← MickeyJoTheatre
MickeyJoTheatre
Mickey-Jo's thoughts on this casting... | Carrie Hope Fletcher in Waitress / Amber Davies in Legally Blonde
00:33:28
Loading summary
Transcript17 lines
- [00:00]
Commercial Announcer
The market's uncertain, revenues tight and hiring on hold. That's why results driven companies are using upwork to keep work moving. Go to upwork.com today and start hiring proven freelance talent fast. No bulky overhead, no rigid long term contracts. Just the right expert right when you need them. Work smarter and faster with Upwork. Go to Upwork.com now and find your freelance expert. That's Upwork.com post a job for free and get started today.
- [00:30]
HeroBread Advertiser
Fall is all about cozy comforts. But when you're prioritizing your health, it's easy to feel like you're missing out. With Herobread, you can enjoy all your fall favorites because they're made with Herobred sliced bread loaves, tortillas, bagels, dinner rolls and more. Try their all new hero noodles. With 12 grams of protein and just 80 calories, you won't believe HeroBread's options have 0 to 5 grams net carbs and are high fiber from the taste and texture. They've even got small batch drops of indulgent favorites like the popular her croissant. And right now Herobred is offering 10% off your order. Go to Hero Co and use code fall25 at checkout. That's fall25 at HERO CO. All figures are per serving of Herobread contains 2 to 18 grams of fat per serving. See the product nutrition panels on Hero Co for more information.
- [01:15]
McDonald's Announcer
Your sausage McMuffin with egg didn't change your receipt did.
- [01:19]
Mickey Jo Theater
The sausage McMuffin with egg extra value.
- [01:21]
Commercial Announcer
Meal includes a hash brown and a.
- [01:23]
Mickey Jo Theater
Small coffee for just $5 only at McDonald's for a limited time. Prices and participation may vary. Okay, I would like you to share your most honest opinions. All of your hot takes about Carrie Hope Fletcher playing Jenna in Waitress and Amber Davis playing Elle in Legally Blonde. Just kidding. I don't want that at all. And frankly, I'm disappointed in everyone who had already started typing. No, what I would like to talk about today is the reaction to the casting of both of these talented young women as well as this disturbing new phenomenon on social media wherein we are able to openly criticize and besmirch and harass individuals in the name of being entitled to our own opinions. You remember those moments in school where the teacher would get mad? Well, this just became a learning opportunity for everyone in the room and nobody goes to lunch until we've talked about it at 7pm okay, now before I vent my frustrations. Oh my God. Hey, welcome back to my theatre themed YouTube channel. If you are meeting me for the first time. My name is Mickey Jo. I don't always yell at people on the Internet just sometimes and I do it because I am obsessed with all things theatre. I am a content creator as well as a professional theatre critic here on social media. You can find me on my theatre themed YouTube channel as well as across podcast platforms and anywhere else that social media really exists. Anywhere that social media exists and fascism doesn't tends to be my happy place, though those are getting harder to find. Anyway, I talk about West End and Broadway shows as well as phenomena happening within the industry and today we are going to be talking about just that. We are going to be talking about the news that Carrie Hope Fletcher, West End leading lady, has been cast as Jenna in an exciting new return of the musical Waitress, which is set to tour once more around around the uk. And similarly, Amber Davis has been cast in a brand new tour of Legally Blonde playing the iconic role of Elle Woods. And I bring these two pieces of theater news together into one conversation today because they have an awful lot in common. They both represent the anticipated return of fan favorite popular shows, they are both touring around the uk, they are both female led and both stars that have been cast in these shows are established musical theater performers who happen also to have a significant social media presence. Carrie as a prolific vlogger for many years and Amber as a social media content creator on TikTok and YouTuber, but who has mainly become known for having her own brilliant interview series Call to Stage, which if you haven't watched already by the way, you absolutely should. They're very charming. She does a great job. But because like just about almost everyone else in the theater industry, these two happen to be multi hyphenates who work on social media and on stage. There has been, it seems, a certain quantity of criticism in response the casting enough for both of them to take to social media and acknowledge it. Which is what we are going to do right now. We are going to talk about why people have reacted that way and why it is annoying the heck out of me, as well as some thoughts around the idea of whether or not performers in 2025 have to also be social media content creators in order to succeed in their careers. A notion which I am hearing more and more frequently. So with plenty for us to talk about today, let's embark on this conversation. But as we do, I would also love to hear your thoughts in the comments section down below on the Understand that they are kind and respectful not only to everyone else in the comments section and ideally to myself, but principally to the performers who we are discussing in this particular conversation. I don't want to see hate in the comments section, if only because I think it's actually an embarrassing use of your time. And if after we've