102. Broadway’s Stage Doors Have Reopened. Spencer Sher. Chicago, U.S.A.. 03/17/23

We are transcending time and space to talk theatre with Spencer in Chicago.    In 2020 Spencer was in his last year of highschool, now he studies in New York City!!!!!  The pandemy robbed him of his prom and forced him to finish highschool remotely.  Fortunately for the world, Momma Mia, his senior year theatre production closed on March 7.  He attended, What the Constitution Means To Me, on March 12 which was to be his last time in a theatre seat for some time.  A rotating co-host of Thrash and Treasure pod from Australia we are fortunate to hear his unique perspective while he sharess before and during the great reopening.  From songs of hope from the Holocaust to the need to laugh, Spencer broadens our pandemy horizons as he plays Theatrical Production Title in the Form of a Pandemy Question, inspired by Nardwuar the Human Serviette. 

Spencer on Twitter

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Transcript

0:25

Good day and welcome to the pandemic show stories of the pandemic for people living in the pandemic. No one is alone on the pen. Demi show Thanks for joining us. As we unite humanity through stories of hope, connection, and community in the face of the global pandemic, we are all in this together, and we're glad you're here together with us. Thanks

Dave 0:48

for joining us for episode 102. We are transcending time and space to Chicago. Who are

Spencer 0:56

you? My name is Spencer Cher. I am a, student at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at the new school in New York City.

Dave 1:05

Spencer, thank you so much for joining us here today to talk Emmi and theater. Spencer is an aspiring theater producer who spends most of his time living in New York City. Spencer is going to join us today and he's gonna play a new game. Theater production in the form of a Emmi question. And just to give you a little bit of background on Spencer, Spencer is a rotating co-host on Thrash and Treasure podcast from Australia, which is a friend of the Pandemic Show. And in 2022, during the great reopening, he attended 76 theatrical product. 52 musicals, 24 plays, 17 off Broadway, six in Chicago, 53 on Broadway and Into the Woods was so good he saw it four times. just singing about talking to a Broadway enthusiast. It reminds me of a conversation in season two of the Pandemic. now we're in season four. It reminds me of Barb dotting. Who shared with us that her trip, family trip to Broadway was canceled due to the pandemic that struck North America in winter 2022. It also made me think of Harriet Chung prominent, actor who shared that it blew her mind to see Broadway empty. It was one of those iconic places, iconic images like the Vegas strip places in Italy. times Square, New York, Broadway, New York, where there was no one when the pandemic's struck. What was your life like before the pandemic?

Spencer 2:39

So I was in high school, and my senior year was cut off right there, March 13th. I didn't finish. Senior year of high school was all virtual. and so I didn't get a prom, I didn't get a graduation, all that sort of thing. luckily enough, my final theater, production, which was Mama Mia at my high school, closed on March 7th, 2020. So luckily enough I got to, to do that. but then once I got to New York, in 2021, things weren't open yet. So, so Broadway was empty and it was, it was like a ghost town.

Dave 3:13

I just wanna say I'm a big fan of the Stratford Festival in Ontario, and I'm looking forward to seeing the musical rent this year, sir. Spam alot, Monty Python, sir Spam Alo. And over the summer months, they're gonna be running a production around women in the fur trade from the 18 hundreds. So I'm excited about those three productions. I'm not even really sure what rent's about. I know with how rents are going astronomical here in Southern Ontario, it's probably gonna be timely and hopefully adapted to the times. But I just wanna take a moment to say I'm recording this interview on the Upper Canada Treaty territory in Southern Ontario. Traditional home of Theone, Anishnabe and Chung Ump people, and our game that we'll be playing today, Spencer, is theatrical production in the form of a pandemic question inspired by Canada's own nwi, the human se. And our first question, what advice would you give others on how to defend yourself during a pandemic based on a theatrical production you've seen this year? How to defend your.

Spencer 4:17

So this show is about, these college students, uh, their friend was raped, and after that they decided to start their own self-defense class. So it didn't happen to them. And I think that it, it reminds me a little bit of what we were all doing during the pandemic, which is finding ways to occupy ourselves after a very stressful. Just, just trying to find something to do. I mean, I know people started knitting and doing like really weird hobbies that they wouldn't do normally, that they were just like, I'm sitting around. I, I need to do something. so that would be how to defend yourself in time.

