Rappaport To The Rescue

Daryl Roth is a one-woman powerhouse who has the Midas touch when it comes to Broadway productions!  She Is a creative genius who even has a theater named after her!  And now Daryl Roth has another amazing show getting such heartfelt buzz called Left On Tenth, which is all about love, life and second chances.  But along with lighting up the Great White Way, she is also a passionate and devoted animal advocate!

Listen to Episode #53 Now:

BIO:

Daryl Roth holds the singular distinction of producing seven Pulitzer Prize-winning plays: Anna in the Tropics; August: Osage County; Clybourne Park; How I Learned to Drive; Proof; Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women; and Wit. She is the proud recipient of 13 Tony Awards and London’s Olivier, her over 130 productions include: Kinky Boots; Absolute Brightness; Angels in America; Between the Lines; Blindness; Buyer & Cellar; Company; Curtains; Funny Girl; Gloria: A Life; Edward Albee’s The Goat or Who is Sylvia; Indecent; Into the Woods; It Shoulda Been You; The Kite Runner; Life of Pi; Love, Loss, and What I Wore; The Normal Heart; The Picture of Dorian Gray; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; War Horse; and The Year of Magical Thinking. A Trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Lincoln Center Theater, she is honored to have been inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.

 

Transcript:

00:00:02.040 --> 00:00:03.880
Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.

00:00:03.880 --> 00:00:04.980
Daryl Roth: Let's talk pets.

00:00:10.840 --> 00:00:19.320
Announcer: Rappaport to the Rescue to the Rescue with award-winning animal advocate, best-selling author, journalist, and pet products creator, Jill Rappaport.

00:00:20.588 --> 00:00:22.688
Jill Rappaport: Hi, welcome to Rappaport to the Rescue.

00:00:22.688 --> 00:00:23.828
Jill Rappaport: I'm Jill Rappaport.

00:00:23.828 --> 00:00:34.708
Jill Rappaport: And you know, I don't throw the word legend around lightly, but today we have a true legend on the show in the world of theater.

00:00:34.708 --> 00:00:53.468
Jill Rappaport: Daryl Roth is a 13-time Tony Award-winning Broadway producer and a visionary genius in American theater with a career spanning over so many decades and credited with some of the most thought-provoking productions in the Big Apple and throughout the world.

00:00:53.468 --> 00:01:00.848
Jill Rappaport: Daryl Roth also holds the mind-boggling distinction of producing seven Pulitzer Prize-winning plays.

00:01:00.848 --> 00:01:05.668
Jill Rappaport: And among the more than 130 shows, did you hear that number, 130?

00:01:06.368 --> 00:01:09.468
Jill Rappaport: She has produced both on and off-Broadway.

00:01:09.468 --> 00:01:22.308
Jill Rappaport: She is here today to talk about her latest production, called Left On Tenth, based on the wonderful memoir by Dill Yafran, and directed by the incredible and beloved Susa Stroman.

00:01:22.308 --> 00:01:25.948
Jill Rappaport: And let's not forget, there's even a theater named after her.

00:01:25.948 --> 00:01:31.188
Jill Rappaport: The Daryl Roth Theater is the landmark off-Broadway venue on Union Square.

00:01:31.848 --> 00:01:36.588
Jill Rappaport: She is dedicated to supporting a number of non-profit organizations.

00:01:36.588 --> 00:01:46.588
Jill Rappaport: And Daryl Roth has been inducted into the 2017 Theater Hall of Fame, and named to Crane's 2019 50 Most Powerful Women in New York.

00:01:46.588 --> 00:01:48.308
Jill Rappaport: But you know me, guys.

00:01:48.308 --> 00:02:02.288
Jill Rappaport: Why I just had to get around Rappaport to the Rescue is because this powerhouse producer is also a major animal advocate who has devoted so much of her life, and whatever time she has, to saving animals in need.

00:02:02.288 --> 00:02:12.248
Jill Rappaport: In fact, I truly fell in love with Daryl when she came out with the most amazing documentary called My Dog, An Unconditional Love Story.

00:02:12.248 --> 00:02:20.668
Jill Rappaport: So when we come back, I am so thrilled to have the legend, Daryl Roth, on Rappaport to the Rescue.

00:02:20.668 --> 00:02:21.368
Jill Rappaport: Stay tuned.

00:02:23.788 --> 00:02:26.228
Announcer: Take a bite out of your competition.

00:02:26.228 --> 00:02:31.028
Announcer: Advertise your business with an ad in Pet Life Radio podcasts and radio shows.

00:02:31.028 --> 00:02:38.248
Announcer: There is no other pet-related media that is as large and reaches more pet parents and pet lovers than Pet Life Radio.

00:02:38.248 --> 00:02:45.128
Announcer: With over 7 million monthly listeners, Pet Life Radio podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.

00:02:45.128 --> 00:02:54.588
Announcer: And our live radio stream goes out to over 250 million subscribers on iHeartRadio, Audacy, TuneIn, and other streaming apps.

00:02:54.588 --> 00:03:01.428
Announcer: For more information on how you can advertise on the number one pet podcast and radio network, visit petliferadio.com/advertise today.

00:03:04.688 --> 00:03:05.808
Announcer: Let's talk pets.

00:03:05.808 --> 00:03:06.708
Announcer: Let's talk pets.

00:03:06.708 --> 00:03:07.748
Announcer: On PetLifeRadio.

