KCAA: The Scene with Doreen (Tue, 15 Jul, 2025)

KCAA: The Scene with Doreen on Tue, 15 Jul, 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Eteen thirty two.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
That work.

Speaker 3 (00:09):
Coming to you from the City of Brotherly Love. It's
the scene with Doreene going behind the scenes with the
biggest stars and getting to know the person behind the
personality time Shadow Stevens and No, here's your host, Billboard

(00:31):
journning recording artist and reigning queen on the scene. Doreene Taylor.

Speaker 4 (00:39):
Hello, Hello, welcome see the show.

Speaker 5 (00:44):
Great show today, We've got a Broadway show themed show.
Even though we're from the City of Brotherly Love. We're
going to dive into Broadway. But before we get to that.

Speaker 4 (00:53):
It's going to be the fourth of July.

Speaker 5 (00:55):
We are right here on the precipice, right here on
the doorstep of the fourth of July.

Speaker 4 (01:00):
Lie So happy fourth, Matt Monark.

Speaker 6 (01:02):
Happy fourth, Doreen Taylor, thank you.

Speaker 4 (01:04):
I'm very formal. I was gonna say, though, what's your
middle name?

Speaker 6 (01:08):
Thomas?

Speaker 4 (01:08):
I gotta do the three name. But we were talking before.

Speaker 6 (01:11):
If I'm not in trouble, I don't is gonna say.

Speaker 5 (01:14):
Did you notice we were talking about this before the
show that if you use three names, you're either like
in trouble from your parents or.

Speaker 4 (01:19):
You're going to be a shooter. Yes, that's true Lea
Harvy Oswald. There were always the shooters are in trouble.

Speaker 5 (01:24):
They are It's like Sir Hans or hands or hands
whatever it was. There was like all these three names. Yeah,
it's like, well they're in trouble, yeah, or you're unsaved
by the bell scom In the nineties, I think it
was one of the two things if you used three names.

Speaker 4 (01:36):
Apparently those and Mark Paul daw how you say it?
But yeah, yeah, that's true.

Speaker 6 (01:43):
I didn't think of that.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
It is you got to use the three name role.

Speaker 6 (01:46):
Jameric Way Taylor, is it?

Speaker 5 (01:48):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (01:49):
How did you know? I just totally look like that. Lynn.
My middle name is Lynn.

Speaker 6 (01:53):
That's very uncommon middle name.

Speaker 4 (01:55):
Really, is it? No, everyone in my family's Lynn.

Speaker 6 (01:57):
I'm just joking.

Speaker 5 (01:58):
Yeah, I think I've said the story like Lilly I have.
My parents are not really it was my mom who
named me, so I don't think my dad had much
input on that. But yeah, everyone in our family, all
the women, everyone has Linn in the middle and lt
d lt. It's kind of like a new Sandwich sandwich,
the dort sandwich. I could go off on that, but
you know what, let's not because there's a holiday coming,

(02:18):
and I'm excited.

Speaker 4 (02:20):
I don't really do much on the holidays.

Speaker 5 (02:21):
It's hot, it's gross, but yeah, I'll barbecue, probably do something.

Speaker 4 (02:25):
You have any plans?

Speaker 6 (02:26):
Not really. I'm actually off, which is good. So I
don't know. It's just we'll see what happens in the neighborhood.
Maybe we'll get together with people in the neighborhood. I'm
not sure.

Speaker 5 (02:36):
Well, maybe you're celebrating early because today we have a
bunch of celebrations, because it's what do we got today?

Speaker 4 (02:41):
We've got national uh.

Speaker 6 (02:43):
Your Bean's Day, which is something that you have on
July fourth? Oh, any other days?

Speaker 4 (02:48):
Do we beans on July fourth? Is that? What the
fireworks are? Is that you're eating? All these people are
eating beans.

Speaker 5 (02:55):
That is welles it take that long to digest? I
don't know a lot of people. It's pretty pretty.

Speaker 6 (02:59):
Fair, especially if you're drinking some beer too. Oh my
bad experiences. The beans they.

Speaker 4 (03:05):
Could be lifting off, Yeah, that could beans.

Speaker 5 (03:07):
Beans the musical fruit. The more you eat, the more
you too, the more you too, the better you feel.

Speaker 4 (03:11):
So eat your.

Speaker 6 (03:11):
Beans with every meal.

Speaker 4 (03:13):
There you go.

Speaker 5 (03:13):
I think every child ever that was raised within the
last like thirty forty years knows that.

Speaker 6 (03:18):
Or it's beans. Beans good for your heart. The more
you eat, the more you the more you the better
you feel. So eat beans with every meal.

Speaker 4 (03:26):
I love it. I love it. I I do try
to eat beans. I like them. They don't affect me
the way other people do, though I don't notice the difference.

Speaker 5 (03:33):
Now. It's like Crucifer's vegetables. Like you know in Big
Bang Theory, when Sheldon ate his cruciferous vegetables. He thought
he was having like some kind of panic. What was
it like a I don't know, pendicitis or something. He
had so much pain and it just happened to be
he had to yeah, and then he felt better.

Speaker 6 (03:49):
Gassie, show well before you eat your beans, you also
have to celebrate another day, because today's National Compliment your
Mirror Day.

Speaker 4 (03:57):
Compliment your mirror? What do you don't I don't understand.

Speaker 6 (04:00):
What do you do?

Speaker 4 (04:00):
Say?

Speaker 5 (04:01):
You're a very nice mirror. Thank you for hanging on
my walls so proudly. I love the shine and the
frame around you. I mean, why do you compliment your mirror?

Speaker 6 (04:08):
It's description as you're supposed to compliment yourself before you
rush out the door. Because everybody the world is always
in a big rush and doing all this stuff. So
make sure you pause and tell yourself in the mirror,
just something good.

Speaker 4 (04:21):
I'm Doreen and people like me.

Speaker 6 (04:23):
There you go.

Speaker 5 (04:23):
People are gravitated towards me. I'm going to have a
good day today. I'm going to have a good show today. Yeah,
I could see that. That's not allusion.

Speaker 6 (04:31):
Can I tell yourself I'm not light in the eyes
and say that.

Speaker 5 (04:33):
I think that's kind of creepy for me to have
to tell myself.

Speaker 4 (04:36):
You know what, that's what we need.

Speaker 5 (04:37):
More people with inflated egos complimenting themselves while they're looking
at themselves.

Speaker 4 (04:41):
Yeah, that's what we need.

Speaker 5 (04:42):
We don't have enough selfies and we don't have enough
influencers and selfies out there.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
That we got to take more now in our mirror.

Speaker 6 (04:47):
That is true, now that you think about that, that
maybe they need to adjust that.

Speaker 4 (04:51):
You insult yourself in the mirror.

Speaker 5 (04:53):
Day.

Speaker 6 (04:54):
Isn't too many people national, you know, compliment yourself a
little lesson.

Speaker 4 (04:59):
A little less.

Speaker 5 (05:00):
Let's be a little more realistic about the way we
look now day.

Speaker 4 (05:03):
I like that, you know, I'm not a downer. I
am sort of Wie Downer. But no, I think I am.
I really am.

Speaker 5 (05:10):
But yeah, I mean, there's nothing wrong with having a
good self esteem, but some people take that out of control.

