INTERVIEW: ‘The Other Josh Cohen’ will rob your heart
Photo: The Other Josh Cohen stars, from left, Hannah Elless, Steve Rosen, Elizabeth Nestlerode and Kate Wetherhead. Photo courtesy of Caitlin McNaney / Provided by Vivacity Media Group with permission.
The Other Josh Cohen is the little musical that could. With book, music and lyrics by its co-stars, David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, the show is enjoying an extended run at the Westside Theatre in Midtown Manhattan.
Rossmer and Rosen play the title character, one year apart, and the role of Josh Cohen proves to be an interesting one. Here’s a man who is the definition of bad luck, so much so that the audience enters his New York City apartment … as it’s being robbed. From that point on, a company of actor-musicians bring to life the sometimes strange and always funny story of Josh Cohen.
One of the company members is Elizabeth Nestlerode, who plays multiple roles and multiple instruments in the ensemble.
“We’re having a really great time,” Nestlerode said of her experience in The Other Josh Cohen, which is currently scheduled to run through April 28. “When I first read it, it had twists and turns I couldn’t anticipate.”
The musical has had an interesting history in the New York City area, having played the the New York Musical Festival, then the Soho Playhouse and later on New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse.
Nestlerode joined the Josh Cohen family after the director, Tony nominee Hunter Foster, called her one day. “He had reached out to me to see if I was available,” said Nestlerode, who had worked with Foster on another production, Buddy Holly Story, in 2016.
After signing up for this off-Broadway mounting of the musical, Nestlerode had to rely on her musical background, but also learn a few things along the way. “I ended up learning a number of instruments,” the actor-musician said. “I always played piano, but in the show I play 11 instruments.”
She learned guitar, electric bass, violin, auxiliary percussion, ukulele … and on and on. She even learned trumpet and saxophone, but those were actually taken out of the final production.
As far as the many characters she plays on stage, there are a few favorites, in particular one character who is not revealed until the very end. “This show feels like such a unicorn of a show,” she said. “[An original musical] is such a hard thing to find a commercial production of. … It feels very timely and focused on being kind, without the message hitting you on the head. We see audiences of all generations and walks of life.”
Nestlerode started performing on stage around the age of 13. She was interested in the school musical back then, and she turned professional by the age of 15 in Seattle. Over the years she has performed in Once, Gypsy, Violet, The Meanest Birthday Girl, Buddy Holly, 54 Forever, Aida and The Who’s Tommy.
It seems like her experience in The Other Josh Cohen is a career highlight, perhaps because the ensemble has been so supportive. “There’s a priority for hiring kind people,” she said. “All of the people in the show I’d love to work with again.”
Much of that kindness also spills out into the audience. “This is a politically fraught time,” Nestlerode admitted. “We hope people will feel warmed up and be inspired to keep going.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Other Josh Cohen is currently playing an extended run at the Westside Theatre in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
Updated 2/19
