This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Quincy Brown: I don't want to leave this earth and go, damn it! I didn't make my musical theater album!

[0:04] Kevin Bianchi: On your deathbed? No!

[0:07] Quincy Brown: Life of the party! That would have changed lives!

[0:13] Quincy Brown: I'm Quincy.

[0:15] Kevin Bianchi: And I'm Kevin.

[0:18] Quincy Brown: And this is Sentimental Men. We're here to talk, and maybe scream, about our favorite women in musical theater.

[0:21] Kevin Bianchi: Flying away.

[0:33] Quincy Brown: I don't know that I could pick a singular earworm from Real Women Have Curves to open this episode with, because it's bop after bop after bop.

[0:43] Kevin Bianchi: Real women have curves.

[0:47] Quincy Brown: I really loved the song, I really loved the boyfriend character, but I loved the date song that they had.

[0:55] Kevin Bianchi: You would.

[0:57] Quincy Brown: It's so cute!

[0:59] Kevin Bianchi: Literally the boyfriend from Kimberly Akimbo.

[1:02] Quincy Brown: Copy and paste it.

[1:03] Kevin Bianchi: Talks in the same way.

[1:06] Quincy Brown: Yeah, that poor man showed up to rehearsal and they were like, did you catch Kimberly Akimbo? Did you do it like that?

[1:12] Kevin Bianchi: Wait, also I love, um, make it work, make it work.

[1:18] Quincy Brown: De nada! I remember that song.

[1:20] Kevin Bianchi: De nada! And wait, what was act one finale?

[1:23] Quincy Brown: I muchacha!

[1:24] Kevin Bianchi: Oh yeah!

[1:24] Quincy Brown: When they were all yelling at each other. I was like, I know Quincy's eating this up.

[1:28] Kevin Bianchi: Quincy loves a family fight set to music.

[1:31] Quincy Brown: Real women have curves.

[1:33] Kevin Bianchi: Slayed.

[1:34] Quincy Brown: I think maybe my favorite new musical of the season.

[1:37] Kevin Bianchi: It was so fun.

[1:39] Quincy Brown: It is currently still running at the time of recording this, and I would implore you all to go see it.

[1:44] Kevin Bianchi: Go. Run.

[1:45] Quincy Brown: It felt like a warm hug.

[1:47] Kevin Bianchi: Yes, and it's honestly like, it's such a good show. But the casting of it.

[1:54] Quincy Brown: Everybody is so good.

[1:55] Kevin Bianchi: It's like this kind of show where like every role really has like a standout moment and everybody in it is so good. And they, the priority on vocals is rampant in the cast.

[2:02] Quincy Brown: Everybody is singing the house down on these fun ass songs that get stuck in your head when you leave.

[2:15] Kevin Bianchi: The crowd leapt to its feet after the title number.

[2:22] Quincy Brown: I was not expecting a mid-show standing ovation.

[2:26] Kevin Bianchi: My crowd was, we went on separate nights. My crowd was eating it up.

[2:30] Quincy Brown: I have not sat in an audience that was having that much fun in a long time, which felt really nice.

[2:36] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, it just felt nice. Even at like Death Becomes Her, like there was like, there's like a seriousness to it, at least like when I was in that audience, that like this show almost feels like it gives you permission to have fun and like to engage with the show.

[2:54] Quincy Brown: And at the same time, it's talking about like very real themes and immigration and all of that stuff that feels very timely.

[3:03] Kevin Bianchi: I will say like as a franchise, it's confusing to me why the title of the show is called Real Women Have Curves because that felt like the smallest part of the plot to me.

[3:14] Quincy Brown: It almost felt like shoehorned in. Every time that the daughter would catch a stray about her body, I was like, what the fuck? I was like, mom, that's so out of pocket. We're talking about ice.

[3:27] Kevin Bianchi: And the mom's like, you could skip a meal.

[3:30] Quincy Brown: Estella's trying to get her fucking dresses made and the mom is like, yeah, but how fat is she?

[3:36] Kevin Bianchi: Have you seen the movie?

[3:38] Quincy Brown: Like once, I think back in the day.

[3:41] Kevin Bianchi: Like, is the body stuff more relevant then?

[3:44] Quincy Brown: I'm thinking it must be. And it was like, there's other iterations of it too.

[3:48] Kevin Bianchi: Like.

[3:49] Quincy Brown: Oh, really?

[3:49] Kevin Bianchi: There's like a play, I think.

[3:52] Quincy Brown: Hold on.

[3:52] Kevin Bianchi: Okay.

[3:53] Quincy Brown: There's other iterations. So I think probably, yes, like this treatment of this property probably is less about body.

[4:02] Kevin Bianchi: It could have been called like flying away or something about a bird or something.

[4:04] Quincy Brown: Or something.

[4:06] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[4:07] Quincy Brown: Yeah. Even, I mean, this is maybe a spicy take, but like even the song, Real Women Have Curves, like just kind of came out of nowhere.

[4:13] Kevin Bianchi: It was like, we need to put a song in where they sing the phrase, Real Women Have Curves. It was a great song. But yeah, the body stuff, I was like, what is happening here? Where there's, cause there's such a clear other plot happening. It's like, do we need to be throwing this girly pop down randomly?

[4:29] Kevin Bianchi: I love that boyfriend.

[4:31] Quincy Brown: I know.

[4:33] Kevin Bianchi: You know what I want? You know what scene could have been eight times longer for me? When they were up on the roof singing after the immigration scare.

[4:42] Quincy Brown: And they sang the bird song. And then Tony nominee, Justina Machado comes up and she lights that cigarette.

[4:48] Kevin Bianchi: And she stands like this. And this was her last name. I was leaning in. I was ready for a four minute song of her just with the cigarette.

[4:59] Quincy Brown: You had told me that it felt like a musical from 2008 in the best ways. And I think that's a perfect way to describe it.

[5:05] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, it just like the sound of it, the formula of it. It reminded me a lot of Waitress.

[5:10] Quincy Brown: It feels like in the same theatrical lane as Waitress.

[5:14] Kevin Bianchi: Yes.

[5:14] Quincy Brown: Which was my comfort show. So I'm happy that Real Women is here.

[5:17] Kevin Bianchi: That's what it is. It feels like a comfort show. Like it feels like a cast recording that I will dip into and listen to every now and then.

[5:27] Quincy Brown: It's good music.

[5:28] Kevin Bianchi: It's good music. And it's sung by great voices.

[5:33] Quincy Brown: Tatiana's voice, ridiculous.

[5:36] Kevin Bianchi: The whole thing is very earnest in a very delightful way, which I think is a hard line to toe because if you get too earnest, it can feel cringey.

[5:44] Quincy Brown: Oh, earnest.

[5:45] Kevin Bianchi: Which I didn't like feel this was cringey at all. It kind of was like a perfect it felt like a like a lifetime movie.

[5:55] Quincy Brown: True love. Just enough substance, but not so much because like you were saying that some of the subject matter of the show like could be a real downer for a piece of musical comedy.

[6:09] Kevin Bianchi: The first time they turned off all the lights in the factories, I was like, whoa, right? I was like, oh, oh, oh, yes, yes.

[6:15] Quincy Brown: The reality of life for these women. A little bit of whiplash.

