Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to the exclusive cosmic curtain interview with Stephen Michael Langton. I'm Brian Kitson, head writer of the Cosmic Circus and the Cosmic Circus. Broadway. Steve and Michael Langton is prepping to tour in Sunlight, a hat which is arriving at the Fisher Theater in Detroit from October 1 through the 13th. In this interview, Langdon speaks on how his journey in Selma Cat has been so far, how he prepares for his different roles in the ensemble and as the Osgoode understudy, how he balances his mental health on the road and also discusses his love of gaming. Enjoy.
Thank you so much for speaking with us today.
I know that something like it has just begun its tour, but how's it going so far?
[00:00:41] Speaker B: It's been great. It's been about, I guess, six or so weeks of rehearsals, and it's been a real whirlwind. You know, it's just a bunch of names and faces of famous people coming in and saying hi and teaching us this amazing show. And not to mention just like, the adrenaline of moving into our theater, having rehearsals followed by previews. Now, this week, it's definitely going fast.
[00:01:11] Speaker A: I mean, that's always good, though, when it moves quickly, because then it's, you know, it means that things are going well, hopefully.
[00:01:17] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. But, you know, I also. I love the rehearsal process. Sometimes it's a little sad to know, like, dang, it's happening so quickly. Like, I want to keep. I want to keep playing.
[00:01:29] Speaker A: So can you tell us a little bit about the show and what drew you to it?
[00:01:32] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
So it's based on the MGM film, obviously, of the same name. Tony Curtis, Jack Lemon, Marilyn Monroe.
But it's sort of like an old school Broadway style show. There's big dance numbers in it. It's extremely quick and funny. Every scene feels like it flows right one into the other. And what really drove me to it is that sort of big Broadway feel.
There's not a lot of shows that you go to now where the opening number totally wows you, or you get that. That sort of like 11:00 tap number.
You're laughing the whole time. Like, that's the kind of show that this is.
It moves quick, and it has all that wit that you're looking for from the original film.
It's also got a lot of heart. You know, our show has definitely. It's changed from the film. Right. It is based on some like it hot. And what you see within our show is a lot of beautiful relationships, a lot of characters sort of coming into their own, being accepted for who they are and who they want to be and everything about it so feel good. I can't help but smile in the show, not just because I'm an actor, but it really does, it feels good to do every night, and audiences are loving it. They're laughing the entire time. There's, like, literal aws moments. Like, it's great to have a show that really hits people hard and fast, and it touches them as well.
[00:03:23] Speaker A: So it's not only that classic Broadway show, but it's really connecting with audiences.
[00:03:31] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. I think.
I think a lot of people were surprised by how the script has changed, you know, has been, you know, sort of updated and.
And it's.
Sorry, forgive me.
A lot of people are surprised by, you know, how our script was updated, but it's. It's just got so much heart. It. It's not only very, very funny, but it deals with a lot of things that we deal with now, you know, like our identities, our. I like who we want to be and how we treat one another.
And that's really at the heart of the show.
[00:04:12] Speaker A: You know, that's one of the beautiful things about a lot of Broadway shows, is that it transcends because it's so universal, those messages. So it's cool that you can still pick up on that even in a show that even though it's adapted, it's been around for a long time.
What was your audition process like?
[00:04:30] Speaker B: My audition process? I first sent in self tape. I had just moved back to New York City after having lived in LA for a couple years. I sort of thought I was done doing theater, to tell you the truth. A lot of things have changed, obviously, in the last few years, and I thought maybe it was time for me to pivot. I'm 33 years old.
[00:04:55] Speaker A: That's not that old.
[00:04:57] Speaker B: Thank you. I agree.
I had just moved back to New York after. After a couple of years in LA, and this was actually my first audition back in the city in, like, four years. So I shot a self tape at my best friend's house. A couple weeks later, they called me into the studio, and it was definitely.
