This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Quincy Brown: Oh! Celebration!

[0:07] Kevin Bianchi: That's so fancy!

[0:10] Quincy Brown: Celebration!

[0:12] Kevin Bianchi: Oh my gosh!

[0:13] Quincy Brown: This gift or this curse that I have inside! I mean, what?

[0:18] Kevin Bianchi: Oh my...

[0:19] Quincy Brown: Elokanaman, naman, atum, atum, elokanaman.

[0:22] Kevin Bianchi: What?

[0:28] Quincy Brown: My name's Quincy.

[0:29] Kevin Bianchi: And my name's Kevin.

[0:30] Quincy Brown: And this is Sentimental Men from Theaterly.

[0:33] Kevin Bianchi: We are here to talk...

[0:34] Quincy Brown: And maybe scream...

[0:35] Kevin Bianchi: About our favorite women in musical theater.

[0:52] Quincy Brown: Good morning, Kevin.

[1:00] Kevin Bianchi: Truly good morning, Quincy.

[1:02] Quincy Brown: I feel like we're on The View or something.

[1:04] Kevin Bianchi: I haven't felt this way since...

[1:06] Quincy Brown: Who was it? Who was the one that I did it at like 4 o'clock in the morning at? When I was home in Hawaii.

[1:12] Kevin Bianchi: Shoot. I don't remember, but it was Leslie Kritzer.

[1:14] Quincy Brown: Oh my god, yes. I just remember feeling hungover dead at 4 o'clock laughing with Leslie Kritzer.

[1:22] Kevin Bianchi: Well, here we are back at that place. It's 7 o'clock.

[1:26] Quincy Brown: Emotionally and mentally. Two days, or a little, 36 hours maybe, after the anniversary palooza that was Wicked's 20th anniversary weekend.

[1:36] Kevin Bianchi: I don't know where to begin.

[1:37] Quincy Brown: Well, first of all, very exciting episode, guys.

[1:40] Kevin Bianchi: Double whammy.

[1:41] Quincy Brown: Double whammy. I know we haven't even addressed the Tony Award winning elephant in the room of this episode yet.

[1:47] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, SJB is here back again for another chat with us.

[1:50] Quincy Brown: Back again. It feels so good, Quincy.

[1:53] Kevin Bianchi: She has come home at last. And it feels right that we're talking to SJB in our 20 year anniversary recap episode as well.

[2:02] Quincy Brown: Yeah, it does. It's like two of our most favorite special things happening all at once.

[2:08] Kevin Bianchi: Okay, so how do we do this?

[2:10] Quincy Brown: Well, first, do you want to talk about Comic-Con really quick? Because we haven't had an episode since that.

[2:17] Kevin Bianchi: And we got to do a really cool thing and host a panel at Comic-Con with Krista and Mary-Kate. But new to our roster of ladies is Mary Beth and Susan Hilferdy.

[2:30] Quincy Brown: Who were delightful, delightful personalities, I must say. I mean, it was like meeting giants, legends.

[2:38] Kevin Bianchi: Susan Hilferdy has the Lindsay Heather Pierce thing where she's the type of woman you can sit down and talk to for truly six hours straight.

[2:45] Quincy Brown: Correct.

[2:46] Kevin Bianchi: Correct. And she's so, yeah, she's so captivating when she speaks. But then she does this funny thing where she'd be telling us this story.

[2:55] Quincy Brown: And Quincy and I would be on the edge of our seats. And she'd be like, but I don't have to tell that at the panel if you don't want to. She kept teasing things.

[3:05] Kevin Bianchi: Or it was as if what she was saying, she wasn't realizing that what she was saying was so fascinating and interesting. So she kept asking us for direction on stories to tell.

[3:17] Quincy Brown: And we were like, listen, anything you have to say. She's talking about the early days of Wicked and San Francisco and the inspiration behind this costume and scenes that got cut.

[3:26] Kevin Bianchi: And this song wasn't working and no one could figure out how to make this scene work. As if it was just like basic information, which, yeah, it is for her. But for us, it was very, very fun and exciting to hear.

[3:34] Quincy Brown: Very fun and exciting to hear. And I mean, we got some really good tidbits from her. I'm trying to think back to like, what were the highlights from this panel that we should relay to the listeners?

[3:45] Kevin Bianchi: Well, one thing that I really loved that Susan said was kind of a double whammy is that there was a Dr. Dillamond. One of the scenes they couldn't make work was this Dr. Dillamond funeral scene.

[3:53] Quincy Brown: And the reason like that used to go into the train Emerald City scene. And so the reason Elphaba is in black in that scene is because she was coming straight from the funeral.

[4:08] Kevin Bianchi: Connect some dots for me.

[4:10] Quincy Brown: Connect some dots, yeah. And then Glinda had a black coat on that she would take off to have the yellow dress or whatever. And that coat became Nessa Rose's costume later on in the costuming conversation, which was very cool.

[4:25] Kevin Bianchi: Should we talk about Mary Kate Morrissey?

[4:27] Quincy Brown: I think we should.

[4:28] Kevin Bianchi: Singing.

[4:29] Quincy Brown: Not Mary Kate Morrissey as Elphaba.

[4:31] Kevin Bianchi: That was Elphaba in the room.

[4:33] Quincy Brown: Elphaba. Okay, so the panel, we did this panel. It was fast and furious, first of all. An hour goes by so quick when you have four icons to talk to and talk through.

[4:46] Kevin Bianchi: But we do our panel for the lovely Comic-Con audience. And then, very randomly, the music starts playing. And Elphaba walks in from the back of the room, handheld mic in hand.

[5:04] Quincy Brown: Yeah, voice of God mic. No reverb. No bass. Defying gravity for the Comic-Con audience.

[5:11] Kevin Bianchi: She's in fluorescent work lights at the convention center. Oh my god, it was so cool to see the Act II dress up close.

[5:17] Quincy Brown: In the audience, this poor Elphaba.

[5:20] Kevin Bianchi: Shibashi Slade. I didn't realize how colorful that dress was.

[5:25] Quincy Brown: There's a lot of, um, listen, I'm colorblind. Wait, can I jump forward to the anniversary?

[5:29] Kevin Bianchi: Was that thing around my neck not green?

[5:32] Quincy Brown: Um, I mean, it wasn't like highlighter green. It was maybe like a pale green.

[5:38] Kevin Bianchi: Sorry, it wasn't like yellow or anything. Someone informed me that it was not green, and I went through the entire night thinking it was green.

[5:44] Quincy Brown: That was a tough, um, it was tougher than I thought.

[5:47] Kevin Bianchi: Tough assignment for you?

[5:48] Quincy Brown: To get dressed in green. Anyways, so take this with a grain of salt, but I'm colorblind. I did feel like there was a lot of purple and blue undertones to the Act II dress that I had not clocked before.

[6:01] Kevin Bianchi: There are, and there's lots of red, too.

[6:03] Quincy Brown: Didn't see that, for sure. And it's very shimmery, which then, just to fast forward a little bit to the anniversary, then being able to see it that close on stage and see how the light hits it and makes all those colors pop out was really, really cool.

[6:23] Kevin Bianchi: Well, and so that's what I was thinking, too. I really do want to have Susan on, because anniversary, we were sitting front row center for the 20th anniversary performance of Wicked, and seeing the Act II dress that close, it is so intricate, and like the flow of the fabric patterns are all very different and seemingly intentional, and I'd be curious to actually like dive into how that dress, how and why that dress was constructed in the way it was, because seeing it up close...

[6:53] Quincy Brown: And it has like that little V down that like flares out.

[6:56] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, it's so stunning. It's gorgeous. And I think I remember, yeah, at the panel, she said that the same woman has been like hand laying all those ruffles for 20 years, and she is retiring now, so I'm kind of...

[7:11] Quincy Brown: She's taking her spot.

[7:13] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, where do I apply?

