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Peter Pan Goes Wrong - Episode 3 - Understudies

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This is the Mischief Makers podcast and I'm Charlie Russell, hosting brand new episodes chatting all things Peter Pan goes wrong, recorded on Broadway in New York City. I am so excited today because my guests are the incredible understudies on Peter Pan goes wrong on Broadway. So we have Bianca, Stephen and Brennan. Hello Bianca, would you let us know, who do you cover in this crazy show? Hi guys. My name is Bianca Horn and I play Gil.00:30
but I cover Annie, Francis, and Lucy. Very good, hello Stephen. Hey there guys, Stephen James Anthony here. I cover, oh god, Chris and Max and Jonathan and Trevor and I think that's- And Robert, right? And Robert, yeah. I suppose the other one that I did. Yeah.00:59
Hi, I'm Brennan Stacker and I cover Gil, Lucy, Annie, Sandra and Trevor. Oh, that's right. And it's a pretty exciting week for me to have you here, but particularly because it's been a bit of a week for us all, hasn't it? Like it's timed out so perfectly. So it started about two weeks ago when you went off, Stephen. Yeah, yeah. So I was, well...01:27
As far as we know, patient zero from this recent spate of COVID. No shame, no blame. Oh, no, no. Yeah. I mean, but yeah, so I got it, you know, a couple of weeks ago and I went out. And of course, that doesn't really change the show because usually I'm just sitting off stage. That doesn't affect anybody normally. But then a couple of days later, right, we had... Nat Cavendish went out. And you covered him. Yes. Yeah. So immediately that kind of...01:53
turn the screws of our crazy contraption of understudy covers, right? So we had a bunch of people go on and then another two people went out a couple days later. So yeah, it was a really exciting, crazy week. And then I was called back, I got a phone call asking if I would be comfortable coming back early and doing Chris' masks. And I said, yeah, sure. So I did Chris, who plays Hook amongst other parts.02:22
masked for two days and then I was cleared to be performing that without a mask and then we had a you know several understudies carrying on and we were all still in the show and and then people started returning thankfully and the show has returned to some degree of normalcy Yeah, some degree. And you had a mustache on your mask? I did that was probably the highlight. Do you know whose idea that was? Yours. Yeah! No. Are you surprised? Surely it wasn't. It was way too. I feel like02:49
Me and stage management came up with that. No, no, no, no. I said it like in a meeting. I put my hand up and I was like, guys, this is semi-serious, but I think we should put a mustache on his mouth. And I think maybe they had also simultaneously had the same idea. Yeah, right. What was so funny is in the first show, you had a kind of more like a pencil mustache on the first one as Mr. Darling and then a hook one. But the pencil one just looked like a weird mark. It didn't really make sense, did it? But the hook one really worked. So we kept that one to do with the next show. Yes. Yeah. And, and I mean, actually,03:19
the first two myself, I felt a bit of ownership over them. It was also my fault as well, that the Mr. Darling one was a bit too low. I was trying to do almost like a, oh God, what is it? Yeah, like a Victorian husband mustache. I like those kind of things. I love how intentional you were. You're like Victorian husband. Victorian husband, right? I don't even know, I don't know the name. I should know the name of that style of mustache. I don't.03:44
But yeah, you're right, it didn't work out. It looked kind of like a weird mouth, so cut that one. But that wasn't your fault. It was. I think it's also. Well, he said he took ownership over it. I did, yeah, and thus I must take responsibility. I think more as well, it's like the audience weren't entirely sure as to the gag. And also because you don't know, it's not in the rules somewhere in Peter Pan that Mr. Darling has a mustache. So there's no, when you see someone with a mask with a mustache on, it's like, oh.04:11
it doesn't necessarily trigger a memory, whereas the hook mustache is more. Yeah, true. There's a lot of association with that style of mustache, isn't there? Yeah, I mean, it was a crazy week just for the listeners. So yeah, Matt Cavendish went off, but Stephen was already off. So that meant Chris Lees, who normally plays Trevor, as you know, he then moved into his second cover, which I don't think he'd ever done. No, I heard that was his first time.04:34
doing Max on stage. So I had never done Max with him like that, only in rehearsal. But then, of course, that left Trevor uncovered, which meant that Brennan here went on as Tess. Yeah, that's right. First Tess on Broadway. And was that the first time you'd done it? I understudied for The Play That Goes Wrong, and I understudied Trevor, but that was the first time being on stage as a Tess.04:59
or Tessa. I gotta say, I loved it. It was, I mean, it's a, one of the cool things about it was kind of the, at the stage door, the reactions of some of the girls that saw it were like, it's so cool that, you know, like a girl's doing a guy's role or, you know, like there's, you know, and one girl came up to me and was like,05:23
I do tech and I'm backstage and like it was so cool to see a female tech like doing all this stuff. The crew of the show. Oh yeah. So correction, that was the second time you did Tessa.05:36
Right. You had done it once. You had done it once before. And the first day you did it, it became like, oh, that's right. Oh, my gosh. That's right. When when he was he was resting, he was resting. And the entire crew. That's right. Oh, my gosh. Our entire backstage crew made it a test day. They were all dressed as tests. There was like a photo taken because it was like National Test Day. Yeah, I do. Everyone had that email. Yeah, no, that was yeah, that was so cool. It was. Yeah, that was.06:06
and to see everyone dress as Tessa was so great. And well, because most of like the character, I base it off of the people in the crew. Obviously, like I take little tidbits of like, you know, people like I've took little tidbits of Beth, of Felia, of Liv, you know, all of, you know, Megan, all of them backstage, you know.06:29