00:03:07.748 --> 00:03:09.048
Daryl Roth: PetLifeRadio.

00:03:09.048 --> 00:03:11.248
Announcer: petliferadio.com.

00:03:18.333 --> 00:03:20.253
Jill Rappaport: Welcome back to Rappaport to the Rescue.

00:03:20.253 --> 00:03:27.053
Jill Rappaport: Now, if you heard all the accolades, the attributes, all the incredible things, my next guest has done.

00:03:27.053 --> 00:03:32.373
Jill Rappaport: And I said, she is a true legend, and she is here with us right now.

00:03:32.373 --> 00:03:35.773
Jill Rappaport: Daryl Roth, I've been wanting to get you on this podcast.

00:03:35.773 --> 00:03:38.233
Jill Rappaport: I have admired you for decades.

00:03:38.233 --> 00:03:46.493
Jill Rappaport: You are truly an unbelievable pioneer in so many areas, and you really changed the landscape of Broadway.

00:03:46.913 --> 00:03:52.253
Daryl Roth: Oh, my God, dear, that is the most beautiful introduction that a person could hope for.

00:03:52.253 --> 00:03:53.913
Daryl Roth: I just thank you.

00:03:53.913 --> 00:03:55.473
Daryl Roth: I appreciate you so much.

00:03:55.473 --> 00:03:56.813
Daryl Roth: Thank you for all that.

00:03:56.813 --> 00:04:00.733
Jill Rappaport: Well, you are unbelievable because you never stop.

00:04:00.733 --> 00:04:08.433
Jill Rappaport: I mean, it's one thing to have all of these Tonys, to have these bullet surprises, to have a theater named after you.

00:04:08.433 --> 00:04:11.733
Jill Rappaport: You are unbelievable force of light and energy.

00:04:11.733 --> 00:04:13.593
Jill Rappaport: What keeps you going?

00:04:13.613 --> 00:04:14.953
Daryl Roth: Ah, thank you for that.

00:04:15.253 --> 00:04:21.973
Daryl Roth: Well, I think perhaps it was the fact that I didn't really get into this profession until I was in my mid-40s.

00:04:21.973 --> 00:04:29.093
Daryl Roth: And so when you start something a little bit later, I think there's an urgency and there's a sense of, I know I want to do this.

00:04:29.093 --> 00:04:31.553
Daryl Roth: I'm going to be as tenacious as it takes.

00:04:31.553 --> 00:04:32.153
Jill Rappaport: I love it.

00:04:32.153 --> 00:04:32.893
Daryl Roth: I'm passionate.

00:04:32.893 --> 00:04:35.173
Daryl Roth: I'm dedicated and I will never give up.

00:04:35.173 --> 00:04:41.633
Daryl Roth: And I think you have a different sense of that when you start at the middle of your life and perhaps that's it.

00:04:41.633 --> 00:04:43.973
Daryl Roth: But I mean, part of it is that that's my nature.

00:04:44.393 --> 00:04:50.073
Daryl Roth: You know, my nature is to find something that I love and just do the best I can at it.

00:04:50.073 --> 00:04:52.853
Jill Rappaport: And you know, you mentioned that you started in your 40s.

00:04:52.853 --> 00:04:57.293
Jill Rappaport: And I said in my intro, you've been at it and successful for many decades.

00:04:57.293 --> 00:04:59.653
Daryl Roth: That is true.

00:04:59.653 --> 00:05:05.093
Jill Rappaport: Everything obviously works for you because you are like Dorian Gray, sweetheart.

00:05:05.093 --> 00:05:06.973
Jill Rappaport: You are aging backwards.

00:05:08.453 --> 00:05:10.753
Daryl Roth: Oh, that is the kindest thing to say.

00:05:10.753 --> 00:05:13.113
Daryl Roth: Don't look too close and the lighting is lovely.

00:05:15.533 --> 00:05:21.973
Daryl Roth: But it's funny you mentioned Dorian Gray because that's one of the productions I'll be involved with in March here in New York.

00:05:21.973 --> 00:05:29.553
Daryl Roth: Having done it in London with the wonderful Sarah Snook, who everyone hopefully knows from succession and her wonderful talent.

00:05:29.553 --> 00:05:34.253
Daryl Roth: So Dorian Gray is actually coming up, which is funny that you referenced it.

00:05:34.313 --> 00:05:37.873
Jill Rappaport: Dorian Gray, aka Daryl Roth.

00:05:37.873 --> 00:05:51.573
Jill Rappaport: What you've done for theater and people that you have focused on and they flourished under your tutelage and just working with you and your productions and the heart and soul that goes into these, it's truly amazing.

00:05:51.793 --> 00:06:02.973
Jill Rappaport: What you think it is about you, I know you started later in life, but you treat to me, an outsider looking in, it seems like you've done every new production like it's your audition tape.

00:06:03.113 --> 00:06:04.053
Daryl Roth: That's interesting.

00:06:04.053 --> 00:06:13.573
Daryl Roth: I think I feel that every new production, every new play, every new group of people that I can come to work with, it's like my next family in a way.

00:06:13.573 --> 00:06:35.853
Daryl Roth: I feel that part of my success, if I may say, is that I treat everyone as if they are in my family with as much respect and dignity and appreciation as I can, partially because I'm in awe of their talent, and partially because I think people can flourish much better in an atmosphere that is one of love and appreciation.

00:06:35.853 --> 00:06:37.173
Daryl Roth: It's a hard life.

