MEET JORDAN TIERNEY

Meet Jordan Tierney, who makes his Beautiful Soup debut as Torvald in A DOLL'S LIFE: the musical. Jordan joins us a little late in the process, but we are so thrilled to have him! He'll return to the Beautiful Soup stage this summer as the titular role in THE ADVENTURES OF PETER PAN! Check out his interview here:

With hundreds of casting calls a week in this city, what attracted you to this project? Steven asked me late in the show's process if I would like to take over the role of Torvald. I'd known and read "A Doll's House" but never known the musical until now. Funny enough, moments before I was asked to join the cast I was purchasing my tickets for opening weekend. Glad I didn't but the rest of you must do so!

What do you hope audience members come away with after seeing the show? I want our audience to forget the fact that this is a play that didn't work some time ago. I think if you come in with the idea that we are trying to make a flop work than you will be robbing yourself of a grand theatrical experience. Let this play stand alone from its legacy and you will truly get what you will out of this inspiring piece.

Who or what inspired you to go into theatre? I'd become intrigued with old movie stars (Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart ect.) and thought I wanted to be in their same position. Once I found out they started out in the theatre, I jumped at the chance to perform on stage and realized that I had the opportunity to connect with people in real time. Actors have the opportunity to be therapists without anyone having to reveal their stories instead they live vicariously through your character and his or her triumphs and failures and leaves the theatre with a greater understanding of the human condition. I often return to the classic movies to see the performances that inspired my love of acting.

What's your dream role? Well the answer to this question seems to change every day, in fact I keep a list just to remember all of them. My favorites tend to come from Eugene O' Neil such as Robert Mayo in "Beyond The Horizon" and Orin Mannon in "Mourning Becomes Electra". Those would have to be my top two. 

Who is your hero and why? My heroes, like my desired roles, are  numerous. They are those who face fears and conquer what is thought to be impossible. These people range from friends to artists to politicians to philosophers. I'd love to be fearless like them. 

What's the greatest experience you've had on stage? After a performance two grown men came up to me at separate times with no affiliation with each other and thanked me with tears in their eyes for my performance and said that they were thankful for finally seeing themselves represented in an artistic way. That's about the most rewarding experience an actor can ask for.

Who is the one person you haven't worked with that you would like to? I think one day I'd like to work with Jane Fonda in some capacity. She is such a incredible person both in her personal life and on stage or in front of a camera. 

What's your favorite musical/play and why? "Beyond The Horizon" is the only play I've read where I feel so much for all the characters and the story. It deals a lot with fate vs. choice and it can resonate with anyone.

What's your favorite ice cream? Cookies and Cream, hands down!

Nora or Torvald? My acting teacher would kill me for not defending my character but I love the message Nora sends out by leaving her husband. It's true. Its never too late to start your life over

MEET PAUL ALEXANDER HUGHES

Check out this interview we recently did with DOLL'S LIFE stage manager PAUL ALEXANDER HUGHES. It's his first time working with the Soup, and we're so glad to have him!

1. With hundreds of casting calls a week in this city, what attracted you to this project?

I've always loved the play "A Doll's House" (I even did the final scene once in college), doing the musical sequel sounded like an opportunity I didn't want to miss.

2. What do you hope audience members come away with after seeing the show?

I hope that audience members come away from a performance feeling pleased, happy, delighted, and any array of other positive emotions.

3. Who or what inspired you to go into theatre?

A passion for creative and artistic expression through the portrayal of another person's experiences.

4. What's your dream role? 

The Man in Chair, "The Drowsy Chaperone"

5. Who is your hero and why?

Douglas Adams

6. What's the greatest experience you've had on stage?

Working as M.C. for various dance recitals during school, and the experience it gave me doing stand-up comedy.

7. Who is the one person you haven't worked with that you would like to?

I would love to meet, let alone work with, Tina Fey.

8. What's your favorite musical/play and why?

"The Drowsy Chaperone." For some weird reason, the musical speaks to me in a way that no other shows to. It is a piece in which I would change nothing, and that I consider to be perfect.

9. What's your favorite ice cream?

All.

10. Nora or a Torvald?

Torvald. I'm a realist.

MEET JEREMY ROBIN LYONS

Jeremy Robin Lyons, the musical director of "A Doll's Life", is making his Beautiful Soup creative debut this winter. You can hear him in the pit of "Little Women" at The Secret Theatre for one more week and read more about him here! Check him out!