finished, you've enjoyed this conversation and you want to hear more of what I have to say about the theatre industry worldwide, feel free to subscribe to my theatre themed YouTube channel or follow me on a podcast platform if that is how you are hearing my voice. First though, let's talk about how we feel about musical theatre casting in 25 Now, I assume that the news of these two UK tours and the two pieces of principal casting isn't necessarily something you're hearing now for the first time, but we are going to talk it through nonetheless, particularly because there's some interesting tidbits. So with the return of Waitress, for example, which I had heard about a few weeks ago, I had heard Carrie Hope Fletcher's name attached to the show, that she was going to launch its return, but also that she wouldn't be the only Jenna on the tour, that the idea was that they were going to bring in multiple high profile musical theatre actresses to play the role. And true enough, Carrie has, I believe, shared on social media that she is not going to be doing every single date of the tour. She has clarified those at which she will be performing from her perspective. Whether this is because she has a different project to move on to later on in the tour, or whether this is something that the producers had always envisioned, I don't know. One thing you should know about the producers of Waitress, and I'm speaking about the prolific Broadway producers, the Weisslers here, whose office I have been to on one occasion randomly, is that they have become well known over the years for unashamed star casting and celebrity casting and what we might consider stunt casting. They are the producers of the long running Broadway revival of Chicago, which has seen more than its fair share of unexpected celebrity casting moments. There have been real housewives and supermodels and sports stars in Chicago. They were also the producers on the 90s revival of Grease on Broadway starring Rosie O' Donnell that Brooke Shields was in at a certain point. That this seemingly never ending parade of unexpected stars and Waitress has had some interesting and slightly novel moments of casting in its history as well, I guess, including the casting of 30 Rock alumnus Jack McBrayer and Republican ally Catherine McFoster in the original London cast, as well as the subsequent casting of Joe Sugg and the actress who was a pop singer who played dawn for A bit Ashley Roberts. Ashley Roberts. And over on Broadway too, with performers including Colleen Ballinger and Todrick hall. And June Squib going into the Broadway production of Waitress with the role of Old Joe being gender flipped so that June Squibb could play it on Broadway. So when I heard that Waitress was returning to the uk, admittedly only a few years since the last UK tour concluded, and that it was going to feature a handful of different stars as Jenner, I wasn't particularly surprised. But it's comforting to know that at least one of those stars, Carrie Hope Fletcher, is going to have considerable stage experience. Because with these producers it could be anyone. And that's not meant to sound shady. They have often made inspired choices. And I went to Chicago on Broadway to see Jinx Monsoon. I went back to see Ariana Maddox. It worked on me. But when this news eventually broke and Carrie Hope Fletcher's name was announced, I was a little surprised and taken aback by the response. And there were some people, not a huge amount, but a few, saying, why is Carrie being cast in this? Why is it the same people in the same roles always, over and over and over. Which left me puzzled because, you know, this isn't the UK premiere production of Waitress. The show already ran in the West End with multiple actresses playing the role of Jenna. Four different principal Jenners during the time West End production. Admittedly, only one of them was a UK based actress, Lucy Jones, who then continued the role on the first half of the UK tour, but left to go and play Elphaba in Wicked in the West End and was replaced by Chelsea Halfpenny. But if we also include covers, then you've got the brilliant Amy Fisher and Sarah o' Connor and Olivia Moore who have played the role. During its time in the uk, a lot of people have had the chance to play Jenna in Waitress. Carrie Hope Fletcher is not the monster that some people are portraying her to be. That has immediately snatched this up. As soon as you know the that is this musical was fresh out of the oven. In fact, she is only the latest in a line of actresses to play the role of Jenna in Waitress. And more to the point, it must be impossibly frustrating to be one of these performers and have everyone say, oh well, you play all the roles, you play everything. Every time something's announced, it's always you. When they've been on however many auditions that they didn't get, and there have been a lot of shows recently, people were sort of snarkily implying that Carrie and Giovanna Fletcher were going to be in Paddington and that that was a foregone conclusion because her brother Fletcher is composing the score and that didn't end up happening. And newsflash, there have been a bunch of shows recently that Carrie Hope Fletcher has not been in. She was not Janice in the original West End cast of Mean Girls. She was not Nancy in the revival of Oliver. Not that I know for any reason that those are roles that she necessarily aspired to or auditioned for, but they are certainly roles that people may have expected to see her in at one time or another. And she's just finished touring in Calamity Jane and she's had several stints in Les Mis, which, you know, is something that people who have been in Les Mis do. If you're