[6:20] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, I was like, yes, yes, yes, girls. Hide those beautiful curves.

[6:27] Quincy Brown: It's not funny.

[6:28] Kevin Bianchi: It's not funny.

[6:29] Quincy Brown: It was jarring.

[6:32] Kevin Bianchi: That's life.

[6:34] Quincy Brown: Unfortunately, good for the cast, though, for like being able to say like talk about anything other than that in the like press for this show, because it would be so easy to be like, tell us about doing this show and it's I mean, I almost feel like they should be talking about it more because it ties it into the cultural moment that we're having in a very cool way.

[6:55] Kevin Bianchi: But like, are you going to want to go see a show because you're like, oh, you know what I'd love to do with my evening is reflect on.

[7:02] Quincy Brown: Yeah, it's tricky.

[7:03] Kevin Bianchi: It is interesting. And it's for me, it was a real like wah-wah moment when it when I like re-remembered that the show takes place like 25 years ago.

[7:14] Quincy Brown: And I was like, oh, oh, no more than that.

[7:17] Kevin Bianchi: Even more like 35 years ago, not the 60s.

[7:21] Quincy Brown: No, they're talking about Reagan.

[7:22] Kevin Bianchi: So it's sometime in the.

[7:23] Quincy Brown: 87, 1987.

[7:24] Kevin Bianchi: 87.

[7:25] Quincy Brown: Okay. That was a little depressing at intermission to be like, oh, this doesn't take place now. They are, in fact, worried about a different immigration crisis or an earlier version of the same immigration crisis.

[7:39] Kevin Bianchi: We can't talk too much because we might get taken away if people.

[7:48] Quincy Brown: Right, right. I think that the subject matter of like familial obligation is like great fodder for the musical theater. And I think this show examines that in a really beautiful way because what's the main character's name?

[8:08] Kevin Bianchi: Tatiana.

[8:10] Quincy Brown: Tatiana is a star.

[8:12] Kevin Bianchi: Who's a star?

[8:14] Quincy Brown: What is her name?

[8:15] Kevin Bianchi: Anna.

[8:16] Quincy Brown: So you see like on a dealing with that in terms of like being the only citizen in her family and being the first one to go to college. It's like very in the heights in that way. Like it brings up that.

[8:25] Kevin Bianchi: I felt these parents were like guilt trippy in a very intense way that I was like, you guys need to get this checked.

[8:34] Quincy Brown: Yeah.

[8:35] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. It did take a little long to get to the payoff of them being like, yeah, go to college. And even then it was like, fine.

[8:42] Quincy Brown: Right. Just go. Here's this scarf to hide your hideous body with.

[8:46] Kevin Bianchi: Like you're still, you're still fat. Go to college.

[8:51] Quincy Brown: And yeah, but then then, and then it was a lovely realization for them, the mom to be like, oh no, I also left my family to go somewhere to make a better life.

[9:02] Kevin Bianchi: The payoff was nice. I would see it again.

[9:05] Quincy Brown: 100% would go see it again. What else are we talking about?

[9:08] Kevin Bianchi: Well, I would just like to say once again, that the Dolly Parton, Galinda Upland pipeline remains strong. My girlies, they keep playing Dolly Parton.

[9:21] Quincy Brown: Oh, this is a perfect segue for our guest tonight too. It's almost like I planned it this way.

[9:27] Kevin Bianchi: I mean, so we just, not just, but like a week ago got the announcement that both Keri St. Louis and Katie Rose Clark are, they're playing the teal wicks in the Stephanie J block of Dolly Parton the musical.

[9:41] Quincy Brown: I'm just a backwards vibe being too much makeup. I do wonder which of them is going to sing, I will always love you. Cause that's a big, maybe they'll both sing it.

[9:51] Kevin Bianchi: I bet they'll all three sing it. Maybe they'll do the Stephanie J block in this place I know version where Keri is singing and Katie Rose Clark is doing the talking interludes.

[10:03] Quincy Brown: Maybe, maybe because, so do you know the lore of that song?

[10:10] Kevin Bianchi: Dolly wrote it.

[10:11] Quincy Brown: Dolly wrote it. And she wrote it as she was leaving the Porter Wagner show, which was like a variety show that she was on. And it's when she was like leaving to go like become her solo recording artist self. And so it's actually like not written in a romantic context. It's written in like a, like you got me to this place in my career and like, I'm going to go leave and keep growing. But that doesn't mean I'm not like thankful for the time I spent here at this show.

[10:44] Kevin Bianchi: So I could see that song being like a transition from the Keri St. Louis to the Katie Rose Clark. If they did like a, a two person SJB arrangement.

[10:57] Quincy Brown: I do hope that this musical iterates on the jukebox musical formula in a inventive way, and they're not just doing the Cher show. I'm hoping that like what Just In Time is doing, which does feel it's a jukebox musical, but it feels like they're doing something different, is going to encourage future jukebox musicals or send the message that we got to be done with just the standard bio jukebox musical formula.

[11:26] Kevin Bianchi: I have high hopes. I think Dolly Parton is not going to put her name on anything that isn't like the freshest version of itself. She's very good about that.

[11:37] Quincy Brown: I think the internet is up in arms about the open casting call they did that resulted in nothing. I think a couple of them got cast as covers.

[11:46] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, I don't know. It's like this. We're not new. Like, did you actually think one of those girls was going to play? That's a little bit my POV on it, where I'm like, if people still got cast, I think that fulfills the requirement of what they put out.

[12:03] Quincy Brown: Yeah, I don't know. I never took that as anything other than publicity.

[12:07] Kevin Bianchi: Agree. Also, just to tie it back into Dolly Parton, this follows the Megan Hilty 9 to 5 Galinda of it all, which brings us into a little teaser for today's interview.

[12:24] Quincy Brown: There is a 9 to 5 tour connection in today's guest, which I just want to touch on.

[12:33] Kevin Bianchi: Diana DeGarmo, who did, in fact, go out on the tour as Dora Lee.

[12:37] Quincy Brown: Well, that's what was fascinating, because I was like, Rachel and Diana DeGarmo are like similar archetypes in this like recording artist, musical theater. Nashville, Yachty. Where do they fall?

[12:46] Kevin Bianchi: Correct. And I need to know, I need to know if and how many times Diana DeGarmo was brought in for Wicked. Let's get her on.

[12:57] Quincy Brown: I would talk to Diana DeGarmo.

[12:59] Kevin Bianchi: Diana, the voice DeGarmo?

[13:00] Quincy Brown: Yeah, I would talk to her.

[13:01] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, let's do that.

[13:02] Quincy Brown: Okay, good, because that's a piece of lore I need to know, because she feels very much like in a vocally, yes, you would powerhouse Elphaba, but like your acting chops and like your physical appearance, even perhaps more of a Glinda. And I could totally see her being stuck in the middle of the Venn diagram.

[13:23] Kevin Bianchi: Okay, so who are we talking to today?

[13:25] Quincy Brown: Today we are talking to Rachel Potter, which I am so excited about.

[13:30] Kevin Bianchi: And I know Quincy is too. Diana DeGarmo is snatched and playing Audrey in Little Shop right now.

[13:35] Quincy Brown: Why isn't she playing Audrey in Little Shop down the street from me?