With hundreds of casting calls a week in this city, what attracted you to this project? The chance to work on something that most people aren’t familiar with.  When you’re working on well-known material, people often come into the theater with pre-conceived notions of how the production should look, feel, and sound (and then evaluate whether or not the company “did it right” or not)… and then you have to make a conscious decision to do things “the way everyone does it” (with its pros and cons) or to try to reinvent the material (which also has its pros and cons).  But with unknown material, you don’t need to worry about any of that.  You can make bold choices because they seem true, not because it’s what has or hasn’t been done before.  You can enjoy the fact that the audience will legitimately be surprised by the material.   (I often joke – rather tastelessly – that you should never tell someone who hasn’t seen Star Wars that Darth Vader is Luke’s father because you will spoil the story for them, much like you should never tell someone who hasn’t read the New Testament that Jesus comes back to life at the end.  Crap.  I hope you’ve all read your Bibles.  Should’ve put a SPOILER alert at the beginning of this.)

What do you hope audience members come away with after seeing the show? I hope people are able to come away from the show thinking about the costs of liberation, and how the harshest of judgments are still passed on women today.  We are often told that we are living in a modern world in which we appreciate strong women figures… but when a male politician takes a strong stand he is “sticking to his guns” and yet when Hillary Clinton takes a strong stand she is “a bitch.”  Some of the most popular television sitcoms these days are grossly misogynistic.  Women’s liberation aside, I think the show also says a lot about self-discovery.

And by Jove I hope they laugh a lot.  Salmon.

Who or what inspired you to go into theatre? I have always loved good stories.  And stories told with music.  I would memorize whatever cast albums happened to be in the house (I vividly remember constantly singing along to Fiddler on the Roof).  When I was 10 my mom finally forced me to go to a theater class.  The only reason I agreed was because she said if I went just one time and truly didn’t like it, I didn’t have to go back.  It might have taken 5 full minutes (but I’m not even sure it was that much) for me to know I wanted to stay.

What's your dream role? I don’t have too many “onstage” ambitions.  I would love to play Mother’s Younger Brother in Ragtime.  I’d love to have a role in a production like John Doyle’s Company, which I consider to be essentially flawless.  I’d love to be in Merrily We Roll Along someday.  Things I would love to MD: Parade, The Last Five Years, A Little Night Music, Smokey Joe’s Café, 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Who is your hero and why? Stephen Sondheim.  The art that he has created is a source of constant inspiration to me.

What's the greatest experience you've had on stage? I played Jack in Into the Woods when I was 14, and then got to MD the show when I was 19.  I wrote my own orchestral reduction for this production, and the band was onstage, right in the midst of everything.  It was really, really cool to revisit this piece in a different capacity just 5 years later, experience it in such a different way and discover a much deeper understanding of the material.  I also can’t help but mention when I played Tiny Tom in Urinetown… from beginning to end, it was the most absurd, laughter-filled process I’ve ever experienced.

Who is the one person you haven't worked with that you would like to?  Steven Carl McCasland. Dreams do come true.

What's your favorite musical/play and why? No question, Sunday in the Park with George.  Every moment of it is utterly breathtaking.

What's your favorite ice cream? Mint chocolate chip :)

Nora or a Torvald? Nora.

Alex Pagels, who makes his Beautiful Soup debut as Captain of Industry Eric Didrickson in A DOLL'S LIFE, sat down with us for his interview! Check out Alex and his story below:

With hundreds of casting calls a week in this city, what attracted you to this project?

I am pretty new to New York.  I would have to say the rarity of the piece and the idea of doing both shows in rep.  I had to research the musical when I saw the posting because I was a little - Huh?  I thought the idea was hip and unique.  Tons of people know A Doll's House so why not throw in something less familiar to sweeten the deal.  It's good business!  

What do you hope audience members come away with after seeing the show? There is certainly a lot contemporary relevance in A Doll's Life examining the status quo of gender roles at home and in the workplace, both things Ibsen examined in his play to varying degrees.  From the political side, we continue to have discussions about working environments and corporate practices almost every day and every election year (which is fast approaching).  I would say the entire Occupy Wall Street movement is similar to a group of post-Doll's House Nora's...in a way.   The musical updates the "Doll House" issues with a little 20th century panache by stirring in a hint of Norwegian style Industrial Revolution while coupling with a heavy dose of humor (of course not quite reaching the "Occupy" movement - since it was first produced in the 80's and all...but maybe...)  

Aside from the sociopolitical - I really want our audiences to laugh a lot and have a great time and feel something.

Who or what inspired you to go into theatre? A group of friends and family sort of pushed me off a cliff I had been peeking over for some time.  There's a story there.

 

What's your dream role? Sweeney Todd...Brother or Father in Ragtime...George in Sunday...Stine in City of Angels...in no particular order...

Who is your hero and why?  This is tough.  Tons of people at different times.  I look up to a lot of people.  

What's the greatest experience you've had on stage? Setting myself on fire.  Yes.  I was working at an outdoor venue and they wove a burning man stunt into the show - because they could.  It was a volunteer crew for the stunt but the training was world class and one of many methods used for burning man stunts both on stage and film.  It was an exhilarating, awesome and unforgettable experience.   ...yes I got paid.

Who is the one person you haven't worked with that you would like to? Alan Rickman.  Can I say that?  