00:06:37.173 --> 00:06:43.933
Daryl Roth: Anyone that chooses to be in the theater business, I don't mean as a producer though, that's pretty challenging these days as well.

00:06:43.933 --> 00:06:48.533
Daryl Roth: But people that are artists, they unzip their souls at every moment.

00:06:48.653 --> 00:06:54.373
Daryl Roth: To me, that's just such a generous and gracious thing, and I feel it has to be treasured.

00:06:54.373 --> 00:07:05.433
Daryl Roth: It's been the way that I've wanted to offer my appreciation because I love the art of theater so deeply, and I just am in awe of the people that are part of it.

00:07:05.433 --> 00:07:15.753
Daryl Roth: It's enriched my life and being able to choose things to produce that I feel are of value for one reason or another.

00:07:15.753 --> 00:07:35.053
Daryl Roth: Either it's because it's the story that I feel I would love to share with people, whether it's about women, whether it's about gender identity, my Jewish heritage, family dynamics, whatever it is, it's something that means something to me and my hope is that, given the opportunity to share it with people, it will mean something to them.

00:07:35.053 --> 00:07:37.113
Daryl Roth: So that's what keeps me going, I guess.

00:07:37.113 --> 00:07:43.973
Jill Rappaport: When you think about during COVID, Broadway shut down, everything shut down and it went dark, literally.

00:07:43.973 --> 00:07:58.893
Daryl Roth: Well, interesting to mention that because while it did go dark and it was devastating to try to keep everyone afloat, literally, we opened up with the first production off Broadway of a play called Blindness, and it was remarkable.

00:07:58.893 --> 00:08:05.453
Daryl Roth: The reason we were able to do it is because it was done without any cast.

00:08:05.453 --> 00:08:11.373
Daryl Roth: You had earphones and you heard the words of Juliet Stevenson telling you this beautiful story.

00:08:11.373 --> 00:08:24.993
Daryl Roth: Luckily, I have a theater that is a very flexible space and we were able to seat people far enough away from one another in pairs, and with the earphones, they had gotten the story directly.

00:08:24.993 --> 00:08:33.773
Daryl Roth: We had every sanitation opportunity taken care of, and people came together in a way that was so celebratory.

00:08:33.773 --> 00:08:46.033
Daryl Roth: It was the first time a theater opened after COVID, and part of the story was so breathtaking because it was actually about an epidemic, and it was about a city that had to just close and find its way.

00:08:46.633 --> 00:08:55.453
Daryl Roth: And at the end of the production, the way it was staged, we were able to open the doors of the theater, which by the way, everyone was sitting in darkness.

00:08:55.453 --> 00:09:00.313
Daryl Roth: That was part of the beauty of it, or I should say the experience of it.

00:09:00.313 --> 00:09:04.793
Daryl Roth: It was dark, and you were listening to these beautiful melodic words.

00:09:04.793 --> 00:09:12.273
Daryl Roth: And then at the end, the doors to our theater opened up onto Union Square, and bright light came in, bright sunlight came in.

00:09:12.273 --> 00:09:13.653
Daryl Roth: It was extraordinary.

00:09:13.653 --> 00:09:14.953
Daryl Roth: It was really something great.

00:09:15.253 --> 00:09:17.693
Daryl Roth: It was very powerful, very powerful.

00:09:17.693 --> 00:09:25.453
Daryl Roth: And we were lucky because we were able to do something like that, which still observed all the COVID protocols.

00:09:25.453 --> 00:09:29.853
Daryl Roth: People wore masks, they didn't sit next to each other, everything was sanitized.

00:09:29.853 --> 00:09:32.033
Daryl Roth: I mean, we were floating in Purell.

00:09:32.033 --> 00:09:34.073
Daryl Roth: It was wonderful.

00:09:34.073 --> 00:09:49.633
Jill Rappaport: You know, when looking at your resume, all of the Tonys, all of the shows, the awards, it's like asking you which child is your favorite, but I have to ask you, of all of the shows, is there one that really resonates with your heart the most?

00:09:49.633 --> 00:09:50.053
Daryl Roth: You're right.

00:09:50.053 --> 00:09:51.253
Daryl Roth: It's hard to choose.

00:09:51.253 --> 00:09:55.133
Daryl Roth: It's because you love all the children in equal measure.

00:09:55.133 --> 00:10:04.473
Daryl Roth: But if I could limit it to just a few and not one, that made a huge difference, not only in my life, but in the lives of the people that got to experience it.

00:10:04.473 --> 00:10:14.713
Daryl Roth: I would say Kinky Boots was a really big one for me, primarily because it was based on a film that I saw at the Sundance Institute many years ago.

00:10:14.893 --> 00:10:18.233
Daryl Roth: As I was sitting there watching it, I hadn't really thought about theater.

00:10:18.233 --> 00:10:24.053
Daryl Roth: I was just there as a Sundance board member, and the name interested me.

00:10:24.053 --> 00:10:25.713
Daryl Roth: I said, Kinky Boots, what could that be?

00:10:25.713 --> 00:10:27.393
Daryl Roth: I'm going to go see that film.

00:10:27.393 --> 00:10:33.753
Daryl Roth: Having no knowledge of it, and I sat there thinking to myself, this is like piercing my heart.

00:10:33.753 --> 00:10:38.913
Daryl Roth: This is a story that has everything I want to tell, everything that was important to me.

00:10:38.913 --> 00:10:40.693
Daryl Roth: It was about being true to yourself.