[13:38] Kevin Bianchi: That's a good idea.

[13:39] Quincy Brown: So today we are talking to Rachel Potter.

[13:43] Kevin Bianchi: I am so excited. I know Quincy is so excited. I know y'all are going to be so excited. Brief trip down memory lane with Ms. Potter.

[13:51] Quincy Brown: In 2002, she released her first solo album called Come Back Home.

[13:56] Kevin Bianchi: In 2008, she was in Disney World performing in all of the live singing shows, Ariel, Bell, and Nemo.

[14:06] Quincy Brown: Get you a girl that can do all three.

[14:07] Kevin Bianchi: Where's my dad? I actually low-key love that Finding Nemo show.

[14:12] Quincy Brown: The music is so good. It's like one of the better, like one of my favorite Disney scores. And it's like not a musical anywhere but at Disney World.

[14:22] Kevin Bianchi: Also in 2008, that same year, she was in the top 15 of Legally Blonde, The Search for Elle Woods on MTV, which there is a video somewhere on the internet of her singing so much better.

[14:34] Quincy Brown: And I'm like, in 2010, Rachel made her Wicked debut on the second national tour in the ensemble, understudying the role of Glinda.

[14:46] Kevin Bianchi: Truly a fascinating journey to get to that point that I'm excited for you guys to hear.

[14:53] Quincy Brown: After her time on the Wicked tour, she replaced in the role of Wednesday in The Addams Family on Broadway, another favorite musical of mine.

[15:02] Kevin Bianchi: Fascinating story and how she ended up there as well.

[15:04] Quincy Brown: Fascinating story on there too.

[15:05] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, honestly. Right after that, she opened the 2012 revival of Evita as The Mistress, another suitcase in another hall.

[15:16] Quincy Brown: So what happens now?

[15:19] Kevin Bianchi: One of the most beautiful cast recording performances I've ever heard.

[15:24] Quincy Brown: It sounds AI. It's so perfect.

[15:25] Kevin Bianchi: It's like pitch perfect.

[15:30] Quincy Brown: It's so delicate and so pretty.

[15:33] Kevin Bianchi: The emotion on, I won't recall the names and faces of these litigations.

[15:40] Quincy Brown: Yeah.

[15:41] Kevin Bianchi: But there's no consolation.

[15:43] Quincy Brown: Yeah, she was great.

[15:44] Kevin Bianchi: She was great. After her time in Evita, she released her second EP, Live the Dream, shortly before she appeared on X Factor, in which she was a finalist, because she has what?

[15:57] Quincy Brown: That X Factor.

[15:58] Kevin Bianchi: In 2014, 15, and 18, she released three additional studio albums, Simply Christmas, Not So Black and White, and Music City Christmas. And now, this year, she has a new album coming out called Stages, which is-

[16:16] Quincy Brown: Not the Stephanie J. Block podcast.

[16:18] Kevin Bianchi: Not the Stephanie J. Block podcast, but equally as revered in our hearts.

[16:24] Quincy Brown: This new album, Stages, features covers of music from shows like Les Mis, Moulin Rouge, The Wild Party, Waitress, most importantly for us, and features guest vocalists like Ali Stroker, Marty Thomas, and the queen of internet YouTube vocalists, Natalie Weiss.

[16:44] Kevin Bianchi: I love when the ladies do Broadway cover albums.

[16:48] Quincy Brown: That is what I want.

[16:50] Kevin Bianchi: Me too. I've been listening to Carrie Ellis' a lot lately.

[16:53] Quincy Brown: It's good.

[16:54] Kevin Bianchi: My favorite genre of solo albums. I wish Idina would do one.

[16:58] Quincy Brown: Maybe she will.

[17:00] Kevin Bianchi: That would be interesting for Idina, especially, because we're never going to get her in a revival of anything. So to hear the greatest hits of shows we'll never get, and that's all the justification that somebody like Idina Menzel needs to make an album like that, is just like, well, I'm never going to sing this material.

[17:18] Quincy Brown: Yeah, like Barbra Streisand, she'll just throw an album out because she wants to.

[17:24] Kevin Bianchi: Because she's bored, because it's Thursday, and she had some free time.

[17:27] Quincy Brown: More of this, and it's really great. It is out now. Stages, Rachel's album, Stages, is currently out to listen to at the time that you are listening to this. Let us know your favorite tracks. Currently, right now, mine is the Matilda medley.

[17:42] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, I would say currently mine is Life of the Party.

[17:46] Quincy Brown: Classic. It's so clean and pingy. I mean, Rachel Potter really has, like, the voice.

[17:55] Kevin Bianchi: She really delivers.

[17:57] Quincy Brown: And it seems so easy. Honestly, I want her to come back and be in Death Becomes Her.

[18:01] Kevin Bianchi: I was thinking it the whole time we were talking to her. I was like, I feel like vocally she would fit either of these roles.

[18:08] Quincy Brown: She's fun.

[18:09] Kevin Bianchi: Well, Death Becomes Her runs, it will just become the feeder farm for the Elphaba's and Glenda's.

[18:14] Quincy Brown: Yes, and that's what we need on Broadway. We need jobs for...

[18:20] Kevin Bianchi: My name is Kevin Bianchi, and I am running on a platform that we need jobs for our witches of Oz who are aging out of Wicked.

[18:29] Quincy Brown: Yep, yep, yep, yep. More two-women-led musicals.

[18:34] Kevin Bianchi: In a perfect world, it's like they start in Titanic, they go to Wicked, and then they go to Death Becomes Her.

[18:41] Quincy Brown: And then they go back to Wicked as Morrible.

[18:46] Kevin Bianchi: Yes. Then that's a life. That's a career.

[18:49] Quincy Brown: Hello. Mira Ruiz is playing the same role every three years, you know, like...

[18:56] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, excited for you all to hear this conversation. Let's get into it.

[19:00] Quincy Brown: Rachel Potter, thank you so much for joining us on Sentimental Men today.

[19:06] Rachel Potter: Oh my gosh, I am so excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me.

[19:10] Quincy Brown: We are very excited to have you today. I have to say, your recording of Another Suitcase in Another Hall sticks with me to this day. I listen to it very frequently. It is my favorite recording of that song.

[19:18] Rachel Potter: Oh my gosh, thank you. That is so kind. That was one of the most chaotic recording sessions I've ever had in my whole life because, you know, typically in the studio, you have unlimited takes, really. I mean, not unlimited, but a reasonable amount. And I had three chances.

[19:42] Quincy Brown: Oh, really?

[19:43] Rachel Potter: Oh yeah. Because, you know, like, it's cast recording day. Like, you got to get in there and get it done. Time is money, people. So yeah, I think I had three, literally three, just like full takes. And they were just going to cut, like, from those three takes. And so somehow it ended up okay. Thank God. But thank you so much. That's such an honor to have been on that.

[20:06] Quincy Brown: Okay, so we start every interview with how did Wicked the musical come into your life as a person? What is your first touchpoint with the show?

[20:18] Rachel Potter: My first memory of Wicked was when I was working at Disney World and someone introduced me to the cast album. And I started trying to sing Defying Gravity like it was my job. So everything revolved around, like, that was the pinnacle song, you know, to just be able to belt like that. And so I just remember practicing. I even, this is very embarrassing, but I used to do pageants in Florida to win scholarship money.

