This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Jack Sippel: I think this is a timeless episode, this one.

[0:03] Brendon Stimson: It's timeless, and I'm still like grinning ear-to-ear. I can't stop laughing. This person just has that effect on me.

[0:11] Jack Sippel: True.

[0:14] Brendon Stimson: Gosh.

[0:15] Jack Sippel: Yeah, and am I upset about it, or am I like, I don't know?

[0:19] Brendon Stimson: Not in the least. I think I saw you fall over in your chair at least six or seven times, which is, I mean, a good number. You're okay, though.

[0:24] Jack Sippel: Yes. I'm well.

[0:27] Brendon Stimson: Thank God. Thank God.

[0:29] Jack Sippel: I'm well. This is a journey from Orlando, well, no, from Kentucky to Orlando to New York that is just so legendary and continues to be iconic in her everyday life, but Angie.

[0:44] Brendon Stimson: Angie?

[0:46] Jack Sippel: Angie.

[0:48] Brendon Stimson: It literally is synonymous with Roxy, I feel like.

[0:51] Jack Sippel: Totally.

[0:51] Brendon Stimson: With like the level of the name.

[0:54] Jack Sippel: I mean, there's just, she's untouchable, number one, and just no one can do it like Ange.

[1:03] Brendon Stimson: Slammin' Ange. She's fantastic. So we had people write in, Brendan, we have fans. They're following.

[1:08] Jack Sippel: We're up and coming. This is groundbreaking. This is huge.

[1:16] Brendon Stimson: No, but we have people who wrote into our Instagram. Our Instagram is at, again, underscore podcast. So follow us, write into us if you have questions.

[1:25] Jack Sippel: But we have people who wrote in. We get to ask Angie some questions today and just zazz it up with Ange a little bit.

[1:34] Brendon Stimson: We are going to zazz it. We're going to take this whole thing from the top, and I just I can't wait to get into this one.

[1:39] Jack Sippel: From the top. A five, six, seven, eight.

[1:58] Brendon Stimson: Do you guys have a jingle that you start out with?

[2:02] Jack Sippel: There's a bit of a jingle.

[2:03] Brendon Stimson: I want to hear it. Ready? Go.

[2:04] Jack Sippel: There's a bit of a jingle.

[2:05] Brendon Stimson: It's probably better than what we have.

[2:22] Angie Schworer: How are you?

[2:23] Jack Sippel: We're in heaven.

[2:26] Angie Schworer: This is finally.

[2:27] Jack Sippel: Tippy top heaven.

[2:29] Angie Schworer: Hi, boys. I'm happy to see you.

[2:31] Jack Sippel: Hi, boys.

[2:32] Angie Schworer: Those are my boys.

[2:34] Jack Sippel: How many times in a show, Angie, have you had to have a chorus of men around you to say, let's go, boys?

[2:40] Angie Schworer: I don't know. I don't know. I wish it was more.

[2:45] Jack Sippel: Not enough.

[2:49] Angie Schworer: Not enough. Yeah. Probably only doing Roxy Hart. When did I ever get to say my boys? Those are my boys. I just do it all the time. You know, you know how I am.

[3:01] Brendon Stimson: Just doesn't people come to a room.

[3:04] Angie Schworer: Yeah. Yeah. They're summoned with your aura.

[3:08] Angie Schworer: You know, I have my boys that I always call my sons. Remember, Brendan, you were my son.

[3:14] Brendon Stimson: I do. I do. I remember having the privilege to be a son in your company.

[3:22] Angie Schworer: And then Slammin' Jack.

[3:24] Jack Sippel: Slammin' Ang.

[3:26] Angie Schworer: We got to do our prom together on the Broadway. Brendan already left us.

[3:32] Brendon Stimson: He left us for better things.

[3:35] Angie Schworer: For another high school.

[3:37] Jack Sippel: Yeah, for another high school.

[3:38] Angie Schworer: For another high school.

[3:40] Jack Sippel: Well, Ange, what we'd like to do here, here again from the top, we like to kind of start these things off discussing kind of like the, I mean, the top of your career, like how we got into this. I usually call it like what's your origin story into this whole insanity of a business that we all decided this will be a good idea to go into.

[4:01] Angie Schworer: So kind of like if there was like a bug that bit you that got you into this or kind of where it all like clicked and said, oh, oh, I'm doing this for sure. Do you have like that moment or that kind of decision in your brain of like when it started?

[4:16] Angie Schworer: I probably do. I probably have several origins of the beginnings. But for musical theater, it would have to be not till college I got to do my first part and it was Lois in Kiss Me Kate. And obviously, those are the kind of parts I do where you sing a little, act a little, dance a little, right? You got to do a little bit of everything.

[4:40] Brendon Stimson: Sure.

[4:42] Angie Schworer: And I did it, kind of bit me that did, you know, because I could do it. You know, it wasn't parkin' barkin', you know, which I don't do. It was a little bit of everything. So it wasn't probably till then. In high school, I was a cheerleader. And, you know, I danced. I danced from five years old. I always danced. But I didn't get the sort of musical theater, acting, singing, all of that until I started. I studied it a bit in college. So a late bloomer. A late bloomer I am.

[5:11] Brendon Stimson: A late bloomer.

[5:13] Angie Schworer: A late bloomer.

[5:14] Angie Schworer: And then I never, I didn't go like, you know, I feel like you kids today are just so smart in knowing exactly what you want to do. I grew up in northern Kentucky, a small town in Kentucky, and I didn't know, oh, Broadway, like this is how I'm going to get there. I just took what came to me and it led me here. Leroy Reams was also from my dance studio, Ziegler Studio of Dance. He was a little older than me, but I had heard of him. And he was on Broadway, you know, which I just didn't know how I was going to do it or how to get there. You know, I just feel like people are just smarter now. You know, I didn't have all the luxuries that kids these days have with looking up things on the internet and copying and, you know. So it took me a little while, but then I ended up in New York, but via college, via Busch Gardens in the summer German show and the indoor show, via Disney World, you know, opening up MGM Studios, via Showgirl in Atlantic City, via Japan Showgirl.