Speaker 4 (05:16):
They do. They have a really really, really good self esteem,
and that's kind of yeah. Yeah, we all know those people,
Yes we do, I think so I'm not one of them.
I swear math's gonna telemate.

Speaker 6 (05:26):
You cut yourself down more than anybody.

Speaker 7 (05:28):
I do.

Speaker 8 (05:28):
I do.

Speaker 4 (05:29):
But you know what, today I will try.

Speaker 5 (05:31):
I will say something nice to them around not around people,
but I will talk to myself in a mirror.

Speaker 4 (05:35):
Hopefully nobody will commit me.

Speaker 6 (05:37):
And well, one thing I know that you did get
compliments on because you used to be a Broadway performer.

Speaker 4 (05:41):
Yes, I was.

Speaker 5 (05:42):
I did my own show, I produced, I wrote, I
starred in my own off broad prey production twice.

Speaker 4 (05:48):
I was off Broadway.

Speaker 6 (05:49):
So I'm sure you didn't need the mirror to get compliments.
I'm sure that you've gotten some.

Speaker 5 (05:53):
Sometimes, you know, when the critics pan you, it's sometimes
nice to tell yourself I'm okay, I'm Durene Taylor.

Speaker 4 (05:58):
And people really do you like me?

Speaker 7 (06:03):
No?

Speaker 5 (06:03):
But yeah, that was a big chapter of my life
and a wonderful learning experience on both sides of the coin,
good and bad. Keeps you grounded, but it also pretty
cool to have that on your resume.

Speaker 4 (06:14):
And today is a.

Speaker 5 (06:15):
Day that I thought I would love to do a
show and kind of revisit a little bit of that
and do a Broadway based show but with someone it
actually was collaborating with me on that production.

Speaker 6 (06:25):
Yeah, that should be good to reconnect with somebody that
from that part of your life.

Speaker 4 (06:30):
And we haven't done it since I did it in
twenty nineteen, So this will be fun.

Speaker 5 (06:34):
It'll be a you know, revisit of those times. Maybe
it'll inspire me. Maybe I'll go back onto Broadway.

Speaker 6 (06:39):
Yeah, let's hurry up and do this.

Speaker 4 (06:40):
Let's do it.

Speaker 5 (06:41):
The Broadway poster is often the first impression that someone
will get from a show and decide whether they want
to go see it or not. For decades, ticket holders
will get their first taste of a show before they
ever walk into a theater. One sheet of rectangular paper
can set the entire mood of an evening before the
curtain ever goes up. My guest today on the Scene
with Doreen has designed the art that has defined an

(07:03):
entire industry, from The Lion King to Sweeney Todd to
even my very own Off Broadway production of Sincerely Oscar
drama Desk Award winning artist Frank fravorver Lizzo has been
the man behind the scenes of the world of theatrical advertising.
He has created over two hundred and fifty theater posters
designs from Broadway, off Broadway, and around the globe, and

(07:25):
his art has been seen by billions of people throughout
his half a century as a designer. If that were
not enough, Frank is now throwing his creative hat into
the murder mystery genre with a new series based around
nineteen seventies Broadway. His first book, Scenery of the Crime,
was just released, and I am thrilled to have him
on the show today to chat about it and much

(07:46):
more so. Let's bring in award winning artist, designer and
author Frank fravor of Lizzo to the show.

Speaker 4 (07:52):
Hi, Frank, Welcome to the scene with Doreen.

Speaker 2 (07:54):
Hello Doreen, great to see you.

Speaker 5 (07:56):
Great to see you too. It's been been a minute
since we were in the same room together. It's been
a few years.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
Flash. Every once in a while I come across pictures
of us on your opening night.

Speaker 4 (08:07):
Oh I love it.

Speaker 5 (08:10):
Yeah, So for anyone living under a rock, it's a
treat to have you here because we collaborated about seven
years ago.

Speaker 4 (08:16):
On my design or your design for my own off
Broadway show. Sincerely, Oscar right, that's.

Speaker 2 (08:23):
Crazy, hear and dear to my heart, because I certainly
spent a lot of time in the offices of Rogers
and Hammerstein, I know it, even designed their corporate logo,
and so I have very special fondness for them. And
then your show even compounded that, so it was pretty wonderful.

Speaker 4 (08:40):
I remember how excited.

Speaker 5 (08:42):
Yeah, it was exciting to learn through my the show's
management company, that you were coming on board to do it,
and knowing your resume with Rogers and Hammerstein and all
the shows you don't Carousel, Oklahoma, King and I and
like you said, the RNH organization, you know, doing their logo.

Speaker 4 (08:59):
I was like this, this is sort of a match
made in heaven.

Speaker 2 (09:02):
I know it was. It was for me.

Speaker 4 (09:04):
Yes, me too, me too, So what a dream come true?
And now here we are full circle. But before we
get to.

Speaker 5 (09:10):
Your new author being a you know, a mystery murder
mystery author, I want to go back and just talk
a little bit about why.

Speaker 4 (09:19):
You're such a good Broadway murder mystery author.

Speaker 5 (09:22):
People. You know, people don't realize, but designing a poster
for a Broadway show, it costs millions. For a Broadway show,
It isn't necessarily creating art first and foremost. It's in
reality about creating the perfect ad that will inspire millions
of people to go see a show. And that's where
your your foundation is advertising, right.

Speaker 2 (09:43):
Absolutely. I spent my career in advertising theatrical advertising agencies,
so I did learn very quickly that it was a
very collaborative art, as you know, because we collaborated on
your show. I would go, I would present you with
a selection of designs, we talk about them, and I'd

(10:06):
make some changes if necessary, hopefully within the range of
the artwork I've presented. You find something that spoke to
you which happened with your show. Thank goodness.

Speaker 4 (10:17):
Yes, yes, I'm easy, I'm easy to work with. Hopefully
it was painless.

Speaker 2 (10:21):
Hopefully, Oh, it was very painless. It was a pleasure actually,
But it's you know, sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's a
little bit of a puzzle to try to try to
nail down what the specific production is trying to tell
the world in a two dimensional graphic. That's the fun

(10:42):
challenge for me, and I do enjoy the process. I
enjoyed designing off on my own to begin with, and
then I enjoyed the collaboration with the creatives because it
informs me time and again more about the project. I mean,
no one knows you show better than you do.

Speaker 5 (11:02):
Hopefully Hopefully if I don't, then that's a big problem.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (11:07):
Actually, well, like you said, producers, authors, directors, designers and
sometimes even the stars way in on a decision about
what they see on that final poster. So tell me,
you know, we're gonna dish right off the bat here,
We're gonna spill some tea. What was the hardest one
that you've i've've done over two hundred and fifty What
was the most difficult one for you where you had

(11:28):
like countless edits and you just couldn't get them to
be happy.

Speaker 2 (11:33):
There was a show pretty early on, I'd say in
my career, starring Richard Dreyfus. It was called Total abandon
It had very prestigious producers, Lisimon Cannon nel NuGen, who
had produced hit after hit after hit like Elephant Man
and I mean just countless Dracula, countless number of hits,

(11:57):
and they were producing this but the show involved child abuse.
It was not a pleasant subject. So I, along with
many other designers who also were working on the design
for the poster, came out a bunch of ideas I
had started with. And once again, my theatrical agency office

(12:19):
was very informal. Clients would wander in and out all day,
and you know, it was a pretty great atmosphere, sometimes
a little daunting because you didn't want anybody to see
what you were working on. But that was a lost cause.
So you just had a you.