The baddies. I loved it. I loved your test, it was actually, it was just so great. And it was such a nice experience to have that on. But also that same day, Ellie Morris went off, who plays Lucy. So then Bianca was immediately playing Lucy. But then later in the week, but you were doing a split track with Gil? The first day, I was just Lucy. Right. By day two, I think we were down four. That's right. And that's when the split track.06:59
of Lucy and Gil happen by day five. No, because we also then lost Henry Shields.07:10
and Harry Kershaw. Henry Shields's first cover being Stephen, second cover being Harry Kershaw. Which is why I was like, oh no, we're gonna have to cancel the show and then Stephen's back on with a mask. And then the next, we're like, this is it, we're at capacity. Surely, yeah. Yeah, this is done. And then the next person who goes off? Nancy. And I, there's no more Girls Row, we're all on stage already, but you're already doing a split track like this impossible, I feel. I'm covering Guy07:40
do anymore splits. This is done. So I'm like, right, okay, it's happening. First ever show cancellation for me, like I've ever had, I can't believe it. So sad.07:47
And then we get this email saying that Fred Gray, our associate director in emergency cover, is going to play Max. It's like, how? So it turns out he was on a plane. I mean, this is his story, and I can't wait to speak to him at some point in my life. He's on a plane on the way to the UK to come see us, to do some notes, to work in some other cast members. And he found out when he landed that he was playing Max. Unreal. Wow. And that was also his Broadway debut. Yeah, it was. And he comes to the theater and I was like,08:17
minutes and then I need you on stage because we're gonna go through the dance because obviously Nancy isn't here who's the choreographer but we did it we pulled it together yeah yeah I can't believe I can't believe you found out when he landed I thought yeah we actually found out before he did and he was apparently planning on surprising us with his presence from London for then we in yeah it's a cast oh my yeah and then08:44
we ended up surprising him by saying. He got the best surprise. He thought it was, oh. Like a bolt from the blue. Bianca, you played every single one? Or you didn't play Francis in the end? In one week, I played three of the four. Wow. Golly, did. And of course, Ryan, who isn't here today, was playing Francis and has been. He still is, yeah. He's the last understudy standing in the show. Yeah, because Harry's gonna get back. Before he finally will be relieved of his duties by Harry.09:12
Yeah, oh gosh, it's been it's been quite intense and of course I go away on Monday. So have fun with that one I'll try to be proud. Oh, I cannot wait Brennan. And that'll be four four or five. Yeah, you'll have done four of your five Yeah, which is crazy cuz yeah, I did Yeah, Tessa Lucy Gill cuz yeah when you when you took over for Annie I I took over the the split track09:36
Oh yes, you did the split track as well! Yeah. Oh my gosh. Just insane. Which was just all about quick changes. I mean, talk about the heroes of wardrobe. Oh man. For real.09:46
Like, that was honestly, I think, the hardest part of just like running back and tracking all of that. And but they track all the costumes. And I think that I was just along with love along for the long for the ride. Yeah. For those who don't know, Split Track is when you're basically covering two roles at the same time and they they worked it out. But because of the nature of the show.10:09
You couldn't just be the same person but doing two jobs, could you? You had to be Lucy and then you had to be Gil. So there was all these costume changes just for those who didn't sort of know how that works. And that's the other thing, like I posted on Instagram about the understudies and I keep meaning to do another one for the wardrobe that week because they worked so hard and every day they were getting the emails that we were getting. It was outrageous. And also also backstage because Liv.10:36
when she runs part of the prop track, she had to go on as little pieces of Gil, because obviously we couldn't do all of it because you were either on stage or she needed something else. So she stepped into that as well and had that extra work. So it was just like heroes all around, just like picking up.10:55
And I know it's the same for a lot of shows, obviously, have incredible understudies, but I would say it's a bit of a theme for Mischief, that we are a big team, and we have incredible understudies.11:09
So let's talk about, has any of you guys worked in a mystery show? Have any of you worked for a mystery show before? So I was the transfer cast from Broadway to Off-Broadway for The Playback Goes Wrong. That's right. And I had the pleasure of being fight captain for a year Off-Broadway. Oh, I didn't know that. So I have helped to put in so many understudies for Off-Broadway, for Chicago. That's when I met Brennan because I was fight coordinator for Chicago.11:39
and I hopped on the tour so like it's been really fun. Gosh Bianca what would we do without you?11:49
It's amazing to see how many versions of the same character exists and how it lives in your body. The comedic beats and rhythms are still there, which is what's amazing. But every time you put... I love to think of Mischief as choreography because I have a dance background, but comedy is really like choreography. And every time you put these steps on a new body, it's amazing. I think that's one of the things that I felt in love with when... Because I've been on other shows, but Mischief was the first show.12:19
Chicago I started off as an Andy, Andy sorry, Annie. Could be an Andy. Yeah, Annie, Sandra Cover and then one of the actresses had to bow out so I took over Sandra but it was such a refreshing moment to be like oh I have ownership over this this role I don't have to mimic exactly what the other actress did.12:44
I can have my own version of this character. And that was the very first time I'd ever been allowed. Oh really? To not just have to go on stage and mimic. Just fill that space, fill that void. I actually could do the choreography, but have the intention or the emotion behind it come from me. That's really interesting, because I worry, and I wonder whether, I've never wondered.13:11
I wonder whether that's true of mischief, and obviously I believe you now, but it's...13:15
