This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: She invited us over to her house for like a New Year's Eve party right before we closed. And she's giving us the tour and she's showing us her art and some stuff that's so cool in her house. And she's like, oh yeah, and here's my like skull collection. And here's this painting that Michael Jackson got me for my 16th birthday. And maybe it was Prince. It was either Prince or Michael Jackson. Either way, the fact that it could have been either one.

[0:28] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Welcome, everybody, to A Musical Theatre Podcast, where we discuss the cultural and emotional impact of some of our favorite musicals in theater history. My name is Jeffrey Scott Parsons. You can call me Jeff. Today, we're discussing the musical The Addams Family, a musical that I know many of you have done, and I have the data to prove it. The Educational Theater Association released their findings from a survey that they put out back in 2023, showing the top 10 most produced musicals in high schools. Ranking above Beauty and the Beast and Matilda and Newsies, in the number one spot was The Addams Family. It's something also that I think might continue because season two of Wednesday is coming out this summer on Netflix.

So today we have our own Wednesday in the house to chat with me about it. And honestly, just one of the best singers out there. I first came to know her from the Broadway revival of Evita, where she had maybe the best version ever of another suitcase in another. She's also been seen in Wicked, made her Broadway debut as Wednesday in The Addams Family. She has a wonderful new album, Stages, and I'm thrilled she's here. Everyone, please welcome Rachel Potter! Yay!

[1:56] Rachel Potter: Hi! Oh, so fun. I'm so excited to talk about Addams Family.

[2:01] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I'm so thrilled you're here. Thank you. How are you feeling today?

[2:05] Rachel Potter: Oh, I'm feeling great.

[2:06] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It's post-memorial day.

[2:07] Rachel Potter: It is. I took the kids to the aquarium yesterday in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

[2:12] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Come on.

[2:13] Rachel Potter: I live in Nashville.

[2:14] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Amazing.

[2:15] Rachel Potter: Yeah, we're in full swing summer over here. We're starting swim lessons today.

[2:19] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Swim lessons!

[2:21] Rachel Potter: Life is life-ing!

[2:22] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh my gosh. The joy and the trauma of swim lessons. I'm so happy.

[2:28] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: We need to talk about your album right off the bat, if that's okay.

[2:31] Rachel Potter: Okay, I'd love to.

[2:32] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Because how very dare you release this thing without a warning label.

[2:37] Rachel Potter: That's sweet.

[2:39] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: If any of you out there are susceptible to involuntary crying due to very high, very tight harmonies, maybe you shouldn't listen to this while operating heavy machinery. There was literally a moment when I was driving my car listening to you have this crazy arrangement of Come What May from Moulin Rouge and the I Love You song from Spelling Bee. And water spurted from my eyeballs. And I was completely unexpected. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm leaking.

[3:09] Rachel Potter: No, no!

[3:10] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: But it's absolutely insane stuff you're doing on this album. I don't know what to say. I love it, and I've listened to it several times already.

[3:20] Rachel Potter: That's so kind.

[3:21] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Number one, congrats. Number two, tell me all about it.

[3:24] Rachel Potter: Thank you. I'm sort of calling it my midlife crisis project.

[3:32] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I appreciate that.

[3:34] Rachel Potter: Instead of buying a sports car, I made an album.

[3:37] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: You know what? It's something that we can all enjoy.

[3:41] Rachel Potter: So I've collected all these ridiculously talented friends over the years. And I started at 12 as a songwriter.

[3:46] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Really?

[3:52] Rachel Potter: I did, but obviously I didn't write anything on this album. But I love the creative process of mashing things up. Marty and I, years ago, we did Lover by Taylor Swift and You Matter to Me from Waitress. That's actually a really fun mashup to look up. We did it super low budge, but it was really special. So I've always really loved creating mashups. It's a super fun process for me. It just kind of, I think, scratches a songwriter itch in some ways to just create songs in that way.

[4:29] Rachel Potter: So the Come What May arrangement came to me in the shower. Like most good ideas, too.

[4:36] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Like most good ideas.

[4:37] Rachel Potter: And I was listening through because I knew I wanted Omar Cardona from The Voice. And he and I knew each other from working at Disney World together for years and years. And of course, Marty Thomas. We have to talk about that, too.

[4:49] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, my gosh. Keep going. Sorry.

