Little Known Facts with Ilana Levine

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Episode 366 - Paul Rudnick and Joel Thurm Sep 04, 2023

Show notes

Paul Rudnick is a novelist, playwright, essayist and screenwriter, whom the New York Times has called, “one of our pre-eminent humorists.” His plays have been produced both on and off Broadway and around the world, and include I HATE HAMLET, JEFFREY, THE MOST FABULOUS STORY EVER TOLD, VALHALLA, REGRETS ONLY, and THE NEW CENTURY. He has won an Obie Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and the John Gassner Playwrighting Award, and two of his short plays have been included in STANDING ON CEREMONY: THE GAY MARRIAGE PLAYS. His novels include SOCIAL DISEASE and I’LL TAKE IT, both from Knopf and PLAYING THE PALACE from Berkley. He’s a regular contributor to The New Yorker and his articles and essays have also appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Vogue and Vanity Fair. HarperCollins has published both Mr. Rudnick’s Collected Plays and a group of essays entitled I SHUDDER. His essays have also been included in the New Yorker anthologies FIERCE PAJAMAS and DISQUIET, PLEASE.Mr. Rudnick is rumored to be quite close to Premiere magazine’s film critic Libby Gelman-Waxner, whose collected columns were published by St. Martins under the title IF YOU ASK ME. Ms. Gelman-Waxner has also reviewed in the pages of Entertainment Weekly, and the column now appears every few weeks on The New Yorker website.Mr. Rudnick’s screenplays include IN & OUT, SISTER ACT, the screen adaptation of JEFFREY, and ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. His Young Adult novels, entitled GORGEOUS and IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT, have been published by Scholastic.Mr. Rudnick has appeared on the Today show, Real Time with Bill Maher, Conan O’Brien, A Prairie Home Companion, and Fresh Air, among other programs. Mr. Rudnick’s new play, Guilty Pleasure, will be directed by Christopher Ashley and produced at the LaJolla Playhouse. On September 12, 2020, HBO began airing Coastal Elites, written by Mr. Rudnick, directed by Jay Roach, and starring Bette Midler, Dan Levy, Issa Rae, Sarah Paulson and Kaitlyn Dever. He’s currently writing a screenplay called EX-HUSBANDS, based on an original idea by Billy Eichner, for Amazon. His new novel, FARRELL COVINGTON AND THE LIMITS OF STYLE, will be publshed in June of 2023 by Simon&Schuster

From his humble beginnings growing up on his grandfather's dairy farm in New York, JOEL THURM became one of the most admired, powerful, and accomplished casting directors in Hollywood, Early on, Thurm's instincts proved beyond reproach when he recognized John Travolta as much more than a teen idol, casting him in the TV movie THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE. It was during his years as Vice President of Talent and Casting for both Paramount Television and NBC that he discovered the remarkable Phoenix family, from which River and Joaquin became A-list movie stars. With his insider's knowledge, irreverent style, and biting wit, Thurm tells the stories of his key involvement in such iconic movies and shows as GREASE, AIRPLANE!, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, CHEERS, TAXI, THE LOVE BOAT, FANTASY ISLAND, STARSKY & HUTCH, CHARLIE'S ANGELS, THE GOLDEN GIRLS, KNIGHT RIDER, THE COSBY SHOW, HILL STREET BLUES and many, many more. SEX, DRUGS, AND PILOT SEASON is the ultimate backstage pass to the boardrooms of Manhattan and the executive suites of Hollywood where show-business history was made.

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Episode 365 - Liana Hunt Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

Liana Hunt is a New York City based actor, singer and dancer who has appeared on Broadway, National Tours, regionally, on television and in films.

Originally from Vermont, Liana received her BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and graduated with honors a semester early to star as Sophie on the National Tour of Mamma Mia!. After touring the country with the show, Liana was brought to Broadway, making her Broadway debut as Sophie in Mamma Mia! at the age of 23. Liana also starred on Broadway as Katherine Plumber in Disney’s Newsies.

