Video: Meet the Leading Ladies (Who Lunch) of the COMPANY National Tour

Welcome to Backstage with Richard Ridge

The Tony Award-winning Best Revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Firth's iconic musical company is getting ready to hit the road

And I'm here once again of the legendary Sardis, where I caught up with two of the show's stars

Brittany Coleman who plays Bobby and Judy McLean, who plays Joanne. First of all, I am thrilled to be sitting with both of you here at the legendary Sardis

Oh, we love Sardis. Are you kidding? Yeah, now, you just finished rehearsal. Just finished

Yes, we did. Side by side. Oh, all right. Goreography. Well, let's talk about this because Barbara Barry told me that that was the hardest number for all of them to learn in the original production

It's between that and being in the box. It has to be a very polite cast because it's always like, oh, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, oh, sorry, sorry

when we're trying to find the choreography. Yeah, the box company, the song proper at the top of the show

We're like, you know, little sardines in a can there. Because people who have done the cast on Broadway said it was the tightest

It was like, we're a close-knit family. Because the apartment is really small, but it's fabulous

Make sure you wear your deodorant. Totally. So how long have you been in rehearsal

Oh. It's our second week. Eight, nine days? Ten days? Nine or ten days

Okay. You count the days, like, oh, my God, we have two more weeks or so and so. You bet I do, Richie

Cross them off on the calendar. Like in those old movies, like people pull the days away, you know. Yes

Okay, so when you found out that you were cast as Bobby now for the tour

that you're going to take all across the country, I mean, what were you thinking

Like, was it a call? What did you get? Oh, okay. It was a phone call in the midst of rehearsing another tour. Okay. Yeah

And I think I started crying in the tiny little room on the side

And then I went and told the guy playing my husband in the show

I think I'm going to be on the road for an additional year after this. Nice

Yeah. Yeah, that's how that happened. It was a total surprise. And she's fantastic. Oh, listen, I saw her on Broadway in this

Oh, you did see her. Yes, I did. Yes. Now, talk about how you found out that you were going out as Joanne

As Joanne, right? I was doing. Actually, I was up at good speed. I wasn't up at Goodspeed yet

I auditioned for this today. I was leaving to go do Rose at Goodspeed. And I was in between, a week in between

I came home and auditioned. I was doing putting it together, boom. And I went into one audition, and I thought I blew it

Literally walked out. I didn't think I blew it. I was just like, they saw what they saw

Thanks, bye. It was one of those, you know. Great. They were very nice. And I left going, well, I'm not getting that job

And I went up to Goodspeed, was doing the show, rehearsing. And then all of a sudden, my agent calls, and I said

I was like, wait, what? Can you just reiterate that again? Since you're going out on tour, I said, okay

Yeah, it's such an iconic role. I mean... Yeah. Well, let's talk about that

But in your audition, did you sing Ladies Who Lunch? I sang all of Ladies Who Lunch

I did all of Ladies' Lunch, and then I read. They gave me an adjustment on the associate that was... Tunisia

Yeah, Tenisha. And she gave me an adjustment. I did it, and that was it

Didn't do the second song, didn't do the other subpart of the sides. I thought, oh, I guess they're not interested

Isn't it wild how auditions work out? It's crazy. You don't know

It's like they saw everything they wanted. You took an adjustment. And I left

We're going to hire her. And they hired her. Yeah. Right. Okay, let's talk about what is it like living in the wonderful world of this beautiful new version of company

I'm going to start with you because you've been in it the longest. Yes, I have. I've been in it since 2019

Okay. So pre-pandemic, I've seen so many iterations of side by side

Oh, my gosh. It's really exciting knowing that the country gets to see this version. Yeah. Yeah

I've lived in a while and I'm excited to bring my experiences with this show out on the road

and infuse so much of myself, which I never really got to do in New York, you know, here

on Broadway before. And now that I'm really stepping into these sneakers, I get to infuse it with myself

I'm really excited. Yeah. I don't know. There's just, there's a lot. There's a lot to it, a lot that's really going to resonate with the country nowadays. Yeah. Yeah

And for you, how excited you are, be living in this world. Right. You know, I've done Sondheim, many Sondheim shows, right

But you know, you don't think of Sondheim as being like Waka Waka Waka Funny, right

There's a lot of funny stuff in this show, which is, you don't think of company and

Sondheim sometimes as being, but it's really directed. I mean, we got to meet with Marianne and work with her

And she brought a sense of, you know, relationship and the... the whole thing about being alive, connecting with people

