Speaker 1: And that's what you really missed With Jenna.
Speaker 2: And Kevin an iHeartRadio podcast.
Speaker 1: Welcome to it, and that's what you really missed. Podcasts
Speaker 1: a very special edition. We're welcome Kevin mckel back to
Speaker 1: LA after his recent run of the twenty annual Putnam
Speaker 1: County Spelling Bee at the Kennedy Center. We've seen it
Speaker 1: all on Instagram. We've seen all the people visiting and
Speaker 1: seeing the show. I was not one of them, sadly,
Speaker 1: but we are here to hear firsthand.
Speaker 2: Kevin, welcome back, Thank you very much. And Jenna, I
Speaker 2: would just like to say, first of all, I met
Speaker 2: a lot of wonderful people at stage door, my first
Speaker 2: stage door.
Speaker 1: Oh my good god.
Speaker 2: But a lot of you, and that's what you really missed.
Speaker 2: Podcast listeners showed up and showed out because we said
Speaker 2: if we ever see you in public, to tell us
Speaker 2: that you liked the podcast, and they took the instructions.
Speaker 2: And so I'm here to report so many first hand
Speaker 2: accounts of meeting people who listen to the podcast, who
Speaker 2: love the podcast. So have lots of thoughts. We're preparing
Speaker 2: me for season five.
Speaker 1: Oh my god.
Speaker 2: Lots of people were asking where you were and I
Speaker 2: was like, she's too pregnant to be exactly fomo. Wow,
Speaker 2: thank you a lot of them. And so people are listening, Jenna,
Speaker 2: you know, like we do this from home. It's hard
Speaker 2: to tell sometimes if people are listening. It feels like
Speaker 2: we're in a vacuum. But it's it is really nice
Speaker 2: to hear, and it means a lot, and there's this
Speaker 2: like sort of level of understanding. We're going through it together,
Speaker 2: we're talking it out together, and hearing from the people
Speaker 2: who listen is really really nice nice. So thanks for that, Okay, Kevin,
Speaker 2: I've got to know.
Speaker 1: Yes, there's a lot of things I want to know about.
Speaker 1: I think my first or like the burning question in
Speaker 1: my mind is like, are you ready.
Speaker 2: To go do an another musical? Yes? Okay, great. I
Speaker 2: you know, I have a profound and deep respect for
Speaker 2: anybody who can do theater, musical, theater, theater in any capacity. Yeah,
Speaker 2: but I did a short run was fair enough. It
Speaker 2: was only eleven shows. Still, eleven shows. I don't know
Speaker 2: how anybody.
Speaker 1: Does it six like eight times a week for six months. Ye.
Speaker 2: So Philippe Royo, who was in the show, he played Chip,
Speaker 2: He's been in Andreliette on Broadway for three years. This
Speaker 2: week is his last week. He's done with the show
Speaker 2: this very week. Damn, he's been doing it for three
Speaker 2: and most of them have right, you know, job security great.
Speaker 2: But at the same time, I don't know how any
Speaker 2: but he does it because the amount of in my head,
Speaker 2: I think I sort of felt like romanticized. You have
Speaker 2: your days free and then you can go about your
Speaker 2: business and then you have work at eight pm? Like
Speaker 2: how cool is that? M No, tell me what it's
Speaker 2: like then for you for someone who has not been
Speaker 2: singing regularly, Yeah, recently. Yeah, The amount of care into
Speaker 2: every moment that you speak outside of the show, into
Speaker 2: the sleep you're getting, to what you're eating and drinking,
Speaker 2: and any sort of contact with the outside world. All
Speaker 2: of it for me was how does this take away
Speaker 2: from my ability to do the show later? Yeah?
Speaker 1: That is the life of a Broadway performer. At some
Speaker 1: point it does become muscle memory, and that is where
Speaker 1: I think you would benefit from learning about a show show. Uh,
Speaker 1: for being in a longer run of a show, because
Speaker 1: at some I was like that for waitress when I started,
Speaker 1: and it's a big responsibility you guys have a really
Speaker 1: small cast, You have a lot of vocals, you have
Speaker 1: to be on. No help, no choir there for us, Yeah, exactly,
Speaker 1: no understudies.
Speaker 2: Real understudies. It's a little scary.
Speaker 1: Right At some point your body just clicks in for
Speaker 1: most For most people, I mean, like, look, we're not
Speaker 1: talking about Jesse Mueller doing Waitress, who was carrying a
Speaker 1: show like that, But like I would, I would dare
Speaker 1: to say that if you talk to Jesse or any
Speaker 1: of the people who did your show like twenty fifth
Speaker 1: on Broadway, at some point you become more comfortable with
Speaker 1: knowing your limits for your days and then being able
Speaker 1: to perform the show at a decent level.
Speaker 2: Maybe not one hundred and ten percent, but like, how
Speaker 2: could you get through stand that? Even at the end
Speaker 2: of our short little run the very last day, I
Speaker 2: think because we had so many visitors, I was doing
Speaker 2: a lot of talking and stage door for the first time,
Speaker 2: and there were lots of people I was trying to
Speaker 2: figure out how to save my voice, and the very
Speaker 2: last show, the very last day, I was like, I
Speaker 2: don't know.
Speaker 1: Stage story is a lot too, because you want to
Speaker 1: talk to everybody and you want to connect with people,
Speaker 1: and then you realize you're straining your voice even more
Speaker 1: after two hours of singing.