Speaker 4 (12:34):
Know, yeah, Grin and Barrett right exactly.

Speaker 2 (12:38):
But early on, Liz McCann, the producer I had walked
into my office when I was doing I was fingerpainting
the logo. She said, oh, that's interesting. So we had
a little conversation. Easily two months went by and many
presentations for her show any posters. At one point, out

(13:02):
of desperation, they asked to see everything again, and we
must have had about forty posters up on the wall. Wow,
And she focused on that said, oh, I remember that fingerprinting.
I like that. Let's use let's use that. It was
like the very first thing I had shown, so we
could torment. Yeah, I would say that was probably the

(13:26):
most difficult where I was really pulling out my hair.
And then of course well not of course, but the
show just closed almost I think opening night. I'm not mistaken.

Speaker 4 (13:36):
Oh after all that.

Speaker 2 (13:37):
Oh, no, I know, but that you know, that's uh,
you never know. I work on every show, every project
I work on, I treat as if it's going to
be the next Lion King, for the next God, because
it could very well be. There's no formula for a
huge hit.

Speaker 4 (13:57):
No one knows what's going to be a hit or
a flop. You just don't know.

Speaker 5 (14:00):
You everybody goes in thinking it's going to be a
hit or else you don't put that kind of money
in or you have some kind of weird sickness if
you do. But yeah, you and I love that You've
always approached that, even with me. I'm some little person
coming in unknown. I mean, I had a career elsewhere
in pop music, but you know, crossing over and you
treated me as though I was, you know, Patty Lapone
coming in and you know working with me.

Speaker 4 (14:23):
Oh, I love you.

Speaker 5 (14:26):
Well, now that we're flattering each other proficiently. I do
want to give a shout out to your book, Favor
by Design, five decades of theater poster art from Broadway,
Off Broadway and beyond. Lots of you know, text in that,
but you dedicate an entire chapter to the rejected designs.
And that kind of led me to that because you're
just talking about all of these forty other kind of

(14:48):
versions of it. You know, what, do you ever believe
that one was rejected that is still better than the
one that they actually picked?

Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, the answer is yes, one one particular example, and
then I have to say on the whole, well, let
me backtrack. The one that I do think could have
been better originally was Into the Woods. My poster was
the Bridesmaid, as I'd like to say, but they went
a different direction. But I always felt that mine had

(15:17):
a stronger message and explained the format of the show
a little bit more. But on the whole, even if
I felt very strongly about a piece of art that
I'd done and they didn't use it, and so you
go to the opening night and I'm looking at the
playbill cover and it's a piece of art that someone
else has done. Once you've seen the show, I totally

(15:40):
would understand how we got to that solution. It always
made sense to me after the fact. Unfortunately, I don't
have a crystal ball, so I could never foresee what
would be most appropriate for the way the show actually
looked and sounded and formed on the stage.

Speaker 5 (16:01):
Right, And you know, for people that aren't in the world,
how what do you get? And you know, before they
say we want you to design this poster, how much
do you actually see? Do they just tell you a
title and these are the people starring? And sometimes maybe
not even that.

Speaker 2 (16:15):
I'll say sometimes they say, well, this is the title,
but it might change.

Speaker 4 (16:19):
This is a placeholder.

Speaker 2 (16:21):
I'm designing the title. You can't you can't do with that.
But it's it depends on how much lead time we've had.
Some shows, if they have a huge budget, we have
not the leisure, but we have more time to work
on it. And then other shows, because the theater suddenly

(16:44):
is available, have to come into New York immediately, and
you know it's a surprise to everyone. So you just
get all the wheels in gear and get moving as
quickly as you can.

Speaker 5 (16:57):
Do you like the time or do you rather or
do you better when it's just you know, trial by fire.
Here it is, I got to give it to you
in like a day.

Speaker 2 (17:04):
Well, they're both, they're both equally challenging in different ways.

Speaker 4 (17:09):
Yeah, No, that's true. A lot more time to change
your mind when you have a lot more time.

Speaker 2 (17:15):
I was just going to say that as a performer,
you must often think, well, if I had more time,
maybe I would have done it this.

Speaker 4 (17:21):
Way all the time, all the time, even in the show.

Speaker 5 (17:24):
You know, I asked the best questions I can possibly prepare,
and then later I'm like, oh I should have asked that,
or oh why didn't I ask that? So hopefully I
cover all bases. But yes, I'm people who are perfectionists
and a lot of time people in the arts, they
they definitely moll over the things they could have done
differently or better.

Speaker 4 (17:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (17:40):
I think it's a never ending thing. Cycle.

Speaker 4 (17:43):
It's a cycle. It's part of our temperament. I think
it's why we do what we.

Speaker 2 (17:46):
Do absolutely and enjoy it.

Speaker 4 (17:50):
True, true most most of the time. Yes, most of
the time.

Speaker 6 (17:53):
We enjoy it.

Speaker 2 (17:55):
The time.

Speaker 4 (17:56):
That's good. I'll take those odds. I'd go to Vegas
on those odds.

Speaker 5 (17:58):
Yeah, well, Sweeney Todd, the demon Barber of Fleet Street,
just celebrated forty five years last year. And to me,
that's probably one of your most iconic Frank Favor poster designs.
And that design came very early in your career. That
was sort of right out of the gate for you.

Speaker 2 (18:18):
It's sort of I've been marking probably oof, I don't know,
maybe six or six years maybe, Yeah.

Speaker 5 (18:27):
But relatively speaking, that was, you know, because you've been
doing it for over fifty So, yeah, we don't want
to age you too much here, so let's just like, well, wait,
wash all that.

Speaker 4 (18:37):
We'll just get rid of all of that.

Speaker 2 (18:40):
Airbrush.

Speaker 4 (18:41):
Yeah, photoshop, I love photoshop.

Speaker 5 (18:46):
But yeah, that was seventy nine, nineteen seventy nine, and yeah,
you were just a baby coming out and yeah, yeah,
so it was an.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
I mean, obviously it was a thrill and an honor,
I believe, although I subsequently designed a lot of Stephen
Soinheim show posters.

Speaker 9 (19:06):
Yes you did.

Speaker 2 (19:07):
I do believe that might have been I think that was.

Speaker 4 (19:10):
The first I think so too going.

Speaker 5 (19:11):
I was looking at your entire like resume and trying
to get all the timeline right. And yes, because follies
came after. Sunday in the Park with George came after. So, yeah,
I believe that was your first crack at Sondheim.

Speaker 2 (19:23):
It was, and it was a pretty good one with
a great show.

Speaker 5 (19:29):
Yes, very cool that I grew up in music classes
and it was on the wall as a poster. I
had the sheet music and it was it was the
cover of the sheet music. So my experience with you
came years ago before I ever even met you.

Speaker 4 (19:42):
And so seeing that in my head, you know.

Speaker 2 (19:45):
I usually want to throttle people who say, oh, I
was in great school.

Speaker 7 (19:48):
And.

Speaker 5 (19:50):
I don't usually say that, but you know, it just
kind of gives the idea of, like to to my
viewers and my listeners, how incredible and really instrumental you
are in that genre and in that industry. You have
been there throughout all of the greatest shows in the
past what fifty years.

