'ta-da!' Off Broadway at the Greenwich House Theater

Summary

Podcast Summary: ALL OF IT with Alison Stewart Episode: 'ta-da!' Off Broadway at the Greenwich House Theater
Release Date: July 16, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of ALL OF IT, hosted by Alison Stewart from the WNYC studios in SoHo, listeners are treated to an engaging conversation with comedian Josh Sharp and acclaimed director Sam Pinkleton. The episode delves into Josh's innovative Off-Broadway show Ta Da!, exploring the intersection of comedy and theater, the creative process behind the performance, and the personal stories that infuse the show with emotional depth.

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Featuring: Josh Sharp and Sam Pinkleton

Alison Stewart introduces Josh Sharp and Sam Pinkleton, highlighting the unique aspects of Josh's show Ta Da!, which combines humor, personal narrative, and a distinctive use of PowerPoint slides.

Alison Stewart [00:07]: "The sign outside of Josh Sharp's show says Ta Da. In the show, Ta Da refers to Josh's childhood as a magician. It also refers to his euphemism for being gay... or it may refer to the 2000 PowerPoint slides he uses to tell us about all of the above."

Meet the Guests:

• Josh Sharp: A prominent figure in the downtown comedy scene, known for his work with the Upright Citizens Brigade and the Funny or Die series.
• Sam Pinkleton: An award-winning director, recently honored with a Tony Award, who brings a theatrical approach to Josh's comedic performance.

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The Genesis of Ta Da!

Josh shares his journey into comedy, reflecting on his high school years and his discovery of improvisational theatre in college, which ultimately led him to New York.

Josh Sharp [02:10]: "I feel like in high school I was a social drifter who mostly was like, you know, I can make everybody laugh so I can get along with all the different groups, but did not think it was a career path... that's what led me to move to New York because I was like, we would go up in the summers and go to the Upright Citizens Brigade theater. And that was what made me go like, I want to do this."

Sam discusses his passion for directing and how theater has been a saving grace in his life.

Sam Pinkleton [02:34]: "I'm trying it out. This is my first show. I was a kid who was really saved by theater. Capital S. Saved... I really have been like, I just want to be a theater director. It's so nerdy. But I've always loved it, and it's all I've ever wanted to do."

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Creative Collaboration: Blending Comedy and Theater

Alison probes into the collaborative dynamic between Josh and Sam, emphasizing the blend of stand-up comedy with theatrical elements.

Alison Stewart [03:52]: "What makes it different?"

Josh explains his intent to elevate stand-up by integrating theatrical devices, ensuring the performance is meticulously crafted rather than a "lazy version" of traditional stand-up.

Josh Sharp [05:11]: "I do think at its root it's stand up, but it's sort of housed in this device that that makes me sort of hustle harder than you think I should have to."

Sam expands on the role of a director in enhancing Josh's performance, focusing on collaboration and the creation of a multisensory experience.

Sam Pinkleton [04:15]: "...to me, directing is about bringing the right people together and setting them up to make their best work."

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The PowerPoint Slides: A Dual-Role Scene Partner

A significant feature of Ta Da! is the use of 200 PowerPoint slides, which serve as both a comedic element and a narrative device.

Josh Sharp [10:33]: "A lot of it is, you know, up top... it's two at once... sometimes it is about like, I think it's sort of fun that especially as the show goes on, you start to realize, like, oh, my brain can sort of just take in both at once."

Sam describes the slides as a "scene partner," adding depth and complexity to the performance by presenting simultaneous streams of information.

Sam Pinkleton [13:11]: "I think they are a scene partner. In a way, that's how I'm feeling. I do think it's like a two person show and one person is Josh and one person is a screen."

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Rehearsals and the Impact of the Tony Awards

The conversation shifts to the inception of the collaboration between Josh and Sam, which began shortly after Sam's Tony Award win.

Sam Pinkleton [17:21]: "We started right after. And it was... an absolutely brilliant thing to spend time with."

Josh humorously recounts meeting Sam at the Tony after-parties, leading to the development of Ta Da!

Josh Sharp [17:59]: "We were at the Tony's... 'hey, I have an idea for the show.'"