[7:16] Quincy Brown: Okay, anything else on Comic-Con before we... It feels like we're moving into the weekend.

[7:20] Kevin Bianchi: So Sunday occurred. Sunday was the fan day. It was the Wicked block party outside of the theater in the morning, and then the pink performance matinee, and the green evening performance.

[7:31] Quincy Brown: First of all, woke up Sunday morning, it was a little chilly, and it was raining. My first thought was, are we going to be standing in the rain at this Wicked block party?

[7:42] Kevin Bianchi: I forgot that the Gershwin Theater has that giant, giant... What do you even call it? Garage awning?

[7:48] Quincy Brown: A breezeway.

[7:49] Kevin Bianchi: Breezeway. There it is. I was not expecting... I don't know what I was expecting from that block party, but there were way more people than I thought there were going to be, and the energy was so, so good.

[8:04] Quincy Brown: I agree. I was like, what are the vibes at 10.30 a.m.?

[8:12] Kevin Bianchi: On this rainy Sunday. We can just be honest. The type of people who go to an event like this, us included, are aggressively enthusiastic people.

[8:22] Quincy Brown: So I was like, what is all of that shoved into the breezeway going to be? And it was, I think, really fun. It wasn't chaotic. It was just like...

[8:31] Kevin Bianchi: No, it was like... Everyone was there to have a cool time.

[8:34] Quincy Brown: It was very love-filled, I thought. It felt like friends and family all around. You could kind of look anywhere and have someone to chat with and kiki with.

[8:44] Kevin Bianchi: I rolled up, you were already there, and I was pretty tired. It was Halloween weekend, too. This weekend was a lot.

[8:52] Quincy Brown: Yeah, just fill in whatever gaps you need to, knowing that it was Halloween weekend.

[8:57] Kevin Bianchi: So I'm rolling up after going out for Halloween the night before, pretty exhausted. Excited for the day, but a little nervous as to how I was going to pull it off. And I get there. It's way more people than I was anticipating. I'm like, okay, I need to find Kevin immediately because I'm lost in this sea.

[9:14] Quincy Brown: Luckily, you're tall. Beeline towards you. As soon as I got to you, I don't even think we really had a moment to say hello, you and I.

[9:21] Kevin Bianchi: No, I didn't hug you high that day. We were just thrown into it and just meeting everyone and chit-chatting and running around. It was so fun.

[9:31] Quincy Brown: It was really cool to meet a lot of people who have been listening to the podcast since the beginning, but who just aren't in New York. Bri, we've met a bunch of times, but getting to meet Kylie and Lauren and all of the day-one-ers, if you will, who made the pilgrimage for the 20th anniversary.

[9:50] Kevin Bianchi: I was shocked at how many people flew in for this.

[9:57] Quincy Brown: I know. There was someone from Canada, someone from Hawaii, someone from LA.

[10:02] Kevin Bianchi: Someone from the UK.

[10:03] Quincy Brown: Someone from the UK?

[10:04] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[10:05] Quincy Brown: That was really impressive. Just goes to show, like the building says, it is a global phenomenon.

[10:10] Kevin Bianchi: But I don't know. It was really fun. It was cool to see all the fan energy. I think it started the day off very well, on a good note.

[10:17] Quincy Brown: And then the pink and green performances commenced. And it was so fun.

[10:21] Kevin Bianchi: We got to kiki with the Glinda's before the pink performances and the Alphabuzz before the green performance. And it was just like a real... I was surprised at how comfortable the entire day felt.

[10:33] Quincy Brown: It felt like we were just running around, doing our thing, having the time of our lives.

[10:38] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. I mean, overall for the weekend, that is the theme. It really felt like we kind of had the freedom to just experience this weekend, not however we wanted, but in a way that is exactly how we would have wanted to do it.

[10:55] Quincy Brown: It really welcomed us with open arms. And for that, I am forever grateful. Changed for good.

[11:02] Kevin Bianchi: Well, one thing I just want to say about the pink and green performances is it was so nice to officially form a love affair with Jenna Claire Mason.

[11:11] Quincy Brown: Yeah, you really clicked with that girlie.

[11:14] Kevin Bianchi: I mean, I'm not saying that I love her and she loves me, but...

[11:20] Quincy Brown: Shout out to Kristen's assistant because that carpet was one, packed. Two, moving fast and furious. Three, running late.

[11:27] Kevin Bianchi: Three, running very late. And Kristen's assistant came up to us and said, I'm Kristen's assistant, I love the podcast, and made sure that Kevin got time to ask Kristen the question.

[11:39] Quincy Brown: Yeah, we said, can you get us one question? And he said, I'll make sure she gets here. And we were like pretty close to the end of the press line too. And so we were standing waiting and it would have been easy for her to be like, oh good, I reached the end and turn and go inside.

[11:53] Kevin Bianchi: When I tell you, I leapt over that velvet rope to make sure that I got to her. So I said, hi, I'm Kevin. I'm from Sentimental Men. Nice to meet you. When you look back on your Glinda, yada, yada, yada. And she gave...

[12:07] Quincy Brown: A lot of people have been responding this way and I also was shook. She said that she is definitely a thank goodness Glinda, because it was the first song that she felt...

[12:18] Kevin Bianchi: No question about it.

[12:19] Quincy Brown: No question about it. Because it was like the first song that she felt like he was really writing for her, which is so interesting.

[12:26] Kevin Bianchi: That's fascinating, yeah. I would have bet my bottom dollar that she was a popular Glinda.

[12:31] Quincy Brown: For sure, for sure.

[12:32] Kevin Bianchi: Yes, and a lot of people have been commenting, it's so interesting that both Adina and Kristen gave unexpected answers. And that also feels right.

[12:40] Quincy Brown: But yeah, I would have thought popular, No One Mourns, and then Thank Goodness. But Thank Goodness does feel like it makes sense.

[12:48] Kevin Bianchi: Well, and what's interesting, though, is like Thank Goodness is the most common answer we get from the girls.

[12:55] Quincy Brown: Yeah. Do you feel like the girls to say they're a popular Glinda feels too on the nose?

[12:59] Kevin Bianchi: I don't know. I don't think so. No more on the nose than saying I'm a defying gravity alphabet.

[13:04] Quincy Brown: Sure. They're all songs on the t-shirts.

[13:08] Kevin Bianchi: Okay, well, so it was so surreal, Quincy. I mean, you know, you met Adina and you got to ask her the question. And it's just like, it happens. And you feel really like calm, cool, collected, chummy in the moment. And then it's over.

[13:23] Quincy Brown: And I was like, oh, my God, that I just asked her the question. And she answered. And she said I looked handsome.

[13:32] Quincy Brown: Good. She touched my lapel and she said, "Look how handsome you look." I said, "Thank you."

[13:38] Kevin Bianchi: You know what was really special that I didn't realize was gonna feel so special? Was seeing Eden, Shoshana, and Julia kind of walk that carpet together and stick together as a trio.

[13:49] Quincy Brown: That was really, really cool to see.

[13:51] Kevin Bianchi: Yes, it was so, what's the word? It like, we all like to think that they're all still besties and they're all, you know, in the group chat. And like, even if they're not like that for 350 days out of the year, like to see them all together and it was very like summer camp reunion vibes. Just like what a powerful trio. So cool.

[14:13] Quincy Brown: What a powerful trio. There's a video of them seeing Kristen arrive on the carpet. I forget who posted it, but they all start screaming and Kristen's like, and it's just like, it's very, to use the word that gets thrown around a lot, like it was very sorority energy of like, totally these girlies, these sisters, like running into each other for the first time in however long.

[14:37] Kevin Bianchi: It was crazy to see everyone on the hallowed grounds of the Gershwin Theater at the same time.

[14:43] Quincy Brown: It was surreal. Like, it's so surreal. And like to see and even just to see like Adina and Kristen walking the carpet together.