[20:56] Quincy Brown: Yeah, you're talking to the right boys here.

[21:00] Rachel Potter: Yeah, so anyway, just always had been a big fan and obsessed with the show, of course. And I always felt like I was an Elphaba just because, like, oh, I have brown hair and a pingy belt. So when I got to New York, I started going in for Elphaba quite frequently. I think I went in seven or eight times for, like, the understudy on the road. And a couple of times got through to the dance call. And I remember meeting Christine Dwyer. I mean, like, the people that were in the dance call, Christine actually mentioned this to me the other day. It was like all these women that ended up playing the role.

[21:40] Kevin Bianchi: Right.

[21:41] Rachel Potter: Because they just keep a file cabinet of everybody they've ever seen. Yes, it was like every single person that was in our dance call ended up being an Elphaba at some point. So I just kept not getting it, right. And I was really discouraged. And I'd been in New York a while. And I was kind of like, you know, I don't know if this is for me. I think I might move to Nashville.

[21:59] Kevin Bianchi: Were you getting any feedback in these Elphaba auditions?

[22:03] Rachel Potter: Not really. Not that I can really not that really sticks out. I mean, it's been a while. But nothing that I really recall as it just wasn't, you know, not moving forward was kind of right.

[22:14] Kevin Bianchi: Well, especially so at a role like this too. It's like it can be about so many things other than you too, that it's like not even feedbackable.

[22:22] Rachel Potter: Sure. And I am I wouldn't even I don't know if I'd even classify myself as a strong mover. I am an OK mover. So that was something that I think could have possibly held me back. But I kind of let it go. I decided I was going to, you know, I thought I'd been singing with a wedding band. I'd been really excited about maybe moving to Nashville and sort of transitioning into the world of recording arts, perhaps, or, you know, that maybe maybe Broadway wasn't for me. And I got a call for Doorly.

[23:00] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, for the nine to five tour. OK, love it.

[23:01] Rachel Potter: And so I went in and I mean, like stuffed my bra. I think I wore like I think I literally wore three bras, like just to be look ridiculous. And I got it like I booked it, booked it.

[23:18] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, work.

[23:20] Rachel Potter: The tour. And at the same time, like right in the same week, I think there was like a lightbulb moment at casting where they were like, oh, maybe she can play a blonde. Oh, wait, maybe she's a Glenda. And they were like, hey, they want to see you for Glenda.

[23:37] Kevin Bianchi: That's interesting.

[23:39] Rachel Potter: So they said, hey, we want to see you for Glenda. So went in for Glenda. And I remember I really prepared because I was really excited for like a different opportunity because when my agent called me and they're like, hey, they want to see you for Wicked again. I was like, oh my God, no, like in your head, were you in Elphaba?

[23:58] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, in my head, I was Elphaba. And so I was like, I don't want to go in for Elphaba again. And they're like, no, no, Glenda this time. And I was like, oh, okay, yeah, you know, so I could try that. I could try that. So I went and worked on it a lot, like coached it, memorized it backwards and forwards. I went to Forever 21 in Times Square and bought this teeny tiny, I still have it, actually. It's like this, I mean, teeny tiny little like light baby blue satin cocktail dress that's like reminiscent of the bubble dress.

[24:35] Kevin Bianchi: Okay.

[24:35] Rachel Potter: I rhinestoned it.

[24:37] Kevin Bianchi: Atta girl.

[24:38] Rachel Potter: I told you I did pageants, right? So I still had all this rhinestone jewelry. So I wore like three or four pieces of rhinestone jewelry on every hand and like giant earrings. And I found these like ridiculous like sequin heels. And I did my hair and my makeup all up. And I remember being in the waiting room and it was like all blonde girls and like these very demure pink dresses with like a tan laduka.

[25:06] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[25:07] Rachel Potter: And I was like, oh man, I'm never going to get this. You know, like I look like so stupid compared to these girls. But that was one of those magical auditions for me. You know, we all have those where it's like we can kind of go through the motions, but then occasionally it just clicks. And that was one of those for me where I just when when I walked over the threshold, I just let it all go. And I just decided I was going to have fun and be ridiculous. So I booked it that day. And that was a huge moment. And I remember my agent calling me and I literally fell on the floor.

[25:44] Kevin Bianchi: Was there any kind of hang up about like you were saying you had thought of yourself as an Elphaba up until that point? Was there any hesitation or like confusion as to like how they saw you as a Glinda? Or was it a pretty natural switch over for you?

[26:00] Rachel Potter: Um, I think that, yeah, there was some slight confusion of just, you know, OK, I'm going in. I'm going in in a different role. OK, that's fine. And perhaps I'd always covet that other role. Like I'd watch my other my friends play that part and I'd be like, oh, I want to do that too, you know?

[26:17] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, yeah.

[26:18] Rachel Potter: But Glinda is such an incredible role that there wasn't any jealousy. Like once I stepped into it, I was just like, oh, this is great. You know, like this is this is there's so much more. I think I just hadn't had my eyes on it. Like my eyes weren't fixated on that role for so long that I didn't really I didn't really see the meat and potatoes of Glinda. But then once I had the opportunity to play her and really dug in, like I if I ever were to go back, I would prefer to play Glinda. I love that role so very much.

[26:49] Kevin Bianchi: So just so my records are clear, you never ended up going on tour with Nine to Five, right?

[26:53] Rachel Potter: No. So I had a choice. I had to choose between Nine to Five and and going on tour with Wicked. And I would have played the lead in Nine to Five, but I chose the ensemble understudy of of Glinda and Wicked. So I was Fanny in the I'm sorry, I was Fanny in the ensemble.

[27:12] Kevin Bianchi: So talk us through that decision, giving up a principal contract to understudy on tour.

[27:17] Rachel Potter: Well, for me, it was I think the magic and the lore of Wicked was like so strong and I wanted to be a part of that family. You know, it was like I saw the opportunity to potentially move up one day. And like just having that on my resume, I felt was so incredibly valuable. I mean, this was circa 2010, 2010. So this was I think one of the you know, I think we're entering a new height of Wicked right now. But that was definitely like, you know, another height of Wicked where it was like that was it. Like I remember when we would travel and I had my like Wicked luggage tags on my bag, like people like, oh my God, you're in Wicked.

[28:03] Kevin Bianchi: Right.

[28:07] Rachel Potter: You know, I just felt like I felt like such a cool member of this elite club, you know, it was so and I still feel that way now. Like I think that there's something about that show that's just like, it's so incredibly special if you get to be a part of it.

[28:24] Kevin Bianchi: So walk us through learning the role of Glinda. And especially because the show had been established. What preconceived notions did you have about it that were dispelled when you were learning it? And what were some of the highs and lows?

[28:36] Rachel Potter: So I think that a preconceived notion that I had because I was very green going into that. That was like my very first like big Broadway style contract. Like before that, I had only ever done Disney World, you know, and I knew Disney was was like, okay, here's the established plan of like what you do and the moments that you need to hit. But it's like, you know, minimal and it's a 14 minute show and yeah, you know, but it's still like, this is this is it. This is the package like deliver the package. So I thought when I went into Wicked that it might be more of like bring your own thing to the role. But it was definitely more like, here is the package, deliver the package. Now, I don't think that that's necessarily true.