Speaker 2 (20:08):
Yeah, it was. It was a pretty amazing time theater wise.
It was like a second Golden Age and felt very,
very fortunate to be a part of it.

Speaker 5 (20:20):
It was pretty wonderful, Yes, And you also were kind
of revolutionary in that poster design for Sweety Todd.

Speaker 4 (20:27):
You were one of the first that was showing blood.
I'm a poster and they wanted more.

Speaker 2 (20:33):
Yeah, well Stephen Sonheim wanted more.

Speaker 4 (20:36):
When Sonheim one. When Sonheim wants something, Sonheim gets something.

Speaker 2 (20:40):
Now, Yes, absolutely, so.

Speaker 6 (20:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (20:45):
We had a funny phone call system at the office
at the time where the receptionists would announce a call
for anyone, so you know, Dreen, there's a call from
you know whoever, And whenever I get Frank, there is
a call from Stephen Sonheim. Fifty seven people would pile
into my office to listen to the phone call, and

(21:06):
I always thought that was very funny.

Speaker 5 (21:09):
I was gonna say, if you're talking about something private too,
that would be a little uncomfortable.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
A little bit privacy.

Speaker 5 (21:19):
I also heard you almost blew the Big Shot because
you had to go present it to Angela Lansbury, who
is the star, and you were showing, like we were
talking earlier in the show about how sometimes the stars
have to weigh in on and on a design, and
you went to show her, but you kind of let
the cat out of the bag about a very integral
part of that plot that the producers had planned on.

Speaker 2 (21:39):
I did. I had seen costume sketches and in the
costume sketches the character of Missus Love. It was very,
very obese, and you know, I thought, wow, Angela Lansbury
hasn't been that long since I've seen her on stage.

Speaker 4 (21:55):
What happened?

Speaker 2 (21:56):
Yeah, the director Harol Prince said, I'm going to talk
to her about wearing a fat suit. That okay. So
I did the Missus Loved character drawing in rotund fashion,
and when I found out, I was told I had
to show it to her for her approval. I immediately went
back in and drew two others, getting thinner and then thin,

(22:20):
then thinner, and so I felt a little more comfortable
when I went to present to her. However, like as
you hinted, no one had talked to her about wearing
a fat suit or overweight, and she was a little shocked.
And when I explained that, you know, that was the

(22:40):
reason that the first drawing looked the way it did.
But then I have the these, she said, oh let's
she said, you know what, I'll play it fat use
the thinness drawing.

Speaker 4 (22:50):
There you go. Perfect.

Speaker 2 (22:51):
She couldn't have been more charming, She couldn't have been nicer.
She was just she was wonderful. So it was a
great experience presenting to a star rather than one of
the creatives of your show.

Speaker 5 (23:04):
Yes, you are listening to the Seamen Durian and I
am chatting with Drama Desk award winning artist and designer
Frank fravor Verlizzo.

Speaker 4 (23:12):
When we come back, we talk about how Frank.

Speaker 5 (23:14):
Is now throwing his creative hat into the murder mystery
world as a new author, and we're going to wrap
it all up.

Speaker 4 (23:20):
Don't you go anywhere.

Speaker 10 (23:22):
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(24:06):
by twenty four to seven. Patreonic Cards helping our soldiers
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make a difference. New York City, nineteen seventy five. Behind
the glamorous world of Broadway, behind all the beautiful scenery

(24:30):
hides a myriad of potentially life threatening hazards. Has there
ever been a stage related accident that was actually a
cover up for murder? Welcome to Scenery of the Crime,
book one in the retro Broadway mystery series where the
drama is real and the murders are diabolically staged.

Speaker 5 (24:49):
Welcome back to the sem garin a proud part of
the Beasley Media Group family, and I am your host,
story Taylor coming out of break. You heard a taste
of the new book by my guest today Drama Desk
Award winning Broadway poster design artists now turned Murder Mystery
author Frank Fravor Verlizzo. Frank, congrats on the release of
your new murder mystery book, Scenery of the Crime. You

(25:12):
are diving into the tightly woven theatrical community of the
late nineteen seventies Broadway, and your background really allows you
to give a unique behind the scenes perspective to your readers.

Speaker 2 (25:23):
Absolutely, yeah, I have very much, and I admit it freely,
have a terrible memory for those things.

Speaker 4 (25:31):
Who are you again? I don't even know what are
you talking about? Where are we? No? No, go on,
I understand.

Speaker 2 (25:37):
But really that period of time for me, when I
first started in theatrical advertising and being part of the
theater world and Broadway, and I have to say probably
that first five or six years are emblazed on my memory.
I remember weird details and people that I met and
things that happened, and so I decided I would tap

(25:59):
into that world for the Murder Mystery. And when I
first started writing it, I wanted to write about something
I was familiar with, and that's how it came about.
That's how I chose that particular period of time in
that particular place, which I knew very very well and
still know very well.

Speaker 5 (26:20):
Yes you do, out of anyone I've ever met. Yes,
you know it very well. And your two main characters,
Vic and Betty, they were really were they inspired by
anyone in real life or were these just concoctions of
like kind of a blender of a lot of different people.

Speaker 2 (26:35):
They are indeed, upland of people. Vic is probably made
up of four people, and Betty's probably made up of
four people that you know, I just picked and chose
different aspects of their personality that would help the story,
but also find them to be interesting characters to want

(26:55):
to hang out with.

Speaker 5 (26:57):
Yeah, and I've heard people say that they're kind of
like the Will and Grace of the Broadway murder mystery genre.

Speaker 2 (27:03):
They are hopefully it's very lovely of excuse me of
Richard Bridge from Broadway World to say that, yes, it's
a lovely way to look at it.

Speaker 5 (27:13):
Right, And we know how much we love them being
in our house every week, so we love that they
are going to be that kind.

Speaker 4 (27:19):
Of inspiration is going to be in a book now.
It's very cool.

Speaker 2 (27:23):
Yeah, thank you, thank you. I'm excited.

Speaker 4 (27:25):
Oh yes, you should have no idea.

Speaker 2 (27:26):
Where this adventure is going, but we'll see. You're a
great start to it. Doy.

Speaker 5 (27:31):
That was going to be my question. Now, this is
a series, so you have other books coming out. I
think another one is do out maybe later this year.

Speaker 4 (27:39):
Yes, yeah, I was.

Speaker 2 (27:39):
Admitted to three, the first three when I first wrote,
I mean when I first wrote Scenery, the Crime. I
had no idea I was ever going to write anything else.
I really did it for myself to see if I could,
because I've since I was a kid, I've loved murder mysteries,
so I just thought I would try my hand at it.
And I kind of liked what I I liked the process,

(28:01):
and I kind of like the results. So I thought,
you know what, I'm going to maybe continue with the
same setup because I did like the Theatrical land Agency
and their access to all the Broadway theaters and to
the actors and actresses and directors. You know. It gave
them an outlet, an easy outlet and very believable outlet,

(28:23):
rather than an intrusive outlet. And I also tried to
get as many theatrical landmarks that don't exist anymore. I
like that, you know, like the old Helen Hayes theaterre
on forty six years at its gorgeous Soul Theater, and
the Morosco Theater also both had both been knocked down

(28:44):
for the hotel. They're very much a part of the
scenery of the crime story because I was very fond
of them and heartbroken that they were gone. Amen about
things like manual elevators and telephone boots and you know,
things that just are not around anymore.

