[MUSIC PLAYING] [VIDEO PLAYBACK]
[MIDDLE EASTERN MUSIC]
- You know what, general?
You can stay here tonight
with us if you want.
- No.
You have done too much already.
- OK.
[LAUGHTER]
[MUSIC - "ANSWER ME"]
Once, not long ago,
a group of musicians
came to Israel from Egypt.
You probably didn't
hear about it.
It wasn't very important.
[CHEERING] [END PLAYBACK]
[MIDDLE EASTERN MUSIC]
[APPLAUSE]
EMILY HOTZ: I have to start
off by just thanking you
so deeply for being here.
My name is Emily Hotz, for the
folks out here I haven't met.
If you were hoping for a calm
and collected moderator today,
that is not me.
[LAUGHTER]
I love your show
with all of my heart.
I think it is so special.
It has such unique and
beautiful storytelling
that just weaves together
these little moments.
And it seems almost as if
nothing grand is happening.
But then, at the end, it just
blossoms into an explosion
of longing and joy.
And I'm so thankful for
the art and thankful
for the opportunity
to talk to you.
So.
SASSON GABAY: Thank you.
CHILINA KENNEDY: Thank
you for having us.
SASSON GABAY: Thank you.
EMILY HOTZ: With that,
I'm very curious--
Sasson, you originated the
role in the film, what,
12 years ago?
What is it like to revisit
the character of Tewfiq?
SASSON GABAY: Well, for
me, "The Band's Visit"
is kind of a miracle.
We started with a
modest film in 2007
which we all felt
very good about,
like a legend or something.
And all of a sudden,
it turned to be
such a big, artistic success
and commercial success in Israel
and Europe and the
States in festivals.
So it was a great joy
and surprise for us
to take this modest film.
And it yield so many fruits.
And to do it after
10 years, almost,
again on Broadway-- for
me, this part is a turning
point in my career, I can say.
It was very important for me.
And I've been very
lucky to do this part.
And to do it again on
Broadway for a year
and then now to join the tour
is-- it's really a thrill.
And I'm really amazed by the
possibility how many audiences
and how many people can enjoy
this story, this human story
which have a lot of laughter
and a lot of emotions and cry,
and such a beautiful music.
EMILY HOTZ: It sure is.
Have you learned anything
new about the character,
or have you discovered
different elements of him?
SASSON GABAY: Well, the
character has grow--
grows with me.
I started-- I did
it 10 years ago.
I was younger at the time.
So I gain some
experience in life,
and I brought it
to the character.
And I keep, as a matter
of fact, a good part
can give you opportunity
and chance to explore.
And I'm trying all my life to
explore things in the theater.
And I'm doing it every night
with wonderful Chilina.
And each day, each performance
I find something new.
The basics of the character
are the same, of course.
But I feel really lucky
to have this opportunity
to find and explore, every
time, something new in it.
EMILY HOTZ: Excellent.
Thank you.
Chilina, you play
the role of Dina,
who is, I think, one of the
most fantastic characters
to be added to the
musical theater
canon in the past few years.
She's super grounded and
connected within herself.
You can sense her boldness
even in her physicality.
How do you approach
such a strong character?
Was that intimidating,
or is that who you are?
CHILINA KENNEDY:
Well, I think it
could have been intimidating.
But I think if you go
into it in an organic way
and find the place
within yourself that
is as close to that
as possible, I think
it becomes less intimidating.
I think taking over--
having Katrina Lenk--
she was so beautiful
in the role on Broadway.
And so she was a
great person to be
able to watch and to
see how she did it.
And it flowed so well and
beautifully and organically
through her body
that I knew I didn't
want to do a carbon copy of
anybody else's performance
or the performance
from the film.
I needed to make it my own.
So it just took a
little bit of time.
And Sasson's been such a
beautiful scene partner
and been a very
supportive person
throughout all of this for me.
So it's become easy, because
I have him to be grounded
with on the deck every night.
EMILY HOTZ: Excellent.
So that actually brings
me to my next question.
This is not a show
that you-- there's
grand gestures or theatrical
tricks to lean on.
The magic has to happen with you
two in a really authentic way.
Not to ask you how you
create magic every night,
but that's exactly
what I want to know.
SASSON GABAY: Well, when
something is not successful,
you can always analyze
why it's not working.
But when something
is successful,
so it's hard to put the finger
which is-- what makes it.
But it's a special--
it's a special play.
And it's a-- what--
I think what we are
proud of, I'm proud of
and all the production
is proud of,
that we've managed to catch
the audience's attention
and love and care, and
move them emotionally
through very simple story
and simple humanity behavior.
And we are not
using razzle dazzle
and a lot of sparkling things,
as usually in Broadway.
But we going to its
heart and to its--
I think if somebody can open
his heart and mind and eyes
and ears, he can relate to it.