[4:50] Rachel Potter: Yes, we'll come back to Disney. It was non-negotiable that both of these men had to be on the album. But I just was going through songs. And I'm texting both of them like, what do you think of this? And I'd gone through maybe When You Believe with Omar. And then I was listening to Come What May. And I was like, gosh, I love this song so much. But honestly, just in its form as just a duet. Not that it's not an exciting song, but it's just like, yeah, it's been done. But then I was like, what if we make it a love triangle? And then I'm so obsessed with the I Love You song. But what I love about the I Love You song is the bridge. Of course. And when that trio happens, what if we just went, I love you.

I love you. And I took it to my producer. I was like, could we make this work? And he's like, it's so weird. And it's like at a totally different tempo. But like, let's play with it. And I was like, I really think that this can work. And he figured it out. And the orchestrator made it happen. And it is honestly probably my favorite arrangement on the album. So thank you for calling it out, because it's special to me.

[5:54] Rachel Potter: It's so unusual, but undeniable. And there is a lot of story to it. You're like, are they a throuple? Like, what is happening? I don't know.

[6:03] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I don't know. But it sounds fabulous.

[6:06] Rachel Potter: But there are also other great things on there. Here, this is what I'll ask first. Stages, meaning each of these tracks belong to a certain part of your life.

[6:17] Rachel Potter: Yes, it's sort of like a double meaning of, you know, both just the physical stages that I've stood on and the metaphorical stages of life. Married to like the stages of me. You know, I actually didn't know. There's actually a podcast that Stephanie J. Block does called Stages that I found out just recently. Somebody was like, you know that Stephanie J. Block has a podcast called Stages? I was like, oh, oops, no. Hi, Stephanie. Sorry. I didn't mean to see your title. But Josh Groban had also put out an album called Stages I found out recently.

[6:49] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That's right.

[6:50] Rachel Potter: Yeah. I don't know. It's fine. I didn't mean to copy them. But mine really did have a deep meaning for me. You know, that it was like, like I said, this was my kind of midlife crisis. I turned 40 this past year.

[7:05] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Thank you. Welcome to the 40s.

[7:08] Rachel Potter: Thank you. You don't look like you could possibly be in your 40s.

[7:11] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Well, likewise.

[7:13] Rachel Potter: Thank you. So, you know, I lost my brother a few years ago. And not to, you know, be depressing. But he was only 34. And it was just like a real eye opener of we just never know how much time we're guaranteed. We're not guaranteed anything. And there's things that I have wanted to do for years that I've tabled just because of life. And, you know, making excuses of like, well, it's just really hard right now because I have a lot of little kids. And, oh, well, I'm working full time. And I don't have the money and whatever. But ultimately, I just said, I just got to do this. Like if I keep saying that I'm going to put it off and if I keep making excuses, I'm going to look back and I'm going to turn 50 and go, I wish I had done that.

[7:57] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I love that.

[7:59] Rachel Potter: Other things I want to touch on from your album, the Jodi Benson of it all. You do Part of the World. And we just got done doing a Smile episode. The fact that Disneyland was on there made me so excited.

[8:11] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And who else than Rachel Potter would like option up at the end of Disneyland?

[8:16] Rachel Potter: Oh, thank you for noticing.

[8:18] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So brava.

[8:20] Rachel Potter: You know, there was another little Easter egg in there at the very, very end. I should pull it up and play it for you because you will love this. Hold on.

[8:27] Rachel Potter: Yeah, please.

[8:30] Rachel Potter: Can you hear it?

[8:31] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Uh-huh.

[8:54] Rachel Potter: Chill.

[8:55] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, yay.

[8:58] Rachel Potter: It's so nerdy.

[8:59] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It's like ultimate nerdy.

[9:02] Rachel Potter: I'm so happy, though.

[9:04] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I'm so glad you like it.

[9:06] Rachel Potter: Oh, my gosh. Thank you. See, now it's not even just an option up. It's literally like part of the DNA.

[9:12] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It's so intentional.

[9:13] Rachel Potter: So intentional. Oh, my gosh. I love that. So Jodi Benson and I, we met a number of times through the years, very lightly. But I was a mermaid at the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show at Disney World.

[9:28] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Did you do Voyage?

[9:29] Rachel Potter: And, oh my gosh, they just reopened the show. I think now it's called The Little Mermaid, A Musical Adventure or something like that. They literally opened it, like, yesterday.

[9:38] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: You're kidding.

[9:39] Rachel Potter: Oh my goodness. And it's beautiful. And so many of my friends who I was in the show with back in the day are still a part of it. And now they're, like, some of the guys that were just, you know, puppeteers back then are now, like, head of puppeteering and, like, did the entire show. They're, like, the show directors. I'm just so proud of them. And it's so exciting. I posted on my Facebook, okay, fine, I'll come back and play Ariel again. It's like, I love it. Fine. Stop asking.