Speaker 5 (29:04):
I love it, and cursive, as you were saying in
cursive writing.

Speaker 2 (29:09):
I actually do mention that.

Speaker 4 (29:10):
Do you see I told you great minds think alike.
I knew it. Oh, it is a beautiful.

Speaker 5 (29:18):
Era because you know, they do a lot of the
Art Deco time and they do things like that, but
nobody really talks about the seventies in that Broadway time
and like you said, a resurgence of the theatrical community
was going on, and it was a beautiful time.

Speaker 2 (29:30):
Yes, absolutely, you know, physically New York desperately needed to
be cleaned up. It was. Oh, especially I'm Square area
was fairly, to put it nicely, disgusting.

Speaker 4 (29:43):
Yes, that was nice, that is kind.

Speaker 2 (29:47):
The subway was horrible. I mean it was really. Yeah.
You know, when we would leave the theater at night,
because we'd see shows quite often during the week, and
you know, you'd be leaving at around eleven o'clock a
night in the Times Square area, you walked really quickly.

Speaker 5 (30:03):
You still do it for different reasons now. No, it's true,
and they did clean it up, and it's it's amazing now.
I mean the difference between I stay there right yeah,
right in Times Square. I was right at the Pod Hotel.
I had an apartment up on like I don't know,
the top floors. Just when I was doing the show
and I said, this is nice, you know any place

(30:23):
in the world. I mean, I'm written the heart of it,
and it was it was nice, and I do it
alone back.

Speaker 2 (30:27):
In time gorgeous.

Speaker 4 (30:29):
Oh yeah, oh, it's beautiful facility. Acorn that used to
be the Acorn and now I don't know if they
have names anymore.

Speaker 2 (30:35):
You know, I don't know. I don't see why they
would have changed it, but who knows, who knows?

Speaker 5 (30:40):
Just you know, somebody got an idea, like do you
see when they're doing it with your designs, they just
get some weird idea and they want everything change, reinvent
the wheel for no reason whatsoever exactly.

Speaker 4 (30:51):
But we're not doing that.

Speaker 5 (30:54):
We're not doing that with your books though, because it's
got to be liberating to be collaborating with all of
these people and getting all their input and now it's
just you. You're writing your own book. You're sitting down
with that piece of paper and it's on you.

Speaker 2 (31:06):
Yep, over my shoulder. It does allow you, or allows me,
freedom to pretty much just experiment or you know, go
in one direction. If I see that the story may
not be doing what I would like it to do,
it's you know, you erase it, or you know, shelve

(31:29):
it and move on. And I very much approached the
writing the way I approached my poster designs, with layers
and going back in, you know, when when the it's
not the skeleton, but when the bulk of it was done,
going back in and filling in details to make it
more interesting and to fill it out and to make
the characters fuller. So hopefully the book captured what some

(31:57):
of my posters have captured up Broadway.

Speaker 5 (32:00):
Yes, people don't realize too that you had to take
an entire plot, an entire story, and entire everything and
put it into one rectangular sheet of paper pretty much,
and you would tell a story. You were a storyteller
all that time, even though you weren't the one writing
the book for the musical or writing the book for
the play. You were the one the first taste. Like

(32:21):
I said in the introduction, you were the first taste
of that show and kind of set the mood before
they ever walked in the theater, and that's difficult to do.
And now you're doing it and you're being able to
elaborate on all of those ideas. You're being able to
tell your story and tell the story and really, you know,
bring out all of those ideas.

Speaker 2 (32:38):
And because it takes place, you know, the center of
it is the ad agency. You do get it great
behind the scenes workings of what theatrical advertising sort of
is all about. It's not you know, all those things
you see on Time Square and billboards and lights, and
that's only the finished part of it. The process getting

(33:01):
to that, right, it's really kind of a fascinating, kind
of a fascinating look at an art form that's now.

Speaker 4 (33:11):
Basically changing, changing, we'll say changing.

Speaker 2 (33:16):
Changing, I believe for the better because you could do
it faster and probably a little more concise. But you
did lose that and like cursive, you did lose that
and written yes, individuality, yeah, but you know you make
up for in other ways.

Speaker 5 (33:36):
Right, there's always a given a take like there is
something about that old Hollywood magic, that old whatever it is,
like theatrical magic where the Rogers and Hammerstein musicals, where
they were these lavish productions and all of these costumes.

Speaker 4 (33:49):
It's become a more simplistic kind of thing.

Speaker 5 (33:52):
Very few shows out there had that kind of grandeur
quote unquote that the old shows used to have. Yeah,
so it's kind of like it has evolved. I guess,
you know, al is what we would say.

Speaker 2 (34:01):
Yeah, evolution is a description.

Speaker 4 (34:03):
Yes, Yeah, so I.

Speaker 2 (34:05):
Thought I would capture the the the part of it
that is no longer accessible. It's just not there anymore.
But there people hopefully will have a fondness for it
just as much as I do.

Speaker 5 (34:18):
There is a huge popularity, especially on like the Hallmark
Channel and other like Acorn TV and other just whole
big stations, dedicated streaming platforms dedicated to these kinds of stories,
especially period pieces. And I was just putting it out there.
I'm just sticking it out into the universe. Have you
given thought too, is this going to be something that
translates to a streaming series or maybe even back onto

(34:41):
the stage where it actually belongs.

Speaker 2 (34:44):
Wouldn't that be exciting? I say? Is no one's approached
me yet?

Speaker 4 (34:49):
Okay, well I'm putting it out there. Just started. We're
just kicking this. I mean, it just was released a
few weeks ago, so I'm just putting it out there.
You know, you never JK Rowling when she came out?
Who knew?

Speaker 2 (34:58):
You know exactly?

Speaker 6 (35:02):
But it is so perfect it.

Speaker 2 (35:06):
Kind of would be, I think, ideal. But once again,
I'm so focused now on the writing part of it
that I'm just being free form and enjoying the the
process of writing rather than designing.

Speaker 5 (35:22):
Yeah, I can see how that can be interesting a
new chapter, so to speak, in a book that you're
turning the page. I can use a lot of references,
a lot of different metaphors.

Speaker 2 (35:31):
But you should write a book.

Speaker 5 (35:34):
Oh God, nobody want to read that, or I would.
I would either be murdered for I could be one
of your series in the book because I would tell
too much.

Speaker 4 (35:41):
I know too much.

Speaker 5 (35:41):
So it's best I just keep my mouth shut and
just sit here and ask the questions instead of answer
the questions always. But okay, so you did allude to
it earlier that you don't really know where these stories
are going. Do you have kind of a skeleton idea
of kind of where you want to see this series

(36:02):
evolve or do you kind of just are You're letting
the books dictate the path.

Speaker 2 (36:05):
That goes, well, it's almost you know, I certainly knew
the first book, I obviously as the murder mystery. I
knew how it was going to end. When I realized
that I wanted to write another book using some of
the same main characters, I then peopled that story with
a whole bunch of new characters as well as the

(36:26):
mainstay characters, but also each one's individual And quite honestly,
now I'm in the middle of writing the fourth one,
which is nineteen seventy seven, so time is moving forward.
But you can really read the books in any order whatsoever.

