Video: We're Falling In Love with THE NOTEBOOK's John Cardoza

Welcome to Backstage with Richard Ridge

My guest is one of Broadway's newest stars. He made his Broadway debut in Jagged Little Pill

He went on to play Christian in the national tour of Moulin Rouge, and now he is back on Broadway as one of the stars of the new musical The Notebook

Please welcome, John Cardoza. You are back on Broadway. Yeah. How exciting is that

Oh, my gosh. It's unbelievable. I mean, it's amazing to be back on Broadway, but to be on Broadway in a show that I am so passionate about and a role that I'm so passionate about is, like, beyond my wildest dreams

Like, this has been the most wonderful way to come back and, um, and really sink myself into, into something that I love

Yeah. This is such an iconic book and an iconic film. How well did you know the notebook

You know, I was, I was pretty young when the movie came out, and so I sort of grew up with it

I hadn't read the novel until recently. But the movie was something that I didn't understand really when I first saw it

because I was so young. And as I watched it, again, you know, a few years later

and then a few years later, each time you sort of understand it on a deeper level because you're watching a life play out in front of you

And so you understand it differently as you live your own life. And so I think that's a trademark of really amazing art

is art that sort of grows with you. And then when I was cast in the show, I tried to distance myself from the film because of the performances

but I did read the novel twice through, and I was just, you know, I understand why it's such a hit

At its core, it's these two people living very normal, unextorinary lives

and the only reason that it becomes extraordinary is because they've decided that it is

and it sort of reminds us that all lives can be extraordinary if we feel them on that deepest level

and I just love that message. I think it's amazing. Well, we should tell our audience that we are literally sitting downstairs in the lounge at the show-and-fell

theater on a double show day. And we're getting ready to do a matinee

I am. You've been up early today, right? I have been up early today. But you know what

I'm happy to be here always. I will take any chance I can to talk about this show

I'm very passionate about it. Well, audiences have already fallen in love with this show

What's it been like just feeling the audience's reaction to this show and to your performances

Oh my God. It's unbelievable because, I mean, you get so close to a piece when you're working on it like this

And when you feel so much passion for it, it can, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, you get so close to It's scary to release to the world because you hope that it's received in the same way

And, you know, for some people it will be, and for some people it won't be, and that's okay. But to reach the end of the show and to receive from the audience, you know, there's this cathartic release, I think, at the end where you know that you've just watched a life play out in front of you

and we're all just here to celebrate the miracle that is being alive at the same time as someone else that just meshes so well with who you are

like, should we all be so lucky? And, yeah, so to see audiences responding to that

the way that they have been, has been really reaffirming, and it gets me excited to do the show every night

It's a show that I can do a million times, and there's always something new to find in it

and I'm really lucky to be here. Well, what I love about the musical is there are three different versions

of Ali and Noah. There's the older, the middle, and the younger

I have to tell you, you are sensational. Thank you so much. As younger Noah

Thank you. You just, you live inside this role so beautifully. Thank you

What's it like playing him? What do you love the most about him? Oh my gosh. I love so much about him

And I've found a lot of intersection of self and character in this one. And one of my favorite things about him

arguably my favorite thing about him is that he somebody who experiences a lot of tragedy very early in his life And I think that he it easy to sort of blanket his demeanor as somebody who is sad

He's a sad character, but I don't think that he is at all. I think that he's just, he has a very hard one, there's a hard one piece that he's made with life

because he's seen the good and the ugly. And on the outside looking in, if you haven't experienced that kind of tragedy, it's hard to imagine carrying on

But he does. He finds joy in making music with his friends on the dock and reading poetry. He meets this girl that he sees so much potential in building a life with. He sees this house and he says, I'm going to paint the shutters blue. I'm going to bring color back to this house and give it a second chance and give it beautiful views to look at. And I'm going to fill it with love and with family. And I think his resilience is really amazing. And not unlike him, I lost my mother a few years ago. And getting to examine my own experience of grief through his lens has educated me on

how to move forward in my own life as I process my own, you know, grief

And that has been the greatest gift of this whole process for me. Isn't that great that art does that

Yeah. And being creative that you can work through something personal, but also put it into your craft

Absolutely. And I get to carry here on stage with me every night, and that is, like, remarkable to me

Well, like I said, you were sensational to watch in this show and the journey you take. Thank you so much