CHILINA KENNEDY: And
I think the thing
that makes theater
so exciting for me--
I love going to see a
piece where I almost
feel like I shouldn't
be there, like it's
a private moment
that I'm witnessing,
and that I may be
peeking through a window
and seeing something
that's magically happening
between the people on stage.
And I think that's the beautiful
thing about our show and about
the writing and the
subtlety and the complexity
and the depth of the
music and the sounds
and the layers of the sounds,
but also the storytelling.
Itamar wrote a beautiful book.
And the magic is happening
between all of us.
It's really-- obviously,
we play certain parts.
But it's an ensemble show.
And the band plays a role in it.
Each of the songs have
their own place in the show.
And so the magic of it is--
it seems very simple, but
it's very complicated.
The way that they've woven
these things together, I think,
is what makes it so magical.
I think it's what made
it so magical for me
when I saw it, is it felt
private and truthful,
and happening in the moment.
And the beauty was that--
the complexities of
these relationships.
EMILY HOTZ: That's-- thank you.
Thank you for sharing that.
So I heard, when the idea was
initially brought to you--
because the film
did not have music--
you were supportive, but
did not necessarily see
that there was an
obvious musical here.
You were not alone.
That had been the
early consensus.
[LAUGHTER]
But man, it does work.
It works so well.
How has the audience
really connected with it?
And why do you think
it resonates with them?
SASSON GABAY: Well, when Orin
Wolf approached me, 2010,
with the idea to do
a musical out of it,
I immediately said yes.
But I-- in my heart, I thought
it's a very crazy idea.
But he was so persistent and
so sure of his goal and himself
that he managed to do
it after some years.
And such a success.
And when I heard it's such--
because Tony Shalhoub initiated
the role off Broadway and then
on Broadway--
I was really amazed and
pleased to hear about it.
And I didn't know that it can--
you can add, also, music
to this, and songs.
When I heard it--
David Yazbek made a wonderful
job with all of the creator--
David Cromer and
Itamar Moses, who
adapted the story of the film.
I was really amazed
and I was surprised.
And it catch my eye the first
time I saw it on Broadway.
It was like I was in a
dream, reliving a good dream.
And meeting an old friend,
an old brother again.
And I think it's
really-- it's touched
the heart of the audience,
because life sometimes can
be very hard and very harsh.
And this is a place when
the audience can breathe
and they can rest and can
imagine how life could
be if things were different.
And in each one, I
think it's also flatter
the intelligence
of the audience,
because it doesn't
promise something
that it's not fulfilled.
It's give-- story that
anyone can relate to.
And really, it's [INAUDIBLE] to
such a big explosion of feeling
and emotion in the end.
EMILY HOTZ: So the thing
that struck me about it--
you see some shows where you're
on an emotional roller coaster.
But that's not what this is.
For me, it felt like
there was this balloon
in my heart expanding.
And then you get to the
crescendo of the 11 o'clock
song, and it-- the balloon pops.
And I felt like my left--
my heart was left stretched.
And I was like, this
show just grew my heart.
But it takes such restraint
to go through the whole--
not give it away up front.
How do you manage your process
when you're on the stage
to honor that restraint?
And do you have any specific
moments or little things
that you treasure
throughout the show?
CHILINA KENNEDY: I think
it's important to trust
the material.
The material is excellent.
We've talked about the book.
And the music--
I'm sure we'll talk
about it more later.
But it is so layered.
There's Middle Eastern sounds,
there's musical theater,
there's jazz.
I think being alive and
present and not getting ahead
of ourselves is important,
to stay breathing truthfully
and just remaining in
connection with each other.
And that goes for any show,
really, but especially
this one, because it is--
David Cromer
consistently reminds
us to just take our time, to
not reach for the audience,
to allow the audience to
lean in and come to us,
and just to take our time--
to not ask for laughs,
to just let it be.
And that the strength and
the sophistication of it
lies in all of us being able to
do that together, as one unit.
SASSON GABAY: I think you
described it beautifully,
because it's really built
layer after layer, and slowly.
And I think it's thanks to
the material, of course,
as Chilina said, and also
the work of David Cromer.
We worked-- we are doing sing--
almost like in the film, very--
like in the movie.
The emotion are
really repressed,
and you don't give much
more than-- with it
than you have at the moment.
And it's built gradually,
layer after layer.
And in the end,
you find yourself
surprised by such an enormous
burst of feeling and emotions.
And you don't know, how
did it happen to you?
I think this is the--
if you can say what was the
magic of this production
and play and film.
CHILINA KENNEDY: And
I have to say, too,
I have a four-year-old-- we
talked about this before.
He's almost five.
But he's seen the show twice.
And he knows "Omar
Sharif" by heart.
I woke up the other
morning, and he
was sitting on the edge of the
bed singing it all by himself.
And so I have so many
favorite moments in the show,
but I think if a four-year-old
can understand the music
and appreciate the show,
I think we all can.