I appreciate that the show is quite prescriptive in terms of the choreography, the moves, right, the jokes. Some things just have to be done in a certain way. And also the characters, because of their clowning background, like, and the status and stuff. I've wondered whether it's a very prescriptive job for understudies. Have they, are there elements of both or? It feels like there's a skeleton, you know, like the bones exist. The bones have to exist for it to be the thing.13:43
And you know, when you talk about like the script and the comedic rhythms, like that's the skeleton of the thing, but having seen like 10 Annies in a year, each one was uniquely different and it served the show exactly the way it should have because you're allowed to like give new breath to this framework.14:05
So like it does do that. And what is amazing, like I had the pleasure of working with Maddie, I love Maddie. Maddie's one of my favorites. Maddie DiCarlo. Maddie DiCarlo who is the director here in the States. And he encourages play. You know, like he always says like, I have a thought. Oh, now I miss him. Yeah, he encouraged, he encourages you with new thoughts and he pushes you to discover and explore who the character is within the framework. That's great. Yeah, it's wonderful. But Stephen, you've not worked for Mischief before, right?14:35
No, I'm kind of the only total noob amongst the company who have never. Yeah, and it shows. Yeah, I mean, yes. Yeah, yeah. I'm afraid so. We all pick on you, don't we? Yeah, yeah, I mean, so I did have kind of a part-time job auditioning for Mischief Shows. So I auditioned for Play That Goes Wrong probably, I mean, not probably, more than any show I had ever auditioned for in my entire career. Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I auditioned for every single iteration of the show. I auditioned for...15:03
original Broadway understudies, replacement Broadway understudies, Broadway replacement, second Broadway replacement, first off-Broadway, second Broadway understudies, everything. So I was pretty familiar with the world, even though I had not actually been a part of a production. But yeah, I was just gonna add to what you guys said, that like, and actually I found this with a few of the other British or London transfers that I've done, that I kind of appreciate the...15:31
I think it's mischief and as well, it seems to be kind of a UK kind of thought process when it comes to building these things is giving you the, as you said, the skeleton or I would say like the framework, you know, like the kind of the blueprint for the thing you're building. And you can really find, like you said, your choices within that, you know, within this superstructure. And it's kind of liberating in a way because you're not having to build it from scratch, you're not having to kind of like...16:01
flop around or flounder around as you try and find it, you really do have a nice solid foundation beneath you to build your version of it. And it makes it less intimidating because you guys are the, you created this world. So like it's one thing to like do play that goes wrong with none of you guys in the room. You know, to be like, oh, I understand play. Oh, I'm putting on Annie. I know who I am as Annie. And then to be in a rehearsal with Nancy, who is Annie, who created.16:28
And so like, you know, that can be so intimidating. But that would have probably been my next question. What has it been like? And you can be honest, I can take it.

You know, coming in and working with what we're often known as the OGs. Is it horrid? Does it add to the experience? Are we all? What's I think for me, what's really.16:54
great is like, okay, so you have these steps, this choreography, and then you have positions that you need to be in and go in. And then it's almost like reverse engineering instead of like, I think I'm thinking this, so I'm gonna move here. It's like, I move here, so what am I thinking to get me there? Outside in kind of informing. Right, right, and that process, but it's so helpful, because sometimes you can get lost, especially in like the clowning world and like.17:23
and everything, it was so wonderful. And I remember watching you guys in the play that goes wrong. Oh, we did it in Chicago. In Chicago and going, oh, oh, oh. Oh yeah, uh huh, yep, okay, uh huh, yeah. I get, yeah, where when you're doing it, I mean, you're doing it justice, but there's always that like thing in the back of your head of going.17:53
Is that the right beat? Like why? Or is that like, is that where that is? Because like also culturally there's different beats and there's different rhythms. Rhythms, thank you. Really? Yeah, just in the way, I mean, even in the accent, even in the way that you speak and your cadence. The musicality of the dialects. Manorisms, all of it, yeah. Right, so there was so much that was informed by.18:19
watching you guys that wrote it from the, that were the characters, and it wasn't necessarily intimidating, like, oh, I did that wrong. Oh, I did that wrong. It was more like. Enlightening. Enlightening in a way that like, oh cool, maybe I can do, okay, I get that. Okay, now I can play with that, you know, with me. What I really enjoy is that.18:41
I mean, like I'm an old school theater girl. So like, I love being in a black box. Give me a script. Oh girl, I'm from Chicago. Uh-huh. Thank you. Right, so like I'm like a BFA theater nerd, right? BFA. For our listeners in the UK? Yes, yes. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater. So I'm like a nerd geek. I love reading plays in the dark and then like sitting in a corner with my friends and reading them out loud. So like, I love players when I think of like19:11
you're in high school, then you just find your best friends and what you're doing is you're playing, you're playing with words, you're playing with your physicality and what was, what helped made you guys feel less intimidating.19:23
There's so much play. You guys have been together for so long. And so like, I read the script before we started rehearsal and then like seeing it come to life with what you were, it wasn't even what was on the page sometimes. It's like you guys were still improving and discovering why you wrote what you wrote or why you did what you did. So it was like, oh, they're still playing.19:45
Oh, we're playing. We all have the liberty to play. This is amazing. This is what eight-year-old me was excited to do theater for. And so supportive. Yeah. So again, going on and having that anxiety of going on for the first time, or just in the whirlwind of what happened the past two weeks or however long it's been, is like, there's no way.20:07