[10:05] Rachel Potter: I always call my time at Disney World, like, musical theater boot camp because there would be days where I would do, seven shows was, like, a typical shift. But then I would do a double, so I'd do 14. And then sometimes after that, like, Hoop-Dee-Doo would call or Beauty and the Beast or High School Musical or whatever that I was a sub for. And they'd be, like, hey, can you come do the nighttime or whatever. So, I mean, there were days where I would do 20 plus shows in a day, like, crazy.

[10:33] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh my gosh.

[10:34] Rachel Potter: It's insane.

[10:35] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It was insane.

[10:36] Rachel Potter: And, I mean, once I got to New York and people were, like, how are you going to handle eight shows a week? I'm, like, honey, what do you mean?

[10:44] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah, like, it was incredible training in so many ways. You know, there's certain things that, of course, nothing can prepare you for Broadway. Because Broadway is hard, let's be so for real. But so is being a performer at Disney World. It is hard in different ways, but it is a challenging job. Like, so much respect, and I'm so grateful that I got that time because it was, that was the house that built me, baby.

[11:10] Rachel Potter: And it was a castle.

[11:14] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: The first two tracks of your album are both Andrew Lippa songs.

[11:18] Rachel Potter: Yes!

[11:19] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So, even though I didn't get to see you in The Addams Family, we have you singing Wednesday's song, Pulled, on this album. And you sound fab.

[11:27] Rachel Potter: Thank you.

[11:28] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So, can you talk to me about the Addams Family stage of your life? What was going on before it? How'd it all go down?

[11:35] Rachel Potter: Sure. And before I tell you about that, I got a really cool email from Andrew Lippa after the album came out. I'll have to read it to you.

[11:44] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Please, please, please, please.

[11:46] Rachel Potter: I'm such a fan.

[11:48] Rachel Potter: Oh my gosh, me too. He said, Rachel, this is a simple fan letter to express my gratitude and joy. Your recordings of Life of the Party and Pulled are wonderful. I can't quite believe you went Lippa Lippa on your first two tracks, but hey, it's nothing I wouldn't have suggested. I hope this recording is a great success. And again, thank you for recording my songs, love, and musicals.

[12:11] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Lippa Lippa.

[12:12] Rachel Potter: Yeah.

[12:13] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: What a clever dude.

[12:15] Rachel Potter: Isn't he amazing? Oh my gosh. I just, you know, I obviously, like, know him. I've met him through the years, especially being in Addams Family. But, like, how kind to reach out. Like, that's...

[12:25] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: He didn't have to do that.

[12:26] Rachel Potter: Mm-mm. That's so nice of him. That's really, really cool.

[12:29] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So, Addams Family.

[12:30] Rachel Potter: Yes.

[12:31] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: How did it come into my life?

[12:32] Rachel Potter: Were you on tour with Wicked before that?

[12:34] Rachel Potter: Yes. I was on tour with Wicked when I got the call to audition. And I remember finding a bootleg of it on YouTube and watching Krista, like, in my hotel room. Like, why are they asking... I'm playing Glenda. Like, what are you doing? Why do you want me to come in for Wednesday? And then I watched and I was like, oh, okay, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I see it. Especially because, you know, she's happy and, like, that's the whole gimmick. There's a lot of comedy to her. Oh yeah. Yeah. I was like, yeah, this is fun. Okay, I'll do it. A funny audition story.

[13:07] Rachel Potter: Actually, because I worked on it a ton on tour. I had a couple of my castmates that were amazing that like spent a ton of time with me really breaking down the material and like working through making strong choices and felt great about the song. And so I was determined to get there and we had the audition was set to happen on a Monday in New York and I was in Kalamazoo, Michigan. And so I had found like a reasonable flight out of Akron, Ohio, which was like halfway to where we were going next. I was driving the tour like this is chaos. This story is so chaotic and it's such a like 25 year old story, you know, like just what are you? What are you doing? Why are you making these choices? So I'm like, okay, great.

