The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales

Adam Pascal is an actor, singer, and musician most widely known for originating the role of Roger in the original 1996 cast of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent on Broadway. Rent was not only his Broadway debut, it also earned him a Tony Award nomination, a Theater World award, and an Obie Award. He went on to originate the role of Radames in Aida, as well as play the Emcee in the 1998 revival of Cabaret, Huey Calhoun in Memphis, Billy Flynn in the revival of Chicago, Chad in Disaster!, and William Shakespeare in Something Rotten! Adam reprised his role as Roger in the 2005 movie version of Rent, as well as the Broadway tour in 2009. He also performed in the London concert version of Chess at the Royal Albert Hall in London, alongside his Rent co-star and friend, Idina Menzel. Adam has two solo rock albums to his name, Model Prisoner (2000) and Civilian (2004), as well as a collaborative rock album called Blinding Light (2008) with pianist Larry Edoff. Most recently Adam has been seen onstage in limited engagements of Pretty Woman. And soon he can be seen virtually as part of the Times Square Alliance Broadway Busker’s Concert series.

During our conversation, Adam shares how growing up and becoming a responsible adult was a challenge after having had his first audition experience lead to such success so early on. Amid this initial success, Adam recalls still being one hundred percent focused on playing in a rock band one day. When he started getting offers to audition for starring roles in Hollywood, what he really wanted was a record deal. This disconnect led to him making some “bad decisions” based on his ego, which he then spent years working on scaling back. Rent began the long journey of accepting the harsh realities of the career in which he found himself, but it also gave him a sense of safety. It gave him the overwhelming feeling of comfort whenever he walked out on stage. The feeling of being home in a way that playing in a rock band had never given him. He finally felt like he was where he belonged. And 25 years later, he’s still going strong.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Which movie musicals had an influence on him as a child
• How his friendship with Idina Menzel led to his audition for Rent
• The struggles that came with early success and recognition
• How he helped open the door for different types of voices on Broadway
• Why he prefers playing pre-existing roles to originating a character
• His desire for a record deal, and finally getting one
• What he would want to talk to Jonathan Larson about today

Connect with Adam:

• Listen on Spotify
• IG: @adampascal
• Twitter: @adampascal20

Connect with The Theatre Podcast:

• Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast
• Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast
• Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast
• TheTheatrePodcast.com
• Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales
• Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think.

A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible!

Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales

If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alice Lee is an actress, singer and musician who made her Broadway debut in 2008 when she joined the cast of Spring Awakening. Her other New York theater credits include Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark on Broadway, as well as Off-Broadway productions of Bare and Heathers: The Musical. While she is no stranger to the stage, she is also no stranger to the screen. Alice was a contestant on the ABC reality TV show Rising Star in 2014, with other television credits that include Smash, The Mindy Project, Switched at Birth, 2 Broke Girls, Take Two, Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist, and many more. She can also be seen in the Netflix film Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, and last year's hit indie movie Brittany Runs a Marathon. While she lived in NYC, Alice performed in numerous concerts at Rockwood Music Hall, where she frequently debuted original material. Coming up next she can be seen online performing through the Times Square Alliance Broadway Busker’s Concert series.

Alice was born and raised in the north suburbs of Chicago, the only child of parents who immigrated from South Korea. She shares that music entered her life at a very early age, and recalls learning to play instruments and sing long before she knew she wanted to be a performer. Her dad is also a great singer, and when Alice was young they would sing karaoke together. While she dabbled in the drums and clarinet, the two instruments she still plays today are the piano and guitar. When deciding what course of study to pursue in college, Alice researched the programs at NYU. And feeling like she didn’t quite fit into either the musical theater or the classical vocal performance categories, she opted to earn her BM in Music Business. It was while she was a freshman at NYU that Alice attended a performance of Spring Awakening, and in her own words, became “obsessed”. So when she found out they were holding open calls for replacements, Alice went and auditioned - and booked her first Broadway show.