I mean, that's, Sondheim is so beautiful at writing just human, right

The human side of people. It's a thrill, it's a thrill to do this show

I've been a fan of this show, the music of this show, the book

It's still relevant today, which is so, which every time I think, well, they must have

rewritten this. And it hasn't been, you know? So that's been really eye-opening to see it, wow, this just holds up. Yeah

people around the country are going to go, wait, was this the show that I saw years ago

Well, it has never toured. I don't think it's ever toured before, has it? The original one has

The original, original account, which is very different. I mean, now we've got a gay couple

We've got all these, you know, new relationships, role reversals with you. I mean, it's just

it's really interesting. It's going to be interesting to how the country accepts us

Yeah. See, I always love this book, and Stephen Sondheim always said that George Firth never got his due for

And for Co-Covny and Framarily. And George Fur is a brilliant writer. Twigs

He's written so many great things. But this show in particular, because everyone goes through a relationship

Doesn't matter what kind of relationship you're in, it's the same kind of feelings

Absolutely. And especially after the pandemic, we all need being alive. I mean, we all need that connection again

We're trying to find how we relate to each other. And so, yeah, he's brilliant, George Firth

I mean, we all know that's sometimes brilliant. And that a given but to look at this book it it crazy it like doing a play with music 100 I love that I think that originally that sort of how they looked at it originally It was like a really great play

How would like direct the scenes and then direct the musical numbers with Michael Bennett

So let's talk about these iconic roles. I mean, Bobby. So how many times did you do this in New York

For an audience, three. Yeah. Yeah. Three. Yeah. And that was in the midst of a very intense COVID wave

And I think it was myself and maybe seven other understudies on. Yeah

So we all got to do it together. And, oh, my gosh

What do you remember about that first performance? Because everybody was told me to the wolves. But it was all the understudies who saved Broadway and continue

They always did. But I think they finally got their due during the pandemic

You know, I went to one. I was at the first second or third, There were all these slip-ins

I saw all of you go on one of these performances. We knew it was going to happen

I said, I want to go back and see, you know, the magic of the understudies going on

What do you remember about that first performance on stage is Bobby? Very little

Very little. I have to say very little. For a character that is on stage almost the entire time

I remember very little of it. It's like you came out and then you took your bow

Yeah. Well, pretty much. Pretty much. Just making sure I met my marks and didn't get run over by the

beautiful Bunny Christy set that we had. Totally. Totally. Yeah. It was quite a thrill

I do remember that. Very, very high of highs. And I felt a lot of warmth and support from that cast on stage because that's also part

of the show, but we had some amazing human beings in that cast

It's so funny what you see because we as audience members just see a fabulous show with fabulous performances

And I'm sure you're backstage saying, where do I go now? Will the door open? They're like, go and push yourself through the box

Right, right, exactly. Yeah. But now that you've gotten to work on her, what it means to be playing this role, what it means to you

Yeah, absolutely. Well, this is the most meta of roles. I will be turning 35 halfway through this role. Wow

I don't think our producers knew that when they called me. And I said, oh, okay, well, this is going to be really, really relevant

I don't have a ring on my finger. So I will be living these thoughts in real time in front of thousands of people

That's great. Yeah. So it's very deeply personal. Yeah. And it definitely makes me take stock of the loved ones I have in my life and the people that I surround myself with and really lifting that up

Yeah. That's beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. It's going to be a nightly experience

Joanne. Joanne. And I've seen so many iconic people do with some stretch on

Totally. And, you know, the trick is that I have to find my Joanne, right

And that's always the trick. I'm thrilled and honored to be playing this part

I can't even tell you how much. I mean, for him to write a role women of a certain age

and to have this much of an underbelly to this character, there's so much

I could dig into this for years and not find everything about her. You know, she comes off as funny acerbic

But, you know, she's inside. It's this damaged character, you know, that keeps things light

And, you know, but I'm hoping to find all the levels of this character

You know, I hope that's my goal to find the underbelly of her, really

Well, you're an incredible actress. Of course you're going to find your way into it. Thank you. But you always have, though

Thank you. But it's like, you know, it's also in the writing. It is there. Everybody, you just believe in George's words and everything else

They're so beautifully written. Yeah. And you'll find your own. And ladies who lunch, I mean, to be able to sing that song

Well, let's talk about this. Okay, so like the first time, you got the role

and now you're working on it. Like, what's it like singing Sondheim

I mean, you know, I adore Sondheim. I have always enjoyed into the woods

I did the national tour, and I've done, you know, follies, and I've done all these shows. But there's something about this

and talking with Marianne Elliott when she came in the director, amazing, amazing, amazing

And it was fascinating to talk about who I'm talking to in this club, how they've set it up

