#ht carmichael

Do you have a favorite moment in the show? VOCE: Yes, actually. When we all come together in the carnival and we have that, like, stompy, like, get-it-out-of-your-system moment. It’s just any of the moments we’re all on stage, I just love. I just love! I just love it.

Yeah. Okay, wait. So, there was a moment — or, two moments really — that I, I meant to talk to Tina about, ’cause this is what happens on an opening night. [This is what happens.] You’re just like, bada bing, bada boom, bada bing, famously. [Yeah.] And, the — the silhouettes, the human silhouettes. Can you talk about that? VOCE: Yes. I mean, it’s, it’s meant to do exactly what it’s doing to you. Like what’s happening over here, over there? It’s all part of Tina’s amazing storytelling. Like, it’s not — I’m not a director, nothing that I would think of, but like, it really just keeps us in the world of the show, and what’s happening over here, and that life is still happening, no matter what’s happening in your view, or my view, or, you know, so I, I think it’s genius and wonderful.

So, just to like, give a little bit of context, there’s this scene — like, Lizzy McAlpine’s singing and then I turn and I was so blown away. There’s just, like, a human silhouette… VOCE: Skyline of people, just like, like, what conversation are these people having? What are they talking about over there? Is this one doing this? [Gorgeous.] It’s all meant to just tell stories of different people in their, you know, just… mwah.

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Can you describe your character to everyone? VAUGHAN: Describe my character? He’s doing just a little bit of everything, you know? Oh, who are the two old guys in the Muppets? [Yeah.] Who are just watching from the sides the whole time. That, that’s kind of me. That’s kind of what, thematically, what I bring to the story, but, but you know, a little more, a little more heart, but you know, just kind of watching and laughing along with the audience.

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What is it like to just be a delightful person that has to be very stern? KRILL: You know, it’s funny that you’re asking me this. No one’s ever asked me this before. [No way.] No! [Journalist!] I, I — yes, the hard-hitting questions right here. I, I really appreciate you asking, because I as a person, I do think I sort of lead with, like, a smile, and I love to laugh and giggle, and, um, and, uh, and I also don’t necessarily love taking up, like, a lot of space, like, you know. [Yeah.] You know, uh, and, and, and yet for some reason, I’m always called upon to play these men who come in and just take over, like, [unintelligible], and, um, so it’s a really fun exercise for me as, especially as an actor. [Right.] Um, but also maybe a little bit of, as a human being. [Right!] You know, to kind of, uh, find that little part of myself that is actually, it’s okay to take up a little bit more room. So yeah, how about that? [How about that!] So, um, so yeah, but yeah, I, and I, I love this guy, and I love these characters for it. I love H.T. Carmichael because of the fact that he’s not afraid to kind of come in and assert himself and say, “I’m going to get this guy out.”

Right. What, what is like — it feels weird to be like, what, what’s your mission, as like, your actor in this moment, but like, how are you keeping yourself grounded as there are, like, so many things happening in this show throughout your — like with Jeremy’s character, and like, there’s just so much happening, and you have to be like, “Listen to me, I know what I’m doing.” KRILL: Yeah. Uh, the thing that keeps me grounded, the thing that keeps me sort of tethered to, uh, a sort of, uh, truth for him — that isn’t just that he’s, like, a mean, nasty dude coming from outside, of every-, you know, outside of Mammoth Cave — is, uh, the fact that when you really analyze the script, uh, Carmichael just wants what everyone else wants. He wants to free Floyd, right? He’s not necessarily a people person. He doesn’t, you know, I mean, he doesn’t make friends easily, but it doesn’t, that doesn’t make him wrong. [Yeah.] You know, a lot of what he says is actually quite correct. And, uh, and, uh, he, uh… uh, so, yeah, so that’s what keeps me tethered, is that he doesn’t lie. [Right.] And he’s not, he’s not deceiving anyone. He actually wants the same thing as everyone else in the play, is to get Floyd out.

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Your character gives us so much depth, which is, like, really beautiful to see you, like, go like, “I’m going to save my brother, but I also have this, these big dreams of being an actor,” and, like, you are dealing with all these different aspects of being a human in these, like, really tough situations. What is your thought process as you’re getting ready for this show eight times a week? GOTAY: My gosh. Wow. That’s such a great question. There’s so much in here. I think that, you know, before we started, I did so much homework about trapping out — mapping out the character’s trajectory, every scene, how one moment leads to the next, and how Homer’s, um, journey to leaving home is woven through each moment that we’re seeing. And so, once you track all of that, and once I literally write it out and create a map of how one moment leads to the next, then once you get in rehearsal on stage, you just got to get up there and play each moment. Look at every person in the eyes and just tell the story as truthfully as you can.