So I'm gonna get done with the show at 11 or 10 or 11 PM. I'm gonna get on the road four hours. I'm gonna sleep in my car in the Akron, Ohio airport parking lot, hop the flight, get to New York, go audition, fly out the end of the day, drive my car from Akron to wherever we're going. It's actually pretty decent. It's a plan. It was a plan and I should be a travel agent. Nailed it. But what I wasn't planning for was a massive blizzard. And I couldn't really drive in snow like I didn't know what I was doing. So somehow I got myself aligned behind a salt truck and I drove the entire way behind a salt truck, probably half speed on the interstate. Terrified. But like, I think about it now and there were so many other choices I could have made, like, like maybe stopping or turning around and booking a flight out of Kalamazoo.

No, we're gonna continue on this voyage. And so what should have taken four hours took eight. And by the time I got there, there was no more time to sleep. And there was so much snow on the ground. I couldn't even tell if I was in a parking lot, like spot, I couldn't tell. So I think I slept for like, an hour and a half on the plane, I get to New York and somehow decided to take a bus to Marty Thomas's apartment to take a shot. Like, what are you doing? What are you doing? My good friends, Kyle Klybocker and Torian Everett lived really nearby. Torian is currently starring in Death Becomes Her. Oh, my gosh. At the La Fontaine. Yeah. Both brilliant friends. And so they like went over my sides with me that morning.

I put like baby powder on my face and like darken my eyes and like did braids, of course, and wore my most Wednesday outfit. That's so funny, because on my way there, I like caught a glimpse of myself in the subway and was like, Oh, my. But it was one of those magical auditions, you know, just like really clicked. I could just, I could just feel it in my bones that it was like going really well. And I had only been on tour with Wicked about six months by the time I found out that they wanted to bring me in. And it was a total whirlwind and so exciting, like complete dream come true. And I got to replace Krista.

[16:13] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That's incredible. I mean, who's such a talent. My goodness. So then how long were you with Addams Family?

[16:17] Rachel Potter: About a full year. Yeah, I think we were just under a year because I think I started in January and then we closed on New Year's Eve the next year.

[16:25] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Wow, how cool. You got obviously got to work with so many great people in the show. Also, the Broadway show is much different than the show that people probably now perform in their high school. So I can't wait to talk to you a little bit about that. Let's go back in time a little bit, though, and talk about the creator of this whole cartoon, right? This whole comic strip named Charles Addams, with two D's, of course, born 1912 in New Jersey, kind of a strange duck would hang out in the cemetery a lot, started creating cartoons in high school for the yearbook. He studied art professionally or, you know, like seriously. And then in 1933, he joins the layout department of this magazine called True Detective, which I just thought was an HBO show.

Turns out it was a magazine where he would retouch photos of corpses to remove the blood. Okay, amazing, right? Like who knew that that was a job, but in order for them to appear in publications, they couldn't look quite so gory. So then he that was his job. Now, that same year, one of his cartoons gets published in the New Yorker featuring this family that would become known as the Addams Family. Crazy year 1933. He creates something like 1500 of these comics over his career. And of course, the rest is history. But he was very much someone who I don't know if he was actually as kooky as he wanted everyone else to think he was, but like he would get married in pet cemeteries, you know, he would do stuff that was very on brand for his art, which I think is just so cool.

He was friends with Alfred Hitchcock, like he had this like very specific circle. What's interesting, though, is regardless as to whether or not he was full Gomez or not, he did love the ladies. And he had... Did he get married multiple times?

[18:30] Rachel Potter: Three times.

[18:31] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Three times. And we're just gonna I'm sure they were very fascinating women, but we're just gonna call him his Morticia's Morticia one, two and three. So Morticia number two convinces him to like sell off the rights to a lot of his stuff. Because at this point, the comic strip had been turned into a TV series. And so the world of the Addams Family had grown much bigger than just what appeared in The New Yorker. So he sells that off, which means like, he did fine financially, but from what I can gather, he did not make as much money as say, like Charles Schultz did from Peanuts or what is it Jim Davis from Garfield, right? Any of the people who maintained full ownership of their work. So he and Morticia number three start a foundation where they celebrate his artwork, because that's kind of all they really owned.

Now, when it comes time to then make a musical, this is where things get a little interesting, because the musical, when the producers, you know, set out to make it, it can't really reference the TV show. It can't reference the really popular films. It can only reference the cartoons. So that's why, at least from what I understand, at the very beginning of the Addams Family, you hear da da da da, but like, that's it. Because you can't sing the song. Somebody else owns that. We can only really play on these characters that he created, and it has to be totally original and referencing The New Yorker cartoons.

[20:07] Rachel Potter: Wow. That's funny, because I got a lot of the cartoons when I joined the show, like a lot of like the opening night gifts and things that I was given were like the cartoons. So that, I mean, that checks out. But that's interesting lore with him just being like kooky himself and getting married in cemeteries and all like.

