Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome back News Radio eight forty whs. We were brought
to by the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, Dwight Still
in Cabos Who you're stuck with me? Tony Venetti and
Austin Montgomery, our producer today.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Austin, how are you doing good? How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (00:15):
When's last time you've been to Actors Theater sh.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Probably about like maybe nine ten years ago. Do you
see the Dracula play?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Ah, Dracula. That's one of the questions we'll cover in
this next interview. I got an opportunity, and thank you
for inviting. Randy invited us to come down, my family
down to enjoy Christmas Carol, which I have not seen
in years, and he got us right into the Christmas spirit.
We went down to Actress Theater and I han't been
there in a while. It's still a beautiful place. Used
to be a bank a long time ago, when they
(00:47):
build banks like that, but Actress Theater is world renowned.
I remember being a kid and having it'd be like
famous people hanging around town and you're like, why is
so and so here? And it's, of course because the
Humanity series. But it's been very successful, a very long time.
But A Christmas Carol has been gone for six years
and they brought it back and I got some folks
in here. Emily right, Emily, who do I have here?
(01:09):
Tell me who you are?
Speaker 3 (01:10):
I'm Jessica Wortham I performers in the show.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yes you are, and you're very good.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
I just mentioned that.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
And and I'm Amelia Costa Powell. I am the artistic
director and the co director of.
Speaker 5 (01:20):
A Christmas Carol.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
It was great. I had a great time.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
It was perfect. And Randy, how are you are you?
You're here to talk to.
Speaker 6 (01:26):
No, I'm just here to hang out and listen night.
I started an actress theater like twenty nine years ago,
so I'm really happy to be back working with them.
But like, we're so thrilled to have Christmas Carol back.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Okay, so little pressure. Christmas Carol hasn't been here for
six years. People were like, when's it coming back? And
they pinned you to to do it.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
No pressure there, right right, Well, it's actually such an
honor just to participate in this long standing tradition.
Speaker 5 (01:51):
You know, I've heard from so many people.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
I used to come with my grandparents and then now
I bring my kids, and it really feels like a
joy pleasure to participate in such a generational event.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
And you kept to really the text. Look, if I've
seen it so many times, you know you're saying the
lines along with the actors, right, I mean, that's the
deal and they were right on. So why did you
decide to stick to the original.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
Yeah, we love this new adaptation that Lavina Jdwani has written.
It's ninety eight percent the text of the Dickens novella
and the tweaks are only just to make it kind
of flow theatrically. And you know, there's a reason that
this story is a classic that we're still telling it
one hundred and eighty two years later, And we felt
like something that's really faithful to that text would be
(02:39):
the best way to keep honoring that tradition and also uplifting.
Why it still feels so relevant today, you know, the
kind of moral of the story.
Speaker 5 (02:48):
If anything, it's even more pressing.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Now it is. There's no question the story is important
to be told because it hits you. If it doesn't,
you're not human if it doesn't hit you, And think,
I gotta really be better, be a better person. So
let's talk about the actual place. So you are how
many characters?
Speaker 7 (03:08):
I am playing five characters in addition a narrator or
an ensemblist in the troops. So I know in previous
incarnations of Christmas Carol you may have one person who
is the narrator, who's like carrying it through. But in
this adaptation, one of the things I really love about
it is that there is a group of narrators. The
(03:28):
ensemble shares the narration, which really drives the story forward,
and it makes it feel inclusive, like the community is
acting because it does take a village. The community is
acting on Scrooge for the change at the end.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Who builds the sets?
Speaker 4 (03:43):
We have an amazing shop at Actors Theater of Louisville.
So our in house design team designed everything, the sets,
the costumes, the lights, sound, the video. Those are all
full time staff members at Actors and locals here to Louisville.
And then we have an amazing production studio down in
Old Louisville, the Paul Owen Production Studio. I'm sure you
(04:04):
and many remember's amazing designs and so local artisans build everything.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I'm sure it's where you go. What technology do we
use and what do we not use right? And is
is it actors theater magic? Do you make where those
It seems like you all were controlling where the smoke
was going. Am I making that up in my head?
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Or we do our absolute best with the fog and hey,
I would say it's fifty percent us controlling it and
fifty percent the mystery of HVAC.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I swear to you, I swear it is. I was like,
are they controlling? It's going where they wanted to go?
But we we had a great time and in how
are you know? Everybody wants to know how ticket sales
are going.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
We are so lucky, we've been so supported by this community.
We are selling amazingly. If you still want tickets, now's
the time to get them. We've actually added a performance
on Sunday the fourteenth at seven pm because demand was
really high, and that's just been wonderful. We actually did
a survey when myself and Emily Tarquin, our new managing director,
(05:06):
started as executive leadership. We surveyed the community and by
far the biggest feedback was I want to come see
a Christmas Carol.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
So I'm so grateful that was true.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
It's tradition for sure. Well made you get into all
this business? How long have you been doing this?
Speaker 5 (05:22):
I've been doing this a long time since childhood.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
And what was your first player in?
Speaker 5 (05:29):
Let's see my very first play. I remember there might
have been something before.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
It was a vaudeville, a cheesy vaudeville, now drama in
fourth grade and all the parents of all the students
came up to me afterwards and they told me I
was so good, and I thought, wow, I'm an amazing actress.
And it turns out that's not true. I'm just really
loud and the parents doesn't hear me.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
It does help, but yes.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
I quickly realized I'm too bossy to be an actor
and got into directing.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Well, you feel lucky that you could still do it.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
I'm so lucky and i've I've This is my fourth
year in Louisville, my third month as the official artistic
director at Actors Theater, and I came here for the theater.
Speaker 5 (06:13):
It's like you said, it's a world renowned.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, there's no doubt. Okay, you two. What was your
thinking now what your first play was? Or do you know?
Speaker 7 (06:20):
Well, I mean, if you want to start, Actually, so
My first like professional play was actually here with Stage one.
I did the best Christmas pageant ever as like a
thirteen or fourteen year old.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
No way, oh yeah, oh yeah. Where did you go
to high school?
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I went to Atherton.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Atherton Grade School. Yeah yeah.
Speaker 7 (06:36):
And then actually my first professional production was Dracula at
Actors Theater of Louisville when I was an apprentice in
the nineties.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
In the nineties stop it yeah in the night. But
when you were a kid, what did you do this
stuff in grade school? Like her or No.
Speaker 7 (06:51):
I kind of fell into the theater through music. I
actually started in college as a music major and fell
into the theater through that.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I did musical theater and high school.
Speaker 7 (07:01):
Because I was a singer, not that I had ever
taken an acting class. And then I got to Center
College actually is where I met Randy.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Funnily enough, we did a show together there we go.
Speaker 7 (07:13):
And I was like, it'd be nice to know what
I'm doing on stage when I'm not singing, I should
be thinking about something, right, And so I took a
class with Patrick Eagan Moore, who was became a theater
mentor at Center. And in that class you had to
audition for the show he was directing and I was
cast in.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
It was Twelfth Night and I was a singer in it.
Randy was in it.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
As we go.
Speaker 7 (07:35):
It was my first show at Center and it's how
I fell into it. It was also the first show
I did Twelfth Night as a professional. After I graduated
and then moved to New York, I came back to
Louisville and did Twelfth Night at Actors Theater of Louisville.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Also, and they just got They just worked things out
because they were going to strike in New York. Correct,
They were close to it? Right?
Speaker 7 (07:56):
Oh well yeah, I mean depending on which union you're
talking about.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
That I brought up. I didn't think it's just like
anything else. You know that you see these thousand dollars
tickets or eight hundred dollars tickets, But I'm like, I
don't think that trickles down to the people in the theater.