She has returned to Broadway this summer in Back to the Future Musical that is adapted for the stage by the movie’s creators Bob Gale (Back to the Future trilogy) and Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) and is directed by the Tony Award-winning John Rando. She stars in the production as ‘Lorraine McFly’.

Liana has performed on stages all across the country. Some of her favorite National Tour credits include the role of Nessarose in Wicked and Margo in Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Bright Star. Favorite regional credits include creating the role of Jessie Randolph in Clint Black’s new musical, Looking for Christmas, at The Old Globe, the St. Louis MUNY’s centennial production of Meet Me in St. Louis (Rose), and Noel Coward’s Private Lives at the Riverside Theatre (Sybil).

Liana has studied Improv with UCB and is a part of the sketch comedy show SHIZ: Broadway Meets Sketch Comedy, which has had runs at UCB in Hell’s Kitchen and Improv Asylum, produced by National Lampoon.

Liana also teaches musical theatre masterclasses to kids of all ages and coaches.

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Episode 364 - Max Chernin and Alfred Uhry Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

Max Chernin Broadway: Parade, Bright Star, Sunday In The Park with George. NYC: Brooklynite (Vineyard), Golden Apple (Encores!) Regional: Passing Through (Goodspeed), Daddy Long Legs (Theatre Raleigh), Elf (Pioneer). Television: “Dickinson,” “Blacklist.” CCM Alum. @maxcherns.

Alfred Uhry (Book) is distinguished as the only American playwrights to have won a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, and two Tony Awards. A 1958 graduate of Brown University, he began his professional career as a lyric writer under contract to the late Frank Loesser. He made his Broadway debut in 1968 with Here’s Where I Belong, which ran for one night. He had better luck with The Robber Bridegroom in 1976, which won him his first Tony nomination. He followed that with five recreated musicals at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut. His first play was Driving Miss Daisy, which began life at the 74-seat upstairs theatre at Playwrights Horizons in 1987 and went on to run for three years and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. The film version, starring Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy, won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1989 and gained Uhry his own Oscar for Best Screenplay. His next two Broadway outings won him Tony Awards: The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Best Play of 1997) and Parade (Best Book of a Musical 1999). In 2014, he was inducted into both the Theatre Hall of Fame and the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.

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Episode 363 - Stars of Life of Pi on Broadway - Mahira Kakkar and Salma Qarnain Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

Mahira Kakkar: Off-Broadway: 7 Minutes, Waterwell; Here We Are, Theater for One; Addressless, Rattlestick; Opus, Primary Stages; Harper Regan, Atlantic; Romeo and Juliet, Public Theater; The Winter’s Tale, TFANA; When January Feels Like Summer, EST; Henry VI, NAATCO; Arturo Ui, Classic Stage Company; Ms. Witherspoon, Playwrights Horizons; Clive, The New Group. Regional: Life of Pi, A.R.T.; Skylight, McCarter Theatre; Rafta Rafta, Old Globe; Our Town, OSF; Monsoon Wedding, Berkeley Rep; Bedroom Farce, Huntington Theater Company; Inana, Denver Center; The Crucible, Cleveland Playhouse; Five Mile Lake, McCarter Theatre; Comedy of Errors, Hartford Stage, Jesus in India, Magic Theater. Film/TV: “A Suitable Boy” (series lead), “Manifest” (recurring), “New Amsterdam,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Blacklist,” “Louie,” “Odd Mom Out,” “Sweet Refuge,” “Bite Me,” Hank and Asha (Napa Valley Film Festival Best Actress, Wild Rose Festival Best Actress, Slamdance Audience winner, Bronze Lens winner), “Law & Order,” “Orange Is the New Black.” Training: Juilliard, SITI, Harold Guskin; B.A. Jadavpur University. mahirakakkar.com