You know what I mean?
It just speaks to the
universality of the story
that we're telling and the
human connection and the--
so many beautiful moments that
a little kid can appreciate.
EMILY HOTZ: "Answer
Me" is our bedtime--
CHILINA KENNEDY: Oh.
EMILY HOTZ: --our
bedtime lullaby--
CHILINA KENNEDY: He
loves that one too.
EMILY HOTZ: --every night.
CHILINA KENNEDY: So do I.
It's one of my favorite songs
of all time.
EMILY HOTZ: What
part of the show
do you really look
forward to every night?
SASSON GABAY: Well,
at the time, I
had many, many parts like this.
But now, it's very
easy for me to answer,
because my son Adam has
joined the production.
And my favorite part is to
wait behind the curtains
and watch him doing
the song of Papi.
So it's simple answer for me.
But really, I enjoy many
parts of the-- this play.
CHILINA KENNEDY: I have
to say, anything Adam
does in the show is
probably my favorite part.
But also, there's-- and I
don't want to ruin anything,
but Sasson does some wonderful
things that are different every
night.
And anytime he laughs, my heart
just explodes a little bit,
because there's so
few times that we--
that Dina and Tewfiq get to
be really relaxed together.
And so the moments that we
really let our guard down
and we are just
ourselves is beautiful.
And also, there's a moment
late in the show where
Haled takes out his trumpet.
And my heart melts every
night when that happens.
EMILY HOTZ: There's a lot
of heart action in this,
if you haven't-- like,
if you want to feel,
you need to see this show.
SASSON GABAY: What's
beautiful about it--
there's a lot of emotional
part, but also funny parts.
People are-- and people
are waiting for the moments
of fun and relief and joy.
I think with Adam,
say, doing the Papi is
comic relief in this play.
And there's a lot of these
gently spots in the play that
are very funny.
And it's balanced with
the emotional things.
CHILINA KENNEDY: And
just when I think
I've gotten as much as
I can from the cast,
I turn around and see
these world-class musicians
playing their instrument.
It's unbelievable.
We're very lucky.
And also, I think
not enough is ever
said about the
choreography in the show,
because we don't tend
to see it as much.
But Patrick McCollum's
work is all over the show,
and it's beautiful.
SASSON GABAY: Every
move in the show
is very well constructed
and well taken care of.
CHILINA KENNEDY: Thoughtful.
SASSON GABAY: The music, the
orchestration, et cetera.
And really, we have a wonderful
bunch of marvelous musician.
I think they are magicians.
Many times, after the show--
I finish my part and they
have the finale with the--
what they are playing.
And I remain behind the curtain
and just enjoy it for, I think,
400 times.
And with these guys, that
really-- it's really amazing.
EMILY HOTZ: Excellent.
So you've had the opportunity
to perform it on Broadway,
and you're now touring.
How different are the audiences
as you go from city to city?
SASSON GABAY: Well, first
of all, in New York, it's--
there is Broadway, and there
is the enthusiasm of Broadway.
But as a matter of
fact, the audience
are responding to this
play in the same places.
They are laughing
in the same places.
They are emotional and get their
attention in the same places.
And the-- really, I'm surprised.
I'm so pleased that
it works everywhere,
because we've been told that
maybe it will work differently
somewhere else.
But it's not.
It's really-- people are
responding the same to it.
We were very lucky
and enjoy so much
the audience here in Chicago.
We've performed
already the third day.
And the audience
loves it and hugs us.
CHILINA KENNEDY: There's also
a little bit of a difference
just in terms of
not the reaction,
but the delay in reaction
or the size of reaction,
sometimes, with bigger houses.
Like if we go from a 900-seat
theater to a 3,000-seat
theater, they react in the
same way and in the same spots,
but sometimes it's a bigger
laugh, and it ripples.
And it changes our
timing a little bit.
We just have to take a little
more time with certain things
and let things land.
So that's been
interesting for me,
to see how it plays
different theaters.
EMILY HOTZ: Yeah.
Interesting.
SASSON GABAY: It force you to
wait until the laugh subside,
as an actor.
EMILY HOTZ: So we are going to
have the opportunity to sing
you-- or hear you sing just--
CHILINA KENNEDY:
Please, sing me.
[LAUGHTER]
EMILY HOTZ: I'm going to sing
to you now, and clear the-- no.
Tell us a little bit
about "Omar Sharif"
before you go into the
song, because it's just such
a beautiful moment in the play.
I'd love for them to
get a bit of a set up.
CHILINA KENNEDY: Sure.
Well, we spent a little
bit of time figuring out
who each other is and whether
we're going to go out or not.
And we've-- we wind
up at this cafe.
And we don't have too
much to talk about
until the subject of
music is brought up.
And Tewfiq starts to tell
Dina about the kind of music
he plays in the band.