in Les Mis once, like a cult and you keep coming back. A cult that I should mention, for what it's worth, I believe pays nicely. And if anything, I feel like for the past few years she's really been diversifying her careers. There's been a shift in the roles that we've seen Carrie playing and she's been doing more plays and a comedy in the West End with the Crown Jewels. She did a regional production of the play. She did pantomime for the first time. It's not like she's been appearing in consecutive new musicals every year in the West End. That's just not the case. Then we get to the side of the criticism that says Carrie Hope Fletcher has only been cast for her social media presence and she is inappropriate to play the role of Jenna, which I think is demonstrably ridiculous. Because if we think back to her performances in shows like. And I'm killing time here because I've forgotten the name of the play. Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm a terrible theatre critic. What was this called? It's not A Clockwork Orange. But that for some reason is the only thing that's in my head. Circle, the Caucasian chalk circle at the Rose Theatre in Kingston. It's a Saturday night at 7pm if we think back to her performance in that. In the Witches of Eastwick concert, I said in both of those reviews and you can go back and listen to them, I dare. She was bringing a really genuine and interesting maternal quality to them. And I thought it was so much more exciting than the teenagers that she'd been playing for years. The high school set musicals that she had been appearing in, like Heather's, like, I guess Wednesday Addams in the Addams Family and I guess like Cinderella as well. Yes, you can take a shot. I mentioned it. So when I heard Carrie Hope Fletcher, Waitress, I immediately thought that makes perfect sense with where she is right now. And I felt ridiculous that it hadn't occurred to me sooner. I also think, and I want to phrase this incredibly carefully because I am not trying to suggest that any performance is greater than or less than based on your real life circumstances and whether or not someone has had a child. But I don't believe many, if any necessarily of the actresses who had played Jenna in the UK before were mothers when they played the role. I say that with a significant amount of uncertainty. I don't know. And you also don't know what anyone's experience has been in terms of parenthood, etc. But Carrie J. Hope Fletcher is a recent new mum. She's been talking about that on social media. And so I think for so much of the show, that's going to bring a really profound and moving insight into it because that's a lot of what the musical is about. Those final few moments when she's singing, everything changes. That's going to be special, I think. And so it seems ridiculous to me to suggest that she isn't qualified to play this role. Of course she is, and the joke will be on all of you when she does and she's great in it. Also, the other side of all of this, and I sort of hate to focus on and spotlight the negativity, is that she is hugely popular and this is going to be really exciting news for a lot of people around the country who are going to get to once more see Carrie Hope Fletcher, West End star, at a theatre near them, at least while she's in the show. And before the next Jenner takes over, who you are welcome to speculate about in the comments section down below. This being the Weisslers, I'm personally rooting for the Real Housewives of London. Now parking my feelings about that particular piece of casting for one moment and we will circle back back to the way it's been received on social media. Let's now talk about Amber Davis in Legally Blonde. So here is the thing about Amber Davis. First of all, she's a brilliant talent. She was fantastic in shows like the Great Gatsby and Pretty Woman. Above all else on stage, I think she is so, so endearing. She is so charming that comes across when she is being herself in her own social media content. In the interviews that she conducts with her peers in the industry, she makes them feel like dressing room chats because she approaches them with such a Genuine fascinated quality. And that I think is going to serve her incredibly well as the singularly endearing and charismatic and likable Elle woods in Legally Blonde. But she has had such an interesting time in the industry over the last 10 years in terms of the way that she has been perceived because, and you may or may not know this, but she trained legitimately. I think she went to Erdang. Her sister is also a musical theater performer, has been seen in shows like Elf and the UK tour of Wicked. I believe they are also, I believe, both from Wales, just like the aforementioned Lucy Jones, which does sort of necessitate you at an early age deciding whether or not you're going to be an incredibly gifted singer or a rugby player. And I suppose there's no reason why you can't be both. Only for a lot of people, the first time that they encountered Amber Davis and became aware of her was as a contestant on Love Island. And this actually was not a year that I watched Love Island. I don't watch it ongoingly. There was a year I was at university. I was very invested. But I do know that she is responsible for one particularly iconic, wide eyed reaction. Gay if. Anyway, I remember being part of the musical theater community in I guess the aftermath of that season of Love island when Amber Davis got back to the shores of the UK and got her social media account back and then started to do musicals. I don't know if 9 to 5 was the very first thing that she did, but it was certainly early at the Savoy playing Judy and there was a little