Salma Qarnain is a versatile Pakistani American actor, thrilled to be making her Broadway debut in the adaptation of one of her favorite books. She is a two-time Helen Hayes Award recipient, an AUDELCO nominee, and an award-winning theater and film producer. She has performed across major networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO, HBO Max, Hulu, Showtime), regionally, Off-Broadway, and Off-West End. Most recently, she produced the 2023 Oscar-qualified short film, Silent Partner (19 festivals / 4 Oscar qualifiers; 8 awards / nominations) and Speak Up Brotha!, which is premiering at the Oscar-qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival. Selected credits: Bars and Measures (Off-Broadway); Acquittal (Off-Broadway); Rain + Zoe Save the World (Off-West End); “That Damn Michael Che” (RECUR, HBO Max); “FBI” (CBS); “The Blacklist” (NBC); “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC); “For Life” (ABC). Graduate of Stanford, MIT, Harvard Business School. Proud member of SAG•AFTRA, AEA, Equity. Thank you to Roderick, Gary, Lolita, Max, Finn, Duncan, Benton, Patrick, A.R.T, and Annette for getting me here. Love you, X! For my sisters Ayesha, Sonia, and Zehra and my parents Qarnain and Rashida in the stars. IG: @salma.qarnain; salmaqarnain.com

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Episode 362 - Micaela Diamond Aug 07, 2023

Show notes

Micaela Diamond starred as Lucille Frank in the Tony Award winning revival of Parade in 2023. She made her Broadway debut as ‘Babe’ – the youngest Cher – in The Cher Show. She recently appeared in both The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical and Leanord Bernstein’s opera Mass at the Kennedy Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Row, and Ethan Coen’s A Play Is A Poem in Los Angeles. Television and film: NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar Live,” Peggy in Tick, Tick… Boom

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Episode 361 - Camelot Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

ANDREW BURNAP - won the 2021 Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play for his performance in Matthew Lopez’s The Inheritance, directed by Stephen Daldry, after a successful run at the Young Vic in London and a transfer to the West End. Additional theater credits include the titular role in the West Coast premiere of Matthew Lopez’s The Legend of Georgia McBride (Geffen Playhouse, director Mike Donahue), Nicky Silver’s This Day Forward (Vineyard Theatre, director Mark Brokaw) and Troilus in Troilus and Cressida (The Public, director Daniel Sullivan). TV and Film credits include the upcoming The Front Room (A24) and Disney’s live-action Snow White; as well as “Under the Banner of Heaven” (Hulu); “WeCrashed” (AppleTV+); The Chaperone (director Michael Engler); and Spare Room. Andrew graduated from the Yale School of Drama.

DAKIN MATTHEWS - LCT: Henry IV (Drama Desk Award). Broadway: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Iceman Cometh, Waitress, The Audience, Rocky, The Best Man, A Man for All Seasons. New York: Shakespeare in the Park, The Bridge Project at BAM, Playwrights Horizons, City Center Encores!, The Acting Company. Over 200 regional productions. Recent film credits include True Grit, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies and Zero Charisma. Over 250 television credits including “The King of Queens,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Gilmore Girls.” Former Artistic Director of three professional companies, an award-winning playwright and translator, an Emeritus Professor of English and a Shakespeare scholar.

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Episode 360 - Katey Sagal Jul 24, 2023

Show notes

Katey Sagal has entertained audiences in a variety of dramatic and comedic roles throughout her notable career. Her television credits include “Sons of Anarchy” (Golden Globe Award), “Superior Donuts,” “8 Simple Rules,” and “Married…With Children.” She has also appeared in feature films including “Bleed for This,” “Pitch Perfect 2” and “The Good Mother.” An accomplished singer, Katey has released the CDs “Well” and “Room” and performs with her band The Reluctant Apostles. Her first book, “Grace Notes: My Recollections,” was published in 2017 by Simon and Schuster. Katey can currently be seen on “The Conners” on ABC and starred in the title role of the ABC series “Rebel.”

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Episode 359 - Gavin Creel Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

Gavin Creel received a Tony Award® for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in HELLO, DOLLY! starring Bette Midler. After making his Broadway debut originating the role of Jimmy Smith in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, for which he received his first Tony Award® nomination, Creel went on to star in the Broadway productions of HAIR (Tony Award® nomination), LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, SHE LOVES ME, THE BOOK OF MORMON, and WAITRESS. Creel was among the star-studded cast of New York City Center Encores! critically acclaimed production of INTO THE WOODS starring as Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince. The celebrated production transferred to Broadway where Creel reprised his role as Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince opposite Sara Bareilles, Brian d’Arcy James, Joshua Henry, Julia Lester and Patina Miller.

