Show People With Paul Wontorek

JUDIGHT LIGHT is hailed for her onscreen triumphs in One Life to Live, Who's the Boss?, Transparent and more, her strong red carpet looks and her Tony-winning performances in Other Desert Cities and The Assembled Parties. Light is the recipient of the 2019 Isabelle Stevenson Award, which pays tribute to a member of the theater community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations. She stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss the honor, her red carpet A-game and what motivates her to use her fame for the greater good.

JEFF DANIELS won Emmy Awards for Aaron Sorkin'sThe Newsroom as well as Godless and garnered Tony nominations for his performances in God of Carnage, Blackbird and now Sorkin's adaptation of Harper Lee's celebrated novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Known for a wide range of roles from Dumb and Dumber to The Looming Tower, Daniels is one of the most versatile actors of the stage and screen. Daniels stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss why he chose to take on Atticus Finch, how his guitar gigs inform his acting, and the mission behind his Purple Rose Theatre Company in Michigan.

SANTINO FONTANA is known and loved for performances in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Cinderella, Act One, Hello, Dolly! and many more. Now the 2019 Tony nominee is wowing audiences as Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in the Broadway adaptation of the 1982 film Tootsie. Fontana kicked off his heels and stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss bringing Tootsie to the Great White Way, his quick-change "pit crew" and awards season.

BRYAN CRANSTON is mad as hell, and Broadway audiences are loving every minute of it. He is giving an electric, Tony-nominated performance as unraveling news anchorman Howard Beale in Network, the stage adaptation of the iconic 1976 film, at the Belasco Theatre on the Great White Way. Hailed for his Emmy-winning performance as Walter White in Breaking Bad, his Tony-winning turn as President Lyndon Baines Johnson in All the Way and more stage-and-screen triumphs, Cranston is one of the most celebrated actors of our time. He stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss his illustrious career, his desire to do Damn Yankees, and what he'll do if he catches you texting at the theater.

ALI STROKER has garnered a Tony nomination for her turn as Ado Annie in Daniel Fish's revival of Oklahoma! She made a historic debut in the Deaf West revival of Spring Awakening in 2015 as the first Broadway performer who uses a wheelchair. The Tony nominee is drumming up a lot of buzz for her performance at the Circle in the Square Theatre as the girl who "cain't say no." Having been paralyzed from the chest down since the age of two, "no" is a word Stroker also rises up to combat in her own life. She recently stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss her positivity, adding her own flair to a classic character, which celebs she'd love to see the show and more.

As President of Disney Theatrical Productions and Chairman of the Broadway League, THOMAS SCHUMACHER is bespectacled Broadway royalty. Disney Theatrical is celebrating its 25th year of making magic on the Great White Way. Productions like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Frozen, Aladdin and more have transformed the way audiences experience these beloved stories and theatergoing in general. Schumacher stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss the milestone, his own theatrical background and what's coming up for Disney on Broadway.

JAYNE HOUDYSHELL is enjoying a full circle moment: the young girl who was so inspired by Glenda Jackson's Marat/Sade performance on PBS is now an esteemed performer sharing the stage with Jackson eight times a week in Sam Gold's epic staging of Shakespeare's King Lear. Though Houdyshell did not make her Great White Way debut until the age of 52, she has performed all across the country and is a New York stage stalwart. Since then, Houdyshell has earned acclaim in Broadway productions like Well, Follies, A Doll's House, Part 2 and more. In 2016, she earned a Tony Award for The Humans, and as previously reported, she'll reprise her role on the big screen in a film adaptation of the Stephen Karam play. Houdyshell stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss life backstage at Lear, which theater power player she grew up with and more.

STEPHANIE J. BLOCK is a Broadway powerhouse who made her Great White Way debut portraying Liza Minnelli in The Boy from Oz. She went on to star in Wicked, The Pirate Queen, 9 to 5 and Anything Goes and was nominated for Tony Awards for her performances in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Falsettos. Now, she is having another star turn (appropriately) as Star in The Cher Show. Block took a break from portraying one of three ladies playing the one-named icon to discuss her deep dressing room chat with Cher, what it was like to film Falsettos and more on Show People with Paul Wontorek.

As a Broadway performer, GIDEON GLICK has had a wide range of experiences: He made his debut as a teenager in the Tony-winning musical Spring Awakening. He had a long road in the development of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Though he didn't make it to opening night of the production (his Geek Chorus character was written out of the show). Glick then went on to earn acclaim leading Joshua Harmon's Significant Other; though the play only ran for 61 performances. Now, he's landing laughs and touching hearts as Dill in a big Broadway hit: Aaron Sorkin's To Kill a Mockingbird. Glick stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss going from Celia Keenan-Bolger fan to Broadway BFF, coming out of the closet without shame and much more.

SAMANTHA BARKS is making a dazzling Broadway debut in Pretty Woman. Though Barks had high heels to fill as Vivian Ward, the working girl immortalized by Julia Roberts in the popular 1990 rom-com, she's added a unique flair to the character and earned approval from Roberts herself. Learn about Barks' breakout role as Eponine in the Les Miserables film, exactly what happened when Julia Roberts saw the show, who really is the Nederlander Theatre's "number one diva" and more on Show People with Paul Wontorek.

As Temptations founding member Otis Williams in the new musical Ain't Too Proud, DERRICK BASKIN does a lot of looking back. There is a lot of reminiscing to be done regarding his own journey to center stage. After earning a biology degree from Hampton University, he took a chance and purchased a one-way ticket to NYC on his way to a "no regrets" look-see at following his dreams. What began as an idea to "maybe sing commercial jingles" turned into a full-blown stage career. Baskin has appearedon Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Little Mermaid and Memphis, but Ain't Too Proud marks his first time as a leading man. He stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss his journey, how his latest gig revived his love of musical theater and more.