bit of pushback about the idea of someone from Love island being cast in a musical because it sounds a little bit preposterous. But also I think, I think a, we shouldn't be indifferent to the possibility that someone from Love island could be talented enough to play a musical theater role very well. And also, also she had trained beforehand, she was there as an actress. That was her profession. It's not like we want everyone to go on Love island and suddenly not be able to do the job they were doing before when they get back home, just because they're now a sort of semi celebrity influencer. And I think, for what it's worth, and I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself, and we've barely discussed Legally Blonde. It's actually a great thing when someone with remarkable talent and a passion for theatre, who wants to stay in that career and who wants to be known as a musical theatre actor becomes well known and becomes a household name for doing other things. Leighton Williams can now sell tickets to shows in the West End because he's well known by the public. Amber Davis is also bringing that kind of energy and excitement to the theater world, not just because of Love island, but because she subsequently went on Dancing On Ice. In fact, she did that alongside appearing in the UK tour of Pretty Woman because apparently she doesn't need to sleep. If I were to ice skate once in my life, I think I would have to simply take five days off to recover. I cannot imagine playing, of all the roles, Vivian in Pretty Woman subsequently. And it's actually been a hell of a week for Amber Davis because not only was she announced to be Elle in the UK tour of Legally Blonde, but she has very recently been announced to be joining this year's cast of Strictly Come Dancing as a celebrity participant because another contestant was injured. And so she is filling in at the last minute like a superhero, which means once again she is going to become more well known to a huge swathe of the British public who are going to be seeing her every night, hopefully falling in love with her brilliant talent and charming personality. I don't want to hear absolutely anything about the notion that musical theatre performers are in some way trained in ballroom dancing. They are, factually not, even if they have more of a predisposition to it. But there are people every year, like pop stars, who have more of a predisposition to dance. That's just a reality. Some people just also have better ankles for it. Let's have that conversation. What was I saying before I started talking about ankles? Oh, yeah. This is actually a fantastic thing. It's really great when a musical theatre performer gets mainstream recognition and can then attract audiences to go and see them on stage. And so, rather than having to stunt cast a celebrity in a show to sell tickets, you can cast a legit, trained, experienced musical theatre star who has a passion for the industry, who has so much talent and experience. And they also sell tickets because they have mainstream recognition. This is something that we haven't really seen for decades, not since musical theatre got airtime on the radio and Elaine Page could become a household name, or Michael Ball could become a household name. It has been very hard to sell legit musical theatre performers to the general public. Things like the Andrew Lloyd Webber TV casting shows made that a little bit easier. They made stars of the Lee Meads and the Jodi Prengers and the Samantha Barks and the Rachel Tucker's and the Connie Fishers of this world. But when this happens for someone like Amber, like Leighton Williams, like for Marisha Wallace on Celebr, the Big Brother, this is a great thing that we should be celebrating. We should not be standing in criticism of people, you know, building their brand so that they can help to boost the industry. We should be proud of the fact that they want to go on Strictly and be called a musical theater actor. That that is how they define themselves. Because there's not a lot of actors who want to do that. There are a lot of actors who, if they can get screen work, they're going to go and do that and they're going to stay there because they get paid better. Now back to Legally Blonde. I am excited for the return of Legally Blonde to the uk. I know a lot of people were intrigued about whether the casting for it going to resemble the more traditional casting for the show or whether it was going to mirror the exciting new interpretation directed by Lucy Moss at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in which Courtney Bowman starred as Elle in a newly body positive and diverse version of the show. Amber obviously is indicative of traditional casting, although a brunette and they managed to make a slightly warmer version of the blonde look really great on her in the promo pictures and they gave her dark roots so that it speaks to the eyebrows. I do think that there is going to be at least one dramaturgical if that's what she's gonna look like in the show. I have one dramaturgical issue that is just creeping up on me because there's a line early in the second act when El says to Brooke Windham, for years I denied my highlights. And if she's wearing that dark rooted wig on stage, I'm gonna be watching that show thinking, ah, yes, highlights. But in almost every other aspect, I think that Amber is going to be a sensational Elle Woods. I think that is a terrific piece of casting. And if I was one of the producers of that show, I am jumping up and down and punching the air right now that she's going to be on Strictly in the months leading up to the start of that uk UK tour. What perfect timing for them. She's going to be exhausted. I have no idea how she is doing all of this. Any of these performers really who are balancing extensive social media content creation with performing on stage. As somebody who makes a lot of content on the Internet, I know how time consuming it is and let me tell you, I'm not about to go and play Elle woods for months at a time around the uk. I don't have it in me even if they gave me a wig. But Having I think sufficiently discussed both of those talented actresses and their casting in these exciting returning shows. Let's talk about the big a pic.