Gavin received an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Elder Price in the London Production of THE BOOK OF MORMON and also appeared on the West End in MARY POPPINS, HAIR, and WAITRESS.

This fall, Gavin brings WALK ON THROUGH: Confessions of a Museum Novice to Off-Broadway’s MCC Theater for a limited run. In his theatrical songwriting debut, Gavin takes us on an intimate, relatable journey of discovery and transformation through the lens of the art at The Met Museum that captured his imagination.

On television, Creel recently performed a solo PBS concert special with “Stars on Stage",” starred as Troy in Ryan Murphy’s anthology series “American Horror Stories” and played Bill alongside Julie Andrews in “Eloise at the Plaza” and “Eloise at Christmasttime.”

As a songwriter, Creel is currently writing an original musical piece entitled WALK ON THROUGH, based on the collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The musical has been selected for the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center’s 2022 National Musical Theatre Conference and the concert meets musical was highlighted in The Day. He has released three original albums: GoodTimeNation, Quiet (which landed on Billboard’s “Top Heat Seekers”), Get Out, and his single “Noise” raised money and awareness for marriage equality. Creel was a co-founder of Broadway Impact, the first and only grassroots organization to mobilize the nationwide theater community in support of marriage equality.

A native of Findlay, Ohio, Gavin is a proud graduate of University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance and a 2022 Fellow at the Hermitage Artist Retreat.

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Episode 358 - Alfred Uhry Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

ALFRED UHRY is a graduate of Brown University. He is the only American playwright to have won a Pulitzer Prize (Driving Miss Daisy), an Academy Award (Driving Miss Daisy) and two Tony Awards (The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Parade). In 2014 he was inducted into both the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame and the Theater Hall of Fame. He is the proud father of four daughters and the proud grandfather of six granddaughters and two grandsons. He lives in New York.

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Episode 357 - Javier Muñoz and Jessie Mueller Jul 03, 2023

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Javier Muñoz is an actor and activist whose impressive body of work spans theater, film and television. He is best known for starring and co-creating the role of "Alexander Hamilton'' in the hit musical HAMILTON on Broadway for two years after Lin-Manuel Miranda departed the show (and was his alternate prior to that). He got his break starring as “Usnavi” in IN THE HEIGHTS on Broadway, also created by Miranda.

Javier starred in the dark comedy indie feature, MONUMENTS, opposite David Sullivan & Marguerite Moreau, the indie feature LOVE RECONSIDERED and stars in THREE MONTHS, opposite Troy Sivan and Judy Greer, on Paramount+. He voices a lead character in the Disney Jr. animated series, Eureka! Other TV credits include recurring role on Shadowhunters, Blindspot and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. Javier is also an outspoken activist for LGBTQ+ rights, a Global Ambassador for (RED), which fights to end HIV/AIDS, and supporter of GMHC.

Jessie Mueller is a Tony and Grammy Award-winning actress and singer. She was last seen on Broadway in Tracy Lett’s The Minutes. Other recent credits include the Kennedy Center’s Guys & Dolls, The Music Man, Julie Jordan in the Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel (Tony & Grammy nominations, Drama Desk Award), originating the roles of both Jenna in Waitress (Tony, DD & Grammy noms) and Carole King in Beautiful-The Carole King Musical (Tony, Grammy & DD Awards.) Concert appearances include Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Lyric Opera, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Film and Television: Steven Spielberg’s The Post, Madam Secretary, Blue Bloods, Hulu’s Candy, and Lifetime’s Patsy & Loretta. She can be heard as part of the kooky cast of Netflix’ Centaurworld and Wondery’s Melon’s House Party. New studio recordings include My Heart Says Go and Diary of A Wimpy Kid, The Musical. She is an Arts Education champion for groups such as Rosie’s Theatre Kids (rosiestheaterkids.org) and a long-time supporter of The Entertainment Community Fund (entertainmentcommunity.org) & Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids (broadwaycares.org).

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