Those are ticket services.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
It's executive producers and ticket services.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
And yes, yeah, that's right. Okay, So you said music,
are you responsible for the middle piece the dance scene?
Speaker 7 (08:25):
That is Alfie Jones, who is our wonderful local talent
and choreographer. They are also the person that plays Christmas
Past and is sort of the central puppeteer.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
For the an original piece of music.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
I'm sorry, no, that is a number called Chilupa by
the piano guy.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
Oh okay, all right, it's an original.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Mash up with Sir Roger DeCoverley, which is the song
mentioned at that point in the novella.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
It's good and everybody pulls off their dance scene. I
think you did very well.
Speaker 5 (08:54):
Oh thank you.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
I haven't had to do a dance call like that
in quite a long time.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
There's actors dancers, actors dancers and whatever. But but it
worked in the play, right, So you're thinking, if you're
going to stop in the middle of the play and
do this sort of dance song, it's kind of picks
things up for a little while, just to make things exciting.
I think I think it was a great addition.
Speaker 7 (09:13):
Yeah. I think typically you see the fezziwig that scene,
there's always a fezziwig party, right right, Yeah, And typically
I think you get like a nice little minuet or something,
do you know, something very.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Sort of like doesn't feel like party.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
These people are like working class people, yeah, you know,
so it's great to bea when he was.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
A normal person, right, when he was a normal person?
Speaker 7 (09:35):
Right?
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Yeah, So let's we're thinking of the future here for
Actors Theater, where do you go from here? At the
the end of the month, obviously a Christmas Carol will
have their run. I got to ask you the dracular question,
So where are we going?
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Yeah, So we have a lot of exciting stuff coming
up after Christmas Carol.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
In the new year, we are doing.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
A new production of Comedy of Errors with two real
sets of identical twins playing the twins, which is so cool, right.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
And not something I've gotten to experience before.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
And it also has a lot of original music which
is a lot of fun. And then in April we
have our new work festival, the Storytelling Revolution Festival, which
is featuring a world premiere production produced by Actors Theater,
as well as a bunch of new pieces by local
artists and companies from around our region.
Speaker 5 (10:24):
So that's going to be a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
And also have that festival atmosphere parties, opportunities to connect,
you know, see some stuff that is going to be excellent.
Talk about stuff with your friends and the lobbies. Yeah, Dracula, Dracula,
No Dracula this year rate December, but we had so
much fun with Debt as Dodo, which was our our
(10:47):
spooky season show this year. So soon to be announced.
Our next season will be announced in March.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Okay, all right, maybe come back, we'll do the right Yeah. Yeah,
so local. Everybody was local in the play. Is that correct?
Speaker 4 (11:02):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
How did you pull that off?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Well?
Speaker 5 (11:06):
Was full of so much talent, you know.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
We we started out with local auditions and we could
have cast the show three times over. Yah. Louisville has
And I think that's something that's really amazing about what
Actors Theater has done over the years is not only
cultivate talent within the apprentice program and other works at
Actors Theater, but also has inspired so many other companies,
(11:29):
so much other great work happening. So, I mean, the
the per capita arts economy in Louisville is just way
out of proportion to our smallish city.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
I agree.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
I mean, that's ahead I kind of love it is.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
That.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Like.
Speaker 7 (11:42):
Also, one of the things that was part of making
Actors Theater what it was internationally as part of the
regional theater movement, was that that movement was started to
use local actors and the resident company that actors had
for a number of years was a huge reason why.
I think people came because they felt like they're seeing people,
They're seeing their community reflected. They get to see the
(12:03):
artists out living their lives, like I think that's that's
honestly one of my favorite parts of having worked with
this ensemble is that these are also people that when
the show ends, it's not like I'm never going to
see them again, and we're going to fly to our
corners of the world, you know, like the continuing relationship
family deal.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Yet yes, yes, do you get to the high school place?
Do you all go to the high school place?
Speaker 7 (12:28):
Funnily enough, I saw it wasn't high school, it as
a middle school play. So Elliott, who plays one of
our I think she's in the red cast. She plays Belinda,
one of the Crotchet daughters and wands and Bell's daughter. Yeah,
number of them. So the weekend before we began rehearsals,
I took my children to go see the high school
(12:50):
musical at Western Middle School and Elliott was the lead.
And then I come into rehearsal three days later and
I was like, wait a minute, I see.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
You in a show you were amazing.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
So yeah, I'm blown away, to tell you the truth,
all of the grade schools, in high school plays are
when you get there and you're just like, they are
so good, the singers are so good, it's ridiculous, and
then you fall in love with them. My daughter did
it for years, ten years or so, and she thought
I was going to go to college for it, but
she did not. But it was and she did front
in the back of the house and all that. But
you gets in your blood and all that, and they're amazing.
(13:25):
They're amazing.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Unity.
Speaker 7 (13:26):
Like anytime you're working on a show or working collaboratively
in that intimately with a group of people, it's vulnerable
and it just creates such a sense of community. And
I think especially with this show, like I feel like
that's reflected on stage and in the work that you're seeing.
It just deepens it on so many levels.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
That's a life skill for so many things. I mean,
even if kids are not going to go into theater professionally,
if you're going to be a lawyer, if you're going
to be you know, if you're of course, if you're
going to be a radio show host, right, so many
you know, whether it's public speaking, whether it is collaboration,
whether it is just even patience.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
You know, our young performers.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Really learned a lot in the technical rehearsals about how
much of it is waiting.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yes, and you gotta be tough, and you gotta be
tough just like Randy said, you know, at some point
you figured out you need to be the back of
the house, not the front. That's a big day for people.
Speaker 6 (14:17):
And that doesn't mean you can't be creative, that you
can't stretch that part of your brain or we need
those people in our industry to create the lighting, to
create and build the sets. It's a different skill set
than performing on stage, but we need all of it.
Speaker 7 (14:30):
Artist educators like the huge Like there's such a wonderful
education program that actors theater has going into classrooms, like
all of that is so important to keeping the you know,
the art form alive and vibrant.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Yeah, teachers matter, they certainly do. And it's a big
lesson man when you make those transitions and figuring it
out and you can stay in the theater to do
a different job and all that and sometimes you're like
I used to be really good at that and I
see them and I'm like, Okay, maybe I'm not. Uh,
it's it's big boy pants man. That's what you got
to put on when you get on on stage. But congratulations,
(15:07):
my family loved it. I encourage everybody to go see
a Christmas Carol and Actors Theater. Tickets are still available.
Go to the website and to buy tickets right after
the Beautiful and there's still some tickets left. It's gonna
sell out quick. I'm telling you. This is a great
way to get the family back into the Christmas spirit
(15:27):
as we speed towards Christmas Day. I appreciate everything you've done. Congratulations,
great job, thank you for having us. Okay, short break,
we'll come back news ratio eight forty whash. That's an upbeat,
fun song. Thank you, and again thanks Actors Theater for
coming in today. I saw Christmas Carol last week. It's
(15:48):
well worth it. Definitely get your tickets. It's selling out fast.
They had to add a show also. It will run
through the twenty first, which is a Sunday.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
All right.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
So I bring that up because they the Scientist got
together they said, here are the top ten happiest Christmas
songs according to Science I'm gonna send this list out
a little bit later. All right, I'm gonna send it
to you, dude, because you guys are good playing music
in and out of our breaks and all that. Okay, okay,
(16:20):
but you could probably guess a couple of them, you know.
