Class Notes: Sam Gravitte in “A Walk on the Moon”

Summary

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BroadwayRadio: Class Notes – Sam Gravitte in “A Walk on the Moon”

Date: July 22, 2026
Host: Lauren Klasschider
Guest: Sam Gravitte (Walker in “A Walk on the Moon” at the Laura Pels Theater)

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Episode Overview

This episode of BroadwayRadio’s "Class Notes" features an in-depth conversation between host Lauren Klasschider and actor Sam Gravitte. The focus is on Gravitte’s experience playing Walker in the stage adaptation of A Walk on the Moon, currently running at the Laura Pels Theater. The discussion touches on adapting beloved film material for the stage, the collaborative process of developing a new musical, and Gravitte’s reflections on his stage career, particularly the contrasts between originating a role and stepping into an established one.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The World of "A Walk on the Moon"

• Lauren sets the stage by describing the musical’s premise: Brooklyn housewife Pearl's transformative summer at a Catskills bungalow colony during the cultural revolution of 1969, as a neighboring music festival (a clear allusion to Woodstock) changes lives. [00:52]
• Sam underscores how the show acts as a “beautiful time capsule,” with many audience members who recall the real bungalow colonies reflecting on the show’s authenticity. [01:36]
• “It’s been so fun how many folks who are sort of alumni of these bungalow colonies have come to the show and been like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s what it was like!’” – Sam Gravitte [01:36]

Portraying Walker: The Outsider

• Sam explores how his character Walker is the outsider and “disruptor” in the established community, bringing a fresh, countercultural perspective that catalyzes change, especially for Pearl. [01:36]
• He discusses the appeal and challenge of portraying a character with radical ideas and the personal resonance he finds in the countercultural instincts Walker embodies.

Working with Director Cheryl Kaller

• Gravitte shares his long-standing professional relationship with director Cheryl Kaller, which led to him being cast without a formal audition. [03:04]
• “I got an offer for this role in this show purely based on having worked with Cheryl before and her being familiar with my work…” – Sam Gravitte [03:04]
• This experience is described as a “dream” scenario for any actor—being offered a role through trust and previous collaboration. [04:07]

Crafting the Musical: Book, Music, and Lyrics

• The development process involved intense collaboration, especially with book writer Pamela Gray and composer/lyricist Ann Marie Milazzo. [04:12]
• Sam notes a key difference between the film and stage adaptation: while Viggo Mortensen’s Walker in the 1999 film is a performance of subtleties and looks, the musical required making the character’s inner life bigger and more explicit for the stage. [05:18]
  • “In the movie, Viggo Mortensen... does such a beautiful job... there’s not a lot of dialogue... Viggo is so magical and entrancing because he can tell whole stories with his eyes... Part of this process was really... making the Walker material a little more muscular and building it out so all those subtleties... would read to an audience, you know, beyond row B.” – Sam Gravitte [04:28-05:18]
• Anne Marie Milazzo's music accommodates Walker’s outsider status by assigning him a “more rock and roll sound,” distinguishing him from his surroundings. [06:47]
• The creative team, including music supervisor Andy Einhorn, tailored the music and performance to Sam’s strengths and comfort as a singer. [07:38]
• A special mention is made of his nightly onstage collaboration with Talia Suskauer (Pearl): “Singing along with Talia Suskauer... is just, you know, a dream every night because she’s such a force.” – Sam Gravitte [07:56]

From "Wicked" to "A Walk on the Moon": Creating vs. Stepping Into a Role

• Sam reflects on his earlier experiences playing Fiyero in "Wicked"—first as an understudy on tour, then taking over the role on Broadway. [08:03]
• He draws parallels between Fiyero and Walker as characters who “hold and support these leading women,” with comparable structural anchors within each show (a big solo, a duet, etc.). [08:26]
• In terms of process:
  • Existing Role (Fiyero): The work involves adapting to an established set of choices—“you have the sort of outline of the character”—then coloring within those lines. [09:40]
  • Originating a Role (Walker): It’s a “different set of muscles,” a more collaborative, creation-driven process involving everything from input on lines to wardrobe, “finding the different textures and messiness,” and shaping every aspect of the character. [09:40-11:27]
  • “My favorite questions to ask in the rehearsal room... what he might smell like and how he walks around... It’s just a different set of muscles. To build something than it is... to jump on a moving train, which is what you’re doing in a show like Wicked.” – Sam Gravitte [11:27]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the show’s authenticity:
  "It’s a beautiful sort of time capsule... alumni of these bungalow colonies have come to the show and been like, ‘Oh my God, that’s what it was like.’" – Sam Gravitte [01:36]
• On crafting Walker for the stage:
  “Part of this process was really, I think, sort of making the Walker material a little more muscular and building it out so that all of those subtleties that Viggo was able to do in close up were things that would read to an audience, you know, beyond row B.” – Sam Gravitte [04:28]
• On being offered the role:
  “I got, you know, I was lucky enough to get an offer for this role... purely based on having worked with Cheryl before and her being familiar with my work.” – Sam Gravitte [03:04]
• On the thrill of collaboration:
  “It was so much fun with those writers in the room. I’m so grateful to them. And it’s turned into a really wonderful summer over at the Laura Pels.” – Sam Gravitte [08:01]
• On the difference between originating and stepping into a role:
  “It’s just a different set of muscles. To build something than it is... to jump on a moving train, which is what you’re doing in a show like Wicked.” – Sam Gravitte [11:27]
• Encouragement to attend:
  “Please come see A Walk on the Moon. We close August 22nd. I think it’s a really beautiful intimate story with a great cast and some great music... There’s just a lot of love at the Laura Pels right now, so please come join us.” – Sam Gravitte [12:00]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:52] — Introduction to "A Walk on the Moon" and the world of the show
• [01:36] — Sam on portraying Walker, the role’s impact and the authenticity of the setting
• [03:04] — Working relationship with director Cheryl Kaller and the casting process
• [04:12] — Collaborative work with book writer Pamela Gray and songwriter Ann Marie Milazzo
• [05:18] — Challenges of adapting a film character for the stage
• [06:47] — Shaping Walker’s distinctive musical identity
• [08:03] — How “Wicked” prepared Sam for new roles and comparing acting processes
• [09:40-11:27] — The actor’s experience with developing a character vs. joining a long-running show
• [12:00] — Closing thoughts and invitation to see the show