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Okay, so as a journalist, it was very cool to see your journey in this show and like going from like, “Okay, I’m telling this story,” […] so, you go from this person who’s like, “Okay, I’m on a mission. I’m telling this story,” to like, “Oh, wait. I’m actually going to help out,” to like, “Wait, I’m very personally invested in this.” Like, what is your journey throughout the show like? TRENSCH: Um, it’s a really fun, very emosh…ional. I could have just said the whole word. I don’t know why I abbreviated that. [I really appreciate the abbreviation.] Really fun. Like a career, like a real high point for me. This has been a really special experience, largely because of this ensemble of, like, wildly talented, preposterously gifted, idiosyncratic actors and artists. Um, I feel so lucky to be in a group of these people really, especially with Wade McCollum. There’s, like, a lot of caretaking happening on stage, and also it’s so fun to just watch. There’s so many moments where we get to be on stage and watch the action and that’s been one of the greatest gifts, is like, just watching everybody else be so talented. MCCOLLUM: It’s so true. And watching Taylor Trensch’s performance every night is one of the highlights of my life. It’s true. No, it really is true. It’s spectacular.

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Um, something that I loved is the, um, the, the use of this stage, which, when you first look at it, you’re like, “Okay, simple stage,” […] So, the back, I’m obsessed with the silhouette scenes, and like, the like, you know, the use of the, like, the, the tools, and the stance, like, what is it like — ’cause you, there’s at least one that you’re in the back, right? Doing a, a motion? MCCOLLUM: Yeah, I do a few silhouettes. And it’s fun. I love that part. [Do you?] Yeah. I like being part of the sculptural narrative storytelling, the sort of unexpected circuitous poetry that’s happening, that’s physicalized, and sort of adding to, through abstract shapes that add to the story. It’s really fun, and really, and then to be a part of an ensemble too, where everybody’s really listening, and moving together like a flock of birds. It’s, it’s a really special experience, really. [I love that!] TRENSCH: And it forces — what I love so much about the show is, it forces the audience to imagine. We’re not, like, um, spoon feeding you the cave. You have to, like, really engage and lean forward. And I think that’s, the best theater makes an audience do that.

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Can you tell us what is going through your soul, your energy as you’re performing this? JORDAN: Uh, pretty much every emotion you could imagine. I mean, he, he runs the gamut. I mean, you meet him and he’s just this effervescent, loves life, you know, even though he’s this sort of solitary, you know, quiet figure. I mean, he, he is so happy and so content in his world. And then even when he gets trapped, you know, he’s, he’s like, “Ah, it’s fine. I’ll get out.” [Yeah.] And then as the show progresses, you see him sort of change and go through the gamut of emotions, the sort of, the fear, the reconciliation, the wonder, the, the love, the, the hope, the despair, all the things. It’s, it’s really lovely, and, and, and to do all that through music is, is, um, is a, really a gift.

Yes. One of my favorite things about this show is how you and Lizzy have this beautiful, like, love of, of the weird, of the sparkle, like, the, the crickets, right? JORDAN: Yeah, we, we have this connection that sort of transcends space. [Yes.] Um, like, kind of like a twin energy, almost, where like, we can feel and hear each other, and it’s one of my favorite things to do in the show. It's like, she’s kind of living in her strange ethereal world, and in my mind, that’s her sort of reaching out and connecting, and on occasion I can feel it and grab a part of it and, and feel her there with me, and, um, you know, I can’t, I never get to see her until the end of the show. [Right.] And, but, I feel her with me the whole show, and it’s, it’s really lovely, and I love Lizzy, and it’s been wonderful getting to, like, be a part of her Broadway journey.