You know, who Joanna's singing to in this club. It changed everything

For the first day, I went, oh, that is just who these. people are and why I'm singing Lady Su Lange

It's fascinating what that brings out just by the people that are around me that I'm talking to

and how out of place Joanne feels in this club and why it becomes defensive, you know

and they bring her to this Bobby and Larry, her husband, they bring her to this club that it's

you know, young and believe me, I'm a person of a certain age

Like you relate to Bobby, I mean, I'm too, you know, old for the young people and too young

for the old ones. I get it. I get it. You know, I understand that. So there's so much of her that I can really click into and relate to, I think

There are all many plays the songs in company. Yes. All of his songs. But I mean, there's the beginning, middle, and end. But there are many plays amongst themselves

It's like being alive. Like, you probably don't remember the first night you went out in New York singing that. But I mean, now living in that song. I mean, because that's the whole climax of the show

Absolutely. When it all comes together. Yeah. Yep. I mean, what's that like been in rehearsal now

Yeah, well, now the beauty of it is that we can start at the beginning, which includes everyone

They have lines. There are interstitial lines between all of these phrases, and it's fuel

It's just, it's a beautiful way to connect. And also, I mean, just, they're holding the mirror up to me of like, no, you want something

Want something. Oh, oh, God. And then they leave me alone. And that's part two of our play of being alive, right

Yeah. And then to be able to experience and dissect everything bit by bit alone, fully vulnerable

it gives me goosebumps thinking about it. But where we end up with that number, who we, I cannot wait

I cannot wait to share. You know, I think that's one of the wonderful things about Sondheim songs here

is that it's not exactly definitive either. You know he a brilliant writer in that thoughts go every every which way And he explores every which way And I don know I just I don think there any other writer that really really captures that kind of

hectic thought process. Okay, go ahead. I always go back to his quote, God is in the details, God is in the details

I mean, it's really true. And I saw an interview about him talking to, I think he called, an interview where he was

didn't, hadn't been married, and who was it he called? I can't remember the interview it was. Anyway, and he was talking about he hadn't been married

Mary Rogers. Mary Rogers. Right. Where he was talking to her about everything marriage

and he said he did it like a lecture, right? Where he just marked it. It was fascinating, you know

He got it from that about marriage. I've been married myself, and he really captures it

And I think that's what the audience, the beauty of it, everybody can relate to someone in this show and how they feel

and how they approach marriage, you know? It's kind of great. Now, you're going on a tour that's starting

I think it's 25 cities right now, but at the time it's interview runs, it's probably going to be more cities by then

But, I mean, you're taking this on a North American tour. You're bringing the best to Broadway

this beautiful production of company. What that means to both of you

of bringing theater across the country and to North America, especially this production, what it means to you

Oh, wow, just everything. I think a lot of people might be introduced

to the show for the very first time. And I think that's going to be really interesting

because it's not your conventional Broadway show or musical theater pieces, a lot of America

likes to call it. And I think a lot of people's eyes are going to be opened. And I think

they're going to walk away out of this theater feeling something. And that's all I want is for

folks to really feel something. Yeah. If it is their introduction to song time, it's a great

one to be introduced because the music, I mean, you can't help but love so much of this music

And they're going to know side by side. They're saying, I've heard that song before. There's things that they'll pick up on

So if that's their first intro to Sontime, bravo, then we did our job, you know

to bring that for the first time to somebody who's in Kansas or wherever we're going

I don't even know where we're going. We're going to Kansas. We're going to Wisconsin

I know that. You're going everywhere. We are. And also, you know what's interesting is I've had so many people already

You're coming to my town. You're coming to, and they can't get to New York to see. They couldn't get to see me here or you see us here

So we go in all these places where we have family and friends, and it's going to be amazing

part of it I can't wait for yeah well let's talk about touring yes I had Richard

Thomas last week he loves to tour he's done so many incredible tour he's like

to kill a mockingbird I think it's like his like third year going out really he loves to

tour so you've toured a lot I have toured a lot so what do you love about touring and

what's the secret to touring oh god I'm gonna look at you because I haven't done in 20 years

all right give me another vodka stinger yeah well especially after the pandemic I I would say we are

Broadway ambassadors to folks who are craving live theater at this level, at this big old commercial

level. I love that. You know, I mean, especially across America, a lot of the access to Broadway is via

a bootleg, which is fine to an extent, but it's not the same thing. It's not what this medium

is written for, and to be able to do it live in person and have an audience experience it

together is something that we are craving post-pandemic. I love it. For you

It's going to be new for me. It's a new world out there, right? I went to 20 years ago with Into the Woods, big, all these other shows, right