- [20:22]
Instacart Advertiser
A PSA from Instacart. It's Sunday, 5pm you had a non stop weekend. You're running on empty and so is your fridge. You're in the trenches of the Sunday scaries. You don't have it in you to go to the store, but this is your reminder. You don't have to. You can get everything you need delivered through Instacart so that you can get what you really need. Need more time to do whatever you want. Instacart for one less Sunday. Scary. We're here.
- [20:52]
Commercial Announcer
The market's uncertain, revenues tight and hiring on hold. That's why results driven companies are using upwork to keep work moving. Go to upwork.com today and start hiring proven freelance talent fast. No bulky overhead, no rigid long term contracts. Just the right expert right when you need need them. Work smarter and faster with Upwork. Go to Upwork.com now and find your freelance expert. That's up w o r k.com Post a job for free and get started today.
- [21:31]
Mickey Jo Theater
So I'm not gonna lie to you tiny people on my camera. I'm annoyed. I have been annoyed about this and I think there is something really, really callous and classless and thoughtless about the way that people have been talking about this on social media. The actor and content creator Dan Buckley made a great point when he highlighted one particular video where someone was just making a TikTok and saying, let me know all your thoughts about. I can't remember if it was Carrie or Amber. It was one of the two of them and they were just like, I need to hear all of people's thoughts on this. And it's sort of without saying it and while maintaining plausible deniability, creating a specific space for negativity and almost encouraging negativity. Because when you say like your honest opinion, often what we've come to interpret that as is some kind of a negative hot take, right? Like if that was a positive space, then you would frame it as how excited are we? Are you planning to get tickets? All of these different things that myself and other theater influencers have been saying for a really long time. But if you are opening with like what are your honest opinions? Then you're hoping somebody says something mean or you are giving them permission to. And I have a huge issue with the people who are saying mean things publicly on social media. And I know that people feel very entitled to their opinions. And we had this whole conversation very recently with the Billy Porter of it all, and people feel as though like if you've paid for a ticket and if you've gone to see this performer, you can say whatever you want on social media and you can, but it doesn't not make you a douche because you are saying it in a public forum and particularly if you are saying it in the comments of that actor's own content. The Broadway actress, actress Amber Ardellino, currently starring in the Great Gatsby in the same role that Amber played actually Jordan Baker in the production in South Korea, recently changed her name on TikTok. She has had some controversy in the past and a decent amount of backlash, but because she had changed her username from her own name, Amber Ardellino, and then subsequently posted some professionally recorded footage of her performing the very challenging song New Money from the Great Gatsby, a lot of people were commenting beneath it saying, like. Like this is why Sam Pauley will never be beaten. Samantha Pauley, the actress who originated that role in the original Broadway production, and just sharing pretty openly rude comments. And I don't know if this was Amber's intention with changing her username, but it seemed to be an unfortunate byproduct of it that as people were swiping through, they didn't realize that she was the one who had posted it because a lot of people post performance clips and show footage and so it was kind of illuminated. Fascinating to see how people were willing to talk about a performer and willing to compare them to everyone else. Have we not all seen six the Musical at this point? Have we not all had that lecture about comparing people to other people, particularly when it's women? And since I've said the sentence particularly when it's women, let me tell you how this is also misogynistic. Bear with me. Every single time I try and say that we treat women worse than we treat men, somebody in the comments will tell me, no, we don't. Women deserve to be treated exactly that poorly, apparently. Apparently. But my thing is, Amber Ardelino is the next example that really jumped out to me. And she actually shared a video recently that Carrie had made on social media talking about her feelings around when she was announced and how people were speaking about it. Amber Davis, ahead of the Legally Blonde announcement, said something similar that people shouldn't have to feel nervous in anticipation of a cast announcement. That should be a joyous and positive day. People shouldn't be texting their friends who are actors saying like Stay strong today in the face of possibly devastating comments and messages. Anyway, Amber Ardolino was one of the names I immediately thought of. Hannah