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Emotional Depth: Personal Stories in Comedy

Josh discusses incorporating personal and emotional narratives into his comedy, notably the story of his late mother and his coming out experience.

Josh Sharp [22:09]: "I tell this story about how my mom, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2010... made it her mission to, like, gently bully me out of the closet before she passed away."

This blending of humor with heartfelt storytelling underscores the show's ability to navigate complex emotions while maintaining comedic engagement.

Josh Sharp [24:15]: "It's so sad... and also, dang, that sounds amazing."

Sam reflects on the profound impact of Josh's personal stories within the unconventional format of the show.

Sam Pinkleton [24:25]: "It feels like the most honest way to tell the story because the story has contradictions and complexities and being crass."

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Future Endeavors and Community Building

The guests touch upon upcoming projects and the importance of creating a sense of community within the theater space.

Sam Pinkleton [25:46]: "I'm directing a new production of the Rocky Horror show on Broadway at Studio Spring."

Josh expresses enthusiasm for future collaborations, highlighting the vibrant gay comedy scene in the West Village.

Josh Sharp [26:55]: "It's gay comedy. West Village. Have a cosmos... Both shows are darling."

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Alison Stewart thanking Josh and Sam for their insightful discussion about Ta Da! and their contributions to the cultural tapestry of New York City. Listeners are reminded to catch Josh's show at the Greenwich House Theatre on Bow Street until August 23rd.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Josh Sharp [02:10]: "I want to do this."
• Sam Pinkleton [04:15]: "Directing is about bringing the right people together."
• Josh Sharp [05:11]: "It's sort of hustle harder than you think I should have to."
• Josh Sharp [10:33]: "It's two at once."
• Sam Pinkleton [13:11]: "A scene partner."
• Josh Sharp [22:09]: "Gently bully me out of the closet."
• Sam Pinkleton [24:25]: "The most honest way to tell the story."

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Final Thoughts

This episode of ALL OF IT offers a deep dive into the innovative fusion of comedy and theater through Josh Sharp's Ta Da!. The candid dialogue between Josh, Sam, and Alison Stewart highlights the creative process, the challenges of blending different performance mediums, and the authentic storytelling that resonates with audiences. Ta Da! stands as a testament to the dynamic cultural landscape of New York City, emphasizing the power of collaboration and the importance of sharing diverse narratives.

Transcript

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC studios in soho. Thank you for sharing part of your day with us. I'm really grateful that you're here on today's show. We'll talk with Robin Givhan about her new book, Make It Crashing the Gates of Culture with Virtual Abloh. New York Times food columnist Melissa Clark joins us to talk about how to make the most of produce during this harvesting season. And we'll continue our week long Summer in the City series with a conversation about things to do in Brooklyn. That's the plan. So let's get this started with Josh Sharp and Sam Pinkleton. The sign outside of Josh Sharp's show says Ta Da. In the show, Ta Da refers to Josh's childhood as a magician. It also refers to his euphemism for being gay. It also refers to his lovely mom who beat the medical odds and survived cancer for longer than expected. Or it may Refer to the 2000 PowerPoint slides he uses to tell us about all of the above. That's right. The show features 200 slides that are funny, intricately designed, make a statement and tell us the story of Josh Sharp. Sharpe is known in the downtown comedy scene as part of the Upright Citizens Brigade and of course was unforgettable in the Funny or Die series. Jared and Ivanka to Die is at the Greenwich house Theater until August 23rd, and it was directed by Sam Pinkleton. Yes, the Sam Pinkleton who won a Tony for directing. Oh, Mary, Sam and Josh, welcome.

[Josh Sharp]

Oh, my God. Thank you for having us. This is an honor.

[Sam Pinkleton]

It's so exciting to be here.

[Josh Sharp]

My only disappointment is that we aren't sharing the interview with the fresh produce person. I have so many questions.

[Alison Stewart]

I have a lot of questions for Melissa. Just write them down.

[Josh Sharp]

I will. I'm going to. I need to know what to be doing with my vegetables.

[Alison Stewart]

When did you decide comedy was for you, Josh?