And that opens up a whole
beautiful conversation
told through music about Dina's
memories of being a child
and listening to Umm
Kulthumb and watching movies
starring Omar Sharif.
EMILY HOTZ: Beautiful.
SASSON GABAY: As a matter
of fact, as an Israeli,
what Chilina just said--
we used-- as a
young man, we used
to see the television shows and
the Egyptian film in Israel.
We were sitting-- I was sitting
also with my mom and my family
to watch the Egyptian film.
So it's one-- as an
Israel, I can tell it
that it's one to one described.
EMILY HOTZ: Excellent.
So I will hand it over to you.
And then afterwards, we will
have Adam come up and sing
"Papi Hears the Ocean."
CHILINA KENNEDY: Amazing.
EMILY HOTZ: Great.
Thank you.
SASSON GABAY: Thanks.
[CHILINA KENNEDY SINGING "OMAR
 SHARIF"]
[APPLAUSE]
CHILINA KENNEDY: Thank you.
[ADAM GABAY SINGING "PAPI HEARS
 THE OCEAN"]
[APPLAUSE]
EMILY HOTZ: Folks, we have
Adam Gabay here and Ronnie--
Ma-lay?
RONNIE MALLEY: Malley.
EMILY HOTZ: Malley.
RONNIE MALLEY: Like O'Malley.
EMILY HOTZ: O'Malley.
RONNIE MALLEY: Without the O.
EMILY HOTZ: There we go.
Thank you both for
also being here.
RONNIE MALLEY: Thank you.
EMILY HOTZ: I do have to
say, I had a particularly
awkward meeting
with a boss of mine,
and it was so bad
that afterwards I
was trying to describe
it, and I-- the only way
I could describe it was
by playing your song.
[LAUGHTER]
And so, thank you.
You were there-- that
song has been there
for me in many moments.
So I asked the others, but I
would love to hear from you--
do you have a favorite
moment in the show?
RONNIE MALLEY: When--
ADAM GABAY: I-- no.
RONNIE MALLEY: No.
No, after you.
[LAUGHTER]
ADAM GABAY: I have a lot of
favorite moments in this show.
But actually, I think the
most interesting moments
in the backstage.
Like Evan and I, we have
this secret handshake
before the going out scene.
And it's like, no matter
what, every night--
[LAUGHTER]
So.
But for real, this show--
as Israeli, I think this show--
[CLEARING THROAT] sorry.
Morning.
This show is talking
about the thing that
are above the politics
and-- sorry, but yeah.
And as Israeli, I'm surrounded
all my life in this--
this humans and issues
and our neighbors
and Israeli Palestine.
And this show just says,
in my opinion, stop.
Let's talk about love, not fears
about human beings, and think.
We have a lot of moments
like this in the show.
RONNIE MALLEY: I would agree.
It's funny-- I'm
Palestinian-American,
born and bred in Chicago--
Chicago.
[CHEERS]
And I grew up with a
sense of diversity.
Chicago's a very diverse place.
But to be very direct, my
favorite moments in the show--
there's too many to name.
It's such a-- there's so
much subtlety in the show
that it's not your
typical musical.
I've worked on musicals that--
where I met you at, actually,
as well-- where it's
this bombastic thing.
I'm dressed up like a
monkey or an elephant,
I'm flying through the
air, doing other things--
where this is
completely different.
I think it's the subtlety
that draws you in.
Every moment is great.
I love the dinner
scene that I do,
and I love the partners that I'm
with onstage during the dinner
scene, because it's one of those
really awkward moments almost
everybody's had,
and especially since
recent political elections have
occurred-- your Thanksgiving
dinner was probably like
this, where you sat down
and nobody wants to bring up
any particular subject at all.
So we just enjoy
our dinner quietly.
And then everybody tries
to make that small talk.
And we've all been there.
And it's like, OK, that's
nice-- what are we doing here?
Why am I here right now?
And it just--
I think Andrea Grody,
our music supervisor,
described it really well.
She said, it's a
very sneaky scene.
And sneaky in that--
in a sense that it starts off
very awkward, very nervous,
and then all of a
sudden, it just evolves.
Somebody says something.
It's like, oh, that song--
yeah, I know that song.
Of course I know that song.
And we sing a little
rendition of "Summertime."
And it just builds from there.
And somebody's
memories are channeled,
and he sings this song,
"Beat of Your Heart."
David Studwell, who is
in the scene with us,
sings "Beat of the Heart."
He plays Avrum.
He's actually with us here
in the audience today, too.
And it just brings
everything together,
because it talks
about what love is.
Love at first sight,
what your first love was.
And it's something I think
everybody can relate to
on a basic level.
EMILY HOTZ: Yeah.
So the show really does,
as you mentioned, focus
on human connections and how--
like, at the core, we're
more alike than different.
Have you had any interactions on
the road with audience members
or anything like that that
are an example of cultures
coming together?