Speaker 2: Because it wasn't the singing that was straining my voice,
Speaker 2: it was all the talking and I could feel it.
Speaker 2: But I still going to that last show. I knew
Speaker 2: I'd be fine. Yeah, because I knew I knew how
Speaker 2: to like sing it. I was like, it will come out.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And then you prove to yourself over time. You're like, oh,
Speaker 1: I thought today I wasn't going to make it through,
Speaker 1: and I still made.
Speaker 2: It through, right. Yeah.
Speaker 1: What was the difference between your expectation going in because
Speaker 1: obviously I know first hand that you were very nervous
Speaker 1: for your first musical.
Speaker 2: There was a lot of nerves, like you just didn't
Speaker 2: know what.
Speaker 1: To expect, and I totally I mean I go in
Speaker 1: that way and I still am nervous, you know, I
Speaker 1: mean done this, Like what was your expectation versus your reality?
Speaker 1: Like what was it like for you going into the
Speaker 1: rehearsal studios for the first week and like all of it?
Speaker 2: Well, I will say that Jenna's a great friend. Did
Speaker 2: I call her forty eight hours before IU supposed to
Speaker 2: leave for New York and have a complete mouthdown on
Speaker 2: the phone. Yes I did. It's okay. Did you talk
Speaker 2: me off the ledge completely? Yes, it's okay, and I
Speaker 2: thank you. But I know that feeling everything you've ever
Speaker 2: told me, and everything you told me going into this
Speaker 2: experience was true. I said, I don't know how people
Speaker 2: do this. We had twelve days of rehearsal scheduled, right,
Speaker 2: and that's what we did. And you were like, you
Speaker 2: will feel crazy, you will feel like you're drowning, and
Speaker 2: you don't know anything at the end of the first week,
Speaker 2: but just trust in the process of it. And I did.
Speaker 2: I sort of did as much prep work as I
Speaker 2: could beforehand because I know this is not my forte.
Speaker 2: I will absolutely learn more slowly than everybody else, which
Speaker 2: is true. It is a different mechanism in your brain
Speaker 2: totally that mine is not developed.
Speaker 1: And you also, like have systems where you learn how
Speaker 1: you learn that fast for shows like where to exit,
Speaker 1: how to enter, like your notes, your shorthand everything comes
Speaker 1: with time and experience.
Speaker 2: Yes, and so I was. I did a lot of
Speaker 2: prep work between you and Austin, thank god. But I
Speaker 2: have to say I think because I did do that
Speaker 2: prep work, I was fine. And I also think that
Speaker 2: the show itself lends to if you're going to have
Speaker 2: to learn a show on twelve days, this is the
Speaker 2: exact right kind of show to learn in twelve days.
Speaker 2: There's no set changes, there's no costume changes. You are
Speaker 2: just there. Everybody gets their moment. It's small, it's manageable.
Speaker 2: The music is really fun to learn. You're laughing. I've
Speaker 2: never what I didn't I planned for bad, right. I
Speaker 2: planned for everything for me to be overwhelmed, right. What
Speaker 2: I didn't plan for was the amount of like fun
Speaker 2: I had. I couldn't stop laughing. And I have to say,
Speaker 2: Danny Meffert, who is the director and Jeffrey, our producer,
Speaker 2: set like this really joyful and easy and collaborative tone
Speaker 2: that is really reflective of what the actual musical is about.
Speaker 2: And through that experience, and I was reminded of Glee
Speaker 2: almost every single day in ways because it was you know,
Speaker 2: how many times are we on set where people like
Speaker 2: this isn't normal? Responsive Glee has gotten the amount of
Speaker 2: joy the cast and crew are getting and making this show,
Speaker 2: how we're getting along like this is not normal? And
Speaker 2: I got that every day from I love it. The
Speaker 2: cast being like, it is not normal that everybody is
Speaker 2: so cool. Yeah, that's so great. Yeah, and it was
Speaker 2: just Danny said, it's only his second time directing, he's
Speaker 2: choreographed gigantic shows. Hey, yes, yes, but it was like somebody,
Speaker 2: you have twelve days, so it's like you have to
Speaker 2: come in there with a plan, you have to know
Speaker 2: how to execute that plan. But also there's still room
Speaker 2: for everybody to like play around and have fun either thing,
Speaker 2: and again that's not I wasn't expecting that either. I
Speaker 2: was really expecting this is Broadway level musical theater. It's
Speaker 2: going to be very regimented, so interesting. I didn't even
Speaker 2: think about that for you. But it was like, it
Speaker 2: doesn't matter how much experience everybody has coming into this.
Speaker 2: And it was like the first day, the first moment
Speaker 2: meeting Noah Galvin, he turns and he's like, I'm terrified. Yeah,
Speaker 2: And that helped me so much, just being like, oh,
Speaker 2: I know that guy can sing his face off and
Speaker 2: he's done theater, like he's gonna be if he's nervous. Okay,
Speaker 2: we're all in this together, and that sort of community
Speaker 2: and camaraderie really does a number on like your mental health,
Speaker 2: you know, like, Okay, we're fine, We're in this together,
Speaker 2: and like, yeah, everybody's learning at an accelerated pace, much
Speaker 2: faster than I am. But I did work. Yeah, and
Speaker 2: like the rehearsal process was. Here's the other thing. I
Speaker 2: didn't tell anybody that it was my first time doing theater,
Speaker 2: like during the show at all. I did after we
Speaker 2: got through our first weekend of shows. Were people shocked? Yes, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2: I was wondering if you were to tell people or not.