[14:51] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[14:52] Quincy Brown: And posing in that photo setup and like, and Adina in pink and Kristen in green. Like what? It was just like, it was just perfect. The way that the like original golden girlies, golden age girlies were presented to us on the red carpet.

[15:11] Kevin Bianchi: Had you ever sat in the front row before, like via the lottery or anything?

[15:16] Quincy Brown: I had sat in the front row before, but obviously this was a different and special experience because the energy in the room was so special.

[15:23] Kevin Bianchi: I had also sat in the front row through the lottery once, but it was like all the way house left, which is not to say like, it wasn't a good seat, but it was a very different experience, like you said. And yeah, but it was so infectious to be that close to the stage and to be able to see.

[15:41] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. What moment was like hit for you being in the front row?

[15:46] Quincy Brown: Well, I got to say it was very fun to hear the off mic ad libs that were happening in like the ensemble and with the principal characters. Like there's a moment where, well, there were two that I'm remembering. The first was in "Dancing Through Life" when Bach is dancing with Nessarose and like playing like little tricks with Nessarose.

[16:06] Kevin Bianchi: And there's a point where he goes to one shoulder and then jumps to the other shoulder and you hear Kimber like, "Oh, oh, oh, you got me." It was like so funny.

[16:16] Quincy Brown: And then in "March of the Witch Hunters," when the Tin Man is like, "I'm not the only one who has a score to settle with Elphaba."

[16:30] Kevin Bianchi: I don't know who it was, but there was an ensemble girl who goes, "What? Another Tin Man? More Tin Man?" I was like, "Oh, they're having fun on this."

[16:41] Quincy Brown: I heard that too. Also obsessed with fellow sentimental Jeff Heimbrock. He was like right in front of us and he was like pounding the ramp with his cane, making the loudest banging noises.

[16:53] Kevin Bianchi: In rhythm.

[16:54] Quincy Brown: Jumping back to the press line, this just came up to me. I thought it was so funny when the press team handed us a face sheet and I was like, "This is not necessary. Oh, is that what Anne Brummel looks like? Got it. Thank you."

[17:11] Kevin Bianchi: Which, by the way.

[17:12] Quincy Brown: Oh my God, we met Anne Brummel. Perhaps the highlight of my evening was meeting Anne Brummel. I don't know what it is. There's something about Anne Brummel that strikes a really strong hard chord with me. I fangirled over her. There were a lot of Elphabas there. There were a lot of fancy people there that night. Anne Brummel was it for me.

[17:31] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, I saw Anne Brummel on tour in Pittsburgh when I was in college.

[17:35] Quincy Brown: Should we talk about Mackenzie Kurtz's "Popular"?

[17:38] Kevin Bianchi: Yes, we should, because I was going to say what moment really hit for you being there, but I know that this is one that hit for both of us.

[17:45] Quincy Brown: "Popular" was, well, Mackenzie was on her White Claw bullshit.

[17:51] Kevin Bianchi: Said in the most complimentary way possible.

[17:56] Quincy Brown: Her "Popular" that night. Well, first of all, it's because the audience was being so crazy. To be clear, we're not implying she was drunk.

[18:03] Kevin Bianchi: White Claw energy.

[18:05] Quincy Brown: Yes. The audience energy was so crazy. My friend Ryan kept saying it felt like we were watching a football game. He was like, "I imagine this is what straight men feel like when they watch a football game with all of their buddies," because it was. It was like Mackenzie comes down in the bubble, audience goes crazy, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo. Every moment, Alyssa Fox opts out during "No Good Deed," people are cheering. That felt very reopening night, which was nice to experience that kind of energy again.

[18:33] Kevin Bianchi: But even too, what I loved was that extended to the ensemble, too. And the smaller moments that wouldn't normally get a big applause. Every dance break, it was a huge cheer.

[18:40] Quincy Brown: Witch's father.

[18:47] Kevin Bianchi: Big cheer. Oh, my God. William Eumann getting.

[18:50] Quincy Brown: Oh my God. Such a long entrance applause.

[18:51] Kevin Bianchi: His entrance applause.

[18:53] Quincy Brown: Yeah, that felt special.

[18:55] Kevin Bianchi: I teared up a little bit because it was just like, wow, dude, it's 20 years later.

[19:01] Quincy Brown: Do you think Adina and Kristen were getting flashbacks hearing him sing "Something Bad"?

[19:04] Kevin Bianchi: Like, oh my God. Yeah, probably.

[19:08] Quincy Brown: I kept being like, what is it like for this cast to be performing knowing that every Wicked alumni is in the audience? And what is it like for these Wicked alumni to be watching this cast do that?

[19:15] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, yeah. Such a cool energy.

[19:19] Quincy Brown: With Dillamond, we talk a lot about the Elphabas and the Glindas and what it does to their performance, like being in the room with the actual creative team and the original creative team. And I didn't ever think about how that would expand to seeing like other members of the original company. But see, his Dillamond really hit different. I was saying is it's like he has all of the information about it and he has he has the funeral scene. Like he got to he has all the Dillamond stuff that got cut in there to work with.

[19:53] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. So I thought it was really cool. Leading us to "Popular."

[19:56] Quincy Brown: It was so well, first of all, there was a moment, I mean, they kind of broke, they kept it together, but they broke, which is funny.

[20:05] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[20:06] Quincy Brown: And which the audience was eating up.

[20:08] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, because it happened because Mackenzie when she was like, "Just where the frock is pretty," threw the wand back and the wand kind of hit the gear, one of the gears, the proscenium. And then I think that was the straw that broke the camel's back and they both had to take a moment to like stare at each other, which I think we were only able to clock because we were so close.

[20:22] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[20:23] Quincy Brown: But then it was like that SNL thing, though, where it was like once we all realized that Alyssa and Mackenzie were laughing, then it was like uproarious.

[20:34] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[20:35] Quincy Brown: That was a really fun, fun moment. I also feel like like it was so nice because to see it this close, I guess what struck me the most watching it this close was during the scene right before "One Short Day" where Mackenzie is having that "he's not even perfect anymore," blah, blah, blah.

[21:00] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[21:01] Quincy Brown: The two of them are really acting in a way that I think you forget.

[21:05] Kevin Bianchi: I love when you're so surprised.

[21:06] Quincy Brown: Well, because I think being this close, you could watch Wicked as like a genuine show, like a theatrical, a piece of theater. And sometimes I think when you're sitting far back, if you see this, you watch it for the spectacle and it becomes like capital W Wicked. I felt like being this close, I was watching like the small indie Wicked and getting to see the different choices that were happening and like the actual like "For Good."

[21:28] Kevin Bianchi: Oh my God. No, don't talk to me.

[21:30] Quincy Brown: I would.

[21:31] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. I mean, the whole night hit different, but like "For Good," it was like now like having the context of like them doing the last show of Frozen without knowing and like having that lack of closure. Now they're doing this huge, important thing together. And I feel like I feel like they held it together really well. Like I don't think they were getting caught up in the 20th of it all until the end. Like they kept the lid on it until just the right moment.

[21:59] Quincy Brown: And then you got to see them break it down.

[22:01] Kevin Bianchi: You were really having a moment with Mackenzie when Alyssa was melting.

[22:05] Quincy Brown: Oh, like watching her?

[22:06] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. Well, first of all, I was just gagged because the way like the dress is like splayed out in that moment is so beautiful. But there were a couple moments that happened like down on those little cog.

[22:20] Quincy Brown: "I'm Not That Girl" was beautiful.

[22:22] Kevin Bianchi: "I'm Not That Girl" was beautiful. Mackenzie during the wizard's chamber scene with during the flying monkey scene, getting to see her.

[22:26] Quincy Brown: Oh, that's what I was like.

[22:27] Kevin Bianchi: Moments over there.

[22:28] Quincy Brown: Yeah. And like seeing how active she is in that scene. Like, it's not just like she's not just watching the wizard and reacting. She's like trying to communicate with Alyssa across the stage.