RONNIE MALLEY: Our cast.
[LAUGHTER]
ADAM GABAY: Yeah.
RONNIE MALLEY: It's
very interesting.
We have-- a lot of
people are international.
Some people are from Canada.
Some people are from France.
Some people are from Brazil.
Some of us are from
Israel, and some of us
are Palestinian or
Lebanese, or from America.
It's brilliant to see how
many people are speaking so
many different languages, too.
I was also--
Arabic is my maternal tongue.
And David Cromer, the director,
had emailed me like a day
before coming out to New York.
He said, hey, our normal
dialect coach has left.
And do you think you
could take on this role?
I said, OK.
So I get in, and
all of a sudden,
I found so many people
speaking different languages.
Just in the cast alone, it
was like being on the road
with the world-- with
the UN, basically.
DC was one of my
favorite places to play.
But it was a very
intellectual crowd.
It was a crowd that understood
and was very diverse.
But it was kind of how
Sasson and Chilina had
mentioned before-- we
went to the Carolinas.
We played there.
That's where we just came from.
It can be a bit different
there, including
even my Midwestern
accent could sometimes
be a little bit different
for folks there.
Imagine a play
that we're already
struggling with bad American
or bad English accents
and trying to communicate,
which is really
what this play is all about.
And to be able to reach people
like that, that might not
have had as much
exposure to people
with different languages, with
different-- with heavy accents,
I thought was very powerful,
because it's the emotion that
actually captured everyone.
ADAM GABAY: And if we are
talking about accent--
so in DC, finish this
show, and then this guy
that I could see that
he is Middle Eastern.
He came to me and he
said, it was great.
Thank you.
Amazing experience.
And I could realize
that his accent there
is from Middle East.
And I told him,
where are you from?
And he told me, I'm from Egypt.
And then he asked me,
where are you from?
Then I told him,
I'm from Israel.
And then we just looked at
each other eyes and we hugged.
Just like this.
And if we want and need
to find the reason that we
are doing art slash
theater slash,
specifically, this show--
so for me, that was the
moment that, OK, yes,
we did something.
We are doing something.
And this was like he's just
looked at me in my eyes,
and he was like, I understand.
You understand.
So for me, that was a
really special moment.
EMILY HOTZ: Certainly.
Thank you for sharing that.
Music is a central
character in your show.
The band is often
on the actual stage.
In traditional musicals,
band and orchestra
are relegated to the pit.
But here, you are in front--
in front of the audience.
And this is not the first
time where, as a musician,
you are on stage.
I did see him as
a flying monkey.
[LAUGHTER]
In "Jungle Book"--
clarification-- years ago.
But how does that change--
being on the stage, how does
that change your experience
as a musician?
And then as an
actor, does it add
a layer or depth having the
musicians in and around you?
ADAM GABAY: For
me, it's amazing.
To have those guys
with us, everything
is more spicy and funny and fun.
And they're great.
And they are so
talented and amazing.
RONNIE MALLEY: I would
say the same in terms of,
it's very spicy.
[LAUGHTER]
Particularly this
show, it's weird,
but it's almost like going
to watch a play and a concert
at the same time, because
the songs are not just
transitional pieces of music
or, here's just a number.
It's like, here's an
instrumental number.
You don't usually see
that in a musical.
It's always filled with words.
The libretto takes
over and everything.
This, we have actual
instrumental numbers.
We improvise every night.
So it's really like getting
a concert, in the end.
And I love the world of theater.
I love the world of music.
I grew up as,
mainly, a musician.
But when I discovered
theater, I thought,
here's a very structured way
of storytelling with music.
And it just-- it does something,
because it's multisensory.
It allows you to
follow a storyline,
but also, it's candy
for your ears, as well.
I love it.
I can't even do
anymore of my concerts
without having theatrical
elements like that.
Maybe they're not as
bombastic as certain musicals,
but it's still there.
And I've had a lot of people,
even after regular concerts
I've done with my groups--
we've scripted something and
we've told a story throughout.
And then they've all come
up afterwards and said,
I really appreciate knowing
a story behind all of this.
So it's amazing.
It's amazing, also,
being on stage
with so many talented
actors who sing,
who play music and instruments,
themselves, as well.
EMILY HOTZ: Director
David Cromer has--
talks about part of
the magic of the show
is this active waiting--
which feels like it'd be
really hard to convey.
But you all entirely do it.
And it feels like
that's the drive that
propels us through the show.
How do you think
about active waiting?
And you're likely
speaking to a roomful
of not-terribly-patient people.
So something I
think about is being
more deliberate in
waiting and active.
How do you approach and
embody active waiting?
RONNIE MALLEY: The one thing
that I can say about this show
that I've tried to
formulate-- because it's
difficult to talk about this.
This is not your
typical musical.
Before some shows,
before concerts, it's
almost like an athletic event.
You pump yourself up.
