Conan Meets The Producer Of An Unauthorized "Heated Rivalry" Musical | Conan O'Brien Needs A Fan

It says here that you are a Broadway. producer and I always think of the. cliche a guy with a cigar. Do you know. what I mean? Someone prowling the. streets looking for the next big. Broadway musical. Is that you to a T? >> Yeah, like Nathan Lane, Matthew. Broderick. Yeah, definitely. Just. [laughter]. Running schemes on old ladies. >> Yeah, yeah. And you always say put music. to that and YOU GOT SOMETHING. >> [laughter]. >> OH MY GOD, it says here well, I see Tony. Awards behind you unless those are fake. How many Tony Awards do you have? >> [laughter].

>> So I. my husband and I Paul Dano he's going to. kill me if I didn't say Paul Dano forth. is my husband and we started doing this. a year and a half together. We won one. Tony last year. >> Wait, you've been doing this hold on, hold on sir. You've been doing this for. a year and a half with your husband and. you you have a Tony already? >> Yeah, so we're good. We're we're we're. going to move on to something else next. [laughter]. Horse racing or I don't know. >> You should have you [laughter] should. look into a microscope one time and win. a Nobel Prize in chemistry. >> That's how it works, right? >> Wait, what did you win the Tony Award.

for? What did you win a Tony Award for? >> I think you saw it. Death of a Salesman. with Nathan Lane and. >> It was fantastic. It was amazing. >> Laurie Metcalf Metcalf, thank you. Yeah. >> [laughter]. >> You should learn the cast. No, I was I was blown away by that show. It was spectacular. and I mean Nathan Lane was amazing. I. think Laurie Metcalf single-handedly. she like transformed that role. I mean. she gave it a whole different. urgency. It was amazing. It was great. Congratulations.

>> Thank you. Yeah, and it'd been done so. many times. People were like, do we need. another one? And then there clearly we. did. It was pretty So this is actually. I'm not a friend's office who's like one. of the most prolific directors in. Broadway. So he said I can show you as. if it's mine. But it's so this is his, [laughter] but it's mine at home and. >> Wait, wait a minute. I don't want to see. someone else's Tony. [laughter]. >> It's fine. You can't see the. >> No, I don't want I don't know. It's no. No, uh-uh. Uh-uh. [laughter] No. >> Oh no, this one's mine. This one's mine. Sorry. Yeah, this one's mine. >> yeah. Hi. Hi, I'm easily fooled.

Wow, that's that's spectacular. So, congratulations to you. This world fascinates me cuz I know. absolutely nothing about it. My wife. very much into theater. I like to go and. see shows, but I don't understand what. it means to be a producer. What are you working on now? >> Yeah, we got some stuff coming over. We. got Paddington coming over from London. So, we are producing a show. >> Great. Great. >> Yeah, it opens in April. It's one of the. biggest hits they've had in London in in.

year like decades really. It's It's so. It's sold out almost through half of. next year. >> Is it the one with the little. animatronic kind of robotic Paddington? Wow. >> So, it's a It's we have a little person. in a in a suit and then the the head is. mechanical and the person who's doing. the voice is on the side of the stage. They control the mouth while they do the. speaking. >> me. I met the person who plays. Paddington in the Paddington outfit and. the person who does the voice and I'm. trying to think if this is an insane. thing to say. I don't know where I. >> America.

>> No, yeah. >> [laughter]. >> You were Good Morning America. >> Where was I? >> Good Morning America. >> Yes, that's right. Okay, I was on Good. Morning America and I was told there are. some very special people that want to. meet you out in the hallway and. I was like, "Wow, this is incredible." I. go out in the hallway [snorts] and. there's Paddington and this other. person. I got to meet them, get my. picture. It was very neat. I'm a I'm a. huge Paddington fan. >> Wouldn't it be cool if you played. Paddington and instead of like, you. know, a smaller version, it's like a six. >> 6-ft. >> Or he just plays the marmalade. >> Yeah. >> [laughter].

>> 6-ft 4-in jar of marmalade. And I come out and I go, >> [laughter]. >> "I'm way too sweet for most breakfast. treats. >> [laughter]. >> Okay. >> People prefer jam, but I'm such a ham.". Um you owe me a piece if you [laughter]. Uh what other musicals are you working. on? >> Well, the one that I'm really excited to. be doing the heated rivalry. and unauthorized [screaming] musical. parody. >> SONA. >> SONA. >> Is that the one that's playing in LA in. LA right now or is that a.

>> No, that's a that's a different one. Um, >> Sona. >> Sona. >> You are a terrible interview. >> I am. I I shouldn't talk. >> A lawyer should never say anything in. court when they don't know the answer. >> Yeah, I'm sorry. >> no, that's a terrible one I've heard. This one's off-Broadway and we're also. open in London today, actually, while we. record this. So, um we're all over the. place. >> Oh. >> You really don't have your You don't. really mind the store, do you, Mark? >> No. >> OH, HE'S GONE. >> OH. >> OH. [screaming]. >> THAT WAS DRAMATIC. >> YEAH, I like to add a little flair to. the whole show. [laughter]. >> Um.

