The Ensemblist

It’s 2021, and the theatre industry is still shut down. In this new series, “The Shows We Need”, Michael Fatica will try to identify pieces that we as a community need to come back when the theatre world resurfaces. We begin with Jagged Little Pill, which deals with many big social issues and starts new conversations. Guests Kei Tsuruharatani and Marc Kimelman chat about the creation of the show, how it has affected them, and more.

Today, actor Raymond J. Lee talks about the Grammy nominated off Broadway show Soft Power. Host Michael Fatica was blown away by how cleverly it deals with super touchy topics about race, democracy, traditional theatre and more.

This week, we’re talking about a musical that host Michael Fatica's middle school self would have loved - Spongebob Squarepants. I bet you’re thinking that it's just a musical for kids, but in his conversation with Oneika Phillips, she turns that misconception upside down. We chat about fake news, racism against squirrels, and so much more.

There’s a line in Come From Away that reads “Thank you shopping at Walmart - would like to come to my house for a shower?”Creepy out of context, but in show, it is example of people being helpful and open to other people in a way that feels unfathomable right now. Host Michael Fatica spoke with Alex Finke, a former cast member of Come From Away on Broadway about how this show has a whole new to ring to it in the midst of the events of this past year.

We’ve all heard the age old question when a new revival is announced is…why now? Why this show? The revival of Oklahoma in 2019 took a show that so many people know and truly opened eyes to new themes and new thoughts through a really unique production “sans the frills”. Cast member Will Mann shared about how it was created and why some major choices were made. Here’s our conversation!