[Josh Sharp]

I feel like in high school I was a social drifter who mostly was like, you know, I can make everybody laugh so I can get along with all the different groups, but did not think it was a career path. And then in college became one of those people who was down bad for improv, you know, really? And so that's what led me to move to New York because I was like, we would go up in the summers and go to the Upright Citizens Brigade theater. And that was what made me go like, I want to do this.

[Alison Stewart]

So, Sam, when did you decide that directing was for you?

[Sam Pinkleton]

Oh, goodness.

[Josh Sharp]

I have you Decided yet or is it?

[Sam Pinkleton]

I'm trying it out. I'm trying it out. This is my first show. I was a kid who was really saved by theater. Capital S. Saved. I went to an extremely cool public art high school in Virginia, and I, from, like, being a teenager, love to choreograph, love to run a room, love to be in charge. And from the beginning of my adult life, I really have been like, I just want to be a theater director. It's so nerdy. But I've always loved it, and it's all I've ever wanted to do.

[Josh Sharp]

I'm so jealous. My country bumpkin high school didn't have a theater program. Where'd you go to school in this little town? Morganton, North Carolina. That's actually great. Like, in the foothills of the mountains. But in third grade, I was in Oliver Twist and Best Christmas pageant ever. And also Peter Pan. That was a big year. All in third grade.

[Sam Pinkleton]

What a star.

[Josh Sharp]

Peter Pan was one of those where this married couple comes through town, and they, like, roll up on a Monday and then hold auditions, and then you all pay, and there's like, three days of rehearsal, and then Friday you put up the show, and she is Peter, and he's the director, and then they go to the next town. Isn't that incredible? We should do that.

[Sam Pinkleton]

That's our next show.

[Josh Sharp]

That's our next show. We should do that business now.

[Alison Stewart]

It's so interesting because when you're a director, Sam, you have to make a lot of decisions. That's what directors have to do. What was a big decision you had to make for Ta Da?

[Sam Pinkleton]

Well, casting was a nightmare, first of all. Yeah, but we found our girl.

[Josh Sharp]

We really wanted Michael Urie to tell the deeply personal stories of my life, but he's tech unavailable.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Um, I think one of the gifts of working with Josh and working on a solo comedy show is, you know, Josh has been making hilarious things on his own for years and without my help or the help of a director. And having this opportunity to do it at the Greenwich House and bring in designers and collaborators to take this person's absolutely singular brain and blow it out in four dimensions into a night at the theater is like, yes, directing is about making decisions, but it also really, to me, is about bringing the right people together and setting them up to make their best work. And that's been so satisfying.

[Josh Sharp]

And you file down my corns.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Well, we said we weren't gonna talk about that.

[Josh Sharp]

You file down my corns. And that's a big part of what Directing is performing is mostly developing corns during the show.

[Alison Stewart]

You make a point, Josh, that what you're doing is different than stand up. What makes it different?

[Josh Sharp]

You know, I love stand up quite legitimately and even love some of the great, like, stand up presented as theater shows where you are, like, in a gorgeous theater watching a comedian do their art for 80 minutes. But I was with this show, like, I don't want to do the lazy version where it's just me talking into a mic. I wanted every moment you to see that I've had to memorize 2,000 cues, that I've worked, like, deeply too hard on this for you. So I do think at its root it's stand up, but it's sort of housed in this device that that makes me sort of hustle harder than you think I should have to. But then with Sam and building this version of the show, we've just been able to really, like, take a warm bath in some of the theater elements of one. Just like hiring all these designers, like you said, where it's like, we hired a genius to, like, reformat all our slides so that these things that I made in PowerPoint in my bedroom now sort of look stunty. And then also to just, like, understand that this version of the audience is down for some of the, like, storytelling, that there's. There's times where we can. There's a part of the show that is just like, ram, bam, joke, joke, joke. And then there's parts where I feel like you can tell a story and be like, I trust you're with me. And we can sort of like, be on this together and be in this room together and sort of treat it like theater re. You know what I mean? And so, like, getting to do both at once has been very fun.

[Alison Stewart]

How does that impact you? That it's not a stand up performance? That it's just a performance?

