 7 contestant Mrs. Kasha Davis and frequent collaborator Jessica Vosk (Elephaba in Wicked), among others. In 2017, he sold out Feinstein's/54 Below twice with his debut cabaret solo act, "Songs From Inside My Locker", which was nominated for a BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award (in addition to nominations for Best Director). He returns to 54 Below this June with his all new show “Bustin’ Out”. As a record producer, he co-produced the Tony Award Season albums for the past two years, and is currently in the studio producing Jessica Vosk’s highly anticipated solo album. For three years, Robbie served as the graphic designer and creative director for Playbill, culminating in the design he is most proud of, the branding of #PlaybillPride, a 30-day initiative of the LGBT movement in the theatre that included a redesign of their historic logo for the month of June 2014. He currently serves as the in-house designer for Grammy-winning record label Broadway Records, where he designed the iconic "What the World Needs Now is Love" in response to Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. He can often be found tweeting jokes and random musings at @divarobbie.

Little Known Fact: He is called the "Diva Whisperer" because of his uncanny ability to create incredible cabaret shows for the most famous women of Broadway. 

EPISODE 98 - ROBERT NASSAU

Robert Nassau is an award winning editor. Over the last 20 years he has edited many kinds of moving pictures including documentaries, cable dramas, reality TV, political commercials, industrial films, web series, music videos, game shows, news broadcasts. Some highlights include  The Big Sick,   Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Hello My Name Is Doris, Wainy Days, Horrible People, Funny or Die and Wanderlust.

Little Known Fact - His first job in show business was filling in an address book that was being used as a prop in a film. He decided he wanted more influence on the outcome of a film and soon after began his journey to become a film editor.

EPISODE 97 - JESSE TYLER FERGUSON

Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Broadway: On the Town, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Drama Desk Award), Fully Committed(Drama Desk Award). Off-Broadway:  Log Cabin  (Playwrights Horizons), Newyorkers (MTC), Little Fish(Second Stage), Where Do We Live (Vineyard Theater). Public Theater / Shakespeare in the Park: On the Town, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, The Winter’s Tale, The Comedy of Errors, The Tempest. The Hollywood Bowl: The Producers, Spamalot, Sondheim on Sondheim. TV: “Modern Family” (5 Emmy nominations, 4 SAG Awards), “The Class,” “Ugly Betty,” “Web Therapy,” “Night Cap.” Co-Founder of TieTheKnot.org, raising funds to protect LGBTQ Equality.

Little Known Fact: Jesse was the very first actor to be cast on the ABC hit sitcom, Modern Family!

EPISODE 96 - ABIGAIL POGREBIN

At the age of 15 Abigail Pogrebin was cast  in the original production of the Stephen Sondheim- Hal Prince musical,  "Merrily We Roll Along." Abby was also part of the original "Free To Be You and Me" concept album and television special. Ms. Pogrebin is the author of three books, including “Stars of David,” which was adapted for the Off-Broadway stage, “Showstopper” — an Amazon Kindle Single bestseller that chronicled her teenage adventures in the Broadway flop, “Merrily We Roll Along,” and the most recent deep-dive into the Jewish calendar, called: “My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew,” which received a glowing review in The New York Times and was featured on the Today Show. A former Emmy-nominated producer for Ed Bradley and Mike Wallace at “60 Minutes” and for Bill Moyers at PBS, she has written for numerous publications, has her own live interview series in New York for which she’s interviewed Malcolm Gladwell, Nora Ephron and Charles Blow, and she’s been a guest on CNN, Good Morning America and Face the Nation. Abby lives in New York with her husband and two college kids. 

Little Known Fact: When she was only 15 years old she was cast by Harold Prince and Stephen Sondheim in their original production of "Merrily We Roll Along." Suddenly she found herself in the middle of what would become musical theater history. Here to tell the story of that legendary production and more, Abigail Pogrebin.