[22:43] Kevin Bianchi: It's really like there was a point where Alyssa was having the realization that the wizard wasn't all that he's cracked up to be. And Mackenzie is like whisper shouting across the stage to Alyssa like, "Hey, Alfie, Alfie, calm down. It's gonna be okay. Like just stay calm."

[22:58] Quincy Brown: Yeah, yeah.

[22:59] Kevin Bianchi: That's wow. Wow, wow, wow. Front row. Front row, baby. Alyssa's "No Good Deed" was sensational. She like really it was a victory lap.

[23:07] Quincy Brown: Yeah.

[23:08] Kevin Bianchi: She was like, "We are doing this tonight. Buckle up, girl. Buckle up." It was and I mean, that was another one like sitting that close and seeing like you're saying seeing really, really like the acting performance that she's giving on top of these soaring vocals was so incredible.

[23:30] Quincy Brown: And the show ends. Stephen Schwartz comes out and gives a speech when he holds men comes out and gives a speech. Adina and Kristen come out and wave. It was just like, really? It was so special.

[23:41] Kevin Bianchi: I got so choked up watching Kristen and Adina hugging Mackenzie and Alyssa. That was really special. And then I was thinking about how Adina had seen Alyssa do it once before. And then I was like, wow. And then however many years later to have her see you do it slash to see her do it again. And then like Mackenzie like growing up and idolizing Kristen Chenoweth. I was just like, yeah, it was a really cool night. It was really cool.

[24:03] Quincy Brown: Something tells me that I mean, this has been the year of Wicked. I don't think that now because the anniversary performance has happened that any of that will end. I still think I think we're going to be living. I mean, you and I live in Wicked year round. But I think like even so it's been so fun to see all of the like videos and photos that have come out of the anniversary night.

[24:22] Kevin Bianchi: Someone tweeted, was it a listener tweeted? Oh, because in the back of your Kristen video.

[24:34] Quincy Brown: It was just like owning that carpet. She has such an energy to her.

[24:38] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, she hits different. So Shoshana Bean is in the background of the beginning of your Kristen video. And someone tweeted and Mother Bean in the back tossing. We're being fed so good. I never want this to end. And it's like, yeah, the content we are getting because of this anniversary. Overwhelming.

[24:51] Quincy Brown: It really is overwhelming. I feel like a psychopath on social.

[24:55] Kevin Bianchi: I know, me too. Like I need to go into hibernation.

[24:59] Quincy Brown: And this portrait, the Broadway.com portrait booth is so incredible.

[25:03] Kevin Bianchi: They really were so stunning. Ali Mazi was there. Laura Bell Bundy was there.

[25:07] Quincy Brown: Oh, you know what else was cool at curtain call is when they were like, "And everybody who's here from the original company, like stand up," and everybody.

[25:12] Kevin Bianchi: Well, that's the thing. They didn't give them the directive to stand up. So like some people stood, some people didn't. And I wanted a moment to like see truly everyone.

[25:21] Quincy Brown: Well, I think well, most I guess most of them stood up. But what was cute was like, it wasn't like they were all like sitting in a row together. So seeing them all like look around and like see each other and point and wave. It was like, again, summer camp vibes.

[25:37] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, it was really cool.

[25:43] Quincy Brown: As I could go on talking about it, I do think that it's time for us to get into our very extended Stuck on SJB. What an episode this is going to be.

[25:54] Kevin Bianchi: What an episode. What an episode. If you if you don't know our guest today, her name is Stephanie J. Block, and she has a Tony Award, lots of Broadway credits, two national tours under her belt. We're talking with the Elphaba in our Wicked 20th anniversary episode, and it feels so right.

[26:12] Quincy Brown: It does feel really good.

[26:14] Kevin Bianchi: Let's check in with SJB.

[26:26] Stephanie J. Block: Stephanie J. Block is back with us again. I would say so.

[26:30] Stephanie J. Block: Hey, y'all. I feel like I am the third sentimental man.

[26:36] Quincy Brown: She's been busy. Awesome. So so much has happened since the last time you were on the podcast with us. We thought it would be best to go chronologically because you have been booked and busy, Miss Block.

[26:41] Stephanie J. Block: I guess so. I mean, it feels like the wheels are just turning and I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. But yes, when I look back at what's happened in the last year and a half, it's been a lot. It's been a lot.

[26:58] Kevin Bianchi: And it was all happening in such close succession to each other, too.

[27:01] Stephanie J. Block: So strange, y'all. Because when

[27:04] Stephanie J. Block: It hit and we decided to be kind of a smaller, quieter life in Northern California. We never closed off to the possibility of if something were to appear, to have that discussion and figure out what we needed as artists, right? But did I see it all happening like this? No, no. So really, it was a concert that was scheduled at the Kennedy Center in February of 2021. And it was like the first time, it was called the 50th Anniversary of Broadway at the Kennedy Center. And it was this star-studded, you know, Gavin Creel, Andrew Reynolds, Betsy Wolfe, Sierra Boggess, just boom, Norm Lewis, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And we all got there and it was thrilling because I was coming from this quiet, beautiful life in Northern Cal and integrated with all of these artists whom I love as friends and as talent.

And that whole night, I guess it was three nights of performances, but it was like one 11 o'clock number after another with these powerhouse talents. And we were all overwhelmed. My favorite kind of concert. Oh, it was that kind of concert. And I will say, I looked at the artistic director, Jeffrey Finn, and totally got out of my lane and was like, is this what the people want? Do they really want to be? I was like, shouldn't there be more ballads going on or like a softer situation? And that—

[28:30] Kevin Bianchi: A duet maybe?

[28:30] Stephanie J. Block: No, this is if there was a duet, it was going to be suddenly Seymour. If there was a duet, it was going to be something from Les Mis that gave you all the angst and the ball. That's right. It was loud, and it was powerful. And the audiences were overwhelmed. And it was in that concert and getting to know Jeffrey Finn over at Kennedy Center. And I got a text message the next day and said, Hey, what would you want to do here? If I was programming our next season? And I said, in all honesty, I said, Hey, I want to do Mame. It's been a long time, and I think we need that joy and that old-fashioned goodness and just help transport people to another sort of buoyant place. You know, we need a little Christmas, Papa, we need a little Christmas.

And we couldn't get the rights to that. I'm not exactly sure what company or what theatrical endeavor was doing it, but we couldn't get it. And he's like, what about what's next ellipses? And I said, Sunset Boulevard, question mark.

[29:27] Kevin Bianchi: That was truly your second choice?

[29:29] Stephanie J. Block: Wow. Yeah. And that one was a little less, I'll be honest, with my knee jerk reaction for Mame, it was for the people of the people by the people. I really just wanted to spread goodness and joy and lighthearted theater. For Sunset, all ego. That first initial, it really was, it was I want to play this woman, I think I could bring what has happened to us in the last couple years and the isolation and my age and what and who I might be at the end of COVID, you know, because leaning into my 50s, I know I could sing the crap out of it. It really was ego, knowing I was going to look different, not knowing how I was going to be welcomed back to the stage in these concert venues or shows because I did put on the 15-20 pounds.

That's when Norma came into play. And that's when my ego stepped aside. And I had an understanding of this woman that was personal to me, which was, you're different, your voice is different, you look different. And now what does that landscape look like for you as this woman as this body image, and that came to me deciding, and this was the first time with Sunset Boulevard that I was able to choose the directing team, the design team. It was the first time and when I met with different directors and had conversations, I loved it. They were all women. I wanted this voice and this point of view to be from that of a woman, or at least a person who identified as a woman and I spoke with some heavy hitter directors.

And all of them said, why? Why are we doing this piece? And I hadn't found the answer except for my own personal why, not the universal why. And then I met with Sammy, Sammy Kinald. And we had a Zoom meeting much like this. And, you know, I just kept saying, you're so young, you're so young. And she goes, you understand that you're using ageism on me, the same way that people would use ageism.

[31:30] Kevin Bianchi: Wow.