00:10:40.693 --> 00:10:46.593
Daryl Roth: It was about being honorable and respectful of other people that were different than you.

00:10:46.593 --> 00:10:51.393
Daryl Roth: It was about being celebratory in life against all odds.

00:10:51.393 --> 00:11:01.053
Daryl Roth: Well, I got out of there at the mountaintop that I was in, and this is so many years ago that the cell phone that I borrowed was probably weighed 10 pounds.

00:11:01.233 --> 00:11:07.673
Daryl Roth: I screened into the phone, and there was no cell service in the middle of Utah at the time.

00:11:07.673 --> 00:11:14.473
Daryl Roth: Anyway, I managed to reach my son, Jordan, and I said, Jordan, I have just had an unbelievable experience.

00:11:14.473 --> 00:11:17.813
Daryl Roth: I have to get the rights for this little movie named Kinky Boots.

00:11:17.813 --> 00:11:20.113
Daryl Roth: I'm going to be in Utah for a few more days.

00:11:20.113 --> 00:11:23.593
Daryl Roth: I saw that one of the producers of the film was Disney.

00:11:23.593 --> 00:11:28.773
Daryl Roth: Please, please call Tom Schumacher and say, my mom is crazy in Utah.

00:11:28.873 --> 00:11:31.613
Daryl Roth: She's got to get the rights for Kinky Boots.

00:11:31.613 --> 00:11:33.553
Daryl Roth: Well, that wasn't so easy.

00:11:33.553 --> 00:11:42.613
Daryl Roth: It did take quite a few years because it was a combination of Miramax Disney film and they had to decide who would end up with the theater rights.

00:11:42.613 --> 00:11:55.133
Daryl Roth: Now, fortunately for me, Disney decided it was not a family musical, which I think curiously it ended up being quite a wonderful family musical because of the lessons and the message.

00:11:55.133 --> 00:12:02.193
Daryl Roth: But in the beginning, it was Kinky Boots, which with Drag Queens, so that was not so easy to peg as a family musical.

00:12:02.193 --> 00:12:20.893
Daryl Roth: It turned out after all these many years of presenting it, that it brought more families together and acted as a way, a catalyst for people to talk to their parents, especially if they were coming out or if they were trying to just express themselves differently than their families had expected or predicted.

00:12:21.353 --> 00:12:23.393
Daryl Roth: In fact, it was a gorgeous message.

00:12:23.393 --> 00:12:25.913
Daryl Roth: But that to me made such a difference in the world.

00:12:26.393 --> 00:12:31.473
Daryl Roth: And it also gave Cyndi Lauper her first opportunity to write a musical.

00:12:31.473 --> 00:12:41.393
Daryl Roth: I've always been a fan of hers, especially because of her women-centric music and to work with Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Mitchell.

00:12:41.393 --> 00:12:45.013
Daryl Roth: It was just A1 fabulous from the beginning to the end.

00:12:45.013 --> 00:12:52.553
Daryl Roth: And because I was involved in such a complete way, I felt as though everything that I cared about was riding on this.

00:12:53.173 --> 00:12:56.033
Daryl Roth: So happily, it turned out to be successful.

00:12:56.033 --> 00:13:02.413
Daryl Roth: And in a very competitive year, it did win the Tony, but more than that, it won the hearts of so many people.

00:13:02.413 --> 00:13:04.073
Daryl Roth: And it's still done all over the world.

00:13:04.073 --> 00:13:07.133
Daryl Roth: I think it's been in Korea four times, in Japan.

00:13:07.133 --> 00:13:09.033
Daryl Roth: And I mean, it's about the message.

00:13:09.033 --> 00:13:10.933
Daryl Roth: And it's a message that never gets stale.

00:13:10.933 --> 00:13:16.613
Daryl Roth: And that is be true to yourself, be kind to others, do your thing, just be.

00:13:16.613 --> 00:13:17.813
Daryl Roth: That's one of the big songs.

00:13:17.813 --> 00:13:19.513
Daryl Roth: Just be who you want to be.

00:13:19.513 --> 00:13:20.693
Daryl Roth: Live your life with dignity.

00:13:21.073 --> 00:13:24.853
Daryl Roth: And to me, I have to put that at the top of my list.

00:13:24.853 --> 00:13:26.053
Jill Rappaport: Well, absolutely.

00:13:26.053 --> 00:13:32.053
Jill Rappaport: And besides changing lives, I know you must believe that it probably saved lives.

00:13:32.053 --> 00:13:34.933
Daryl Roth: I would go so far as to say that, yes, I would.

00:13:34.933 --> 00:13:46.373
Daryl Roth: I know how difficult it is for young people to come out to their families, and how it's a devastating, sadly, situation for some people who feel they never can.

00:13:46.373 --> 00:14:04.873
Daryl Roth: And I know that we got many letters and people saying to us, how having the experience of going to the theater with their child, with their son, with their daughter, and then being able to talk about things more openly, and more freely, and more honestly, was actually the key that unlocked that was watching Kinky Boots.

00:14:04.873 --> 00:14:06.693
Daryl Roth: That's remarkable.

00:14:06.693 --> 00:14:08.933
Daryl Roth: So that's on my list for sure.

00:14:08.933 --> 00:14:10.053
Daryl Roth: I'm so proud of it.

00:14:10.053 --> 00:14:14.773
Daryl Roth: And I'm also very proud of some of the other shows in different ways.

