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Special Episode: Cody, DeLuca, KTP on the fuzzy timeline and Muppet counterparts of ‘Guys and Dolls’
00:25:26
On this special episode of BroadwayRadio, Matt Tamanini is in conversation with three Broadway stars currently headlining a wonderful production of “Guys and Dolls” at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre in Jupiter, Florida.
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- [00:00]
Kyle Taylor Parker
Foreign.
- [00:09]
Matt Tammanini
Radio.
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Dan DeLuca
My name is Matt Tammanini. On today's episode, I'm in conversation with not one, not two, but three different Broadway stars who can currently be seen down here in Florida at the Malta Jupiter Theater starring in a wonderful production of Guys and Dolls. Playing Sky Masterson is my first Jack Kelly. Dan DeLuca playing nicely nicely Johnson is somebody who I have contributed to their Kickstarter to make an incredible set of albums which we talk about in the show. Kyle Taylor Parker, and then starring as.
- [00:39]
Matt Tammanini
The heavy in the show is a.
- [00:42]
Dan DeLuca
Returning Broadway radio guest and one of the funniest and most talented people working in theater today, the ever diminutive Gin.
- [00:48]
Matt Tammanini
Cody, who plays Big Julie.
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Dan DeLuca
The show is an absolute delight. I saw it on opening night last week and they're just underway with their second week of performances as this episode is coming out. And it is a wonderful production. And if you're in South Florida, I certainly recommend that you get over to the Malta Jupiter to check it out.
- [01:06]
Matt Tammanini
Because it is such a delight to see all of these folks doing that show. It plays until April 6, so you.
- [01:12]
Dan DeLuca
Have a couple weeks to get over there to check it out and it is not one that you are going to want to miss. Of course, I will have information in the show notes on where you can purchase tickets to see this production. We have a great conversation, all four of us, as I kind of bounce back and forth between everybody. They give us some information about the production, about their relationships to Guys and Dolls. Dan tells me some very kind of naughty history about him working with Jen.
- [01:34]
Matt Tammanini
Cody, and they actually help answer a.
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Dan DeLuca
Question that has been bothering me for.
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Matt Tammanini
Over a quarter century. All right, with all that out of.
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Dan DeLuca
The way, here's my conversation with Dan DeLuca, Kyle Taylor Parker and Jen Cod.
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Matt Tammanini
Normally, I would not start an interview with a dramaturgical question, but this is something that has been bothering me since I did Guys and Dolls in High School 27 years ago. When does this show take place? Because, you know, the stories were written in the 20s and the 30s. The musical was from 1950. I know you guys changed a date reference in one of the songs from 48 to 38. So where does the Malt Jupiter Guys and Dolls take place? Or is it kind of like an alternate universe where time is a flat circle and it doesn't really matter?
- [02:24]
Jen Cody
I'll just say that we asked the same question because when we saw the designs, it was very clearly in the 30s and the show is usually done in the 50s. I think ours takes place. I think it said 37. That's why we changed the reference in the. In Adelaide's number. But I. I think that they wanted to make it closer to the Runyon Land timescape. That's the answer I got. I don't know if you guys all got different answers about it.
- [02:56]
Dan DeLuca
Nope, that's the answer I got as well. I think it's important too. I mean, it is a musical fable. So I do think that time kind of doesn't matter as much. I mean, the stories were written in the 30s that take place in the 30s, so.
- [03:11]
Matt Tammanini
And Jen, you mentioned the fact that they wanted it to be a little bit more hewing towards the authentic Runyon land and when the stories are. But whether it's the 30s or the 50s, the thing that really always draws me into that is the dialogue and that incredible Damon Runyon funny and smart verbiage that he uses. Dan, we haven't heard from you. You have to deliver a lot of that as Sky. What does it take to get your mouth around that? Obviously it's not the same thing as, like, Shakespear Shakespeare, but I feel like you do have to kind of get into a rhythm to make it feel normal coming out of your mouth.