And so now it's like, wow, I'm learning from all the kids. And they're not really kids

Actually, it's lovely because in this show, it's a lot of really mature kind of people that are a little

not older as I, old as I am, but I'm learning from them how to do it

And I'm kind of excited again. Get out of New York for a minute. for a minute. Yeah. Experience some cities around the country that I haven't been to in a while

I think I've visited most of them, but not like Greenville and South Carolina. They say it's gorgeous

So I'm kind of looking forward to going to museums again and seeing what the cities are up to after

the pandemic and like how do they feel after the pandemic? You know, it's going to be fun

I'm going to look at it as an adventure. This whole thing is an adventure for me

Let's talk about packing for a tour. Oh, yes. How many trunks, what do they give you a big trunk

Yeah, but this thing brings one suitcase. One, you told me. I like to travel light

Oh, my God. Don't you pick up stuff along the way? Sure do

And then I ship at home. See, she just gets it, buys it and ships at home. I'll do that too

Because they give you a big trunk or two big trunk. They give you something big. They're large trunks. Yeah

You can store like 300 pounds of stuff. Okay, so what has to go on your tour from your home to find the comfort on the room

Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. She'll go buy it now. I'm on Amazon right now

Oh, gosh. Okay, well, okay, a humidifier, sure, an instant pot. Something to cook with, if you like to cook

Nobody's great. Electric frying pan. Oh, yeah. Or like electric frying pan, neutral bullet

A neutral bullet. Yeah, exactly, for your smoothies. I traveled like nice knives because I like to cook, you know

Oh, nice. Wow, and they come in handy in a city of that may be

Yeah, exactly. So many purposes for some good. She's got the knives

I'm traveling with her. Stay glue to her side. projet. Oh no

No, but I love this though, but it's like a lot of people who are Instapots and all this

So a lot of cooking stuff for you or? No, cooking stuff, I will, no, I will do cooking stuff, frying down

but I also have to bring, like, I'm going to teach on the road, so I'm going to bring like a mini piano and my microphone and things to teach, you know

when I'm doing my voice lessons for people in the hotel. Here we are

Every week all I'm going to be at different place with my students. With your background, wherever you want. Your background wherever you are

Yeah. And workout stuff, like my P-E-Volve stuff. I do a certain routine. It's called P-E-Volve

Okay, what is that? Best thing ever. Get to it. It's a functional working out

They have their own equipment. It's not a lot of equipment, but it's amazing

They're doing in a hotel room, you know. That's going to be in my suitcase for sure. And shoes

Shoes, right? Like high heels? Like shoes? Well, you know, women are different, right

We need different shoes with different outfits, right? So I don't know. I'm wearing those. I'll put those in my trunk

Yeah, I put a pair of pumps in this. A comfortable pair of sneakers? Your hiking boots, Kay's, yeah. Right

You know, those are the things I'm bringing. And all the voice stuff you know your inhalers and you Yeah what are you all using What are the kids used now because it changes all the time right there were many pots years ago when people used to hide their heads under the stuff and

they little portable nebulizer my favorite news thing portable nebulizer and my

lozenges that their breath lozenges that create saliva they're amazing also Greathers Grether's best those are the big things that everybody's used

for years oh yes yeah yeah yeah yeah ten's like a fortune the big one costs like five hundred dollar Yes

You wish someone gives you as a gift, right? But we're also bringing, it's funny, we're talking this yesterday

We're bringing our little back things, the electric things that you put in your back for massage

Oh, yes. Cpping. That's what a lot of the kids. We're doing cupping now, too, for a back

No, you can actually do it by yourself now. There's things that you can go, that it sucks, does the suction itself

I can come to rehearsal. I'm cupping. I'm cupping. We'll all come with marks on our bodies, you know, all over, it's all over

It's all over. What's the workout thing called again? P-Vol. So I'm cupping and pevolving at the same time

I can't do, I can't do it. I can't be there. I can't rehearse the box now

I've got to cup. Yeah. So, yeah, that's kind of. All right, fun things you want to bring, like things you say, all right, what's like your go-to

Like, you know, not just the cupping and all the other stuff, but like, I have to have this item in there, if I'm dressing room or, you know, the road

I always bring my angel cards. I don't know if you know that, Richie Rich, but I do for every single show

I've done this for probably 25 years. Every show I do, every night. I go around to everyone in the cast

and I have a bag of what they call angel cards, they're positive kind of cards, and I go around just to kind of connect to people