If you are the principal, I think that you have a little bit more and I and I never got to experience that, you know, as Glinda. So I was a little surprised by that. But my, my stage manager was actually the one that taught me the role. So and that's typically how it goes, especially on tours that the stage manager will basically be the director. Because you're learning on the road, right?

[29:53] Rachel Potter: Learning on the road. So I joined them. I met them in St. Louis. And then we sat down in Milwaukee for six weeks. And that's where I debuted in the show. So I learned it like in the theater in Milwaukee, just like in a rehearsal space with the dance captains. And it was super intense. And I've never been more sore in my life.

[30:32] Kevin Bianchi: And that's a big show to learn, like, as one person alone in a room, especially your ensemble track to learn that without the benefit of other bodies around you.

[30:43] Rachel Potter: Yes, is a very intellectually challenging thing as well, I would imagine.

[30:48] Rachel Potter: Yes. And I think that I was learning it with like, maybe two other people, like, like a swing and just and maybe one other person that was a dancer in the ensemble. So yeah, to to go from like, five people in the room to the entire cast when we did the put in was like, crazy. But and I also was learning two roles at one time, because they wanted me to get up on Glinda pretty fast. It was like, all right, we're gonna focus on your ensemble part today. We're focusing on Glinda today, you know, so it was kind of like a ping pong. But it was, I mean, I was in my early 20s. I had all the energy. It was all I had to focus on. Like, yeah, it was it was the perfect time in my life. Like, now I have three kids and two dogs.

And like, I can't imagine taking on something like that right now. Like it would I think it would really stress me out, but in a good way, of course, but like, it's still a lot to manage. But like, for that little 25 year old hungry chick, like I was just like, I was happy to be there, you know?

[31:56] Kevin Bianchi: Right. You were saying you thought of yourself as an Elphaba prior to getting Glinda. I imagine a lot of that is because vocally, that's where you lived more. Was there anything vocally tricky about taking on Glinda? Or did you have the soprano also?

[32:10] Rachel Potter: Um, so funny enough, like that was how I was trained growing up was classically. So that actually came more naturally to me than the belting.

[32:21] Kevin Bianchi: Interesting.

[32:22] Rachel Potter: Yeah. So that was that was really fun to fall back on and get to utilize because I hadn't really but I mean, like, I grew up, I grew up in classical voice lessons. And then in high school, I wasn't involved in theater. I was actually in like, show choir, but I would sing like Italian arias for like the state competitions, you know?

[32:43] Kevin Bianchi: Yes.

[32:44] Rachel Potter: So that was, that was fun to like, get back into that. I remember music rehearsals were like, is this real? Like, I'm singing the Wicked music? Like, this is so crazy. But yeah, so fun. I actually loved my wig and that. I loved my wig and the ensemble. I had like this little tiny, like black bob with bangs.

[33:08] Kevin Bianchi: So prior to you had said that prior to 9to5 and Wicked entering your life at the same time, you had been kind of toying with this, maybe Nashville transition, recording artist transition. And then right out of Wicked, you go right into Adam's Family and Evita. So was that in that moment where you then thinking, oh, maybe theater is more of the path that I'm going to go down? Or were you now trying to do like a parallel careers kind of thing? Like, where were you in that moment?

[33:42] Rachel Potter: So Wicked sat down in Memphis. And while we were in Memphis, like on some of my days off, I came down to Nashville to see some friends because I had thought about it, but I'd actually never been to Nashville until I was on tour. And that's like the great thing about tour too, is it's like, if you were doing the show in New York, you aren't going to be. And you get to see some places like that you would never think of going to. Like one of my favorite places, I actually loved Milwaukee. I loved Minneapolis. I loved Madison, Wisconsin, you know, just random places that unless you like went to college there or grew up there, you're not like, I'd like to take a trip to Madison, Wisconsin, you know.

So it was neat to get to see some places like that. But yeah, so when I saw Nashville, when I came here and I worked with some songwriters and I recorded some stuff and I was like, I really got the bug. I just loved it a lot. But you know, I had always been doing songwriting. I started writing songs when I was like 12. That was always something that I was just inspired to do.

[34:46] Kevin Bianchi: And was it always country music?

[34:49] Rachel Potter: No, actually, I started as a Christian singer. Please don't look up my album. It's so bad. I was 15. There was no editor. They were just like, oh my God, you're so incredible. You're 15 and writing these songs. Let's record them exactly as you wrote them with no filter. But you know, it's for what it is at 15 years old writing an album like I should be. I should be more proud of it. But yeah, Katy Perry started as a Christian singer.

[35:20] Kevin Bianchi: She sure did.

[35:21] Rachel Potter: And in fact, we were Eskimo sisters.

[35:26] Kevin Bianchi: Stop.

[35:30] Rachel Potter: We sure are.

[35:33] Kevin Bianchi: I love this lore.

[35:37] Rachel Potter: Okay, that made the interview.

[35:40] Kevin Bianchi: Yes, queen.

[35:41] Rachel Potter: Okay, anyway. So I got a few Eskimo sisters out there that are good.

[35:47] Kevin Bianchi: All right, we're gonna get them out.

[35:51] Rachel Potter: Okay. So I really loved it. I wanted to try it. And so then actually, the story of how Adam's family came about is actually pretty funny. So I want to tell you that story because it really coincided with my Wicked Tour moment. But yeah, it just started, you know, struck a chord in my heart. And I was like, I think I want to pursue this. I want to like and it wasn't even necessarily like I want to move to Nashville. Like, yeah, while I'm doing Broadway, I think I want to, you know, get to Nashville when I can and write some songs and, you know, start to do like my own music. So I would write on the road. When I could, when we had off days, I would like try to get over to Nashville when I could.

And then when I got back to New York, I would find songwriters and we would write together. Like I remember having like songwriting sessions in my dressing rooms, like between shows, you know, on a Saturday or whatever. So, yeah, it just kind of became a parallel thing for me. Like you said, it was it was something that I was just pursuing alongside of it. And then ultimately, like when Evita closed, I had also gone through a pretty massive breakup. And then my lease of my apartment was up and he was like, you know what? Hey, now's like the right time to go give this a shot in Nashville. So that's ended. That's how that ended up happening.

[37:12] Kevin Bianchi: That decision to leave the New York City theater scene. How has that in retrospect? Is that something that you are happy you did?

[37:22] Rachel Potter: It's a loaded question for me, because I think about what could have been all the time if I had stayed. But if I hadn't come here, I wouldn't have my three kids now.

[37:35] Kevin Bianchi: Right.

[37:36] Rachel Potter: You know, it's like you ever seen that movie about time?

[37:39] Kevin Bianchi: Yes.

[37:40] Rachel Potter: And it's just like if one decision is different. I mean, it's similar to like a sliding doors or whatever.

[37:46] Kevin Bianchi: If then.