00:14:14.773 --> 00:14:25.013
Daryl Roth: For example, I did the revival of Larry Kramer's Normal Heart, and after 25 years, I saw it 25 years before we produced the revival.

00:14:25.013 --> 00:14:34.873
Daryl Roth: And that too, in a similar way to Kinky Boots, made people realize how much there is to do in the world that can make a difference and can help.

00:14:35.133 --> 00:14:43.993
Daryl Roth: I was very excited to do the production because it was speaking to a younger generation on whose shoulders they stood, but they didn't really know the story.

00:14:43.993 --> 00:14:46.513
Daryl Roth: And that brought it to light in such a glorious way.

00:14:46.693 --> 00:14:52.333
Daryl Roth: So many young people started volunteering for GMHC or God's Love We Deliver.

00:14:52.333 --> 00:14:59.513
Daryl Roth: A million doors were open to these people that were inspired by seeing Larry Kramer's play.

00:14:59.513 --> 00:15:02.873
Daryl Roth: I like to say it was his righteous rage.

00:15:02.873 --> 00:15:08.893
Daryl Roth: And righteous rage to me is really valuable in our society, especially today.

00:15:08.893 --> 00:15:10.633
Daryl Roth: So I put that up in the top of the list.

00:15:10.633 --> 00:15:16.593
Daryl Roth: And I would also add, if I might, I know your question was, do you have one child, but I don't.

00:15:17.613 --> 00:15:29.173
Daryl Roth: I would put the play Witt, and I would put the play Indecent as part of my top tier, because Witt was a play that nobody else wanted to tackle.

00:15:29.173 --> 00:15:32.533
Daryl Roth: It was a play about a woman living with ovarian cancer.

00:15:32.533 --> 00:15:38.253
Daryl Roth: One woman's show, Kathleen Chalfant, if you remember, and then Judith Light brilliantly took over the role.

00:15:38.253 --> 00:15:44.653
Daryl Roth: And it opened up so many wonderful conversations among medical professionals, survivors, caregivers.

00:15:45.073 --> 00:15:51.113
Daryl Roth: It was just an open dialogue about the cancer that nobody wanted to talk about in those days.

00:15:51.113 --> 00:15:58.273
Daryl Roth: We called it the C word, which is so interesting because now, as we speak, I'm doing a play called Left On Tenth.

00:15:58.273 --> 00:15:59.693
Daryl Roth: It's kind of the bookend.

00:15:59.693 --> 00:16:07.173
Daryl Roth: I've often thought that Left On Tenth is the child of Year of Magical Thinking and Witt in some bizarre fashion.

00:16:07.173 --> 00:16:08.673
Daryl Roth: But it's a true story.

00:16:08.673 --> 00:16:18.253
Daryl Roth: It's Delia Efron's memoir adapted to stage, and it too deals with having a real challenging illness, and in this case, cancer, again, leukemia.

00:16:18.253 --> 00:16:23.073
Daryl Roth: But having gone through it and coming out on the bright side of life.

00:16:23.073 --> 00:16:26.413
Daryl Roth: In other words, she's now cancer-free.

00:16:26.413 --> 00:16:31.993
Daryl Roth: She's in love for a second time, having had a wonderful marriage for many years.

00:16:31.993 --> 00:16:35.833
Daryl Roth: After her husband passed away, she met another wonderful man.

00:16:36.293 --> 00:16:51.853
Daryl Roth: It was just for me to do a play about second chances in life and love, especially for a generation that is not often served up, stories that are relevant on stage, was really important to me.

00:16:51.853 --> 00:17:00.353
Daryl Roth: It's funny, but it has that thread, that woven tapestry that goes from Year of Magical Thinking, Wit and Now, to Left On Tenth.

00:17:00.353 --> 00:17:14.793
Daryl Roth: Then Indecent, which is Paula Vogel's magnificent, beautiful story about art through the ages and how art is what must live to keep our culture alive, was really quite an extraordinary experience.

00:17:15.993 --> 00:17:17.913
Daryl Roth: I guess I love everything I do.

00:17:18.113 --> 00:17:21.033
Daryl Roth: I would have to retire if I didn't.

00:17:21.033 --> 00:17:24.973
Daryl Roth: But those are some top favorites, I guess, to answer the question.

00:17:24.973 --> 00:17:26.733
Jill Rappaport: Well, you know what's amazing, Daryl?

00:17:26.733 --> 00:17:27.933
Jill Rappaport: I look at you.

00:17:27.933 --> 00:17:31.973
Jill Rappaport: You really are producing life-changing entertainment.

00:17:31.973 --> 00:17:34.353
Daryl Roth: Well, that's very interesting of you to say that.

00:17:34.353 --> 00:17:43.753
Daryl Roth: I think people do come to the theater in the hopes of being entertained first, but I hope they can leave the theater with something that really could be life-changing.

00:17:43.753 --> 00:17:54.973
Daryl Roth: Maybe the way you think about something or maybe the way you deal with a challenge in your own life, or maybe the way you just open up to somebody else that you had issues with.

00:17:54.973 --> 00:17:58.893
Daryl Roth: I think, I don't know, I'm just so passionate about what theater can do.

00:17:58.893 --> 00:18:10.373
Daryl Roth: I remember talking to Edward Albee, who I was honored to have produced Three Tall Women, and the goater who was Sylvia, and just having the opportunity to be in his face was remarkable.

00:18:10.373 --> 00:18:19.433
Daryl Roth: He used to say to me that, you can do something because you want to please people, or you can do something because you want to help people.