EPISODE 95 - JOE ICONIS AND JENNIFER ASHLEY TEPPER

JOE ICONIS - As a composer - lyricist - book writer, he has authored the musicals Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter, Bloodsong of Love, The Black Suits, ReWrite, Theaterworks USA’s The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks and We The People, and the currently in development Hunter S. Thompson Musical and Love In Hate Nation.

The original cast recording of his musical phenomenon Be More Chill has over 80 million streams, and his song “Broadway, Here I Come!” was hailed by the New York Times as a new entry in the Great American Songbook.

Albums: Be More Chill (Original Cast Recording), Things To Ruin (Original Cast Recording) and The Joe Iconis Rock and Roll Jamboree all available on Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records. Joe’s songs appeared on Season 2 of NBC’s “Smash” and his writing has been featured in The New York Times and The Dramatist.

His concert act, Joe Iconis and Family, frequently plays The Beechman Theater, 54 Below, and Joe’s Pub.  The original cast recording of Joe’s theatrical rock concert Things To Ruin, is out on Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight records.

He has been nominated for two Drama Desk Awards, a Lucille Lortel Award, and is the recipient of an Ed Kleban Award, a Jonathan Larson Award, an ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award, a Doris Duke Grant, and a MAC John Wallowitch Songwriting Award.

JENNIFER ASHLEY TEPPER - Jennifer is the Creative and Programming Director at Feinstein’s/54 Below, where she has curated or produced over 3000 shows, including musicals in concert, original solo acts, theatrical reunions, songwriter celebrations, and more. Tepper's leadership at the venue has gained praise from publications including The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Buzzfeed, Playbill, Newsday, the New York Post, and more.

As a writer, Tepper has authored three volumes of The Untold Stories of Broadway series, published by Dress Circle. NBC New York has called the books an "inspiring Must-Read". On Broadway, Tepper has worked on The Performers, Godspell, Macbeth, and this season’s The Parisian Woman. In addition, she’s the co-creator of the Bistro Award-winning concert series, If It Only Even Runs A Minute, now in its 8th year.

As a public speaker and theatre historian, Tepper has delivered celebrated talks, including at TEDxBroadway. She collaborates often with the group known as Joe Iconis & Family. Tepper was named one of the 10 professionals on Backstage Magazine's "1st Annual Broadway Future Power List", which stated: "Proving herself both a zeitgeist predictor and theatrical historian with her eclectic programming, Tepper is leading the conversation on contemporary musical theatre."

EPISODE 94 - ROMA TORRE

 

Her Story

 

Roma Torre, a recipient of an Emmy® and more than 30 other awards, is celebrating her 25th anniversary at NY1, New York’s popular cable news channel, where she is an anchor and theater critic.

Torre began her television career at CBS’ flagship station, New York’s Channel 2, becoming a news writer and producer. Then, with Cablevision’s formation of the country's first 24-hour local news station, News12 Long Island, Torre was among the first reporters hired.

At the station, she reported, anchored and hosted a weekly news program. Torre was also its film and theater critic and her reviews were published in the television magazine, Total TV.

After five years at News12, Torre returned to New York City in 1992 to join NY1, where she now anchors its "News All Day" and is its theater critic. She previously anchored the station’s award-winning "Inside City Hall," a hard-hitting political and public affairs program described by one critic as "the ‘60 Minutes’ of local television." 

She followed in the tradition of her mother, the late Marie Torre. A well-known syndicated columnist and amusements editor for The New York Herald Tribune, Marie was involved in a celebrated freedom of the press case. She was the first reporter to gain national attention for going to jail for refusing to identify a news source in a dispute involving CBS and Judy Garland. (It was a 10-day sentence.)

But growing up, Roma Torre wanted to be an actress. Born in New York and raised in Pittsburgh, she later graduated from Tufts University. While in Boston, Torre started a theater company with fellow student Ed Lopez. The theater lasted three years but the partnership with Lopez thrived. They married in 1991 and now have two children, Alejandro and Alegra.