Lowther is another one. These all being performers who are also content creators who because of that get criticized every time they are announced for a show. And there are always some voices saying like they are only cast in that role. They were only brought into that show for their social media following. The producers only want them to be in the show because they are popular online. And you know who I never see that really said about is musical theatre actors who are also content creators who are also men. And excluding non binary performers from this conversation for just a moment, I never see that criticism made about Stevie Webb, who since leaving the Book of Mormon has done brilliantly going from show to show to show and who has been fantastic on stage in all of them. In Here youe Come Again, the Dolly Parton musical in Shucked in a workshop called Mona Loser that I saw recently. Stevie has been doing great work, but I don't see people saying, oh, he was just cast because he has a big social media following. I don't people saying that about Dan Buckley or any of the other numerous performers who are canny with their social media presence. And canny is really the word because even though we are having new conversations about actors who are also popular on social media, this is not really a new phenomenon, it's just a new specificity of the same thing. What we're actually talking about here is actors who have built a public brand and who have created a name for themselves and who have furnished them their name. It plays into the conversation that we were having about making TV appearances and doing other things and allowing the British public to know who you are beyond the fairly niche world of musical theater. And 20, 30 years ago, actors would have been having the same resentments about each other's success, saying, well, so and so only got cast in this production of Chess because they were on a soap because they're known for doing this. And it's definitely not a new reality that it is a little bit beneficial if those performers have some kind of a well known name. Even if that just means well known within the context of musical theatre and have led other productions which also, spoiler alert, is also a helpful thing to have done. Especially if it's a UK tour, because leading a UK tour, playing the leading role in a musical, traveling around the uk, all of these different theaters one week at a time with travel days and challenging living situations is a grueling, hard experience. And actors in that position need to rely on experience and tenacity and insight and stamina, which is not something that you have necessarily developed if you are five minutes out of drama school. If you're a completely new face in the industry, it's very possible actually that leading a show like Legally Blonde or Waitress on tour is harder than playing those same roles in the West End. So the fact that Carrie has been on multiple UK tours, has led a UK tour, and that Amber member has also is hugely beneficial, as is the reality, of course, that they are popular, that they have a presence online on social media and they have a fan base that comes with that. And it's not just beneficial for them, it's beneficial for the entire show and then by extension other actors in that show. I don't think Jamie Moscato necessarily had the same kind of fan base pre Heathers as the one that he has had since Heathers. And for what it's worth, he is another name who I think is his cast in a lot of consecutive shows who isn't necessarily criticized for taking all of the roles in the same way that his female co stars have been. And the thing is, with doing social media alongside a show, whether that is vlogging the experience on a weekly basis, whether it's just making a few tiktoks or sharing more of that behind the scenes things, it also makes people excited about becoming performers, about going into the industry. And it's also really hard work, it is time consuming, it represents a serious hustle. And British musical theatre performers are factually not paid as well as us musical theatre performers. And so anything that people do to get their bag, as the kids say, to make a little bit more money. I have known West End performers, award winning West End performers who have worked a day job while doing their West End show in the evenings because that was financially necessary for them. The industry, the epicenter of the industry industry here is in London. Have you looked at how expensive it is to live in London? And actually consider for a moment how expensive London rent and London house prices are when you are asking these performers to take like multiple months, multiple years off between shows because you don't like seeing them work consecutively. When Carrie goes straight from one show into another and you say, ah, it's Carrie again, yeah, she has a child to feed and she has things to pay for. She has a life to lead. This is a job, this is a career, people work in it. That actually represents a work ethic. And to all of the commenters and Unfortunately, I have seen them who have suggested that Carrie shouldn't be working right now because she ought to be spending more time with her child. It's amazing that I heard your comment considering it originated in the 60s. Honestly, that may be a disservice to the 60s, perhaps an earlier decade. But needless to say, although apparently it isn't, parents are entitled to make the choices that they feel appropriate for their children, for their families. And women are allowed to go back to work. It is in fact legal for them to do do so. I told you I was mad. You better not have gone for lunch yet. We are still talking about.
