Good Hang with Amy Poehler - Jonathan Groff

Episode Date: February 10, 2026

Jonathan Groff is a good, nice boy. Amy hangs with the Broadway star and talks about playing Dorothy at 4 years old, why he smells horse when he listens to the cast recording of 'Company,' and stealing the show in 'Hamilton.' Host: Amy PoehlerGuests: Gracie Lawrence and Jonathan GroffExecutive Producers: Bill Simmons, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Weiss-BermanFor Paper Kite Productions: Executive producer Jenna Weiss-Berman, coordinator Sam Green, and supervising producer Joel LovellFor The Ringer: Supervising producers Juliet Litman, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin; video producers Jack Wilson, Belle Roman, and Aleya Zenieris; lighting director Caroline Jannace; audio producer Kaya McMullen; video editor Drew van Steenbergen; and booker Kat SpillaneOriginal Music: Amy Miles Order ALDI on Uber Eats: https://earn.sng.link/A99vk/i2fm/okid Visible. Live in the know. https://www.visible.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of Good Hang. We are so excited to talk to Jonathan Graff, huge fan, and what a delight. What a just so, so talented and funny and so fun to talk to. And we're going to talk about a lot of things today. We're going to talk about horses. We're going to talk about Broadway. We're going to talk about making lasting friendships at work. We're going to talk about us both playing Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz and the different things we brought to it. And we're going to talk about his Broadway smash hit Just in Time, which is open for a few more weeks on Broadway. He plays Bobby Darren. It's amazing. You have to see it. But before we do, we're going to check in with someone who knows our guest, who's worked with our guest, who loves our guest, and that person is Gracie Lawrence. Gracie is an incredible singer from the band Lawrence. She was Connie Francis in Just in Time, and we are going to speak to her while she is in rehearsal for another Broadway show, all out. Gracie, do you have a question for our darling Jonathan? Hi.

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you can save up to $20. Ends February 28, 2026. Terms apply. See App for details. Hello? Okay, wait. Sorry, there's some people in my dressing room that are back. Ah!

I told them that I was in the middle of something, but it's like... Oh, my God. Listeners, John Stewart and Abby Jacobson are flanking Gracie Lawrence right now. We got a three-fer. A three-per. A sentence. I've dreamed of. A three-fur with Amy Polo.

Oh my God. Hi, friends. Hello, friends. What a good surprise. No, they live in my dressing room. Yeah. We share in dressing. This one, Amy, top, top notch.

Yeah. So, so talented. So naturally talented. The only downside, honestly, Amy, is the drinking. Yeah. That's the part that's the only thing that's holding her back. Yeah. Yeah.

We don't have to talk about it. There's actually not a podcast today. Gracie, we're all here because we love you and we want to... You know what? I thought that this seemed strange. I was like, why are they in my dressing room? Why are my name is called from Amy Polar? Look at you guys. Broadway.

You know, it's just rehearsal. Broadway babies. Guys, let's do our thing. Me, me, me, me, me. Okay, we actually do have to go, though. Okay, bye. Love you. Love you.

We're talking about and to Jonathan Groff today, who I know you love. I love Jonathan Groff in such an intense way. Wait, I need to say something to you first. Okay, wait. Okay, wait. Okay, like, wait. Like, everyone stop. First of all, I would watch this podcast in my dressing room at Just in Time before the show

because it was like a calming, warm hug. I would watch it with my dressing room roommate, Erica Henningsen. Oh, Erica. The best. We'd be like panicking before we went on stage and we would watch this podcast and a calm would come over us. So, Gracie, you are rehearsing right now for your new Broadway show. Yes. You want to tell people what that is? Yes. It's a show called All Out with our mutual friends, Abby Jacobson and John Stewart and Eric Andre and Ike Barron Holtz. FYI, I'm coming to see it tonight. I heard that nasty little rumor. Are you really? Really? Oh my God. I'm going to be so...

And I like to wear a very loud sweater so people can see me. And I like to make a lot of noise. I'll find you. And I like to give thumbs up or thumbs down as the show goes on. That's totally fine with me. I like to make a lot of uncomfortable eye contact with one audience number, and I think it's going to be you tonight. Yeah. And then I'm in the show with my band Lawrence, which is my brother and I and six of

our closest friends, and we're playing our original music in this show. It's super cool. And Gracie, you are, like you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, like, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, is, you, you, we straddle this. You don't, we straddle an amazing world. Don't get dirty, your little, little minx. You'll watch it. Someone's listening to this before they go on, and they want peaceful. They want, they want people, no, totally.

Okay. You're a singer and you are on, on stage, and you record and you act. Like, you, you, and, and it's really interesting, because I think, John, Jonathan, Jonathan very similarly, like when I look at his career, he has done so many things. And both of you are examples of like, there's no categorizing artists anymore. There's no, you know, there used to be this feeling that like you could only be this kind of performer or actor. And Jonathan is a perfect example of that. Can you tell me the first time you met him and what your first impression of him was? I met Jonathan on the first day of rehearsal of the workshop of Justin

Time. And for people who don't know, can you just tell us what that show is? Just in Time is a Broadway show. It is directed by Alex Timbers. And it is about the life of Bobby Darren. And I play Connie Francis. And Jonathan currently plays Bobby Darren. I played Connie Francis. And yeah, we met on the first day of the workshop. And I was really nervous. which is like a theme of my life. And Jonathan walked in and the first thing I did in the day was sing with him. That was like my first entrance to this show.

He walked in like star of the show. Like he was just such a star from the second he walked in. It was like, I got the right entrance from him. I was like watching him walk and he put his binder down. And then he sat down next to me. He was kind of like, and then he just did the, the Jonathan Groff thing of like making really intense beautiful eye contact with you. Perfect.

Which you'll experience in the question. Can't wait. He's so charming. As far as his actual like big, uh, width and breadth of talent, what, what do you think makes him such a special performer? I do think he's like one of the greats, like one of the greatest performers of all time. He reminds me of the kind of performer that, you know, is of a different era. He reminds me of Bobby Darren.

He is this kind of performer that can do it all and is like so magnetic and so charming. Yeah. His magic trick as a performer is making people feel so at ease and so comfortable and like they know him immediately. And even when he's playing bizarre weirdos, it's like you still feel really comfortable around him and you want to. He's like the most watchable person I've ever met ever on stage. Like, yes. And his, the eye contact thing, because I will tend to be like, you know, like, if someone's looking at me too long, I'm like, what? He will lock the fuck in.

Like, he's going to do that. Okay. He is also like a lover of like shenanigery and like bullshit on stage. Like he will really, I don't know how he knows the right moment to do the thing. things, but like somehow he will violently tickle me on stage consensually. And I'll have friends at the show and I'll be like, did you guys notice when Jonathan just like fully in the middle of the scene? And they'll be like, no, I didn't catch that.

And I'm like, how does he like know? He just really knows. He has a playful energy that's a tiny bit of, I mean, I imagine when you just do show after show after show, you've got to keep it fresh. Yeah. Okay, so I ask my Zoom guests to give me a question for my guest. I thought of a million questions because he is in some ways so anomalous. But given that I'm technically a new friend of his, even though I feel I know him very well,

I've noticed in this year that I've never seen him frazzled or anxious or nervous. and he's had so many occasions where he like objectively should be. Like leading a show, you know, doing huge interviews, going to the Tonys, performing three times of the Tonys. He is like Yoda like. Like he is so calm. And when I'm nervous, he always turns to me after I say like, I'm feeling kind of nervous. He was like, really?

Huh. Like he doesn't understand that. And I'm wondering, why isn't he more scared of things? When did he, has he always been this way? Like, did I meet him in a time in his life where he just really has his shit together? Or has he always been extremely calm? Like when he was auditioning for things back in the day, was he like going in the room shaky? Or was he like so calm?

and like what, if anything, scares him now? Little bitch? Like, I'm annoyed. It's crazy. Yeah, that's a great, great question, because you're absolutely right. You never catch him working too hard, but he's the hardest worker. And he makes things, I mean, that's, to your point about, like, we feel like we know him, he also makes things feel accessible to us.

like I think great artists do. They just, they don't overcomplicate things. No, he's not tortured. No, he's not. That's why I love him because he's such a good example, in my opinion, of the more talented you are, the easier you are to work with, period, the end. Again, there are the few eccentric geniuses, but for the most part, if you're not coming from a fear-based place,

it's such a pleasure to work together with someone who's so talented. So, oh. Well, Gracie, that's a really, really good question. And I think he's really good, really great. I mean, I cannot thank you enough for taking what I'm sure is your, this is probably your downtime, your eating time, you're looking at your phone time before you have to go back out there. I'm sure they're just, I'm supposed to be rehearsing something.

But who cares? I'm here. Thank you so much. Such a pleasure to meet you. Take care. Bye. Bye. This episode is brought to you by Visible.

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See visible.com for plan features and network management details. Jonathan, I'm very, very excited that you're here. I'm very excited to be here. Thank you for doing this. You know, when we started the show, we were like, who, we just, like, thought about people that we wanted to talk to that would be good hangs. And you were definitely someone that we really wanted to talk to. I am so honored.

I'm so honored. Thank you. And have we ever met? No, this is our first time. our first time meeting. I mean, I'm sure you get the slot, but I do feel like I've met you. Same. Same. I know I lifted you up. Yeah. It was an off-camp. People's, it was off-camera, but when you came in, we hugged and you lifted me up, which I really enjoyed. Yeah. I mean, I don't always love being lifted up. Okay. But I really liked when you did it. And also,

people should know you're very jacked. Oh my God. Thank you. I'll take it. Your arms were really strong. I'll take it. My friend Susie, every time I I would see her. I would lift her up. And then she was like, Jonathan, please stop lifting me. Yeah. That's a good friend. Yeah, yeah.

Well, when you're like a short person sometimes like in improv, you got lifted up. Which, by the way, I'm sure there's many women out there that are like, oh, you got lifted up a lot. Good thing to complain about. But I, you know, I get it though. There's like assumptions made. I lifted you. No, it was nice. And then I felt like, oh, no, did I just assume.

No, everything. I loved everything about it. Okay. I loved everything about it. Thank God. Thank God. It was exciting. That was our first meeting. I know. And I'm talking to you today, talking to you today because you have your show tonight.

Yes. And it's literally you're going to be on stage in a few hours. Yeah. Yeah. And I have so much I want to talk to you about today. But one thing I realize is that you've done so many things so well. It's going to be hard to talk about all of them. But most of your life, your job, the hardest part of your day is at the end of your day.

Like, what is it like to have a full day waiting for your hardest part of the day to start? That is such a great question, Amy. Thank you. And I've never thought about it like that before. I used to have a version of that with S&L, right? But that was once a week was the actual performance. The rest of the time was like a split, like, you know, midday to night. It may be the most challenging part of my day, but it's also the most joyful part of my day.

That getting out there and getting to do it, it's like I'm like a kid with the high school play. That's awesome. Yeah, I get amped and then I sleep very hard at night. So I think maybe I'm naturally a night person. Before we get into your life, I need to get into sleep because it's my favorite thing to talk about. What time do you go to bed? Okay, so usually the show... I'm not going to like this.

I'm already worried, but the show's over at what, 10? If you're lucky. Yeah, the show's over at 10.30. Oh, God. And then oftentimes, part of the fun is like having people backstage. Nightmare. True nightmare. And then I'll talk to people and hang for a bit in the dressing room.

I'll get on my bicycle. You bike home. Should people know that? We can cut that. Don't follow him. Suddenly I'm being followed by people on bikes. That's incredible. Yeah, I bike to and from the theater.

I arrive on a bike usually. That's great. And then I'm in bed probably by like 1230. 1230 or 1. Okay, I like that. Yeah, I'll go home, I'll eat something, I'll watch some YouTube's. And then I'll, I do feel when I walk in my apartment, And like I start to go like, I'm powering down.

I'm dying. Yeah. And then I fall in the sleep and I, are you, I'm a very hard sleeper. I used to be a really, really hard sleeper. I'm getting a little lighter as I get older. But yeah, I'm with you. I'm not, I don't get up in the middle of, I can go down. Yeah.

I can go down. You go down. And then what time is morning time? is it 10 a.m or is it 9 a.m.? It's 10 a.m. How did you know it was 10 a.m? Well, because the 1 a.m. bedtime is usually like a 10 a.m. Yeah. Yeah. That's the natural, that's the natural wake up. 10 a.m. Yeah. So we're talking to you right now at like basically your lunchtime.

That's exactly right. I'm having this coffee. Black coffee for lunch. I'm having black coffee for lunch. And what is this? Like, what time are you going to go to bed tonight? We're going to finish this. I actually, I'm already stressed about the fact I have I have to go, have to. I have the lucky privilege of going to a show tonight. I'm going to a show and I'm already stressed about the fact that I am not going to be in bed. In bed.

I love bed time. Ideally for me. You couldn't go to a matinee? I know. I blew it. I love a matinee. Yeah, right, because then you can go straight to bed. And when I'm there, I'm so happy, but I'm literally counting the minutes until I can go to sleep.

Okay. But what I wanted to say, Jonathan, now I'm starting. Okay. Okay. You got the glasses on him. Well, because we kind of wrote it down because you are such a nice boy. You're a good nice boy. You to me are the embodiment of someone who is deeply, deeply open and a good, caring, nice person,

and also crushing it and ambitious and like ambition with a size. of compassion basically. You don't have to be a jerk. I love that you're saying that too, yeah, because oftentimes ambition is seen as like a negative thing or like a cutthroat thing

that you have to like push people aside in order to do your thing, but we're all just in our own, on our own little like track and field lane. Yes, that's right. You're only competing with yourself. Exactly. And that the idea that if, like,

you know, what is it, a rising, a rising boat? All boats rise. Yeah. All boats rise. But isn't it a rising tide? A rising tide rises all the boats. Really?

A rising tide lifts all boats. But that... That's your warm up for tonight. A rising tide lifts all boats. A rising tide lifts all boats. It does. A rising tide lifts all boats. That was good.

You matched me. That was perfect. Thank you. But it's true. It's true. that there's this, you know, you can decide. And I feel like, I feel like not knowing you, but knowing so many people who love and love working with you,

I feel like that is you. And so congratulations on that. I have no question. I just wanted to say that about you. And you have done so much. You've done musicals. You've done television. You've done film.

You're on Broadway right now. You were in Spring Awakening. Of course, you were in Hamilton. You were in Glee. You were in Mind Hunter. You're Christoph and Frozen. You do so many things so well. but through it all, through it all,

I feel the sense from you of exactly what we started this conversation with, which is like there's still just like a lot of joy in getting to do what you get to do. Yeah, yeah. And if, and like you hold on to that, you're grateful for it in a moment. Yes, yes. Yes, it's fantastic. And you work for it and you like, you find those people, I mean, you're the queen of this of like finding those people that you love and love to make things with. And I feel like as time goes by, I just turned 40 last year.

I can feel myself like getting magnetized to those people later in life of like, like working with Dan Radcliffe on Merrily, he like, that was the, that was, I think the first time I was like, oh, I've really met my match here because this guy loves to do this so profoundly. And we formed a lifelong friendship with our friend Lindsay, really everyone in that company. But like Dan, Dan was like, like, and gripping me. Like he like had to be out. There was like a need in him that I really related to.

And I'm finding like as time goes by and you get older, like there's such a joy in the people that we started out with. The ones that really want to be here are still here. Yes. It's such a cool thing. And Dan Radcliffe, Radcliffe is an example of this and you are, which is also you want longevity in the business. You want to work a long time.

If you like it's a, it's the long. game. It's the long game. And I mean, I can't wait to talk to you about Merrily. It's such an incredible piece of art. It's so deep. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be approaching 40 and winning a Tony for a piece that is all about the circular feeling of life and like having it in real time.

And so before we get there, we're going to get there. We're going to get there. But I am so enamored and moved by your, by little Jonathan on the horse farm. You grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Yes, yeah. Your dad was a horse trainer? Yeah, still is.

Is. Yeah. And do you ride horses and do you like horses? Oh, is this controversial? It's not controversial. So he does harness racing. So it's like the cart behind the horse. Like you're sitting in the cart with the whip.

Oh, yeah. And so he... Are you in like a large... Was that like a Mennonite community? Yeah, my dad is, his whole family is Mennonite. Wow. My grandfather was a Mennonite preacher. And he kind of like was expected to take over the dairy farm because he was the oldest son.

But didn't, wasn't into cows. And so pivoted. two horses and got really into horse racing. And then my mom was raised Methodist, and so started going to the Methodist Church because the Mennonites were not super into the gambling aspect of his career. Oh, interesting. He wasn't shunned or anything, but just, yeah. And so, yeah, growing up, I would play pretend on the horse farm with my brother.

But my brother and I, my brother David and I were both petrified of the horses because they're so scary. So I'm afraid of horses. Okay. Like they scare me. I respect them. They're beautiful. But I don't, I don't mess around with horses. Yeah. And that's really wise. I feel like when you know that, you're really tapping into the empathy of the horse because like they feel. Yes. I don't want to startle them. Yes. And I'm a little nervous. I don't want to make them nervous. Yes. And there are some people that are just so, so good with them. And I feel like, I feel to horses like people who don't want to have children feel towards children. which is like, I think that's great for you. Yes, not my journey. And I want people who want to ride horses to ride horses, not my journey. Exactly. They're so tall, their eyes are so far. Their mouths are enormous.

Enormous, and it's like, yeah, yes. They don't make that sound. I was nervous. Like, I was shoveling the shit in the stalls with the horses also. So you can imagine not loving. And like the, like, sort of like moving around the horse to like shovel its shit into the thing. I was like, it was not, yeah. That's funny. Like, that's like not going into the family business. Yes, exactly. Yes, I was blasting Britney Spears and Steven Sondheim on the, like,

on the tape player in the barn, shoveling the horse shit, being like, this, I don't fit here. I love that, I loved your Tony's speech when you thanked your family and your brother, your parents, like, for like letting you just be you in, like, they really did that, right? You were, you You were exactly that singing and dressing up and getting to do stuff. And everybody was like, that's our Jonathan. We have this VHS of me dressed as Mary Poppins. I was three. And my mom and my dad, like they, I had lipstick and a carpet bag and a hat and a dress.

And we're on my grandfather's Mennonite Farm, Wade. And I'm like with the carpet bag. And in the background, you can hear him going, Mary, oh Mary. not even really clocking the gay joke that he's making by calling me Mary which then became a very successful Broadway show exactly and that's where Cole got the idea

oh my God totally yeah yeah and who was saying that was your dad saying that my Mennonite grandfather preacher Wade oh Wade so incredible they let me I think if they had like

equated putting this young boy in a gown may open up homosexuality in him. It's like an on-ramp to gayness. They may not have done it. But this was like before the internet. And like they just beautifully allowed me to to fly my freak flag. Yes. And I heard, did you play Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz? I did as well.

What age did you play Dorothy? At four. What did you bring to the role? How did you see her? I brought a lot. There's also a video of that. I brought a lot of, I brought a real, like a, I was screaming a lot. Oh.

Yeah. And there's a lot of me going like, ah! Because of the tornado. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. You were playing the tornado. Yeah.

I was like, I was very tornado forward in my interpretation. Yeah. Interesting. So you were interested in the, like, the, like, the, the trauma before the yellow brick was. Yes. I held that like that. I carried through.

Yeah. What was your on ramp? Thank you for asking. I was in fourth grade and I was really into, I was in fourth grade, a little older, a little wiser. I knew we were going to be okay, I think. Yeah. But I was really interested in the like, the follow me aspect. I was very much like, come on over here.

Come on. It's very, very into like. Bleeding lady. Follow the, like, follow the yellow brick road. Like, let's go. The let's go of Dorothy. Like the, I love the skipping and the running around and just like the journey part. I was really into that part.

And the tornado, I just went internal. I just played in really small. You were more like the phoenix rising from the ashes. You were like leading everyone somewhere. It was just in my eyes. The tornado was in my eyes. It was like a quick look. Like blinking you miss it.

I went, what was that? Wait, is she okay? but then immediately you were leading us. Yeah. Oh, it's so much smarter. Lions and tigers and bears. Oh, my! Okay, so then you're on the farm, you're scared of horses,

you're singing. What makes you, you're going to go to college, and then you get a part. It really is, as you describe, you're on the farm, you're with the horses, you're singing. What is going to happen? When I listen to the original. cast recording of company, I still smell horse. I still have the sense memory of smelling horse.

Because you're listening to it in the bottom. Yeah, it smells like, yeah, it smells like the pile of manure that we would make from the stall. How did you get those records? Like who, how did you find out about, what was the musical that made you you fall in the horses?

Did the horses? Is it funny or not? I can't believe it. I haven't thought about this, Amy, and so on. When you say record, I went to the Lancaster Public Library and got the record LP. I mean, it's not like this was like the 60s. This was like 1992,

but I got the LP record of Ethel Merman singing Annie Get Your Gun. Wow. And I would play the record of Annie Get Your Gun over and over again. And we had a record player in my house growing up and like a giant computer.

You remember like the early computers and like a hand thing that was like doing the video games and I would be playing a like very basic video game and blasting Ethel Merman singing. Do you remember what like a young, how a young boy discovered Ethel Merman? It's amazing.

How did you find out about her? They took us to see the high school play of Annie Get Your Gun. There you go. And I was like, when it got to intermission, and they were like, okay, now we're going to go to the bathroom and then we're going to come back. I was like, there's more? After that,

there's, we're going to come back and it's going to happen again. There's going to be more story. I was so excited. Did you ever go into New York when you were a kid and see a show? Yeah, I went. That was the Annie Get Your Gun moment happened when I was in like fourth grade. And that's

when I went to the library then and got the record and was obsessed and then my my mom started taking me on bus trips to see Broadway shows and that was like fifth grade sixth grade yeah school then I started going to see back then I saw Beauty in the Beast I saw Greece I saw any get your gun with Bernadette Peters which I was like losing my mind for I saw in high school I saw thoroughly modern Millie six times obsessed you were obsessed with Sutton Foster yeah obsessed obsessed obsessed obsessed obsessed with her. Yeah. What was it about her that you loved?

She would like... She, on stage, well, on stage is a couple of things. She would like be right here. There was a level of presence about her that was so magnetic and I couldn't like stop looking at her. When she wasn't speaking in scenes, I would be staring at Sutton because she felt so alive. And then she had been the understanding. study in that show out of town and replaced and kind of was like pushed out into the front to take on that role in which was like 28 years old and there was almost like like when it's really

hot um when it's really hot and you're driving and you see those waves of heat coming off the road you know that when you're like in the car and you're like whoa it's so hot that you can see the air is like that was what was coming off of her body. in my experience and my memory of watching her. Wow. It was like heat was coming off of her. And you were still in high school. Did you know you were going to be an actor?

Did you know? Did you have a sense that you were going to move to New York and be an actor at that point? Yeah. Once I was in high school, there was two community theaters in my hometown, the Fulton Theater and the effort of Performing Arts Center. They're both still there. And at the Fulton Theater, I was meeting actors that they hired from New York to play the leads. Oh, wow. And I would like, I was obsessed with all of them. One of them is in Justin Time.

Whoa. This woman named Terry Kelly, who was the lead of the show in 2001 at the Fulton, is now one of our amazing swings in Justin Time. So we have a full circle moment there. But yeah, I started to dream about moving to New York. That's when I learned that you could go to open calls. And I did that. My senior year of high school, I went to like an open call for the sound of music tour and got it and went on the road and then moved to New York. And you basically told you, you, you basically told your parents, I'm not going to college. They really, they said if you want to go to college, we will find a way to pay for this for you. But it's so expensive and like, are you sure you want to major in theater? Yeah. Because what's that going to get you at the end of four years, all this money?

And I was like, it's my passion. It's what I want to do. And my dad, I remember like a late night with my dad sitting in his chair and he was like, if this is really what you want to do, we'll figure. hear it out. And I was like, okay, thanks dad. But then I went to New York and auditioned for this tour and got it. And I went on the road and I deferred my admission from college and I made $10,000 in the year of working on this non-union tour. Carnegie Mellon at that time was $40,000 a year. That's where I deferred my admission. And I was like, I'll never be able to pay this off. And my parents were like, right, take your money. Go to New York. see if it works out. If it doesn't work out,

come back and go to college for something else. So that was the plan. And then 21 years old, you get nominated for a Tony. 21. I mean, spring awakening. I'm feeling good. I mean, that musical, I saw you in that musical, saw the original. Come on.

So amazing. I mean, an original musical that's so successful. that age I mean I guess my question to you is like now you've got some time right now and you did the documentary you produced a documentary

Wow you really know your stuff Amy I try my best You're such a hard worker But I mean you're like looping back around it now So you've got now you've been able to look back Like looking back now at that at that boy Like what

What do you take away from that moment now Like with distance and time? What are you so grateful for about that moment? Oh, my God. It was like getting picked up and put somewhere else. It was like the claw coming and just like... That's a good way to think about it. The fate of it was like Thorley Modern Millie,

which I had seen six times, the director of Spring Awakening is Michael Mayer, the director of Thoroughly Mater Millie. I like I I I I it was it was a combination of feeling like I got picked up and put somewhere and I remember auditioning for it and I I remember calling my dad on the phone than the night before the callback and saying I can't do this right now but I know that I could do it if they gave me the chance like why why the can't why why are you thinking you couldn't do it? Because I knew I like my talent was not I just like I know I didn't really have the proper like gifts like this my singing was I didn't have my singing together but I had this like primal thing down in my like gut that was like I have to play this role and they let me do it and it was like so then this thing in me got to like it's like those opportunities like you get that opportunity

and especially with theater because it's almost religious because you're repeating. And when you repeat things over and over again, it can change you from the inside out. And I've like made me the, it like taught me how to act and taught me how to sing. And I was in the closet during that whole show. And I had my roommate, Cody, that was my boyfriend, Cody, that was my boyfriend. boyfriend. And when I left that show, I came out of the closet a month later because this, this, like, rebel that was this character, this person that didn't care, didn't let the world define him. This was what I was playing. Like you said, I'm a people pleaser. I'm a, I'm like,

like a prioritizing niceness, prioritizing, like making sure everybody feels good. Yeah. And coming out felt like that would create a dissonance. And it was really hard for me to do that. Yeah. And that playing the role in that show allowed me to grow the muscle to be able to do that. So cool. So cool. And you put that in such a beautiful way.

I think people often underestimate that sometimes the struggle to live authentically doesn't have as much to do with how you feel about yourself as it does in the worry of how it will change the temperature in the room. like how it will change the dynamic in the family, how it will make other people feel. It's often like told through like an inner struggle when sometimes the struggle is really about how will other people change. Yeah, totally.

How will they feel? Yes. And were your, how did your family feel? How did they, how did, were they surprised? Cut to. Be screaming as Dorothy. And Wade was like, well. My minute at grandma's, who's, who's that.

little girl in the in the in the in the in the wizard of odds for they're like that was jonathan it was were they were they surprised i mean like my dad was surprised my brother was surprised my brother i told my brother first oh that's nice and he was like what he was surprised yeah which like yeah my mom said that she kind of knew it was it was it was like complicated and and and cut to like whatever, two or three Christmases later and they're handing presents to my boyfriend that's home for the holidays. So it like very quickly, it took a minute for them to digest it all.

Sure. And then ultimately, it's been great. Yeah, amazing. So so much happening in your 20s. Like so much. And then you go on Glee, which is this insanely popular show with your buddy, Leah. And like you just, you're just, you're just, everything is happening really fast. It feels like that when I look at your stuff, like that your 20s is just like

things are really moving and chugging along and you're just working like crazy and being like a New York kid. Yeah. Yeah. Because you have a quality about you that's very young. You've been told that, I'm sure. I feel it.

Yeah. I feel eternally young in a certain way. I'm very like excitable. Do you have an age you feel like you are? Do you know what I mean? Like that you relate to? Right now I feel about 50s. Yeah, I feel

You're just picking people up left and right I'm picking you up I'm drinking black coffee I feel like we're on the like high school news like I did like the high school news Remember how like You'd be like Good morning everyone

It is December 60 It's giving high school news I'm having a hot flash right now Yeah it's giving high school news station Yeah we're on the morning announcements Both of us would have definitely done morning announcements. For my dream. Sure.

I would have had a big crush on you and people would have been like... Oh, my God. I would have been just following your Dorothy lead. And people would be like, Jonathan does not have a crush on you. Okay? You're not his type. I'll be like, I don't know. I think I can get him. I think I can win him over.

Oh, yeah. It would have been totally us on the news. Then you're on Looking, which is this first show on HBO to feature a gay man as the lead? Yeah. Is that real? Is that real? Is that right? I don't know.