So when you were in rehearsal, did you all watch each other? Like, I'm the younger version. You're the middle version

and he became a little bit of you, and then, you know, Doreen became a little bit of both of you

I mean, a little bit. You spend so much time together that it just kind of is something that happens naturally

And we sort of started the process by discovering a bit of like a similar language of movement

so that there are like certain gestures that we can return to that you'll find the through line

But in the same way that I'm not the same person I was 10 years ago, Noah's not going to be the same person that he was 10 years ago

So the differences that occur from our own each individual lives experience

makes sense and carry the character to the end of his life

And so it just kind of works, it just kind of flows that way

And I always describe it as, and this is like my famous sound by being what I'm going to say

it anyways, because I think it's the best way to explain it is when you have your hand on a cold

object and you leave it there, eventually you reach that temperature like equilibrium

And it kind of feels like we all have our hands on the same object and we're just reaching the same temperature

And so that temperament follows us all the way through the show. And I think that is what, that's sort of like the secret sauce is you just, you start to, you all have the same source material in it, and it, and you embody it in a similar way. It's just, yeah, it happens that way

That's why it's such a beautiful show. You're all in it together. It's like sitting on a cloud. Yeah. I watched it the other night. It's like there was this hypnotic feel to this musical, which is so beautiful getting inside everybody, you know, physically and emotionally. Let's talk about your beautiful composer

wrote the music and lyrics. Ingrid Michelson. Yes. Did you know her stuff before

Of course. I grew up listening to her music. I mean, it was really everywhere

Her music really hit stride when I was a kid. So you'd be hard-pressed to find a song of hers that I don't recognize

But what I think is amazing about this show is that it's a really impressive expansion

of her sound. She has a really unique choice of words. So when you listen to the music, you know that it's coming from the same heart

the same artist, but she has really expanded her range. It's very sweeping and theatrical

which I think is something that's new for her, and I think people are going to be really blown away with what she's written. I mean, this is her Broadway debut as a composer

Yes. You know, like, Sarah Borellas had the same thing. It's like, once they have that, once they work on

one, they're like, oh, this is a magical world to work in the world of theater, right

And I didn know until I started working on this that she has a history in theater She went to school for theater and so it I think so fitting and natural that this is like the perfect marriage of all of her talents And I think that this is some of the best work she done

I think that she would agree on that. She's very public about that. So I reinforce that sentiment

I think that this is, she's at the top of her game in this. Yeah. You have two of the greatest directors

You have two working on this musical, which I think is perfect. You have Michael Greith and you have Shelley Williams

What makes them such wonderful and in-demand directors? and what was the whole experience like working with them

Yeah, and you know, we were just talking about this a little bit before we hopped on camera. I think I really see it

Michael is such a master of his craft in that he really understands stage pictures, stagecraft

and the way that all of the elements of a show come together to create the whole

And so he's such a technician. He leads with his head. And I think that Shelley having such a rich history as an actress

she's able to communicate so well with actors, and she really leads with her heart

You can tell that she's a mother when she talks to you. She's very gentle and cognizant of the demands of, you know

teching a show, putting on its feet previews. And so the two of them just kind of

they kind of complete each other as directors. And so it's been really wonderful to see how well they complement each other

And I think the product is a testament to that partnership. And working with this company, what is meant to you

Oh, my gosh. I mean, getting to work with people, like Marian Plunkett and Dorian Harewood

who are setting the most incredible example for us. I mean, there's something to be learned

every night from their performances. You have, again, like Joy and Ryan as well

who are laying their hearts out there every night. They're unbelievable and such joys to be around

no pun intended. And then of course my counterpart, Jordan, who is remarkable, it's her Broadway debut

I can't wait for all of you to be blown away by her. She is such a gift

My performance does not exist without her. And one of my favorite moments of the show is actually offstage when we sort of check in at the top of every show

And we're sort of like, okay, this is where I'm at today. And I say, great, I'm going to hold that for you. And you're going to hold this for me

And we're going to go out there and we're going to play. And that's it. And so I know that when I'm out there, I have somebody that I can trust completely

And I think that is what allows us to lean into the romance so much because, I mean, she's so easy to love

She's amazing. You mentioned Broadway debuts. you made your Broadway debut in Jagged Little Pill

They only come once. They're really special. What do you remember about your Broadway debut opening night

