Actress/Producer Julia Melim Talks New Show ‘Relationships’

Read our exclusive interview with Julia Melim below:

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The show follows a couple played by Scott Johnson and I, struggling to find romantic love who begin experimenting in order to fix their fading marriage including jumping into a new partner played by the very funny Brett Siddell. We go through the ups and downs of modern dating, one night stands, dating multiple people, online dating and in the end try to reach a conclusion about relationships, but it’s really about trying to find love in the modern times and what’s real love. There’s also a human disconnect in modern society where we have so many forms of communication and yet so many issues in connecting with each other, there’s a fear of intimacy with texting, tinder, emails, skype, so many apps, which is where relationships are headed. Unfortunately, it feels that the biggest challenge of modern society is being more interesting than your partner’s smartphone or iPhone, let’s be honest. Relationships have become such a disposable asset, that everyone breaks up, dates multiple people and the essence of love is being lost. It’s a comedy, but we deal with real issues that everyone goes through and can identify. I think that’s why the play works whether if it’s in Brazil or the US, because the theme of relationships, going through break ups, lost love and this longing that we have to find the one, are themes that everyone can identify.

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I met Leandro in Rio (Brazil), I had heard about his work before, because he wrote for big comedians in Brazil, like Fabio Porchat and Tata Werneck, and my friends told me about him. He had just released the sequel to a big hit comedy “Meu Passado Me Condena 2” (Don’t Judge Me By My Past 2) and I googled him (laughs). Our first meeting was at a Starbucks, which is where I didn’t know we would spend most of our time, doing production meetings, going over the script and talking about opening an off-Broadway show!! To be really honest, I was kind of intimidated to meet him, but he told me later he saw my standup in New York and was intimidated also! So I think that’s why we hit it off! We were both impressed with each others’ work, and immediately knew we had to work together and wanted to make it happen.I produced my standup one hour show “Brazilian Hour” and he invited me to produce “Relationships, An Almost Romantic Comedy” with him through my company Feed Your Soul Films, since I already had experience producing for theater and television at Hollywood TV. It seemed like an insane idea to produce the show in New York, but slowly it started becoming a reality when we got the confirmation from the theater and the actors were on board, which are some of the funniest comedians in New York City. I read his script in Portuguese, and helped him adapt some of the jokes to the American audience. We talked a lot about the difference between Brazilian humor and American humor, because it’s not only about the jokes, but it’s about how the audience will identify, and what’s funnier to them in the cultural context. The play was written in 2009, so we also inserted some current news references, like the jokes of comparing my husband to Donald Trump, and the technology take over like my husband asking if they have Wifi at the theater when I’m trying to talk to him, or how connected we are to our iPads as opposed to real people. The play is very contemporary.

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Leandro was excited to see his work traveling the world, and being performed in New York for the first time, after having such success with his writing in Brazil. Everyone wants to be international – he did and I did too! So we embarked on this idea and he took me on this amazing journey! Starring in a show Off-Broadway is like a dream come true! I still can’t believe it’s real but we did it, it’s happening! I had already worked as a tv host and standup comedian for 4 years in New York, but I missed being on stage in a theater performing to a full audience, it’s the best feeling in the world. When the lights go on, there’s nothing better than hearing the response of the public right away. Acting has always been my passion and comedy is how I see the world, so this is definitely what I want to be doing right now, and gave me so much more purpose at this moment in my life as a comedian and actress. It’s every comedian’s dream to work with Leandro. I learned so much from him, about writing, about comedy, about life, and in every possible aspect of the process, even when we had to deal with difficult situations and were under a lot of pressure, we came out better people in the end. Leandro helped me believe in myself even when I didn’t know I could do it. Right before I went on stage, he said “Now it’s your time to shine, I gave you this baby, it’s yours!” He gave me permission to be myself and reach my full potential, and that’s what made it so special. Sometimes I still can’t believe it and I tell him “I’m in your show!” Because he worked with so many talented people, so it means a lot to me that he says it’s my time to shine. I’m so grateful for him giving me so much responsibility as an actress, producer and writing partner. I tell him he’s like the Judd Apatow from Brazil, so I know how Amy Schumer must have felt. 🙂 Even now, I’m still moved by his words, and touched by him trusting me so much and seeing my talent from the beginning.

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The characters are named after the actors, which is a standup tradition, when you’re acting but you’re still playing your alter-ego on stage. So my character is a much more outgoing, tells it like you see it, out there version of myself. I play Scott’s wife who starts a fight in public with him, and opens up to the audience about their marriage issues. Ironically we mention at the start of the show, “Then why would you want to come to the theater to see a relationship talk, is it not enough to argue at home?” That’s one of the best lines in the show. So my character is an insane woman, I mean insane because we’re all a bit insane when it comes to love, it makes us lose ourselves and lose sight of who we really are at times, and I believe love can be considered temporary insanity, but the best kind. I play a woman who breaks up with her husband in public, then goes on to try different relationship approaches, like one night stands, online dating, lies we tell, taboos in relationships, and even S&M with my new partner played by Brett Siddell, until she wins him back or not. Although she’s not very good at breaking up, because as we learn through the show, it has been going on for years and her friend (Madison Malloy) can’t take it anymore, all the times she said she was going to break up with him and doesn’t do it. So they get burnt a few times before he finally tries to get her back for good. It’s not your typical romantic comedy, it’s almost like an anti-romantic comedy, which is my favorite genre. It’s making fun of relationships at the same time that it gives you hope. Some hope at least. I mean, what I can say about that is that seeing everything through the eyes of comedy, makes relationships a lot more bearable. If couples can go see it and laugh at themselves, I think we’ve done our job.

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My favorite scene has got to be “Simple & Sincere” with Brett Siddell, which is when my character tries doing a one night stand, and we see the aftermath of the sex and what happens when a woman is 100% honest with a man’s performance in bed. Brett is a joy to work with and one of the most talented comedians I know, he has helped me so much through the process, and I’ve learned so much about comedic timing just by working with him, he knows how to command an audience like no one and he’s not afraid of being over the top. As he said it himself, “When you make a fool of yourself, that’s when you do well.” As opposed to when you try not to make a fool of yourself, than you shouldn’t be doing comedy, because that’s what we do best! I like laughing at myself and not taking myself too seriously, it’s a good way to look at life and what helped me cope so many times with tough situations. Sometimes people get offended because I joke too much, but there’s no other way to look at life than laughing at it, we’re so small compared to the whole universe, it makes no sense to be self-important. I’d rather laugh at it all. Comedy can be healing, it’s good for the soul.

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Closing Night:

www.purplepass.com/relationshipsnov22

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Photo credit: by Tiago Chediak