I saw it on the internet, but who knows? We don't have time to figure that. But incredible. But that's a big jump to be coming out and a few years later playing like a really fully realized, sophisticated, single man looking for love. That's a big jump. Yeah. It was like I, I'm really right.

riding the wave here of life and of progress. Yeah. And when they initially like sent me that audition, I said no. I felt scared to be gay on a TV show, wanting to be out publicly. And another thing to be like eating ass on TV. Only in film. It's like I'm gay. And then it's like, okay, Groff, like we get.

it. Like, they're seeing me in different positions. But, I mean, you actually think up a really good point. You bring up a good point, which is, it's very hard to do intimate scenes no matter what to be. But it's funny because you didn't care. No. In Spring Awakening, I was like, let's go. Oh, that's true.

You already did that. You already ate ass in spring of winter. In a different way. In a different way. I felt a kind of like. safety with women because they didn't feel like there was as much at stake and we could really like go for it. It felt like it in some ways like it felt like back then like what I wished I was like wishing I wasn't gay wishing I was straight and it was like this is who I wish I could

be. It felt like dreaming it like changing who I was like a fantasy of what I wished I could be. But then when they send me these scripts and it's actually how I am, it then does become a little bit scary. But I'd seen Andrew Hague, when he became attached as the director, I'd seen his film weekend at the IFC on 6th Avenue. And I was like a wreck, like crying in that movie theater because I'd never seen something that felt so real. And so when he became attached as the director, then I was like, no-brainer, yes, I want to do this. I want to work with this man and the way that he tells those stories meant so much to me in that movie

and I want to do this with him. But at the audition, I was shaking and I felt sort of like Sutton when I'm talking about the heat coming off of the body. My whole body went hot and I was like blushing. And it was like Spring Awakening another role that I was like almost like a ring of fire birth

into a new version of self like therapy. Like a somatic exorcism and you knew it was right because you were feeling it so big. And they asked me to be in the to be the grand marshal

of the gay pride parade. I told my parents when I came out like five years before I was like hi. So Cody is not my roommate. Cody's my boyfriend and I'm gay but like I'm not going to like be in a parade.

That's what I said when I came out I was so still full of shame I was like I'm not holding the flag I'm not like the cutt me then eating ass on television and then ultimately on grand marshalling the New York

like with a sash a rainbow sash literally like elbow elbow wrist wrists and I felt scared I still felt scared back then I was like this feels like right, it feels like the right thing to do, but I'm like, ah!

Like Dorothy, you were like Dorothy. Screaming as I'm getting pushed, what feels like pushed off a clue? This is an amazing theme I'm realizing about you, which is really amazing. It's really amazing is that you, and I think it may also just come from like familial, unconditional love, which I'm learning more and more. Like when artists have it, they can take big chances. Yeah. You take a lot of chances when they're like, holy shit.

Yes. You do. You do it, though. Yes, yes. I think I'm a little drawn to it. Yeah. I must be like magnetized to it. And like you said, unconditional love, I think you're right. There's a little bit of a thing where like you, I'll speak for myself too coming from that background where like I don't want to bypass the fact that there's a safety element that I had in my in my youth that allows me to do that now. Talk about it. Amy. Because I like that I think that there's, you cannot discount that feeling that if you

had a safe home in your professional life or your creative life, you just feel sometimes like emboldened to take these chances when they're given to you. Yes. And that's definitely what you did because it is, it is like you're just, your career is just like, yeah, let's try this. Let's do this. And then looking happens and then it gets canceled. Bummer, but not really a bummer.

Beak up. Guess who's available for Hamilton? Guess who's tech avail for Hamilton? of veil for Hamilton. Jonathan Groff. Another fear factor thing, though, of like, Brian Darcy James originated that role off-Broadway. And then his show, something rotten, got fast-track to Broadway,

unexpected while they were in rehearsal for the public theater. And I get a text from Lynn, who I had become friends with through the years, being like, hey, Brian has to bail right after opening. Will you come in off-Broadway and do this for two months? Wow. for the last two months of the off-broadway run and he was like, it's basically just one song and it's not a lot of moves

and you'll be great. And I was like, okay. Wow. And I said yes without hearing it knowing anything about it. They sent me the song. I learned the song from like a piano thing. And then I saw it and went in two days later. I was in L.A. at the time. And so I didn't know I had to have a British accent. And did you ever?

No, just kidding. I mean, your accent is perfect. No, but yes. Drag me, but you're right. No, I'm not dragging. Not dragging. Drag. It's its own, like, your accent is its own, it's own, it's delicious.

When you say bake, you'll be big. It's incredible. Where did you come up with that accent? When I went on the first day off Broadway, it looked like I had won a contest to be in Hamilton. Because I had no sense of character. They were like, you have to do like a British accent. I was like, but what? Like everyone's black.

Like I don't say it's like why I have to do a British accent. You're right. No one's historically accurate except for you. But I'm going to do a British accent. And then I saw it and I was like, oh, I get it. I'm like the one thing. Okay. And the choice of your voice is incredible in it.

Thank you. I love your accent. Thank you. So then I like, Pippa was like, there's this woman at Juilliard that can help you. So she's, because I was like, what?

You're like, oh no. But here's the lesson I learned too when I went on and I had no character at all. I had no accent. I was just trying to remember the words and the notes and then walk off. It was like they put me in a king thing

and I walked out there and I did what I could remember and then they pulled me off. But the song killed. I mean, one could even say, Stole. But I was like, oh, I don't have to do anything.

I came out here. I have no idea what I'm doing. Such a funny song. This writing is so genius. And the device, sorry to interrupt, the device of you being the lover, the jilted lover saying you'll be back is such a funny device for it. It's so surprising. It is. It's so funny.

It's like the first time people aren't rapping. So all the white people in the audience are like, oh. They're like, now this is how I remember. This is how I remember Broadway. Right. It's so true. And it is this great record scratch moment in the show, which, you know, look, we don't, we could talk forever by Hamilton. It's beyond genius in every way.

But it is so funny because it reminds you for just a second of how things used to be. vocally, lyrically, stylistically. Yes. On so many levels. It's like, yes, it's hitting on so many levels. And that like lesson of like, oh, I have no idea what I'm doing, but this song is killing was then when I was, when for the next two months, when I started to learn the very specific upper whatever accent.

And I was watching all the, I'm also so different than Brian Darcy James. I was watching these clips of Barbara Streisand from her TV special. My name is Barbara. And I was watching her come out on stage and like basically like fuck herself with her own voice. Like so enjoy so small. But like enjoying every little I was like, okay. And then I started to build the character. But it was I'd never built a character in front of an audience in a show before.

Wow. And so that was also a bit of like getting pushed out there. And because the show is so great, I was able to just play catch up because you can be completely unaware of what you're doing. But sing that song and it nails it. And you're right. You were like seducing us. You're very seductive and you're very laconic as that character. Like you're like laconic.

Talk about laconic. I believe it means. Sleepy, like, just like, not thirsty. I have so many questions about backstage at Hamilton. Okay. Yeah. Number one, were you allowed to come late? Did I come late or was I allowed to come?

Because you had about an hour before you were on, right? I had, no, I was on in the first like 20 minutes, 25 minutes. And then you have a big break. How long? An hour? Oh, my God. So much time. What do you do during that time? It's such a good question.