- [03:50]
Kyle Taylor Parker
Yeah, absolutely. It is. It's a very tongue twistery, yet simple way of speaking. It is, yeah. It's. It's unlike any other script I've had to tackle any moment. But it is. It's super fun. We're doing our best to speak as articulately as we can. But also, I feel like in. In my position, I'm trying to keep it as. As normal to the ear as possible. I've gotten some feedback which I believe is a good thing of saying, wow, it sounds so interesting. You're making it sound so, so normal of these very strange things that we say. And I believe one of my last scenes, I say something along the lines of. I'm saying, like, since I'm required to depart for Points west tonight, I'm appointing Nathan Detroit as major domo in my place. It's like. It's just a lot of different words. And it's kind of fun to be like, what exactly is he saying? But you also get the sense of what is being said. It's not Shakespeare, but at the same time too, it's very stylized, and I think it's a blast. It's fun. I try not to paraphrase too much. I'm trying to really stay true to the commas and the periods where they lie. But it's tricky sometimes to make it sound accessible to a 20, 25 audience, but I think we're all doing a pretty good job of that, I would say.
- [05:10]
Jen Cody
It's also interesting, like, this is almost the perfect musical in that if you stray, like, in learning it, we were straying a little bit. Like, we would drop a lot a word here. You. It ruins it. It, all of a sudden is not funny. The rhythm is so perfect in all of these lines, how it's laid out that if you say it right, you're gonna get the laugh if you don't say it right. It's almost interesting that the audience, they clock it. They clock that it's. Something is not rhythmically right in their ear.
- [05:41]
Matt Tammanini
Yeah. And you mentioned the fact that this is considered one of the perfect musicals. You put it up there with something like Gypsy or West side Story or My Fair Lady. Yeah. Kyle, for you. What is it about this show that keeps people. I mean, I was at the opening night last night. The audience was just having an absolute hoot. And obviously the cast and the production is amazing. But in terms of, like, the show, the text, the score itself, what is it that has kept audiences entertained now for 75 years?
- [06:13]
Dan DeLuca
I mean, it's a classic. The music, the songs are beautiful. We've fallen in love with these songs, to these songs even. I think the music's a big thing. And it's a really funny show. I mean, the laughs are real, genuine laughs. They're good jokes.
- [06:28]
Matt Tammanini
Yeah. They are still very funny. When you guys are in that rehearsal room and you're finding a gin, like you said, the laughs come from the lines. But I imagine with all three of you having their own different types of humor for your characters, what was that like playing off of each other and trying to find the rhythm for Julie, for Sky, for. Nicely. What was that process like of trying to get into their skins and find the comedic rhythms? And like we said earlier, a very unique speech pattern.
- [06:57]
Kyle Taylor Parker
I would say they're all. They're. Everyone's just such a strong archetype. Like, I think another reason why this. This story holds so strong is because it's. It's not a cartoon yet. It almost has a sense of. It's a vintage nostalgic feeling to it. A very, very distinct archetypes of. Of who each character is. So, at least for me in the rehearsal process, was seeing how everyone was approaching their characters and just through the system of being like, okay, I can't. My pitch can't be too high because Nathan's pitch is too high. So I Have to drop a little bit lower. And just feeling what the. You know, what the quilt is like. We each have our own little patch of the quilt. And just seeing like, okay, I can't. I gotta take a beat here. Because they're talking fast or I'm talking too fast or he has to slow down. It's just one of those magical, invisible things that it's really hard to strategically pinpoint. And I'm not sure if it's even possible to pinpoint. But I think just casting. We're just so lucky to have a great group of smart actors who know what they're doing and are respectful and are listening to each other. And because it's an ensemble piece, like, we were staging the bows right before we opened on yesterday, and I think it was hard to be like, who gets the. Like, who gets the last bow? What's even the order? Because it's. So there's not one lead. Like, everyone does their own thing. So, yeah, it's. It's just kind of like listening to each other. And Al Blackstone, our amazing director, choreographer, put together a great group of people. And Andrew Cato runs the Malt Jupiter Theater. It's. They put together a great group of people, and it's just a matter of listening and staying respectful and integrity and alignment with the characters. And it's working. It's working.
- [08:39]
Jen Cody
I think it's. It's hard to also. You said cartoon, like, a little bit. You want to give what the audience expects of these characters, but you have to also be real. So it's finding that fine line of being broad, but being broad in a truthful way. So it's funny, but still what they. What they know in their minds as gangster or leading man or put upon woman, you know, so it's a balance. It's math.
- [09:10]
Matt Tammanini
Well, and you talk about giving audiences what they want from these characters. Jen, I would say that you are not exactly what people would expect from the character of Big Julie. But I feel like with Big Julie, it either has to be somebody who was literally incredibly big or somebody who is the opposite of very big. You come in there and obviously play for the laughs of the bigness of the character. But when you're going to take on a role like that, that is the tough, the heavy. What is the kind of the comedic impulse for you to lean into somebody who might not be the expectation of the character that a lot of people would think you would be playing?