[6:27] Brendon Stimson: Sorry, what?

[6:30] Angie Schworer: Being a showgirl, yeah.

[6:32] Brendon Stimson: Just in Japan, just showgirl life.

[6:34] Angie Schworer: Yeah, just at the new Otani Hotel, showgirl.

[6:37] Brendon Stimson: Okay, sure.

[6:37] Angie Schworer: Not topless, always have my top on, boys.

[6:41] Brendon Stimson: Top full, thank you.

[6:42] Angie Schworer: Tasteful Tokyo.

[6:46] Angie Schworer: Tasteful Tokyo. And then I opened up MGM Studios. I'm at Disney and doing my, you know, not eight shows a week, doing my five shows a day, as one does.

[6:58] Brendon Stimson: Wow, my back just seized right there.

[7:02] Angie Schworer: I was going to, oh my God, and I've been watching videos because I've been condensing stuff and just thrashing, you know, back then. Just an arch back, easy breezy.

[7:12] Brendon Stimson: An arch back, a loose back.

[7:15] Angie Schworer: Yeah, and I was going to, I put a down payment on a house. I was going to build a house in Lake Buena Vista, which probably now I'd be a billionaire if I had done that. But then I got a call to come up and audition for the Will Rogers Follies.

[7:32] Jack Sippel: So I did. So I pulled my down payment.

[7:35] Angie Schworer: Give her that bag.

[7:37] Angie Schworer: And I moved to Hollywood. No, I moved to Broadway.

[7:41] Brendon Stimson: She got a briefcase in her hand, or a suitcase in her hand, and she's getting off the bus.

[7:45] Angie Schworer: And I moved to Broadway. So I did, through a friend that worked with me at Diamond Horseshoe at Disney. He was a PA, DJ Salisbury. He was a PA on Will Rogers Follies. He said, I think you should come up and audition. One of the prerequisites is they wanted you over 5'8". Well, I'm that. And then I did. I flew up and auditioned on their workshop lunch break at the Nederlander, which you both have probably, you both have worked at.

[8:12] Jack Sippel: They were workshopping on stage back then. This is 1991.

[8:18] Angie Schworer: How cool.

[8:19] Jack Sippel: And I auditioned on their lunch break for the workshop. I flew up from Orlando. Little did I know, in the audience watching, having their lunch, was Jerry Mitchell, Katie Huffman, Troy Johnson, and a lot of the cast from Will Rogers.

[8:39] Angie Schworer: And in the audience was Tommy, in the house was Tommy Tune, Cy Coleman. I sang on the other side of the tracks, but didn't know it was a Cy Coleman tune.

[8:50] Jack Sippel: And he said, you know, that's my song. I was like, yeah.

[8:52] Angie Schworer: Of course.

[8:54] Angie Schworer: Totally like it. And did the audition on the stage and ended up getting it. So they needed two swings. And so I was one of the last people hired, and then came up once it was out of workshop and starting for the palace.

[9:08] Jack Sippel: And then three decades later, I'm sitting here with you.

[9:12] Angie Schworer: Three decades. I mean, there's something so timeless that I feel like is, there's a certain nostalgia and kind of like iconic sense of having this, to be able to live the auditioning on a theater stage, because it just doesn't happen anymore.

[9:31] Jack Sippel: Because I think, I don't know if it's just, there's so many reasons of turnaround or, I mean, how many rehearsals are happening in a theater nowadays.

[9:40] Angie Schworer: But it's, I think there's something so just mystique about having to audition on a theater stage.

[9:48] Jack Sippel: Well, it's for those of us who watch, you know, the old movie musical moving pitches, you know, that's what you see, you know, they're on the stage and they're leaning on the piano.

[9:55] Angie Schworer: Hey, hence your podcast.

[10:02] Jack Sippel: Yes.

[10:03] Angie Schworer: I mean, that's where we got it from leaning on a piano in 1975.

[10:08] Jack Sippel: I love that you said 1975.

[10:10] Angie Schworer: I mean, the moving picture musicals are back like in the thirties, but.

[10:14] Jack Sippel: Of course, of course, of course.

[10:15] Angie Schworer: For you.

[10:16] Jack Sippel: For me, for me, 75, 75.

[10:21] Angie Schworer: Play it again, Sal.

[10:23] Jack Sippel: I assume his name is Sal.

[10:24] Angie Schworer: I don't know.

[10:24] Jack Sippel: Yeah, play it again.

[10:26] Jack Sippel: And so what, when growing up, what was some of your train like in dance?

[10:30] Angie Schworer: You obviously were at a dance school, I'm assuming growing up.

[10:34] Angie Schworer: So what were those like classes like for you? Were you just in that strict, you know, ballet tap jazz and then just did it? Or what, what was that experience growing up?

[10:43] Angie Schworer: I think my first love was acro actually.

[10:46] Angie Schworer: Yes.

[10:46] Angie Schworer: Cause I up until, well, I think, uh, no, the producers was the last time I tumbled in a show.

[10:55] Angie Schworer: I did front handspring walkouts. My five foot 11 gigantic frame could still tumble.

[11:03] Angie Schworer: I did back walkovers and walked on my hands in Chicago, the first national.

[11:08] Angie Schworer: And then the back walk over off the desk Ula does, you know, all of that helped those tricks, those things that I could do now, my back, you know, she shot, but.

[11:20] Brendon Stimson: I'll give you a nice arm back.

[11:21] Angie Schworer: Like I'm arching back, but I'm not.

[11:26] Angie Schworer: So I started with acro and then honestly, once a week, half hour tap jazz ballet.

[11:34] Angie Schworer: Wow.

