Podcast Summary: Interview with Katie Brayben (Into the Woods, Beautiful, Tammy Faye)

Podcast: MickeyJoTheatre
Host: MickeyJoTheatre (Mickey-Jo)
Guest: Katie Brayben
Date: September 22, 2025

Episode Overview

In this interview, Mickey-Jo sits down with multi Olivier Award-winning actress Katie Brayben, who is set to star as the Baker’s Wife in the highly anticipated London revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre. Their conversation spans Katie’s history with Sondheim musicals, her artistic journey, memorable theatre experiences, and reflections on character work. They also discuss her previous iconic roles, working in different venues, and delve into the unique joys and demands of ensemble musicals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Casting & Anticipation for Into the Woods

• Excitement about the Role
  • Mickey-Jo expresses excitement about Katie’s casting, noting it’s “a really tremendous piece of casting” for the Bridge Theatre production. (00:02–02:00)
  • Katie feels “really excited to be undertaking the role, but especially with Jordan and Tom Scott as well. I've worked with Tom Scott…This will be the fourth time now as a designer. I think they're such a great team” (02:19).

2. Katie’s History with Into the Woods

• First Encounters with the Show

  • Katie saw the show at Regent’s Park and was “bowled over with how funny it was to begin with and how sort of dark and heartbreaking it is by the end” (03:07).
  • She praises the show’s uncategorizable nature: “It sort of has many different faces, this show” (03:21).

• Relatability of the Baker and Baker’s Wife

  • Discussion of these characters as the “real people of the piece,” grounding the audience among fairy tale figures. Katie: “James has written them into the piece…like they just wandered onto the stage of a, you know, a fairy tale…we can see the show through their eyes” (04:13).

3. Artistic Challenges & Previous Roles

• Unique Artistic Challenge

  • Katie reflects on tackling iconic roles, stating, “What I love about Sondheim is because he writes the music and the lyrics, it's this holistic…everything is written so perfectly for the character that even the orchestrations will ding a thought” (05:32).
  • She appreciates the challenge: “I'm going to enjoy the challenge of that…really lean into that” (06:21).

• Past Sondheim Involvement & Ensemble Joy

  • Recalling her early experience in Company:
    “It’s almost like a river going down. Stones. There are things popping and happening…you're all in this kind of incredible harmony and rhythm, and there is nothing like it. Actually, when you sing a Sondheim score, it…doesn't compare to anything else" (07:27).

• Affinity for Ensemble Work

  • Katie: “There's nothing like a true ensemble piece, especially when you…have music involved with it. It really brings you together…It's a true joy of the work I get to do is to sing with other people and sing together” (08:55).

4. Training & Entry into Theatre

• Musician’s Path to Acting
  • Katie’s background: “My mom is a singer, and my...parents are in a band. I did a course at Rose Bruford called Act a musician, which was an act musician degree” (09:50).
  • “I got into wanting to be an actor through watching far too much television. I didn't even really know much of theater until I started training and then I started to go to the theater, so, and then I was obsessed” (10:37).

5. Theatre Venues & Experiences

• Preference for Venue Types

  • “I really like the intimacy of small venues. The Almeida…are really special venues. I've been so lucky.” (11:51)
  • “I also love those bigger venues as well. But I think it has to be the right piece. Some places are too big to play, and I think you have to be careful of that.” (12:40)

• Transitioning Tammy Faye Between Venues

  • Describes shifting from Almeida’s intimacy (~350 seats) to Broadway’s Palace Theatre (~2,000 seats):
    “We worked really hard on making that transition” (14:39).

6. Sondheim Roles—Future Hopes

• Desires for Future Sondheim Work
  • Katie’s Sondheim ‘bingo card’: “Mrs. Lovings. Really Todd, for sure…Sunday in the Park with George…Follies…fantastic roles for older women. Merrily We Roll Along…” (15:38)
  • “I generally don't go, I've got to play that role because I think I'll only be disappointed. But I do love pieces and I love people's interpretation of roles…watching people just do their thing so brilliantly” (17:35).

7. Playing Real Life Characters

• Portraying Carole King
  • “Not until...my friend called me and said, ‘You also look a lot like her.’...A lot of time, you audition for things and…give yourself reasons why you're not the right person for the job. I literally, I couldn't find a reason. I was like, I cannot find a reason why they would not...maybe cast you in this” (19:21).
• Fun Alternate Castings
  • Mickey-Jo jokes: “I would pay an awful lot of money for a one-night-only staging of Sweeney Todd done entirely traditionally…but you are playing Tammy Faye, playing Mrs. Lovett.” Katie: “That would be fun. Tammy Faye would have been a brilliant Mrs. Lovett” (20:17–20:42).

8. Into the Woods Casting Reveal

• Jamies Parker as the Baker
  • Mickey-Jo: “So the name that I've heard is Jamie Parker.”
  • Katie: “That's correct, yeah...He is brilliant. So, yeah, I'm very much looking forward to that” (21:25–21:35).

Memorable Quotes

• On Into the Woods’ Tone:
  “I was kind of bowled over with how…funny it was to begin with and how sort of dark and…heartbreaking it is by the end.” (Katie, 03:07)

• On Sondheim’s Lyrics:
  “Even the orchestrations will ding a thought, you know, and it has this beautiful sort of soliloquy sort of energy to it.” (Katie, 06:12)

• On Ensemble Musicals:
  “There's nothing like singing together…It's a true joy of the work I get to do is to sing with other people and sing together.” (Katie, 09:01)

• On Theatre Venues:
  “Some places are too big to play, and I think you have to be careful of that…you do lose that intimacy and that connection with the audience, which I think is so important.” (Katie, 12:40)

• On Portraying Real People:
  “You audition for things and…give yourself reasons why you're not the right person for the job. I literally, I couldn't find a reason.” (Katie, 19:41)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• 00:02–02:00: Mickey-Jo previews the casting and introduces Katie Brayben
• 02:19–03:42: Discussion of first experiences with Into the Woods
• 05:32–06:58: Katie’s thoughts on Sondheim’s writing and artistic challenges
• 07:27–08:26: Reflections on Company and performing Sondheim
• 09:50–11:10: Acting and musical background
• 11:51–13:22: Thoughts on working at Almeida and venue preferences
• 13:52–15:03: Performing Tammy Faye at Almeida vs. on Broadway
• 15:38–17:35: Future dream Sondheim roles and the nature of career preferences
• 19:21–20:17: On playing Carole King and self-perception in auditions
• 21:25–21:35: Revealing Jamie Parker as the Baker

Closing Thoughts

The episode is heartfelt, candid, and insightful. Katie Brayben offers depth on her process, musical theatre’s collaborative spirit, and the ever-evolving demands of the stage. Her humility, humor, and passion animate the conversation, making it a must-listen for fans of Sondheim, West End theatre, and those interested in the journeys of top musical performers.

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