Okay, so Bobby Darren, I am offstage for 45 seconds in the whatever two plus hour thing. And this is my preferred. I love being out there. When we walked into the dressing room at the Richard Rogers in tech for Hamilton, and Lynn and I were sharing a dressing room space, I was like whatever Edina Menzel had done the show right before, if then, and I was, my dressing room was Edina's waiting room. And it was like a little closet. And I was like, oh, this is where I live.

I'm on stage for nine minutes, but this is where I live. And I started to get claustrophobic when I walked in of like, what am I going to do back here? And I read so many books. You couldn't leave the building. You know because you're in the white wig. You never ran out to get something and took the wig off. I never ran out to get something. You're such a good boy.

I mean, that's so like boring. Because those, you did a lot of performances. Yeah. And I used to think about you backstage and be like, what are, what's he doing back there? I ended up really learning how to embrace. Well, I would have visitations from the cast. Oh, fun. So there would be like nightly visitations, which was great.

and kind of like free hang time, which was, I could have, like, I could have, like, done this. Yeah. And, like, we could have done. Done school announcements. Yeah. Yeah.

It really feels like we're on the morning announcements. It really does. It really does. But then I started reading all the books that I wanted to read. I started to just, like, boom, boom, boom, boom, knock through them all. And it became a very productive time. Cool.

Very cool. Yeah. And then you had to come back out. Mm-hmm. So that. So that must have also been like, did you ever miss a cue? Never missed a cue? I can't believe I never missed a cue.

I know because it's hard when you, I mean, I know you work with total professionals who will make sure that you don't miss a cue. I'm sure like all the stage managers are like, yeah, you don't miss a cue because I told you. Exactly. 10 minutes, babe. Yes, exactly. But when you have that long stretch, it's hard to get, it's just like having one or two lines in a sketch. Like, you really can screw it up.

Yeah, right. Yeah. It's like a little sprint. find always having one or two lines to me is the hardest thing. Do you find that? Like coming in, killing and leaving. Yes. Coming in cold. Yes. I would have five alt-oids in my mouth when I came on stage because it was like to open up my. Is that what else they open up your? Yeah, that's, I've now moved on to sugar-free black cherry halls. I have one of those in my mouth for the entire show. Wow. Wow. I did Little Shop in 2019. That's my new thing. But in, um, you're not afraid it's going to pop out or shoot out?

You know, it's never shot out until like five days ago. It did. Popped out during Splush Splash. And I was, like I'd lost a tooth. But the... It bounced into the audience. That's a really good Broadway story. It popped out during Splish Splash.

And it's like, thank God it was just your Al Toy. During Bing, bang, I saw the whole gang. It came right out and went... It's like, why did he get fired? It popped out during Splish Blash. And it wasn't supposed to. I mean, there are... It popped it out.

Yeah, he popped it out during Splish Splish Blash. I mean, I'm projecting because I used to have a time. I don't know if you, did you ever have nightmares when, have you ever had Broadway nightmares where you miss your late or like a stress stream? Oh, yeah, of course. I used to have stress streams all the time that there was a hall, there was like a staircase at Estenal where you had to kind of run down to get to the studio that I was running down and I was hearing my cue.

Oh, that's going to give me nightmares tonight. Okay, so sorry. Yeah, but that I was missing a cue. missing a cue. And those used to give me like, and to add to it, everyone I cared about and whose opinion I cared about

were beyond the stairs being like, you're like, you missed it. We're not mad, we're just like, surprised. Yeah, I thought we would, yeah. I just can't believe Amy, like of all people, missed the cue, yeah. I guess it's the disrespect for me.

Oh. And then let's talk about merrily, if we can. Of course. That experience must have been just so fulfilling. in every way because to your point of like being turning 40 the show is all about the beginnings and middle and ends of things and how life feels like it's this shuffle of all those things and the friendships we make along the way and here you are like now you know almost a 20 year vet

in the business when you're doing that show and I know how much Sondheim means to you yeah smells like horse yeah he smells like horse he has helps you like when you were scared of those horses. He probably has written a song about horses. I'm sure there's a reference to horse racing in Bobby and Jackie and Jack, one of the songs in Mary Louie Rollong. There's a famous horse that's quoted in that song. But yeah, it was so crazy because I moved to New York in 2004.

We did that show in 2024, so exactly 20 years to the year. It takes place exactly over 20 years, and it's about looking back. In Maria Friedman, our incredible director's vision and staging of the show at the very beginning, Dan comes out over here. How did you get to be here? What was the moment? Lindsay comes out over here, over the shoulders of Frank, the character I played. How did you get to be here?

What was the moment? In the exact positions, 15 years earlier, John Gallagher Jr. stood here as a ghost in Spring Awakening, and Liam is, Shell stood over this shoulder. Lindsay Mendez, L.M., Leah Michelle, L.M., the same initials of the actresses standing on this side of the thing. Talk about sense of memory. I had crazy things come up on that one.

There would be moments where I, because also it was the most, I think, well, he said, son-in-em. It was the most autobiographical thing he ever wrote. He said that about the song opening doors, but I have a feeling from all the people that came through to see the show that we could talk to after and people that knew him and how Prince and Mary Rogers that this was about him and his two friends and these relationships that fracture over time and the heartbreak and the disappointment. And I would be saying a line, I would be saying a line to Lindsay on stage. And I would say it and it would come out and it would feel like. Frank talking to the character of Mary, it would feel like Steve talking to Mary Rogers,

it would feel like Jonathan talking to Lindsay in this like crazy like therapeutic exorcism. Wow. Yeah, it was wild. So cool. Yeah. Amazing. And then to like have that be so celebrated for it to really feel like people were ready for it when, when, because for people who don't know this, the, the history of that show. is it really was ahead of its time

and it wasn't received the way it should have been received and it kind of like needed to just marinate for some reason and much like the show itself like it needs time. So the show needed time. And then it came back out and it was celebrated and the way it was celebrated, it must have been so, so satisfying. It must have just been so satisfying. It was every dream I ever had to come true.

Yeah. And then we made this movie of it. Yes. And that I went on Monday night last week. to go see it just in a normal movie theater and I was like weeping just like I cannot believe this cannot believe how Maria the director directed

it's so beautifully for film and it's like a hybrid between a like filming of a theater piece and a movie like what she made is so unique and special and feeling the audience in the movie theater get the story and the idea that this was his big flop of his career

and apparently his big heartbreak, Stephen Sondheim and Howl Prince, it was the end for many years of their really fruitful over a decade-long collaboration that this show is like captured in this way and is playing in movie theaters. It's like you can't, it's so surreal.

Well, it's kind of like why longevity is the goal in work and in life, you know, knock on wood, right? which is like if you stick around long enough, like things come back. Yes. And I, you're exactly right. And I, and this, the ethos too of like, if you make something well in the moment, the faith that what you did in that moment to make it well and then push that boat out. And then whatever that boat's journey is, is that boat's journey, but that you put the time,

and attention to detail and the care in the thing that you were making, merrily is the perfect example of they put their hearts and souls into that and they pushed out that boat and it was not received, but because it was crafted so well and such a beautiful piece,

40 years later, you're getting, this boat is coming back around and because the people when they made it in the present moment took such care, it can exist and have this life. It gives me such faith in when we're creating things that if we do it with the proper intention and with everything we've got,

then you just set it free. And if it hits today, we have people from looking. We were canceled after two seasons. People still come up to me and say, like, this show would change my life. There's like a, if you do something with your whole heart, it can continue to resonate and stand the test of time. So cool. It's like sending out a missive to space.

and just like it taking that many light ears to get there. Lyrically, what is a lyric for you that like still bubbles in your head that you had to sing? And what is one that was a hard one to get? Like what was one that always felt like a bit of a hurdle? And what was one that just tickles you still like in your brain? It's from the song growing up, which the character of Franks sing. things. So old friends. Yeah.