Speaker 2: That's so funny. People must have been shock. Yeah, and
Speaker 2: I wasn't. The Only person I told was Philip during rehearsal.
Speaker 2: And I didn't want anybody to have that expect any
Speaker 2: sort of like expectation.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And I didn't want to have any expectation of myself,
Speaker 2: so like, can I hang with these people? I'm like,
Speaker 2: let me just do it. Take you till you make it, baby. Yeah. Oh,
Speaker 2: I fully I recalled the story of Becca when she
Speaker 2: was first on set. I shit you not, I'm not
Speaker 2: even lying. When we actually got to the Kennedy Center
Speaker 2: to start rehearsals or like to do tech, I've never
Speaker 2: done tech. Yeah, I don't know the processes for how
Speaker 2: you operate backstage, what you do with the laundry bag,
Speaker 2: signing in and signing out, what you do with your mic.
Speaker 2: All of these things are brand new for me. So
Speaker 2: all I was doing I was quiet. I was watching
Speaker 2: and observing everything, how everybody moved in every department, and
Speaker 2: I was like, let me just fake it. After the
Speaker 2: first day, I figured it out.
Speaker 1: And you do it again. You do the same thing
Speaker 1: every time.
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is.
Speaker 1: So interesting because the one thing that I had hoped
Speaker 1: for you was like you realized when you got there
Speaker 1: that you were going to have fun, especially in production
Speaker 1: that is so fast, the stakes are so high and
Speaker 1: yet so low. You're not opening a new show, you're
Speaker 1: not creating new characters. You are just stepping in and
Speaker 1: bringing your own thing to it. And my hope was
Speaker 1: for you having done those having those experiences before, is
Speaker 1: like you found friendships and joy and like enjointment in
Speaker 1: it all because it's so stressful on its own. Yes,
Speaker 1: So I'm so glad you said that.
Speaker 2: That's also exactly right what you said, how you looked
Speaker 2: at that as exactly what it is.
Speaker 1: I'm also wasn't worried about you because in so many
Speaker 1: ways it is very similar to Glee. You step on
Speaker 1: a set, you learn, and in a day or two
Speaker 1: you move on you learned more. So like in a
Speaker 1: lot of ways, I feel like Glee probably prepared you
Speaker 1: the best for situations like this where it's fast paced,
Speaker 1: high stakes and then you you try and laugh in
Speaker 1: between when they say.
Speaker 2: Got fully, every day felt more and more similar in
Speaker 2: that way where totally Several people are like, I've never
Speaker 2: been a necessarily rehearsal process like this, and I was like, well,
Speaker 2: I guess I haven't exactly either, Like it may look
Speaker 2: a little different, but the feeling was very familiar. Totally totally.
Speaker 1: I also that reminded me of what Hunter Parish. Hunter
Speaker 1: Parish came from screen and film and TV and came
Speaker 1: and did Spring Awakening, and it was the same thing.
Speaker 1: He was like, you guys have to kind of show
Speaker 1: me what to do, because in TV and film it's
Speaker 1: a lot of handholding. And he's like, and here you're
Speaker 1: responsible to show up on time or early, sign yourself in,
Speaker 1: get yourself dressed, hang up your clothes, put them in
Speaker 1: the laundry, show up for sat like or on stage
Speaker 1: at the time you're supposed to be there. There is
Speaker 1: a different mentality. Then it's a much more independent thing
Speaker 1: than somebody knocking on your traly saying they're ready for
Speaker 1: you and literally holding your hand till you get to set.
Speaker 2: You know, I'm still mind blown by that because my
Speaker 2: family was there for almost the entire run of it,
Speaker 2: and my dad was like, oh, the show's at eight.
Speaker 2: So he's like, so you have to be there like
Speaker 2: at five thirties. I'm like, no, I literally have to
Speaker 2: be there at seven thirty. Literally, And I couldn't believe
Speaker 2: all those things you just said, that whole checklist. I
Speaker 2: was like, wait, there's no hair and makeup department, there's
Speaker 2: no like eighties running around, right, No, they just you.
Speaker 2: You show up. They expect you to be there, and like, yeah,
Speaker 2: you do. I just couldn't. Yeah, but like what if
Speaker 2: somebody doesn't show up? Like what is right?
Speaker 1: And everybody shows up unless there's like somebody stuck on
Speaker 1: the subway, everybody shows up.
Speaker 2: That was another part of it, to be honest, little
Speaker 2: things like that. So like commuting in New York. Two,
Speaker 2: I've never lived in New York. I've never really worked
Speaker 2: in New York outside of Glee. And again that's a
Speaker 2: very different experience.
Speaker 1: So you werehursted in New York City and then you
Speaker 1: travel to DC for the production.
Speaker 2: Correct and even figuring out like I'm like, I am
Speaker 2: too old to not know anything. I was like figuring
Speaker 2: out the trains.
Speaker 1: Figuring out the timing.