00:18:19.433 --> 00:18:21.753
Daryl Roth: I thought, yes, I get that.

00:18:21.753 --> 00:18:22.693
Daryl Roth: I want to do both.

00:18:22.693 --> 00:18:23.893
Daryl Roth: I want to please people.

00:18:23.893 --> 00:18:27.653
Daryl Roth: I want to entertain them, and I want to help them see the world in a different way.

00:18:27.653 --> 00:18:35.373
Daryl Roth: I want them to open up their hearts, their minds, not in a spinachy way, I don't mean, but be open.

00:18:35.373 --> 00:18:38.173
Daryl Roth: I mean, Edward was a remarkable, remarkable playwright.

00:18:38.173 --> 00:18:45.033
Daryl Roth: And I remember when we did The Goat or Who Is Sylvia, everyone would say, oh my god, this is a play about bestiality.

00:18:45.033 --> 00:18:47.913
Daryl Roth: And I would say, no, no, no, this is a play about love.

00:18:47.913 --> 00:18:54.333
Daryl Roth: This is a play where Edward, I believe, is saying the love that you choose is your personal love.

00:18:54.333 --> 00:18:57.133
Daryl Roth: That is not up for anybody else's opinion.

00:18:57.133 --> 00:18:58.673
Daryl Roth: It's not the love of a goat.

00:18:58.673 --> 00:19:01.153
Daryl Roth: It's just the love of an un-forbidden love.

00:19:01.653 --> 00:19:10.273
Daryl Roth: And things like that really get into the psyche of the culture, I believe, in ways that shake some people up and they bother some people.

00:19:10.273 --> 00:19:14.933
Daryl Roth: But more than that, I think they get people thinking, which is great, just great.

00:19:14.933 --> 00:19:26.013
Jill Rappaport: Well, besides everything you've done professionally, what I've began to adore you was when you came out with that documentary, My Dog, it was so unbelievable.

00:19:26.073 --> 00:19:33.973
Jill Rappaport: People's connections and the old expression, who rescued who, and you and I know this all too well.

00:19:33.973 --> 00:19:41.213
Jill Rappaport: I mean, I don't have human children, I have her children, but I feel I love them, I care for them, I need them.

00:19:41.213 --> 00:19:45.593
Jill Rappaport: I feel the same way my friends and he needs their children.

00:19:45.593 --> 00:19:49.713
Daryl Roth: So you know that connection all too well.

00:19:49.713 --> 00:19:52.953
Daryl Roth: I have children, but I feel exactly the same way about my dogs.

00:19:54.813 --> 00:19:58.953
Jill Rappaport: You've been so passionate and supportive of animal rescue.

00:19:58.953 --> 00:20:01.693
Jill Rappaport: Tell me how that started in your life, Daryl.

00:20:01.693 --> 00:20:03.873
Daryl Roth: Well, I think it started long ago.

00:20:03.873 --> 00:20:11.093
Daryl Roth: When I was growing up in New Jersey, my parents both loved animals so much, and my father would always somehow come home with rescue dogs.

00:20:11.093 --> 00:20:13.133
Daryl Roth: We always had purebred collies.

00:20:13.133 --> 00:20:15.533
Daryl Roth: That was our family dog.

00:20:15.653 --> 00:20:19.893
Daryl Roth: They lived forever, and when they passed on to heaven, we got another collie.

00:20:19.893 --> 00:20:21.253
Daryl Roth: That was just what it was.

00:20:21.533 --> 00:20:30.593
Daryl Roth: But my dad, may he rest in peace, had a car agency, and oftentimes, people would come in and they just bring animals in.

00:20:30.593 --> 00:20:32.593
Daryl Roth: He would say, well, is this your dog?

00:20:32.593 --> 00:20:37.833
Daryl Roth: They'd say, well, no, I found this dog on the street, but I know that you love animals.

00:20:37.833 --> 00:20:39.753
Daryl Roth: They would bring my dad these dogs.

00:20:39.753 --> 00:20:42.793
Daryl Roth: I'm going back 60, 70 years.

00:20:42.793 --> 00:20:44.573
Daryl Roth: I didn't know about rescue animals.

00:20:44.573 --> 00:20:48.553
Daryl Roth: I just knew that we always had these new family members in our house.

00:20:49.273 --> 00:20:56.073
Daryl Roth: I think my love of rescue really began with my father's kindness and understanding, and I always loved dogs.

00:20:56.873 --> 00:21:00.393
Daryl Roth: Growing up, we always had dogs.

00:21:00.393 --> 00:21:05.473
Daryl Roth: When I was married and had children, there was no question that I would always have dogs.

00:21:05.473 --> 00:21:08.773
Daryl Roth: In fact, when I married my husband, he was not a dog lover.

00:21:08.773 --> 00:21:14.993
Daryl Roth: In fact, I always loved the story on our first date in New York over, well, I married 55 years.

00:21:14.993 --> 00:21:16.833
Daryl Roth: I can barely believe that I'm saying that.

00:21:17.073 --> 00:21:23.473
Daryl Roth: But on our first date, I asked if he would walk the dog with me around the corner when we got home.

00:21:23.553 --> 00:21:28.233
Daryl Roth: It was late at night in New York City and he said, no, I have no interest in that.

00:21:28.373 --> 00:21:29.973
Jill Rappaport: I would have dumped him, Daryl.