I mean, possibly, yes, we could do it, but there was no way we could have done it with any type of joy unless we had the ensemble of you guys surrounding us and that family aspect. It's just, I'll say it all the time, Mischief is very much a family.20:25
as an American coming into that family, it's like, oh, do I fit? Oh, I fit. Yeah. Yeah, and despite you all being extremely British, you are like aggressively British. I don't know. In spite of this, I have to say, to a person, the company is really unpretentious and very inviting and welcoming. I mean, from day one, and I've said this to a few other folks,20:55
I've been in understudy several times before and I've come into companies where like the understudies are very separate from the company and you know, it's like, okay, that's how it's gonna function here and like, you know, you're kind of like, all right, I can make my piece of that, you know, and I'll do my job and all that. And this was definitely not that, like from the word go, all of you just welcomed us in with open arms and were like, you are a part of us, you are an equal member of this company and it was really wonderful, yeah. Well, it's true though.21:22
Right, because we'd be lying if we behaved any other way because considering the last couple of weeks, absolutely, I mean, you are just as much a member of this cast and company as Henry Shields because what do we do if one of us goes off? You are in there and not only are you in there helping to make sure the show doesn't cancel.21:45
you're in there making it brilliant, you guys offer stuff and then we're like, oh I'm gonna nick that. And this thing that like, everybody kind of forgets that you...21:57
I know one role and sure, like I like doing it and I'm quite good at it, but I know one. And I only have to know one and you guys have to know, as we've said, like four or five and you have to have in your head and sometimes you don't get, oh there was a show Steven, where you got no time, zero minutes. The show had begun. Yeah, yeah. So there were two in this run that have been, I think actually my number one and number two closest or latest notice before going on.22:27
So the first one was when, you know, we have first and second, well, you know, we kind of, we presume who's first and second cover, like which cover makes the most sense going on first and all this. But basically, Ryan, our fellow understudy had gone out and then Henry Lewis went out and so I got a call from stage management like the morning of that I was going to be going on for Robert, which is a role that I...22:57
had felt that I was entirely insufficient and unsuitable for. We did jinx it. There was a conversation. He was like, I'm never going to be on. I'm never going on for this. I'm still not right for this. You and I had this conversation on stage. Where you didn't know one thing. So we joked, well, you know. Surely I'm not going to, you know, I'm shooting just, yeah, tempting fate. You came to me and you went, I'm technically first cover. I did, yeah. And luckily I had looked over the part again. Well, we had a rehearsal.23:27
The day before. And the day that Ryan went off. Was it the day? That first day. Which was like the first time I had touched most of that part. And then of course I got the conference stage management the next morning. Everyone was so lovely and was just like, what can we do? What can we have? So we had like a quick put in beforehand. And then I jumped in and did the role for like a week, which was amazing and really fun. It was a very sexy shadow. It was so, so deeply. Deeply confusing. It was a very different.23:56
I mean, a very different Robert, I think. I cannot in any way fill Henry Lewis's shoes, so I just kind of did my own version of it, whichever it was. It was incredible. Again, there it is. It was brilliant. There's a skeleton, and then it can be filled, and it's still. That's it, because you hit all the beats, you hit all the notes, you did everything we needed you to do.24:17
but at the same time. Well, I mean, I want to give it all of them. Oh, okay. Jeez. Okay. I'm totally getting it. This is true, we need to stop inflating. I know, it's gonna have a huge having with you. So, and I was like, well, surely that'll be the last, the most last-minute notice I ever hear before I go on. Maybe two weeks later, I was, Cavendish is tonight. I had walked up the stairs with my cup of tea, I was planning on, you know, sitting and reading backstage. And what did Matt Cavendish say? And Matt Cavendish said the fateful words, you know,24:46
and I have a little time off, are you? You're just gonna go have your cup of tea. You get a bit of a break now, don't you? And then sure enough, about 10 minutes into the show, I hear like, you know, Stephen Anthony on stage, Stephen Anthony on stage, or maybe five minutes into the show. And I was like, wait, what? And I like ran downstairs and like, there was like a bunch of flurry of activity and Shields apparently had gotten injured or was, you know, unable to carry on.25:12
And so, again, the amazing wardrobe department was sprinting up to my dressing room. The speed they did that was incredible. Chucking on my clothes. This theater is five flights up. Yeah. So, that's a lot of running upstairs. Yeah, we should say too for folks who don't know backstage at most Broadway houses, with the exception being Lincoln Center, which is massive and has tons of room and spacious. How do you know all these venues? Cause he's a star. Not sure, no, not sure. He's a Broadway star. But most of these old Broadway houses are built.25:41
vertically, you know, they're built within a city block. So they're these, you know, they look opulent and huge from the inside, but the backstage areas are really tiny and usually vertical. So there's a lot of running up and down the stairs. Our costumes is in the basement and they are running six to five flights up. My God, these people are amazing. We have like pounds of costumes. A lot of heavy costumes. Sweaty, moist costumes. Don't use that word. They deserve a standing ovation. But they do. It's an accurate word.26:11