Speaker 2: The timing, and then like, yes, some days you are
Speaker 2: late and I saw like people be late and they'd rush,
Speaker 2: and like all the trains from Brooklyn were slow today,
Speaker 2: and it's fine, yeah, yeah, sure, it is what it is.
Speaker 2: You need to get your own lunch, get your own lunch.
Speaker 2: Press day, oh god, all of these.
Speaker 1: Things stressful for you. So explain to people what press
Speaker 1: day is in theater or in your experience, and then
Speaker 1: tell me what your press day was like.
Speaker 2: So press day is exactly that you have. We were
Speaker 2: in this dance studio basically rehearsing the entire show, putting
Speaker 2: the whole show together. Press day. There's a little space
Speaker 2: about three feet between the end of where our fake
Speaker 2: stay just taped off and the wall, and that was
Speaker 2: filled with all kinds of different media from the New
Speaker 2: York theater scene. And they come in and we've prepared
Speaker 2: sections because what we all talked about, not we I
Speaker 2: had no idea, no input. I didn't know anything. But
Speaker 2: Danny the director with some of the other more experienced
Speaker 2: casts or like, you go in here, you give them
Speaker 2: a full three to five minute number or whatever, and
Speaker 2: then I guess what ends up on the internet is
Speaker 2: only clips anyway. Yeah, so the thinking was, let's just
Speaker 2: give them the clips, so smart. So we did no
Speaker 2: full numbers except and we did one full number. We
Speaker 2: did the open number, yep, and then we did Brilliant
Speaker 2: and maybe a third of magic Foot, which was my number,
Speaker 2: but we did the part that had everybody involved in
Speaker 2: it great so cute, and then we did another number
Speaker 2: of same thing. We took a section of it and
Speaker 2: it was like, this is what you're getting, okay, And
Speaker 2: I hope.
Speaker 1: What was your expectation of press day because you texted
Speaker 1: me the night before and was like press days tomorrow,
Speaker 1: and I was like, oh god, he's freaking out a
Speaker 1: little bit. And then what was your experience of press day?
Speaker 2: It was actually all right because again the whole like
Speaker 2: nobody was super psyched to do press day. And also
Speaker 2: when you have twelve days of rehearsal, this is taking
Speaker 2: a full day to prepare for it. Takes away from
Speaker 2: your time. Yeah, and so that was more of the concern.
Speaker 2: But I also we learned the show very quickly. It's
Speaker 2: a very quick show to learn, and so also felt
Speaker 2: pretty confident in what we were doing. Sure, and it
Speaker 2: was great. Yeah, it wasn't as scary as I thought
Speaker 2: it would be, And I think that helped that we
Speaker 2: just did sections of things. Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1: If they were like, we're only doing Kevin's number and
Speaker 1: that's press day, you'd be like, oh god, yeah, I
Speaker 1: do have.
Speaker 2: To say, which is like a weird thing. But when
Speaker 2: you and I performed together and we did suddenly see
Speaker 2: more m H and I had the Benefit concert and
Speaker 2: I botched it and I completely I entered the white
Speaker 2: room totally. I had this fear the entire time from
Speaker 2: that experience that that was going to happen to me,
Speaker 2: and every single day I had to fight that. But
Speaker 2: now I've proven it didn't happen, and.
Speaker 1: Look, at some point you're going to enter the white room.
Speaker 2: After one of the shows. One night, I was walking
Speaker 2: back to the hotel with Bonnie Million, Tony Award winner
Speaker 2: and she said she almost did that night in the show,
Speaker 2: and I was like, well, let me tell you, I've
Speaker 2: anytime somebody confess something that I confess either A how right,
Speaker 2: I've been there, I've never done this before, and too well,
Speaker 2: this is also my greatest fear. And she was like,
Speaker 2: oh no, no, no, it's fine, it's gonna happen. I was like, yeah,
Speaker 2: but what do you do? She goes, it's a certain
Speaker 2: look in your eyes and you look across the stage
Speaker 2: to somebody else. Somebody helps you and they know and
Speaker 2: they're just gonna help you get out of it.
Speaker 1: Like, okay, exactly right, No, somebody will help you. I
Speaker 1: think when I entered the White Room once, I literally
Speaker 1: looked at Rachel Dratch like icon comedian icon, and I said,
Speaker 1: help me.
Speaker 2: So it happens.
Speaker 1: And it happened very darkly, and it there's no there's
Speaker 1: no way around it.
Speaker 2: And it just happened. It almost happened. One show I did.
Speaker 2: I was sitting there on the risers and the song
Speaker 2: moment in the show is called second. The song is
Speaker 2: called second, mm hmm, and I was like, do I
Speaker 2: remember the words? Do I? It was the same thing
Speaker 2: Jenna in my head I'm going through. I'm like, okay,
Speaker 2: I know the first two lines and then what And
Speaker 2: at some point I just had to be like, I know, you.
Speaker 1: Gotta let it go and let go and trust your
Speaker 1: body that your body will say the words even though
Speaker 1: your mind doesn't. Yes.
Speaker 2: And then I got up there and I was like, oh,
Speaker 2: I do know it. I got past it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I surprisingly get that way when we perform like
Speaker 1: you and I have performed at numerous events, operations.
Speaker 2: Smile, things like that.