[Sam Pinkleton]

Yeah, I mean, I think every. Every show I make comes with its own weird, specific set of rules, which I love. It's like, what keeps me interested is I have to start from scratch. And I think a secret of Josh and this show is that it has a big beating heart. It is BLEEP that quick. I'm so sorry to explain.

[Josh Sharp]

Don't let anyone know that. Oh, God.

[Sam Pinkleton]

And. And it, you know, it is a really special thing that theater can do. I'm feeling so cheesy today, y', all, but, like, it's a thing that theater can do to be like, hey, everybody, we're in this room together for a Very short amount of time, much like our time on earth. And we've all been through a lot and I think that I. We've never really talked about this as stand up. We've always talked about it as theater, as it or as a show as a thing for people to experience together. I work with a lot of very funny people, but I never think about it as like I'm helping this person with their stand up.

[Josh Sharp]

Yeah. And then it's fun. The part we have talked about is like, though we are sort of building a theater piece, there's just so, well, one. So much of the content is stand up. And also there's so much just of the stand up sort of POV you can bring to it in a way that I think feels exciting because like I fully can see all of your faces. And so like, not that. Not that actors aren't always playing to the energy of the room, but like there's no fourth wall. I'm looking at you in the eyes and I can really like feel how people are receiving it and sort of like play off that energy in a way that feels very. One of the joys of stand up is being. Because you're so used to rolling up to whatever venue you're rolling up to and playing what's there that you have to just be like a witch reading energies. You know what I mean? And so even though this is a show that's like at the same, well, air conditioned theater, I'll have you know every night that it's like I can sort of be very present as far as like how. How are you 199 people feeling? And not that the show changes that much, but there is this sort of like interesting communication between us that I think is what stand up is rooted on is like I am in the room with you and I can sort of like feed off of you and.

[Sam Pinkleton]

You'Re taking care of us. You really take care of that room.

[Josh Sharp]

I have to file their corns. That's sort of how it works. But yeah, no, but I agree. It's like, it's fun both with the comedy we were talking about the other night. Cause there's things where we're like giving notes on timing, but sometimes it's very night to night where it's like this bit was a little longer tonight and it's like. Well, yeah, they were really vibing with it, I was gonna say. So I have to sort of like let them vibe with it.

[Alison Stewart]

How do you decide you're kind of in previews now. How do you decide, you know what, that needs to be a little bit shorter, that needs to be a little bit longer, or is it a night by night situation?

[Sam Pinkleton]

Sam, I do think, I mean, Josh has this brain that only Josh has and this experience as a comedian working the room. But to me, I do think that surprise is the engine of any good live performance, whether we're talking about a three hour play or Beyonce, which this thing is neither of those things.

[Josh Sharp]

It's the third thing. It triangulates both of them.

[Sam Pinkleton]

It's the space in between the three hour play.

[Josh Sharp]

It's a distance of both. It is both similar and dissimilar in equal ways.

[Sam Pinkleton]

I think our job together in previews is really listening to the audience and making sure that we're taking them on a ride and that they're going on that ride with us. And that that's surprising. And some of that is technical and a lot of that is like ooey gooey alchemical nonsense and it's fun and impossible to describe.

[Josh Sharp]

It's witchcraft complete. I'm fully very pro witchcraft. And so we're trying to do that in the space.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm talking to Josh Sharp and Sam Pinkleton. We're talking about Josh Sharp. Ta da. It's at the Greenwich House Theatre on bow street until August 23rd. You explain to the audience what is going to happen to them. Would you explain to our audience what happens with the slides? What's going to happen in the show? Just so they get a sense of it.

[Josh Sharp]

A lot of it is, you know, up top. We do several minutes on this where.

[Alison Stewart]

It'S like, hi, hello. Hey, welcome. Hi.

[Josh Sharp]

Yeah. Well, the first couple minutes is just like an intensely choreographed series of greetings where I am sort of nonsense babbling, but exactly on text to the words you're seeing behind me. That's mostly done to show you right off the bat, like, I'm, this is me and I'm on it. And also sort of to disorient you. We've always sort of liked that the show starts and you're like, what the dang heck is going on?

[Sam Pinkleton]

How did this happen? Where am I?