You're like, yeah,
I'm about to do this.
You do not do that
for this show.
In fact, it's almost like--
and the two words that I
formulated for myself is this--
it's quiet intensity.
ADAM GABAY: Yeah.
RONNIE MALLEY: It's so intense,
but it's so quiet and subtle,
that calm before the storm.
And it really-- it makes
you reflect and think.
Even as the audience member,
you are interactive with this.
Because a regular
musical, you might
have a lot of musical numbers,
and it's very easy to tune out,
actually.
Oh, this is the part.
They're singing this.
OK, so who called me right now?
This is not that kind of show.
It's like, you really
need to pay attention.
But then, all of a
sudden, by the end of it
all, you-- it's like you've gone
through a meditation, healing
or something.
ADAM GABAY: Yes.
The theme of waiting in this
show is really important
and takes a lot of
important place in the show.
Our opening number is
name is "Waiting"--
its name is "Waiting."
So for me, also, as Ronnie said,
on one hand, you have show.
And before every show, I am
really excited and nervous
and everything.
But on the other hand,
you just need to--
to take a huge breath to--
because I can't do,
(SINGING) Waiting.
What's new here?
You're waiting.
I have to do, (SINGING) Waiting.
What's new here?
You're waiting.
So and that's the
difference for me
in "The Band's Visit"
from another musicals,
that, as my father
said, it's not
like razzle dazzles and legs
and a lot of instruments.
It's like little and
intimate and modest.
But that the power of the-- of
this musical, in my opinion.
EMILY HOTZ: Mine, too.
I agree.
One final question before
we turn it over to the band.
One of my favorite quotes
came from an actor.
And he talked about
"interesting input makes
for interesting output."
You all give so much
by way of output--
what, eight shows a week.
How do you think about
the input portion of that?
Where are you drawing
inspiration from right now?
RONNIE MALLEY: For me, it would
be from each other, really.
Everybody in this cast is so
interesting, comes from so many
different backgrounds,
so many different places.
It's amazing to be traveling
with so many worldly people.
I'd say a lot of
the input that I
receive comes from them,
really, more than anything.
ADAM GABAY: Yes.
Me, as well, I think.
Yes, inspiration came from--
comes from the cast, absolutely.
And for me, from the
country, from my country,
from my people--
the shy teenagers
as Papi, as I saw
when I served the army, when
I spent time in Israel--
my life.
So mix of these, yeah.
And also, here, for me, I feel--
I guess I feel
foreign or strange--
stranger.
And I know this
feeling of, what?
What?
We don't have the same culture.
We don't have the same language.
But we have to spend
the time together.
So for me, it's
really interesting.
EMILY HOTZ: Cool.
Very cool.
So up next, we
have "Haj-Butrus."
The band will be playing.
So we have-- gosh, I'm sorry
if I mess up last names.
Adrian Ries on the
piano, Ronnie--
how do you pronounce your--
RONNIE MALLEY: Malley.
EMILY HOTZ: How do you
pronounce your instrument?
RONNIE MALLEY: "Ood."
EMILY HOTZ: "Ood."
So take a look
when he plays that.
Tony Bird on the violin.
George Crotty on the cello.
Evan Francis on the clarinet.
And Roger-- I
don't know how to--
RONNIE MALLEY: Kashou.
ADAM GABAY: Kashou.
EMILY HOTZ: --pronounce
your instrument, either.
RONNIE MALLEY: Kashou.
ADAM GABAY: Kashou.
EMILY HOTZ: Yes, but
his instrument, the--
RONNIE MALLEY: Darbouka.
ADAM GABAY: Bouka.
EMILY HOTZ: Darbouka.
So we're having a
whole lesson here.
I'll turn it over to you.
And then please line
up in the microphone
if you have any questions.
[APPLAUSE]
RONNIE MALLEY: [NON-ENGLISH]
[PERFORMING "HAJ-BUTRUS"]
[CHEERING]
EMILY HOTZ: I'd like to
invite the cast back up.
If anyone has questions, please
line up at the microphone.
AUDIENCE: Many of
us in this room
are on a cadence where it's a
little bit of Groundhog Day--
like, every quarter
we get a new quota
and we do this whole thing.
You do what you do
eight days a week.
What do you do to keep fresh?
CHILINA KENNEDY: I
played Carol on Broadway
for about 1,200 performances.
And so I was really tested.
There were a couple
of times where
there was a voice
going off in my head
like, you don't know the words.
You've been saying
"banana" too many times.
And I was like, sh,
that's not helpful.
Thank you.
Please be quiet.
And there is, sometimes, after--
I mean, Sasson's played this
role for many, many times.
And we have somebody
in the company, James,
who's just celebrated his 700th
performance in "The Band's
Visit."
So for those of us who have
done a part for a long time,
it's really--
I find it's all about listening.
Art is about listening.
Theater's about listening.