Jingle bell rock, it's upbeat and it's fun. These are
the happiest, happiest to lift your spirits sort of thing. Right,
There's some new and old in here, but this is
the list. It's ten songs. I guess that's about forty
five minutes, right.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Ten songs.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah, you play music?
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah, yeah, got three minutes rocking.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Around the Christmas tree. Brendan Lee. I love that song.
I love that song too, Felice Nave, I'll play that
for you Friday, Yes, Jose Feliciano, jingle bell Rock, Bobby
Helms Holly Jolly Christmas, Michael Bouble but that's I love
the Oh who sings the I always calling my Priest
(17:11):
reminds me of him all the time. Crosby no No,
who played Snowman in the original sixty four nineteen sixty four.
Oh gosh, all right, So I wish it could be
Christmas every day from Wizard. I don't know if I'm
familiar with that one. Andy Williams. Anytime you hear Andy
(17:31):
Williams and Christmas.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
You know Jackie Vernon was the original voice of Frosty
the Snowman.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
There you go, it's the most wonderful time of year,
Andy Williams, Sleigh Ride, Harry Connock, Junr. Santa Claus is
coming to town by the Jackson five. Yes, wonderful Christmas.
Paul McCartney, No.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Not a big fan of that one.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
No, I am not. I don't know who is and
why you would be. Dave Jennings that used to produce
the Show and Underdogs with me, he hated that song
with a passion. I think he would walk out of
studios if it was being played. And then Underneath the
Tree from Kelly.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Clarkston that's one of my favorite ones.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Yeah, that's a good one.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
I think that's a song that we're going to be
making our grand entrance to her at our wedding. No
is that one.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Because it is Christmas time.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
It is Christmas time and we're just at odds on
what song to really come out to. So our DJ
was said, why not just an upbeat Christmas song? To
come out to.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Unfortunately, I think we have a funeral to go to
on your wedding day, So wearing black is going to
be perfect for your wedding.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
And think if it as a happy funeral, a feral.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Well, yes, and dear a family member you sorry to
hear about. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So these are the happiest
Christmas songs according to science doctor Claire Renfrew. She's a
music psychologist, Like, I didn't even know you had that.
A music psychologist came up with the songs. So I'm
(19:03):
gonna send you this list. Okay, So you're gonna play
the heck out of these songs all the way through.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
Okay, okay, okay, go for it.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
All right, we're gonna take a short break. I've got
plenty in the news again. I think the snow is
still coming down if I can see through. We're at
four Street Live. We have a gigantic window and I
can see the old Stuart's building right there at fourth
in Muhammad Ali, and it looks like snow is still
coming down out there. I think that's a little bit
more than they expected. There was some delayed schools today.
(19:32):
I don't think anybody at least in the metro area
canceled school, so that's good. And I haven't heard anything
and we'll find out in the news if they're going
to close it early. I don't think they are. I
think it's over right now. So it's just pretty at
this point the snow. So enjoy it as you can,
all right, trade no towers do that for the They
(19:53):
have a new thing. Of course. It's a it's a community.
If you're sixty five or older looking for a place
to live, or for you your parents. Either way, you
should take the tour. Five eight, nine thirty two eleven
is the phone number. Again if you're sixty five or older.
This is a great place. It is not downtown. It
is uptown near Saint James Court. It is a high
rise and the condos have beautiful views of Louisville. It's
(20:16):
fantastic one two three bedroom condos. It is one rate.
It's not piecemeal where they charge you out for all
the stuff they do. It's one rate and you can
stay for the winner if you want to do the
three months of winter down there and hang out. You
don't have to scrape your driveway or sidewalks or worry
about the heating and cooling. You've got it covered at
(20:36):
Trade and Oak Towers. It's like a sort of a
staycation for three months and you get to see if
you really like it. They have four restaurants, they have
a movie theater, a wood shop. It's it's really an
awesome place. I've done the tour twice. It is well
worth it, so check it out. And by the way,
here's another one. The average employee is there fourteen years.
That tells you it'sa a great place to be because
(20:58):
it's independent, it's not corporately Trayton Oak Towers. Take the
tour five eight, nine thirty two eleven. Back after this,
all right, time to play Reeling in the Years Monday edition.
I am solo right now, damn it. Gus just left.
Should have got him to help, all right, Austin versus Tony.
He'll play songs that charted today. I will guess the year.
(21:20):
It's brought to you by Gustavos.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Little one on one battle here. I still still don't
think that I've ever been victorious and reelin in the Years,
So no, I've helped you out a few times. Last Friday, right, what's.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
That do we play Friday?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
No? Yeah, we played Friday. Okay, it was nineteen eighty
nine Friday.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
I got it, Yeah, I got it right.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Yeah, all right, let's see if this helps you out.
These are the top five songs from wherever back in
the day. This is a little bit of Rod.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Stewart, okay, nineteen ninety, nineteen ninety.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
One, creeping around the nineties.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Yes, I'm thinking.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
You ever a big Rod Stewart guy.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
I like Rod Stewart.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
I do.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
I went to a concert with my mother years ago,
and every song you forget, every single song he sings
a hit, so you're singing every word to every song.
It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Wow. Yeah, my future mother in law to be is
in love with some Rod Stewart. I think he's coming
to the River Bend up in Cincinnati next.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Well, he looks like somebody's aunt now because he keeps
the long hair and wears scarves and you know, purple coats,
and you're just like that, looks like somebody's aunt.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Eddie Money was having that problem in his later years too.
Always called him Eddie Mummy.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Nice guy too.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Yeah, he's a great guy. All right, this may be
able to help tip you a little bit.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Oh boy, this.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Is Christmas mascot right here. Yeah, Mariah, she was a firecracker.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Dude still is Oh uh, what's the name of the song?
It's hero Oh I'm still I'm thinking nineteen nineties.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Still sniffing around the nineties. Yes, well, thankfully it's not
reeling in the decade. This is reeling in the years. Right,
Let's see if this helps you out a little bit.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Oh is this Ace of Bass? Sure, I'm obviously the nineties.
She won was he Is to have a Baby.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
The Baby Fever song?
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Yeah, I'm still early nineties, ninety one, ninety two, ninety three,
maybe not too far as ninety three. Yeah, Ace of Bass,
Oh my.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
God, I mean that is the quintessential nineties or late
eighties whatever.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Well, I will tell you this side note, Chase the Squirrel.
We used to send John up to be tortured by
this Russian wrestling coach in Ohio. And this dude his
dad was killed in the revolution of the small Russian
like town he was in, and all that. This guy
was tougher than nails, barely spoke English, but he listened
to eighties and nineties women pop dance, songs. Wow, I
(24:39):
guess I played over the speakers.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
That's the kind of guy I would want someone learning
wrestling from.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
It was. It was the most manly, toxic masculinity room
in the history of the world. And then this music
would play all the time. Now he talked like that too.
You get hold in sock, you go get new song
feix hole I soul hold. Your parents should be ashamed
of you.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
You lose match. See if this helps you out.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Oh, oh my god, oh meat loaf and it think
love ninety three.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
I don't really like.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
I think it's ninety three or ninety four. Now it's
ninety three or ninety four. Oh. We played this song
I was. I was doing evenings on QMF. I was
seven to midnight and we played this song.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Is this rock? How was this rock music?
Speaker 1 (25:47):
We played this song? It was it's long, too, isn't it?
Is it seven or eight minutes or something?
Speaker 2 (25:51):
It's five minutes. It's long. That's all long for a song.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So no, I think it's ninety three
because we played this song. Remember, was my first for
your full time.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Let's see if this one throws you off, because I
don't even know this song. But I do know the artist.