[Josh Sharp]

Did your producer love the way I didn't curse? I'm really, I'm thriving in this new, you know, clean comedy space. Gosh, get me to the Midwest asap. But then we sort of try to unpack it a little bit of like the different ways we'll use it. And to me, sometimes it is about like, I think it's sort of fun that especially as the show goes on, you start to realize, like, oh, my brain can sort of just take in both at once. So there's times where I'm saying one thing and you're reading something else, and sometimes it's to underscore a point, or sometimes it's to, like, make a joke that's in contrast to what I'm saying, or truly sometimes to just, like, fill in gaps in my speech. I love now that I can sort of, like, shoot you a look and then press a slide that says text, and you sort of label what's going on. But then other times, to me, it's playing with the expectation of what standup is, where it's like, this might feel like the cuff, but it's. It's. It's deeply scripted. So sometimes I just want the words to come up on the screen as I say them, particularly if I'm turning a phrase that I am taken by. I want you to know, like, I chose these words and for you to see them. And often it's just music. To me, a lot of comedy is making the funniest sounds, and then hopefully you put them in context, really, that someone can understand it. So there's a lot of it where it's just sort of percussive, where I'm just like, I think there's something funny about the rhythm of this speech, and I want to highlight that for you.

[Alison Stewart]

And you also show the audience that your clicker's real.

[Josh Sharp]

Oh, yeah. Give it to the audience and let them do it. Because I don't want anyone thinking some union stagehand is doing it for me. But it is true. And so sometimes I am wrong.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Yeah, we're kind of obsessed with not lying.

[Josh Sharp]

We're obsessed with not lying.

[Sam Pinkleton]

We're obsessed with the show really, really putting all of its cards on the table. Pardon the pun.

[Josh Sharp]

Yeah, I'm doing this tightrope walk for you. And also, like we say, it's 2,000 slides. It's absolutely accurate. We're not lying. It's me doing it. I'm tightly tethered to my speech, and so if I make a mistake, I either have to sort of cutely address it to you or somehow, like, compensate on the fly to get there. You know, Again, it feels very in the room.

[Sam Pinkleton]

It's like, yeah, you have to be in the room with it.

[Josh Sharp]

We're doing this, and it's only for you.

[Alison Stewart]

What do you consider the slides? Are they an assistant to Josh? Are they another person in the play?

[Sam Pinkleton]

Wow, what a great question. I think they are. A scene partner. In a way, that's how I'm feeling. I do think it's like a two person show and one person is Josh and one person is a screen. And it is this incredibly, I think, often, very beautiful thing of seeing things line up and contradict and oppose each other and disagree with each other as you would in a scene. And often you mentioned this. But I do feel like sometimes the show feels like this exercise for your brain. Like, it feels like your brain is getting this massage because you're getting information that is coming at you in two ways, aggressively. And sometimes that's really funny. And sometimes that is, to me, at least, unexpectedly quite moving.

[Josh Sharp]

Yeah. It's fun to flex this part of your brain that I think once you do it, you're like, I can't believe I can sort of take in both these streams. And then we just play a lot with, like, what do you do with it? But I agree, it's a scene partner. We're really finessing a lot of the timing of, like, when I say this. And then she. I've just now decided that she's she. Her.

[Sam Pinkleton]

She's she.

[Josh Sharp]

Clearly, she's she. They.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Okay.

[Josh Sharp]

Don't you feel like.

[Sam Pinkleton]

I do.

[Josh Sharp]

She's any and all with respect, but I feel like a lot of times we're doing the timing of, like, when I say this joke and then she sort of chimes in with this slide and it's funny if you hold one second, you know, or whatever. So I do think it's sort of a two person show between me and PowerPoint.

[Alison Stewart]

When you look at the PowerPoint because you mentioned that you were an SAT tutor, was that hard to look at it when the grammar isn't right?

[Josh Sharp]

Is the grammar wrong in our show? Oh, God, yeah. No, it is often wrong. No, no, no. We wanted the slides to have pov. Also, I'm very into that. This thing that sort of on its face feels very erudite and highbrow is so stupid. I want to be clear. It's so dumb. Both how we use it and the things it's often saying are dumb, dumb, dummy, dumb. And so I think we wanted it to not feel like a TED Talk, even though I understand a lot of this pitch sounds like I'm doing a TED Talk. It's so stupid and manic.