Don't you see? We can have it all. Moving on getting out of the past. This is the one for me. You ready? Yeah. Solving dreams, not just trusting them. Taking dreams, re-adjusting them, growing up, growing up. This idea that you can have these dreams as a kid and it's not something that you either make happen or you repress,

but that you take this dream and you figure out what it was and what it still means to you, solving dreams not just trusting them, taking dreams readjusting them, growing up. Yeah, come on. That's major. It's so good. Yeah, that's so good.

It's about it because there's like an element of like being in relationship to the past but not having it hold you down. Yes. It would bring up something for me every single night different. It's so good. And it's also kind of the theme of what we've been talking about a little bit today. The idea of if you're open and flexible to readjustment, that is what, like, it's the best you can hope for. Yes.

Because nothing happens the way it's supposed to ever. No. And you have to only just kind of like stay steady and flexible for what's coming. Yes. It's such a paradox. Yeah, it's so true. And what I love about that, too, is the friendship in that show is, like, helps us solve the dream part, like the solving of the dream.

Like, it's almost like it can't be done alone. Yes. And when I, when I wanted to talk to you today, like, one of the things that I wanted to talk to you about today really is about the friendships you have made in the work that you do. Yeah. I know it's really important to you. Yeah. you have really made lifelong friends.

Yeah. The people that you share the stage with, like, they share your life. Like, you know, you do not leave productions and say, like, peace out. See you. You're like, you're deep friends with people for life that you've worked with. Yeah. Really amazing. Yes, it's interesting because I feel like a little bit that starts from a place of, like, when I was closeted and in high school and in community theater.

I wonder if you feel this way too about writing and performing, like, you go there because you need that intimacy and you can't get it in your real life for whatever reason. And there's a deep primal need to go and like connect with people. And so that part of me is still alive. Like I can't even though I think I came out of the closet, I'm better adjusted in my life. but when I go to work, I don't go to work. I go to live. And that, and I look at the people that I'm with and it's deep. And I, and it's like, it's, it's, it's, it's powerful and it's, and it's profound.

Yeah. Lindsay, Daniel, Leah. And can you tell me, can you tell me about Gavin Creel, who I never got to meet? Will you tell me just something about him? Because I love hearing about him. Oh my God, yeah. Well, he changed my life. He changed my life because, well, okay, oh my God, I'm going to tell a memory that I have about him.

Please. And for people who don't know, Gavin's an amazing performer who passed a few years ago, two years ago. A year and a month or two ago. Okay, a little over a year ago. An incredibly talented performer and a dear, dear, dear friend of yours. Yeah. Yeah. I think he would appreciate this sort of.

that I'm about to tell. Great. Gavin, if you don't know Gavin, you have to Google Gavin. Gavin, like, did a lot of amazing things and is a profound, amazing person. The first time I ever met Gavin, I also dated Gavin. We had a whole relationship. He's, like, what gave me the confidence to come out of the closet. He changed my life.

But the first time I ever met him was at the stage door of Thoroughly Modern Millie, which he was in opposite Sutton. He played the role of Jimmy. And I would wait at the stage door. I was in high school. And the actors would come out and I was like, I was like crazy. I just couldn't believe they were real people.

Like to see them would give me energy and like get me like amped. I have a crazy story about Matthew Broderick that I'll make kids share it some other time, but meeting him at the stage door. But Gavin comes out and signs the program, and I was like, whoa. And then he goes back into the stage door. And then Mark Kudish, who played Trevor Graydon, comes out.

And he's signing my program, and Gavin comes back out the stage door with an apple in his mouth. And he walks past Mark Kudish, grabs his ass. And Mark goes like, oh! And looks as Gavin is walking by, and Gavin just looks at. him and winks with the apple still in his mouth. Oh my God, so hot. And I was like, I have got to be in the theater.

What is this? What is happening here? Where this beautiful man with an apple in his mouth is like tapping the ass of this other man and they're like, but it's very free and it doesn't necessarily feel sexual but there's a subtext of sexualness. And like, I was like, I've got to get into this world. That was the first time I met Gavin. Oh, just like, what an entrance.

Yeah. What a walk on from him. Totally. And isn't it amazing when people come into your life, like they just are in your simulation, but you don't know how yet? Yes. Yes.

They just walk in, and it's like, cue the walk on, and it's like, in five years, you two are going to be together, baby. And like, who knew? Crazy. And it was like primal. I still can see it, the whole thing playing out. Oh, okay. Thank you for telling me that story and for reminding us about Kevin.

And so speaking of friendships that you made and relationships that you made, we spoke to Gracie Lawrence today. A new friend in a way, although she said she feels like she's known you forever. Oh, my gosh. And you and her were in your show together. You played Bobby Darren. She played Connie Francis. you had to really connect. She's incredibly talented.

Like she told a story about meeting you for the first time. You know what? And it was really like an apple in the mouth story. Like you came into the room and she felt this energy. Like he's, I mean, because that's what I love about you is you are a star. And I love stars. And don't, you're a good boy. You're a nice boy, but you're a star.

don't let anyone tell you different. Oh, you're tickling me so hard. You are a star. So you had just a moment of like, right? And she has that moment with you. And so she had a question she wanted me to ask you, which I, it's a very sweet question. And also, you know, she was like,

get ready for some amazing eye contact. She said your eye contact is really great. And it is really great. And I thought I would be overwhelmed by it, but I'm not at all. No, you're also, your eye contact is also very good. I didn't want to say anything, but I also have good eye contact. And we'll be right back.

And make sure you guys, and you get your yearbook, the yearbooks are being passed out today. But I don't mind eye contact from the right person. But here's, but here's Gracie's question. And it was a really cute question. And she said like, you know, she said she's like, I've never seen him nervous or anxious or rattled.

and she said, or frazzled, you know, is the word I think she used. And she said, you know, he has like a Yoda-like calm. And she said, why aren't you more scared of things? Have you always been this way? And what if anything scares you now, little bitch. Is what she said. Is what she said. She said you little bitch.

And it's funny because Gracie, to me, like, I love her. so much. I love her so fucking hard. And to me, like, she has a kind of sociopathic calm when she's on stage. And her, like her, I saw her

at Lawrence at Radio City and she's like she's like singing. She's Tina Turner, basically. She's a rock star. The first thing that's coming up for me why I giggle a little bit is like my dad also has fainting goats on his farm, on the horse farm,

that freeze and fall over. Yes. And there's something, and I feel like it's like, it's kind of a, I've used it to my advantage. When something scary happens, I go dead calm. Ooh. Something scary for me happens. Yes.

I start to just like talk really slowly. Oh. And I bring it all the way down. And I just kind of am like, okay. And, like, like, Like, for example, I got sick for the first time two weeks ago doing the show. It was like the 250 whatever performance. You've done that many performances?