Speaker 4 (36:42):
I love that it's not a.

Speaker 2 (36:43):
Contingent on you know, oh well I wouldn't have known
that happened or so. It's really their individual murder mysteries.
They just happen to be concerned with the Broadway community
and the theatrical ad agency that services it.

Speaker 4 (36:58):
I love it.

Speaker 5 (36:59):
And that can you endless material so that it never
actually has to plateau or come to its you know, conclusion.

Speaker 4 (37:06):
There is always a new a new story, a new murder,
so to speak.

Speaker 2 (37:11):
Yes, many avenues.

Speaker 5 (37:13):
Yes, and any of these I just got to ask,
because you know, I got to dish a little bit too,
anything that you know, you kind of experienced yourself, that
you're sort of you know, any of these sort of
true life things that you suspect maybe something happened and
you're kind of writing about it.

Speaker 4 (37:27):
Now.

Speaker 2 (37:28):
I can't say murder.

Speaker 5 (37:29):
No murder, Okay, we won't say murder, but any other
kind of crimes.

Speaker 2 (37:33):
A lot a lot of dirty doings going on.

Speaker 5 (37:37):
It's Broadway, it happens exactly. It happens in all walks
of life. I gotta say, it's not just entertainment. It's
an all avenues of life. But I just love that
you're doing this and you're kind of closing the chapter
on the theatrical poster for a while, right You're not
going to be designing as much right now, you're going
to be focusing on the on the writing.

Speaker 2 (37:57):
Writing and doing my book covers.

Speaker 4 (37:59):
I love oh book covers.

Speaker 2 (38:02):
Was very kind and said it was okay if I
went forged ahead and designed the book covers for my books.
So that's a pleasure too.

Speaker 5 (38:11):
Well, of course, how could you not design your own
book covers? That would be like ridiculous. I'd be like
a chef not designing the recipes for the restaurant that
they're working in that would just not work.

Speaker 2 (38:22):
I agree with you and hope and happily they agreed
with you. So that's good.

Speaker 5 (38:26):
Yeah, So everyone visit fravor dot com to learn more
about Frank and his incredible journey from designer to author.
Pick up his book Fravor by Design, Five Decades of
Theater Poster art from Broadway, Off Broadway and Beyond.

Speaker 4 (38:38):
Also grab your.

Speaker 5 (38:38):
Copy of his newest murder mystery, Scenery of the Crime
at Retro Broadway dot Com.

Speaker 4 (38:44):
Did I get you all there?

Speaker 5 (38:45):
I love it beautiful, and I'm you know, when we
do this and we we're on TV, you know you're
gonna have all that spectacular stuff going on, all that
digital photoshop crap.

Speaker 4 (38:54):
Oh good, No, no, no, you're beautiful.

Speaker 5 (38:58):
We don't have to do anything to you your perf
the way you are. And I think when you do
the next uh, the next book, I want to have
you on again and I want to see how this
evolves over time.

Speaker 4 (39:07):
And I am also kind of interested.

Speaker 5 (39:09):
I really like this idea of the streaming platform and
getting you out there, and I just think it could
be so perfect.

Speaker 2 (39:16):
Thank you.

Speaker 4 (39:17):
Yeah, my people will call your.

Speaker 2 (39:19):
People operators are standing.

Speaker 5 (39:24):
Yes, So when they announce it, they'll say, Frank, you
have a call from Doreen Tailor, and everyone can come
into the office and go, oh my goodness. No, no,
nobody's going to do that, trust me. But it is
so wonderful to have you on the show today. I
just thank you again for being part of my Broadway
journey through when I was a child to even my
own personal Broadway journey. You've been so in, you know,

(39:45):
integral into my life. But thank you for that.

Speaker 2 (39:47):
A pleasure, a pleasure, a pleasure today just as much
as you were in twenty nineteen.

Speaker 4 (39:52):
Oh and likewise to you, it's been like no time
has passed.

Speaker 6 (39:55):
I love it now.

Speaker 2 (39:56):
It's great.

Speaker 5 (39:57):
So hopefully you know, when I come to New York,
I would love to do call. I'd love to meet
you like again and you'll catch up. That would be
wonderful if you would. Noah, so can I I put
an ivy right in my arm and we're good. Well,
you have a wonderful day. Congrats on the book and
many many future successes. I see the world just opening.

Speaker 2 (40:15):
Thank you so much, and hopefully we'll be speaking again.

Speaker 5 (40:19):
Yes, likewise, oh, you have a wonderful day, you too,
Bye bye ye thanks.

Speaker 4 (40:24):
Thanks.

Speaker 5 (40:25):
Stay right there because after the break we have another
Broadway favorite singer songwriter Ryan Shaw.

Speaker 4 (40:31):
Hey, guys, are you loving the show?

Speaker 5 (40:34):
Do you want to see more of the scene, Well,
guess what you can, because The Scene with Doreen is
now a weekly segment on the nationally syndicated television show
The Daily Flash. The Daily Flash is your daily destination
for trending stories, celebrity updates, and industry highlights. And it's
now your home to watch The Scene with Doreen. You
can turn us on and watch every Wednesday across the country.

(40:56):
Check your local times and listenings at the Scene with
dorin dot com.

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Speaker 2 (42:00):
This is radio.

Speaker 3 (42:12):
Lifting.

Speaker 12 (42:13):
We live me wa wa Get to believe it.

Speaker 13 (42:31):
Well send.

Speaker 4 (42:39):
Oh Yes.

Speaker 5 (42:39):
Billboard raved that my spotlight guest today on the Scene
with Doreen is a massive talent with a huge voice,
and The Washington Post praised his voice as so full
of fire and conviction, exploding with emotion. Three times Grammy
nominated singer Ryan Shaw's music has been featured on Foxes
So You Think You Can Dance, and ABC He's Dancing

(43:00):
with the Stars, Gray's Anatomy, and Lincoln Heights, and even
the Sex and the City soundtrack. His versatile and eclectic
musicality crosses over multiple genres effortlessly, and his latest single,
Rising Up, has just been released with a forthcoming album
of the same name do out in twenty six. And
if that were not enough, he just dropped his latest

(43:21):
album Off Broadway with the very talented Ray Angry, and
features contemporary and progressive soul versions of classic Broadway songs
spanning over seventy years.

Speaker 4 (43:31):
So let's get to it.

Speaker 5 (43:33):
Please welcome three time Grammy nominated R and B vocal
powerhouse Ryan Shaw into this week's Spotlight.

Speaker 13 (43:39):
Hi Ryan, Hi, Hi, that was a nice intro.

Speaker 4 (43:43):
Oh, well, thank you. You're the one that did it all.

Speaker 5 (43:46):
I'm just telling I'm just reporting on it, so we
should be saying you had a nice intro. Well, congrats
on the new single rising Up. It is such a
beautiful message behind it, powermint and hopefully inspiring people to
overlook their differences and welcome change in their community. Where
did this all come from?

Speaker 4 (44:06):
Why?

Speaker 5 (44:07):
Now?

Speaker 4 (44:07):
Why did you want to get this message out there?

Speaker 10 (44:09):
Oh?