It's always about
the other person.
Sasson said it before,
when we were talking
about keeping a scene alive--
it's always different.
You can always learn something
every time you're on the deck
with--
even if it's the same people,
they bring a different energy.
I always liken it
to a yoga practice.
For anybody who's practiced
Bikram Yoga or any kind of yoga
where it's the same poses
over and over again,
there's always a
little bit of change.
You're a different person.
You breathe differently.
You're going through a
different mood that day.
Or the teacher's a
little bit different,
or there's something
that brings you
to the mat in a different way.
But you experience that
practice in the same way,
but with a different approach
day after day after day.
And you can practice
that way until you die.
And that's really, I think,
what theater is all about.
It's just showing up, being
present, being in your body,
and listening, and really
reacting to the other person,
and not trying to create a
cookie cutter performance
in any way, shape, or form.
SASSON GABAY: I think that
you described it wonderfully.
ADAM GABAY: Yeah.
RONNIE MALLEY: Exactly.
SASSON GABAY: I've done 400
performances of this show.
I've done, also, in Israel,
when I was working a lot,
I reached 500
performances, also--
but not eight times a week.
So for me, it was very new.
So the first three months, I was
in euphoria, like a honeymoon.
I just came to Broadway,
and I didn't care,
and I were doing eight
shows a week with no--
just excited.
And after a while, I realized,
hey, man, it's not a joke.
You're going to continue
doing it for a long time.
So I-- as a matter of
fact, it's like a wave.
I've been through
many stages in this.
And sometimes, there is--
as Chilina said, you
have voices in your head.
And sometimes you say,
whoa, what I'm saying now?
Even though you
said it 200 times,
you're not sure what
you are going to say.
And then you have to say
to yourself, it's OK.
Be in the situation.
Be with you-- be in the moment.
Listen to your partner.
And you'll charge
yourself again.
And as I said before, I'm
keep looking for new things.
And each day, I'm different.
And each day, I'm grown up.
And so I-- and I--
luckily, I like this part
and I like this production.
So I never cease to
look for something new.
And it's also making a living.
This is our job.
This is our work.
This is how we pay our bills.
And this is your situation.
You have to adjust
to it and to know
how to operate in
these circumstances.
Luckily, I am doing
something that I love
and profession that I love.
I'm been in the business
quite a long time.
But I'm still have
enthusiasm and love for the--
for what I'm doing with
wonderful casts like this.
CHILINA KENNEDY: It's
easy to forget, too,
that sometimes it's somebody's
first time seeing a show ever
that night.
You may feel like it's
your 800th performance,
but it's somebody's very
first time at the theater,
or first time seeing
that particular show,
or they respond to the
show in a particular way.
I've had people,
tears in their eyes,
like, it moved me so much.
And so you think it's a--
it's not about our experience.
It's about what Sasson
just said-- it's our job
to make it fresh every day.
So whether you want to or
not, it's not about that.
It's literally your job to go
out there and do your best.
[LAUGHTER]
AUDIENCE: Amen to that.
SASSON GABAY: It's
a wonderful job.
CHILINA KENNEDY: Yeah.
RONNIE MALLEY: You look for
the subtleties in everything.
And then there's
thousands of things
to see from people
in your cast alone.
I actively listen
to everybody else
to see, oh, you said that word
a little differently today,
or that syllable was
a little different.
And then you take that
to real life, too,
because you wake
up every morning.
And yeah, you expect,
maybe, the same day.
But if you find the
little subtleties,
you start to appreciate
life a little bit more, too.
I think that's how the
theater is, as well.
You appreciate what you're doing
every day a little bit more.
And keeping in mind
what Chilina said, too--
this is somebody's
first experience.
That's the first thought
I usually have before
going out on stage,
too, especially
if I have a cousin or a
friend or family or anybody
in the audience.
I'm thinking, I have to
do it for that person.
ADAM GABAY: And--
SASSON GABAY: Go ahead.
ADAM GABAY: No.
RONNIE MALLEY: [INAUDIBLE]
SASSON GABAY: I also have some--
I trick myself.
If I have a line or a monologue,
I sometime, even artificially,
I change the pose.
I change the stress on the word.
I do it, and then I
surprise myself, and it's--
this is coming-- is being fresh.
That's what makes
it fresh for me.
ADAM GABAY: I have this
voice that I talked about it,
and I did only 80 shows.
[LAUGHTER]
So I really agree with you guys.
And I think that
theater or music--
good drummer can
be amazing drummer.
But if he doesn't listen to his
bass player, so isn't matter.
He can do amazing fills and--
but it doesn't
matter, because he
has to listen to
his bass player,
because they are like unit--
one unit, together.
And if I don't listen to
Chilina and I tell her in one
vibe, but she, in
this day, she's
different from the other
day, and I don't get it--
so the bass and the drum are not
together, and the song go away.
So that my opinion.
