Interview: Ryan Vasquez and Joy Woods on Dancing in the Rain in The Notebook

In Ingrid Michaelson and Bekah Brunstetter’s musical adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’s The Notebook, the central role of lovers Allie and Noah are divided among three actors each, who play the characters at different stages of life. The middle versions — the ones who get to share the iconic rain scene — are played by Joy Woods and Ryan Vasquez, two actors who’ve been with the the project for a very long time. Here, they discuss the show’s development, performing in the rain, and how its arrival on Broadway is emblematic of the industry’s return after the pandemic.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

The Notebook is obviously an emotional experience for the audience. What is it like for you to play your relationship arc night after night?
Joy Woods: It’s a hard, hard show to do sometimes. But I’ve had this show in my bones for two years; Ryan has been doing it for four or five. We’re coming back to it rather than starting something new.

Ryan Vasquez: We’re finding the rhythm, and we’re really able to manipulate and control that to get it nice and flowing with the audience. What’s neat about it is that it’s a relay race, passing off the story to the people who are playing the roles in other generations.

What kind of adjustments do you need as actors when you’re part of a trio ultimately shaping the role of a single person?
Ryan: For me, the adjustment comes in finding the balance. On one side of the scale, we are three of us playing one person; and then we are trying to bring our full selves to the role, which is the other part of it. I try to be observant of Dorian Harewood and John Cardoza, whether it’s looking at their literal mannerisms or tonal things to keep this person one cohesive character. When you grab the torch to continue the marathon, it’s up to your authentic self and personality to make the thing pop.  One wave crashes into the other; you’re letting yourself be free and take up a lot of space, and then rolling it back. It feels like an ecosystem more than a solar system where it’s revolving around you.

Joy: There are certain gestures that we all share as a through line. We’ve had a lot of conversations; we spend a lot of time watching each other and learning from each other. Night to night, sometimes the show is different, so we have to make sure we’re seeing how we can all remain the same. There’s a lot that goes on.

Ryan: John Beasley, who played older Noah in Chicago, passed away after the run, which opened up this void in the show that felt really impossible in scope to fill. When I met Dorian, it was so fascinating and surreal and painful and exciting to see somebody else in that part all of a sudden. But I couldn’t look away. There was something of a reverence to it throughout. There’s also just a sort of osmosis happening of sharing the space all the time and talking with each other.

Joy: This relay race is something that is very special that you don’t really get to take part in, in most shows. I feel like I’m constantly learning from Jordan and Maryann, and being able to see how they’re affecting the audience. Contributing to that catharsis and being part of that cog in the machine is really special. They’re masters of their craft and I’m just happy to be a part of it every day, and doing it with the best teammates in the world.

Tell me about the rain sequence, which is obviously the most iconic scene in the movie. How hard was it to stage? How cold is it?
Ryan: It’s warm. They’re very good. It is cold at the beginning of the show, so when you see us shivering in the mist, it’s real. The rest is acting.

Joy: I don’t remember it being the hardest thing. It was an average part of tech. The moment I remember most is probably the first time we watched it rain in the Chicago production. We got the lighting, we figured out how wide the curtain of rain needed to be. The logistics. We weren’t really part of the technical aspects. So we kind of hopped in and it’s been smooth sailing, for the most part.

Ryan: What’s cool is that there’s so much suspension of disbelief for actors. There’s so much that we do where you’re imagining the setting. Michael Greif, in his history of directing, really does emphasize the reality of things. There’s no eating fake food. If you can do it for real, he wants to do it. The rain is a cool example of that. There is literal water pelting around you and you’re getting soaked and dancing around, and you can see the audience whisper to each other. It’s fun for me.

Joy: It’s fun for me, too. Just the feel of it all and the quick change, running back on stage still being a little bit drippy, a little bit wet. It’s very fun.

Ryan, you’re about 100 steps away from two other shows that you did out of town, Water for Elephants and The Outsiders. What is it like for you to see, basically, your career all in one block?
Ryan: it’s surreal. I have friends in both of those companies, and to have people on the same schedule, who are in the same corner, that are going through the same thing, is refreshing. It’s surreal and it never happens, but it’s only happening now because of this huge backlog of shows that couldn’t get in during the pandemic. We’ve been selling this narrative that Broadway is back for so long, but this feels like a year where…if 15 different teams are confident bringing their shows to Broadway, it really is. We are thriving, which his so cool. If nothing else, it’s emblematic of that.