- [30:21]
Commercial Announcer
The market's uncertain, revenues tied and hiring on hold. That's why results driven companies are using upwork to keep work moving. Go to upwork.com today and start hiring proven freelance talent fast. No bulky overhead, no rigid long term contracts. Just the right expert right when you need them. Work smarter and faster with up Upwork. Go to Upwork.com now and find your freelance expert. That's Upwork.com, post a job for free and get started today.
- [30:52]
Nicole Byer
Hey everybody, it's Nicole Byer here with some hot takes from Wayfair. A cozy corduroy sectional from Wayfair. Um, yeah, that's a hot take. Go on and add it to your cart and take it. A pink glam nightstand from Wayfair. Scalding hot take. Take it before I do. A mid century modern cabinet from Wayfair that doubles as a wine bar. Do I have say it. It's a hot take. Get it@wayfair.com and enjoy that free shipping too.
- [31:19]
Commercial Announcer
Wayfair.
- [31:20]
HeroBread Advertiser
Every style, every home.
- [31:24]
Mickey Jo Theater
This. What else do I have to say? Do I have any final thoughts about this? Oh, I do. Let's talk about newcomers and the fetishization. Yes, big word, adult word of fresh talent. This is something I have wanted to talk about for a really long time, but I haven't yet found a good way of saying it. And I dare say, dare say I still may not today, but I'm gonna give it my best shot because often I will see in response to an established musical theater performer. By established I mean has done at least one other show previously, has played at least one other role before being announced for a new role. I see a lot of people saying it's a shame it couldn't have gone to a newcomer or that role in particular ought to have launched a new star. Evita was a show where they talked about about this and people said it's Evita. It's Jamie Lloyd it's the Palladium. It's Andrew Lloyd Webber. It's going to sell. So they could have used that opportunity, they should have used that opportunity to give the role to a newcomer. And first of all, Rachel Zegler making her UK stage debut, only her second professional stage role ever, her first musical on stage. In fact, she is nominated for a Stage Debut Award this very weekend. So, you know, yes, someone who has worked on screen, but also a performer who is still very young, who is still very early in their stage career, is not exactly a veteran at this point. But also, I think people are unrealistic about the way the industry actually works and the way that ticket sales are actually working these days and how star motivated everything is having to become. Not everything is selling brilliantly. And I think it's naive to assume that a show like Evita, just because the title is known, is guaranteed to sell. Had it sold out before she was announced. There were many months when they said, evita is coming back. Jamie Lloyd this was on the back of Sunset, by the way. It's coming to the Palladium. People were still waiting to find out who it was going to be. People care about stars in those roles. I've said this before, but I've ever had many a conversation in a public space where people have said, like, oh, the wizard of Oz is coming to a theatre near us next year and the other person in the conversation will say, who's in it? Not because they'll only go and see the witch wizard of Oz if Jason Manford is in it and they won't see it under any other circumstances, but because that's become the natural next question. They just want to hang their hat, metaphorically speaking, on the understanding that they will recognize somebody on stage. Or for them, it's a way of discerning quality. And so I think we need to be realistic about the fact that that is something that matters to audiences. They want some kind of recognition of the performers who are cast in a show and the projects that they have been attached to before. And like I said with that stamina comment before, it isn't always fair to put an entire newcomer or a new graduate into the position of a demanding leading role in musical theatre. We've seen a lot of performers put in that position who have struggled to maintain it. We have seen other performers, for what it's worth, who have been brilliant and exceptional and mind blowing and who have taken to it instantly. There are a lot of them, it's worth pointing out who had been doing musical theatre as children, of which Carrie Hope Fletcher was of the one, of which Hannah Lowther was another. But it's interesting to me when people continue to push for newcomers over