You should know it.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Too, loving these songs is Janet.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
This is Janet.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
She was always a little She was just the chunky
little sister of Michael and the brothers, and then she
became super hotty and started having her own hits. The
Jackson family's amazing. Yeah, they're just like everybody's talented. This
is ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I had no clue that they were from Gary, Indiana
until like a month or two ago.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Yeah, the house is a big deal, like that where
they grew up is a big deal. But that's about
it for Gary, Indiana. For a long time, they were
leading the damn country in a murder rate, homicide rate.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
How far is that away from here?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
It's right near. It's close to Chicago, right across the thing.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I gotcha, makes sense. This is again by Janet Jackson.
Sorry I should have preface stit. This is the number
one song from this year.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
So I'm gonna I think this is my I've been
radio since ninety I went full time in ninety three.
It was evenings on QMF. So I'm gonna say nineteen
ninety three.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
You're gonna go with? Nineteen ninety three is your final
answer also happened to be the year that I was born.
Oh boy, yes, good job. Whoo got me again?
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Well, the last two songs, that's sometimes that's the one
to get you.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
It just kind of speak ninety. I feel like Asa
Bass definitely threw you into the early nineties for sure.
All Right.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Healthcare is topic number one on the Capitol this week.
This week is a pivotal fight over the Affordable Care Act.
They're fighting to keep it. Most of them want to,
but the threat is if you don't have it, then
healthcare costs will go through the roof. Really, because since
the Healthcare Act, my healthcare costs have, oh yeah, gone
(27:59):
through the roof. Stop it. I don't care if it's
ACA or not. Our health care costs are through the roof.
They need to change the entire system, and they're never
going to do that. There's too much money involved. Hospitals.
Doctor Why aren't there Why aren't there local doctors anymore?
Because they can't afford the insurance. They can't chase the
(28:21):
money down from insurers, so they have to go work
for hospitals that have the insurance already covered for them.
So you don't have family doctors in every neighborhood anymore. Pediatricians, yes,
but they're getting fewer and fewer. Why because they're going
to they're going to hospital. Those people, those doctors are
going to work for hospitals under a brand. So don't
(28:44):
sell me on the Affordable Care Act. Don't And then
whoever whoever agrees that, oh yeah, HELLCU, they don't look
skyrock it. What what it's two thousand and nine, I
think is when ACA came in my healthcare have skyrocket
it started before that. It doesn't matter if it's in
there or not. It's insane. I always tell the story
(29:06):
the cost between having John and having Maggie was just
two years, two thousand and three and two thousand and five.
John was like one hundred dollars. That was a total
cost for the entire process, the classes, the hospital stay,
the medication, everything was like one hundred bucks to have John.
It was several thousand dollars two years later for Maggie.
(29:30):
It already started to blow up. And the ACA, I
don't who, I don't care how smart you are. To
try to figure out and explain the ACA to people
is very difficult. I think simply the ACA is everyone's
everyone pays for everybody's that's what it is. We're gonna
(29:52):
cover people that need health care, but you're you're gonna
pay for it. Okay. I thought it was already doing that,
but I guess so. I don't know if you know this,
but I had a heart attack last year.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
You did very ad last year.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Yes, and they put two stints in whatever, YadA YadA.
At first, when I was on the table, my doctor said,
you've been turned down by your insurance, but if I
don't do this procedure, you're gonna die. So and he
did a procedure, and for about three or four weeks
we were in limbo there of whether they were going
to pay for it. Well, the insurance people were like,
(30:28):
here's the deal. If if insurance covers it, it's like
seventy something thousand dollars. If they don't cover it, it's like
nineteen eighteen or nineteen thousand. And the obvious question is
why is there two prices. Shouldn't it be just one
cost and the insurance deals with it whatever when they
(30:48):
when they okay it, which they did, they okayed it
once they got all the information in, they was like,
of course we cover this, and it was a minimal cost,
I think two thousand dollars or something three thousand dollars,
and I was good with it for everything that happened.
But why is there two costs? And that that's what
they'll tell you. They'll tell you, Yeah, there's two costs.
(31:09):
There's ones that we charge the insurance. But if you
don't have any here's what we'll charge you, which I
don't even know. How is that legal? How is Isn't
that just weird enough for people in common sense to
go what why is that? And it's got so complicated.
You have that app, the RX. What is it called?
Speaker 4 (31:26):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (31:28):
What was that? Now?
Speaker 1 (31:29):
A good RX? Is it? Good RX? Is the app
for your for your prescriptions? Oh? Yes, so you know
why is that a thing to where you punch up
good RX and the pharmacy is happy to just sell
it to you rather than go through insurance. So with insurance,
whatever the cost to me is, there's uh, there's one
(31:51):
prescription that's five hundred and seventy five dollars, but on
good RX it's seventeen dollars. It's the last time I checked,
at least, why is that? I've been at one pharmacy
and they've said, man, you know your cost here. Do
you understand that the cost here is six hundred and
something dollars? No, go to Walgreens or go to the
(32:13):
other one. They have it for way less and get
the good RX thing. You'll get it for like ten bucks.
And you're like, oh, okay, Well, at least the pharmacist
is least nice enough for has a soul to say, hey,
you don't want to pay this, go go to this place,
use your good RX and it'll be this.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
I remember seeing the commercials for good RX, whereas people
around this time during the holidays, like don't have the
money and they're sitting at the checkout line and then
someone recommends good RX and they find it a lot cheaper.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
So yeah, oh no, there's no question. I mean, go
there now, you just punch in any of the prescriptions
and it's it is way less. Because they don't want
to deal with the insurance companies and all that. It's
a nightmare and it has been a nightmare, and it's
out of control and the cost is up for all
of us. Basically, the insurance that we get I go
(33:02):
through my wife's insurance because it's better than the one
that we provide here, but ours is pretty comparable to
everywhere else. It's just catastrophic insurance for everything else. I
mean you have five thousand dollars deductibles, ten thousand dollars deductibles.
I mean that's the deal. So it's just like, look,
(33:24):
if you're really sick, we're gonna cover you. You're gonna
be covered.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Like with me.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
I mean I got covered with this heart attack thing.
But for everyday stuff. John I took. Johnny was in town.
He had spent some time in Uh in Spain and
had this rash or whatever it was. And we went
and it was it was the We didn't even see
a doctor. The emergency room, the one in Norton's, I
(33:49):
believe it's Norton's, the one in UH. Is it not
Westport Road? Is it Westboroad or Roundsboro? Great? Well, we
it was it's great, great facility and all that, and
they saw us pretty quickly. But we were there an
hour and fifteen minutes or so. We saw two nurse practitioners.
We didn't even see a doctor. The bill was three
grand our end, three thousand dollars. It was crazy because
(34:13):
they don't start doing the eighty twenty until you hit
your deductible. The deductible's five grand. I'm out three thousand
dollars for an hour long visit where we didn't even
see a doctor. That's crazy, that's crazy to think of.
But I'm telling you, I'm saying these stories, and everyone
that's listening at their office or in their car right
now is going, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know exactly
(34:34):
what you're talking about. So whatever fight over the ACA,
have the ACA, don't have the ACA, it's still going
to be screwed up. They caused the problem and then
claim to fix it, which they won't. On this healthcare
will never get fixed because there's too much money. All right,
short break, we'll come back. News Radio eight forty whs
Welcome back News Radio eight forty whs. We were brought
to by the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, Dwight Still
in Cabos Who you're stuck with me? Tony Venetti and
Austin Montgomery, our producer today.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Austin, how are you doing good? How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (00:15):
When's last time you've been to Actors Theater sh.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Probably about like maybe nine ten years ago. Do you
see the Dracula play?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Ah, Dracula. That's one of the questions we'll cover in
this next interview. I got an opportunity, and thank you
for inviting. Randy invited us to come down, my family
down to enjoy Christmas Carol, which I have not seen
in years, and he got us right into the Christmas spirit.