I was definitely a little nervous because, like I said, I thought. I kind of thought I was done with theater. I hadn't been, like, dancing, dancing in a long time, and suddenly they're like, 5678, you're gonna do this crazy Broadway tap, and now you're gonna do swing dancing with this girl. And it's. The show itself has a lot of energy. The auditions were just the same way. Every time I got called in. It was more and more like, more dancing I could do, more scenes I could do.
I also understudy the character of Osgoode. And so on top of the ensemble stuff, I had the opportunity to learn some awesome material and to work in the room with are Casey, Nicola, our associate director, Steve Beboo.
And after about three rounds of auditions in the month of March, I sat around in my hands for a couple weeks and then heard about it in April.
Yeah, it was a lot of fun, and I met a lot of people in that process that ended up being in the show with me. And, you know, it's, it's cool to, like, watch other people's process grow and then feel like you already know the people that you're going to be working with just based on, on the rooms that they put us in and how they sort of, like, wanted us to start to work as an ensemble, like, early.
[00:06:38] Speaker A: That's awesome. So you mentioned about being both on, on the ensemble and understudy for Osgoode. Are there challenges to learning two different roles in a show like this?
[00:06:47] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, sure.
In this show, I think I change costumes about 14 or 15 times.
I'm always running around backstage, and that's fun. That's a lot of energy. That's a lot to remember, like, exactly where I need to be.
I was listening to another interview from my castmate, Devon Hadsell from the original Broadway company, and now she's touring with us.
And she was saying one of her favorite parts of the show is there's as much choreography off stage as there is on stage. Okay. My discord's on in the background.
It's okay.
And so when you think about, like, learning your own show, it's not only like you're singing on stage, as soon as you go off stage, there's a basket, there's two dressers. They're getting ready to dress you. You need to remember, I told them, I step into these pants, left foot first, because I have 15 seconds to change clothes, you know? Sure. So with my own track, it's very dense. And then Osgoode, he has a lot of moments in the show that he kind of needs to carry. He has about three solo songs and many more songs in which he sings. And it's definitely a challenge to go from something that is such a whirlwind, athletic night to a show where I am acting with, you know, with Tavis on stage, who was playing Daphne and Jerry, and he's also supposed to be a little bit older. So I love my athletic ensemble dancing moments, but I'm also, at heart, I'm sort of like a character y guy.
[00:08:32] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:08:33] Speaker B: So I love those moments where I get to, where I get to slow down and show a little heart.
But, yeah, it is sort of like, you got a gear shift to, oh, wait, I don't have to run around so much. Like, let me share more of myself with the audience and this story and my friends all around me. Not that you don't, you know, do that in the ensemble, but when you run it around so much, it's definitely, it's definitely got its challenges, but it's so rewarding when you get those moments to, to step into someone else's shoes. And Edward Hubier, who plays the role, he has so much heart, and he's so funny. It is a little daunting to step into his role because it is so ingrained in who he is, and all he has to do is go on stage. His first line is, well, and it's so funny just the way he does it because he is a funny guy. And so that's, I think my biggest challenge is, like, how do I, how do I match Edward? He's incredible.
[00:09:37] Speaker A: I'd imagine it's hard to follow in shoes, you know, sometimes like that when you're having to pick up that role and make it your own, and that can be daunting at some times.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: Yeah. But I am also extremely grateful for the opportunity because it's so different than any role I've played before. I mentioned my age, but I've always been playing, like, teenagers. This is probably my first time I have a role where I can be like, hey, I'm an adult person.
[00:10:08] Speaker A: Is there anything specific you do to get into the mind of, like, when you have to become Asuka, do you have anything to get into his mindset, or does it differ from when you are, you know, getting the mindset of being in the ensemble?
[00:10:20] Speaker B: Well, I haven't played the role yet. We are just still basically in our rehearsal process. We open on Friday.
The biggest difference is to make sure that I'm not just telling my own story but that I'm also working in service to the story of the characters that Osgoode touches. You know, he meets the company, you know, the women who are in the ensemble.
He takes them on a big adventure through Mexico, and then, and then specifically his relationship with Daphne.
