Episode 31: After kicking off the episode with a look back at Jack's 2009 production of Michael Jacobs's play IMPRESSIONISM, the guys find their way to the topic of AI. Jack has questions, Alan has (half baked) answers, and the guys go back and forth discussing their feelings on the purpose, potential, and meaning of artificial intelligence in the arts.
Episode 30: The guys kick off the episode talking about Jack's 2010 production of Andrew Lloyd Weber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, LOVE NEVER DIES. This leads them into a spirited discussion about taking jobs for money, collaborating with all-time greats, and better understanding how success can create a "universe of me" that ultimately hurts the work.
Episode 29: The guys kick off the episode talking about Jack's 2004 Tony Award winning production of Shakespeare's Henry IV before launching into a somewhat meandering episode that touches on all things Shakespeare. Why is it important? Why should we know it? Why don't more American's connect to it? And Jack even finds a way to loop Taylor Swift into the conversation...
Episode 28: Jack is in Connecticut preparing to head back to LA for his acting gig on THE COMEBACK. The episode starts by looking back at Jack's 2000 Broadway hit THE FULL MONTY before veering into his acting prep, then veering again into a discussion about the overlap between Jack and Alan's philosophy on being problem solvers. After a brief internet issue (around minute 28) the guys wrap up with Jack giving Alan a sort of pep talk as they rehash what Alan learned through the process of SAFE SPACE and H2L, before closing with Jack sharing his idea for a National Theater company in America...
Episode 27: Jack just got back from his first day of shooting on HBO's new season of THE COMEBACK. Unfortunately, the guys found out (after the episode was recorded) they can't really talk about it. However, thanks to some crafty editing, this episode still presents most of their conversation ranging from Jack's experience directing a televised version of THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH for American Playhouse, to the need to define your personal values as you move through an artistic career...
Episode 26: It's been nearly two weeks since our last episode and Jack has a lot to fill us in on. The guys dive right into Jack's production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC which premiered this past week at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. This leads the guys into a very craft heavy discussion about navigating short rehearsal windows, last minute notes, and Jack walks us through his rational for changing (and then changing again...) the ending to the production.
Episode 25: The guys kick off this episode talking about Richard Perry (yes, the hit record producer) mentioning Jack's performance in a 1960 student production of KISMET in his autobiography. (I know... I know... You can't make this up...) Then the guys dive into Jack's struggle with limited rehearsal for the SOUND OF MUSIC, the art (and struggle) of realizing "it's it," and the responsibility that Alan and Jack feel to their projects...
Episode 24: The guys kick off this episode announcing Jack's acting role on the new season of Lisa Kudrow's hit TV show THE COMEBACK, before pivoting to updates on his production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, then Alan asks Jack for advice on navigating the "artistic postpartum depression" that comes with having a project released into the world...
Episode 23: The guys kick off this episode talking about Taylor Swift (obviously…) before diving into Jack’s second week of rehearsals for THE SOUND OF MUSIC. This leads to a discussion about where Jack “puts the pin in ten years later,” balancing themes, and how art gives us a reason to push forward… This new North American tour of THE SOUND OF THE MUSIC is set to launch in the Fall of 2025, starting at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. from September 9 - October 5, and will visit 55 cities across the continent.
Episode 22: Jack is back after his week away, and after discussing his his 2018 production of CAROUSEL, the guys dive into week one on THE SOUND OF MUSIC. They touch on how the iconic musical came to be, the task of re-branding an American classic, and why he starts with his child performers a week earlier than the adults are called to rehearsals. This new North American tour of THE SOUND OF THE MUSIC is set to launch in the Fall of 2025, starting at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. from September 9 - October 5, and will visit 55 cities across the continent.
Episode 21: Jack is in LA working on a new (secret) project. So, in this special episode of NWJ, Alan talks to Jason Berman (BIRTH OF A NATION, AIR) the producer behind Alan's new movie HIGHEST 2 LOWEST. They guys talk about how Jason secured the rights to the original Akira Kurasowa film HIGH AND LOW, what he learned most through producing the film, and Alan talks about how advice from Jack shaped how he wrote the script. HIGHEST 2 LOWEST hits theaters on August 15th, and will be available streaming on Apple TV on September 5th.
Episode 20: In the second part of the guy's discussion about Jack and his mentors, they discuss what John Houseman and Craig Noel added to Jack's education in the theater, the tension that outgrowing a mentor can cause, and Jack tells the story about the time he made Queen Elizabeth laugh...
Episode 19: On this (longer than usual...) episode, the guys focus on the idea of mentors. This leads to a conversation about the generational differences in imagination, how you learn more from watching your mentors fail, and Jack tells a devastating story about the time he had to fire his first mentor, theater legend Ellis Raab, from a production at The Old Globe.
Episode 18: Jack is well rested and ready for this week's episode of Notes With Jack. His iconic 2002 production of Hairspray serves as the jumping off point for a conversation that touches on Jack's hesitation with re-booting iconic productions, our current culture of greed, and then the guys end the podcast with our first ever cliffhanger...
Episode 17: Jack's 2002 production of Nora Ephron's play Imaginary Friends is the catalyst for today's episode that focuses on Jack's relationship with both Nora and Mike Nichols. This leads the guys into a conversation about the benefits (and difficulties) of being in the room with legends, developing friendships after a failed production, and the synchronistic (sorry for the ooga booga...) connections between Jack, Mike, and Alan...
Episode 16: It's a big day on Notes With Jack. This was recorded yesterday, June 18th, which was Jack's 86th birthday. The guys start by discussing Jack's two night club act (yes, he sang, danced, and told stories...) at 54 below in 2014. This leads to a discussion about survivor's guilt, the way time feels subjective, then at the 23 minute mark, the guys are interrupted when Jack gets birthday flowers delivered... but bare with us... they finish up strong.
Episode 15: This week the guys kick off their conversation with a look back at Jack's career as an adaptor and director in the opera. This leads them into a conversation on why Jack learned French, how the opera helped him with big productions in the theater, and the guys discuss the "thrum" of projects...
Episode 14: After a little break (and a trip to Europe for the SHUCKED premiere), Jack is back in Connecticut for the summer. The guys kick off the episode talking about Jack's 2017 Broadway production of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. This leads them into a discussion about why certain projects don't quite work, the process of putting Broadway productions on the road, and Jack talks about his brief "career" as a museum tour guide in Europe...
Episode 13: Jack is back in Connecticut, resting, before he travels back to London for the SHUCKED premiere. They guys kick off the episode talking about Jack's 2013 memoir JACK BE NIMBLE, which leads the guys into a notes session about why he decided to write a memoir, why watching the SHUCKED rehearsals in London helped him better understand his role as a director, and how both experiences hinge on his willingness to be an observer...
Episode 12: Jack is in London working with his new company on SHUCKED. The guys start off talking about Jack's 2001 (Drama Desk award winning) production of Tom Stoppard's THE INVENTION OF LOVE, which leads them into a notes session about why Jack puts "more sex" into nearly all of his productions, his love for London and the British theater, and Alan explains why he used to use old an F. Scott Fitzgerald essay as his go-to pickup line...