[31:30] Stephanie J. Block: That was it. And I went, and you're hired. Because she, yes, she allowed me to look at it in a different way that I was inflicting on her. The same thing that I was worried about others inflicting on me, ageism, sexism, body is all of that, right. And that's when we came up with the idea of the mental health card, we need to really, that's the universal why of telling this story, our production was going to say, if this was open for discussion in the 30s, 40s and 50s, if there was medication that Norma could have been on, if we could even on set say the way you're treating me is inappropriate, you cannot speak to me that way, then the conversation would look a little different, still keeping the drama still keeping all the heightened theatrics of Norma.

But you would see a human being within that form. And then you'd also also go, you know what, maybe there is something between Norma and Joe, I'm pulling for them, I actually, because Joe never calls her crazy. He calls her a character, that Norma is quite a character, right. And then I started to say, Joe, Joe, Joe, and I was like, Oh, this whole piece is from the POV of a young, white, cis narrator, that feels a little icky to me in this day and age. So we tried to turn some of those things on its head that allowed Norma's memory to come through that showed some, there was a memory play that was going on behind me as I was watching the movie. And it was, it was about showing my weight, and me just being silently abused by the studio heads and whatnot.

And that informed a lot. And that my Norma still was smiling through it, still was hopeful through all that yuckiness. But also, and still proud of the work. Yes, yes, yes. Which is right, which, honestly, is what I was doing with Cher. So that was very personal to me. That was my secret, that that's what I was living through Cher. So that's how Sunset Boulevard came to be. And maybe that answer was way too effing long. But that's what that piece was to me. And I can't tell you how just 10 days of rehearsal and 10 performances have left an incredible, indelible mark on my sort of career journey, because it was personal and meaningful. And the way audiences responded to this particular Norma was very interesting and very healing. And people were, they were loving her and feeling themselves in her. And I loved that.

[34:15] Kevin Bianchi: I think what was really interesting watching it all happen is how much of a moment that production was at Kennedy Center. It felt like everyone in New York City was going down to DC that weekend that you were doing. It was wild. It was really, really cool to see.

[34:31] Stephanie J. Block: Thank you. Yeah. And I think it was one of like, we keep saying, like coming out of COVID, it felt like the first like really big, like something Broadway's happening down at the Kennedy Center. And we got to go. It was yeah, it was just like another bookmark in the return to getting back in the theater together.

[34:48] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, thank you. That's kind. I do feel like I get to bite into something new and in a different way. And I always without trying, I still always try to put my mark on it. And I that's never necessarily my intention. There's a big voice I called with Sunset. I called it ego. But usually it is something in my gut that just goes, yeah, and that could be fear induced. That could be excitement, which they're so right, that feeling of excitement and fear are so tangible. They're the same or it's a Oh, this is important right now. Or Oh, I know the voice of this woman. But yeah, with Sunset, it started with the ego. I want to come back with this. I want to sing this score. And then the onion was peeled where I was like, Oh, crap, I'm closer to this character than I ever envisioned it to be.

I remember sitting on a couch and I was going over the lines with a pal and she's like, I think you're going to be good at this. I was like, Oh, no, I think I could possibly be good at this role too. Which is never the case when I'm first just mining the thing. But somehow we aligned and I went, I know her. And I think she knows me.

[36:01] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. And so this all started, you said in 2021?

[36:08] Stephanie J. Block: I think so. You guys may have to go back. But it was February. Well, 20 maybe 2022. Is that right? You guys know, because last time we talked to you was was like March 2020.

[36:15] Kevin Bianchi: Then it's got to be 2022.

[36:21] Stephanie J. Block: Okay. But so still, you had a big chunk of time.

[36:26] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. To prepare for this.

[36:26] Stephanie J. Block: It was the point that I was trying to make. I knew it was happening.

[36:31] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. Yeah.

[36:31] Stephanie J. Block: Yeah. So you got to really dig in.

[36:36] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. And I did. I did. Well, and I think what sets your normal because Sunset is my favorite musical, Wicked floats above it all. And then my number one is Sunset.

[36:42] Stephanie J. Block: Oh, yeah.

[36:43] Kevin Bianchi: Do you know this that for Quincy, it's Sunset and for me, it's Into the Woods.

[36:47] Stephanie J. Block: So you really ticked our boxes. So if the three of us are not cosmically connected, I don't know what.

[36:55] Kevin Bianchi: But I think what sets your normal apart is there was such a layer of humor, like you're watching this character go through some dark things and exhibit some dark mental, you know, behaviors. But there was always still a layer of humor to it that I think allowed audiences to key into your character easier and relate with you and feel for you. But the mental health was never the punchline.

[37:09] Stephanie J. Block: Right? No. It was never making fun of her. But do you not feel that the universal way to cope is humor? That's the deflection of all things. And so I would suspect that even back in the 30s, 40s and 50s, with this ecosphere of just yuck, and all about your look and sexualizing women in such a way that you have to build the armor of humor versus deflection. And then you start building this thicker skin that allows you to speak your truth and still stake your claim in this ecosphere, but without going too far to offend the studio head or whatever. But yes, for me, humor is the way to be comfortable in any sort of uncomfortable situation. And once you develop that tool, that skill set, it comes out all the time.

It comes out all the time to say, I feel comfortable, but maybe I don't. But here's a joke. And now you feel comfortable, which allows me to feel more comfortable. So I wanted to make sure that that really was present. It is on the page for me. I looked at that page, and I was like, Yeah, she uses this as a tool and a weapon. She's funny, to even think not being, you know, out of her mind, but to think that there's even a glimmer that she could have a relationship with Joe, it's got to be based in far more than just look and notoriety. They've got to understand each other on some sort of a level. And humor, I think, is a great equalizer in any, you know, in any room.

[38:44] Kevin Bianchi: What was it like working with Sammy as a director? Because she's everywhere.

[38:48] Stephanie J. Block: Yeah, she is everywhere. She's very smart. She's very well prepared. She's collaborative. If she doesn't have something figured out, which in rehearsal processes like this, where you only have 10 days, you kind of do have to have a game plan. And as a Virgo and a mom, and I like that, I like that. Give me a perimeter, and then allow me to play. And then if that perimeter change shape, if you can go along with me on that, I think we all can create something great. And that's exactly what she did. She kind of came in with this wonderful, all the puzzle pieces, real close together, so we could see what it was going to create. But she still allowed us to put it together ourselves. And then there were moments where she was like, I don't know what the scene looks like.

I do know we need this character, this character, this character. I know we need these people to bring on these sets for the next bit. But I don't know what it looks like. So let's go. And that takes to me a lot of bravery and courage. Because again, that time is always ticking. And so if you can still breathe into the space and into the process, then you've got someone who's confident in what they're doing and confident in their team as a whole. And then you all start lifting up to make this thing happen. And that's what she brings to a room. And I loved it.

[40:03] Kevin Bianchi: Wow. My next question is, you have this however long chunk and you're like, Norma, Norma, Norma. And then The Baker's Wife comes into the picture.

[40:09] Stephanie J. Block: Yep. What and how?

[40:16] Stephanie J. Block: Rando. Well, rando and yet not. So as you guys know, I have a podcast called Stages Podcast.

[40:36] Stephanie J. Block: It goes to deep places too. I'm surprised. It does. And how lucky are we that people are comfortable enough, like you guys do that. You allow me to feel comfortable enough to open up. And we've been lucky enough to share that experience as well. At the end of every conversation, Mary Lee, my co-host and co-producer, we have a thing that's called What Struck a Chord With Me. And so we were kind of updating. She had just seen Into the Woods on Broadway. She was floored. And I led into the conversation with, you know, this was only supposed to be a small stint at City Center. It's now on Broadway. It's been extended again. Sara Bareilles has got to be busy at some point. I mean, come on, people.