[20:24] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: 100%, a fascinating dude, who also was really tapping into something that nobody else was this macabre sort of comedically dark thing. Like nobody was doing that in the 1950s. And it was so subversive in a wonderful way that also made Gen Pop feel really comfortable, like laughing at it and embracing it. That's no small feat.

[20:52] Rachel Potter: Yeah, that's really cool. And it, I mean, it created a whole new type of humor. I think that it was really doing something really out of the ordinary. But I mean, it normalized a lot of the morbid stuff that I think is like good to talk about. And, you know, the older that I get, the more I feel my own mortality. And, you know, I watch older family members die. And they just sort of like lived in this very strong reality that death is like part of our life. And they embraced it so fully that, you know, there's something to be learned from that in a way and making light of it with humor is good. Which is one of the reasons why I really like the approach with this musical. In the films, it sometimes feels a little bit like it's the world versus the Addams, right?

Because they have their own cool little clan that they've created. But it's so diametrically opposes what we traditionally think of society that they're always kind of being persecuted a little bit here. There is honestly like a belief system that comes out of this family that they are sharing with people who don't understand who they are.

[22:09] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: This is what I'll say, though, that I find really interesting. If somebody told me, oh, today you are recording an episode about the musical that has to do with these two young people who have fallen in love. And there's a dinner where like the weird family has to pretend to be normal in order for everything to go down correctly. I'd be like, oh, okay, the casual full. Right? It proves to me like what a tried and true sort of storytelling narrative structure this is families getting together at this one dinner where everything is going to go down and we can't wait to see what happens.

[22:49] Rachel Potter: Yeah, no, it's it's not a unique storytelling structure, but just uniquely the Addams Family version.

[22:56] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Addams.

[22:57] Rachel Potter: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Exactly. And of course, it all it all goes wrong.

[23:03] Rachel Potter: Of course. Of course. So the first time I watched the Addams Family musical, it was a bootleg as well. A little slime tutorial, but it was from Chicago because the musical tried out in Chicago and I had heard the cast album before. And so I started watching it. And the opening didn't have when you're in Addams. It started out where the Addams Family was coming to a cemetery because Wednesday was having like a birthday. She was crossing into womanhood and there's screeching and tribal sorts of rituals and grandma cuts off her braids and and does like a like a shrieky yell like like this. So the show in Chicago was very, very different. And from what I understand, when it still decides to go to New York, they bring in Jerry Zaks, who is, you know, a very famous Broadway kind of musical comedy type director to come in.

All of the producers are like, don't worry, it's not because we're in trouble. It's not because we're in trouble. We just want to make some changes. He comes in and a lot of changes happen, including when you're in Addams. Morticia had a song called Second Banana that then became Just Around the Corner. Like all of these things were kind of switching. When it opens on Broadway, you've got, once again, this story of and is it the binoculars? I always see it written down. And I'm like, how do you say that? Do you know, by chance where they are in the Addams Family lore? Like, were they characters in the in the cartoon?

[25:03] Rachel Potter: I don't know. I don't know. I could certainly try to do a little research on that. Let's see. Were the Beinecke's in? This is a question I've never asked myself.

[25:12] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: No, the Beinecke family is not part of the original Addams Family cartoons created by Charles Addams. They were introduced in the Addams Family, a new musical.

[25:19] Rachel Potter: Okay, so then let's talk about the book writer, because he's been on a musical theater podcast. Rick Ellis and Marshall Brickman were the two guys who did the book for this. Their big hit at that point had been Jersey Boys. But then Rick, of course, went on to do like a gajillion things, including Peter and the Starcatcher and Water for Elephants and now Smash. They create this family then, I guess, called the Beinecke's. See, did it again. The Beinecke's. Lucas, the son, is the one who Wednesday has fallen in love with. Now, I guess here we are getting into the characters, so let's talk about them. We got Dad Gomez. In many ways, it feels like it's his story, as much as it's Wednesday's. Gomez is really kind of the heart and soul of this show. How would you describe this character?

[26:04] Rachel Potter: I think Gomez is very firmly rooted, as kooky as he is, but he owns it. He really owns exactly who he is. He's very emotional.

[26:14] Rachel Potter: He's like, he's extremely, and maybe emotional, isn't it? He's passionate, really passionate about his wife, really passionate about the ancestors, passionate about their traditions, and super passionate about his daughter, and this transition where he's happy and sad. And it's like, I'm seeing you grow up. And gosh, as a mom, I can so relate to that now. But he's passionate about loving his family. And it's beautiful. The happy-sad moment was one of my favorite moments in the show.