We went down to Actress Theater and I han't been
there in a while. It's still a beautiful place. Used
to be a bank a long time ago, when they
(00:47):
build banks like that, but Actress Theater is world renowned.
I remember being a kid and having it'd be like
famous people hanging around town and you're like, why is
so and so here? And it's, of course because the
Humanity series. But it's been very successful, a very long time.
But A Christmas Carol has been gone for six years
and they brought it back and I got some folks
in here. Emily right, Emily, who do I have here?
(01:09):
Tell me who you are?
Speaker 3 (01:10):
I'm Jessica Wortham I performers in the show.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yes you are, and you're very good.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
I just mentioned that.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
And and I'm Amelia Costa Powell. I am the artistic
director and the co director of.
Speaker 5 (01:20):
A Christmas Carol.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
It was great. I had a great time.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
It was perfect. And Randy, how are you are you?
You're here to talk to.
Speaker 6 (01:26):
No, I'm just here to hang out and listen night.
I started an actress theater like twenty nine years ago,
so I'm really happy to be back working with them.
But like, we're so thrilled to have Christmas Carol back.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Okay, so little pressure. Christmas Carol hasn't been here for
six years. People were like, when's it coming back? And
they pinned you to to do it.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
No pressure there, right right, Well, it's actually such an
honor just to participate in this long standing tradition.
Speaker 5 (01:51):
You know, I've heard from so many people.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
I used to come with my grandparents and then now
I bring my kids, and it really feels like a
joy pleasure to participate in such a generational event.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
And you kept to really the text. Look, if I've
seen it so many times, you know you're saying the
lines along with the actors, right, I mean, that's the
deal and they were right on. So why did you
decide to stick to the original.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
Yeah, we love this new adaptation that Lavina Jdwani has written.
It's ninety eight percent the text of the Dickens novella
and the tweaks are only just to make it kind
of flow theatrically. And you know, there's a reason that
this story is a classic that we're still telling it
one hundred and eighty two years later, And we felt
like something that's really faithful to that text would be
(02:39):
the best way to keep honoring that tradition and also uplifting.
Why it still feels so relevant today, you know, the
kind of moral of the story.
Speaker 5 (02:48):
If anything, it's even more pressing.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Now it is. There's no question the story is important
to be told because it hits you. If it doesn't,
you're not human if it doesn't hit you, And think,
I gotta really be better, be a better person. So
let's talk about the actual place. So you are how
many characters?
Speaker 7 (03:08):
I am playing five characters in addition a narrator or
an ensemblist in the troops. So I know in previous
incarnations of Christmas Carol you may have one person who
is the narrator, who's like carrying it through. But in
this adaptation, one of the things I really love about
it is that there is a group of narrators. The
(03:28):
ensemble shares the narration, which really drives the story forward,
and it makes it feel inclusive, like the community is
acting because it does take a village. The community is
acting on Scrooge for the change at the end.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Who builds the sets?
Speaker 4 (03:43):
We have an amazing shop at Actors Theater of Louisville.
So our in house design team designed everything, the sets,
the costumes, the lights, sound, the video. Those are all
full time staff members at Actors and locals here to Louisville.
And then we have an amazing production studio down in
Old Louisville, the Paul Owen Production Studio. I'm sure you
(04:04):
and many remember's amazing designs and so local artisans build everything.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I'm sure it's where you go. What technology do we
use and what do we not use right? And is
is it actors theater magic? Do you make where those
It seems like you all were controlling where the smoke
was going. Am I making that up in my head?
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Or we do our absolute best with the fog and hey,
I would say it's fifty percent us controlling it and
fifty percent the mystery of HVAC.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I swear to you, I swear it is. I was like,
are they controlling? It's going where they wanted to go?
But we we had a great time and in how
are you know? Everybody wants to know how ticket sales
are going.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
We are so lucky, we've been so supported by this community.
We are selling amazingly. If you still want tickets, now's
the time to get them. We've actually added a performance
on Sunday the fourteenth at seven pm because demand was
really high, and that's just been wonderful. We actually did
a survey when myself and Emily Tarquin, our new managing director,
(05:06):
started as executive leadership. We surveyed the community and by
far the biggest feedback was I want to come see
a Christmas Carol.
Speaker 5 (05:14):
So I'm so grateful that was true.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
It's tradition for sure. Well made you get into all
this business? How long have you been doing this?
Speaker 5 (05:22):
I've been doing this a long time since childhood.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
And what was your first player in?
Speaker 5 (05:29):
Let's see my very first play. I remember there might
have been something before.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
It was a vaudeville, a cheesy vaudeville, now drama in
fourth grade and all the parents of all the students
came up to me afterwards and they told me I
was so good, and I thought, wow, I'm an amazing actress.
And it turns out that's not true. I'm just really
loud and the parents doesn't hear me.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
It does help, but yes.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
I quickly realized I'm too bossy to be an actor
and got into directing.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Well, you feel lucky that you could still do it.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
I'm so lucky and i've I've This is my fourth
year in Louisville, my third month as the official artistic
director at Actors Theater, and I came here for the theater.
Speaker 5 (06:13):
It's like you said, it's a world renowned.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yeah, there's no doubt. Okay, you two. What was your
thinking now what your first play was? Or do you know?
Speaker 7 (06:20):
Well, I mean, if you want to start, Actually, so
My first like professional play was actually here with Stage one.
I did the best Christmas pageant ever as like a
thirteen or fourteen year old.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
No way, oh yeah, oh yeah. Where did you go
to high school?
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I went to Atherton.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Atherton Grade School. Yeah yeah.
Speaker 7 (06:36):
And then actually my first professional production was Dracula at
Actors Theater of Louisville when I was an apprentice in
the nineties.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
In the nineties stop it yeah in the night. But
when you were a kid, what did you do this
stuff in grade school? Like her or No.
Speaker 7 (06:51):
I kind of fell into the theater through music. I
actually started in college as a music major and fell
into the theater through that.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I did musical theater and high school.
Speaker 7 (07:01):
Because I was a singer, not that I had ever
taken an acting class. And then I got to Center
College actually is where I met Randy.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Funnily enough, we did a show together there we go.
Speaker 7 (07:13):
And I was like, it'd be nice to know what
I'm doing on stage when I'm not singing, I should
be thinking about something, right, And so I took a
class with Patrick Eagan Moore, who was became a theater
mentor at Center. And in that class you had to
audition for the show he was directing and I was
cast in.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
It was Twelfth Night and I was a singer in it.
Randy was in it.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
As we go.
Speaker 7 (07:35):
It was my first show at Center and it's how
I fell into it. It was also the first show
I did Twelfth Night as a professional. After I graduated
and then moved to New York, I came back to
Louisville and did Twelfth Night at Actors Theater of Louisville.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Also, and they just got They just worked things out
because they were going to strike in New York. Correct,
They were close to it? Right?
Speaker 7 (07:56):
Oh well yeah, I mean depending on which union you're
talking about.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
That I brought up. I didn't think it's just like
anything else. You know that you see these thousand dollars
tickets or eight hundred dollars tickets, But I'm like, I
don't think that trickles down to the people in the theater.