A big part of my process is not just my own. It's also to make sure that tavis, who plays Daphne, or whoever it is that's playing Daphne at that time, knows that I am working in service of their story. And so more so than just a warm up routine, I want to check in with that person, because we're not just robots. It's like our night tonight is so different, and I'll typically want to, like, come a little early and just, like, talk for a while, have that. That chemistry, both on and off stage, just helps to know that, like, hey, I'm here. I'm doing something that's uncomfortable for me. I want to make sure that you're totally comfortable, because I know it's new for you, too.
So that's probably my biggest difference is, like, I just.
Apart from, you know, I'm gonna do my workout, and I'm gonna. I'm gonna sing my songs. Like, I need to make sure that, like, my heart and my mind are there, too.
[00:11:55] Speaker A: Makes perfect sense.
You were to play Davey in the first national tour of newsies. How do you feel like that role maybe helped you prepare for something like it?
[00:12:04] Speaker B: Hot newsies was a very big show. You know, we were traveling with, like, the Broadway set, large, giant mechanical towers, and you're always running around while this huge thing is dancing around.
What I learned there was that even on a crowded stage, and our stage could be real crowded, too. I mean, we were doing everything they did on Broadway, and we're moving set pieces in and out the whole time.
Safety first, I think, is what I learned with newsies. You know, you got 300 something shows to do a year, and that's tough on your body, that's tough on your mind, and you can't get comfortable with it because, you know, we're not. We are. It is a play, but we are not playing. Sure. Everything is very detailed, down to. Down to the second, and you have to take care of each other, and you got to take care of yourself. I think it taught me how to work, you know, eight shows a week, how to. How to prepare myself, how to get myself ready for a show every day. It also taught me how to travel and how to relax. Okay, I am going to. I spend a lot of time in my hotel rooms.
I brought all my toys with me. You know, I'm getting my steam deck. I got my switch here. I paint Warhammer models.
You have to take care of yourself every day for the show. And offstage, they had informed me that.
[00:13:46] Speaker A: You were a gamer. And our sister site is very into comics and gaming and stuff, so I was going to ask you PC or console? But it sounds like it's a little.
[00:13:54] Speaker B: Bit of both, yeah, but definitely PC that everyone was like, are you going to miss New York? I was like, yeah, I really miss my computer.
I built a tower or whatever. Right now I'm on my work computer, but definitely, definitely a PC gamer.
[00:14:17] Speaker A: What are some of your comfort games?
[00:14:19] Speaker B: Some of my comfort games, they have the remakes of Katamari Damacy and we love Katamarie. Those are two of my comfort games and like, some of my all time favorite soundtracks.
At night I play a game called Blood bowl, which has a tabletop alternative as well, so I paint figures for that. But then I also play the digital version of it. I'm in like a discord league with a bunch of other dudes in their thirties and I love to play that. It's sort of like football meets chess meets fantasy combat where you have eleven on eleven and your orcs and elves trying to score touchdowns and you can kill each other. Okay, I thought that one. Oh, yeah.
It's one of my favorite games that I can't get any of my friends into you for sure. It's so much more fun in person because I am a sucker for dice rolling, but the fact that there is a digital version is really cool too.
[00:15:29] Speaker A: That's awesome. Touring can obviously put a lot of strain on an individual. I'm a psychologist in my day job, so I always want to know how are you prioritizing your mental health on the road? And obviously gaming is part of that. But do you feel like you're taking time for yourself?
[00:15:44] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, you have to, you know, preparation for the show is, is paramount on the road. Right. You know, it's. You got to take care of your body, your voice, your mind, your, you know, your stomach, you know, what you're eating is also very important.
Sort of like how you, how you regiment your day, because it does take up like a pretty weird chunk in the middle of your day, not to mention rehearsals and stuff like that.
[00:16:08] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:16:09] Speaker B: But, you know, I work hard, play hard. I. As soon as I'm home, I'm popping on the headphones, I'm on my discord.
I keep in touch with, you know, friends in New York as well as like a large group of childhood friends I have. And it helps to feel like you're not stuck in a hotel room all the time.