[37:48] Rachel Potter: Yes, if then. You stop and say hey to a stranger. Like you're a whole stranger. But, you know, if like just perhaps one decision would have been different, like everything could could be different. And so I think when I kind of get in my feels about like, oh, I wish I hadn't done this or, you know, what could have been and where could I have been with Broadway now if I'd stayed? I just look at them and I'm like, well, I wouldn't have you. And, you know, I may have kids now, but it wouldn't be these particular kids. And so that sort of keeps me grounded in the in the worrying about the past. It's like, well, it doesn't matter. But yeah, I do wonder a lot about what could have been. And and I think that I was just I was kind of emotional when I left.

So, you know, I told you I went through a breakup and it was just like, oh, I'm going to get out of here. It needed to happen. Yeah, it wasn't really about Broadway. It was more about my personal life and like just kind of making a switch. And I think I always intended to come back to New York. That was always temporary in my mind. And in fact, my husband and I and our then only one child who was three, we tried to move back. In fact, we did move back February 1st of 2020.

[39:00] Kevin Bianchi: Nice, excellent timing.

[39:03] Rachel Potter: So like really incredible timing. And I had I had one of those magic auditions the day before Broadway shut down.

[39:13] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, man. Was Waitress ever did that ever come across your desk? Because I think you'd be perfect as Jenna.

[39:19] Rachel Potter: We before you came on, we were like, she is the dream Jenna.

[39:22] Rachel Potter: I am so obsessed with Waitress and I have gotten close to it a lot of times, but never, never booked it.

[39:32] Kevin Bianchi: Immersive diner production in Nashville. That's the dream.

[39:37] Rachel Potter: I have coveted that show ever since the very first time I heard it. In fact, this is so dramatic. But the first time that I ever listened to She Used to Be Mine, I was sitting on my couch holding my newborn.

[39:51] Kevin Bianchi: Get out.

[39:51] Rachel Potter: And I just wept, just wept. Like I listened to the entire score and just cried. Because I was living it, you know, I wasn't living like the abusive husband part, but I was living, I was living. But I was living that. Like, I mean, as men, you're not going to experience this, but when women go through a pregnancy and becoming a new mother, man, it is just crazy how it affects your identity and your sense of self. And like, it changes your body. It changes your physiology. It's like, you know, you're all of a sudden, like, I could feel when my baby was crying. It was like I was connected to this other being in a way that it needed me so much. And there's like, so much weight in that. And I think that we're like, as actors and performers, we're so me-focused that to move into this other space of like, having to be so focused on someone else and someone else needing you so much and not being able to take the time to do the things that you need to do or the things that you want to do is it's life changing. It's life altering. And it's, yeah, it's a lot.

[41:11] Quincy Brown: So that's, I'm almost grateful that I experienced that in Nashville and not in New York with the weight of the business around me. I feel a lot for my friends that have that. Because I felt my own weight of the business just in Nashville here because at that time, I was really focused on recording arts and I had a band and we were like, really close to a record deal. We had publishers that were really interested in us. And when they found out I was pregnant, like the shift was so intense, immediate. It was like, oh, give us a call after the baby's born.

[41:50] Kevin Bianchi: Wow.

[41:51] Rachel Potter: You're not worth anything to us right now, like pregnant. We can milk less out of you.

[41:56] Kevin Bianchi: Uh-huh.

[41:57] Rachel Potter: Yeah. Okay. So I want to go into Adam's family before we leave Wicked. Were there aspirations to climb the Wicked ladder and just be in the Wicked machine forever and ever amen? Or were you ready to move on by the time your contract was done?

[42:10] Rachel Potter: No, I had only been in Wicked for six months when they called me to do Adam's family. And it was just an audition. You know, they just, my agent called and said, hey, they want to see you for Wednesday. I was like, I'm playing Glinda. Like what? That's this tug of war. Like, who am I? And I hadn't seen the show, you know, it was fairly new. And I'd been on tour and not focused on that. And so I found like a bootleg on, um, we love bootlegs. I found a bootleg and I watched it in my hotel room and I was like, okay. Okay. Yeah, I could do this. Sure. And so I really worked on it. In fact, my buddy, Billy Ty, do you guys know Billy Ty?

[43:00] Kevin Bianchi: Yep.

[43:01] Rachel Potter: He's so talented. He really helped me as well as, um, David Perlow, who now is, you know, he owns an acting studio. He was also a Fiero married to Ali Stroker. He was my Fiero as well. And so the two of them really helped me with the Wednesday material while I was on the road. And so my whole plan, so I got to tell you my audition story.

[43:22] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, yeah.

[43:22] Rachel Potter: It's ridiculous. So we're in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It's very, it's like January. It's very cold outside or maybe it's December. It doesn't matter. It's very cold outside. I think this is the first time I'm realizing Kalamazoo is a real place.

[43:42] Kevin Bianchi: I told you, you get to see a lot of cool places on tour.

[43:48] Rachel Potter: So my plan is I found, like, I found a flight that was like really inexpensive out of Akron, Ohio, which was like in between Kalamazoo and wherever we were going next. And I was driving the tour. So I had my car.

[44:03] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, wow.

[44:03] Rachel Potter: A lot of people do that. They'll like drive there. And if it's a really long haul, they'll like ship their cars and fly. So I'm like, okay, after the show Sunday night, I'm going to drive to Akron. I'll stay in a hotel for a few hours. Like, because, you know, the show's long. It gets over at like 10. So I'm thinking, you know, this is going to be a four hour drive. I'll get there at 2am and sleep for a few hours, hop on the plane. Or maybe I was planning to sleep in my car. I don't know. I was crazy. I was in my 20s.

[44:34] Kevin Bianchi: I was going to say, this is a very 25 year old approach to like, yeah, I'll sleep on the ground for two hours. I'll be fine.

[44:40] Rachel Potter: Yes, that's probably my plan. Who needs sleep? I'll put my seat back in my car and sleep in my car. So I'm like, okay, I'll drive. Well, what was supposed to be like a four hour drive turned into eight because there was a blizzard and your girl is from Florida and I did not know how to drive in snow. And I was so scared, but like determined, like I wasn't going to not go. And that's so, 40 year old Rachel would be like, I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. You should turn around.

[45:15] Kevin Bianchi: Like I might die. Thank you. Can we reschedule?

[45:20] Rachel Potter: But instead I'm like, I gotta get there, you know? So I'm literally driving behind a salt truck for eight hours because this four hour drive, like I'm driving half speed, like just like praying. I get off at the exit and I kid you not, I was like, I had to use my GPS to navigate where the road was on the curve. Like I wasn't even sure, I couldn't see the road. I'm like, I hope I don't go into a ditch. And then I get to the parking lot and it's three feet of snow in the parking lot. And I just parked where I thought might be a parking spot. Like I couldn't, I couldn't even see lines. Like I didn't know. I'm walking in. I'm all about, it's probably five in the morning at this point. I don't know if that math maths, but something like that. And we're, I'm all by myself in this parking lot of the airport. Walking up to the airport and I like slip on a curb and hit the snow.

[46:22] Kevin Bianchi: No.