Those are ticket services.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
It's executive producers and ticket services.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
And yes, yeah, that's right. Okay, So you said music,
are you responsible for the middle piece the dance scene?
Speaker 7 (08:25):
That is Alfie Jones, who is our wonderful local talent
and choreographer. They are also the person that plays Christmas
Past and is sort of the central puppeteer.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
For the an original piece of music.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
I'm sorry, no, that is a number called Chilupa by
the piano guy.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
Oh okay, all right, it's an original.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Mash up with Sir Roger DeCoverley, which is the song
mentioned at that point in the novella.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
It's good and everybody pulls off their dance scene. I
think you did very well.
Speaker 5 (08:54):
Oh thank you.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
I haven't had to do a dance call like that
in quite a long time.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
There's actors dancers, actors dancers and whatever. But but it
worked in the play, right, So you're thinking, if you're
going to stop in the middle of the play and
do this sort of dance song, it's kind of picks
things up for a little while, just to make things exciting.
I think I think it was a great addition.
Speaker 7 (09:13):
Yeah. I think typically you see the fezziwig that scene,
there's always a fezziwig party, right right, Yeah, And typically
I think you get like a nice little minuet or something,
do you know, something very.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Sort of like doesn't feel like party.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
These people are like working class people, yeah, you know,
so it's great to bea when he was.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
A normal person, right, when he was a normal person?
Speaker 7 (09:35):
Right?
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Yeah, So let's we're thinking of the future here for
Actors Theater, where do you go from here? At the
the end of the month, obviously a Christmas Carol will
have their run. I got to ask you the dracular question,
So where are we going?
Speaker 4 (09:50):
Yeah, So we have a lot of exciting stuff coming
up after Christmas Carol.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
In the new year, we are doing.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
A new production of Comedy of Errors with two real
sets of identical twins playing the twins, which is so cool, right.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
And not something I've gotten to experience before.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
And it also has a lot of original music which
is a lot of fun. And then in April we
have our new work festival, the Storytelling Revolution Festival, which
is featuring a world premiere production produced by Actors Theater,
as well as a bunch of new pieces by local
artists and companies from around our region.
Speaker 5 (10:24):
So that's going to be a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (10:26):
And also have that festival atmosphere parties, opportunities to connect,
you know, see some stuff that is going to be excellent.
Talk about stuff with your friends and the lobbies. Yeah, Dracula, Dracula,
No Dracula this year rate December, but we had so
much fun with Debt as Dodo, which was our our
(10:47):
spooky season show this year. So soon to be announced.
Our next season will be announced in March.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Okay, all right, maybe come back, we'll do the right Yeah. Yeah,
so local. Everybody was local in the play. Is that correct?
Speaker 4 (11:02):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (11:02):
How did you pull that off?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Well?
Speaker 5 (11:06):
Was full of so much talent, you know.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
We we started out with local auditions and we could
have cast the show three times over. Yah. Louisville has
And I think that's something that's really amazing about what
Actors Theater has done over the years is not only
cultivate talent within the apprentice program and other works at
Actors Theater, but also has inspired so many other companies,
(11:29):
so much other great work happening. So, I mean, the
the per capita arts economy in Louisville is just way
out of proportion to our smallish city.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
I agree.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
I mean, that's ahead I kind of love it is.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
That.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Like.
Speaker 7 (11:42):
Also, one of the things that was part of making
Actors Theater what it was internationally as part of the
regional theater movement, was that that movement was started to
use local actors and the resident company that actors had
for a number of years was a huge reason why.
I think people came because they felt like they're seeing people,
They're seeing their community reflected. They get to see the
(12:03):
artists out living their lives, like I think that's that's
honestly one of my favorite parts of having worked with
this ensemble is that these are also people that when
the show ends, it's not like I'm never going to
see them again, and we're going to fly to our
corners of the world, you know, like the continuing relationship
family deal.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Yet yes, yes, do you get to the high school place?
Do you all go to the high school place?
Speaker 7 (12:28):
Funnily enough, I saw it wasn't high school, it as
a middle school play. So Elliott, who plays one of
our I think she's in the red cast. She plays Belinda,
one of the Crotchet daughters and wands and Bell's daughter. Yeah,
number of them. So the weekend before we began rehearsals,
I took my children to go see the high school
(12:50):
musical at Western Middle School and Elliott was the lead.
And then I come into rehearsal three days later and
I was like, wait a minute, I see.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
You in a show you were amazing.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
So yeah, I'm blown away, to tell you the truth,
all of the grade schools, in high school plays are
when you get there and you're just like, they are
so good, the singers are so good, it's ridiculous, and
then you fall in love with them. My daughter did
it for years, ten years or so, and she thought
I was going to go to college for it, but
she did not. But it was and she did front
in the back of the house and all that. But
you gets in your blood and all that, and they're amazing.
(13:25):
They're amazing.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Unity.
Speaker 7 (13:26):
Like anytime you're working on a show or working collaboratively
in that intimately with a group of people, it's vulnerable
and it just creates such a sense of community. And
I think especially with this show, like I feel like
that's reflected on stage and in the work that you're seeing.
It just deepens it on so many levels.
Speaker 4 (13:43):
That's a life skill for so many things. I mean,
even if kids are not going to go into theater professionally,
if you're going to be a lawyer, if you're going
to be you know, if you're of course, if you're
going to be a radio show host, right, so many
you know, whether it's public speaking, whether it is collaboration,
whether it is just even patience.
Speaker 5 (14:02):
You know, our young performers.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Really learned a lot in the technical rehearsals about how
much of it is waiting.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yes, and you gotta be tough, and you gotta be
tough just like Randy said, you know, at some point
you figured out you need to be the back of
the house, not the front. That's a big day for people.
Speaker 6 (14:17):
And that doesn't mean you can't be creative, that you
can't stretch that part of your brain or we need
those people in our industry to create the lighting, to
create and build the sets. It's a different skill set
than performing on stage, but we need all of it.
Speaker 7 (14:30):
Artist educators like the huge Like there's such a wonderful
education program that actors theater has going into classrooms, like
all of that is so important to keeping the you know,
the art form alive and vibrant.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Yeah, teachers matter, they certainly do. And it's a big
lesson man when you make those transitions and figuring it
out and you can stay in the theater to do
a different job and all that and sometimes you're like
I used to be really good at that and I
see them and I'm like, Okay, maybe I'm not. Uh,
it's it's big boy pants man. That's what you got
to put on when you get on on stage. But congratulations,
(15:07):
my family loved it. I encourage everybody to go see
a Christmas Carol and Actors Theater. Tickets are still available.
Go to the website and to buy tickets right after
the Beautiful and there's still some tickets left. It's gonna
sell out quick. I'm telling you. This is a great
way to get the family back into the Christmas spirit
(15:27):
as we speed towards Christmas Day. I appreciate everything you've done. Congratulations,
great job, thank you for having us. Okay, short break,
we'll come back news ratio eight forty whash. That's an upbeat,
fun song. Thank you, and again thanks Actors Theater for
coming in today. I saw Christmas Carol last week. It's
(15:48):
well worth it. Definitely get your tickets. It's selling out fast.
They had to add a show also. It will run
through the twenty first, which is a Sunday.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
All right.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
So I bring that up because they the Scientist got
together they said, here are the top ten happiest Christmas
songs according to Science I'm gonna send this list out
a little bit later. All right, I'm gonna send it
to you, dude, because you guys are good playing music
in and out of our breaks and all that. Okay, okay,
(16:20):
but you could probably guess a couple of them, you know.