It's an accurate word. My, my, my, my costume is moist by the end. No, no, no. But that's it, and Stephen, you just went on even like within minutes. Yeah, yeah, it was pretty wild, and again, the cast is such a family and such an ensemble, everyone was taking care of me, and you know, it was fine, and luckily I had done the role a couple days prior, so it wasn't like a brand new role 10 minutes or five minutes into the show, but.26:39
But yeah, it was pretty wild. Definitely shot out of a cannon and stuff. All right, so if you had to cover a role that you don't cover, if you had to go on. Ooh, in this show. In this show. Max, Max, Max, Max, Max. Bianca's straight in there with Max. I've been wanting to be Max since 2019. You hear me? Oh, so you'd do it in the play that goes wrong as well. I would do Max in my whole life. I would enjoy playing Max. Would it be like a Max scene or something like that?27:03
Whatever you want to call me Max Maxine, it all works. That's true Max. Yeah, Max works. You know what? Max works. I love Max. It's the heart. It's the like, you think I'm good? Oh wow, I am good. It's the leaning into the positive of what you can be. I want to be Max in my real life. That's nice. I think I'd quite like to have a go at everything, but I've always got this...27:29
sort of me and Nancy joke about that really I should be cast as Peter Pan, like, right? Like hands on hips. And I quite like to be sort of Janine and this lady killer. Embish. All right, if you've seen Beer Bangos Wrong, just, I think that would be quite fun. Yeah, true. That's such a hard question. You play so many, so. I know. You could just say. Little left. I, so I.27:57
I love flying. I found that I really enjoy it. So I quite like to be Jonathan. Yeah, you'd be good at that. Yeah. You'd be really good at that. Just flying, but then, oh, but the way Bianca was talking about Max, that would be so fun to, you know, to be the crocodile. So maybe if I could just like fly and then be on the trolley. Yeah. Split track. Split, I'll just split track, yeah. Be fine.28:26
I mean honestly I feel like I get a chance to cover most of the roles that I would like to do. You want to say Gil? Yeah, that's what I was going to say. I mean the hammer bit. No, I want to see Sandra. I think you'd make an excellent Sandra. Yeah, I think Sandra would be fun. Yeah, I've also wanted to play Chris Bean. We should do a show where we swap. That'll be the midnight show. So stay tuned everyone. The late night show. So I also have a question. Someone was saying, oh what?28:52
People make assumptions about what it's like to be an understudy or what the role sort of entails. Do you... Any myths that you can dispel about being an understudy? I know that people are like, oh, you must be... There's quite a nasty one, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was gonna say. The kind of covetous, jealous person, you know, with the knife behind their back. Yeah, like pushing people down the stairs. You hate...29:22
the person that you cover for or... Yeah, that's just not true. Tell me that's not true. It's horrifying because like you're ultimately like, what are we, why are we in theater? Why are we actors or artists to begin with? It's because we believe in telling stories and serving the story as a whole, or at least I do. It's like the play as a whole is very important to me. It's more important than...29:50
Am I playing my character perfectly or am I, you know, like, it's like, no, I'm serving the story as a whole. I'm serving the writer that created this, this, this world. And it's not about me. And so as an understudy, it's like, well, what is my role? My role is to fill those spaces or those gaps when I'm needed to create the story and to create the world. And that's a huge gift. And it's.30:20
You know, it's not, is it lovely to go on every night? Of course. Is it lovely to get to play five different roles? Well, she does them well. She does them well. Yeah, no, but that's so fun. So there's pros and cons, so you can't ever look at it. I don't know, from like, a selfish.30:45
For me, that's like, oh, that's so upsetting to think that someone would think that I would want you, you know. I think, I'll say two things. One, particularly that's troublesome when for us, we're performing with the people who created it. Oh my gosh, yeah. It's hard to wanna like, You'd have to be quite. For me to wanna like covet Annie with Nancy, like it's just weird, like she made it. Oh my gosh, yeah. Like that's, that.31:09
that myth should just go away. You know, like you said, we're here to serve people. The other myth that I hate is when people say, oh, understudies, they're not talented enough. That's why they're the understudies. And I'm like, that is a myth. And I'm like, no. No. I have been a principal character and I've been an understudy in a show. I would say all the time, understudies are some of the most talented people you would meet because of what you said. They...31:37
Yes, they can slay one part, but they can do five parts. Like that is such a gift. That is such a unique talent to be able to fit all these different spaces and serve the show and your company well. They are not, not talented. They are brilliant at what they do. And, um, it's such a gift to be a part of a company.32:01
where you have actors that can do that. Yeah, usually it's the person who's so talented they could have probably done three of the roles. And you go, I wonder if they'll understudy because they can do three of them. Yeah. If they're that good. Yeah, from a casting point of view, if you look at it and you're auditioning someone and you're like, this person is so talented as this character. And then we have this other person that is talented in that character as well, but also, oh, they read for that one and they worked there. And it's just, it's literally again,32:30
The story. But also, I genuinely wouldn't do a very good job of the other roles. We joked about playing the other roles, but I wouldn't feel confident at all. And also, like I said, I just have to focus on one. I don't have to keep five roles in my head. That is crazy. Yeah, I mean, it's like...32:50
It's also part of like what, at least for me, why I got into this business is because I like getting to do a variety of things. And I've been very lucky in my career to do a variety of roles and types of people. And like, it's such a treat being an understudy and not getting, I mean, I remember doing a few other shows where like people just be get really tired of doing the same, the same role for a year or two years. And it's like.