I love that. Okay. So, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about that. I mean, I’m sure you know by now how much of a Newsies fan I am, right? [Sure. Oh, yeah.] Like, it’s pretty, I’m pretty vocal about it. [You got it. Yeah.] Um, and I wanted to make a joke about like, oh, I wonder if we’re going to hear “Santa Fe.” Um, but then we saw, like, a newspaper, like a, like, a newspaper scene, and like, a journalist scene and I was like, “Are, are we getting it?” No, I’m just kidding. But — [Only you would go there.] I would and I did. But, um, like, does it feel like, maybe a — this is a stretch, I’m, I’m letting you know before I ask this question that this is a stretch. [Alright.] Hear me out. But, like, there’s a part of this moment where it’s like, you’re really getting to, like, dig into these roots of, like, what is the story that we’re trying to tell? And, like, the news, the journalist here is — not even just, like, telling the story, but is a part of the story, is, like, really trying to, like, get you out. And it’s not just, like, a love story, it’s like, a friendship love story. And I don’t know, I just was like, I am always going to draw it to Newsies. That’s just, like, who I am. But I was, like, really blown away, of the different type of story from the journalist being like, I’m a part of this, but not in the way you would think. JORDAN: Yeah, I mean, I think, I think that, uh, the journalism aspect of the story is really wild, how they spin the news and how they sort of make it, sensationalize it. And it became, like, the first real media circus in America, and it was all just people watching this guy die slowly. I mean, hoping that he comes out, but like, kind of also being like, “Is he going to die? And am I going to, like, get to be a part of that in a strange kind of way?”

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Constant Stream of Cars Brings Curiosity Seekers From Half a Dozen States.

CAVE CITY, Ky., Feb. 8.—Thousands of curiosity seekers visited Cave City and Sand Cave today, where Floyd Collins has been entombed for the ninth day. All day long a stream of automobiles, some with license tags from Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee and West Virginia, passed down the country road to the scene of the tragedy. One estimate was that 10,000 visited the scene during the day. The rugged road from Cave City to Sand Cave was packed with cars all day. Lines of automobiles facing each other made a midway from the high road to the cavern. It looked like a country fair. Hot dog vendors, dealers in apples and soda pop, sandwich makers and jugglers vied for the nickels and dimes of the thousands who visited Sand Cave. Their chief rival was an old-fashioned medicine man who, from his covered wagon, exhorted one and all to stop and be cured. His brew, with his hidden secrets should be in every home, he cried, and a good swig from it every day, reporters who sampled it said, would drive the moonshiners into bankruptcy. Down this lane raced the thousands, eager for a morbid peep at the rocky prison. After an hour or two of staring they went back and sat in the cars to watch the animated scene, or they strolled the midway.

Country Preacher Offers Prayer. Parson Jim Hamilton, thin and tall, rode a mule twenty miles over the Kentucky hills to preach above the cave and bring a word of hope to people of the same simple faith. “Oh, Lord God, who turned back the tide at Galilee,” he prayed, “have pity on this your child imprisoned in your earth. Give him back to me who treasure him upon this soil. And if, Lord, it be thy will that he shall not return then, Lord, thy will be done. Amen.” The profiteer was also there. Tiny hamburger steaks sold for 25 cents; a jitney to and from the town was $3; rooming houses—the hotels having long since used the last cot—charge $2 for a 75 cent room. Many a moss covered mortgage will be lifted if Collins is not rescued soon. Even “Old Man” Collins, as he is known, to distinguish him from “the boys,” has seized the opportunity of a lifetime. He circulates through the crowd and gives out literature advertising Crystal Cave, near by, owned by him and his imprisoned son. He would like them to visit the cave at $2 a visit, and many do. The usual “fan” letters are flooding the tiny post office. Among them was one from Chicago, to be delivered to Collins. It proposes that when he is found, if ever, he take a short rest and then come to Chicago and marry the woman writer. Homer Collins tore up the letter and threw it to the wind. It was reported here tonight that Judge Basil Richardson of Glasgow will tomorrow ask the Circuit Court in Nelson County to start an investigation into the disaster, as rumors that Floyd Collins was “planted” in the cave in what started as a publicity hoax, but may end fatally, have been insistent here for a week.