I've done that for years, so I'll bring those for sure. And banana grams. Mm-hmm

I'm up in a nanogram. Yeah, it's the stuff for the downtime. I think we have a lot of board game people

and card game stuff in this cast. Yeah, because books, I'm gonna read. Because all the kids that Merrily wrote along

the Daniel Racklet, they're obsessed with banana grabs. I love banana grams

What is it? It's like a fast scrabble. Scrabble kind of. But your own personal kind of scrabble

So you're doing it while everybody's doing your own board. It's a great. It's a fun game

Keeps your mind going. Yeah, it's fun fun fun. What if you black out and go to the white room? Well, I do that often, you know

I go there often. Especially during choreography rehearsals. Yeah. So those are the fun

I love the angel cards. That's beautiful. That's great. For you, fun things you have to have

In my downtown, I love to do paint by numbers. Paint by numbers

I love it. I love it. We used to have those. It used to be this thing

The numbers are on the canvas. And you do that? Yeah, they still make them

You can go to Michaels, and they have a whole shelf of them. That's very zen of you

I really love it. So zen. I don't know they still have that. I want to do that. Yeah, me too. Kind of

Oh, because they always come out perfect. Yeah. Are you a Virgo? Is that what you're saying

I'm an Ares. I'm a Virgo. That would be my thing. Oh, Aquarius. Oh, I know

No, but Paint by Number, I don't want to say I have that anymore. They sure do. Michaels. Michaels

Michaels. Michaels. In between before winter. Paint by Niver. Look what Richie Ridge does

All right, so that's the fun stuff. You're going to take with you. Yeah, I think so. My little crafts, yeah

Well, you know, everything you're bringing is not going to fit into one suitcase. You know that. We'll see

I might get creative. We'll see. I mean, I might be wearing the same leggings

for weeks in a row, but at least I'll have my paint my numbers. Just conceptualized. Do you put a pair of shoes with your leggings or whatever. Exactly

Put a painting tab on or whatever. I'm painting. These are not the same luggage you've seen

I'm impressed. If you could do one, I am impressed. I was doing rent the runway for a while

though, too, on tour. Oh, that's hard. Perfect. That's what they said. That's what they said

That's what they would arrive. So I didn't have that thing. And then the new thing would arrive at the theater and yeah, I didn't have to travel it

So maybe you can't bring one suitcase. Maybe I would. Okay. The trunk

The trunk. Oh, okay. There's a suitcase and the truck. So she didn't tell me she was bringing a truck

We thought it was going to suitcase. Oh, we have definitely a trunk. The trunk's going too

But I also have two other suitcases that are going. And the carry on. And the carry on

And the carry on. I know, I know you are. All right. So why do you think this has become such a beloved musical

I mean, I fell in love with this in the end of 1970, when my grandmother took me to this

So it's probably too young to go, but I loved this show. And I was like, I couldn't wait to grow up to become an adult

And how the kind of problems that relationships give you, you know. There's adult, you know, relationship problems

Everyone has fallen in love with this show. It's one of my favorite son times of all time. Why do you think that is

Oh, I just think there's so much to relate to. there's something, there truly is something for everyone in this show

And like multiple times over too. And in every facet, which way

Yeah, I don't know. I think that would be my first, my first go-to thought

That and the music, I think, really, I think people really connect to the music in this

another hundred people, you know, there's tons of great songs in this

Some of his best songs he's ever written are in this show. So I think that, but also just, you know, being alive, oh my gosh

Like, who doesn't relate to that song, right? You're going to be sitting in the wings trying to watch all this stuff

I know. I know exactly. Well, I get to hear it every night. And the beauty of it is, I get into the woods for a year and a half on the road

And I will never forget, as you listen to Sondheim and Tuneik of, obviously, his arrangements

Every night you hear something different. And that's what it is with Sondheim

And George First, too, at this point, right? You hear something that I've never thought about that lyric before

Yeah. Even in rehearsals, I'm doing it going, it takes you. And you will once you get an audience, too

So I was asking you, that first performance in Schenectady, what are you all looking forward to the most seriously

when you finally have a live audience in front of you? Well, comedy, first and foremost

I honestly, even we're a week and a half into rehearsals, some of these scenes are craving the laughter

It's the fourth, fifth character in the scene. You know, it helps our tempo, it sets everything up

Yeah, I think we're ready for it. For you, that first performance

Making sure I can do the queer argument. No, no, no, that means that. Side by side. You know, I've been around for a bit and I can get choked up thinking about it, the fact that I'm doing company

I mean, just that alone, that I'm doing one of the great musical theater pieces ever

It's emotional for me. Well, I am thrilled. I kind of wait to see both of you and your entire company on the road in company

Have the best time. Thank you for dropping by Broadway World today. I love you. Thanks, Broadway World

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