In our conversation, Alice candidly talks about growing up and feeling different, but so badly wanting to fit in. And while she and her parents never had any conversations specifically about race, she recalls that she was always aware of the differences, and of other people's attitudes towards them. Alice also lovingly recalls visiting family in South Korea every two years as she grew up, memories which she holds onto and celebrates as part of her identity. Shortly after quarantine began this year, Alice left her apartment in Los Angeles where she lives alone to go spend time with her parents outside Chicago. While there Alice shares she has been spending her time writing, recording demos and making pop music. “This is my frickin destiny” she realized this summer, affirming her vision for her next big dream - to become the first big Asian-American pop star.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Deciding to major in Music Business
• Why she moved from NYC to LA about 5 years ago
• Her experience on the reality TV show Rising Star on ABC
• Being recognized in public for her performances
• Activism on Instagram
• Growing up the child of immigrants
• The joy she finds in writing and making music

Connect with Alice:

• IG @aliceheyalice

Connect with The Theatre Podcast:

• Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast
• Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast
• Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast
• TheTheatrePodcast.com
• Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales
• Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think.

A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible!

Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales

If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel Potter is not only a Broadway veteran, she is also an accomplished Nashville recording artist. She made her Broadway debut in 2010 as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family, and originated the role of the Mistress in the 2012 Tony Nominated revival of Evita, starring Ricky Martin and Michael Cerveris. Rachel has also toured with the smash hit, Wicked, where she understudied Glinda. Rachel’s television appearances include MTV’s Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods, where she placed in the top 15, and season 3 of FOX’s The X Factor as a Top 12 finalist. Rachel has been a guest soloist with many symphony orchestras, and enjoys a fruitful solo career, having released 2 solo albums and multiple singles. Recently, she released a new EP as Rachel Potter & Steel Union, a fresh country trio, made up of herself, Josh Matheny and Donny Fallgatter. And she can now be seen virtually as part of the Times Square Alliance Broadway Busker’s Concert series.

Rachel shares with us her experiences flying back and forth from Orlando to New York CIty to attend EPA’s and ECC’s after graduating college. She recounts meeting Pat Goodwin at an open call for Leap of Faith, which led to Bernard Tesley helping her get an audition for MTV’s Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods. She shares how finding her voice while singing in a wedding band helped sustain her until the audition that would lead to her booking the National Tour of Wicked. It was on this tour that she received the call to audition for Wednesday Addams, the role that would mark her Broadway debut in The Addams Family. And all the while, Rachel continued to write and explore her love of country music. A love which would eventually land her in Nashville, where she would successfully record 2 solo albums and multiple singles.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The first album she recorded when she was 15
• Growing up in the Baptist Church, and the events that lead to her leaving
• How working for Disney opened her eyes
• Discovering her voice while singing in a wedding band
• The Glinda audition which booked her the job
• Driving to the airport in a blizzard to get to her The Addams Family audition
• The pull she felt to move to Nashville
• The X-Factor experience she still recalls as traumatic

Connect with Rachel:

• IG @therachelpotter
• Twitter: @therachelpotter
• Watch the Broadway Buskers: TSQ.org/BroadwayBuskers or on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/TimesSquareNYC

Connect with The Theatre Podcast:

• Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast
• Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast
• Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast
• TheTheatrePodcast.com
• Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales
• Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think.

A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible!

Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales

If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Harkness is a Broadway veteran, as well as a best director nominee, and award winning choreographer, and a songwriter. He made his Broadway debut in AIDA in 2001, and has been on a roll ever since. He is currently starring as Paul Williams in Ain’t Too Proud - The Life And Times Of The Temptations, and previously could be seen in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Other Broadway credits include Chicago and The Color Purple, as well as the Dreamgirls national tour. In 2017, James wrote and performed his debut show, Fragments of Me, at the Metropolitan Room in New York. And on August 4th, he can be seen online performing more of his original work through the Times Square Alliance Broadway Busker’s Concert series.