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Jen Cody
Well, you know, I have to. Al Blackstone and Andrew Cato, it was their Idea. They came and asked me if I'd be interested in doing it. I was. I never in my life world thought that I would be playing this part. I think that that's the fun is that I don't have to do what is expected because no one knows what's going to happen. So it was fun, like finding stuff. Finding like, oh, big Julie maybe has this really strong handshake for no reason whatsoever. And like, when I sit down in Sit down, you're rocking the boat. My feet are like this far off the ground. And like, things like that were just fun to find. And yeah, to me, it makes it funnier. Unexpected humor, I think, is funnier than expected.
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Matt Tammanini
Yeah, absolutely. Well, ktp, she mentioned, sit down, you're rocking the boat. And that is obviously one of those, I mean, just audience favorite songs in the history of musical theater. And you give it all of the KTP ness that we could ever hope for in that version. But when you go into a song kind of like we were talking about with these characters, but a song that not only do people know and do people love, but this is a song that has kind of transcended the show and transcended musical theater even to a certain extent, how do you make that your own? How do you try to make sure that you are giving everything that you have to give the best version as possible to the audience?
- [11:20]
Dan DeLuca
Yeah, that's a great question. When I'm singing in a musical, the most important thing to me is the circumstance. And so if I can honor the circumstance of, you know, this is nicely in the Save a Soul mission, trying to prove that he is repentant, then I'm doing well. It's when I start thinking about, you know, I have to sing it like, you know, Sammy Davis Jr. Or live up to the Broadway soul albums or whatever, then I'm going left. But I think if I begin with honoring circumstance, we're good. And our director, Al Blackstone, has been very kind to let me, at the end of the song, take my own vocal take on it, all the KTP stuff. And I kind of had to be pulled in that direction because I was resisting it at first. And so there's a marriage of old and new I hope audiences get.
- [12:10]
Matt Tammanini
Yeah. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that the Broadway soul albums are some of the best listens if people are unfamiliar with them. I have an autographed version, I think, of volume two that I got from the Kickstarter in the other room. So I Love the Broadway soul albums and anybody who is unfamiliar with them needs to check those out. But I think our listeners are familiar with all three of of you for different roles for the albums or whatever. But this is a cast that not only has people from New York like yourselves and some other members of the cast, but also some local Florida, South Florida people mixed in as well. First, have you guys worked to the three of you or compares of you? Have you guys ever worked together before? Either anything on stage or workshops or readings or anything like that?
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Kyle Taylor Parker
Me and Jen Cody go way back.
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Jen Cody
Way back. But ktp, I've only heard of ktp, so this is my chance to finally meet ktp.
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Dan DeLuca
Yeah, insane for me with Jen and Dan.
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Matt Tammanini
Okay, so I have to ask if you guys go way back, what, what was the thing that you guys go way back for?
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Kyle Taylor Parker
Well, we go back. I've been a fan of Jen Cody since, for as long as I can remember. So I've, I've, I've been meeting her at stage doors for tell the story of my life. Which one?
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Jen Cody
Which one?
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Kyle Taylor Parker
Which story are you talking about is the question.
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Jen Cody
Adam's family. Tell the Adams family.
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Kyle Taylor Parker
Adam's family story. Okay, so the first time we worked together was 2012, I think so over 10, over 10 years ago, which is kind of crazy. 2012 or 2013. And I was, we were doing the Addams Family musical. And for. If your audiences are not familiar, the base is, is that Wednesday Adams is getting married to a normal boy. And so she did the kooky family and then the normal family from Ohio. And I was playing the Fiat, her, her boyfriend, the fiance, as you found on the show. And so I was the normal boy and then Jen was grandma, which is so funny if you see which end looks like especially as Big Julie. It's so funny. Jen is one of the most wonderful resumes in all of. Jen is Grandma. So Jen is Grandma. And you know, she. How, how can I ask how tall you are, Jen? I'll tell you.
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Jen Cody
Well, I say five foot, but that is a lie. 410.
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Kyle Taylor Parker
Okay. Jen is 4 10. I'm 5 10. Yeah. So we got. That's, that's, that's a nice, those are nice numbers. But anyway, she comes up to me on opening night, the scene where the boyfriend is meeting the family. And Jen comes up to me, this would not fly now, now. But I gave her consent spiritually, I guess, and she grabbed my face in the middle of the scene and just started kissing me on stage on opening night at the Muni on the Adams family. So. And then cut two years later. Or cut two years later. Two years ago we were doing the regional premiere of Tootsie together where she was playing my ex girlfriend. And now here we are doing Guys and Dolls together and I get to, spoiler alert, punch her in the face, which is so fun as the gangster. So, yeah, we've got a roller coaster. Truly, so many things we've done and we're just getting started, I feel.
- [15:21]
Jen Cody
Yeah, yeah.
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Matt Tammanini
Well, you have those connections and KTP is meeting everybody. But to this whole cast, it really is kind of one of the wonders, I always feel, of regional theater, where you have people coming from different parts of the country, people who live in the region that they're at, coming together to put on a show in a usually often condensed rehearsal period. Obviously you've talked about the Malts and Andrew Cato and Al Blackistone as the director, but what has this experience been like working not only together and with maybe folks, some other people you knew from other projects in the past, but a lot of the local Florida talent as well.
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Dan DeLuca
Everyone's amazing. It's just an incredible company of from the top to the bottom. I mean, it's. I'm honored to be here.
- [16:06]
Jen Cody
It's lovely. Last night was especially beautiful. We have a mother and a daughter in the show together, Kat and Colleen. And to watch them get ready for an opening night together, it was just. I, it was so it's the real family, right? So we have our, our made up family. But then you watch that and you're like, oh, my God, how wonderful for them to get to perform together and get to experience going to an opening night together.
- [16:33]
Matt Tammanini
Oh, that's lovely. That's lovely. Well, now, as you mentioned, Thursday night was opening night. I was there. It was amazing. But Jen, before we started recording, you said, okay, now it feels like even though you have a show tonight, it almost feels like a day off because you don't have all of the extra pressures of the, the rehearsals and stuff. Now that all three of you are kind of settling into this run, you're in South Florida or at least in Florida. Do you have any plans? What are you doing? What's occupying the time when you're not over at the Malts?
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Jen Cody
There's a boat. We've been. We were rallying for a boat. So we got a boat. We're going to do a boat trip.
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Kyle Taylor Parker
Beach and pool and lots of sunscreen. I'm looking a little red right now, so. Lots of beach and sunscreen. Yeah, beach and pool. That's. That's it for me. That's it for me. It's so lovely. It's. It's. It's the greatest getaway for the New York winter.
- [17:27]
Matt Tammanini
Yeah, well, sky just came back from Las Vegas, so that.
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Dan DeLuca
That fits exactly.
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Matt Tammanini
Yeah. Okay.
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Kyle Taylor Parker
Back and forth to Havana. I don't know how the SPF was in the 1930s. It's all. I'm all. I'm all doing it in service of the character.
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Jen Cody
We also are right now. We're also, like, looking for our next jobs. You know, that. That. That never ends. So there's self tapes and there's auditions online. And, like, so that, you know, that.
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Matt Tammanini
Keeps going when you're all out doing. And you all work all over the country, in New York and around. I mean, maybe even around the world, too. But when you're in a situation like this, you're doing self tapes, do you get together? Do you read for each other? Do you help each other out? Do you go over songs? If you're like, oh, I've done this show before, do you, you know, kind of share the wealth of your knowledge and experience while you're all going through this same regional theater process together?
- [18:17]
Dan DeLuca
Yes. I feel like self tapes are impossible to begin with. And so if you can get help. If I can get help, I'd always ask because it just. It takes a village.
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Matt Tammanini
Absolutely. Well, you. Earl talked about how wonderful the. The malt is and what a fun experience this has been. How have the audiences been receiving this show? Like you said, it's a classic. The malt audience does, in my experience, love the classics. What has been the feedback? Like, what has been the audience response in the house? People stopping you on the streets? Have you seen people at the 711 or grocery store or whatever that have come up and talked to you yet?
- [18:57]
Kyle Taylor Parker
They've been loving it. It's really true because it's not a short show, but it also doesn't seem long. I'm saying that it's not to put people away, but it can easily turn into a long show. But I'm not getting any sense of restlessness from. From the audience whatsoever. And they. It's just. It just feels easy. Like, everyone is relaxed. Everyone's having a really, really, really nice time. It just seems like a really love. Everyone just seems really happy. Just really easy and really nice.
- [19:29]
Matt Tammanini
Yeah. And obviously a lot of credit for that goes to director and choreographer Al Blackistone, who I first became familiar with from like, so youo think you can dance as, like A ch. Choreographer. And you all do your own different amounts and different styles of dancing in the show. Is there. Is it. Do you notice. And you've all worked with director choreographers in the past, but do you notice that there's a different kind of pacing to the show, like you were talking about, Dan, when the person who is doing the directing is also a choreographer, whether they're choreographing that show specifically or not, or do they have kind of a certain rhythmic difference in somebody who is strictly a director, no dance background. And those two things are separated by a line of demarcation.
- [20:12]
Jen Cody
Well, I think if a director choreographer work together a lot, it tends to be an easier feel. We don't have to deal with that. Right. Because you have one vision, and so it's not melding two different visions. And I think Al also has an associate and a dance captain who were just integral to putting the show up. So it was really like having three people, and it is such a long, big show, and we only had two weeks to put it together. So I think it was almost like having three people, which really helped us. They did a lot of homework before getting here. So we actually got through the show and had time in the room to play a little bit, which, in these regional shows, you barely get that moment. But they were so prepared that I think it made it for us. It made it a little easier when we got to the theater because we feel like we had the show already.
- [21:13]
Matt Tammanini
Well, I'll wrap up with this question, and I can tell you this is not a question that I've ever asked anybody before, and I was not planning on asking it until Jen brought something up before we started recording. And, Dan, it's your fault. So, Dan, before we started recording, Dan popped his head back into a window to say something about Jen. And Jen, you said he was very Muppet, like. So now I want to know, what Muppet character would you replace yourself with in this show? Jen, I'm going to start with you, since you brought it up. So your version of Big Julie, is there a Muppet equivalent for you?
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Jen Cody
I would say Animal. I mean, he's a little crazy, A little like. I would say animal.
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Matt Tammanini
Okay, I like that. Probably similar height as well. Dan. Dan, what about you? Is this a Kermit? I mean, I feel like Sky's a little bit too. A little too seedy for Kermit.
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Kyle Taylor Parker
So. Barrett Riggins, who plays Nathan Detroit, we were just talking about this in the dressing room. I believe that Kermit would actually be Nathan Detroit and Adelaide would be Miss Piggy because of their dynamic. And I think the humans would be sky and Sarah in the Muppet Movie. So. Because I'm trying to think of like who's actually a cool. Who's actually a cool Muppet. And I don't think I. I could not think of a good answer. So I would actually say I'd play myself. I would be in the Muppet Movie. I'm casting myself. Or Michael Little self serving. Michael Caine. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Michael. Michael Caine can be Sky Master.
- [22:45]
Matt Tammanini
There you go. I love that. Judy Den. Yeah, Judy Dencher. Helen Mirren can play sister Sarah. Ktp, who is your Muppet? Nicely? Nicely.
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Dan DeLuca
I think it's Fozzie Bear.
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Jen Cody
Fozzie. I didn't.
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Kyle Taylor Parker
I knew you were gonna say that. Has to be.
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Dan DeLuca
He's so lovable.
- [23:04]
Matt Tammanini
Yeah, I love that. It. Okay, so I do have to ask everybody else on this show. There's talk of alcohol or whatever. You're always. Is that just a Coke? Is that a. Is that a soda? Is that. Where did that come from?
- [23:18]
Dan DeLuca
So in the original script, Nicely always has a sandwich or something to eat. And Al was like, I think for you it should be a Coke. Like, what if he just always. He has a sweet tooth because he's a sweet guy. So I walk around with. It's water, it's just with food coloring. But yeah, Coca Cola.
- [23:36]
Matt Tammanini
I love that. It was a sugar addict. Yeah, it was a nice little interesting character thing that was never commented on obviously, but something that I noticed that was a lot of fun. Well, like I said, I was there for opening night. It was such an absolute delight to see that show and to see all of you. And I hope that you have just a phenomenal run at the Jupiter. And hopefully all these self tapes that you are helping each other with lead to many more gigs and maybe we'll get to see you back down here in Florida at some point in the future.
- [24:05]
Dan DeLuca
Thank you so much.
- [24:06]
Kyle Taylor Parker
Thank you so much, man.
- [24:07]
Jen Cody
Thank you so much.
- [24:09]
Kyle Taylor Parker
It.