And I mean, so I put that out into the airwaves, into the ether. Not expecting much, but you know, hello. And I'm great friends with James Lapine. I have been intimate with this material, not professionally, but in my own little world since I was 16. And this one didn't come from me, though. This came from I've lived this life. I know what it's like to journey and go through painstaking everything to have a child. I know the baker's wife.

[41:47] Kevin Bianchi: How did you, because I think you were one who could go witch or baker's wife. Isn't that interesting? A lot of people, Wesley Taylor, Josh Lyman, a lot of people saw me after the show and were like, girl, all I thought of you was you were going to be the witch. That's how we hear your voice. And it was nice to surprise to go, oh, no, there's this whole other little bit of me that is, could be more mixy, could be more silly, and not always, you know, full balls out and powerful. You know, I've done the witch before. I've done it. So we were on this cruise with Seth Rudetsky called Seth's Big Fat Broadway Vacations. We were in Norway. And my phone rings and I'm like, Tim Marshall, my agent. I was like, why is he calling me in Norway?

We were literally, we were on a thing called the Trail of the Trolls for Vivi, you know, because of Frozen, for the land of Frozen. And I just picked up the phone. He's like, okay, crazy. And I know this is costing a fortune. But could you or would you want to come and replace Sara Bareilles in Into the Woods as a baker?

[43:01] Stephanie J. Block: So I was like, and I looked at Seb and he's like, he's lipping like what's going on? And in the same breath, I said, is Brian Darcy James there the whole time too? He's gonna ask how that happened. And he's like, he's like, wait, what? And I was like, do you think like, if Seb and I were going together, then this is an absolute no brainer. If it's just me, then it's a different discussion about, that's right, up and up. Logistically, I'm assuming it's easier to do things together.

[43:30] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[43:31] Stephanie J. Block: Yeah. At least moving back cross country and taking Vivi out of her school and re-registering her in a different school. I mean, this is a thing, you know, because at that point, they didn't... A lot of back-end just to do a job.

[43:42] Kevin Bianchi: I know.

[43:43] Stephanie J. Block: But that's when you go, is this just a job? Or is this truly like one of your dream roles for the last 30 years of your life? And that is what it was. And that's what we kept telling Vivi through all of the messiness of the movie. We're like, baby girl, this isn't a job. You are helping us fulfill a dream. And we will always do that for you. That's what we do as a family. We fulfill each other's dreams, you know?

[44:06] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, I love that.

[44:07] Stephanie J. Block: So Tim called back and he's like, guess what? Brian Darcy James is filming a movie and there are eight weeks where he's not going to be doing the show. You literally would be starting on the same day, rehearsal and the Broadway, you know, going in. Yes, yes, September 6th. And I was like, okay, there's divinity now coming into play because this doesn't happen, y'all. For me to have the guts to ask in the same breath of me being offered for it to all time out in such a way that no one is, nothing's being taken away from anything. Brian's off to do something amazing. Sarah's off to do something amazing. It just really felt kind of divine. And so that was a big thing. And then I did think about, well, what happens with Sunset?

Well, it just happened that within that timeframe of being on Broadway, we were going to close in January. I was going to have one week off to kind of breathe and reset and then go immediately to the Kennedy Center and do Sunset. Then the tour came. Then the damn Broadway tour came. And sorry, it's not a tour. It was a special engagement in major market cities. We're not allowed to call it a tour. Truly. Literally our text thread on our phones for the cast of Into the Woods that did go out on the road. It's called We Are Not A Tour. We did call it when the tour news came out. We were like, look at that hitting the major markets. Yeah, special engagement, major market cities. And that for some reason, again, timed out in such a way that I could do Sunset. I'd have two days off. And then I'd rehearse in New York for three days and go right back to the Kennedy Center about two weeks later after doing Norma.

[45:53] Kevin Bianchi: Was taking the tour a no-brainer?

[45:54] Stephanie J. Block: No, it was a big no-brainer.

[45:55] Kevin Bianchi: Not a tour?

[45:56] Stephanie J. Block: Yeah. No. Right. The major market city special engagement. When it came to us, the offer was any and all cities. And so Sebastian and I said, thank you so much. We would love to do Los Angeles, because that would be five weeks, me going home during the summer. So again, we wouldn't have to interrupt Vivian's school year. And then that all sort of changed. That offer kept shifting depending on who was saying yes, who was not accepting the offer for the other cities, because Los Angeles is kind of the crown jewel, right? The Kennedy Center and then the Amundsen, those bookends were really important. And so we had to have another family discussion, which at the time, we were like, how do we do this?

When you think of all the moving parts, it seems impossible. But when you have a partner like Sebastian, I have an awesome friend named Allison Arnes. We had a nanny, Peyton, who went on the road with us. And we just had a support group that was like, look, do it. Y'all haven't worked for the two years, it's been closed. These are parts that often, they resonate with you in a way again, that the chemistry between he and I, the storytelling between him and I, we knew that this hadn't happened since 2007, when we did Wicked. So working however many years now, 17 years later, whatever it is, to do that again. But we learned along the way that that was probably it. Now that we have a child, the two of us, even though the magic was hardcore for three hours in the black box, doing Sondheim and Lapine, and these two roles that we had fallen madly in love with.

And playing that story out with your real life husband when you have a child. Come on. It was emotional and beautiful. And we both, throughout the day, what I loved, everybody would say, oh, the chemistry, the chemistry. But I think it came with, we knew what each other's day looked like. We knew where our weaknesses were throughout the day, or who had the strength to carry the other one that day, who may have been vocally weak, so the other one was going to go to bat. It just was this beautiful ebb and flow between the two of us. But Vivi expressed, I miss you guys a lot. And I'm only with you one night out of the week. She didn't really understand what that was going to be, nor did we. And now that we do, we've made the pact that that was it until she's at a certain age where she doesn't, and I don't know how long that will be, but in quotes, she doesn't need us for dinnertime, bath time, bedtime. She doesn't care where you are.

[48:26] Kevin Bianchi: No.

[48:27] Stephanie J. Block: And even though we spent literally 10 hours a day, because she would wake up at 6:30, we'd homeschool from nine until about noon. Then we would do practical learning. Oh, how is that? I honor teachers in a way that I can't express. I can't express. Just because how they understand what each little person needs to get them crossing the finish line and giving them confidence and learning things, and it's a real delicate dance. And so teachers, I adore you. And then we would go out and do practical learning because these cities would allow us to do some really cool things. DC, Boston, Philly, Nashville, it was all this real cool stuff. And things that maybe you as adults would not have done if you didn't have...

[49:34] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[49:35] Stephanie J. Block: ...a child. Kevin, we would have been like, oh, I am too tired. I know the bell has a crack in it. I know it's supes important. I know they signed the thing, thing, and the thing, but I just can't. But there was no, I just can't. This was our duty during the day. And that actually feels like a really cool era that Vivi will probably look back on as like, wow, that was cool that we did so much.

[49:45] Kevin Bianchi: She will.

[49:46] Stephanie J. Block: And her little journal entries with the deep feelings, but the misspelling, and who she wanted to be. She changed the course of who she wanted to be throughout this entire tour. She wanted to be a dresser. Then we took her to the aerospace museum, and then she was really interested in not being a pilot, but maybe going to the moon. And so it just opened up a whole different thought process for her that was really beautiful. And then throughout that, I was recording my Christmas album. So in Nashville, in LA, I was, you know, meeting with musicians and putting down some tracks for them and laying down some vocals, which then I'd go to California and be like, oh, I was tired that day. Can we rerecord or this didn't turn out right? Can we get the drummer back in and, you know, lay down something different? So yeah, there were a lot of balls in the air that year.

[50:39] Kevin Bianchi: So how did the Christmas album, what was the impetus behind it?

[50:42] Stephanie J. Block: The impetus was I'd wanted to do a Christmas album.

[50:44] Kevin Bianchi: What made you said I want to add something?