Originally from El Paso, Texas, James grew up constantly bouncing around and jumping “off all the things” - including the roof of his single-story childhood home. He recalls his mother always singing and dancing around the house, and is sure he learned to move by watching her. But it wasn’t until high school that he encountered structured dance classes, which changed his life. He had found a place that made him “100% happy”. After graduation, James joined the Navy and was stationed in San Diego, and it was there that dance came back to him. Throughout his career in the Navy, James would spend his days working on a ship, and then attend dance classes in the evening. When he left the military behind, James started going on regular job interviews. He signed up with a temp agency, and got an office job. But, he also continued going on dance auditions.

James shares with us how a one-off audition for Whitney Houston’s concert tour led to him signing with an agent, auditioning for Debbie Allen, and finally meeting Kenny Ortega at an audition to dance for Michael Jackson on tour. While he didn’t tour with Michael Jackson, James would spend two and half years on tour dancing for Puerto Rican Latin pop singer Chayanne. And after continuing to pursue a career as a commercial dancer in LA, he was pulled to Las Vegas by work and friends. It was in Las Vegas he would book his first job singing and dancing as the lead in a show - “one of the best things that has ever happened” to him. And a little while later, when Broadway came calling - it called twice. James simultaneously booked Saturday Night Fever and AIDA, all without an agent. And he has been gracing stages in New York City ever since.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The nickname his AIDA cast mates gave to him
• How he came to find dance again when stationed in San Diego
• The Whitney Houston concert tour gig he was offered, but couldn’t take
• Shaking Debbie Allen’s hand
• What a typical audition day looked like for him between LA and San Diego
• The theater experience that convinced him to move to Las Vegas
• The honor and responsibility he feels in portraying Paul Williams in Ain’t Too Proud

Connect with James:

• Twitter: @ijamesharkness
• Instagram: @ijamesharkness
• Watch the Broadway Buskers: TSQ.org/BroadwayBuskers or on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/TimesSquareNYC
• Le James Cafe with The Wiggles

Connect with The Theatre Podcast:

• Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast
• Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast
• Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast
• TheTheatrePodcast.com
• Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales
• Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think.

A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible!

Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales

If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Lloyd Young is a multi-award winning performer, who originated the role of Frankie Valli in Broadway’s Jersey Boys. He is the only American actor to date to have received a Lead Actor in a Musical Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and Theatre World Award for a Broadway debut. John also starred in Jersey Boys on London’s West End, and was hand-picked by director Clint Eastwood to reprise his role in the Warner Bros. film adaptation. As a concert artist he has played to sold-out crowds at the Hollywood Bowl and has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the White House, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, Café Carlyle, and with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. John served as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, appointed by Barack Obama, and as a member of the Committee, Young represented the United States on the first U.S. Cultural Mission to the Republic of Cuba. John’s five-star-rated solo album of classic R&B, My Turn..., debuted as a best-seller on Amazon. And next up, he can be seen online when his concert “John Lloyd Young’s Broadway” streams live from The Space in Las Vegas on October 3rd.

Throughout our conversation, John comes back to the importance of and the reverence he has always had for what he believes to be the most important element of a Broadway show - the audience. What he has learned to be true is if you invest in your audience, they’ll stay and be with you even in hard times. John shares how he found other creative outlets in the “dicey years” after Jersey Boys ended, and hopes that when the smoke from the pandemic clears, and audiences and performers alike are allowed back inside theatres, “hopefully we’ll be a little more humble and appreciate the privilege” of being able to be creative for a living.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Working on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities under Barack Obama
• The importance of investing in your audience as a performer
• What he’d like his return to Broadway to look like
• The choices you have when you get pigeon-holed as a particular role
• The moment when he knew Jersey Boys would be a hit
• The lessons he hopes creatives will take away from this pandemic
• His visual arts career

Connect with JLY:

• IG @JohnLloydYoung
• Twitter: @GenuineJLY
• JohnLLoydYoung.com/live (to get tix to his events!)

Connect with The Theatre Podcast:

• Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast
• Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast
• Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast
• TheTheatrePodcast.com
• Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales
• Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think.

A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible!

Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales

If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices