5-5 Debra Monk - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of our conversation with Debra Monk. If you haven’t heard part 1 then I highly suggest you do so before listening to this episode. You won’t want to miss the stories of how she developed Broadway and off-Broadway shows with the likes of Kander and Ebb and Steven Sondheim, not to mention a few shows and songs she helped to write.

In this episode,  we’ll discuss Debra's experience on the Kander and Ebb and Holmes musical “Curtains”. Then we’ll discuss a little more about Debra’s TV and Movie career, followed by her advice to actors, what she is doing currently and what the future may hold. So, plug in your ear buds and get a flagon of your favorite beverage as we continue our conversation with Debra.

Transcript

[Intro]
[Intro Theme – Motor]

Welcome to Part 2 of our conversation with Debra Monk. If you haven’t heard part 1 then I highly suggest you do so before listening to this episode. You won’t want to miss the stories of how she developed Broadway and off-Broadway shows with the likes of Kander and Ebb and Steven Sondheim, not to mention a few shows and songs she helped to write.

[Pod Lick]

Hi. I’m Tim Rose and this is the Tim Tunes pod cast. In this episode, part 2 of 2 of our interview with Debra Monk, we’ll discuss her experience on the Kander and Ebb and Holmes musical “Curtains”. Then we’ll discuss a little more about Debra’s TV and Movie career, followed by her advice to actors, what she is doing currently and what the future may hold. So, plug in your ear buds and get a flagon of your favorite beverage as we continue our conversation with Debra.

[Pod Lick – Big D]


[Curtains]

{Show People}

You’ve just heard the song “Show People” form Kander and Ebb and Holmes musical “Curtains”. The song features Debra Monk as “Carmen Burnstein”, David Hyde Pierce as “Lieutenant Frank Coiffi” and the rest of the cast.

Now, let’s rejoin our conversation with Debra as she tells about how the show was developed and produced.


{Curtains Story - Clip}

[Podlick – Jazzy Interlude]

In addition to the director, there are other’s whose contributions often are not acknowledged. But for some of these people artistic achievement or popular acclaim is not the point. Let’s hear how Carmen Burnstein as sung by Debra Monk and Bambi/Elaine Burnstein as sung by Megan Sikora view the show in “It’s A Business” from Curtains.

[Play- It’s a Business]

After Fred Ebb and Peter Stone passed away Rupert Holmes was brought in to help finish the show and mount it on Broadway.

{Clip Rupert Holmes}

Murder your Employer : The McMasters Guide to Homicide is published by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster.  The Pirates of Penzance is slated to open with the Roundabout Theater Company in spring of 2025 starring Ramin Karimloo and David Hyde Pierce with a new adaptation of the script and new orchestral arrangements by Rupert Holmes.

{Clip – Country Blues Ending}

[Debra’s TV and Film Work]
Now let’s turn to Debra’s TV and Film Work. I won’t bore you with the list of around 40 TV shows she’s appeared in. Instead, I’ll read this brief summation of her career from her publicist.

Big breath

“DEBRA MONK is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress, singer and writer and can presently be seen in HBO’s The Gilded Age as Armstrong, lady’s maid to Christine Baranski’s Agnes van Rhijn, as well as the 12th season of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story with Emma Roberts and Matt Czuchry. She won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress for her work as Katie Sipowicz in ABC’S NYPD Blue. She has guest starred on numerous critically-acclaimed series including New Amsterdam as the bemused and budget-conscious head of the hospital, Mozart in the Jungle as the scheming grand dame of the orchestra, as well as Law and Order, Bull, Suits, Tell Me A Story, Damages, Dietland and Glee.  On film she was part of the all-star ensemble cast of This is Where I Leave You, opposite Jane Fonda, and featured in modern classics such as Center Stage, The Devil’s Advocate and The Bridges of Madison County. On Broadway she was most recently seen with Scarlett Johansson in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,

Her bio goes on to list her many stage credits which we have already covered here.

Now let’s listen in as Debra talks about the craft of acting.

{Clips- Betty in Mozart IN the Jungle, SAG Nomination for Ensemble, Remembering lines, Current performances}

[Getting an Agent]

“Hopefully something will come up” is the mantra of all actors everywhere.  Sometimes it feels like nothing will come up again. One of the most difficult aspects of acting is being cast in a role. On Broadway, and Debra was no exception, one of the keys to success is getting an agent. You’d think that after having a Tony Nomination you could easily get an agent, but such was not the case for her. Let’s listen in as she describes how she got her agent.

{Clip – Pump Boys and Dinettes Story, Getting an Agent}

[Advice to Actors]

Next, Debra gives advice to young actors. 

{Clip - advice to young actors}

(Podlick – Man of Leisure Intro)

Debra has a lot of admiration for dancers. Let’s listen as the conversation turned to dancers and the differences between actors and dancers.


{Clips – Dance, or rather movement and Dancers vs. Actors}

(podlick – Slow Jazz Descending chords)

My time with Debra was ending, so, as I do with all of our interviewees, I asked her if there were any charities she’d like to ask our listeners to support. And then finally I asked her what she would do if she was not an actress.

{Clip – Charity You’d Like to Promote, Could You Do Something else?, 2nd Ending}

Alas, we’ve reached the end of our time with Debra Monk. I hope you’ve enjoyed visiting with Debra as much as I did. I cannot thank her enough for taking the time to do this interview.  

In the next episode we’ll Take a break from our conversations and get back to a little traditional song writing.

Please consider making a donation to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. You can do so at broadwaycares.org.

As always you can reach me at timtunespodcast@gmail.com or on the timtunespodcast group on facebook.  I look forward to your comments on this and any other episode.

If you’d like to support the podcast you can do so by subscribing to patreon.com/timtunes or by sending donations on Venmo @rimtoes that’s r i m t o e s, it’s an anagram of tim rose.

I wish everyone good health and happiness until next time. Soooooooo Long!