JUDIGHT LIGHT is hailed for her onscreen triumphs in One Life to Live, Who's the Boss?, Transparent and more, her strong red carpet looks and her Tony-winning performances in Other Desert Cities and The Assembled Parties. Light is the recipient of the 2019 Isabelle Stevenson Award, which pays tribute to a member of the theater community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations. She stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss the honor, her red carpet A-game and what motivates her to use her fame for the greater good.
JEFF DANIELS won Emmy Awards for Aaron Sorkin'sThe Newsroom as well as Godless and garnered Tony nominations for his performances in God of Carnage, Blackbird and now Sorkin's adaptation of Harper Lee's celebrated novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Known for a wide range of roles from Dumb and Dumber to The Looming Tower, Daniels is one of the most versatile actors of the stage and screen. Daniels stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss why he chose to take on Atticus Finch, how his guitar gigs inform his acting, and the mission behind his Purple Rose Theatre Company in Michigan.
SANTINO FONTANA is known and loved for performances in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Cinderella, Act One, Hello, Dolly! and many more. Now the 2019 Tony nominee is wowing audiences as Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in the Broadway adaptation of the 1982 film Tootsie. Fontana kicked off his heels and stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss bringing Tootsie to the Great White Way, his quick-change "pit crew" and awards season.
BRYAN CRANSTON is mad as hell, and Broadway audiences are loving every minute of it. He is giving an electric, Tony-nominated performance as unraveling news anchorman Howard Beale in Network, the stage adaptation of the iconic 1976 film, at the Belasco Theatre on the Great White Way. Hailed for his Emmy-winning performance as Walter White in Breaking Bad, his Tony-winning turn as President Lyndon Baines Johnson in All the Way and more stage-and-screen triumphs, Cranston is one of the most celebrated actors of our time. He stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss his illustrious career, his desire to do Damn Yankees, and what he'll do if he catches you texting at the theater.
ALI STROKER has garnered a Tony nomination for her turn as Ado Annie in Daniel Fish's revival of Oklahoma! She made a historic debut in the Deaf West revival of Spring Awakening in 2015 as the first Broadway performer who uses a wheelchair. The Tony nominee is drumming up a lot of buzz for her performance at the Circle in the Square Theatre as the girl who "cain't say no." Having been paralyzed from the chest down since the age of two, "no" is a word Stroker also rises up to combat in her own life. She recently stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss her positivity, adding her own flair to a classic character, which celebs she'd love to see the show and more.
As President of Disney Theatrical Productions and Chairman of the Broadway League, THOMAS SCHUMACHER is bespectacled Broadway royalty. Disney Theatrical is celebrating its 25th year of making magic on the Great White Way. Productions like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Frozen, Aladdin and more have transformed the way audiences experience these beloved stories and theatergoing in general. Schumacher stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss the milestone, his own theatrical background and what's coming up for Disney on Broadway.
JAYNE HOUDYSHELL is enjoying a full circle moment: the young girl who was so inspired by Glenda Jackson's Marat/Sade performance on PBS is now an esteemed performer sharing the stage with Jackson eight times a week in Sam Gold's epic staging of Shakespeare's King Lear. Though Houdyshell did not make her Great White Way debut until the age of 52, she has performed all across the country and is a New York stage stalwart. Since then, Houdyshell has earned acclaim in Broadway productions like Well, Follies, A Doll's House, Part 2 and more. In 2016, she earned a Tony Award for The Humans, and as previously reported, she'll reprise her role on the big screen in a film adaptation of the Stephen Karam play. Houdyshell stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss life backstage at Lear, which theater power player she grew up with and more.
STEPHANIE J. BLOCK is a Broadway powerhouse who made her Great White Way debut portraying Liza Minnelli in The Boy from Oz. She went on to star in Wicked, The Pirate Queen, 9 to 5 and Anything Goes and was nominated for Tony Awards for her performances in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Falsettos. Now, she is having another star turn (appropriately) as Star in The Cher Show. Block took a break from portraying one of three ladies playing the one-named icon to discuss her deep dressing room chat with Cher, what it was like to film Falsettos and more on Show People with Paul Wontorek.
As a Broadway performer, GIDEON GLICK has had a wide range of experiences: He made his debut as a teenager in the Tony-winning musical Spring Awakening. He had a long road in the development of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Though he didn't make it to opening night of the production (his Geek Chorus character was written out of the show). Glick then went on to earn acclaim leading Joshua Harmon's Significant Other; though the play only ran for 61 performances. Now, he's landing laughs and touching hearts as Dill in a big Broadway hit: Aaron Sorkin's To Kill a Mockingbird. Glick stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss going from Celia Keenan-Bolger fan to Broadway BFF, coming out of the closet without shame and much more.
SAMANTHA BARKS is making a dazzling Broadway debut in Pretty Woman. Though Barks had high heels to fill as Vivian Ward, the working girl immortalized by Julia Roberts in the popular 1990 rom-com, she's added a unique flair to the character and earned approval from Roberts herself. Learn about Barks' breakout role as Eponine in the Les Miserables film, exactly what happened when Julia Roberts saw the show, who really is the Nederlander Theatre's "number one diva" and more on Show People with Paul Wontorek.