[50:46] Stephanie J. Block: Right. My plate doesn't look full enough. I've wanted to do a Christmas album for years. I was slated to complete the album, I think like two Christmases ago, because I put out a single of Oh Holy Night, which then with those musicians and those producers, we were going to move forward. Well, life took over. Somebody got married, somebody had a baby, there was a whole lot of life. And I thought, look, I'm not going to pressure anybody. I'm not going to, it's Christmas, for God's sakes, who wants to do this under, you know what I mean? Under pressure and timelines that are impossible, forget it. So then Club 44, which is a record producer, they came forward, had been working with some other Broadway folk and a dear friend of mine, Jim Caruso said, I did my Christmas album with them and some cast party stuff. And they're really, really forthright and legit guys. And so we started to talk about what I wanted it to look like. And we made it happen.

[51:43] Kevin Bianchi: Ah, hard copy, hard copies. I know who has a CD player anymore. But they're so cheap online. And she's like a six, you know, she's a sixer.

[51:57] Stephanie J. Block: Wait, read us the track list.

[51:59] Kevin Bianchi: Okay.

[52:01] Stephanie J. Block: Okay, here are the lighter notes, but you still have to buy the album, even though I'm reading you the liner notes. Okay, now what do I need here? My deep love of Christmas music began as a child with the warm hum and crackle of the Carpenters Christmas portrait, Johnny Mathis Merry Christmas LP, and Barbara Streisand's A Christmas Album. I hear selections from these artists, and I'm immediately transported to my youth. I close my eyes. I am six. I am 14. I am 20. And then the whole you got to buy the album. But um, so that was like, it that was one of the cornerstones of what this album was going to be. And I didn't want to futz with it. Of course, it will be my own interpretation. But I was like, we are not going to reimagine Karen Carpenter. Fix what's not broken.

[52:58] Kevin Bianchi: Hello!

[52:59] Stephanie J. Block: She is if that if they made the St. Candles, you know, like they do with Cher and they need a Karen Carpenter.

[53:06] Kevin Bianchi: I'm sure that exists.

[53:07] Stephanie J. Block: Etsy, who's ever on Etsy making those calendars, you get a Karen Carpenter, they will fly off the shelves. Okay, here's the here's the tracklist. One is Sleigh Ride. The second one is called and Snow and it's a quirky little tune from the point of view of Mrs. Claus. Three, the coveted third spot, Merry Christmas, Darling. Four, Little Drummer Girl featuring Vivian Arcelus and a kick ass female drummer. I just wanted to be female empowerment. I know Mary doesn't want those drums anyway. She's giving birth who the hell wants drums while you're giving birth. But there you have it. Five, track five was my first attempt of arranging. So I arranged this and it's a mashup of Count Your Blessings instead of Sheep and Favorite Things.

[53:55] Kevin Bianchi: Nice.

[53:56] Stephanie J. Block: Kind of musical theater purist, that track. Six is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I sound a little smoky jazzy. So track seven, When You Hold Me in Your Arms, It's Christmas features Sebastian Arcelus.

[54:08] Stephanie J. Block: written by David Zippel, who wrote City of Angels, Track 8, A New Tune, Track 10, Manhattan in December, which is an Anne Hampton Calloway jazzy situation. You'll love it. If you're living in New York, you'll love it. If you love New York, you'll love it. And then 11, What Child Is This?, which is really dark and haunting, I love. And then 12 is musical theater again at its finest. It's called God Bless My Family, again, written by Anne Hampton Calloway. And if you've not heard the song in her voice, I encourage you to listen to it with her and Liz Calloway singing together. And then you get a new version on my album. So there you go. She's a full thing with 12 tracks.

[54:12] Kevin Bianchi: She is. She is available to stream now.

[54:13] Quincy Brown: She is.

[54:14] Kevin Bianchi: Get into the Halloway spirit.

[54:15] Quincy Brown: And also to buy online.

[54:16] Kevin Bianchi: Today.

[54:17] Quincy Brown: Buy a hard copy online.

[54:17] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. And then we're kind of taking a poll to see if vinyl is still a thing and if people would really want vinyl.

[54:21] Stephanie J. Block: I think vinyl is very much a thing now.

[54:24] Quincy Brown: I won't.

[54:25] Kevin Bianchi: Okay.

[54:26] Quincy Brown: It's like they hit young people now.

[54:28] Kevin Bianchi: So let us know, people. Vinyl is very much your thing.

[54:33] Quincy Brown: If we can get a signed copy from you, we should do a giveaway on our social channels. That'll be fun.

[54:36] Stephanie J. Block: Oh, for sure.

[54:38] Kevin Bianchi: To line up with this.

[54:39] Quincy Brown: Yeah.

[54:40] Kevin Bianchi: Just give me your mailing address.

[54:41] Stephanie J. Block: Cool.

[54:42] Quincy Brown: Now, do you want the quirky ones where the printer's messed up and track eight is track 83? And those are limited?

[54:46] Stephanie J. Block: Limited edition.

[54:50] Kevin Bianchi: Guys, guys, I don't know if you can see. Look at track eight. Track 83.

[54:54] Quincy Brown: Go up a little.

[54:55] Kevin Bianchi: 87, 83, 9.

[54:56] Quincy Brown: Nine.

[54:57] Kevin Bianchi: I think our listeners would love that, actually.

[54:58] Stephanie J. Block: So that's the collector's edition. Okay, you get the quirky.

[54:59] Kevin Bianchi: I think limited edition.

[56:00] Stephanie J. Block: You got it. You got it.

[56:01] Quincy Brown: All right. Amazing.

[56:02] Kevin Bianchi: Can't get this on the online store.

[56:03] Stephanie J. Block: No, you can't.

[56:04] Kevin Bianchi: Okay, wait, Stephanie. Before we wrap, we just did...

[56:05] Stephanie J. Block: It is that time already? Okay.

[56:06] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. An hour.

[56:07] Quincy Brown: All right.

[56:08] Kevin Bianchi: We just did a Comic-Con panel that Susan Hilferdy was on about Wicked.

[56:09] Stephanie J. Block: Oh, wait. Can I ask a question first before we move on to... Okay, so I'm going to ask a question.

[56:10] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[56:12] Stephanie J. Block: I'm going to ask a question.

[56:13] Kevin Bianchi: I'm going to ask a question.

[56:14] Stephanie J. Block: I'm going to ask a question.

[56:15] Kevin Bianchi: Yes, we did. We have. It was that, and then it was Tata and Mother in Ragtime, which I think I'm just a little old now, and it's not going to work. It's not going to work.

[56:42] Stephanie J. Block: Maybe in a concert of some kind, but vocally, that is such a beautiful story, and the way our voices blend, it feels healing to me when we sing that score. That's one of my top five musicals.

[57:01] Quincy Brown: Our Children, right, is the song they sing together.

[57:04] Stephanie J. Block: Oh, yes. Watch them play. Come on now. I know.

[57:09] Quincy Brown: Our Children run so fast.

[57:10] Stephanie J. Block: Toward the future, from the past.

[57:14] Quincy Brown: From the past.

[57:15] Stephanie J. Block: That's right. That's right. But no, have we ever thought of another piece? I think there might be plays that we could look at, like God of Carnage, or something like that, which would be great.

[57:26] Quincy Brown: That'd be fun.

[57:27] Stephanie J. Block: Or a limited run. But again, if Vivi is still at this tender age, and is wanting to spend the time with us and share her day at nighttime, we just can't do it.

[57:39] Quincy Brown: Yeah, because are you still California-based?

[57:42] Stephanie J. Block: We are. Yeah.

[57:43] Quincy Brown: How do you navigate the back and forth?

[57:46] Stephanie J. Block: Right. That's a good question.

[57:47] Quincy Brown: Are you actively prospecting jobs in New York, or is it if something comes your way and it's good enough?