[46:23] Rachel Potter: And I'm like, oh God, thank God I'm the only one out here. Nobody saw that. And all of a sudden I hear, are you okay? So going to the airport, it's probably literally an hour before my flight. I sleep for about an hour and a half on my flight. Get in. I take the bus. Like, I don't know what is I trying to save money? Like I'm not sure. So I take the bus from LaGuardia into my friend Marty Thomas's apartment. I go take my shower. And then my friends, Kyle Klybucker and Tori, my friends, Kyle Klybucker and Tori and Everett, who is currently in, uh, Death Becomes Her, they live right next to Marty. And so I went over to their house and they like coached me on the sides that morning. And then I was like, so, I mean, we're talking one and a half hours of sleep right now. But what's so funny is that I was so tired that I swear that my energy was like correct for Wednesday.

[47:24] Kevin Bianchi: How was the voice though?

[47:26] Rachel Potter: It was okay. I was 25, you know?

[47:28] Kevin Bianchi: Right, right.

[47:28] Rachel Potter: I could, not today, but back then I could do just about anything, you know? And I was so tired that I think I literally walked in the door like, I'm here. And I like, I put like baby powder on my face to like look really pale and did like really dark makeup. And I like caught a glimpse of myself on the subway coming back. And I was like, oh God, Gary, you look creepy. But yeah, that was, that was wild. And, uh, and yeah, I booked that that day. That was, and then just like flew back to tour and finished it out. But I didn't know I booked it for a little while. And I found out like in the house with a bunch of my cast mates. And that was really special. But yeah, there was a lot of, um, a lot of conflict for me about leaving.

But I think it was like, oh, well, of course I'm going to take this. It's a Broadway principal role, right? Like, yeah, that's incredible. But I, I did have high hopes to stay with Wicked for a long time. And I have auditioned to go back for years, but it's turned into that same thing again, where it was like, they started seeing me for Elphaba again. And they're like, you're not an Elphaba. I'm like, you know, that technically too. I don't know what, what it was that, but they just, they wanted to see me as Elphaba. And then it just never happened. And, and I'm okay with it. I've let it go. I think that I'm really grateful for the time that, that I did have with, with, um, Wicked. And, and, you know, I get to sing Defying Gravity with Symphony sometimes. And that's pretty cool.

[49:13] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[49:14] Rachel Potter: And like, I'll probably end up as Madame Morrible one day. I'm waiting for the first Elphaba Glinda to return as Madame Morrible.

[49:23] Kevin Bianchi: No, that's definitely, that's definitely my bucket list. Morrible is a sick part. Let's be so for real right now.

[49:28] Rachel Potter: I think they could cycle through the girls like six weeks at a time for Madame Morrible, whatever the minimum is to get you all your health insurance. Like, let's just do it a cute little 10 week stint.

[49:38] Kevin Bianchi: I think, I think I would be a good Morrible. I'm just saying like, give me 10 years. I'm going to be so good.

[49:51] Quincy Brown: More than 10 years. I want to see what you're going to wear to the Morrible audition.

[49:57] Kevin Bianchi: Outered fae, a big wig maybe. Sequins.

[50:00] Rachel Potter: I'll have to go to the costume shop for that.

[50:03] Kevin Bianchi: Yes. I'm sure I could put together an ensemble for that for sure.

[50:09] Kevin Bianchi: Do you want to ask the question?

[50:11] Kevin Bianchi: Yes, I do want to ask the question before we move on from the wicked verse. When you were playing the role of Glinda, were you a no one mourns the wicked Glinda, a popular Glinda, or a thank goodness Glinda?

[50:23] Rachel Potter: I was a thank goodness Glinda.

[50:25] Kevin Bianchi: Why?

[50:26] Rachel Potter: Thank goodness, I think, reveals Glinda in the realest way. Where it shows kind of like, I think some deep seated issues for her of needing to put on a very put together front, which to me meant like her family was very intent on that, that like, in public, this is how we are. You know, it's like a country club family.

[50:59] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[50:59] Rachel Potter: But she was silently struggling. Um, and there were some things that I really related to her in where it was like, she was extremely determined to get what she wanted, like, surprised, you know, like that whole thing with like, yeah, we're engaged, like, you know, you're gonna ask me anyway, I went ahead and bought the ring. So, like, I can relate to her drive and determination of like, no, no, no, this is what we're doing. You know, this is, this is what I want. And don't you want it to? Of course you do. So, I mean, I'm not that much of a jerk. But I, I think that she was, yeah, she's just deeply flawed. And I think that that's where you get to see it. And, um, and I love that. I love the bridges you cross, you didn't know you crossed until you crossed.

And also the whole theme behind, like, happy is what happens when all your dreams come true, isn't it? Because I think that, and I think we all have experienced moments of that in our lives where something happens that you've been working towards for so long that you have convinced yourself is going to change everything. And then nothing changes. And you don't really feel any joy when it happens. You're like, oh, I did it. Why don't I feel different? The depth of like, no, it's you. This has to come from you. Your happiness, your self-worth, all of that has to come from within. And it's not going to be an outside, you know, checking a box of like a dream or whatever. Like those dreams are good to go after, but the thing that's going to give you joy has to come from inner peace, you know? And I don't know if she's ever going to get there. At least not before the finale.

[53:00] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[53:01] Rachel Potter: You know, when they make a third movie, they'll explore that.

[53:05] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. You mentioned feeling green when you went into Wicked and then you moved on from Wicked and went into a Broadway principal contract. Was there anything in your time with Wicked that you learned that you feel like prepared you to go into Wednesday?

[53:18] Rachel Potter: Oh, for sure. I think just all the inner workings of like how rehearsals were going to work and, and Adam's family was even quicker. I mean, I only had two weeks of rehearsal for that. So that was instant. You know, we were right there, but it was, you know, just, just understanding dynamics of how a company works. And, you know, who's in charge and all of those things. So it was really good to have learned all of that when I, you know, went into Broadway. I still made mistakes, you know, I was young and was late too many times and things like that. Things that were just young person, unprofessional stuff, but it was, it's all a learning curve, right? And you can only know what you know. And so, yeah, it was, it was great.

And learning, learning how important the dance captains were and, and how, you know, it was like integral to, to be a team with them, you know, and that they, they were, they were noting you after the show and they were pretty much teaching you the show.

[54:28] Kevin Bianchi: Okay. So tell us about this new album that you have coming out that will be out by the time people are listening to this.

[54:43] Rachel Potter: Yes. Yes. And also to, I want to add to this question is like, there seems to be this great overlap between like Broadway artists and Nashville artists and like the chops that are required to be great in both fields overlap. And I think you're such a good example of that.

[55:01] Rachel Potter: Thank you. That's so sweet. Um, I had obviously like, I'm trying to move back to New York, COVID happened, but I had really decided like, I am, I have been having fun doing country music, but it has never really felt like me. It felt like something I could do, you know, like it was a mask I could wear and I could put it on because I loved the style, but like who I really was in my heart was a storyteller. And I think that's why I related to country music in that way, because that, that is one of the things that kind of overlaps with country and Broadway, but I was a storyteller, but also I became who I am today. Like my early twenties were spent in gay bars. That's where I developed my sense of humor.

You know what I mean? Like in open mic nights in, at the duplex. So like, and the things that I love about the storytelling aspects and everything of country music, like, yes, but that's not where I'm rooted. I'm rooted in musical theater. And when I go to New York, I feel like I'm home. These are my people, you know, and I don't think, you know, there's so many, I was just, I just did the Janice jam for Matt DeAngelis and we had a bunch of, you know, a bunch of friends that were singing and there were, you know, so many people like ran into Caroline Bowman is a great example. Like, I love her. And we chat on Instagram, dude, I don't even remember if we've ever actually met before, but it's like, we are part of this community.