[Sam Pinkleton]

It's aggressively approachable, I think. I mean, it's so hard to explain the show to people, but I do think we have a mutual obsession of, like, doing incredibly dumb things with absolute rigor. And I Think what you've done is the smartest thing I've ever seen and the stupidest thing I've ever seen, which is two things at once.

[Josh Sharp]

Well, also, because you brought it up, like, there's a story I tell about being a boy magician. And honestly, before I even was a magician, I was just obsessed with magic. And I would dress like a magician, and my parents said I would come into the room and just go, ta da. And so I tell that story, and when I say ta da, I hit it, and text comes up behind me that says ta da. But then I'm able to go. I would come in the room and go, tada. So, you know, and then the slide says in parentheses gay. And that becomes sort of nomenclature in the show, that anytime I say tada, it's gay. But that, to me, is funny because I can put an idea in your head visually. Visually, I can sort of say what you are saying inside of your own brain using this thing that I don't have to say. And it gets a big laugh. And it's like, it's funny to be able to have this other thing that's doing jokes that I don't have to say that I can, like, cram in jokes in between my speech. Also, I'm sort of addicted to jokes. So it helps us, like, just pack in more jokes and then also helps us sometimes under, like, when the show does become a little more heart led, it's, like, nice to use it to, like, label certain things that, like, when we're telling the story of my mom, there's, like, certain text that just sort of repeats again and again and again. Because I want you to sort of, like, take in certain pieces of the information and be, like, seeing it over and over visually while you're hearing it. So it's been fun to explore as a device. But again, I want to underscore that it's dumb.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Deeply dumb.

[Josh Sharp]

Please, please come knowing you're getting smart and dumb in equal measure and leaning dumb more than smart.

[Alison Stewart]

We're talking about Josh Sharp. Ta da. It's at the Greenwich House Theater on bow street until August 23rd. We're talking with Josh Sharp as well as director Sam Pinkleton. Jim, did you start rehearsals for Josh's show after the Tony Awards?

[Sam Pinkleton]

Well, I mean, Josh and I have been talking about. Josh developed this material for a long time on his own, and then we've been talking about making a theatrical version now for about a year, but in earnest. We started rehearsal immediately after the Tony Awards, which was a week That I. I think of the Tony Awards as like a diving accident. Like, I have absolutely no recall of it.

[Josh Sharp]

You did hit your head pretty hard.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Did you not know this when I was accepting the award?

[Josh Sharp]

Have you not seen the footage? The Tony actually falls onto the head.

[Sam Pinkleton]

He'll drop it onto your head. That's how, you know you won. So we started right after. And it was. It's been an absolutely brilliant thing to spend time with.

[Josh Sharp]

Can I put on record that Sam is deranged and complimentary? But, yeah, we did start directly after the Tonys. We were at the Tonys. Cause I didn't go to the ceremony. I went to the after parties. We were like, at the after parties, sometimes sidebarring, like, hey, I have an idea for the show.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Planning the show, really? At the Tony afterparty, for sure.

[Josh Sharp]

But we had been in conversation about it for a while, and then rehearsals were when we really had the team in the room. But, yeah, we were truly were at the Carlisle being like, what if this slide actually, you know.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Yeah, but that's not how you. That's how you make fun stuff.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Josh Sharp]

Well, I really do think the point of being alive is to, like, make fun projects with your friends. You know what I mean? So it's like. It's. That's where. And I. Sorry to my therapist. I know he's listening. Work, life, balance, good G. I get it. But can you say God? Okay. Good God. I got a thumbs up. But it's like, it is fun to be friends who get to make stuff together.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Oh, you're so good. You always say all. You're like, can you believe we do this as our job? And I do think that's worth saying out loud. It's amazing. There's horrific things happening. We're making a comedy show.

[Josh Sharp]

Well, also.

[Alison Stewart]

But you're making people happy.