[11:35] Angie Schworer: Up until high school, I'm sorry, up until college.

[11:38] Angie Schworer: And then when I went to college, um, I had a ballet teacher, Linda crew, me who kind of.

[11:44] Angie Schworer: I like, I got it a little bit more as an adult.

[11:48] Angie Schworer: You know, I kinda learned my, I call it my flag in my foot.

[11:52] Brendon Stimson: Oh yeah.

[11:54] Angie Schworer: All those things.

[11:54] Angie Schworer: Um, and so that kind of helped, but basically my, I always say my style I got from Ziegler studio of dance.

[12:01] Angie Schworer: I got that.

[12:03] Angie Schworer: And if you look at the shows I've done, the stro tappy, tappy, tippy, tappy, it's all about style.

[12:10] Angie Schworer: And, you know, as my, I call my dancing through my resume, my tapping and tipping through my resume, because that's kind of what I did.

[12:18] Angie Schworer: And in the three decades I've been in it, that's what I do.

[12:22] Angie Schworer: You know, um, now we're on the outs.

[12:26] Jack Sippel: The old show girls are on the outs.

[12:31] Angie Schworer: Uh, bring them back.

[12:33] Jack Sippel: Bring them all back, please.

[12:35] Angie Schworer: But so Jack, it's not, it's not so you think you can dance, you know, I just was never that person and never, you know, uh, but it was enough to get, it was enough for me, for what I came into at that time in the night, in night, in the nineties.

[12:52] Jack Sippel: Right.

[12:53] Angie Schworer: And up until, I mean, what we did and something rotten. There was a lot.

[12:57] Jack Sippel: I mean, it was Renaissance time, but it was a tappy, tippy and a, and you had to have a jazz style.

[13:04] Angie Schworer: You know, Casey Nicholaw, a Nicholaw girl.

[13:07] Jack Sippel: Was there a moment when you look at your career and the other shows that have come up with you, has there been a moment where you stand and look back and say.

[13:21] Angie Schworer: It's funny because I feel like there's always been those shows around what I'm doing, if that is if I'm in a show on Broadway at that time, but there's always the ones around me that wouldn't be for me. Even if I was a parkin barker, even if I could sing a high something, you know what I mean? They're just not for me. There's always those shows. Then it becomes more of like a style thing where even if I was young, I'm not gonna be doing the style of Hamilton. It's just not who Angie is, you know what I mean?

[14:06] Jack Sippel: When did you see that change throughout your career?

[14:20] Angie Schworer: I think it's always been prevalent. I just happen to not be in that show. I just happen to be in the one that fit me, which I think is just how everybody's career is. It just became more prominent through the years. Things just have become hipper, if that's the most old-fashioned way for me to say it.

[14:41] Jack Sippel: I mean, when you say hip, but I mean as far as like the style that you have kind of honed into, and I'm gonna say mastered because I just don't think there's anybody—if it's certainly of a certain jazz type and a tip type show—if Angie walks into the room, give her the job, it's done.

[15:08] Angie Schworer: Thank you.

[15:09] Jack Sippel: I think you've helped to create and establish such a vernacular that I think is nearly unteachable. Even as you sit here and discuss certain things, you just say like a tippy-tappy, and those listening, you can't see like the little shimmy that happens in the shoulders and the relaxed face and the oozy smile that happens.

[15:28] Angie Schworer: Well, you gotta show it.

[15:29] Jack Sippel: But you have the it. I think it's like an essence that was kind of built from an aura of confidence. There is such a thing of sure, these young upstarts are coming up and changing the style, but I think there is such a timelessness to your strength. I think there's hopefully always going to be a spot of like old-time—I don't want to say old-time.

[16:10] Angie Schworer: No, no, it's totally fine.

[16:11] Jack Sippel: I get it. I'm old. I get it, baby. But I don't mean you. I just mean like the style almost. It's not outdated; I think it's timeless. People absolutely still come to musical theater and to Broadway especially to see that stuff. But I do think that now that Hamilton has become so mainstream and In the Heights so mainstream, these Lynn shows that have kind of changed the direction, I think it is going to be interesting to see what happens with these timeless type musicals.

[16:49] Angie Schworer: Well, and I hope and feel that there—it's sort of like what do they always say? You know, there's a spot for everyone. There's a place for everyone. I just sort of hope for us, I feel like hopefully there will be that little something for everyone. Maybe it will come back around. I don't even mean for me specifically because even for the things like when Crazy for You was supposed to come back and things, you know, unless I'm Tess or something, you know, I've sort of aged out of being in that chorus. But I certainly would love for the youth that are of my stature and that could to get to do it.

[17:30] Jack Sippel: Right.

[17:31] Angie Schworer: So I'm not even saying for myself, you know. But I certainly would love that for other people to get to enjoy and be in those shows and experience the lusciousness of those great, you know, tap into the Gershwin tunes and "I Got Rhythm." I mean, who doesn't want to fucking do "I Got Rhythm," you know? Truly, truly. I mean, it was written in what, 1927 or 1917 or who knows when?

[18:03] Jack Sippel: "I Got Rhythm" just in general?

[18:04] Angie Schworer: Oh, well Gershwin, yeah, probably in that time. But it's still being done. But what I love about our Casey Nicholaw, especially in Something Rotten and also in Minsky's that I did for him, you know, he likes all different shapes and sizes and ages and personalities, and somehow he puts it all together. That's interesting to me, and I love being in that process because he knows your strengths. He knows what you can and cannot do, you know what I mean? It's like, yes, he purposely picks certain people, and so I do love that.

[19:01] Jack Sippel: I remember specifically in—Brendon, you were probably there—in which workshop we were doing what used to be Not About Me, but it was something else. The girls really danced. I did the dance break by myself when the dancers came and were really dancing. Like Shelby Finney was tearing it up, and I was like, I kind of went behind and I thought, well, let me just at least, you know, if I don't have to do what they're doing, but let me just—I'll pretend they were jumping, and I just was like doing arms or whatever.