Honestly, very little. It's such a blur, but you know what I do remember

This is so random, but it's the thing that I remember the most

I got out there for the opening number, and there's a moment in the show where we're all sort of like down towards the lip of the stage

and we're like dancing, the pulses starting to build. And it's the first time that I get to really look at the audience

and you're sort of like staring them down. And I locked eyes with Rosie O'Donnell

And she was sitting next to Sarah McLaughlin. And I was like, what an iconic duo

And I just thought to myself, I made it. I was like, this is somebody who is an icon

Like when I was younger, you know, I grew up in the 90s, early 2000s. Like her show was such a staple of pop culture

So to know that I was being watched not only by her, but people even in her realm

I was like, what an incredible reach this arena has of Broadway

and it really brings so many people together from all different corners. And I was like, for some reason for me, I was like, thanks, Rosie

You really affirmed that moment for me. Yeah, you also got to play Christian in the national tour with our dear friend, Courtney Reed

Yes. Who was with Monday Night, she adores you. I love her so much. She truly is like the best friend I never knew I needed It really hard not to fall in love with her I still I so grateful that we on 45th Street She right across the street I go hang out in her dressing in between shows She just like I think we found each other at a time when we each really needed someone

to lean on. And she has shown up for me on stage, off stage. Like, she's just the kind of

friend that you dream about having. She really is. Was there a defining moment for you growing up

when you said, I think I want to be a performer and try to make a living at this? Yeah, I mean, I was, I really didn't know that this was something that I could do until sort of later in my, probably late in high school

I grew up in an area that was not very arts heavy. And so, you know, I did the school shows and I sang in the choir

My mom was very musical. She played the piano and was always playing music around the house

And a friend of a friend came to see a show that I was in at school and he was going to the Boston Conservatory for musical composition

And he pulled me aside and he was like, he, for some of the first of a friend, reason had on him the cast recording of next to normal and he gave it to me and he said listen to this

and he was like I think that you can do this if you want and he's like you should come to the campus

and just like walk around and see if it's your vibe and I just remember music everywhere from every window

every hallway every alley and I was like I really want to be a part of this and I really set my sights

on it then and I felt like I had a lot of catch up to play because there are a lot of people who

are steeped in this from from childhood and so once I was able once I was in an environment where I

could learn so much, I just, it was the paramount importance to me to be a sponge and just

learn from everyone, students, teachers, and I just let the chips fall where they may

But I feel like this is what I'm on this earth to do, and it just kind of found me that way. I'm going to mention one word, banjo

Banjo is my dog. Oh my gosh, he's the best. Oh my gosh, I love him so much

And he is, he really saw me through so many chapters of my life. I got him before I knew that the pandemic was really going to be a thing in January of 2020

I thought, oh my gosh, I've got it. Like I have a routine schedule

I have a steady income now is the time. And then, of course, the world stopped. And I was like, oh, my gosh, how am I going to do this

But it ended up being the greatest decision I've ever made. He provided a lot of comfort to me during a very difficult time

You know, on top of the pandemic, that was around the time that we lost my mother. And so not only to me, but to my family, he has been just this pillar of joy

and comfort and support, and watching him bond with my dad has been my favorite part of owning a dog. Yeah

So my final question is, because I know you have to get ready. Yes. If you're a matinee, what's the last thing you do

before you hit the stage for performance on the notebook? I take a deep breath

And I have, there's one of my favorite quotes from the book

I sort of like let it sink into my brain and I try to feel every single word of it

And that is, he said, the quote is, and I'm going to paraphrase a little bit

He says, the evening passed, staying warm, nice. Noah listened to the crickets and the wrestling leaves

thinking that the sounds of nature evoked more feeling and were more real than things like planes and cars

because natural things gave back more than they took and they returned him to the way that man was meant to be

And that to me is sort of like, that is the lifeblood of who Noah is

And Nevin, our sound designer, did this wonderful thing of including all these nature sounds on stage

in any time that I feel overwhelmed or lost in the story, I just clue into those sounds

and it brings me right back to stillness. And so I'm really grateful for that. Well, like I said, you are a joy to watch on stage

I wish you could step out of yourself and watch what you give an audience and everything else

Thank you. You were sensational. Thank you for doing this today. Thank you for having me. A double show day

Yes, of course. Anytime. Always happy to see you. Always a pleasure, Sean. Thank you so much