00:21:29.973 --> 00:21:30.573
Daryl Roth: It?

00:21:30.573 --> 00:21:31.353
Daryl Roth: I totally did.

00:21:31.353 --> 00:21:37.173
Daryl Roth: That was the first and last time I saw him, until about a year later when we were reintroduced.

00:21:37.173 --> 00:21:40.133
Daryl Roth: I said, how do you feel about dogs these days?

00:21:41.173 --> 00:21:51.213
Daryl Roth: Anyway, we managed to find a common ground and of course, he loves our dogs now, but I have two dogs now and my daughter has two dogs.

00:21:51.213 --> 00:21:56.933
Daryl Roth: My son, I finally talked into getting a cute little dog for his young eight-year-old son.

00:21:56.933 --> 00:22:08.513
Daryl Roth: We're totally a dog family, but what I find so fulfilling is being able to connect people with the shelters that I respect and know and make those connections.

00:22:08.513 --> 00:22:14.593
Daryl Roth: I think over the last year, I must have placed about 15 dogs and that gives me the best feeling ever.

00:22:14.953 --> 00:22:21.433
Daryl Roth: I have a lovely gentleman that Bernadette Peters, Broadway barks, of course, I've supported for a long time.

00:22:21.773 --> 00:22:22.453
Daryl Roth: Love, Bernadette.

00:22:22.453 --> 00:22:26.633
Daryl Roth: One of my dogs passed away and I wanted to rescue a dog.

00:22:26.633 --> 00:22:31.993
Daryl Roth: I called Bernadette and I said, you know all these wonderful shelters, who would you recommend I work with?

00:22:31.993 --> 00:22:40.473
Daryl Roth: She gave me the name of Bill Smith, whose organization is outside of Philadelphia called One Love for Animals, number one, number four.

00:22:40.553 --> 00:22:41.913
Daryl Roth: One Love for Animals.

00:22:41.913 --> 00:22:45.013
Daryl Roth: She said to me, you're going to love Bill because he loves theater.

00:22:45.013 --> 00:22:48.493
Daryl Roth: He drives up from Philadelphia once a week to see theater.

00:22:48.493 --> 00:22:50.573
Daryl Roth: I said, he's my guy.

00:22:50.573 --> 00:23:09.693
Jill Rappaport: I go back many years with Bill and you're right about saying, it's very important to know the rescues that you support, because you have to know who you're working for, that they're in it, it's their life, their oxygen like it is for us because you don't always know everybody across the country.

00:23:09.833 --> 00:23:13.733
Jill Rappaport: So I always make sure I go to visit the groups that I support.

00:23:13.733 --> 00:23:26.573
Jill Rappaport: But in the Hamptons, South Hampton Animal Shelter, I've been working on a campaign the whole year, Homes of the Holidays and After, where I took 17 underdogs, the seniors, the pits, the special needs that nobody was adopting.

00:23:26.573 --> 00:23:27.513
Jill Rappaport: We have one left.

00:23:27.513 --> 00:23:29.133
Jill Rappaport: I've gotten every one a home.

00:23:29.133 --> 00:23:31.413
Jill Rappaport: It's such a challenging time now, Daryl.

00:23:31.413 --> 00:23:32.313
Daryl Roth: Oh my God.

00:23:32.373 --> 00:23:38.593
Jill Rappaport: I was able to get recon with you with this show, Left On Tenth is the wonderful Bill Berloni.

00:23:38.593 --> 00:23:41.293
Jill Rappaport: You have rescue dogs in this show.

00:23:41.293 --> 00:23:42.793
Daryl Roth: Exactly.

00:23:42.793 --> 00:23:44.973
Daryl Roth: That was totally the way we were going.

00:23:44.973 --> 00:23:49.153
Daryl Roth: The story calls for a dog named Honey and a dog named Charlie.

00:23:49.893 --> 00:23:57.093
Daryl Roth: Bill's wonderful and he's the go-to guy for theater animals, but he has such a big heart and I've always admired him.

00:23:57.093 --> 00:24:01.593
Daryl Roth: I first met him around the days of Annie when he found Sandy.

00:24:02.253 --> 00:24:07.593
Daryl Roth: I think that was probably the beginning for him too, but he just has a kind heart, he's wonderful.

00:24:07.593 --> 00:24:14.973
Daryl Roth: These two rescues, actually, it's a funny story I have to say, off the record maybe, but maybe it's interesting.

00:24:14.973 --> 00:24:24.873
Daryl Roth: The first Honey that we had was a beautiful blonde mixture of whatever, and she was in the rehearsal hall with us during our whole rehearsal.

00:24:24.873 --> 00:24:34.613
Daryl Roth: When we got moved into the theater for tech and everything seemed fine, and with the first preview audiences, Honey got a little bit nervous.

00:24:34.613 --> 00:24:42.453
Daryl Roth: It was the applause and the sound of people and the noise that wasn't in a quiet, empty rehearsal room.

00:24:42.853 --> 00:24:48.693
Daryl Roth: She became a little frightened and nervous, and Bill suggested, really, we'll find another rescue.

00:24:48.693 --> 00:24:57.873
Daryl Roth: We like to say we have our understudy, who became a star in Nessa Rose is her real name, and she plays Honey, and she's more of a veteran.

00:24:57.873 --> 00:25:04.433
Daryl Roth: Bill explained to us that she had been in Wicked, so she was used to being on stage and having applause.

00:25:04.433 --> 00:25:06.213
Daryl Roth: It didn't frighten her.