AUDIENCE: Thank you
very much for coming.
I know that mornings
aren't easy for any of us,
but you guys have only had,
like, six hours of rest
since the end of the show.
So thank you so much
for being here in a--
on a morning.
Just had a question--
there's such a diversity
of musical and theatrical
careers on the stage.
And I would love to know how
any previous roles you've had
have informed how you're
building your characters now,
but even more so how you
think pieces from this show
will shape how you portray
characters in the future,
even in a different production
or completely separate thing.
Just curious how this
show has shaped you
as an actor or
performer, musician.
RONNIE MALLEY: I'll start,
just because I grew up
in a musical family band.
And my-- I grew up playing
Egyptian, Middle Eastern, North
African music with my
dad in this family band,
and then later on
fell into theater
and saw how that culture is now
very prevalent in the world.
To address the
elephant in the room,
the Middle East is on the
news every single day.
And people's images
are being formed
of how the characters
are in the Middle East.
And I found that I can
make a much stronger mark
on the world from
now and in the future
by changing the image that
people see in the media
through art.
This show is a pinnacle of that
for me, at least, personally--
that we can change
and shift images
to show how people get along, to
show how people play together,
how we all share the same
struggles and strifes in life.
For me, that's--
I was kind of born into
it, and I couldn't help it.
CHILINA KENNEDY:
I can say for me,
this role is unlike anything
I've ever played before.
And I think the
beauty of playing
different kinds of roles is
that they unlock different parts
of you and your personality.
And you get to reach
out and do things
that you wouldn't normally
do, maybe, in my own life.
And vocally, I have to say
that this show is very unique.
And I did "The Lord of
the Rings" years ago.
You guys are really
sick of hearing me
talk about "Lord of the Rings."
But I did it in 2005,
and we had to learn
how to sing in a Finnish
style and in an Indian style.
And so that unlocked
different colors in my voice
that I never knew that I had.
And I learned how to sing in a--
as a group in a different way.
So I was able to bring
some of those colors
to what I'm singing in this
show, which is, I think,
interesting.
SASSON GABAY: For me, it's
a very interesting question,
because I tend to--
I want to forget what
I have done before when
I'm approaching a new part.
I have experience,
of course, but I
don't want to take from
one part to another.
So I'm concentrate on
this special qualities
of this character.
But nevertheless, I have--
I know how-- where to stop,
where to make it faster
to speed the situation.
So it's only experience
to master the craft
that I'm doing.
So in this respect,
it's different.
And also, I think from this
part, I learned to breathe--
to breathe and to wait,
and to count on myself.
And if you are in the real--
in this situation really,
this will be with you
no matter how long
it will take you to project.
ADAM GABAY: I have to
agree with my father.
And--
SASSON GABAY: [INAUDIBLE]
[LAUGHTER]
SASSON GABAY: I waited for 24--
25 years for that.
[LAUGHTER]
SASSON GABAY: By the way, I--
there's a scene that he's
giving me a cup of coffee
in the scene.
So I have to wait--
I had to wait 21 years till
he bring me a cup of coffee.
[LAUGHTER]
ADAM GABAY: I
don't drink coffee.
I don't know how to make it.
I don't know.
It's not something--
I don't know.
So--
SASSON GABAY: You had to be paid
only to get me a coffee, huh?
ADAM GABAY: So--
OK.
[LAUGHTER]
I have to agree with my father.
SASSON GABAY: Breathe.
ADAM GABAY: And I think--
yeah, I think each character
that I played or will play,
it's a different story,
different world.
But I do take inspiration
from the experience,
from the people
that I don't think--
I don't think that I will
take the character of Papi
to another characters.
But maybe I will take the
character of Tony, the violin,
to another character.
The violin player may
to another character.
Maybe I will find myself,
15 years from now,
playing this role.
I will be, oh my god, it's Tony.
It's exactly Tony.
[LAUGHTER]
And I will play him.
So for me, the
character is not--
he has his on world, but--
"The Band's Visit" world and
the professional advice that I--
that my father and
Chilina and all
the amazing, amazing,
amazing professional actors
that we have gave me--
these are the inspiration.
The people, the
characters, the real guys--
they are the inspiration for me.
CHILINA KENNEDY: But
they're all unique.
Every role is unique,
every show is unique.
ADAM GABAY: Yeah.
AUDIENCE: On behalf of--
we have a little Chicago
theater nerd herd.
So on behalf of all of us, thank
you so much for being here.
We appreciate it.
EMILY HOTZ: Yes.
Thank you.
SASSON GABAY: Thank you.
EMILY HOTZ: Ronnie, Sasson,
Adam, Chilina, to the band,
to the cast here, to the
creative team out there--
thank you.
RONNIE MALLEY: Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
EMILY HOTZ: Happy Friday.
ADAM GABAY: Thank you.
CHILINA KENNEDY: Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