>> You are a good producer. >> This going to get fixed. >> Wait, was that an intermission? >> I went and stood in a long line for the. bathroom, used it, and came back. And. then Sean reappeared. Uh we had a. technical difficulty. Sean was gone. momentarily, but he's back now. And you. just dropped a massive bombshell. The. biggest heated rivalry uh fan in the. world sits next to me, Sona Movsesian, and you. >> Yeah. >> You are. >> I am pretty big. >> Yeah, you came in, I think, before it. was I think you were looking at dailies. when they were shooting it. >> [laughter]. >> And you kept coming in and talking about. butts. >> Yeah, I I was in a bush while they were.

shooting it. Just watching with. binoculars. [laughter]. >> what? >> In a bush. >> Okay, take it easy, Sean. >> Oh, sorry, Sean. >> Damn it, Sean. >> This is a show. >> Get your head out of the gutter. >> This is a show for children. >> It's all in good fun. It's Heated. Rivalry. >> We've sent your video of you talking. about how much you love that to everyone. in the cast. Um and yeah, you're very. famous for your love of butts. >> And for her love of butts. >> Heated Rivalry. >> Uh my legacy. >> Yeah. Sona Movsesian. >> Love her tombstone. Known for her love.

of butt. >> The only way to get Sona to watch like. Hedda Gabler or some, you know, some. really important work of theater uh is. to have a lot of butts in it. And then. she's there. >> Put a butt in it. >> Yeah, put a butt in it. >> Like Death of a Salesman. There were. butts everywhere. >> Oh, okay. >> Remember? >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. I I saw that version. >> [laughter]. >> Okay, so a lot of questions here. It. says that you used to be a lawyer. >> I Yes, I'm still technically in can. practice, but I don't like conflict, I. realized. >> [laughter].

>> And yet you're doing a show called. Heated Rivalry. >> Yeah. >> Wow. >> Yeah, yeah, I like that. It was a good. ending to that. >> Which is itself. >> in a heated rivalry with another. production of Heated Rivalry. >> [laughter]. >> Yeah, we don't talk about that other. one. >> Okay. Yeah, I again, I think you're. taking us You two are terrible at this. >> But I just wonder if we can quantify. which one has more butts. >> Oh, ours. >> Okay, yeah. >> Yeah. >> For sure. They have a giant butt that. comes out of the floor. >> [laughter]. >> And sings, "I'm just a butt.". >> We added that to the show. >> part, but it was cut.

>> I'm just a butt, yeah. >> I'm just a butt. So. >> I did I was a lawyer, I didn't like it, and then um I just got to my mid-40s and. I was like, you know, I want to have a. change of career. I lost both my parents. during that time. >> Okay, sorry about that. >> And um. yeah, I had about 11 years sober. It's. kind of this moment of like, what am I. going to do with the rest of my life? And so we decided to get into the arts. >> Oh. >> And it's been the best decision we've. made. >> Um. >> Now, you say that you encourage people. to invest in shows. Is Is that Is that. part of your job is to get people to. invest? Is it something that you I mean,

I've never invested. Well, I've never invested in a show. >> here, actually. >> [laughter]. >> Yeah, I've never invested in a in a. show, and I've always been curious about. that part of it. How does it work? How. would you get me to invest in say the. Heated Rivalry. uh musical? >> Unauthorized musical parody before we. get HBO coming at us. >> Um yeah. >> Yes. Um so it's Most producers raise. money. My husband and I, we actually put. all our own money in, which just makes. it a little bit more um I don't have the.

personality to go raise money from other. people, you know? I'll be so I'll be so. worried about their money. um. more than I would my own, if that makes. sense. I just don't have that. personality to be like, "Hey guys, sorry the show." Cuz with Broadway. shows, if they go down, you lose. everything. It's not like, you know, like in the stock market, Amazon's not. going to go to zero, right? So there'll. still be some sort of um. there'll be something left. In Broadway, you can lose your entire investment. It's pretty pretty common, too, too. So the old saying is you can make a. killing, but you can't make a living.

>> Ugh. >> So why are you doing it this way? >> [laughter]. >> Why don't you get other people to invest. their money in it and do the best you. can? >> couldn't. I couldn't I couldn't just turn to. people and just say sorry I lost all. your money. >> Well, you don't have to call them and. tell them that. You just don't return. their calls. >> Ghost them? >> Oh, yeah. >> Oh. >> No one No one calls and says I'm sorry I. lost you all your money. You just I. First of all, they go to They go to your. They try to call you. They don't get.

you. They go to your office. It's not. your office anymore. It's a lot of them. >> [laughter]. >> They do the classic thing and they say, "I swear there was a bank of telephones. here and there was a guy over there.". And the policeman goes, "Coo-coo, coo-coo." And you're off the hook. You're in Bermuda. >> And what we what we've liked so much. about like heated these smaller shows is. that we get to have a little more say. It's not just raising money. We actually. get to be a little bit more in the. creative development part of it and like. make decisions about where it's going to. go and if it's going to tour and all. that stuff, which we really enjoy doing. >> butts, more butts.

>> We get to do the audition, which is just. great. I mean, we just have auditions. for fun. >> Did you have butt calipers to [laughter]. I have a pair. >> When you're a beginner, I can just. eyeball it now, you know? >> [laughter]. >> At the beginning, you have to use butt. calipers. And then later on, your. eyesight adjusts. >> 100% yeah. >> Yeah, I carry them on the subway in New. York. Uh Did you do? Yeah, it doesn't go. over well. People are like, "Excuse me.". And I went, "Uh do you want an accurate. measurement or not?". >> [laughter].