And we did the Thanksgiving Day parade in the morning. Oh, that's right. On the Thursday. You guys got to stop. I'm sorry. That's too much. And it was like this. I need to talk to Broadway's agent and manager because I, when I see you guys out there in the morning, I'm like, Broadway.

Please file a complaint. Broadway, no more of that. I've been like... I'm sorry, it's too much work. It was fun. I was into it. You got to say that. What are you going to say?

No, I'm like a little, let's go. It's morning time. Okay, sorry. Well, but then look what happened. I was like, let's go. I want to sing live. Let's go. We got there.

It was freezing. Julia, one of the sirens that looked like she was Beyonce. The wind, like the wind was coming out. So we were like, and the next day we had a matinee on the Friday because it's Thanksgiving week. And I was, I was. I woke up and I was like, ha. Oh, no.

I was like, I think I might have to call out of the show for the first time, but it started to come back. 250. And then I say to our music director, this is going to be raw. I think this might be rock and roll Bobby Darren for the weekend, just, you know, because it's pretty raw. And then I get out there. And I'm kind of feeling myself. I was like, okay, it's kind of coming back. And then I was like, this song, this could be the start of something big.

This could be the stuff. And just sand like in the mummy came out of my throat all over. And I was like, and then I was like, I'm Jonathan. I'll be your Bobby Darren today. And I was like, my voice gone. Gone. And I get to answer Gracie question, to answer Gracie's question, completely calm. Yeah.

And I didn't, he was just like, okay. And now I'm going to see if it comes back. I'm going to sing the next song. Couldn't sing it. Do the next song, couldn't sing it. Dude, the next song, couldn't sing it. The sirens, the girls in the show were like... And the band just started playing.

And the band is like, gruff? What's happening? And then I was like, I'm going to wait until I'm alone on stage because I don't want to put any of the rest of my classmates through this. And 20 minutes in, I'm alone. And I was like, hi, everyone. This is Jonathan. And I start the show as myself, so it was kind of like they thought it was part of the show.

And I was like, I'm Jonathan. And I really wanted to turn it out for you today because it's Thanksgiving week. And I know it's really an important time. But I've lost my voice. And I'm going to hurt myself if I continue. Matthew Magnuson is going to come on stage right now and be Bobby Darren. And he's amazing. And the show is amazing.

And please stay and enjoy the rest of Justin time without me. And I walked off stage. And it was sort of like nightmares. Like you're talking about, like, the idea of losing your voice in a musical on Broadway could be like a nightmare. But I felt I went, I was in shock. But also, may I just say, wisdom, experience. No, it just experience. Like, experience sometimes can just, you know, it's just like, you've just done the show a lot.

You've been on stage a lot. For someone else that could have been truly, it would have, like, could have taken them down in a way where they'd never recover. And instead you're like, this is one night in 250. And I'm going to be back here again. And I know how this goes. I'm going to take care of my cast. Like that's what a, like it's a very leader mentality. Thank you.

And I think you should sue NBC. And you should sue Radio City. And you should never, ever. Sue Macy's. Sue Macy's. Sue all of those blooms. Outrageous. They make you do that.

Okay. So you have to go. You have to go to your show. But I have one very last question. for you, which is what are you watching listening to? You said you love your YouTube. Where do you go right now to laugh? I mean, obviously you're laughing on stage. You're having a good time at night. But what's your laughy place? Yeah, yeah. It's YouTube. I am like I was like YouTube. I'm not on any social media. Incredible. And the one like internet thing that I struggle with

an addiction to is YouTube. Yeah. And I'm like scrolling and I'm laughing. And even like back in the days of spring awakening, I had the like... Even back then? Yeah. The cast would come over. I mean, there's... This is like maybe 16 years ago. Like, they would come over and I would, I would be the one.

This was like before the iPhone. It was like when the iPhone came out, but weirdly, even though I'm not on any social media, I was the one that like knew the YouTube's that would make us up. Who was making, what was making you laugh back then? Like, have you seen Gay Everest? Okay. First of all, let's just prepare ourselves before we watch this. A news blooper is the best.

That's my favorite. Me too. I could watch and have watched compilations of news bloopers forever. Wait, me too. You know who else loves a news blooper? Who? Name drop Paul Rudd, who was on the show and we watched a lot of news bloopers. And he loves a news blooper.

Okay. That they are to me because there's like the pretense of seriousness. It's literally us right now. It's just us right now. Yeah. It's really us like on. We're live. We would be in a morning show.

High school and us was holding together. Liz Kikowski, a writer in S&L and Emily Spivey, used to always laugh and talk about wanting to write a morning show where they're violently hungover and trying to hold it together. But I feel like there's also a story somewhere in like we are a small town news show and like the gay guy and the female best friend. Now we're on the local news. Like we've worked our way up to like the big leagues. Like WGAL is the one in Lancaster.

Yeah. And then... WGAL? That's great. It's so good. Gal? Yeah. Wait, why did I never put together?

It's W. Gal. W. Gal. That's great. W.GAL. And then they have a huge falling out. And now we're on this, like, the idea of like holding the tension. Uh-huh. Right?

Suddenly he's gay. Move over morning show Right after the break We're going to interview Eric Wyden mayor To climb the highest mountain in the world Mount Everest But he's gay I mean he's gay

Excuse me he's blind It's her You know what it is It's like But he's gay I mean he's gay excuse me I mean he's gay excuse me That's my favorite part

But Yeah you're right He's gay. I mean, he's gay. Excuse me. He's right. Which begs the question. It's like a Sondheim lyric.

Which begs the question, is he gay? So there's another video on there of him reacting and being like, what? He's not gay. I've looked it up. Okay. Because why does she say it twice? But if I could say something now, I'd love to publicly ask a question. Yeah, we can, you know what, that's actually no one's ever.

publicly asked a question after being asked a question so now's the time. I'd like to publicly ask question, which is another YouTube I love, which is the grape lady. Yeah. Insane. I want to know if she's okay. Okay. So if someone could let us know if the lady who was stomping grapes who fell down and really and really, it sounds like really hurt herself.

She took a hard fall off that. Hope she's okay. Well, yow. We're going to make sure she is. And they're laughing Yeah, yeah She took a hard fall off that Yeah

I hope she's okay Jonathan Graff I loved our time together Rends for Life I hope At the very least co-host Yes On the morning news

Oh thank you so much Jonathan Graff that was so fun We knew it would be What a hang What a doll in love. What a dreamboat. So for this polar plunge, I guess I just wanted to talk about Sondheim for a second because he is so incredible and his work is so incredible. And there's a lot of people that come through this studio talking about him.

And I would just like to say that the thing I love the most about Stephen Sondheim is how his music feels like a song rolling down a hill. Like it's never really starting. It's always kind of going, but it's not. It's just kind of talking. And then it's going and the song is starting. And it's starting this way. And it's going over here. But don't forget it started over there.

And it's about to start, but it's not starting yet. And we're going over. So I just, I love the rhythm of it. And it's so hard to sing. And I'm so glad I'm to sing it. So Stephen Sondheim, thank you for your work and your genius. Thank you, Jonathan Graff, for joining us. Thank you for listening always to Goodhang.

Have a great day, week, month, and see you soon. Bye. You've been listening to Good Hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Burman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by The Ringer and Paper Kite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spillane, Kaya McMallin, and Alea Zanaris. For Paper Kite, production. by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss Berman.

Original music by Amy Miles.