Speaker 12 (44:09):
I mean it's really weird about this particular song. Well,
actually this whole next album. Most of these songs were
actually written during what I call the Lost years, and
so there's as as you know, the years went on,
I just realized that all the songs that I was
writing had a similar tone. It was about you know,

(44:30):
coming together or you know, there was a lot of
craziness happening during that time, with you know, mandates and
people being unsure and not enough information or misinformation and
or whatever was happening. So all the songs that I
ended up writing had like a similar thing, like.

Speaker 13 (44:45):
That was rising up. There's another one called like Let's Go.

Speaker 12 (44:49):
So once we were on the other side of this,
you know, we sort of started, you know, taking a
retrospective of now that things are open, like let's go
back and like look at, like what what did happen
during those years? And in a review my manager called me.
She was like, I was listening to all the songs
you did during the pandemic, and there seems to be
a theme and.

Speaker 13 (45:04):
I feel like that.

Speaker 12 (45:07):
They're still super relevant now with what's happening, and I
think that's something that.

Speaker 13 (45:12):
The world should know and should hear about. And so
I went back and listen.

Speaker 12 (45:15):
I was like, oh, you know, sometimes when you're in it,
you don't realize what's really happening, like what you're actually
doing when it's happening. You're just in those moments, which
is a testament to like being present in the moment
and you know, allowing you to have those experiences. So
it was a combination of that. But this song, particularly
that we started with Rising Up. You know, it came out.

Speaker 13 (45:34):
Last you know, April fourth, and it was.

Speaker 12 (45:37):
I mean, it's really about lifting each other up, like
even now. I mean there was a lot of fallout.
I mean, I live in New York, and so the
sentiment in New York around the elections and everything that
was happening was a certain thing. And you know, post
pandemic situation is still happening. So it was just like
you know, the lyric I Lift you and you Lift
Me was just the super powerful things like we we

(46:00):
are a community, and if we just engage and get
with our community, then we can make a change locally.
And if everyone does that locally, then we can implement
change globally.

Speaker 4 (46:11):
Well said, and we're not no man is an island.

Speaker 5 (46:14):
I mean, that's an old adage, but yet it is
so true that we are a community, we are together,
and yet people think, oh, you know, I don't need anyone, right,
I could do this on my own.

Speaker 4 (46:23):
Whatever, and know we're better together. We really are.

Speaker 5 (46:26):
And I think that's a great powerful message you have
in there too, just relying on each other, lifting each
other because you know what, maybe you can't lift all
the way, maybe you need someone to help.

Speaker 4 (46:35):
And I love that that you have that in there
and that you trade off.

Speaker 5 (46:37):
There are gonna be times where I need to lift you,
and there are gonna be tis where you need to
lift me.

Speaker 4 (46:40):
But we lift together for a better, better world.

Speaker 13 (46:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 12 (46:44):
And then there's another line that I really love in
the song that it says the way out is the
way in. You know, well, we need a solution, Like
so if you trace, like they say, history is important.
So if we trace how we got into this, then
the way out is to make sure that the way
we got in never happened again.

Speaker 4 (47:00):
Yes, learn from our mistakes, learned from our past.

Speaker 12 (47:03):
Yeah, yeah, how we got into this back out.

Speaker 5 (47:09):
Like leaving breadcrumbs along the way and figuring out, oh god,
how do we get out of the spooky forest?

Speaker 6 (47:15):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (47:17):
Well, you co produced Rising Up with the wonderful Grammy
Award winning Scott Jacoby, and he's worked with other greats
like John Legend and Sea Coldplay, Elo Black. I mean,
that's quite a nice list. And here he is with
Ryan Shaw. I mean, you guys, you guys worked really
closely together on this.

Speaker 13 (47:37):
Yes, Scott.

Speaker 12 (47:37):
Actually, me and Scott have known each other for I
mean at least fifteen years. We worked together way back
when I kind of when I first started writing. We
did like one or two sessions and then we just
sort of, you know, stayed in contact.

Speaker 13 (47:49):
With each other. I think we ran into each.

Speaker 12 (47:50):
Other a couple of times when I was on the
board of the Recording Academy, the New York chapter with Naris,
and when it was time to do this record. Yeah,
I'm trying to remember how we reconnect. Oh, I was
doing writers camp. There is a really great writers camp
here in New York that happens every year called Antisocial

(48:11):
Writers Camp. It became the biggest, one of the biggest
writing camps in the world. At this point, I'm super
busy this year, so it's my first year of sitting
it out, but I've.

Speaker 13 (48:18):
Been doing it for the last three years.

Speaker 12 (48:19):
But if you're a songwriter and you want to connect
with like who's doing what in New York, that's a
great place to go.

Speaker 13 (48:24):
It's called antisocial and that's happening next month.

Speaker 12 (48:28):
June and I re reconnected there because I had a
session and it ended up being in his studio and
so when I walked in, it was like, I feel
like I've been here before.

Speaker 13 (48:36):
And then he walked out. I was like, Scott, he
was like yeah.

Speaker 12 (48:38):
He ended up like playing me the song we wrote
like fifteen years ago when we first connected, and then
I was like, I love the stuff you're doing. He
was playing me some new stuff he was doing. I
was like, I feel like we should connect for this
new record. And it's just been the gift that keeps
on giving with Scott. He's such a great, super talented,
super connected producer. I was really great and the fact

(49:02):
that he works across almost all genres of music is
a real testament to his true skill.

Speaker 6 (49:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 13 (49:09):
We worked really, really great together. Super excited about.

Speaker 12 (49:12):
Doing more, and you know, he had come to see
me do my show at fifty four Below, which was
my reintroduction to my Broadway community with Ray Angry. And
when I invited him because we were going to be
doing Rising Up, and I was like, you should come
see me perform live because you know, it's been fifteen years,
so let's just reconnect in all the ways. So I've
invited him to the show, and when he got home

(49:35):
the next day, he called my manager Et Elizabeth, and
he was like, I couldn't wait to get home.

Speaker 13 (49:39):
The show was so amazing, so exciting.

Speaker 12 (49:40):
There's something very special with the energy between these two,
and I feel like it should be an album or
a version there else.

Speaker 13 (49:46):
So let's explore this idea. And I believe in.

Speaker 12 (49:48):
It so much that you know, I will put up
the studio time, I will mix the record and we
can get it mastered. They have to come up, so
you know, me and Ray have to come up. We
had to pay the musicians and get the arrangements and
pay the licensings. But it's a joint venture between the
three of us, Ray Angry, myself and Scott Jacobi. And
that was back in That was November seventh, and so
we brains throw them the holidays past, and by mid

(50:10):
January we were in the studio and we recorded this
whole record over like two days.

Speaker 4 (50:14):
Wow, yeah, like two weeks.

Speaker 5 (50:15):
I read from beginning like you were doing the cutting
the band, overdubs, vocals, mixing, and mastering.

Speaker 4 (50:21):
I think it was like a total of two weeks.

Speaker 12 (50:23):
That is so impressive and that's not and that's two
weeks just for the time span, if you the time
that was spent on the record was probably dates. So
it's two one day of recording with the band, one
day of overdubs. I spent two days doing my vocals,
and then Scott mixed it all in I think two days.

Speaker 13 (50:40):
So we're talking about six days and so a week.

Speaker 1 (50:44):
Wow, over two weeks.