So therefore we are friends, you know? And when we see each other, we hug, how are you? You know, instantly we're talking about real stuff. Like that is our community. And we're also just so supportive of one another. And I, I really love that about Broadway. And so that, that community has always been super, super important to me, but to get back to the, to the album. So I tried to move to New York that I had decided that like, that is where I want to be. I want to go back. Broadway is it for me. And I want to try again. And so then COVID totally, obviously ruined that plan. And so I came back to Nashville and just kind of put my head down and, and in that space and in that time, you remember like music was not where we were going to make money for a little while.

So I just got really focused on real estate actually, and decided to have another kid and had my middle son, Elliot. He was my COVID baby. And so I started selling new construction real estate in Nashville, you know, and just kind of like made a very clear decision in my mind that music didn't exist for a little while. Like I can't, if I'm not thinking about it, I can't be sad about it. So I'm just going to have tunnel vision and just sort of put it away for a while.

[58:01] Rachel Potter: The years passed and, you know, I'm four years into real estate and I sort of went, okay, I'm, I really miss music. I need to figure out a way to put it back in my life. And I don't like where my relationship is with music right now. So we got to fix it. Um, and so I started dreaming up this plan of doing an album and I went and sat with a friend of mine named David Wise, who's a really fabulous producer here in Nashville. So that's one benefit that I had being in Nashville is like tremendous producers and musicians and engineers and all of it. Just like right here at my fingertips. I went to him and I said, I had this vision, you know, that I had been singing with symphonies since like 2014.

I got this really interesting opportunity to do a pop symphony show called Country Legends, which sort of married my Broadway credits and the fact that I'd been on X Factor as a, you know, reality show contestant. The Search for Elle Woods. I kind of married all those things because they like having those types of credits, uh, for their pops performers and it worked out great. And I got to travel and do this like really neat country show. And I just, uh, I loved singing with symphonies. I mean, it was like, it gives you the same kind of feeling as when you, like the Wicked score is, is like the closest thing I think on Broadway to what it feels like to sing with a symphony because Wicked's so lush.

[59:30] Kevin Bianchi: It's a wall of sound.

[59:32] Rachel Potter: Yes, a wall of sound. That's totally it. And it's, it's a really, it's a goose bump moment, you know? So I just loved that. And I was like, you know, I think I want to do like a symphony Broadway album and bring some of these, some of my favorite like Broadway songs, like really bring them to life even more with like full orchestra arrangement. So this was like self-funded and I saved my money and just decided that this was going to be something that I just did for me. I just want to do a project, um, that can be a legacy, like where I feel like, you know, this is, this is probably, I don't want to look back in 10 years and go like, oh, that was my vocal height and I missed it, you know? Because I think that at some point we do reach like the top and then it starts to slowly go down.

And I hope to always be in good vocal health, of course, but like, you know, I want to capture maintenance, but I want to, I wanted to capture what I've been working for for so long and what I'd been working on and this. And when I looked at my catalog on Spotify, it's like all country. It's like, you know, this is, this is great that I was able to do this, but what I have really worked 10,000 plus hours on is musical theater, the genre of musical theater, learning to sing like this. And I want, I want to capture that. I want to like have something for my kids to be like, look what my mom did, you know? Um, and not, you know, not to be morbid or anything, but you just never know like how long you have, you know, never know how much time you have here. And, and I don't, I don't want to leave this arse and go, damn it. There was so much more I wanted to do. I didn't make my musical theater album.

[1:01:16] Quincy Brown: On your deathbed.

[1:01:20] Rachel Potter: Life of the party. That would have changed lives.

[1:01:28] Quincy Brown: Do you have a favorite track on the album?

[1:01:31] Rachel Potter: Yeah, I think, I think maybe my favorite track is the come what may. Um, I love you song mashup. I think that's my favorite one. That one was the one I was really unsure about, but it came together really beautifully. But I mean, like, it's very hard for me to choose. There's so many on there that are really special to me. I think the Matilda medley is beautiful.

[1:01:58] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, thank you.

[1:01:59] Rachel Potter: I'm so obsessed with voctive. They're so cool.

[1:02:01] Kevin Bianchi: And that's my son actually singing on it.

[1:02:05] Rachel Potter: Oh, really?

[1:02:06] Kevin Bianchi: Really?

[1:02:06] Rachel Potter: Yeah, my son and my best friend's little girl.

[1:02:10] Kevin Bianchi: That's really cute.

[1:02:11] Rachel Potter: Yeah, we recorded them right here on this mic, actually.

[1:02:14] Kevin Bianchi: Can you talk to us about, you have a lot of very cool guest artists on your, on this upcoming album. Can you talk to us a little bit about how you went about inviting people in?

[1:02:26] Rachel Potter: Everyone that's on the album is a friend. So that was, you know, I'm, I really believe in like, there, I think that there's something that happens probably in all aspects of businesses, but I only know this one. But it's sort of like everybody that moves to New York kind of all around the same time. It's like they're a class, you know, and then they become like a graduating class together. And everyone that is a part of this is in my graduating class. These are the people that I was singing at the duplex with. These are the people that I was waiting tables with. These are the people that I was, you know, doing 17 shows a day at Disney World with. It's important for me to bring those people along with me. If for nothing else than like, I enjoy their company. And I also happen to think that they're some of the most talented people in the world. You know, so like, there's some...

[1:03:17] Kevin Bianchi: And they're safe collaborators.

[1:03:20] Rachel Potter: Yeah, they're totally safe. And I know what I'm getting from them. I know that they're going to bring everything that they've got to the table. And so that was sort of like my number one goal was to just like, if we're not working with people we love, then like, what are we doing? What are we doing? Yeah.

[1:03:39] Kevin Bianchi: Well, and it's nice too, because this group of people is so much a part of those 10,000, 100,000 hours that you spent honing your musical theater craft. So to include them in this is really special.

[1:03:51] Rachel Potter: Thanks. Yeah, they're totally all a part of my journey. And Allie Stroka was probably the first one I called. Because I knew I wanted to do Some Things Are Meant to Be. And she and I, she married David Perlow, who was my Fiero, as I mentioned. And so she and I got really close. And you know, she had a child. And so all through her pregnancy and becoming a mother, like, she called me a lot, which was really special for us to get to connect in that way. And so we have a really deep friendship. And so it was really kind of her to do that. And she loved that song. So she said yes immediately. And then Omar Cardona and EJ Cardona, those two I worked at Disney with. Literally, Omar and I did a high school musical, like circa 2005, dancing and singing in 100 degree, like Florida heat outside.

[1:04:42] Kevin Bianchi: Was probably in an audience for that at some point.

[1:04:45] Rachel Potter: Yes, so we were killing it. I remember I blacked out on that high note a couple of times. Then like Natalie Weiss. God, she's such a phenomenal voice. Like, she's crazy. And of that same class, that same...

[1:05:05] Kevin Bianchi: Same graduating class.

[1:05:05] Rachel Potter: Yes. Early YouTube era.

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