Speaker 1: I surprisingly get more nervous at those events that I'm
Speaker 1: gonna forget the words than I do ever being in
Speaker 1: a show. I get that, And I think it's because
Speaker 1: like I've led into the trust that I'm like, I've
Speaker 1: been doing this show for ten days now, it's gonna
Speaker 1: come to me or I'm gonna get past it and
Speaker 1: not get stuck, versus like being in a small, tiny
Speaker 1: stage with one other person when it's dinner. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1: I have a couple more questions. This is so fun.
Speaker 2: You're my theater coach. Like literally, this only really could
Speaker 2: have happened because Jenna, Between Jenna, Darren and Austin and
Speaker 2: like my sister, you've all sort of been massaging me
Speaker 2: into doing theater.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we were ready for you, but you were you
Speaker 1: were ready than you were yourself very much. So I'm
Speaker 1: curious to hear about your experience. I mean, you've performed
Speaker 1: for live audiences. We've done the tour obviously. Was it
Speaker 1: similar or was it kind of that same feeling of
Speaker 1: like a little bit more fear because it's Theitter Girl.
Speaker 2: The live audience changes everything, huh. We you can compare
Speaker 2: it to tour different? Yes and no, Okay, I will
Speaker 2: say the structure of this show and for people who
Speaker 2: don't know the show, it's a spelling bee and you're
Speaker 2: sitting on risers similar to Glee in the classroom, in
Speaker 2: the choir room, right, and similar to Glye. People get
Speaker 2: up one at a time to do like a solo song,
Speaker 2: and there are group numbers, but everybody sort of has
Speaker 2: their moment in the sun if you will.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we learn about the character in that song, yes,
Speaker 1: Or how they've handled.
Speaker 2: A b and Glee tour not so dissimilar, right, and
Speaker 2: especially the moments where I got to like speak to
Speaker 2: the crowd directly during the Glee tour right in rehearsal,
Speaker 2: you don't necessarily feel those things. And we were sort
Speaker 2: of like a caveat to all of this is that
Speaker 2: I don't as as crazy as a twelve day rehearsal.
Speaker 2: A day and a half of tech is. I sort
Speaker 2: of love it and I'm thankful for it because you
Speaker 2: get to get in front of the audience sooner. Because
Speaker 2: to me, it was like you learned so much more
Speaker 2: from doing it in front of an audience than you
Speaker 2: could ever do from like drilling in a rehearsal rooms
Speaker 2: at least for this style of show totally. And I
Speaker 2: was just so thankful that we could do that so
Speaker 2: quickly because I felt so much better in front of
Speaker 2: an audience. It's like what I was fearing in front
Speaker 2: of it. Yeah, but like all those comedy bits you're
Speaker 2: making people laugh. The immediate response of it, oh this
Speaker 2: is working, this isn't working. All of that was so nice.
Speaker 2: And like being able to get up there in front
Speaker 2: of a mic and just sort of be a clown
Speaker 2: and make people laugh was so satisfying.
Speaker 1: Why I had a really good friend who came and
Speaker 1: saw it and said he wants a Broadway transfer.
Speaker 2: He had so much better and everybody was so good,
Speaker 2: I mean, And I think another thing is that like
Speaker 2: we didn't write the show so like if it works,
Speaker 2: it's not on us, and it's also just like a
Speaker 2: perfectly written.
Speaker 1: You also know what shows like action works. Yeah, if
Speaker 1: you you're plug and play.
Speaker 2: So like you don't have to worry about the jokes
Speaker 2: you have to like and to be able to like
Speaker 2: stand in front of the stage by yourself and get
Speaker 2: a laughter from a theaterful of people. It's like, Oh,
Speaker 2: this is brilliant. This is such a fun show.
Speaker 1: You're so lucky to have done such a fun show
Speaker 1: that like everybody's so quirky and weird, Like you know
Speaker 1: what you're going getting going into it. Yeah, what was
Speaker 1: your first performance like versus your last performance?
Speaker 2: In your fling? The first performance I thought I was
Speaker 2: going to die. Did you black out? Do you remember it?
Speaker 2: I remember it. I was too aware. I was way
Speaker 2: too aware. Nightmare Bean and I had a similar experience
Speaker 2: where we were just like to present your hands in
Speaker 2: front of your face every everything. I knew everything that
Speaker 2: was happening at all times. I was constantly thinking about
Speaker 2: what's my next line, because I was like, I'm not
Speaker 2: going into the white room tonight. I'd tell you that.
Speaker 2: But you know what was also really helpful. So we
Speaker 2: had that same day an invited dress rehearsal. Oh great.
Speaker 2: We had run into earlier in the week some George
Speaker 2: Washington University students who are in the process of rehearsing
Speaker 2: and are going to be putting on their own production
Speaker 2: of Spelling Bee. Oh how cute, and Beanie and Noah
Speaker 2: had the brilliant idea to invite them to dress because
Speaker 2: we didn't have anyone to invite to dress, Like, this
Speaker 2: is who we should be inviting. So good, so smart.
Speaker 2: So we had a bunch of college kids knew the
Speaker 2: show and like expensive, and some of them like didn't
Speaker 2: have tickets because they were too expensive, like come to
Speaker 2: the dress. Oh that's so nice. Yes, And so that
Speaker 2: really really helped. So then going because they were a
Speaker 2: great audience, and then going into the first show that night,
Speaker 2: I was terrified but also knew it worked. Yeah, I
Speaker 2: just had to like do it, and you had just.