Jingle bell rock, it's upbeat and it's fun. These are
the happiest, happiest to lift your spirits sort of thing. Right,
There's some new and old in here, but this is
the list. It's ten songs. I guess that's about forty
five minutes, right.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Ten songs.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Yeah, you play music?
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah, yeah, got three minutes rocking.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Around the Christmas tree. Brendan Lee. I love that song.
I love that song too, Felice Nave, I'll play that
for you Friday, Yes, Jose Feliciano, jingle bell Rock, Bobby
Helms Holly Jolly Christmas, Michael Bouble but that's I love
the Oh who sings the I always calling my Priest
(17:11):
reminds me of him all the time. Crosby no No,
who played Snowman in the original sixty four nineteen sixty four.
Oh gosh, all right, So I wish it could be
Christmas every day from Wizard. I don't know if I'm
familiar with that one. Andy Williams. Anytime you hear Andy
(17:31):
Williams and Christmas.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
You know Jackie Vernon was the original voice of Frosty
the Snowman.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
There you go, it's the most wonderful time of year,
Andy Williams, Sleigh Ride, Harry Connock, Junr. Santa Claus is
coming to town by the Jackson five. Yes, wonderful Christmas.
Paul McCartney, No.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Not a big fan of that one.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
No, I am not. I don't know who is and
why you would be. Dave Jennings that used to produce
the Show and Underdogs with me, he hated that song
with a passion. I think he would walk out of
studios if it was being played. And then Underneath the
Tree from Kelly.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Clarkston that's one of my favorite ones.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Yeah, that's a good one.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
I think that's a song that we're going to be
making our grand entrance to her at our wedding. No
is that one.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Because it is Christmas time.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
It is Christmas time and we're just at odds on
what song to really come out to. So our DJ
was said, why not just an upbeat Christmas song? To
come out to.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Unfortunately, I think we have a funeral to go to
on your wedding day, So wearing black is going to
be perfect for your wedding.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
And think if it as a happy funeral, a feral.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Well, yes, and dear a family member you sorry to
hear about. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So these are the happiest
Christmas songs according to science doctor Claire Renfrew. She's a
music psychologist, Like, I didn't even know you had that.
A music psychologist came up with the songs. So I'm
(19:03):
gonna send you this list. Okay, So you're gonna play
the heck out of these songs all the way through.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
Okay, okay, okay, go for it.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
All right, we're gonna take a short break. I've got
plenty in the news again. I think the snow is
still coming down if I can see through. We're at
four Street Live. We have a gigantic window and I
can see the old Stuart's building right there at fourth
in Muhammad Ali, and it looks like snow is still
coming down out there. I think that's a little bit
more than they expected. There was some delayed schools today.
(19:32):
I don't think anybody at least in the metro area
canceled school, so that's good. And I haven't heard anything
and we'll find out in the news if they're going
to close it early. I don't think they are. I
think it's over right now. So it's just pretty at
this point the snow. So enjoy it as you can,
all right, trade no towers do that for the They
(19:53):
have a new thing. Of course. It's a it's a community.
If you're sixty five or older looking for a place
to live, or for you your parents. Either way, you
should take the tour. Five eight, nine thirty two eleven
is the phone number. Again if you're sixty five or older.
This is a great place. It is not downtown. It
is uptown near Saint James Court. It is a high
rise and the condos have beautiful views of Louisville. It's
(20:16):
fantastic one two three bedroom condos. It is one rate.
It's not piecemeal where they charge you out for all
the stuff they do. It's one rate and you can
stay for the winner if you want to do the
three months of winter down there and hang out. You
don't have to scrape your driveway or sidewalks or worry
about the heating and cooling. You've got it covered at
(20:36):
Trade and Oak Towers. It's like a sort of a
staycation for three months and you get to see if
you really like it. They have four restaurants, they have
a movie theater, a wood shop. It's it's really an
awesome place. I've done the tour twice. It is well
worth it, so check it out. And by the way,
here's another one. The average employee is there fourteen years.
That tells you it'sa a great place to be because
(20:58):
it's independent, it's not corporately Trayton Oak Towers. Take the
tour five eight, nine thirty two eleven. Back after this,
all right, time to play Reeling in the Years Monday edition.
I am solo right now, damn it. Gus just left.
Should have got him to help, all right, Austin versus Tony.
He'll play songs that charted today. I will guess the year.
(21:20):
It's brought to you by Gustavos.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Little one on one battle here. I still still don't
think that I've ever been victorious and reelin in the Years,
So no, I've helped you out a few times. Last Friday, right, what's.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
That do we play Friday?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
No? Yeah, we played Friday. Okay, it was nineteen eighty
nine Friday.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
I got it, Yeah, I got it right.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Yeah, all right, let's see if this helps you out.
These are the top five songs from wherever back in
the day. This is a little bit of Rod.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Stewart, okay, nineteen ninety, nineteen ninety.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
One, creeping around the nineties.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Yes, I'm thinking.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
You ever a big Rod Stewart guy.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
I like Rod Stewart.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
I do.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
I went to a concert with my mother years ago,
and every song you forget, every single song he sings
a hit, so you're singing every word to every song.
It was one of the best concerts I've ever been to.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Wow. Yeah, my future mother in law to be is
in love with some Rod Stewart. I think he's coming
to the River Bend up in Cincinnati next.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Well, he looks like somebody's aunt now because he keeps
the long hair and wears scarves and you know, purple coats,
and you're just like that, looks like somebody's aunt.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Eddie Money was having that problem in his later years too.
Always called him Eddie Mummy.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Nice guy too.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Yeah, he's a great guy. All right, this may be
able to help tip you a little bit.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Oh boy, this.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
Is Christmas mascot right here. Yeah, Mariah, she was a firecracker.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Dude still is Oh uh, what's the name of the song?
It's hero Oh I'm still I'm thinking nineteen nineties.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Still sniffing around the nineties. Yes, well, thankfully it's not
reeling in the decade. This is reeling in the years. Right,
Let's see if this helps you out a little bit.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
Oh is this Ace of Bass? Sure, I'm obviously the nineties.
She won was he Is to have a Baby.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
The Baby Fever song?
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Yeah, I'm still early nineties, ninety one, ninety two, ninety three,
maybe not too far as ninety three. Yeah, Ace of Bass,
Oh my.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
God, I mean that is the quintessential nineties or late
eighties whatever.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
Well, I will tell you this side note, Chase the Squirrel.
We used to send John up to be tortured by
this Russian wrestling coach in Ohio. And this dude his
dad was killed in the revolution of the small Russian
like town he was in, and all that. This guy
was tougher than nails, barely spoke English, but he listened
to eighties and nineties women pop dance, songs. Wow, I
(24:39):
guess I played over the speakers.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
That's the kind of guy I would want someone learning
wrestling from.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
It was. It was the most manly, toxic masculinity room
in the history of the world. And then this music
would play all the time. Now he talked like that too.
You get hold in sock, you go get new song
feix hole I soul hold. Your parents should be ashamed
of you.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
You lose match. See if this helps you out.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Oh, oh my god, oh meat loaf and it think
love ninety three.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
I don't really like.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
I think it's ninety three or ninety four. Now it's
ninety three or ninety four. Oh. We played this song
I was. I was doing evenings on QMF. I was
seven to midnight and we played this song.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Is this rock? How was this rock music?
Speaker 1 (25:47):
We played this song? It was it's long, too, isn't it?
Is it seven or eight minutes or something?