33:12
we're just constantly getting to do new stuff and continuing to challenge yourself intellectually as well. It's really rewarding for sure. You did Warhorse? Mm-hmm, yep. And so like, that must be exhausting doing one role over and over again, but could particularly like some of- Well, I kind of got the best of both worlds because the first year I covered all the young guys in the show, so I covered-33:31
every single young guy and then I had puppetry drag. So I puppeteered the baby horse first year. And then the second year I got to move into one of the roles that I covered. So I really, I got to kind of experience both sides and to be honest it was more fun doing a bunch of random stuff every night. Yeah, it's a really great, it's a great gig.33:50
Yeah, he's on a mischief alum, but he's a Broadway. I'm not allowed to play America. I only am allowed to play a fake Brit. That's my lot in life and I accepted it. Let's bring you back to, I'm just going to pick you off on a comment you made earlier. What about being aggressively British? Yeah, yeah. What are you talking about? I mean, obviously now I'm aggressive and British, but like, what does that refer to? You know, I think I'm going to leave it up to the Americans.34:20
I hate my listeners. You guys can fill in the blank. I think people will want to know actually from your perspective what are the differences that you've noticed that might be either because we're mischief, it might be because we're original cast or it might be because we're British. Have you noticed any of those things that are surprising having worked on the show? There's one thing that I'd like to point out. Oh god. I don't under- That was quick. Scary. Immediately in there. I don't understand.34:49
So you guys say, so usually the A is like elongated, so like can't or you know, like, so we say pasta. And you guys say pasta. Pasta, which is how the Italians say it too, no big deal, but. No, it isn't pasta how the Italians say it. So it's like, it's like reversed. It's like you would think we would say pasta.35:15
You guys say pasta. And we would say pasta and I just don't want to hit you. It flabbergasts me every time. Oh God. I'm like, do you want some pasta? And you're like, pasta? And I'm like, what? We had that exchange today. I will first say, not all British people say can't and shant and path and grass. Because obviously, depending where you're from in Britain, you might say grass, bath and cant. But I actually don't know who says cant.35:38
That's weird. Maybe somebody does. Maybe Jono? Is there anyone? Yeah, sure am I, what am I saying? But I think we have this thing that, because you guys say French words, French, so the fish burger that you can get at McDonald's, what do you call it? Oh, filet. Filet, oh fish, right? We're like, fillet of fish. Oh, fillet. And it's a filet steak. And you say ballet. Ballet.36:09
You say massage? We say massage.36:12
And I think there is something about Brits, like historically have been like, we're gonna say a French word, but we're not gonna say it the way they say it. Yeah, not gonna say it. Because the French are our first allies. So of course we have an affinity, right? And we have a long history with them. But yeah, a long time ago to be fair. Just to answer your earlier question, I would say, I think that the thing that's, I guess didn't surprise me, it makes sense, but I was struck by the shorthand that you guys have,36:42
because you guys were school chums and have been a part of this ensemble for so long, you guys have such a shorthand and are so incredibly comfortable with one another. I was very struck by that immediately, just like how intertwined you all are, which again makes sense because of how long you've been working together and how many amazing projects you've done. I mean, sometimes it's so short, it's nonverbal. Yeah. Yeah.37:06
And it's like, you could be there and something happens, like, tell, psychically. And you're like, something just happened. And they totally understood what each other was saying. I think Nancy particularly has a lot of, like she can just do with a gesture to one of you guys. And you guys can be like, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I've seen it happen between Nancy and Chris Leisk a lot too, especially because, you know, Tink and Trevor, but like, I'm like, how do you? And especially when she was telling me, you know, kind of,37:36
some shorthand things or some tricks or whatnot. And she's like, you know what, don't do it that way necessarily do it like with the cord and whatnot because I've worked with Chris so much many times we do it a way riskier way. Like I just know I can feel him. That was a weird way of putting it, but like there's like a kinetic energy between. That's really cool that I've noticed as well. Yeah. I can think of two things. One is very disturbing.38:05
fanny pack. Wait, what do they say? That's all I'm gonna say. Wait, a bum bag? They call it a bum bag and when we say fanny pack... Do you wear it on your bum? Yeah, it's your bum. But Americans, we put on the front, the back, the side, but Nancy said like a fanny pack is like a packed hoo-haw.38:25
I was gonna say, because fanny has a very different meaning. Yeah, I mean, this podcast is mainly going to be uh, listened to by Brits. Is it? Yeah. Exactly. Yeah, these guys call it a fanny pack. But we do wear it on the front. And they say, they'll say, sit on your fanny. And when I'm given that instruction, there is a moment where I'm thinking, how? Um, yeah. Wait, so you say sit, no, when Americans say sit on your fanny. Yeah, I wouldn't say sit on my fanny. My fanny is a very different thing. The fanny is not, you know, too far?38:55
Well technically I'm sitting on my fanny right now. I mean, I... Okay, wow. The second thing. We've already got the explicit rating for this podcast. So the other thing is, I think it's so funny, like you guys are like Americans have so much confidence.39:12
We're the over confident, under educated people, that's all right. I mean, I just think you have a wonderful sense of self. And I think you have good self-esteem. I mean, we have noticed in the show, like the children in the audience are way more confident than the children in Britain. And it's a lovely thing most of the time.39:34