[Josh Sharp]

I hope so. I hope so too. And practicing gratitude is, I think, good as a practice. But it's especially good when it's easy, when you mean it. When you actually are like, I love that we get to do this. It's like, then you have to take a warm bath in that.

[Sam Pinkleton]

We want. Yeah. We take making people happy very seriously.

[Alison Stewart]

What do you like about doing small theater? Off Broadway. Off Off Broadway theater. Because you've done. Cause that's where Omari started in his little theater Loosely tell theater, and then it went to Broadway. But you're back at Greenwich House doing Josh's great show. You've got a whole bunch of other stuff planned. You've also got Broadway Planned. What is it that you like about us?

[Josh Sharp]

We're going. This is how I find out.

[Alison Stewart]

What do you like about small theater?

[Sam Pinkleton]

I love. I mean, I like making theater and thinking of it as an experience of hospitality. I love thinking about every single person being welcomed into the room at whatever terms work for them. And I find in smaller rooms, that's a sometimes just like a little easier to do in a way that's authentic. But also what Josh said about being able to see every face in the room like it matters. It mattered when we were doing oh Mary at the Lortel or doing this at the Greenwich House, that like, I can look around and actually see everybody's faces. And there is like, I do think it's a big deal that people put their pants on and left their house and came to a room to be with strangers.

[Josh Sharp]

A well air conditioned room. I just want to say again, saying it, I know that's a big part of the sell.

[Sam Pinkleton]

I just, I think that it's. I like and I think it's something that our show does very intentionally is like, reminds people that like you're in a room together and you're not dead. Yeah. And I take that part of the assignment very seriously. And I think working in smaller rooms and working off Broadway, you can just feel the specialness of like, we're all here together. Look around, you can see everybody's faces.

[Josh Sharp]

I agree. And the Greenwich House in particular is like 199 people. So it's enough people for there to be like a palpable energy in the room. But even compared to other off Broadway theaters that have a similar seat count, you're sort of really in with each other, which plays great for comedy because you do want people just sort of like packed in comfortably. I'll have, you know, drinks too. Well, and you better believe have a Cosmo before and after is how the artist Turing even sneak it in in a flask. Don't tell the Greenwich House I said that, but it's true. I can see everybody in a way you can't in other spaces. Last night, Sam came with his husband and didn't tell me and was sitting like back row balcony. And I could fully see them. And so I got off the stage and texted your husband was here. And he's like, wait, you knew? And I'm like, oh, honey, I can see every person in this theater.

[Alison Stewart]

The show really touches on some emotional issues. If I can talk about that for just a second, about your mom, about coming out, things that were really significant to You. That seemed to have importance to you. First of all, why did you want to be so revealing about your life?

[Josh Sharp]

Part of it is. I mean, I think it's okay to sort of say the thesis statement, which is that in the middle of the show, after sort of like, 30 minutes of incredibly gay and crass material, I tell this story about how my mom, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2010, in the last year of her life, sort of made it her mission to, like, gently bully me out of the closet before she passed away. And so, one. It just does feel linked to the material I've done before in a weird way. Again, I'm talking about things I cannot say on air or else I will be, you know, But. But also, it's a part of this thing that we're doing with the slides where it's like, it's two at once. It's like, I want the show that has space for a certain type of material to also sort of surprisingly, have space for another type of material. And also, frankly, I just love my mom and love that story, and it's like. It's, like, a true joy to tell it to people and. And, like, explores this device we're using, like I'm saying, where even when the show. And I think even at that point it still has a lot of space for jokes and even many inappropriate jokes, it, like, uses this thing to, one, allow you to take in two ideas at once and underscore some of the things I'm saying which is connected to her story. Like, she. She passed away in a way that was so sad, but also, it was, like, such a rad year we had together where she not only gently bullied me out of the closet and this doesn't come up in the show, but she just sort of made it her mission to be, like, I'm gonna truly, like, use this time to, like, deeply connect with a lot of people. And my family and friends still all have stories of it that come out even years later, where they're like, did you know she told me this? And I'm like, she did what? So it's like, it. It feels two at once, where it's like. It's such a sad story, and yet I feel such a sense of, like, optimism and joy about it, you know? So, like, I don't know. There's many answers, I guess, really. One is how it connects to the gross gay material that precedes it. But the other is how it just, like, I think, allows you to feel two things at Once. To be like, dang, that's sad. And also, dang, that sounds amazing.