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Tone and Atmosphere

The conversation is warm and enthusiastic, reflecting both the collaborative spirit of the show and Gravitte’s gratitude for the creative process. There’s a strong appreciation expressed for both honoring the source material’s legacy and for the new team’s openness to actor input. The interview is accessible and heartfelt, aiming to engage both theater insiders and newcomers.

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Transcript

[Sam Gravett]

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[Lauren Klasschider]

Hi, I'm Lauren Klasschider with Class notes for Broadway Radio. I'm here with Sam Gravett who plays Walker in A Walk on the Moon at the Laura Pels Theater. Welcome.

[Sam Gravett]

Thanks, Lauren. I'm very happy to be here.

[Lauren Klasschider]

Well, I love this material so much. And of course, it's based on the beloved 1999 film set in the summer of 1969. We meet Pearl and her family. She's a Brooklyn mother and housewife taking her family on their annual Catskills bungalow colony. And Pearl is led to a musical festival happening just around the corner. As the counterculture revolution begins and the music starts to change the world, Pearl awakens to a life beyond the one she's always known. Now, your character Walker has a profound impact on the story. How do you prepare to portray someone whose presence changes the lives of so many?

[Sam Gravett]

Well, first of all, thanks for that description. That sounds fun. I want to go see that. Yeah, so. So Walker is an outsider, right? There's. There's this beautiful community that's so lived in and fleshed out by our company and based on these. These bungalow colonies, these Jewish bungalow colonies that existed in the Catskills for decades and decades. And first of all, it's been so fun how many folks who are sort of alumni of these bungalow colonies have come to the show and been like, oh, my God, that's what it was like. It's a beautiful sort of time capsule in that way. But Walker is really fun to play because he is sort of the outsider. He is the disruptor, as it were. And yeah, I think, like, as with preparing for any character, you sort of find the ways in to what Walker wants and needs. And he's a. He's a guy. He's a young man trying to make his way out west, a young man with sort of a lot of these counter culture revolutionary instincts like you pointed to. And there's a lot of ways into that these days for me. So it's. It Was. It was a really fun process with our entire company with our director, Cheryl Kaller, and. And some really beautiful material.

[Lauren Klasschider]

So, Cheryl Kaller, as the director, had you worked with her before? And how did the audition come about?

[Sam Gravett]

Yes, I actually. I've known Cheryl for a few years. We've done a lot together. We've done a handful of readings. And then we did our first production together last summer. We did a play called Deceived, which is a. An adaptation of Gaslight, the film and the play before the film. But Cheryl. And Cheryl knows me and my work pretty well. And then I actually ended up. We spoke about this, I guess, about a year ago, a little over a year ago. She knew this was in the pipeline, and I didn't end up auditioning. I got, you know, I was lucky enough to get an offer for this role in this. This show purely based on having worked with Cheryl before and her being familiar with my work and. And then having the support of the writers and. And everybody else in the room who, you know, took a look at some of my material and said, yeah, that, you know, that guy could. Could fit the mold and lucky enough to. To step into it.

[Lauren Klasschider]

Wow. How great. That's sort of everyone's dream, I think.

[Sam Gravett]

Definitely.

[Lauren Klasschider]

And let's talk about the creatives. With Pamela Gray as the book writer and Ann Marie Malazo with music and lyrics. What was the collaboration like as these pieces were being put together and seen and heard for the first time?

[Sam Gravett]

Yeah, those two. You know, first of all, it's always so much fun to be part of a process where it can be collaborative. You can have input in how to shape a character and how he walks around on stage. So I'll start with the book because it's actually, you know, I've spoken about this a little bit, but in the movie, Viggo Mortensen, who plays the role, does such a beautiful job. But if you watch, he sort of. There's not a lot on the page that ends up in the film for him. There's not. And by that, I mean, there's not a lot of dialogue. He sort of. He's in, like, close up for most of the film. And Viggo is so magical and entrancing because he can tell whole stories with his eyes. And that's something you can do in film. You can. You can tell you.

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[Sam Gravett]

You can play a scene with a look, and we can't do that on stage. So part of this process was really, I think, sort of making the Walker material a little more Muscular and building it out so that all of those subtleties that Viggo was able to do in Close up were things that would read to an audience, you know, beyond row B. And, you know, Pam and Cheryl were really open to, to that and, and to shape the narrative and also, I think being really deliberate about shaping the story in such a way that Pearl is really the initiator. Pearl is really the sort of like, fulcrum of decision in most of these moments. So that was, that was fun with Pam. And Pam is just the sweetest woman of all time. It's been so fun to hear all the stories and then, you know, create some of our own. The music. Anne Marie is such a brilliant musician and really approaches music from a place of feeling, which I appreciate. It's not a technical exercise. It's not just a technical exercise in any sort of way. It's really about how each character fits into the sonic landscape that she has painted. And when we were working on Walker, you know, Walker wanted to occupy a sort of different sonic space than the other characters because, again, he's sort of an outsider. He is, he's the only, you know, gentile in this community and he's got long hair and, and, you know, get him. And I think calling on some of like a more rock and roll sound is, is where we ended up. And then also Emory just. And with, and with our amazing music supervisor, Andy Einhorn, shaping those sounds, but also like, relying on the things that I do well as a singer too, so, so being generous enough to, you know, figure out where things wanted to live tempo wise, where things wanted to live key wise. And in a way that got Anne Marie the feeling that she wanted and also was just like comfortable and sexy in my body. And then, and then singing along with Talia Suskauer, which is just, you know, a dream every night because she's such a force. So, yeah, it was like, I had so much fun with those writers in the room. I'm so grateful to them. And it's turned into a really wonderful summer over at the Laura Pelles.

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[Lauren Klasschider]

Sam. Separate from A Walk on the Moon on the Wicked tour and Wicked on Broadway, you played Fiyero. I'm curious, how did that role, or did that role prepare you for this show? And what's the difference in the process between stepping into an existing known role versus creating something from scratch?

[Sam Gravett]

Totally, totally. I, I, well, first of all, I'm so grateful to my time at Wicked. It was really sort of a lesson for our life in the Theater in so many different ways. It was my first big job out of school. I was an understudy on the road for a year, and then I took over the role and got to do it in New York. And see, there's actually, there's a lot of crossover between Fiero and Walker. I find there's not. Not the least of which is in the. A role that is there to sort of like, hold and support these leading women. In Wicked, I had the. The two witches. And then in A Walk on the Moon, I'm supporting the incredible and working with the incredible Talia Suskower as Pearl. Structurally, there are some anchor points that are similar too. Like there's, you know, Fiora and Walker both have a big song in act one, a big duet in act two. So it's, It's. It's fun to sort of plug into the different lessons of Wicked that you can take into different processes. In terms of developing versus replacing, I would say it's just like a sort of. It's a different set of muscles, right? Like when you are stepping into a

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[Sam Gravett]

a lot of it is sort of the rehearsal period is really like, where do I stand? What do I say? And you, you have the sort of outline of the character. And then once. Once the structure is there, then you can start to bring your own life to it and start to color within those lines. And I would say for developing a role and, you know, A Walk on the Moon had two out of town tryouts that I wasn't a part of, but we stepped when this, this version of this iteration of it in New York is really pretty much a new piece. It's a. It's a brand new score with a new composer. The book underwent a lot of changes, and I didn't have any relationship to those out of town tryouts. So it felt like a really collaborative process and getting to develop Walker. And when you do that, it's really like you get to have a. Hopefully, you know, in a collaborative process, you get to have a say in where the lines are drawn and then what kind of color palette you can bring to the character. And that means working with the costume designer, Ricky Lurie, and our hair designer, Matthew Armentrout, and finding the different textures and, and, and messiness and, you know, thinking about what he might smell like and how he walks around. So it's just those, I think it are the. My favorite questions to ask in the rehearsal room and to figure out. And it's a. It's just a different set of muscles. To build something than it is to move to, than it is to jump on a moving train, which is what you're doing in a show like Wicked. And then you know, having the, having the space within those boundaries to, to bring yourself so you know, it's, they're both, they both have lessons in their own right and they're both beautiful and I love developing and having a say and all sorts of things along the way.

[Lauren Klasschider]

Right. And just so incredible what actors do on stage all the time. And my hat is off to you and I thank you you very much.

[Sam Gravett]

And I know you're probably about to say this, but please come see A Walk on the moon. We close August 22nd. I think it's a really beautiful intimate story with a great cast and some great music and it's, it's a musical that you'll walk away from wanting more of the music in your head and there's just, there's a lot of love at the Lord Pals right now, so, so please come join us.

[Lauren Klasschider]

Great, thank you, Sam. I'm Lauren Klaus Schneider with Sam Gravett who plays Walker in A Walk on the Moon at the Laura Pelz Theater. Thank you.

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