Like 90% of the time it's brilliant, and 10% of the time I'm terrified of those children. I mean, actually that's very true. On my first, one of my first Broadway shows, I was little and it was Les Mis. And I was a mature toddler. I'm not a toddler, five, I was like six, that's not a toddler. But I did at the end of the first act, when everyone's, you know, spoiler alert.39:59
flopped over on the barricade and the things goes, I did stand up on my chair and yell, they're all dead, they're all dead. Cause I was very upset that they were all dead. And then my mom, my mom was like, no, they're acting. And I was like, I'm gonna do that. And so- That's an interesting turn from being horrified by the death of these people. No, I was mad that I thought, I thought the show was over. Cause I understand, Act One, and I was so upset that all these characters just-40:29
work.40:30
gone and there was not gonna be any like, you know, love, like who, cause I, so I didn't quite understand. But. And then you were inspired to do that. But I was confident. That's what I'm saying, that turn is fascinating. But I was confident. Yeah, but I was confident. I know. When I grow up, I will play dead. I will. I basically do that. I have to do that sometimes. But yeah, we are very confident, confident. Yeah, you are, you are confident. Little children. I mean, I'm Haitian, so like sometimes I'm like, I feel like a fake American, cause you know, I grew up in Haiti and in America. And so like, it's interesting to watch you guys41:00
because I feel like I'm experiencing it too sometimes. And I'm like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, that makes sense. Because culturally I'm like, yeah.41:06
Yeah, my people are a little different. But I'm so Americanized now. It's hard. Yeah. Most of the time. I absolutely love it. I mean, I don't know if it's an American thing or a New York thing, but I just really enjoy that people in New York tend to just sort of say what they mean. So that's definitely New York. That's New York. Yeah. Like they'll just say, you know, I can say that having grown up in the Midwest. Yeah. Where there's a veneer of kindness. And Florida and the South. Yeah. And Brennan in Chicago. Right. Yeah. People, yeah, smile. I had to get rid of the social conditioning of smiling when41:36
They call it Midwest nice. Yeah, Minnesota nice actually. Minnesota nice, third of. Which is the state that I'm from. Yeah. And listen, there's plenty of, there's lots of lovely people in Midwest, don't get me wrong, Midwest listeners. But yeah, there's a frankness about New York and the East coast in general that's very, I think, refreshing. I imagine you guys, that's what you guys find. Because it's frank, but it's kind. So, you know, you say, do you wanna go for a drink? You know where you stand. Yeah, you go, oh, you wanna go out? And they're like, no, thank you. People will always say, oh, okay, great. New Yorkers.42:05
They're not sweet. They're kind. Yeah. Like we're not like, we're not, we're not super sweet. We're not sugar sweet, but like, you know, if you need help, I'll help you. Yeah. And then I'll walk away. Yeah. We're kind. We're kind people. But yeah, I don't know. New York. Yeah. That's a great way to put it. My sister had it all. I think it happened to my sister when she was here. With her suitcase where like she had this giant suitcase. Is it your story? Someone had a go at them for like, yes, it is your story. You tell it, you tell it. I have new. There, there was.42:34
I hope it's the same one. So like there was always, I was at the subway and there was this woman with like luggage and with like a baby stroller and like another New Yorker was just coming down and was like, you need help? Grabbed it, all came all the way down, got them through and then just kept walking. And I'm like, you're okay, you're good. Like they made sure the person went from A to B, no more needed to check in and kept going about their day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's no, like, I see you. I see you need help.43:00
I gotta go. Like, that's not you. But they'll also say, I think this is the bit that maybe happened to my sister, they were like, what are you doing? Why have you got such a big bag? That's crazy, look after yourself. And then moved on. And then they look after yourself. Take better care of yourself. Yeah, exactly. I mean, very frank, which is, I would prefer to know where I stand with someone rather than have this, you know, kind of syrupy sweet, you know, Can I give my favorite New York City story? Please, please. I wanna hear it. I was on a subway and there was this like, maybe,43:30
Youngish girl in her 20s, she seemed a little tipsy. It was like later in the night. And then there was this older woman, clearly, like, you know, maybe 50s or 60s. And it was an empty cart. There was maybe five of us. Again, it's late. The older woman got up, shook the 20 year old girl, was like, wake up. You need to get home. Safely, all right? We gonna do this. And I am like, she was like, you need to get it together. All right, girl?43:59
because you need to, yeah, we're gonna do this. So like, she sat with her until it was time for her to get home and I was like, I love New Yorkers. That woman was not about to sit here and let something happen to this tipsy 20 year old. She was like, no, not today girl, not on my watch. I love that. It was the best. I was like, oh, I love New Yorkers. Yeah, I really do. All right, so two more questions. One, I want to know, as we're on New York, any tips?44:26
any of your favorite places to go, just for anyone who's coming to visit. Or maybe someone lives here and they just don't know to try this pizza place or bar or ice cream place or museum or thing that you like to do on your day off.44:39
There's this place, we just passed it on the way here. It's called Lily's. You're so cute. Well, they dress it up so nice. It's kind of like this, I don't know, Victorian maybe themed bar, but every Halloween, Christmas, it's decorated all so cool. And we were just passing it just now. And what was it on like? I think it's 48th. 48th, yeah, yeah, yeah.45:09
Eighth and Broadway or something. Yeah, something, yeah, around there. Eighth and Broadway's not a, no. Between Eighth and Broadway or Eighth and Seventh? Seventh and, is it not across? On that point? Between Seventh and, look it up, Lilly's farm. Seventh and Eighth, on 48th. Yes. Yeah, thank you. I was schooled by the Americans, so it's so gross. No, I'm still learning the city. That's the other thing New Yorkers do is like, if New Yorkers hear another New Yorker giving incorrect directions, they'll go, nope, and then they'll immediately correct the person who's giving directions.45:39