[57:52] Stephanie J. Block: That's right. Well, I wouldn't even say if it's good enough. I mean, just I'm open. And so there have been a couple calls. There was interest and avail in this new cabaret that's coming in for Frow, fill in the blank. And then there's a one-woman show that was being discussed at the really early stages, and it's an interesting project. But sadly, that one didn't time out. So I think every artist can look at this conversation and say, yeah, it's just assessing, reassessing, assessing, reassessing. And there's no blanket statement of we live in California, therefore, we're closing off all options to Broadway. It just takes something like, hey, would you guys play the baker and the baker's wife in Into the Woods?

And then you go, okay, how do we make this work? I know we can do it. Because, you know, like I said, the support system is strong. Our partnership is strong. And we are constantly communicating with one another. But it has to for our litmus test is three things. Is it too artful? You can't say no. Is it too joyous? You can't say no. Or is it too lucrative? You can't say no. And if it's two out of those three things, then we will actively move forward to make it happen, you know?

[59:09] Quincy Brown: It's just very fascinating because you hear that the life of actors is constantly like in a state of how are we making things work? And I don't know what's happening tomorrow. And it is very fascinating to see it in actuality.

[59:20] Stephanie J. Block: It really is an actuality. And I, you know, I'd be remiss if I wasn't honest that one of the reasons we're living here was that it affords us to have those conversations. We were finding that especially during and after COVID, our financial situation looked really different. You know, Sebastian wasn't on a television series. Broadway wasn't happening. Sports weren't happening. So our income flow was you guys know, was completely shut off. And so I looked at him and I said, Babe, in truth, if this doesn't come back, if our industry doesn't come back in a year, we can't pretend to afford this life that we've created with the understanding that these paychecks and we're coming and bills were going to be paid.

And that's why we landed here because we could kind of pay off our life and put our heads on our pillow without freaking the F out as to how we were going to pay bills. And doing so now allows us to say yes to some things that if we were panicked as to how to pay the bills, we wouldn't have that freedom. So it's a give and take, but it certainly was thought out and it may look bold and strange and how are they doing it. But the only reason we're able to do it is because we made this big, bold, strange move.

[1:00:39] Quincy Brown: No, I think it's impressive. I think it's very impressive that you're able to do it all. Very jump in the net will appear. That's kind of right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I do. Can I plant an idea for you? Yes. And I think, I think Vivi will be, I think she'll be old enough by the time this is cooked. So she's Annie, he's Daddy Warbucks and I'm Miss Hannigan. I feel Hello Dolly in my bones with the two of you would be, Oh, I feel like you're his dream Dolly Levi. You are. I can't wait for when the time is right. How do we make that happen? It'll happen. I don't know. We've got, we've got 12 years to figure it out.

[1:01:20] Stephanie J. Block: You're right. We do. We've got time. Yeah. Well, you bet. And, and Donna and they all made such an impression that, you know, I guess we do need that kind of stop gap for people to breathe.

[1:01:32] Quincy Brown: Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. For sure. But yeah, I could do something interesting and, and SJB with that for sure. And that's main adjacent to the same. So he'd fucking break it.

[1:01:44] Stephanie J. Block: Oh, you have to believe that out, but he'd break your heart. Weren't you? No, I think it's just because he had done so much TV in the interim and you know, before it was elf, which is not really organically what he brings to the stage. And then Jersey, but weren't you touched by his performance?

[1:02:04] Quincy Brown: Oh, Stephanie, I'm in love with your husband. Like he, let's get that clear. Like him on stage is literally at intermission, Quincy and I turned to each other. We're like, we both are right. Like everybody in the theater, you can't help it in love. He is and that he bears his soul. And so what you're falling in love with is, is the true Sebastian. There's no artifice there. It's just delightful.

[1:02:30] Stephanie J. Block: Oh my gosh. I know. I know. I know. Susan Hilferty. First of all, she's incredible. We want to have her on for a full length. She was like, you can come to the Wicked Warehouse. We'll set up cameras and I'll just talk to you guys. That's your dream. I will rearrange my life.

[1:02:49] Quincy Brown: But she mentioned two things. The first one I'm forgetting, Kevin. The first one was the big set of costumes that she had to dump.

[1:02:55] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, and the Dr. Dillamond funeral scene. Can you paint that picture for us just because you were there?

[1:03:00] Stephanie J. Block: Sure. Yeah. I'm not exactly sure after what scene it was. It might've been the, the cub scene. Right. And then we're all, uh, uh, it's this atrocious act happened. There was a glass casket in the middle of the stage. We were all dressed in black. We would put roses on his casket and there was a Dillamond actor in the casket. I think it might've been a Dillamond. Um, yeah, exactly. The mask perhaps. And then the body, but that was a real poignant moment, but it just was not needed. Right. Once you heard that he was, gosh, how do I not remember that? I'm not sure. I'm not sure. Definitely underscoring. Cause I can feel like the somber and the, the reverberations on my feet standing on stage. And then yes, we did.

I don't even know if it was called a dance. I think it was still which way is the party maybe. Right. Which way is the way to winky beer. And we were all in these vibrant jewel toned costumes when we went to the dance. And I remember I had kind of this Lucille ball look where was a tangerine orange pant with a skirt over it. And then this really cool blazer, but it had a third sleeve on my back and everybody had these wild costumes. That's right. And so when we were doing the choreography, Wayne Salento was like, what is happening? I cannot see my choreography. There's three arms, two legs, 17, this, that, and the other. And so Joe stopped tech, Joe Mantello stopped tech and said, everybody line up.

And she said, move forward. You take that off. You take that off. You, we can keep yours. No, no, no. And by the end of it, there really was a pile of color and material probably at the tune of a quarter of a million dollars. I mean, sure. And that was that. And that's how everything was more streamlined and all black and white for the dance because the choreography was completely getting lost in the song about dancing.

[1:05:09] Quincy Brown: That's right. But that was a moment that does feel like something that would be in like a book by Michael Bennett or Joe Papp book or something where in that moment where costumes were just being taken off and thrown in a pile and we're just kind of standing there going, what's next? Like, how do we move from here?

[1:05:25] Stephanie J. Block: Yeah. Yeah. Wow.

[1:05:32] Quincy Brown: All right. Well, the lore continues.

[1:05:39] Stephanie J. Block: It does. I got my facts and figures may not always be right because my memory is so based on senses more than I mean, this whole endeavor is like an oral history. Who knows? Exactly. Right. And it changes with every telling and it's more dramatic or more or less dramatic with every telling.

[1:05:50] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. But Seth Rudetsky asked me just two weeks ago. He's like, what was your opening solo line in the opening? I was like, oh, God, I don't know. But I was the one with the hair that looked like horns and I wore the burgundy costume and he knew what solo it was just based on the costume. But I couldn't for the life of me remember what the heck I sang.

[1:06:09] Quincy Brown: Oh, my goodness. We'll have like a six month check in. I'm sure with you again. Look, I'm a veil.

[1:06:16] Stephanie J. Block: Yeah, I'm a veil. Awesome. I adore you both. I'm going to start looking at the Dolly score. Take care.

[1:06:31] Quincy Brown: You've been listening to Sentimental Men from Theaterly. This episode was produced by Quincy Brown, Kevin Bianchi and the team at Theaterly. Thanks to Anthony Abitangelo, the most swankified podcast editor in town. And another thanks to Michaela Reynolds for making us look downright osmopolitan in our new key art. And to Julia DiMarzo for our logo design. If you want to get in touch, send us an email. We love to hear from you all. You can reach us at sentmenpod at theaterly.com. That's T-H-E-A-T-R-E-L-Y. You can also connect with us across social media on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok at sentmenpod. Thanks for tuning in. Till next time, I'm Quincy.

[1:07:12] Kevin Bianchi: And I'm Kevin.

[1:07:25] Quincy Brown: Is my morning voice as bad as your morning voice?

[1:07:33] Kevin Bianchi: No, mine's awful right now.

[1:07:36] Quincy Brown: I was just gonna say like my apologies to everybody for this voice. It's okay. It'll be warm in two minutes.