Dave 4:55

Wow. Spencer, what a heavy and important topic. How to defend yourself. a, a, a production about sexual violence. Something that, I think as a society, we don't talk enough about one of the, one of the dark sides of society. I know in Canada we're talking a lot about missing and murdered aboriginal women, children and two-spirited people. It's along the same lines, sexual violence. Uh, one of the horrible sides. Humanity. Wow. Well, thank you for sharing that. And would, would you recommend that production today do a good job of addressing that sensitive content in a way that provides hope and support

Spencer 5:34

for the future? It was an incredibly powerful production. Um, you can still see it at New York Theater Workshop until April 2nd. It's, incredibly moving. I was front row for that one and I was extremely uncomfortable, but in a good. they, they really addressed it very,

Dave 5:51

very well. Thank you very much, Spencer. And, our next question was Spencer, on theatrical production in the form of a pandemic question, does everyone have the same pandemic photos, pictures from. Based on the production pitchers from home.

Spencer 6:09

I was actually thinking about my time during the pandemic during this show. it's a show based on a book, by, Larry Salton, his, his visual memoir. Based on that, it's him and his two parents. and he's trying to get them to, to stay in the, his childhood home and they want to move down to Florida. and he doesn't want to. So he's coming down every weekend to take these pictures of them in their home. and I mean, it's Nathan Lane, Danny Burstein, Zana maker, Nathan Lane. doing one of my favorite performances that he's ever done in this show. but what's really cool is they have these moments that are staged and then they have the actual photo projected, of the, the real parents. and it reminded me of my time during the pandemic when it was just me and my parents. You know, I was doing my freshman year of college from, from their basement, and it was just the three of us. I wanted to leave cuz I wanted to be at school, but it wasn't there, you know? and so it was just that, that feeling of being stuck with each other.

Dave 7:12

I had a similar experience. What a powerful connection. Pictures from home and I mean, I don't know what it was like in the United States. It's a different country than Canada. We have many, many similarities. NAFTA 2.0 happened during the pandemic, I believe, did you have lockdowns there? So, not to

Spencer 7:28

the same extent. we were told to stay home, but we didn't really have like a full lockdown maybe in that first month. or so we did, but I remember, you know, going out and, and all that stuff. my friends and I hanging out in my garage with the door open. Yeah. Like that sort of thing. That, that's what I remember from, from that early

Dave 7:53

stage. here, pretty much everything had to shut down except for what was deemed essential service. Grocery store. Liquor store. was it like that in the initial stages when there was so much uncertainty?

Spencer 8:07

We were not able to see a show. I remember actually my last show that I saw before the pandemic was on March 12th, 2020, the day before everything in the US shut. Was what the Constitution means to me, um, which is a, a one woman show about the US Constitution and the reasoning behind it. It's incredibly powerful. And now thinking back about it, after all of this, it was a very poignant piece to see right before all of this,

Dave 8:38

it helped give what this epic journey perspective. I've made a connection when you said that you and your friends were gathering your garage with the garage door open. It seemed like for a year or two up here. We went through a stage where everyone was bringing inside, outside, whether it was into their garage, their covered porch, or setting up a gazebo. But it's like there was pretty much everything happening outside, but not inside. were you in Chicago during the initial stages in March, 2020?

Spencer 9:08

So I was in New York City, Chicago until, until August, 2021, which is when I moved to the city.

Dave 9:14

there was like dramatic images coming out of New York at the, the empty streets like we mentioned earlier, but also like bodies were kind of piling up and it was, there was so much uncertainty and just such a high density place like wild in Chicago. It's a lot of people, but it's a little bit more urban sprawl and less dense, I believe.

Spencer 9:31

Yes. It's, it's a lot more spread out in question. My comparison between the two is, is, in Chicago you can walk around and not see people for a couple blocks and you, that won't be the, the thing in New York, there's people everywhere. It's a global

Dave 9:46

city. It that it is the city that never.

Spencer 9:50

New York. That's actually something that changed with the pandemic. The city now sleeps.

Dave 9:55

And is that a change that's persisted with the pandemic, or is that something that started as a result of the pandemic and it's maintained now that we've gone through the great reopening

Spencer 10:03

well, a lot of the restaurants and the bars and that sort of thing are closing a lot earlier. which leads to everyone being more secluded, I mean, most restaurants are now closing around 10, where they were closing around midnight. a lot of the bars are closing at midnight where they would stay open until two or three or four. and so to it really, like there are times where I walk through Times Square and it feels dead. Like if I'm there late at night like that, and it shouldn't feel like that. It's Times Square. It's one of the busiest, you know, pedestrian. Places in

Dave 10:36

the world and when New York and big cities, there was a bit of an exodus of people when the pandemic struck because it was seen as safer in the country, also more affordable to move out into the country and things like that. Do you think New York has rebounded in population to what it was pre pandemic with people moving out over the course of the pandemic out into the countryside or back to their place of origin?