[19:41] Angie Schworer: And he was like, "Yeah, yeah, that's not what you do well."

[19:43] Jack Sippel: But he was true. But I was like, let me just try it, you know? I'll just try to give him something to look at, which is then that's when all of my spinning and just my legs on the chair, I think, started sort of created. I was like, well, I'll just sit in the chair and wave my legs around.

[19:59] Angie Schworer: That's right.

[20:00] Jack Sippel: Yeah, there was a moment when we added, I think like, I mean, a couple major dance break counts. It was me, Shelby Finney, Ian Young, and Natalie Clay-Carter.

[20:14] Angie Schworer: Yeah.

[20:15] Jack Sippel: And there was a point where we actually set up a box upstage for some of that stuff, and we timed these jumps—jumping off this box. It was like a toe touch and a huge attitude leap, and we're like, what are we doing back here? We're killing ourselves, and Angie's just in a chair, just leg, leg.

[20:33] Angie Schworer: I was probably just looking at my nails or something, just like, thank God.

[20:39] Jack Sippel: Giving us something to look at.

[20:40] Angie Schworer: Doing something. But you know, it didn't hurt my feelings because he was being truthful, but it was like, that's not what you do well, you know? And so I guess it's good when your director knows that too.

[21:01] Jack Sippel: I will say something you do also really well, and one of my favorite performances of yours that I've gotten to witness is back at our Muni days when we both did Damn Yankees together back in 2008, 9, whatever that was. And Angie was Lola. Let's just pause and think about Angie's Lola for a second. It was the most incredible thing.

[21:23] Angie Schworer: Let's pause and think about that. Mary McLeod taught me all of that original choreography, and let's be clear, I am not a trained Fosse dancer, but I worked my butt off and was mediocre at best, but I tried really hard.

[21:36] Jack Sippel: But what was it that made you laugh?

[21:45] Angie Schworer: Was it—come on, Joe?

[21:52] Jack Sippel: I don't know which one. It's just so fun. It was so fun, and so I'm just so tall to do it too.

[22:00] Angie Schworer: It was perfection, though. You and Alex Sanchez together was like a match in heaven to do those two roles and to watch "Who's Got the Pain?" All of that. And I thought he was just like, "Angie, you're a pain," because I thought—because he's such a good dancer, and he was like, "What is this giant Amazon I am dragging through this number?" Right? Because don't I have to get on his shoulders or something?

[22:28] Jack Sippel: Poor guy.

[22:29] Angie Schworer: He was like, "Oh," and I mean, it was Muni, and you know how hot it is there, and I was swimming, and I was like in good shape for Big Ang, and he was like, "You gotta get on my shoulders." Like, "What the fuck?" Sorry, what the hell? Gosh darn, will you have to get off my shoulders?

[22:52] Jack Sippel: I'm just crying laughing over here, A, because it's Angie, and she always makes me do that, but also I'm picturing us back in that time. I remember every second of that show and watching you do the show, so everything you're saying right now is just resonating with me. I couldn't breathe. It was so hot.

[23:08] Angie Schworer: I'm doing—is that the same thing we got to pay one day ago?

[23:16] Jack Sippel: It's also not a short number.

[23:17] Angie Schworer: No, but it was actually—I worked with Mary McLeod before we went down there, and she was exquisite, and I loved that time so much because it's probably the most—because she's so great at Fosse and worked with Gwen and really knows her stuff. So it was really fun to just attempt to learn and somehow create that and bring it to life, but I haven't worked there since.

[23:51] Jack Sippel: They were like, "Yeah, no."

[23:54] Angie Schworer: Oh my lord. I want to see the video of that. I want to see the mambo.

[24:02] Jack Sippel: Yeah, see this so-called Big Ang.

[24:11] Angie Schworer: She says my Muni career is over.

[24:21] Jack Sippel: You're the doll baby down there. Could you get me in? Mama needs a Muni job.

[24:27] Angie Schworer: I got you. Mama needs a Muni.

[24:29] Jack Sippel: I was literally just going to bring it forward, the question of, okay, so we all have our kind of wind down because, you know, a Broadway schedule is a—it gets you through the—I mean, it's a ringer. It is a tough one. Eight shows a week on top of, you know, just living as an adult human in New York City, it's a tough way to go. I want to know, do you have a specific chair at Sardi's that is yours to go to whenever your show comes down, and Angie walks in, and someone says, "She's here, clear the chair, clear the chair." Where is yours?

[25:07] Angie Schworer: I'm guessing Sardi's just from, you know, Rotten days, but is there a spot that you can walk into in New York City or an old spot of time gone by that you remember in a New York City moment of, "Ah, this is my spot"?

[25:22] Angie Schworer: Not now, but back during The Producers. I don't even mean not now because of COVID. I mean just not now, but during The Producers, which was at the St. James, also where Something Rotten was. Angus used to be next door, so we used to tease that if there was some way to do from my—I started out in the ensemble and then took over for Ulla, but from either dressing room, if we just had sort of like a nice garbage shoot that just could put me down right into the booth right there in the front of Angus. Actually, it was even before, I guess, because it was the Brasserie before that, then it was Angus. But we enjoyed that. That was a good time because it was during The Producers, which was, you know, just an otherworldly time with the way we went out of town and we came right into the St. James, and it was such a huge hit and won the most Tonys to this day. It was just a time that was joyful, and so we went next door a lot, a lot. So that would be then. I don't have anything now, even before the shutdown.

[26:43] Angie Schworer: And during prom, you know, we were trying to just be in it and get that show going and we just, you know, so it wasn't, I wasn't out crazy all the time. We know how delicate my vocal cords are. I can't talk over, I can't talk over people anymore, you know? Should get those bags of Lay's chips back out. I don't know why you're not sponsored by Lay's.

