Show Notes

In this episode, Dennis is joined by filmmaker Darren Stein & performer AJ Paramo to talk about Jawbreaker: The Musical, which is running at the Hudson Theater in Hollywood through September 27. Darren wrote and directed the 1999 cult classic film that the musical is based on and he also wrote the book for the musical. AJ stars as Fern Mayo / Vylette, the role originally played by Judy Greer in the film. But in the musical, unlike the movie, Fern is trans. Darren talks about the long development of the musical and how coming up with the idea of making Fern trans gave the story new urgency. AJ talks about auditioning for the show over Zoom from Chicago and what it's like to act alongside one of the film's original stars, Rebecca Gayheart-Dane, who plays Principal Sherwood in the show. The pair both talk about their own high school experiences, why they love musicals and how excited they are that Judy Greer is coming to see the show soon. Other topics include: the deliciousness of makeover scenes in movies and shows, fans of the film showing up to the show in costume, that time in 1999 when Dennis interviewed 26-year old Darren for Instinct magazine, and the unforgettable moments in the rehearsal process when they were both moved to tears.

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