00:25:06.213 --> 00:25:14.893
Daryl Roth: Then our adorable Charlie is also a rescue, and he is the funniest, most adorable dog with a little overbite.

00:25:14.893 --> 00:25:16.413
Daryl Roth: You just fall in love with these.

00:25:16.413 --> 00:25:24.673
Daryl Roth: As soon as they walk on stage, the audience goes, and of course, we have the most gorgeous and marvellous talented cast.

00:25:24.673 --> 00:25:30.873
Daryl Roth: Everyone does their curtain call, and when the dogs come out for their curtain call, it's the loudest standing ovation.

00:25:32.033 --> 00:25:36.733
Jill Rappaport: Even a bigger ovation than the stars, Juliana Margulies and Peter Gallagher gets?

00:25:36.733 --> 00:25:38.173
Daryl Roth: They're so good with the dogs.

00:25:38.173 --> 00:25:38.913
Daryl Roth: That's the beauty.

00:25:38.913 --> 00:25:48.793
Daryl Roth: In fact, all of our rehearsal time was spent with Bill making sure that the dogs were comfortable with Juliana and Peter, and they loved them.

00:25:48.793 --> 00:26:00.093
Daryl Roth: At the end of every show, they run in to their dressing rooms, and they each give them their little liver treats or whatever beefy treats they get, and they get a big hug and a lick and a kiss, and it's been glorious.

00:26:00.313 --> 00:26:15.673
Daryl Roth: Look, there's nothing like a dog or dogs, in this case, to lighten your heart and your life, especially because Left On Tenth has a heavy challenging chapter of the story, and what it is about is the second chance in life and love.

00:26:15.753 --> 00:26:23.173
Daryl Roth: And so being able to give a rescue dog a second life is also another part of, I think, the wonder of this play.

00:26:23.173 --> 00:26:28.773
Daryl Roth: Or just for us personally, those of us that know these dogs are getting a second chance, they're Broadway stars.

00:26:28.773 --> 00:26:32.353
Jill Rappaport: Bill takes them, literally, some off the street, literally.

00:26:32.353 --> 00:26:43.353
Jill Rappaport: And our audience should know that all of these animals that Bill finds, he keeps for the rest of their lives in his amazing, I call it Noah's Ark, it's just unbelievable.

00:26:43.793 --> 00:26:47.373
Jill Rappaport: They are rescued and loved and taken care of forever.

00:26:47.373 --> 00:26:51.793
Jill Rappaport: And then they go on to entertain amazing audiences.

00:26:51.793 --> 00:26:52.533
Jill Rappaport: Yeah.

00:26:52.533 --> 00:26:58.893
Jill Rappaport: And bless you, Daryl, for understanding the need and the importance of putting these rescues in the show.

00:26:58.893 --> 00:27:02.393
Jill Rappaport: I would love to collaborate with you on something for animal welfare.

00:27:02.393 --> 00:27:03.593
Daryl Roth: I would be happy to.

00:27:03.593 --> 00:27:07.133
Daryl Roth: It would make me really happy to do something with you about this.

00:27:07.133 --> 00:27:08.213
Daryl Roth: It's dear to my heart.

00:27:08.213 --> 00:27:10.313
Daryl Roth: I know it's your entire being.

00:27:10.393 --> 00:27:16.413
Daryl Roth: You've been so wonderful about everything and bringing awareness to people about rescuing.

00:27:16.413 --> 00:27:30.173
Daryl Roth: I've had only the best experiences and everybody that I have found a rescue dog, either through Bill or other people that I've been in touch with, everyone has thanked me for the experience, life-changing for them.

00:27:30.173 --> 00:27:33.713
Daryl Roth: Especially, sometimes it's the first dog they ever had.

00:27:33.713 --> 00:27:38.733
Daryl Roth: Sometimes it's a dog that's coming after the passing of a long-term pet.

00:27:39.053 --> 00:27:48.933
Daryl Roth: That's hard, but once they get ready, and then they understand rescuing can be so much more meaningful, not only to the pup, but for themselves.

00:27:48.933 --> 00:27:51.553
Daryl Roth: It's just something beautiful to see and experience.

00:27:51.553 --> 00:27:54.893
Daryl Roth: So I'm available to help you in any way I can.

00:27:54.893 --> 00:27:58.913
Jill Rappaport: Well, I have to tell you, you are a true inspiration.

00:27:58.913 --> 00:28:00.113
Daryl Roth: We appreciate that.

00:28:00.113 --> 00:28:02.113
Daryl Roth: I really appreciate your kind words.

00:28:02.113 --> 00:28:09.653
Daryl Roth: For me, if it were up to me, my life would be about my family, theater, and dogs, and I would feel complete.

00:28:09.653 --> 00:28:11.073
Jill Rappaport: That's a perfect way to end.

00:28:11.073 --> 00:28:14.473
Jill Rappaport: Daryl, thank you so much for this wonderful conversation.

00:28:14.473 --> 00:28:14.873
Daryl Roth: Thank you.

00:28:14.873 --> 00:28:20.033
Jill Rappaport: And thanks to all of you who tuned in today to Rappaport to the Rescue.

00:28:20.033 --> 00:28:25.113
Announcer: Let's Talk Pets, every week on demand, only on petliferadio.com.

"Rappaport to the Rescue" Theme Song Written & Produced by Mark Winter
© Copyright 2022 Such Fun Music (ASCAP)