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Video: Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez on Their New Music For UP HERE on Hulu
May 17, 2024
Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are unveiling their latest project this weekend with Up Here on Hulu. The pair caught up Richard Ridge to discuss working with Broadway veterans on the series, on bringing a new musical to millions of people through streaming, and what they hope audiences take away from it. Watch the interview video now!
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0:00
How are you two
0:02
We're good. How are you? I am doing great. The theater season is upon us
0:07
and I thank you for giving us up here at this time of year. What did you two enjoy the most about working on this
0:15
Well, I think we like different things. I loved working with Stephen Levinson and Danielle Sanchez-Whittal and Tommy Cale
0:22
I loved the story room. I loved being in a story room and breaking the story and spending hours and hours
0:29
talking about the voices in everybody's heads and crazy, embarrassing things that we didn't tell
0:37
people that we should have told them that got in the way of our relationship. It was like group therapy through the pandemic
0:45
Bobby, what was yours? I got to say, I loved working with Tom Kitt and Scott Reset and our amazing, and Justin Ward
0:53
Weber and our amazing band just to put the soundtrack together. It was really, really fun
0:58
It was like making an indie album in the 90s. It was fun
1:03
No, what I love about is it, it's like combining the best of Broadway musical theater and combining it with TV
1:09
Like, Bobby, how cool was that? I mean, we love TV. And I think we're, as far as like generations of musical theater writers go, we probably love it the most yet of all of them
1:18
And we've always wanted to be involved with a TV and bring what we do to the world of streaming
1:25
And boy, do we get to do it. Most people, this is, like, your first car shouldn't be a Porsche
1:33
but we got to drive on. It was really amazing. It was an amazing cast
1:38
Like, it was a dream come true, honestly. It was a lot of work, but it was a dream come true
1:43
Kristen, for you. Oh for me the I just love like I said we love the fact that we get to do this new musical and so many people will see it
1:57
On March 24th, more people will see, as Tommy said on a call yesterday, more people might see this than anyone has ever seen any of our live musicals
2:07
The chance to bring a new musical in one day to millions of people is something that we've always wanted to do
2:16
Because there are people in Idaho and Florida and Canada that love musicals
2:24
And it seems like, you know, it's an unfair thing that we have in New York
2:29
that we get to be the first people to see most new musicals. Plus, they're so expensive
2:36
It's nice to level the playing field a little bit in this way
2:40
Not that we don't love Broadway and aren't coming back soon. We are very much. Absolutely
2:45
Yes. Okay, the cast incredible, all of our Broadway favorites. And then there's someone like May, who I didn't know could sing like that
2:55
Oh, May is unbelievable. Now, she sang a lot, and I realized she was the original Tinkerbell in all of those movies in the Oaks
3:03
And then I had been hearing her singing voice for years while I was half asleep, putting my kids in front of the TV
3:10
And then Carlos was in once. Carlos is a triple threat, trained in
3:16
at Michigan with just like all those musical theater super bots. And the two of them together have so much chemistry and had so much fun and worked 16-hour
3:32
days shooting singing dancing sometimes like outside on the street on a rock Plus we had all these Broadway veterans like Katie Finneran We had Bright Stokes Mitchell and Norm Lewis in the same project We had and we had like the newest star like Michaela Diamond
3:50
We have amazing, amazing people. And Andrea Burns, I mean, all your favorites are in this
3:56
Yes, this is Andrea Burns' first recurring role on TV. And if we get another season, we really want to write her a huge sign
4:07
Yeah, we had written her part before we knew she was going to be singing it. And we, again, we always get stuck with this
4:13
We have this glorious voice and we give them, like, a teeny little song. Well, that's why there's a season two coming up
4:19
Listen, what do you hope audiences take away from this? I hope that audiences turn to the people they're watching and say
4:27
hey, I have this voice in my head that I haven't told you. But remember that thing where I just shut down
4:34
Here's what the song was. and that it gets people really realizing that we can never know each other
4:43
but we can spend our entire life trying and sharing these songs that exist in our head
4:49
and giving people just a little glimpse of those musicals. Did we wake up at the same
4:57
I've been up since four. I've been thinking a lot about this
5:04
New York is where real. Writers live and I am starting to think that I am a real writer
5:09
Why don't you tell me? Do not say it. Careful now? Keep it to yourself, Lenz
5:16
I just have all these voices in my head all the time
5:21
Now you've done it. Nice pants. Thanks. They new I mean they not new I wear them a lot Sounds like they have a very rich history I know exactly what you going to say I wasn going to say anything Just enjoying the view You don need her Mama here
5:39
Okay, that's creepy. It's great to really get someone to know and run back and inside out
5:50
That's when you can really trust someone to understand what you are all about
5:59
I came here to focus on myself. This could be a life-changing opportunity
6:05
You have no reason to believe that. What about this reason? It's funny, the devil's actually a very misunderstood card
6:13
Did you always want to be a writer? I think I always knew I had something to say
6:18
but just afraid no one wanted to hear it. She doesn't like you
6:21
She just thinks you're rich. Hey, don't listen to her. You're doing great, buddy. What are you thinking about
6:27
Nothing. I have listened to you. to so many different people telling me who I should be
6:32
What are you doing? It's different with Lindsay because she's special. That is actually very sweet
6:37
It's time to give up and come home. I belong in the city
6:41
You've been hit by three cabs. At very low speeds. All those voices floating in her head
6:49
saying no in a million different ways, they don't see what I do. She doesn't appreciate you
6:56
She doesn't deserve you. This isn't your. life. This is my life. I am sick and tired of everyone telling me what I'm supposed to do
7:05
I need to find my own story. You're going to be okay? I can handle it
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