Speaker 1: Done it that day, so like your your muscle memory
Speaker 1: is there, you didn't have a whole night's sleep before
Speaker 1: and you're showing up at eight pm or seven thirty,
Speaker 1: and what was your last show?
Speaker 2: Like the last show. My nerves sort of did amp
Speaker 2: back up again because I had a couple of friends
Speaker 2: that were there for the first time. A manager was
Speaker 2: seeing it for the first time.
Speaker 1: That's different, right, But like, aside from them, how did
Speaker 1: you feel about the show?
Speaker 2: I felt it was that trust that you know the show,
Speaker 2: you know what you're doing, you know it's going to
Speaker 2: come out. That was all there, and it was also
Speaker 2: just sort of this feeling of like, oh, we really
Speaker 2: did this, and also how did this happen so quickly?
Speaker 2: All of those feelings. Yeah, and I guess there's that,
Speaker 2: you know, like pride of like I did it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you should be so proud of yourself. Yeah, you
Speaker 1: guys are so great.
Speaker 2: Did you have come to the show?
Speaker 1: I didn't have anybody come to the show. Rob Russo
Speaker 1: Dante Russ's brother who's a Broadway producer, I took the
Speaker 1: train down to see it.
Speaker 2: He sees everybody didn't he tell me.
Speaker 1: I don't know, it's ridiculous, but he told me afterwards,
Speaker 1: and I was like, how was it? And he's like,
Speaker 1: had the best time? Literally, He's like, I need a
Speaker 1: Broadway transfer. Because Rob and I used to go see
Speaker 1: Broadway shows in high school together every weekend, so I
Speaker 1: wasn't surprised that he went. You have the message him.
Speaker 1: He had such a bless he said he was and
Speaker 1: he's a tough critic. So before we wrap this up,
Speaker 1: I could talk to you for hours about this, but
Speaker 1: I'm curious, Like I'm a very CD superstitious person, and
Speaker 1: I had a very strict ritual before show of what
Speaker 1: I drank, what I did, the order in which I
Speaker 1: did it. It's like going to a world series and
Speaker 1: story in the same socks, like did you have any
Speaker 1: of those things? Did you find yourself falling into any
Speaker 1: of that or did you show up like like Darren
Speaker 1: Chris can show up up at seven twenty nine and
Speaker 1: walk literally into his clothes and on stage like that's
Speaker 1: the kind of perform where he is. I need to
Speaker 1: show up at five point thirty and have like a
Speaker 1: full two hour meditation to myself, what is your what
Speaker 1: is Kevin's experience in this?
Speaker 2: Now? A little in between those two things, I would
Speaker 2: show up an hour before great because I just and
Speaker 2: sometimes I showed up like forty five minutes before, and
Speaker 2: I felt like a little guilty or panicked. Okay, and
Speaker 2: not that I need to do anything. I have nothing
Speaker 2: to do. I didn't really start getting ready until seven thirty.
Speaker 2: But I think I liked being there, seeing everyone not
Speaker 2: feeling rushed, not feeling rushed. I feel like it was
Speaker 2: a big thing, but I did. I had. I did
Speaker 2: do the same thing in the same order every night.
Speaker 2: And I'm not superstitious at all, but I found myself
Speaker 2: just being like, it's a short run. It's working so far,
Speaker 2: let's just not change it. I had my tea with
Speaker 2: a certain kind of honey, and I had also a water,
Speaker 2: and I I got dressed in the sand, like and
Speaker 2: we hung out. Like I shared a bathroom with Noah,
Speaker 2: Noah Galvin who's in the show, and he'd always play
Speaker 2: music and so it sometimes you'd go over there and
Speaker 2: like dance a little bit. So like just having the
Speaker 2: extra time to like have on and to relax was nice.
Speaker 2: And as a group, we had things we would do
Speaker 2: together right before every single time. Cute, cute, very cute.
Speaker 2: But yeah, I've never been that person before, but there
Speaker 2: I was. It's a weird thing. It's a weird weird thing.
Speaker 1: It's because also you're doing the same show every night.
Speaker 1: Like we all had our Glee circle before tour that
Speaker 1: we like gathered together. You did the chant, you led
Speaker 1: the chant every night, Like there are things that like
Speaker 1: kind of rev you up and set you up for,
Speaker 1: like the show you're about to do.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I have a question for you because I had
Speaker 2: the experience of especially you have a two show day.
Speaker 2: But even if not, did you have my name's yeah,
Speaker 2: we had. We had a five show weekend last weekend. Yeah,
Speaker 2: boy yeah bride. Yeah. But also it's a ninety minute show.
Speaker 2: I just can't imagine two and a half. Like Leanna
Speaker 2: who was in the show, she just came off of
Speaker 2: Merrily three hour show. Oh my god, I was thinking
Speaker 2: about Hamilton. Yeah, how do you do two shows in
Speaker 2: a day's long day? I don't get it, But Austin explains,
Speaker 2: He's like, these are professional athletes. Yes, it's a whole
Speaker 2: different thing. Yes, sorry, what was your question? My question
Speaker 2: is I would have these moments more often than not
Speaker 2: where I'd be sitting on that stage in the middle
Speaker 2: of the show and all of a sudden be like,
Speaker 2: wait did earlier today happen?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 2: I feel like I have not left the stage you have, right,
Speaker 2: all of a sudden, You're back on stage in front
Speaker 2: of the lights.