[27:04] Jack Sippel: I know.

[27:05] Angie Schworer: We would walk into her dressing room and she would have a literal box probably the size of me and she goes, I got my Lay's, they came in today. And then there's just bags of Lay's chips that are her go-to snack. Someone send that to Beth and I. I think it was one point it was Lyle, our dresser, bought us this huge bag and they were all the individual assortment and we would put stuff on Instagram like Lay's, we all, me, Caitlyn and Beth, I think did one.

[27:32] Jack Sippel: Yeah.

[27:32] Angie Schworer: Nothing. We got nothing.

[27:34] Jack Sippel: Nothing.

[27:34] Angie Schworer: But you know, I eat them because they're good for your voice, right?

[27:37] Jack Sippel: Of course.

[27:38] Angie Schworer: Even during COVID, you know, for speaking. Well, Angie, we had people write into us on our Instagram. We have three questions for you today.

[27:46] Jack Sippel: Our Instagram, again, underscore podcast. Follow us and write to us. But we have three questions. I'm going to follow you guys. I don't follow you yet. Teach me how.

[27:58] Jack Sippel: We'll teach you.

[27:59] Angie Schworer: We'll teach you. We'll get you there. Our first question is from Lisa and she says, how do you manage to sing, dance and not mess up all the time? So basically, how are you flawless? Because I can attest to that statement that I just made. Watching you literally every single night in The Prom, every single night I would watch the show, and you are the most consistent performer I have ever seen. The way you put the Germ-X in your hand, where you put the Germ-X between your legs, the cup, everything where you hold it. It's the exact, the pat under the nose, all the things. It is to a T the same and the energy is always there. The voice is always there. The moves are always there. The acting is always there. So how do you, how are you so consistent?

[28:42] Angie Schworer: Well, you're very kind to say that, but that is the dancer background in me. And like I said this, I think before, repetition is always my friend. And that's when I feel like my show is the best, when it's slick to a T like that. And I don't, not every person's like that because you know, like our Brooksy loves to just fly off and do things. It's just not my makeup. And I wish it was, cause I think he's so fearless and so incredible. And I wish I was that person, but I'm just not. And I think it's just, that's the dancer in me. And then once, you know, it's like right at the end was when I was like, okay, now my show's done. It's slick. It's how I, you know, everything's on account. You know how we like to do every beat. I don't ever change it up. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I feel like-

[29:38] Jack Sippel: I was gonna say, it's consistency that's not, you know, the boring or, cause you are still so invested in the scene with your scene partner. So it's not that like glazed over. Oh, she's doing the same thing again. It's like, no, she's still giving a performance. It's just, it's-

[29:53] Angie Schworer: That's how I feel most comfortable. I don't like, oh, oh, I'm just gonna fly off the seat. I just don't work that way. And I think that's just from the dancer background, I guess. Is that it? Or just my OCD?

[30:05] Jack Sippel: No, I would agree. I think you craft out this like polished performance. And as the dancer brain goes repetition, repetition, repetition until it's second nature and it's just done in your sleep, but you're so present because of the practice and the polish that you've put into the performance. How many Ps can I get in one sentence? I don't know, but it's crisp and clear. Pee-poo, Pih, it's great.

[30:32] Angie Schworer: But even when I'm not doing a part, which is most usually my career too. Even for like Something Rotten, you know, like when it turned into the go-go thing. I choreographed my stuff with my foo-foo-

[30:40] Jack Sippel: What's that thing called?

[30:48] Angie Schworer: Yeah, what was that? The air blower thing.

[30:50] Jack Sippel: Oh, it does have like some medieval name.

[30:52] Angie Schworer: Oh, we know what it is. It's gonna come to me. Here, I'll make the sound. It sounded like this. It starts with a V. Foo-foo-foo.

[31:00] Jack Sippel: You have to look it up.

[31:01] Angie Schworer: It sounds like a beluga whale, I think is what I'm doing, actually. I know what it is. I know what it is. See, that's what happens when you get old. It's gonna come to me.

[31:09] Jack Sippel: Boofer?

[31:10] Angie Schworer: Hey, honey, what's those blower things for the fire?

[31:13] Jack Sippel: Perfect. Lifeline, lifeline.

[31:15] Angie Schworer: Lifeline, ask the husband. It starts with a V.

[31:22] Jack Sippel: We'll never know.

[31:23] Angie Schworer: No, we gotta look it up. Someone Google it while I'm talking.

[31:26] Jack Sippel: We will, we will.

[31:27] Angie Schworer: Okay, I'll ask you. I have the next question for you while we're looking that up. Oh, shit. Okay, but wait, before I finish, using that thing, I had all these moves choreographed because it was so heavy. I didn't want to hit people, right? So you have to choreograph where it's gonna go. And I did the exact same thing every time. So in that case, it was to make sure I didn't hit Eric Scato because he was right there, right? So you have to choreograph it.

[32:02] Angie Schworer: Bellows. It's called a bellows.

[32:04] Jack Sippel: It's called a bellows. We had it here. We had it here.

[32:08] Angie Schworer: So when I use my bellows in Something Rotten, it was choreographed to a T so that I didn't poke somebody in the eye. So there's different reasons for it, but I just feel more comfortable and a slicker performer when I do that. That's the answer to my question.

[32:23] Jack Sippel: You're welcome.

[32:24] Angie Schworer: Thank you. Slick to a T.

[32:26] Jack Sippel: Slick to a T. The next question is from Marin, and she wants to know, what made you decide you wanted to dance? Was there something or someone that you look up to and you were like, yep, I love that. I want to do that. Get me in the door.

[32:43] Angie Schworer: I think the joy of it came before I even was old enough to know what I was watching and who I was watching. The joy of it, of just the dancing part and then the never sitting still part was just innate in me. So it started from a very young age. The round of back handsprings, back handsprings down the hallway to greet everyone in my house just started.