Spencer 11:00

Yeah, I think population wise, a lot of people after the pandemic wanted to move, wanted to, to move to the city after being so, you know, stuck in their, in their homes. Uh, so they wanted to go somewhere that's exciting and, you know, full of life. And so I think that actually, I don't know if this is true, but it feels like there has been this exodus of, uh, not this exodus, this coming of new people, um, to the city. Even if some of those people that left the city have not returned, there's a lot of new people who just wanted to be. In

Dave 11:40

New York, and I think I saw that when I went to Toronto a couple weeks ago. I was fortunate enough to catch the Cuckoo Kangaroo show. The guys from Minneapolis were in Toronto, sold out show down by the Waterfront, by the skydome. Then I was able to catch, um, smash It producer Chris Burett show as part of winter folk. Also was able to catch the David Keeley Band down at the Cameron House, as well as the VAD villain at the, at the, um, Friendly Cafe, the Friendly Stranger Cafe, and it was my first time being back in Toronto. And one of the things I noticed besides the absolute increase in homelessness and homeless encampments, um, was there was that next generation of young people being drawn to the lights and the, the sirens call of the big city. You'd see them on the, the, um, go train kind of blown away by the public transit aspect of the big city. And I mean, I was blown away to be back in the city. Chasing all those things you were alluding to, which are the draw of the big city. Spencer, thanks so much for your unique perspective and insights into this pandemic, as well as your, knowledge of theater. These productions that we've talked about so far, how to defend yourself, pictures from home, and you also mentioned what the US Constitution means to me. Sorry, what was the correct title for. Just

Spencer 13:02

what the Constitution means to me. You know, US Americans, we think that we're the most important and we're the only ones with the Constitution.

Dave 13:09

And it, it's, they're all politically astute. Yet it sounds like you're saying they're artistically refined and they're pieces that are giving hope. They're discussing complex social matters, and a lot of times I think the solution with complex matters is getting a greater understanding of them to move forward in a positive manner. Less harm or addresses whatever problem we're trying to address. But wow, what a treat. And our next question here on theatrical production in the form of a pandemic question with Spencer Sher, currently in Chicago, but a resident of New York City, if there was a, we are here sign for the pandemic, where are we based on the production that you saw at Carnegie Hall in New York City? We are.

Spencer 13:58

You know, this was one of the most powerful things I've ever experienced in my life. This show, this was on this year's, uh, past, uh, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and it was all songs written in the ghetto or the concentration camps that had never been performed live before. Wow. And it was all these songs of. That was really what made it powerful. None of them were like depressed and sad. They were songs of Hope performed by Steven SkyBell and Shohan Bean. And Harvey Firestein and Talia Seka were in all these, you know, famous Broadway Jews. Joel Gray was supposed to make an appearance, but he, he was sick. So he did not, but it was, it was extremely powerful. These, these songs of, of hope and freedom and perseverance.

Dave 14:52

That reminds me of a, something I heard about Nelson Mandela when he was imprisoned by the apartheid and while the apartheid were beating. He would look for something positive about them and for you to describe. We are here songs and stories written in the most vi of circumstances, concentration camp, and the the seat of hope or the feeling of hope, the theme of hope that is just so powerful. And can you, Is there any hope in this pandemic? I mean, in the first year of the pandemic, my understanding is that there was 500 billionaires created, another billion people fell below the poverty line, and there were so many pandemics. Pre pandemic, pre covid, 19 income inequality, structural racism, environmental degradation. The list goes on. I mean, just even homelessness on the 4 0 1 corridor in Ontario. Is significantly worse than it was pre pandemic. Do you see any hope in the pandemic like there was in that politically astute, yet artistically refined production? We are here and Shala my good friends. I, I

Spencer 16:08

do see hope, you know, seeing as much, you know, that was my first thing that I did when I moved to New York, is I wanted to see as much theater as possible, and we've been seeing a lot. Post pandemic of the art that we needed to see that, that investors and producers are bringing this art that is important, that if they lose money, it's okay that they are like this play. It's actually mostly plays that, of this type that they're bringing. But, that, that they are saying it's important for this to be seen by a larger audience. If I lose money, I lose money, but people need to see this. and we see that. With with Leopold Stat, which is a Tom Stopper play about the Holocaust, and what it meant to be a family. And lose those family members. and we saw that. I think also we're seeing that with Kimberly Kimbo, which is a new musical that's that scrappy little musical that is just art that people need to see. And that I think is truly the hope that we can see right now.

