I pretty consistently make some kind of comment about Susan Blackwell's newest Side by Side by Susan Blackwell videos. They're hilarious. She's charming. The guests are always game for whatever nonsense she throws at them. It's a fun thing to watch. You get this idea about certain performers based on the characters they play and then they're allowed to rip those expectations to shreds or live up to them. Susan Blackwell previously interviewed Jonathan Groff--Tony nominee for his work in Spring Awakening, as well as recurring guest star Jesse St James on Glee--while riding around in a horse-drawn carriage. It's probably the most memorable episode of the series. It also featured breakfast in bed with Sutton Foster and a trip to Hooters with Laura Benanti. If you haven't seen it yet, you should.
In May, the show switched to a single guest format. After two or three videos, Susan and crew got into the groove of only interviewing one person and really started to make those videos pop. The visit to Jonathan Groff's family's goat farm is fantastic. Most new episodes get a tweet; this one gets its own post.
Susan Blackwell is best when she's dealing with someone who is in on the joke and easy to embarrass. It's one thing to watch her go toe to toe with someone equally as wacky like Katie Finneran; it's quite another to watch her constantly reduce a grown man and award winning actor to fits of giggles with only a few words.
In their first video meeting, Susan Blackwell found out that Jonathan Groff grew up in the middle of Amish country in Pennsylvania. He worked at a popular non-chocolate branded amusement park in the area and lived on a horse and goat farm. This led to many awkward jokes about Equus, horse care, and proper intimate etiquette on a coach ride. You could just see Susan's brain spinning with the possibilities.
One of the more recent episodes obviously set this plot into motion. When hanging out with her castmates from the totally amazing [Title of Show], Jeff Bowen asked her if she would rather spend the rest of her days on a goat farm with Jonathan Groff or make millions of dollars on a hit sitcom with two-time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz; she chose the goat farm. It seemed like she was just choosing the silly answer at the time; she very well may have. Somehow, this translated to getting the Broadway.com film crew down to Pennsylvania to spend the day with Jonathan Groff on his family farm. They chase fainting goats, play with an adorable dog, and make total fools of themselves in the country. It's a hoot.
I'll take two Lea Micheles, a Jesse St. James, a Sparkle Black, and a big hunk of field to play with them on for the day. Do you take horribly post-dated checks for the rental?