They don't want you to get lost. Yeah, they're like, uh, yeah, that's great. But there are butterfly wings coming out of it. I walked on our way here and I was, yeah, so go there. It's very Instagramable, isn't it? It is, but it's also just the ambiance is really cool. They have these glasses that are these green glass and it's very, and the charcuterie board is to die for.46:01
and the plates are have like, you know, like little flowers on them. It's just, I mean, yeah, I'm meaning to take Ellie there because like she's going to lose her mind. Oh, you had a little moment. That was very cute. I would say, uh, if you're in New York, get yourself a proper New York bagel. Um, you, you cannot get bagels outside of New York, New Jersey and Long Island.46:22
proper bagels, in my humble opinion. That's what the theory is, is the water. I've heard the water, I've heard a few things. I, to this day, I don't understand why no one can replicate a New York bagel outside of New York. You can get great Montreal bagels and like other style bagels in the US, but, so I would recommend going to Brooklyn bagel. There's an outpost in Chelsea, there's one ironically in Queens, doesn't make any sense.46:46
Brooklyn bagels, excellent. Otherwise, absolute bagels on the Upper West Side. The bagel shop on the Upper East Side is where I get mine. It's fine. It's fine. It's incredible. No, it's good. It's fine. How do, the fillings, just go for the whole, The fillings. There are good fillings that come with it. It's called a schmear. I'm pretty sure you asked us for our recommendations. I want a bagel and a schmear. And daughters. And get some locks, yeah, locks on top. I'm gonna have to sit in a room in a minute. Bo's Bagel in Harlem. Oh yeah. Bo's Bagel's very good. I would recommend going out of Midtown.47:15
Hear me, hear me, hear me. Yes, go see the shows, come to Broadway. Yes, please, please, keep me informed. I appreciate you. But like, go uptown people, visit Harlem, visit the Apollo Theater where Aretha Franklin sang, go to Brooklyn, go to Williamsburg, go to Park Slope. Like, I hear it. Midtown is amazing, it is a spectacle. But travel uptown and go to Brooklyn. Thank you very much.47:43
I also really enjoy Greenwich Village and West Village. Yeah, explore the city. Union Square is great. They have a lot of restaurants around there. Union Square is great. All right then, and then finally, your favorite joke or moment in the show that you get or someone else does for whatever reason, even if it's not every night, maybe it's the only time it happens occasionally. Come on, give us your favorite Peter Pan goes wrong moment.48:11
I think it's when crisp bean as hook goes medicine, poison. Ah, ah. It's a little Transylvanian. I don't know why it gets me every time. It's just like ah.48:28
Aww. There's like, no, I just don't like the way they, it's just so funny. I just, I don't know, yeah. I think that's my favourite. It's hard to pick a favourite. I mean, there's so many good ones. Word. Okay, well I have favourites of all of your moments. Oh, okay. So this is my favourite. So, Stephen. Oh no. When you're playing Chris Bean, you're, ah, the spoon! Is so, like you're trying so hard to be nice about it, but you're...

48:57
utterly furious with her and it's really really great and then you always look over at me as if to be like I'm gonna kill her but with this giant smile on your face and that's my real... Ah the midwest smile! Yeah the midwest smile it is. I love that. And I noticed today when Henry was back on that he doesn't smile he just looks like he loves to smile. But don't change it I love that. No that's great yeah. And then Bianca in the same moment when you are Annie you're...49:22
sheer pride at having found this food. It's so good. It's true, very pleased with yourself. And then, Brennan, when you've been on as Lucy, I've just enjoyed it all so much, but when you're trying to say your words, you...49:37
come up with like other little words. Oh, they were delightful. I enjoyed all of those. But also you give it all to me. So it's as if Sandra has been coaching Lucy to get through her moment. It's like a whole new backstory that comes on when you're on. And I just absolutely love it. I think that might also be like your face is the, like I just have to focus on one kind face. So I'm not going on. So I'm like, I can't, I'm gonna get overwhelmed. So I'm just gonna look at Charlie because Charlie's face is kind and I'm just gonna. But literally every time any one of you50:07
and Ryan as well, that anytime any one of you go on, it's so dangerous for me, because I find you all so hysterically funny, that it's just more reasons for me to corpse on stage, and as everybody knows on the show. Oh, there's another word, corpsesing. Do we use that in the US? No? Not the same way. Oh, oh yeah, so corpsesing being laughing. You would say like, what would we say, going up? Going up, yeah.50:28
No, no, going up, that's going up on a like a breaking, we call it breaking. Yeah, breaking. Oh yeah, she broke. I can think of one of my favorite moments. It's Shields when Annie's like, oh, there's a cab, there's a second cab, there's a third cab when he's like, and one for my hat.50:47
the physical discovery and frustration. And he works so hard to find an amazing answer. It's a full body experience. And then just comes up with hat. I watch it five times a week. It is so enjoyable. So thank you, Shield. Yeah, there's, I mean, and we should say it's a final note for the Mischief fans out there. Like, I have to say.51:10
They're a lovely group of folks. They're really fun to be with. Yeah, the great deal. And we're really, we're, I feel very fortunate. His knuckles are white right now. I know, I know. I have a gun in my head currently. No, no, we feel, I feel very lucky to be part of this crew and team, it's a really, really lovely group of folks. Yeah.51:28
Well, we're very lucky to have all of you. Thank you so much. And thank you for coming on the show today. Thanks for having us, Jo. This has been an absolute delight. Go and get some food and I'll see you guys in a bit. Cheers, Sanska. Love you! Thank you! Thank you guys for listening to Mr. Maker's podcast. It's been an absolute treat and I'll see you next time. Bye.