One of the best productions I feel like I’ve ever seen, certainly in the last year, was Floyd Collins. Such a, such a beautiful revival, in every way. And, um, what was it like, sort of entering this show that you have this personal connection to originally, and kind of rediscovering it? It was… it was so meaningful. Um, I never really thought I would be a part of that play, because I think when I, I think when I first encountered, when, when Floyd became such a part of my life, I was a young person, and so I only really, I viewed the show from a young person’s perspective, and so I really only thought about Homer, and, and Nellie, and, and, you know, all the, the younger characters. And I wasn’t, you know, and I was, I remember thinking, “Well, I know there’s a father, but I’ll never play that, because he’s, like, blue-collar, and I just don’t, I’m never gonna be blue-collar. It’s just not how [inaudible].” Um… completely forgot about H.T. Carmichael. Completely forgot about it, was like, “Nope,” just didn’t even think it was ever a possibility, and then Tina called me in for it. And, um, and then I looked at it, and I was like, “Wow, this is, this is actually a really cool little arc for this guy.” Um, and, um, I’m, I’m just so grateful that I got to, that I got to do that, and with that cast, and, and Tina and Adam, Lincoln Center. It was just, it was, it was, um… it was a beautiful little diamond of an experience. For sure, yeah. I will always cherish it, because it was, it’s just been such a special, um, sort of formative part of my theatrical life for so long, and, um, because of Guy’s experience with it. And, uh, to be able to now, you know, have my own, my own experience with it, uh, was just a, it was a dream come true.

Yeah. And what was it like with that piece to sort of figure out what you were saying about your kind of piece of the puzzle, or your character's piece of the puzzle? Yeah. I mean, honestly, again, it was one of those, it was one of those things that, there was, there’s a scene at the end of Floyd Collins… where everybody gives up. You know, it’s a, it’s a, it’s just a horrible situation — it was, truly, a horrible situation, um, and… just terrible conditions to work under, it was raining, constantly raining, and it was free- it was like, almost freezing, just like, really, it was, cold and muddy and wet and, and everybody quits. And rightly so, I mean, they’ve all been, like, climbing into these tiny, terrifying holes in the earth, and, and almost dying every day. And, uh, but there’s a scene at the end where H.T. Carmichael basically says, “We are not giving up. There is a man trapped down there.” And I don’t think it was really until that moment when I was reading the script again, it wasn’t until then that I realized that, for whatever reason H.T. Carmichael may have started this journey to save Floyd, whether it was for fame or, or, or, you know, uh, promotion, whatever, in his, you know, his career, by the end of it, he is emotionally invested and he wants to save the life of this person. And for me, that was why I really wanted to do it, because I saw that arc. I saw that, ultimately, it turns into a very emotionally invested, um, character arc.

Um, and it’s fun to play the bad guy, it really is, and — and the thing, the really interesting thing about Floyd is that — I might have said this from the very beginning — H.T. Carmichael was almost never wrong. Like, he was always like, “Stay out of the passageways, stay out of the passageway, it’s going to collapse. If you go in the passageway one more time, it’s going to collapse.” What happens? Fl- uh, Homer, and, they keep going into the passageway, unbeknownst to H.T. Carmichael, and it collapses. And from the very beginning, all he wanted to do was dig the shaft. “Let’s dig the shaft.” “No, no, no, no, let’s not dig a shaft.” So, you know, and he was right. That’s how they eventually got to Floyd’s body, was by digging a shaft, and then, at, and, um… but the reason, the reason you don’t like H.T. Carmichael is because no one else in the play trusts him. So I just found that so interesting, that everyone else that you’ve fallen in love with, you know, Homer and, and Nellie and Skeets, they’re all going, “What a dick!”, you know? “He’s wrong, and he’s horrible, and he’s only doing it for, you know, he’s only doing it so that he can get a, a raise.” And, and, um, well, meanwhile, what I found out — this was my little, my little, um, personal secret that I honestly never told anyone — um, um, is that about a week before we started rehearsals, I found out that the actual H.T. Carmichael, uh, about five months before this event happened with Floyd Collins, lost his nine-year-old daughter. So I found it fascinating that ultimately, the man as he walks in, what you’re dealing with — ’cause I was always like, “Why is he so mean to everyone?” Because he’s grieving. Because he’s mad and he’s angry. And it’s very easy then to take the leap to, well, he wants to help save this boy, this man, Floyd Collins, because he’s someone’s child. H.T. Carmichael is someone who had just lost his child, his only daughter, and there’s someone else’s — you know, he meets, um, um, Mr. Collins and, and he’s like, “I’m gonna save your boy. I am going to save your boy.” And I think it's very easy to kind of — ’cause I wanted to understand why he cared so much at the end, why it meant so much to H.T. Carmichael at the end. “We are going to keep going, I don’t care if it’s just me and, and, and Skeets,” you know, “and a crane operator. We’re gonna get to him and we’re gonna save his life.” And I think, I think it was just a really — again, it wasn’t overt, it wasn’t in the text, but it was, it was, I think it was important for me to know why. Because the audience responds, somehow, to the truth of it, you know?