Torre’s road to Broadway took a detour. After performing in numerous soaps and off-Broadway productions, she traded in the stage lights for the glare of television news cameras.

Her theater years are still being put to good use in her role as NY1's theater critic. She regularly contributes to its weekly theater show, "NY1 On Stage." In addition, Torre continues to cover news stories and various special events, ranging from NY1's election night coverage to major parades. 

She has more than 30 broadcasting awards, including an Emmy for reporting and anchoring coverage of the Avianca plane crash disaster in 1991. Torre and "News All Evening" anchor Lewis Dodley were honored in 1993 by New York Magazine's "Best Of" edition as the best news anchors in New York.

Torre was the recipient of the Newswomen’s Club of New York's 2003 Peggy Award for Broadcasting for her review of the Broadway show, Big River.

She has co-produced a documentary entitled, “Shout Gladi Gladi” - a story of hope and survival - narrated by Meryl Streep. It profiles a Scottish woman who has dedicated countless hours and her own money to improving the lives of African women and children living in extreme poverty.  

A colon cancer survivor, Torre is a staunch advocate of early screening and has spoken extensively about the need to raise awareness and the importance of cancer prevention. 

She is a proud board member of the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA). Founded in 1889, NAWA is the country’s oldest organization that promotes and showcases women in the art world. 

Little Known Fact - Roma's mother was the world famous journalist Marie Torre. Marie was part of a landmark case protecting a journalist's right to protect their source. She went to prison for a case involving Judy Garland. She served part of her 30 day sentence before being released but still she refused to reveal her source and thus... changed journalism history forever.

EPISODE 93 - KATIE FINNERAN

Katie Finneran is featured in the third season of Netflix's critically acclaimed drama, Bloodline. 
Finneran last appeared on Broadway in 2015 It's Only a Play at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre starring Martin Short, Maulik Pancholy, F. Murray Abraham, Matthew Broderick, Stockard Channing, and Micah Stock.

In 2012, Katie co-starred on NBC's "The MIchael J. Fox Show" and was called "this season's funniest breakout star" by The Daily Beast. In the fall of 2012, she starred on Broadway as Miss Hannigan in the Tony Nominated revival of "Annie."

In 2010, she won a Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance in the Broadway revival of "Promises, Promises." She also was awarded the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award in 2002 for her performance in the Broadway revival of "Noises Off."

Katie was raised in Miami, Florida and graduated from New World School of the Arts. After a year of conservatory training at Carnegie Mellon University she moved to New York to study acting with the legendary Uta Hagen. Her first Broadway show was, "On Borrowed Time," starring and directed by George C. Scott. Other Broadway credits include, "Two Shakespearean Actors," "My Favorite Year," "In the Summer House," "The Heiress," Neil Simon's "Proposals," "The Iceman Cometh," "Mauritius," and as Sally Bowles in the Tony Award winning revival of "Cabaret." In 2009, Finneran was part of the original Off-Broadway cast of "Love, Loss and What I Wore," by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron. TV credits include, "Sex and the City," "I Hate My Teenage Daughter," "Oz," "Wonderfalls," and the role of Poppy on season 2 of "Frasier." Her film credits include "Night of the Living Dead," "You've Got Mail," "Liberty Heights," "Miss Congeniality 2," "Bewitched," and "Broken Bridges.” In 2011 Finneran appeared as Amy in the New York Philharmonic production of "Company," starring Neil Patrick Harris and Patti Lupone.

In 2014, Finneran began filming Bloodline,  a new Netflix original series.The 13-episode series centers on a close-knit family of four adult siblings whose secrets and scars are revealed when their black sheep brother returns home. The cast includes Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard, Kyle Chandler, and Norbert Leo Butz.

Little Known Fact: While in college she read Uta Hagen's book on acting and decided rather than reading it she would go and study with the great acting teacher herself.