Dave 17:12

thank you so much for bringing that, into our conversation because it does seem like we are in mid. there seems to be either like a low level societal exhaustion, depression, post-traumatic stress from the pandemic. Everybody's having to come back to community in their own way and what is gonna spark these conversations that is, that are gonna lead to the change to not just. like all the issues before the pandemic are much worse. And now how are we gonna address these issues? And it, I think it's the art that's gonna get people talking. It's the art that is gonna bring people from different perspectives back together, talking in a civil manner. and your review of theater, mid Emmi and. You sharing with us that it is getting into these weighty subjects, that is very reassuring um,

Spencer 18:06

I think of course, as I said, how to defend yourself. and I'm getting up a list of things that I've seen because I do see so much that I tend to forget names of things. And for

Dave 18:17

those that aren't aware, uh, this year, Spencer's already seen shucked funny girl, Cinderella, Bob Fosse is dancing, how to Defend yourself. Kimberly Akimbo, Lou Burger, and The Wizard of Friend. Hercules the musical. bad Cinderella, the play that goes wrong between Riverside and crazy solo. We are here, pitchers from home. The list goes on.

Spencer 18:39

another one from, from last year that I think had that similar message is a show called, cost of Living, which is about, um, disabled people and how the world views. and it with, of course the actors being played by actual, disabled actors was very, very powerful. But I think the other thing that we've started to realize post pandemic more is we need to laugh. And we're seeing a lot of comedies coming out. shucked, which Shucked is incredible. It is in their second week of previews. Right now. It's a musical about corn and it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. And then we're having we now have Peter Pan goes Wrong, which is by the by Mischief theater, uh, that starts previews tonight. and so there's, there's a lot of these just things that are just for pure enjoyment and laughter. And I think that that's the other side of that, that of course we are now telling these stories that need to be told, but also producers are realizing I don't wanna sit through, someone boring talking about a monologue for three hours on stage. I wanna, I wanna. And so it, I appreciate that they're giving that opportunity to us.

Dave 19:52

Now, we were lucky to talk with Lisa Humber and Step D from Canadian Theater. They were involved with Come From Away and they said how the week leading into the lockdowns here in Canada, the Royal Alexander Theater went from 1200 to 800 to 600 as the, as the house just kind of started settling down or quieting down as a result of the pandemic, did you see any drastic changes? Like that, that you recall from early Pandemic

Spencer 20:19

So I think very early in the pandemic we did get a lot of announcements that shows. We're not going to return whenever this was done. and that I think, was very jarring to a lot of people because they were like, oh, it's only gonna be a month. and very early on we of course realized that it wasn't going to only be a month. And so we had, a lot of productions, the most famous of which being Disney's Frozen. Saying that they would not return to Broadway. and that I think was one of those things in the industry that made a lot of industry folk realize, oh, this is not good. if Disney says that, that they are losing too much money to come back, then that means things are bad cuz Disney has. Bingo. And so I think a lot of these, I think that was one of the first industry business things that really started to scare people.

Dave 21:14

an indicator. Yeah. Cuz when the big, when the big operator signal something that, uh, that's good information. Oh, for sure. And our last question today on episode 102 of the Pandemic Show Stories of the Pandemic for the People of the Pandemic, no One's Alone on the Pandemic Show. How was the pandemic like the play that goes wrong based on the production you saw? The play that goes wrong.

Spencer 21:40

well, everything went wrong, I think is the easiest answer. but, you know, the play that goes wrong is one of my favorite shows. I've now seen it six times. and it's, it's funny, every time I, I. As someone who makes theater, it makes me laugh. As someone who sees theater makes me laugh because it's just them in the most uncomfortable situations of this performance going wrong. and of course we all had those moments where things went wrong, where tensions in the house got got too far and we, we were fighting with the people we were living with and there was. just, you know, that couple of weeks right at the beginning where we all stayed home. Like there wasn't even a friends in the garage. It was just a, we were all just by ourselves, not going to work, not doing anything. Just sitting there. I've never watched more TV in my life, you know, that, that sort of thing. It felt. Wrong. And it felt like this visceral sadness, which of course the play that goes wrong feels like the complete opposite of that. It is pure joy. And for the two and a half hours of that show, you never stop laughing. And it was one of the first shows that I saw post pandemic cuz I was just like, I need to laugh, I need to see this. And it brought me joy. And every time that I get a little sad or depressed, that's what I go and see.

