Between performing on Broadway, producing a film and awaiting the arrival of his newest family member, Jesse Tyler Ferguson is in the midst of a busy season.
In the latest episode of “The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal,” Ferguson discusses the upcoming documentary “Broadway Rising” (which he produces alongside his husband Justin Mikita, among others) as well as reprising his Tony-winning role in the return engagement of “Take Me Out,” which begins performances at Broadway’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Oct. 27.
“Broadway Rising” premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival in June. The documentary is set to release widely this December.
As Ferguson reveals, documentarian Amy Rice approached him and Mikita early on in the pandemic. Rice and Ferguson had been looking to work together on a project, as Ferguson has been a fan of hers for years.
Rice wanted to make a film about Broadway coming back from COVID. Ferguson responded enthusiastically, but specified: “It has to be about the entire community.”
“It’s not just the actors and the producers and the front-facing people of this community,” he said. “It’s about the doorman, it’s about the people who are sewing the costumes. All these people lost their jobs and are struggling.”
“This community’s really, really large,” he continued. “So I wanted to really highlight and showcase all these different people that make up this community.”
Ferguson said the documentary culminates with Broadway’s reopening on Sept. 12, 2021. He tells Fadal that those who were around when the industry started to re-emerge from the pandemic “know that the joy and the elation of coming back and coming together and celebrating art again was just so, so palpable.”
Ferguson told Fadal that in addition to his performance schedule with “Take Me Out,” he’ll be spending a lot of time working on the film.
Speaking of “Take Me Out,” Ferguson — who took home the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in the baseball drama — is excited to return, as he and the company felt there was “unfinished business” when the production closed in the spring.
“We were really hitting a stride at the end of our run at Second Stage. So for me, I kinda want closure with the cast.”
“There’s so many people who are discovering this play for the first time and I want them to see this beautiful production.”
In addition to Ferguson, the latest “Broadway Show” episode also features an in-depth interview with original “Dreamgirls” cast member Cleavant Derricks, currently appearing on Broadway in “Wicked.” He shares behind-the-scenes stories from both musicals. Viewers can also catch new footage from the recently relaunched North American tour of “Aladdin,” plus interviews with Senzel Ahmady and Adi Roy, playing Jasmine and Aladdin, respectively. Broadway star-turned-author Gideon Glick and his co-author Adam Roberts also offer a sneak peek at their new theater-inspired cookbook, “Give My Swiss Chards to Broadway.”
“The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal” airs on weekends. Check your local listings for air time and channel.