[33:07] Jack Sippel: Yeah.

[33:07] Angie Schworer: Can you imagine if that was the greeting you got from Angie Schworer? My sister-in-law, oh my gosh, she says she's still married to my brother and they were high school sweethearts. So she was in high school when I would have been young enough to fit in a hallway doing round of back handsprings. And she said I would literally go, round of back handsprings, round of back handsprings and turn and go like, hi, I'm Angie.

[33:29] Jack Sippel: Oh my God, no wonder cheerleading was like right there too.

[33:31] Angie Schworer: Yeah, and she imitates me doing that. So I think the joy of it was already there before I had the knowledge to watch any dancers. Oh God, it had to have been on a TV set back then because it was the covered wagon days, guys. The Pony Express came to my house. We took the Oregon Trail and I saw my first moving picture.

[33:57] Jack Sippel: Yeah.

[33:59] Angie Schworer: So I guess it was just innate. That's my answer, Marin. I hope that brings something to you. But even watching me in my Disney days, like I said, I'm condensing stuff and putting on thumb drives and I'm looking at it and it's like, I loved it. I love doing five shows a day in the heat. I don't know why. I just loved it. And we carried feathers and we carried giant bananas and danced with Minnie Mouse and I just loved it. We were indestructible.

[34:29] Jack Sippel: Yeah.

[34:30] Angie Schworer: And you just throw your back out and kick your face. And now, as you know, I like my vertical with gestures a little bit more than-

[34:38] Jack Sippel: There it is.

[34:40] Angie Schworer: You know, I like vertical gestures. The idea and the joy is still there.

[34:45] Jack Sippel: Of course.

[34:47] Angie Schworer: There's always a motivation of why she's making the gesture and she's staying vertical. This is the world that we live in. You know, my tissue just doesn't move as well as it used to. I keep on taking Deb Roche's class, though. I got to tell you, Britt likes my vertical with gestures. Still in class.

[35:04] Jack Sippel: I love that.

[35:05] Angie Schworer: Still in class. Yeah, four times a week, baby. I mean, it's right here in my dining room. It's not- I don't get to move around. But that's good for Ang. You know, keeping it tall and tight.

[35:13] Jack Sippel: Tall and tight.

[35:21] Angie Schworer: And we travel underneath ourselves. That's what we do.

[35:24] Jack Sippel: That's what we do.

[35:25] Angie Schworer: I love that. I love that Jack writes something down. When do you kids do handwriting?

[35:31] Jack Sippel: All the time.

[35:32] Angie Schworer: All the time.

[35:33] Jack Sippel: All the time.

[35:34] Angie Schworer: You still do handwriting?

[35:36] Jack Sippel: My stepson?

[35:37] Angie Schworer: Stops being able to read my cards I give to him.

[35:41] Jack Sippel: Because he doesn't read handwriting anymore.

[35:43] Angie Schworer: And he grew up with my handwriting. I got him at 10 years old. He's 25 now. He can't read my handwriting. I always have to-

[35:49] Jack Sippel: I mean, as dance captains-

[35:51] Angie Schworer: Well, dance captains, we got to like watch the show and like literally have to be able to write and watch.

[35:54] Jack Sippel: Yeah, without listening at the same time. Now, are you going to start typing? Because then you can't do that. Because then the screen ruins- like you can't- people can't see.

[36:00] Angie Schworer: I started doing voice memos when I would watch from a spot. And I'd literally just be so quiet and be like, Slammin' Jack. You need to raise your right arm higher on the 5, 6, 7, 8.

[36:22] Jack Sippel: Dance for you.

[36:25] Angie Schworer: Vertical gestures on stage.

[36:27] Jack Sippel: Right.

[36:29] Angie Schworer: Voice memos were huge though. Especially for me with Prom just because the show moves so fast. And there's so many steps for three counts that it's hard to like get it all in. And obviously, if it's a fluke, it's a fluke. You let it go. You can't notate every single thing. But you can't just write. It just moves so fast. You got to talk it into it and then kind of review it later.

[36:51] Jack Sippel: I know.

[36:52] Angie Schworer: And then type it out, whatever you say.

[36:53] Jack Sippel: I know. You were so good at that. I don't know how you do that. Did you go all the way to the top and just keep real quiet so the audience couldn't hear you?

[37:00] Angie Schworer: Well, I was just all over the theater, to be honest. I was a lot in stairwells. Or I would remember the notes while I watch one number and then walk away and then talk it all into the phone just because I could remember it. But I would always watch the show from every different part of the theater. I would never have one spot.

[37:22] Jack Sippel: Yeah. I mean, I can't imagine there's a step on every count as Casey Nicholaw likes to do. And you're just like, and Brendan, when you come down, and jacket, head and go.

[37:37] Angie Schworer: Jacket and push it back.

[37:41] Jack Sippel: She's got it.

[37:41] Angie Schworer: Oh, my God. You know it. She watched us every night. She's ready.

[37:47] Angie Schworer: Okay. Our last question is from Curtis.

[37:49] Jack Sippel: Okay.

[37:50] Angie Schworer: And Curtis says, what is one time that you were dancing so wholeheartedly that you just forgot the world was around you?

[37:55] Jack Sippel: Wow.

[37:57] Angie Schworer: What is one time where you were just like, so in the moment and you let everything go? I love that. Well, Curtis, I feel like I just do that with all of my performances.

[38:09] Angie Schworer: Oh, okay. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. That's a really good question. And Curtis, I will tell you this. I live to find that moment again, not only because of what's happening in the world and with the climate that's happening now, but I mean, just in general, because it's hard as you get older, you just want to make sure you're not going to hurt yourself. So if I could stop thinking about that for a moment, that would be great, because that would mean I'm totally in it. And yes, I'm sure there are moments that I do that. But I'm trying to think of a specific moment. One thing I can think of, just because we talked about it a lot at the show, was your line where you say, oh, if I had to listen to Day by Day one more time, I was going to kill them all one by one.