After making a triumphant (and Tony-nominated) Broadway debut as Kim in the 2017 revival of Miss Saigon, EVA NOBLEZADA is back on the boards in Hadestown. Anaïs Mitchell's musical, which premiered off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop in 2016, enjoyed a celebrated run in the West End at the National Theatre last year, with Noblezada and Reeve Carney playing the roles of lovers Eurydice and Orpheus, respectively. The young talent stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss what's different for her this time on the Great White Way and more.

BROOKS ASHMANSKAS is a musical comedy stalwart. With 14 Broadway credits to his name, he has landed huge laughs in productions like Something Rotten!, Bullets Over Broadway, The Producers and more. Now Ashmanskas is starring in The Prom as actor-turned-do-gooder Barry Glickman. In addition to the laughs, Ashmanskas appreciates the depths of his character. He sat down on Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss his cumbersome name, sexiest roles and more.

CHERRY JONES is playing a no-nonsense editor alongside stage and screen favorites Daniel Radcliffe and Bobby Cannavale in The Lifespan of a Fact. On stage, the trio lands laughs and makes audiences ponder the necessity of truth versus a greta story as they over perfecting an important essay with a fast-approaching deadline. Off stage, Jones and her co-stars gush about working together during the run, which is scheduled to play at Studio 54 through January 13. The comedy marks two-time Tony winner Jones' 14th (15th if you count Angels in America's two plays) Broadway production. She recently stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss her illustrious career, becoming a sex symbol and much more.

Literally, PATTI MURIN is Broadway royalty. She is playing the princess Anna in Disney's Frozen. Prior to that, she appeared on Broadway in Lysistrata Jones, Xanadu as well as the tour of Wicked. She won praise and the heart of now-husband Colin Donnell in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Love's Labour's Lost. The acting couple have adorable pups Petey and Milo, who are the stars of popular Instagram account. Despite her handsome partner, perfect pets and dream job, Murin has been candid about the parts of her life that are less than ideal. What makes this Great White Way favorite truly admirable is her breezy honesty which tends to make others less alone. Murin stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss her frankness on social media, the developing musical she and Donnell want to star in and much more.

ALEX NEWELL has always turned heads: From the time the young performer appeared on The Glee Project to his subsequent role on the hit musical series as transgender student Unique Adams to his pop music career, his talent (and wardrobe) knows no bounds. Newell is currently wowing audiences in the Tony-winning revival of Once On This Island as the goddess Asaka, Mother of the Earth. Whether he's twirling in a bright tablecloth or belting "Mama Will Provide" to the heavens, his is a performance that cannot escape notice. Newell stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to discuss his dream roles (guess which Schuyler sister he wants to play in Hamilton?), how he's triumphed despite losing The Glee Project and more.

Tony winner JOAN ALLEN is back on Broadway in The Waverly Gallery, Kenneth Lonergan's autobiographical play about a family matriarch's decline. Allen plays Ellen, the caregiving daughter of Gladys Green, portrayed by the great Elaine May. Allen trained at Steppenwolf Theatre Company alongside many of her fellow acting giants: John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf and Gary Sinise, to name a few. Since then, the three-time Oscar nominee has gone on to deliver memorable performances on the stage and screen in The Heidi Chronicles, Nixon, The Crucible, The Contender and many more. Allen stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to talk about cutting her teeth at Steppenwolf, her wildest memory from the night she won a Tony Award for Burn This and more.

Tony winner BETH LEAVEL is back on Broadway in The Prom. She is playing Dee Dee Allen, a delightfully narcissistic, Tony-touting Broadway diva. Not unlike her Prom evil twin, Great White Way powerhouse Leavel oozes fabulous, but Leavel credits her worker bee mentality for her success. Her many Broadway credits iclude 42nd Street, Crazy For You, Mamma Mia!, Elf, The Drowsy Chaperone (for which she won her Tony Award) and more. She recently stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to talk about her incredible career, that time her son booked the gig she went in for and more.

Though MICHAEL URIE is probably best known for playing Marc St. James on Ugly Betty, he has a long list of stage credits. Now, the talented actor is reprising his role as Arnold Beckoff in Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song on Broadway after an acclaimed off-Broadway run at Second Stage last year. The role was originated and immortalized by scribe Fierstein, who played it off-Broadway in the late 1970s, in its Tony winning Broadway incarnation in 1982 and in the 1988 film. Urie is putting a fresh spin on the part, and he stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to talk about making the role his own, his take on the great Patti LuPone cell phone snatch of 2015 and much more.

STOCKARD CHANNING is back on the New York stage in Alexi Kaye Campbell's Apologia, which is running at the Laura Pels Theatre through December 16. Many fans first started to love Channing's big-screen splash as Rizzo in the 1978 film Grease. Channing is an accomplished performer of both the stage and screen: She won a Tony Award for her performance in 1985 for Joe Egg a went on to garner both Oscar and Tony nominations for her performance as Ouisa in Six Degrees of Separation on Broadway and on the big screen, Emmy wins for The West Wing and The Matthew Shepard Story, a 1985 Tony win for A Day in the Death of Joe Egg and garnered six additional Tony nominations, including her memorable turn in John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation, which she went on to reprise in the film adaptation, nabbing an Oscar nomination. The star stopped by Show People with Paul Wontorek to talk about the big Grease number that was almost cut, her latest stage work, what she does when she's not working and more.