anyone who has ever worked before, and that it sounds like a good thing and we should be celebrating new talent and new discoveries. And I love to see a new performer on stage having a career breakthrough. I think that's so exciting. But because it's not about any specific individual, it's not like you really care about that person. Because they are a nameless, faceless concept. The idea of somebody new and talented, talented over this person who already exists, who already has taxes to pay, who already has rent that they need to maintain, who is paying for Spotlight, who is paying their agent, who is already on the metaphorical treadmill of the theater industry and looking for their next gig. I think it even goes back to this notion of people looking at acting as less than a real job. And once you've had, you know, that one role and that one moment of the spotlight, then you never need it again for the rest of your life. Or you can take a few years away and everyone should get their turn. As though it's not about building yourself to become somebody who can deliver not just on stage, but also at the box office in every way that you need to to be a strong and viable musical theater performer. And that, I believe at 10 to 8 is everything that I have to say on this particular topic. I'm sure that there are ideas here that have been turning over in my head that I have missed, but perhaps we hash it out in the comments section down below. And incidentally, I would love to hear what you all think in that comment section as well. Though I will caution and remind you that we are going to be fair, we are going to be considerate, and we are not going to be rude on the Internet about actors who could very easily end up reading what you have to say. Because when you type words into your phone and then you hit the little enter key, that's public, that actually goes out there for other people to read, it's like we've forgotten that. But that is the truth of the situation. Anyhow, lest I you turn once more into a sassy theatrical rant, let us finish that conversation for today. Thank you so much for listening. I hope that it's been enjoyable. Question mark I hope that it's been thought provoking. I hope that maybe if you didn't agree with everything I had to say before this, that maybe you've been able to consider some of my perspectives and I hope that people are looking forward to seeing Waitress and Legally Blonde on tour around the uk. I know I am and when I do, you can be sure that I will be bringing my full reviews of each of those shows here to my theatre themed YouTube channel or podcast podcast platform. So if you want to make sure that you don't miss those, subscribe right here or go follow me and turn on notifications. In the meantime, I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a Stagey Day. For 10 more seconds. I'm Mickey Jo Theater. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe.
- [37:14]
McDonald's Announcer
Big jobs demand big performance and Western States Cat delivers Whether you're buying, new are used, Our machines are equipped with money saving technology, built tough and ready to tackle anything. And when it's time for maintenance, our expert service teams keep your investment running strong. From new and used equipment purchase to equipment rental, parts and service Western states Cat your partner, wherever you build, visit westernstatescat.com today. Together we build the future.
- [37:45]
Hershey's Advertiser
We're interrupting this podcast to ask you a very important question. Question have you had your Hershey's? When you need to brighten up your day, put a smile on your face with the classic creamy texture and pure milk chocolate flavor of Hershey's Milk Chocolate. Whether you're eating it on the go, breaking off a few pieces for s' mores night, or just treating yourself to something sweet, Hershey's Milk Chocolate checks all the boxes. Shop for Hershey's Milk Chocolate now at a store near you found Wherever candy.
- [38:12]
Huggies Advertiser
Is sold, this episode is brought to you by Huggies Little Movers. It's fun having a baby that loves to move, but it can be challeng to find a diaper that can keep up with them. Huggies Little Movers is designed to move with your baby with either the double grip strips or the new HugFit 360 degree waistband. You can be confident relying on Huggies Little Movers for your active little ones. Huggies Little Movers made with double grip strips or the new HugFit 360 degree waistband so your little double can keep moving. Like you Huggies. We got you.