I've fostered sort of like an online community that always helps me to feel like I'm home no matter where I am.
And on top of that, the company that I'm traveling with are amazing, lovely, wonderful people. And we have the privilege of being in so many great cities and going out for food or cocktails or just exploring on our days off.
That's the job, really, is the traveling portion of it. Singing, dancing, acting with all these great.
You don't have to pay me for that. Please do. But that's the people I work with. We all take care of one another where we can, but the job is the traveling portion of it.
And that's what I learned the first time I toured, too, is how can I be my best self on and off the stage?
[00:17:34] Speaker A: That's fantastic. So while, you know, you're still in previews and stuff like that, how do you feel? Like something like it had pushed you.
[00:17:41] Speaker B: As an actor, it's. I mentioned my 14 costume changes. Yes. I have so many opportunities to make fun characters.
I describe myself as a character actor. And even if my scenes are short, even if I'm just in the background, I'm always playing.
And those 1415 costumes allow me to be a lot of different people.
On top of that, we're building a world on stage. You know, Casey Nicola, our Tony award winning choreographer director, he loves when his ensembles feel like a living, breathing thing. You know, we're not necessarily just like song and dance people, and then we're on and off stage like, he loves the world to feel real.
And we've been given that permission to sort of play around. And so in any given scene, I'm working as a stagehand, I'm working as an old cop, I'm working as a waiter, I'm working as a bell hop in this fancy hotel. Or I get the ability. I have one scene where I come on and I'm a very angry Austrian Mandev. I not only am I jumping around into different clothes and into different parts of the stage and dances the whole time, I'm like, now, where am I? Who am I? What do I get to be? I'm like. I'm changing masks all the time.
My show, in particular, I feel like I get the opportunity to be a lot of my selves, and that's so much fun. Just to juggle those moments and to try to surprise my castmates every day.
[00:19:27] Speaker A: That's a fantastic. One final question. You had mentioned that part of, you know, your mental health is obviously going out to the cities and exploring. Do you have specific things that you look for when you go to the cities? Or, like, you know, is there certain, like, experiences that you always try to, like, let's. Let's do this thing? Or, like, let's look for the best coffee shop. When you. When you head to your different cities.
[00:19:48] Speaker B: Coffee is. Coffee is probably number one. I gotta find the best cold brew I can basically anywhere. I like my coffee to taste like jet fuel.
That is always a big one for me.
I love a delicious cocktail. I remember Detroit being the only city in the country besides New Orleans where I could get a sazerac that I liked because it's a hard cocktail to make. I don't know.
[00:20:18] Speaker A: So that's priority number one.
[00:20:21] Speaker B: Priority number one, coffee. Priority number two, Sazerac.
That's my old guy cocktail. I think it's very, very. Some, like a hot era.
I always.
I love to feel like a city's heart, you know, I like to find live music, whether preferably not like a big band coming through, but like. Like a venue with some history. I love jazz music, so I always tend to look out for experiences, usually later at night, because our shows are late at night where I can sit and sort of, like, feel the culture of the city.
I love a famous restaurant. I love a famous music venue.
I love tiki bars.
I like kitschy stuff.
[00:21:15] Speaker A: All of which you can find in Detroit.
[00:21:17] Speaker B: Yeah. And I'll definitely be looking for tabletop gaming stores. That's a big part of. I love to play d and D and other similar tabletop style games. I paint my Warhammer figures. If I could sneak in and get a game of blood volume in or even, like, a low. A low value Aegis Sigmar game like that, that would. That's always fun to roll up and see, you know, a culture that I care about and how it's. How it's celebrated in the cities that. That I get to visit.
[00:21:48] Speaker A: That is so awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time, Stephen. We are so excited to see some, like, a hot winter rolls in in just a few weeks. But good luck on. On the start of this tour, and we can't wait to see you.
[00:22:01] Speaker B: Thank you so much, Brian. Enjoy the rest of your day, man.
[00:22:03] Speaker A: Bye.