Speaker 1: Same costume, same spot.
Speaker 2: Yeah, what has happened? And it would freak me out
Speaker 2: every single time, like what is happening.
Speaker 1: It's kind of why people enter the white room is
Speaker 1: because your body wants to go into automatic pilot and
Speaker 1: if your click, if you let yourself click into that,
Speaker 1: sometimes it works, and sometimes your brain doesn't function.
Speaker 2: It doesn't. It's like short circuiting. That makes sense.
Speaker 1: So you can't let yourself go on autopilot because's number one.
Speaker 1: That's you know, you're just like them doing it. You're
Speaker 1: going through the motions. But then also you're trusting like
Speaker 1: something that like you don't know that you should technically trust.
Speaker 2: No, it was it was a really.
Speaker 1: Very real, it's very strangely outer body. Oh yeah, like
Speaker 1: watching yourself perform.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And I'm like, oh my god, we're getting to
Speaker 2: this bit again. Here we go. But what I would
Speaker 2: always remember is that like people traveled from far and
Speaker 2: wide to be here, They paid a lot of money
Speaker 2: to be here time, Yes, and this is their first
Speaker 2: and probably only time seeing this. They deserve the same
Speaker 2: like me, to be locked in. Yeah, And so then
Speaker 2: it was like pull me back to reality and You're
Speaker 2: just not always going to be locked in like that.
Speaker 1: But I always try and find like some one thing
Speaker 1: to do with the show that's tiny bit different than
Speaker 1: I did at the last Yes, and it like keeps
Speaker 1: you kind of on your toes a little.
Speaker 2: Bit after the sort of going back. I just remembered
Speaker 2: this going back to your first difference between first and
Speaker 2: last performance. After the first performance, I think I had
Speaker 2: such a crash, like all my nerves had been in
Speaker 2: reserve really until the first performance, and then afterwards my
Speaker 2: body felt so crazy and I slept like five hours
Speaker 2: the night before because I'm not well mentally, and I'm
Speaker 2: yelling through the bathroom to know. I'm like, why do
Speaker 2: people do this? This is fun? Like you enjoy this?
Speaker 2: And then he's like, you really didn't have any fun.
Speaker 2: I was like no, I was so stressed about just
Speaker 2: getting through the show. I was like, how do you
Speaker 2: do this?
Speaker 1: But as soon as the next day happened, then you
Speaker 1: got You did your second show. Is everybody's first show, yes,
Speaker 1: because you'd never done this before, so you get the
Speaker 1: first show. This is why I always tell people though,
Speaker 1: like you're not allowed to come to my first show.
Speaker 2: I Oh, I thought about that a lot, and luckily
Speaker 2: my family listened. I'm so glad you got that they came.
Speaker 2: I technically opening night, which was after two show, that
Speaker 2: was our third show. Got to get your rhythm, you
Speaker 2: gotta get yeah, like, let me get my bearings here,
Speaker 2: let me figure it out. And then I'm like, Okay,
Speaker 2: I understand why people like this. They understand why people
Speaker 2: do it, but lord, I could not understand because I
Speaker 2: had the fear of and going into the second show again.
Speaker 2: The first show was so stressful for me that I
Speaker 2: was like, is this how I'm going to feel every time?
Speaker 2: Because that is not sustainable? So interesting and luckily no release.
Speaker 1: Yeah, second show blues are also at thing. So for
Speaker 1: some people, most people, your first show is usually pretty
Speaker 1: good because you're like, we did it, We're on adrenaline,
Speaker 1: our bodies are working, we're like hyper aware. And then
Speaker 1: the second show blues come and you're like.
Speaker 2: Oh, I get that. It's like sophomore Yeah exactly. I
Speaker 2: felt like for me, and maybe it's because it, say,
Speaker 2: is my first experience, I had the opposite. Not to
Speaker 2: say like my first show was worse than my fifth
Speaker 2: show or eighth show, not at all, but mentally I
Speaker 2: was sort of like on an uphill climb where every day,
Speaker 2: through every show I felt like I was understanding it more. Yeah, Oh,
Speaker 2: understanding this beat, more, understanding what that line really means.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, and like continuing to like find it through
Speaker 2: every single show, which was nice. That was exciting.
Speaker 1: I like that part that this is a great entry
Speaker 1: way for you though, to the theater.
Speaker 2: I think.
Speaker 1: I think if you were in a Broadway production that
Speaker 1: was like either brand new and you're working, there's a
Speaker 1: lot of stakes people are creating for the first time,
Speaker 1: there's a lot of will this work?
Speaker 2: Will this not work?
Speaker 1: And then also if you're just popping into a show
Speaker 1: that people are already a part of, that's also hard
Speaker 1: because you're like, God, this is their house and I'm
Speaker 1: like popping it now, and I have to fit into
Speaker 1: their their stuff. But this one, like you were all
Speaker 1: in it together for this like wild and crazy ride,
Speaker 1: And even though yours was a little bit different because
Speaker 1: this was like literally your first theater performance ever, I
Speaker 1: feel like this was a really good entry way for you.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I feel very lucky. I feel like it was
Speaker 2: the perfect.
Speaker 1: Everybody seemed so nice and supportive and kind of like
Speaker 1: in the same boat, like Noah, like scared, you know,
Speaker 1: like it.