Dave 23:08

Fantastic. thank you Spencer, for sharing that. and what's, what do you think it's been like for those like yourself that, like you said, make theater.

Spencer 23:15

I think especially on Broadway, it's hard. You know, Broadway is one of the last workplaces that still has covid safety precautions. You know, they're still testing three times a week. They just reopened stage doors, meaning that the actors are now able to sign playbills and meet fans like literally March 1st. They reopened that, a full. Year and a half since Broadway has reopened and then, you know, they're still having these covid precautions. We haven't had any shows shut down due to Covid, since probably Omicron in December of 21. Um, but. but who knows? Maybe, maybe that starts to happen again as cases rise. they're also now allowing guests backstage, you know, which they haven't been, until now.

Dave 24:12

So that's exciting that we continue to see more and more reopening up, I still wear a mask depending on where I am. But I'm going out more. I'm eating in restaurants. I'm going to shows more musical than theatrical at this point. but most of the time I'm still trying to wear a mask just because I'm around vulnerable people. mainly because I'm around vulnerable people, but also because I still worry about my organ functioning. And I've had, I, I've had covid have you had covid? I have not. Oh, wow. How do you think you've surpris managed to avoid it?

Spencer 24:47

I think in the theater we're probably seeing around 20% of the audience wearing masks. and of that it is mostly younger people, which I have found very interesting. for me it's a, it's a toss up. I, I do it sometimes I don't do it other times. If I am close to the actors, if I'm in the first couple of rows, I always do out of respect to them. but sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. and I don't know, I, I do have a little cold right now, so who knows? We'll see.

Dave 25:23

Yeah. Well it's a great reopening and it, and it couldn't have, and I think it's coming at the right time because people were pushed to the Brinks with the isolation and the loneliness. Humans are a communal species, and to be coming together, especially around the arts, sport, food, I hope that's gonna help us heal a lot of these divisions that we see, not just here in my community, but I'm sure in your community. Like the global, global conflicts around the world, we are in the stage of the pandemic where school children, girls are healing in Iran from getting poisoned in school. There's street protests around changes to the Supreme Court in Israel. The Supreme Court is traditionally being seen from my understanding as a westerner in Ontario, a place that Prode protects minority rights and, uh, a, a valuable check and balance on. Uh, when people get whipped up around certain, certain, certain ideologies. But yeah, lots. The Ukraine War is going into its second year with more turmoil. Uh, this week the, the American drone collided with some Russian jets. China's tried to broker a peace, uh, peace Talks President Ye, I believe that's his name, the president of China is going to Mosco to talk with Putin. And then has an important conversation scheduled with President Zelensky. the world seems to be outta control. And theater, music and the arts, I think is a voice of reason in chaotic times. And hopefully we get through all of these horrible conflicts and people come together, and I think it's the arts that's gonna help us indeed. Now, Spencer, what do you hope the world is like in after times? If there is an after times and Covid is in the rear view.

Spencer 27:07

I hope, specifically with theater, that we continue to see this art that is important, and we continue to produce that, that it doesn't go back to the safe movie adaptation or the safe revival of a classic. I wanna see something new. I want to see something. Different, and we, we have that now even with Parade, which opened on Broadway last night, which is an extremely important show that just wasn't seen in New York for 20 years because people were uncomfortable with the subject matter. But you know what? It's still relevant. There were Nazis protesting outside the first preview, which shows how relevant that show still is.

Dave 27:51

the pandemic shows actively anti-white supremacist and anti-fascist. I am proud to say that my grandfather, was in the Canadian Army, which violently fought the Nazis and it just makes me sick that this many years later. That great evil is on our own shores, but hopefully art communication. And, not giving up on people with mental health illnesses will, will lead us to greener pastures as a global community. Spencer? Sure. Thank you so much for joining us here today on The Pandemic Show. Wow. I've really got a lot out of our talk and I'm excited maybe one day to come to Chicago or New York and catch some, some politically astute and artistically refined productions with you. I would love that.

28:41

Thanks for listening to the pandemic show. We're all in this together, and we're glad you're here together with us physically distance with us@pandemicshow.com. Pandemic show is on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, stories from the pandemic for the people of the pants. Do you have an interesting pandemic story and want to share email us@pandemicshowedatgmail.com. Thanks to all our guests. Thanks to giant value for seeing us in and letting us know everything is going to be all right. No one is alone at the pandemic show.