And there was one performance, I don't know if you know this, Brendan, she says, if I have to listen to Day by Day one more time, I was going to kill myself one by one. And she had no idea she said that. And so she walks off stage, everyone's laughing, and she's like, what, you guys? And we're just like, did you not? Oh, so you said this instead, and she's like, oh, I did, and like, had no idea. Then it's the night performance. I think this is a Saturday, and does the exact same thing. So she's just, she's so wrapped in that motel scene that she just loses the world around her.

[39:38] Angie Schworer: Yeah, I mean, Curtis, that could be the one, that could be the moment where either I wasn't paying attention, or, and honestly, ignorance is bliss in that moment, because, once again, Rain Man does the thing, if I had to listen to Day by Day one more time, I was going to kill myself one by one. And then I walk away with my suitcase.

[40:04] Angie Schworer: I look back to give Beth focus for her Tony moment. I walk a little bit more. I put my suitcase down. You know, I have my things. Oh, yeah. And I had no idea. And then she and Josh were laughing because she and Josh Franklin were laughing, Beth Lovell and Josh. And I had no idea. So ignorance is bliss in those moments. There were just so many times that the joy of it does take over. I would say there were times in Something Rotten before those costumes did a number on my back. You just got his body going to be. Oh, it's just joy. And it just comes from wherever it comes from. So I guess I could lose myself in those moments. Or even like I see in my head like Big Fish when you guys were doing that. I think it was like the opening to act two and those red, white and blue on that big case like that is such a great visual that I can only imagine what that's like actually on stage doing that.

[41:06] Brendon Stimson: Yeah, though. I mean, that was a little bit I've never been a rockette, but that was a little more tedious where you had to make sure because we all were trying to move as one. But Big Fish in the opening number, there was this very fluid, slow motion thing. And you came up gun gun. And then Norbert would sing be the hero of your story. And I remember those moments where you I was the circus trainer lady with the big hat. And I just remember like those kind of moments where it was easy on your body. But I love that song so much. I love Norbert's voice. And you just sort of lose yourself in those moments. And then you get to hold a pose. And I just would look at that house and the audience and you just, you know, you live in those moments when you actually get to just breathe it in for a moment and be on a Broadway stage and not be too responsible for anything that's happening in that moment. Just try to be pretty with your top hat on.

[42:09] Angie Schworer: So I think there's something so iconic in what you said as far as like, if there's an ensemble member kind of like dancing behind a principal actor, and I think there's, I don't know if I heard it secondhand, thirdhand, what have you, like down the line of theater history. But it's like, oh, you just got to Angie. And I was like, what is it? You know, you know, look at the lead, look at the balcony, look at the lead, look at the balcony. And I was like, is this really a thing? And then sure enough, if anyone wants to look this up, I think it's the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade performance of Something Rotten. When if you see Ange behind Brian Darcy James waving this feather just like and has the will do a musical and you see Ange and her focus literally just like to Brian, the camera, Brian to the camera, and I'm like, she's doing it. It's a real thing.

[43:07] Brendon Stimson: It's oh, and it's so effective. I wish I was in my handbook when I joined Broadway. There was a section that was just the Angie.

[43:15] Angie Schworer: It what? Totally. In what handbook? I want to see it.

[43:24] Brendon Stimson: No, but I wish I could take credit for that one.

[43:32] Angie Schworer: Okay, so real quick. Here we do the Macy's Parade. I don't know that I'm in the shot, but it's the, you know, it's Brian Darcy and Brad Oscar, their moment. And so we're just holding the feather sheet, the feather fans. And there is no balcony because it's Macy's Parade. So of course, I was doing looking at Brian, look at the balcony, looking at Brian, like, but nothing else is going on. And I happen to be in the shot. So my friend Jerry McIntyre, you know, Jerry Mac, Mayor Jerry Mac, he said, he was like, you were just giving it to us. He came up with, look at the lead, look at the balcony. But I use it now. I give him credit. As you do, you know, as we all feel great things throughout our career. But that's where that came from. So I mean, I was just standing there. So I had to give something.

[44:21] Brendon Stimson: You are never just standing there, Angie. You are never just standing there.

[44:26] Angie Schworer: So I just gave you eyes. I just gave you eyes. I was like, look at Brian and then look it up. You may say eyes, but there's a whole storyline there. There's a journey.

[44:32] Jack Sippel: Yeah, different than our journey for prom because it wasn't cold that year.

[44:39] Angie Schworer: Sure. We weren't quite as cold. Freezing. Oh, yeah. Because the same day as Mean Girls, I remember visiting the trailer and everyone was just like, so yeah, I think I think she was doing the same ritual, but she was more like, look at the lead, look at the time clicker, look at the time clicker. Like, are we almost done? How much longer? Can I put my coat on? Where's the heater? Where's the heater? Oh, my God. Yeah. But yes, I do like that one. Look at the lead. Look at the balcony. Thank you, Jerry Mack. But I'm going to continue it wherever I go.

[45:14] Brendon Stimson: Oh, absolutely. I think it's being continued for you as well in many other productions.

[45:19] Angie Schworer: I like it. The legend, you know, knowing who it was that told you it was probably Beth Johnson. Nicely.

[45:25] Jack Sippel: Oh, probably. Oh, absolutely. Because she we would because she was my bookend. So she was there, too. And so we were everyone was making fun of me.

[45:32] Jack Sippel: Well, Jack, should we should we do a little should have shot it's time. Let's do it.

[45:44] Angie Schworer: Yeah, it's time. So, Ange, we love we love a little little segment. We call it should have shot it.