Speaker 2: Was like we were all sort of we're all coming
Speaker 2: into it doing it for different reasons, but also had
Speaker 2: this common thread of like, we all need to do
Speaker 2: this for ourselves for a different reason. It doesn't matter
Speaker 2: what's bringing you there, but like we all just needed
Speaker 2: to do it. And it was just like a, really,
Speaker 2: that whole cast is so great, so nice. I could
Speaker 2: sit and talk to you about each of them for days,
Speaker 2: but we really did bond and it was like the
Speaker 2: friends and family that people had that came through were
Speaker 2: also just so so supportive. Noah only found out it
Speaker 2: was my for at show at the last day because
Speaker 2: I told his husband, Ben Platt, and Ben's like, you
Speaker 2: need to do more theater. I'm like, you know, I've
Speaker 2: never done theater. He's like what yeah. It's like yeah,
Speaker 2: He's like And then he told Noah shortly after, and
Speaker 2: I was like, you're so stupid.
Speaker 1: I love that you you kept that underwrap.
Speaker 2: I was like, Ben, why are you blowing up the
Speaker 2: spot like this.
Speaker 1: I would have walked in the first day like showing
Speaker 1: all my cards, like I've never done this before. So
Speaker 1: the expectation was so low for me. Otherwise, I'm like,
Speaker 1: how do you expect me to do this like that
Speaker 1: was my plan, and then you were like, never mind.
Speaker 2: In order to subvert I guess how I normally operate,
Speaker 2: which is to set the bar really low, to be
Speaker 2: self deprecating. I was like, this is a completely new world.
Speaker 2: Let me not do that to myself.
Speaker 1: You proved yourself before. And then I told them, guess what, yes, okay.
Speaker 2: I like that. I didn't want the expectation to be like, oh,
Speaker 2: this this was good for your first try totally totally,
Speaker 2: or oh he didn't nail it, but it's his first
Speaker 2: I didn't want that for sure. That's fair, that's totally fair. Like,
Speaker 2: let me hear your honest thoughts and then I'll tell
Speaker 2: you the true Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm sure. Sure.
Speaker 1: Well this was so much fun. I'm so happy for you.
Speaker 1: We're so glad to be back. But my goodness, I
Speaker 1: was just loving all the updates and all the Instagram story.
Speaker 2: Anyone on TikTok who has been subjected to me singing
Speaker 2: magic foot, I know it plagued some of your algorithms
Speaker 2: for a while. I'm so sorry. Oh my gosh, I
Speaker 2: gotta go check it out. And I will also just
Speaker 2: say the magic of the show is also that we
Speaker 2: get four people from the audience to be in the
Speaker 2: show every single time, and we had so many incredible guests,
Speaker 2: and I just I think it's so brave. I think
Speaker 2: you're idiots for volunteering. I don't know if I could
Speaker 2: ever do that, but like, thank you to doing that,
Speaker 2: Jesse Tyler Ferguson and the original cast of Spelling Bee
Speaker 2: who came to see it. Like just thank you to
Speaker 2: all those people. To the Press Secretary of the United
Speaker 2: States who came and sat on stage with us to
Speaker 2: be a guest speller, Like oh my god, Dana Bash
Speaker 2: from CNN, Like thank you to all these people and
Speaker 2: all the people who were not famous who came because
Speaker 2: there were more of you. It's just like really really
Speaker 2: brave of you to sit up there on stage with
Speaker 2: us and not know what you're getting yourself into. So
Speaker 2: thank you for doing that, And like thank you to
Speaker 2: all the people who did come. There are people who
Speaker 2: came from Florida, there are people who came from Europe,
Speaker 2: there are people who came from the West Coast to
Speaker 2: see it. And my family who came from Texas and
Speaker 2: New York to see it. Just thank you to everyone
Speaker 2: because it's just so nice that you'd come and see
Speaker 2: that and take the time to support the little show.
Speaker 2: You know, so jealous I would have. I'm so jealous.
Speaker 2: I couldn't have been there. I was there in spirit.
Speaker 2: You sure were. I thought about you every day.
Speaker 1: Oh, thank you Kevin for sharing your experience with this.
Speaker 1: That's really fun and I hope you guys go listen
Speaker 1: to twenty for the annual butteum con spelling if you haven't,
Speaker 1: because it's wild ride, so much fun.
Speaker 2: It's just one of the best shows. And also through
Speaker 2: this experience, I've met so many people who did the
Speaker 2: show in high school or college. So if you haven't
Speaker 2: done it and you're in one of those positions to
Speaker 2: maybe choose to do it, look at it. It is
Speaker 2: just the most joyous experience you will bond with people.
Speaker 2: The comedy is unparalleled. It's just so much fun. It's
Speaker 2: a weird, perfect mix of happy, sad, good music. So
Speaker 2: like or go see a local production of it. Look
Speaker 2: it up. There's lots of people doing it all the
Speaker 2: time all around the country. It's a magical show. Yeah,
Speaker 2: thanks Jennifer for asking me all these questions. My gosh,
Speaker 2: my pleasure. I guess, and that's what you really miss
Speaker 2: Thanks for listening, and follow us on Instagram at and
Speaker 2: That's what you really miss pod. Make sure to write
Speaker 2: us a review and leave us five stars. See you
Speaker 2: next time.