66. The Yellow Brick Road to Broadway (with Trisha Paytas)

It’s always a good day on the pod when we get to check a dream guest off our list. And today is one of those days. Among her other accomplishments, Ana Gasteyer originated the role of Elphaba in Chicago and later reprised the role on Broadway. Today, she tells Kevin and Quincy about her best and worst auditions, her parallel careers onstage and on screen and unlocking Elphaba’s sense of humor. Plus, the boys get Sentimental about shows closing, Rachel Zegler singing outside and Jennifer Lopez in the Kiss of the Spider Woman trailer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the Sentimental Men are chatting with the breakout star of Real Women Have Curves, Tatianna Córdoba. Together, they talk about offstage community, standing ovations and what it’s like to make a Broadway debut in such a packed Broadway season. Plus, the boys get Sentimental about Audra McDonald in the Gypsy revival, Mandy Gonzalez in Sunset Boulevard and Caissie Levy in Next to Normal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We saw the big-screen debut of the trailer for Wicked: For Good. And from Ariana’s first “Elphaba Thropp, I know you’re out here” to Cynthia’s final “I’m off to see the Wizard,” the trailer is nothing short of two minutes and forty-six seconds of glorious new footage to get Sentimental over. And we’ve got some questions too. Where are Boq and Nessa? What scene are all those gay rainbow lights in? And how is Michelle Yeoh the fiercest woman on the planet? All this and more in our official reaction to the Wicked: For Good trailer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel Potter has a resume that reads like we made it up. She starred in the live shows at Disney World. She was on MTV’s The Search for Elle Woods. She was a Glinda understudy on the national tour of Wicked. She delivered one of our all time favorite cast recording performances as the Mistress in the 2012 Evita revival. And now her newest album, Stages, is giving the full symphony treatment to some musical theatre favorites. This week, Rachel joins the Sentimental Men to chat about magic auditions, motherhood and her musical legacy. Plus, the boys get Sentimental about Real Women Have Curves, Dolly Parton and Diana DeGarmo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Myra Ruiz has starred in not one, not two, but three different productions of Wicked. After opening the original Brazilian production, she returned to the role in two separate non-replica revivals. She can also be heard as the voice of Elphaba in the Portuguese dub of the Wicked movie. This week, the Sentimental Men learn all about Myra’s unparalleled journey with Wicked and what life is like for a musical theatre actress in Brazil. Plus, the boys get Sentimental about Tony nominations, descriptions of the For Good trailer and the music they’re most excited to hear in the new movie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Years before Mandy Gonzalez was taking the final bow in Wicked as Elphaba on Broadway, she was in the (absolutely stacked) ensemble at the show’s first reading. This week on the pod, Mandy talks the boys through her unmatched career and the journey with her own confidence that led her to guest starring as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. PLUS, the boys get Sentimental about Redwood on Broadway, the girlies of Skidrow and that video of Mandy singing Total Eclipse of the Heart. You know the one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode, the boys are joined by Gregory Maguire, author of the original Wicked novel, its series of world-building sequels and its newest installment, “Elphie: A Wicked Childhood.” Together, these three Sentimental Men chat about Gregory’s initial reactions to the musical, the second (and third) life that the musical has given his novel and how visiting the set while they filmed the Ozdust scene gave him a new appreciation for actors on film. PLUS, the boys try to convince him that he needs to do a stint playing the Wizard on Broadway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As her triumphant run in Wicked on Broadway is winding down, Mary Kate Morrissey is back on the pod for an unofficial exit interview. Mary Kate and the Sent Men yap about playing golf, creating content and staying healthy. Not to mention why, after ten years playing this role, Mary Kate sees herself as the last Elphaba of an era. PLUS, the boys get Sentimental about potential cameos in Wicked Part Two, seeing Kerry Ellis at 54 Below and Wicked on Broadway entering its post-movie era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She’s come home at last! Caroline Bowman (Sentimental Men’s second ever guest!) is back on the pod to tell the boys what she’s been up to since 2020. You’ll hear about the five years she spent playing Elsa on the Frozen national tour, her first time standing by in the Sunset Boulevard revival and the epic story of how she booked Smash on Broadway. PLUS, the boys get Sentimental about the Chess Broadway Cast Recording, the Oscar nominations and the historic new cast of Wicked on Broadway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a fated meeting at the Wicked premiere, the boys are joined this week by their new friend, the fabulous Trisha Paytas. These three waste no time getting Sentimental about their shared love of musicals, the changing landscape of body representation in musicals and all the things they noticed about the movie on their second (and third and fourth) viewings.  PLUS, Trisha’s one of a kind journey from YouTube to Broadway and the pressure they feel to succeed on behalf of other influencers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices