Broadway Breakdown – Backstage Pass: Creating Marcel on the Train

Host: Matt Koplik
Guests: Ethan Slater & Marshall Pailet
Date: March 13, 2026

Overview

This episode of Broadway Breakdown offers an inside look at the creation of Marcel on the Train, a new play running at Classic Stage Company. Host Matt Koplik welcomes playwrights and collaborators Ethan Slater and Marshall Pailet—Ethan also stars as Marcel Marceau; Marshall directs. The play tells the true, little-known story of Marcel Marceau’s resistance work during WWII, guiding Jewish children to safety before he became the world’s most famous mime. The conversation delves into the project’s genesis, backstory, process, collaborating as co-authors, and the evolving life of a new theatrical work.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Never-Ending Process of Making Theater

• The team has entered the “maintenance” phase post-opening, but both resist the illusion that the work is ever done.
• Ethan Slater (02:42):

  “The writing never ends. You just have to freeze it at one point.”

• Marshall discusses his dual role as writer/director: Now that the show is open, his duties shift from relentless rewriting to maintaining the production and envisioning future improvements.
• Both authors stress the continual nature of improvement, with Matt noting:

  “Somebody said…plays are never finished. They just open.” (04:03)

2. Collaboration Genesis: From Cosi Sandwiches to Co-Writing

• Ethan and Marshall’s working relationship took root in Washington D.C.—first as an aspiring actor seeking advice (Ethan), then rediscovered years later through mutual theater projects.
• Marshall recalls (07:10):

  “He was just out of high school…We had a friend in common…he was like, 'Can I pick your brain about how it is to be in show business?'”

• The partnership reinvigorated during the pandemic: daily Zoom script-swaps led to their first genuine collaboration, resulting in new projects and even deeper professional and personal connection.
• Ethan (11:02):

  “We will argue, you know, so hard that we switch positions…That’s when you find the middle ground…a special kind of collaboration that is rare.”

• Memorable Line – Marshall (12:29):

  “We’re not afraid to come in hot, and we’re also not afraid to admit that we’re wrong.”

3. Writing Process: Structure, Feedback, and Fluidity

• Both writers enjoy solo and collaborative work, with different strengths: Ethan loves research, Marshall relishes rewriting.
• Collaborative writing is a mix of outlining together, improvising scenes aloud, tag-teaming on first drafts, and then swapping sections—blurring any sense of individual authorship.
• Marshall (17:13):

  “We just…do the scene over and over…it just kind of happens. Eventually one of us goes, 'Okay, shut up, shut up' and then types it out.”

• The end result is so seamless that neither can pinpoint who wrote most lines. Only rare exceptions are noted:
  • Ethan (18:26):

    "The next station stop is Ontology is absolutely Marshall…But these words mean everything at all. Is me."

4. The Inspiration and Origin of 'Marcel on the Train'

• The idea originated when Ethan, a silent film buff, stumbled onto Marceau’s WWII heroics and was shocked not to have learned Marceau was Jewish. He called Marshall to pitch the story.
• Ethan (21:07):

  “How do I not know that Marcel Marceau is Jewish? I went to Jewish day school, I went to Jewish summer camp…”

• Early brainstorming focused on tone (not a typical Holocaust story, but a heightened thriller with threads of whimsy and pathos)—eventually deciding it had to be theater, honoring Marceau’s life as a performer.

5. Development Timeline

• First draft took about six months (~Spring 2022); early readings were done over Zoom, with further in-person readings and a Williamstown Theatre Festival workshop along the way, culminating in the current off-Broadway run.
• Marshall (24:49):

  “It probably took us about six months to finish a draft…It's crazy—I cannot access the process from getting from that initial idea to the first draft.”

6. Shaping Artistic Voice and Maturity

• Discussion reveals contrasting early creative motivations:
  • Marshall: Wrote for fun and possible success as a younger artist. Later realized the importance of having something meaningful to say, often drawn from life experience.

    “In order to be a good writer, you had to have something to say...I just didn’t—I hadn’t lived enough life to have an opinion on anything other than I want success and I want to be happy.” (29:44)

  • Ethan: Always had a thematic through-line based on personal experience, but learned to master structure by studying screenwriting/story craft.

    “I always had something that I wanted to say. I just didn’t quite know how to say it.” (32:21)

• Their differing approaches led to a fruitful partnership: Marshall brings lived insight and structural confidence; Ethan brings personal stakes and theoretical rigor.

7. Feedback, Criticism, and Audience Response

• Both value feedback—especially aggregate patterns, rather than isolated opinions.
• Marshall (36:48):

  “Feedback is super valuable in aggregate...If 20 out of 30 people are discussing a similar thing that they had an issue with, then I’m like, okay, there might be an issue there.”

• Both note the distinction between diagnosing a problem and prescribing a solution—a crucial nuance in taking notes.
• Ethan (40:46):

  “Diagnosing and prognosing are really different when it comes to art...If 10 people say...they were confused by this thing, then that spot is not serving your story.”

• They also discuss non-verbal feedback (audience body language) and personal anecdotes—such as Ethan describing a full row leaning forward during a tense scene (43:20).

8. The Actor-Writer Challenge

• Ethan on performing his own work (44:01):

  “You can feel the audience. You can feel when you lose them, you can feel when you have them…It’s harder to diagnose whether that is a script thing or an audience thing or a performance thing, because I just have to switch my brain into performance brain.”

• Matt and Marshall note the challenges (and dangers) of over-interpreting small audience reactions in a small theater space.

9. Navigating Comedy Within Darkness

• A core artistic challenge: balancing humor with the weight of the material.
• Ethan (48:24):

  “The whole thesis of the play is a person trying to bring light and comedy into…the fucking Holocaust...And that’s also the central dramatic tension between him and the character who is most often his foil.”

• Post-preview conversations (especially with non-theater friends) helped the writers see that the point is not big laughs, but the existential use of humor as a coping mechanism and resistance tool.

10. Future of the Show & What’s Next

• Next months: Ethan and Marshall both have solo writing projects; Marshall also preparing to direct other plays and musicals. They await next steps for Marcel on the Train, recognizing the unpredictability of show business.
• Marshall (55:30):

  “Show business is like...Some things take three years to prepare for, and sometimes someone’s like, ‘Hey, that thing you weren’t expecting, it starts tomorrow.’ And that’s your life now.”

Notable Quotes

• Ethan Slater (02:42): "The writing never ends. You just have to freeze it at one point."
• Marshall Pailet (29:44): "In order to be a good writer, you had to have something to say...I just didn’t—I hadn’t lived enough life to have an opinion on anything other than I want success and I want to be happy."
• Ethan Slater (40:46): "Diagnosing and prognosing are really different when it comes to art..."
• Marshall Pailet (17:13): "We just…do the scene over and over…it just kind of happens. Eventually one of us goes, 'Okay, shut up, shut up' and then types it out."
• Matt Koplik (04:03): "Somebody said…plays are never finished. They just open."
• Ethan Slater (48:24): "The whole thesis of the play is a person trying to bring light and comedy into…the fucking Holocaust."
• On their unique connection:
  Marshall (36:16): "It's one of the most important relationships in my life, Ethan, and he's a good guy."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:24] – Entering the “maintenance” phase post-opening; division of labor as writer & director/star
• [06:35] – How Ethan and Marshall met in D.C. and their early creative intersect
• [11:02] – The chemistry and dynamic of their collaboration, including creative disagreements
• [14:14] – Their solo and collaborative writing processes: From research to real-time co-writing
• [19:57] – The origin story: How Ethan discovered Marcel Marceau’s untold history and called Marshall
• [24:32] – Timeline from inception to first readings and production
• [29:44] – How each writer's approach to craft and voice has matured
• [36:48] – Philosophy of accepting and processing feedback and criticism
• [43:31] – Detecting audience feedback: stories from inside the theater
• [44:01] – Challenges of performing in one’s own play (actor-writer’s mindset conflict)
• [48:24] – On working with comedy in the context of darkness and resistance
• [52:32] – Next steps: personal projects, waiting for updates on Marcel; unpredictability of the theater world
• [57:49] – Diva of choice for the show’s outro: Lesley Kritzer (from Spamalot)

Closing Exchange & Tone

The episode closes with the hosts and guests bantering about Broadway divas (with unanimous praise for Leslie Kritzer) and expressing appreciation for the conversation and each other’s insight. The tone is insightful but informal, weaving frank artistic advice with warmth and humor—true to Matt’s lively, opinionated, and affectionate style.

For those interested in the development of new plays, artist collaboration, and the realities of theater-making, this episode is an energetic, honest, and often funny peek behind the curtain at two artists and the process of bringing a highly personal, historically resonant work to life.