[45:51] Angie Schworer: Oh, God. OK. Oh, my God. It's going to be OK. It's going to be OK. So you can edit this. So if I'm terrible, you can just edit it out. It's not like a game. It's not a game. OK, go. We have this. I'm just going to do look at the lead. Look at the balcony and nobody's going to see it. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. So when we when Jack and I worked on the Netflix movie Picture of Prom, the movie picture. Yes, I know the movie. Yes, yes, we know. The Meryl Streep, who, you know, played the the best level role. She did not about me. Yeah, I've heard of her. She's done a few things up and coming, up and coming. And she did this whole rehearsal of a scene that we were going to shoot. And she's trying to, like, sell an idea is be like, just, you know, play the music.

I'll show you. And like, just cue the lights. It'll be fine. Did this whole thing. Huge number me, bro. In a huge blackout. All the extras are sitting there. We're just like wildly applauding. And right before the applause, we hear Meryl shout, should have shot it. So I think it was just an insane moment for us to kind of like witness it. And we're just so sad nobody caught it on camera. Nobody caught it on anything. So it's just kind of like in the mythology of the world. So we want to know if there's any moment in your like life, career, anything or that you've like, gotten to witness that you wish someone was just like, Oh, did anybody capture that on any kind of film, any sort of anything?

[47:23] Angie Schworer: Um, I gotta say, the first thing that comes to my mind would be the first time I got to go on for in the producers, because I was a the second cover, I was told I would never go on. And then they gave me my own key. So thank God the orchestra had my new key, because that could have been a disaster. But thank you to Patrick S. Brady, our musical director, he got me my own key, I needed it a half step lower than Katie's, I couldn't do all the little gun, gun, gun, and I can't get it. I couldn't do all the dancing and sing it in her key. It just wasn't easy for me or in my voice. So they gave me my own key. So I got thrown on it was Valentine's Day. I'm thinking it was 2002. Right before I did the first national tour.

And I wish that was I wish should have shot it because I was nervous as shit. But Matthew and Nathan were so good to me. And you like I was like, Okay, I was told I'm never going to go on. So I was already felt like a piece of crap anyway, because I was told I wasn't and yet I'm going, you know, so you already feel like, well, boo, but I knew I could dance it. I knew I was a big tall blonde. And I thought I was funny. Anyway, who knows? So I, you know, you knock on the door and you go, I'm just like, here's the knocker gun, gun, gun. This is it, girl. Be only stuck in blue. And then Matthew and Nathan's a come in. And I go, I opened the door. And there's Matthew and Nathan just staring at me.

And they were like, Oh, what do you do? What do you do? And they brought me in. And Nathan kept rubbing my hands because I was probably a little trembly. And he just took my hands. He took my hands and he's like, Oh, what do you do? You know, and somehow it sort of relaxed me. And I made it through. I got Nathan, a couple of he says, Well, you want me a couple extra laughs. I just didn't do anything. I just watched him or whatever it was I did. And it just turned out to be like the greatest, one of the greatest moments of my life because I then I did six more. I wasn't supposed to go on first cover was on vacation. I did six more performances that week. And then Stro asked me to do the first national tour.

And then I was on the last four years of Broadway as so I kind of wish that Scott Whitman and Mark Shaiman, they snuck in and watched me from the back in the St. James right on the back stairs. And Mark right before I knocked on the door, Mark said he looked over to Scott, he goes, What if she stinks? So I guess I didn't. But I kind of wish I would have shot that. That was a long story. But yeah, that's it.

[50:23] Jack Sippel: Oh, my God. Brilliant. Brilliant. Or maybe I was terrible. I don't I don't remember. But it was so out of body. I think it'd be fun to have probably awful because you ended up taking it over the role and playing it for four years. So probably really bad. But just don't remember any of it except for that little moment. So that's a fun little thing. Should have shot it. Sorry, it was long. You could condense that.

[50:49] Brendon Stimson: It's perfect. Oh, absolutely. All of it. Angie, this has been a blast. Thanks for coming on. You are stunning. I love seeing you boys. Thank you for the joy.

[51:00] Angie Schworer: Thank you for the kind words. And let's hopefully get out of this thing. And hopefully we're on the other side. But won't it be fun? Let's get back on stage.

[51:13] Jack Sippel: Oh, one thing I was gonna say, Brendan, you brought up the eight shows a week and how hard it is to sort of, you know, come down or whatever. I forget what it was the question you were asking. But God, wouldn't it be so great to have that those problems right now? You know, it would really be nice.

[51:29] Angie Schworer: Yes. You're just so busy. And you got to do this. And oh, I think you were asking me where you wind down. What where you go? Yeah. What would it be nice to be like, Hey, yeah. Hey, Jack and Brendan. Hey, where are we gonna go hang out tonight? Oh, love it. But not be nice. I want to spot that's not the right side of my couch. You know, just like, you know, I think we all do. And I can't wait for that. I say that downbeat to come back. Because, yeah, you know, I think we're all looking forward to it. So hopefully you'll bring some joy to people with doing this, my boys.

[52:13] Brendon Stimson: We're trying. Well, thank you so much for being here. Thanks, Angie. I love you.

[52:19] Angie Schworer: I love you, too. I was told not to leave, but you're still recording. So hey, when a challenge lies ahead, and you are ill and dread and worry, gonna give us some zazz. And that's that's how we wrap it for sure. That's a wrap.

[52:35] Brendon Stimson: Hey, it's Brendan.

[52:36] Jack Sippel: Hey, it's Jack. Thanks so much for tuning into our podcast. Be sure to hop on over to our Instagram at again underscore podcast and give us a follow a like a comment a DM because we want to hear from you. Let us know how we're doing.

[52:54] Brendon Stimson: Sure. Sure. Sure. And before you press next to play your next podcast, hopefully it's us again, go ahead and hit that subscribe button and give us a rating if you love what you're hearing. Again from the top is produced by Dory Berenstein and Alan Seales. Stay tuned for our next 5678.