Speaker 2 (25:51):
It's five minutes. It's long. That's all long for a song.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So no, I think it's ninety three
because we played this song. Remember, was my first for
your full time.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Let's see if this one throws you off, because I
don't even know this song. But I do know the artist.
You should know it.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Too, loving these songs is Janet.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
This is Janet.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
She was always a little She was just the chunky
little sister of Michael and the brothers, and then she
became super hotty and started having her own hits. The
Jackson family's amazing. Yeah, they're just like everybody's talented. This
is ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I had no clue that they were from Gary, Indiana
until like a month or two ago.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Yeah, the house is a big deal, like that where
they grew up is a big deal. But that's about
it for Gary, Indiana. For a long time, they were
leading the damn country in a murder rate, homicide rate.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
How far is that away from here?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
It's right near. It's close to Chicago, right across the thing.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
I gotcha, makes sense. This is again by Janet Jackson.
Sorry I should have preface stit. This is the number
one song from this year.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
So I'm gonna I think this is my I've been
radio since ninety I went full time in ninety three.
It was evenings on QMF. So I'm gonna say nineteen
ninety three.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
You're gonna go with? Nineteen ninety three is your final
answer also happened to be the year that I was born.
Oh boy, yes, good job. Whoo got me again?
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Well, the last two songs, that's sometimes that's the one
to get you.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
It just kind of speak ninety. I feel like Asa
Bass definitely threw you into the early nineties for sure.
All Right.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Healthcare is topic number one on the Capitol this week.
This week is a pivotal fight over the Affordable Care Act.
They're fighting to keep it. Most of them want to,
but the threat is if you don't have it, then
healthcare costs will go through the roof. Really, because since
the Healthcare Act, my healthcare costs have, oh yeah, gone
(27:59):
through the roof. Stop it. I don't care if it's
ACA or not. Our health care costs are through the roof.
They need to change the entire system, and they're never
going to do that. There's too much money involved. Hospitals.
Doctor Why aren't there Why aren't there local doctors anymore?
Because they can't afford the insurance. They can't chase the
(28:21):
money down from insurers, so they have to go work
for hospitals that have the insurance already covered for them.
So you don't have family doctors in every neighborhood anymore. Pediatricians, yes,
but they're getting fewer and fewer. Why because they're going
to they're going to hospital. Those people, those doctors are
going to work for hospitals under a brand. So don't
(28:44):
sell me on the Affordable Care Act. Don't And then
whoever whoever agrees that, oh yeah, HELLCU, they don't look
skyrock it. What what it's two thousand and nine, I
think is when ACA came in my healthcare have skyrocket
it started before that. It doesn't matter if it's in
there or not. It's insane. I always tell the story
(29:06):
the cost between having John and having Maggie was just
two years, two thousand and three and two thousand and five.
John was like one hundred dollars. That was a total
cost for the entire process, the classes, the hospital stay,
the medication, everything was like one hundred bucks to have John.
It was several thousand dollars two years later for Maggie.
(29:30):
It already started to blow up. And the ACA, I
don't who, I don't care how smart you are. To
try to figure out and explain the ACA to people
is very difficult. I think simply the ACA is everyone's
everyone pays for everybody's that's what it is. We're gonna
(29:52):
cover people that need health care, but you're you're gonna
pay for it. Okay. I thought it was already doing that,
but I guess so. I don't know if you know this,
but I had a heart attack last year.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
You did very ad last year.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Yes, and they put two stints in whatever, YadA YadA.
At first, when I was on the table, my doctor said,
you've been turned down by your insurance, but if I
don't do this procedure, you're gonna die. So and he
did a procedure, and for about three or four weeks
we were in limbo there of whether they were going
to pay for it. Well, the insurance people were like,
(30:28):
here's the deal. If if insurance covers it, it's like
seventy something thousand dollars. If they don't cover it, it's like
nineteen eighteen or nineteen thousand. And the obvious question is
why is there two prices. Shouldn't it be just one
cost and the insurance deals with it whatever when they
(30:48):
when they okay it, which they did, they okayed it
once they got all the information in, they was like,
of course we cover this, and it was a minimal cost,
I think two thousand dollars or something three thousand dollars,
and I was good with it for everything that happened.
But why is there two costs? And that that's what
they'll tell you. They'll tell you, Yeah, there's two costs.
(31:09):
There's ones that we charge the insurance. But if you
don't have any here's what we'll charge you, which I
don't even know. How is that legal? How is Isn't
that just weird enough for people in common sense to
go what why is that? And it's got so complicated.
You have that app, the RX. What is it called?
Speaker 4 (31:26):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (31:28):
What was that? Now?
Speaker 1 (31:29):
A good RX? Is it? Good RX? Is the app
for your for your prescriptions? Oh? Yes, so you know
why is that a thing to where you punch up
good RX and the pharmacy is happy to just sell
it to you rather than go through insurance. So with insurance,
whatever the cost to me is, there's uh, there's one
(31:51):
prescription that's five hundred and seventy five dollars, but on
good RX it's seventeen dollars. It's the last time I checked,
at least, why is that? I've been at one pharmacy
and they've said, man, you know your cost here. Do
you understand that the cost here is six hundred and
something dollars? No, go to Walgreens or go to the
(32:13):
other one. They have it for way less and get
the good RX thing. You'll get it for like ten bucks.
And you're like, oh, okay, Well, at least the pharmacist
is least nice enough for has a soul to say, hey,
you don't want to pay this, go go to this place,
use your good RX and it'll be this.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
I remember seeing the commercials for good RX, whereas people
around this time during the holidays, like don't have the
money and they're sitting at the checkout line and then
someone recommends good RX and they find it a lot cheaper.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
So yeah, oh no, there's no question. I mean, go
there now, you just punch in any of the prescriptions
and it's it is way less. Because they don't want
to deal with the insurance companies and all that. It's
a nightmare and it has been a nightmare, and it's
out of control and the cost is up for all
of us. Basically, the insurance that we get I go
(33:02):
through my wife's insurance because it's better than the one
that we provide here, but ours is pretty comparable to
everywhere else. It's just catastrophic insurance for everything else. I
mean you have five thousand dollars deductibles, ten thousand dollars deductibles.
I mean that's the deal. So it's just like, look,
(33:24):
if you're really sick, we're gonna cover you. You're gonna
be covered.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
Like with me.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
I mean I got covered with this heart attack thing.
But for everyday stuff. John I took. Johnny was in town.
He had spent some time in Uh in Spain and
had this rash or whatever it was. And we went
and it was it was the We didn't even see
a doctor. The emergency room, the one in Norton's, I
(33:49):
believe it's Norton's, the one in UH. Is it not
Westport Road? Is it Westboroad or Roundsboro? Great? Well, we
it was it's great, great facility and all that, and
they saw us pretty quickly. But we were there an
hour and fifteen minutes or so. We saw two nurse practitioners.
We didn't even see a doctor. The bill was three
grand our end, three thousand dollars. It was crazy because
(34:13):
they don't start doing the eighty twenty until you hit
your deductible. The deductible's five grand. I'm out three thousand
dollars for an hour long visit where we didn't even
see a doctor. That's crazy, that's crazy to think of.
But I'm telling you, I'm saying these stories, and everyone
that's listening at their office or in their car right
now is going, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know exactly
(34:34):
what you're talking about. So whatever fight over the ACA,
have the ACA, don't have the ACA, it's still going
to be screwed up. They caused the problem and then
claim to fix it, which they won't. On this healthcare
will never get fixed because there's too much money. All right,
short break, we'll come back. News Radio eight forty whs
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