[Sam Pinkleton]

You know, I feel like getting to be the visitor on Planet Josh, which I'm very lucky to be. And I feel like I have fallen in love with your mom, who I never met.

[Josh Sharp]

Dude, you would have loved.

[Sam Pinkleton]

So clear.

[Josh Sharp]

She ruled so hard.

[Sam Pinkleton]

But I feel like, in a way, this format feels to me like the only way you ever could have told this story, which is so insane to say, because it is an incredibly bizarre format that I've never seen before of, like, somebody in a manic PowerPoint. But it feels like the most honest way to tell the story because the story has contradictions and complexities and being crass.

[Alison Stewart]

Would you like to see this go to streaming?

[Josh Sharp]

Sure. Por que no? Porque no. But only after we've let her have a stage life.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Josh Sharp]

I actually mean this. I mean, not to get. If my agent's listening, take this down. But I do think it's, like, such a theatrical piece that, of course, it's like everybody wants something to live in that way. But I'm like, I really want people to feel what it's like to do this thing together in a room. So for now, and maybe for a long time, I'm more just like, I want to have people in this space with us, feeling this thing together, going on the ride.

[Sam Pinkleton]

It's a ride in the room, and that's. That's something that requires.

[Josh Sharp]

It's a ride in the room. So it's really. If you came to me right now, like, there's this. You got to close early to shoot the special, I'd be like, no, my dude. Like, we are just like. I just, like, love this as a piece. We get to feel together, you know?

[Alison Stewart]

Sam, you're working on Rocky Horror.

[Sam Pinkleton]

I am, yeah. I'm directing a new production of the Rocky Horror show on Broadway at Studio Spring.

[Alison Stewart]

That's amazing.

[Sam Pinkleton]

No pressure.

[Alison Stewart]

That's amazing.

[Sam Pinkleton]

It's very exciting.

[Alison Stewart]

Anything else we can expect from you?

[Sam Pinkleton]

I am working with an incredible, incredible genius comedian, activist, hero called Morgan Basakis, who is making a show called Can I Be Frank? That is a kind of conversation with dance with a comedian called Frank Maya, who died of aids. He was a comedian who was kind of just on the precipice of mainstream success when he died of aids. And Morgan has made this hilarious show that is an excavation of Frank's material, and it's. There's nothing like it. We're doing it at Soho Playhouse, and it starts previews next week.

[Josh Sharp]

Mere blocks from my theater.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Big blocks. You could do two in one day.

[Josh Sharp]

Morgan rules as like a human, much less a performer, activist. And I can't wait to see the show. But also you could literally do a two to three day.

[Sam Pinkleton]

You could do a two show day Saturday.

[Josh Sharp]

One of us has a five and the other has an eight.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Gay comedy is. It's a gay comedy summer, everybody.

[Josh Sharp]

It's gay comedy. West Village. Have a cosmos. There's time for a Cosmo in between two. They're both relatively short.

[Sam Pinkleton]

There's time for a turkey dinner.

[Josh Sharp]

Both shows are darling. Yes.

[Sam Pinkleton]

Under 90 minutes.

[Josh Sharp]

Hot turkey dinner. Nothing better in August than a full turkey dinner.

[Alison Stewart]

Josh Sharp, Ta Da. Is at the Greenwich House Theater on Barrow until August 23rd. I've been speaking with Josh Sharp and director Sam Pinkleton. Thanks for coming in.

[Josh Sharp]

Thank you, Allison, and what a pleasure. Again, we're just going to stay here until that produce person comes. I'm not leaving. Got some big thoughts on harvesting myself to the floor. Just stop oil style, because I will not leave until I hear about produce. I'm Ira Flato, host of Science Friday. For over 30 years, our team has been reporting high quality news about science, technology and medicine. News you won't get anywhere else. And now that political news is 24 7, our audience is turning to us to know about the really important stuff in their lives. Cancer, climate change, genetic engineering, childhood diseases. Our sponsors know the value of science and health news. For more sponsorship information, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.