 

What's your favorite musical/play and why? I don't know.  Lots!  The Scapin adaptation by Bill Irwin and Mark O'Donnell because I love outrageous physical comedy.  Passion by Sondheim is another for completely non-physical comedy related reasons.  It's an unspeakably intense and completely unique love story - without even mentioning the music.  

What's your favorite ice cream? Ben & Jerry's.  I am currently enjoying Red Velvet Cake.  The ice cream.  Did you know they just released a new limited batch flavor?  Yep.  Schweddy Balls. "Fair Trade vanilla ice cream with a hint of rum...loaded with fudge covered rum and milk chocolate malt balls."  Straight from their website.  Remember that SNL bit?       ...no I didn't get paid for that plug. Damn.

Nora or a Torvald? Voldranorta.  It's the old Tom Riddle bit...but a woman.

DID YOU KNOW?

To raise funds for the upcoming productions, a benefit concert featuring songs from Broadway's most notorious flops will be held Dec. 4. The 7 PM concert, titled When I'm Drunk, I'm Beautiful: A Celebration of Flops to Benefit Beautiful Soup, will take place at The TAI Group.

The evening will feature songs from Prettybelle, A Doll's Life, Carrie, The Baker's Wife, Merrily We Roll Along and So Long, 174th Street. Mallory Berlin and Steven Carl McCasland will host; performers will include Mallory Berlin*, Nikki Van Cassele, Cristina Carrion*, Thomas Dolan*, Emily Floyd, Anne Richmond, Ellyn Stein, Laurie Strickland, Kymberly Tuttle, Roxy Arrojo, Seanna Burke, Mario Castro*, Margaret Dietrich*, Kathleen Gubitosi, Dot Mitzvah, Alex Pagels*, Purvi Parmar, Cara Picone, Jordan Shaner, Kymberly Tuttle*, and Tal Yardeni*. Jeremy Robin Lyons and McCasland accompany on piano.

A '*' indicates performer is a member of the NORA IN REP company.

The TAI GROUP is located at 150 West 30th Street, 14th floor. Tickets are available at the door, cash only, for $20. Students with a valid ID will receive a $5 discount. To reserve tickets, e-mail BeautifulSoupTheater@gmail.com.

But if you're reading this blog, then guess what! You can get $10 tickets by saying "Mock Turtle Soup" at the door! But remember. We recommend reserving your tickets ahead of time!

MEET TAL YARDENI

Meet Tal Yardeni, who makes her Beautiful Soup debut as Selma in A DOLL'S LIFE: the musical. Check out her interview with our Nora bloggers below:

With hundreds of casting calls a week in this city, what attracted you to this project? Steven got in touch with me about the project after seeing a show that I was in. I had never heard of the musical before and was intrigued by the story!

What do you hope audience members come away with after seeing the show? How beautiful this music is!

Who or what inspired you to go into theatre? A teacher of mine who really opened my eyes the arts. She heard me singing one day and took me under her wing. I will never forget Ms. Lopez.

What's your dream role?  Mamma Rose in Gypsy

Who is your hero and why? Patti Lupone...are you seeing a pattern here? Haha. She is electrifying on stage.

What's the greatest experience you've had on stage? Delivering the line" Can the adults please smoke"...classic!

Who is the one person you haven't worked with that you would like to? Hal Prince are you out there? Call me!

What's your favorite musical/play and why? Cabaret. I'm a big Kander and Ebb fan and I love that the show has some really dark elements to it.

What's your favorite ice cream?  

Pistachio

Nora or a Torvald? Nora!

MEET SETH KOPROSKI

With a special background in puppetry, Seth Koproski makes his Beautiful Soup debut as the Helmer family servant in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. Check out his interview with us below!

With hundreds of casting calls a week in this city, what attracted you to this project? The play, of course! Who wouldn't want to be a part of A Doll's House? It's one of those great shows that's an iconic part of theater.

What do you hope audience members come away with after seeing the show? The same thing I hope they come away with after any show I'm in: a different perspective or understanding of the world around them.

Who or what inspired you to go into theatre? Shakespeare, really. We read A Midsummer Night's Dream in 8th grade English and my teacher said I had a knack for it, so I went for it.

What's your dream role?  Right now? A working actor.

Who is your hero and why? Oh God, that's a hard question... let's see... probably Batman.

What's the greatest experience you've had on stage? Strangely enough, a completely ensemble-created six person movement piece based on Hitchcock's The Birds staged on a four-by-eight platform.

Who is the one person you haven't worked with that you would like to? Julie Taymor, despite the bad rap she's gotten from Spider-Man. Maybe The Lion King-era Taymor.

What's your favorite musical/play and why? King Lear, and I don't think a 'why' is necessary.

What's your favorite ice cream? Peanut butter. In anything.

Nora or a Torvald? I think I'm more likely to forsake things than to be forsaken. In general.