Speaker 13 (50:45):
A week's worth of work over two weeks.

Speaker 4 (50:47):
Yeah, that's incredible. And look at the beauty.

Speaker 5 (50:49):
And we're obviously referring your newest album because you've got
so much going on. You've got The Rising Up, another
forthcoming album of the same name, but also you just
put out another album off Broadway what we're talking about,
and that is putting your theater roots on full display,
but with this contemporary, cool musical twist. And I really
like the songs that you picked because you didn't pick

(51:10):
your stereotypical songs like you Evenen picked on the street
where you live, which is lerner and low my fair Lady,
And it's interesting, why did you pick the songs that
you picked because it goes over seventy years and you
picked the ones that you did.

Speaker 12 (51:22):
Yeah, after Scott came to see the show and we
started diving into what this record could be the songs
that I did in the show, I was like, well,
I'm not sure if I would want to do these
songs as a as an album, So if we're got
to really do this, let me just go back through
the canon of what is Broadway. And I just went
back and did like a you know, a Google search,

(51:42):
like what were the top the top five Broadway musicals
that won a Tony over the last since the inception
of the Tony's Basically all these musicals came up. And
then I started seeing names of musicals that I kind
of knew, and then songs started up, and I also
did like the you know the who like you know

(52:04):
what songs were from these musicals, and then like, the
songs just started coming out at me. So initially, when
I was done of stuff that I already knew that
resonated with me, about thirty songs came out.

Speaker 5 (52:15):
Mm, and you know what, everything happens when it's supposed
to happen, when it's meant to be, And because it
didn't for the first time, it now like I said
part two, I'm just putting it out there for you
in the cosmos now that you're not busy enough. Because
you are so busy. You are continuing to put out
new music, but you also have multiple live dates performing
all across the country, but in several different kinds of shows.

(52:38):
You're not just doing one show going out. You're doing
all these different Icons and all of these different shows
all around the country.

Speaker 4 (52:43):
How do you keep your schedule straight? How do you
keep this all going?

Speaker 12 (52:48):
It's a it's a very small but well oil oil machine.
I have a really amazing manager in Elizabeth Healey, and
we sort of keep it together. But yeah, I'm launching
a new show if you're in the New York area
at the Princeton Symphony is launching a new show with
Broadway legend Capathia Jenkins and I doing a new show

(53:11):
called Icon, and that'll be with the Princeton Symphony on
the six next Friday, actually June sixth, next Yeah, that's
next Friday.

Speaker 13 (53:21):
Yeah, June sixth. And that's in a very exciting show.

Speaker 12 (53:25):
And me and Capathia have been out years before doing
rutha Franklin tribute. And then I have my own solo
symphony show called Ryanshaw Matters of R and B. That's
actually going to be with the Father's Day with the
Nashville Symphony, So if you're down in Nashville area, that's
a great one to check out. And then I also
have and then hopefully soon we'll be touring this Off

(53:48):
Broadway record with Ray Angry. We're in talks with certain
venues about you know, doing a little tour around the
world and so.

Speaker 13 (53:56):
Yeah, it's super and a bunch of private that I
do as well. So yeah, the schedule's packed.

Speaker 5 (54:03):
Yes, that's a good thing for a musician. You don't
want that they'd be the other way where it's like crickets. No,
this is a good thing that you are constantly working
and I think you know, there's gonna be more that's
going to keep like filtering in there. So people got
to keep checking out these tour dates on you got
to check out Ryan Shaw's newest single, Rising Up, his
new album Off Broadway with Ray Angry, and visit ryanshaw

(54:24):
dot com floor more info tour dates, and just stay
connected with Ryan and everything that he is doing. Because
I only have you for a short segment, but I
can't fit it all in, so everyone else has to
do their research back too, well, I want, Yeah, I
would love to have you back, and I would love
to talk about everything. And when you come up with
a new album rising up in twenty six, please come back.

(54:47):
I'd love to chat more about everything and fill it
all in, fill the puzzle.

Speaker 13 (54:51):
In, and we'll talk about my mother, which would hysteropia.

Speaker 5 (54:54):
Oh yeah, because I know that you left college to
do Tyler Perry's play.

Speaker 4 (54:59):
I mean there's still much about you.

Speaker 5 (55:00):
You're fascinating, so I got in all the bullet points,
but there's so much more.

Speaker 13 (55:04):
Yes, well, thank you for having me.

Speaker 4 (55:05):
This is great, Oh my pleasure.

Speaker 5 (55:07):
And you are great and I wish you the best
and I can't wait to see you doing this off
Broadway around the globe.

Speaker 13 (55:14):
Yes, I'm excited. From your lips, from your lips to
God's Earth.

Speaker 4 (55:18):
Oh it works, sometimes it does work.

Speaker 7 (55:21):
Well.

Speaker 5 (55:21):
You have a wonderful day. Thank you for spending a
little time on the scene with Doreen.

Speaker 13 (55:24):
Thank you. I will go with you too.

Speaker 5 (55:26):
Bye bye, Hey guys, that is all the time we
have for today. Thank you to my guests, Ryan Shaw
and the wonderful Frank fravor Verlizzo.

Speaker 4 (55:35):
For more interviews, visit the scenewatdooran dot com.

Speaker 5 (55:38):
I'm Dorian Taylor and behalf of Matt myself and the
rest of the scene with Dorian crew. See you next week.

Speaker 7 (55:59):
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Speaker 8 (57:17):
I'm Brian Schuck. President Trump will be placing a one
hundred percent tariff on Russia if there's no peace deal soon.
In Ukraine, We're going to be doing.

Speaker 6 (57:28):
Very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in
fifty days.

Speaker 8 (57:32):
While meeting with the NATO Secretary General Mark Ruda, Trump
also announced a new deal to sell top of the
line weaponry to NATO, including defensive patriot missiles meant for
distribution in Ukraine. Former President Biden says he made every
decision on his own when defending his use of an
auto pen while in office. Biden made the comments in

(57:55):
an interview with The New York Times. During his final
weeks as president, Biden antick clemency and pardoned over fifteen
hundred people. The man charged in the June first fire
attack against a pro Israeli group has a hearing Tuesday.
Mohammed Solomon is accused of killing one person and injuring
more than a dozen after throwing molotov cocktails at a

(58:17):
crowd marching in support of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas.
A Virginia military installation is returning to its original name
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Speaker 9 (58:29):
Chris Keragio reports, officials unveiled a new sign on Friday
that renames the facility as Fort Lee. The change was
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no longer named for former Confederate General Robert E. Lee,
but instead honors Private Fitzley, a Black soldier from Dinwiddie County.
He received a Medal of Honor while serving as a

(58:50):
Buffalo soldier in the Spanish American War.

Speaker 8 (58:53):
The value of bitcoin is surging as the House prepares
to take up crypto legislation this week. The price of
one bitcoin rose to one hundred twenty two thousand dollars
Monday morning, and later fell to around one hundred nineteen thousand.
You're listening to the latest from NBC News Radio.

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Speaker 15 (59:45):
Ten fifty AM. Don't forget that number. And for you
young people who got here by accidentally fat fingering your
FM band selector, we're an AM radio station and AM
refers to more than just the time of day.

Speaker 13 (01:00:01):
Hi, this is Gary Garver.

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