[26:46] Rachel Potter: It's one of the best moments in the show. Absolutely. And I got to do that with the late, great Roger Reese, who was married to Rick Ellis. So what an incredible man he was. I loved him so much. And he was really a tremendous mentor to me in the time that we were together. And so sad when he got sick, but he just had such a profound impact on so many people's lives. And it was really special to do that scene with him because he just really felt it. You know, he was...

[27:18] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: No, he's such a heartfelt actor. That's really beautiful. Because I do think that sometimes we think of Gomez as just being a little passionate, but only in terms of lust, maybe.

[27:29] Rachel Potter: Yeah, like he just wants to make out with Morticia all the time.

[27:32] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah. But here you're seeing this passion as part of his character, bleeding into every part of his life, right? Including being a father and caring for Wednesday. Talk to me about Morticia, because it seems like maybe in the Broadway version, Wednesday and Morticia were almost a typical mother-daughter in the teenage years.

[27:47] Rachel Potter: Yeah, I think that Morticia and Wednesday, they're a little at odds of like, you need to fit into... This is what I've taught you all your life. What are you doing? You're straying from this thing that I've taught you. Don't you understand? Why are you wearing yellow? Wednesday, you're smiling. What's happening? So it's Wednesday sort of finding herself and her mother having to wrestle with, okay, my daughter is not me. So there's so many things that are such real familial conflicts that are brought up. They're just brought up in sort of an opposite way with Morticia. And it's like...

[28:36] Rachel Potter: Why are you being happy?

[28:37] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Why are you happy? Why are you wearing a bright color?

[28:40] Rachel Potter: Meanwhile, most parents are like, oh, great. The emo...

[28:43] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Why are you wearing black? Why are you being so depressed? Right. So it's just the opposite day at the Addams Family. But in fact, I've got an eight-year-old and he came to me and he's like, I want to bleach my hair. I want to paint my fingernails black. I want to get my ears pierced.

[29:02] Rachel Potter: You're eight, first of all.

[29:03] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: You're eight. Oh, God. But he's watched a YouTuber or something that has these styles. And so I was like, all right, I'll get you some black fingernail polish. And I painted his fingernails. And my husband's like, oh, God, people are going to make fun of him. Oh, no. But we're just talking about it like, listen, we have to let him explore who he wants to be and not shame him for it. And we can do our best to be like, listen, we live in Nashville, Tennessee. We live in a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee. It's possible that some kids your age might make fun of you. But like, are you okay with that?

[29:38] Rachel Potter: Yeah, I don't care. And then we kind of devise a plan of how we're going to stand up for ourselves and for what we like and think is cool. Then, you know, I'm all for it. Now, this is today. So ask me in 10 years how I'm doing, but I don't know. This is, yeah, I'm doing this is my first foray into like, oh, that's big. You're like, you're your own guy. You're doing your own thing. He asked me today if we could make him an album. But he wants to do a rap album.

[30:07] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Oh, gosh. Good luck, Rachel.

[30:14] Rachel Potter: Just really, he wants to spit those rhymes. Nice and clean.

[30:17] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: My eight-year-old white child.

[30:19] Rachel Potter: Right.

[30:22] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: That's he look, he sounds like a handful. And I'm here for it.

[30:26] Rachel Potter: He is a great kid. He's a great kid. But you know, I can it's funny. Listen, I really hope I get to play Morticia one day. Oh my gosh, it has to happen in a circle moment. But, you know, I can relate to Morticia in that way that it's like, you know, and especially I'm sure I will more and more as my kids get bigger, but just that we have to let our kids be who they want to be. And, oh, I'm not looking forward to the days when my kids start to date. Yikes. That's when all the shadow work comes out.

[31:03] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: No, the Morticia's that you got to work with are just like, come on cream of the crop, right? You were with Bebe Neuwirth at the beginning.

[31:05] Rachel Potter: I started with Bebe Neuwirth. And then Brooke Shields came in a little while later. So she wasn't part of that original replacement cast. She came in, I think, a couple of years later.

[31:15] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah.

[31:16] Rachel Potter: Now, I don't mean this in like a negative way, but Bebe Neuwirth is quite petite, right?

[31:21] Rachel Potter: He is. Yeah.

[31:22] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And then Brooke Shields is...

[31:24] Rachel Potter: Very tall.

[31:24] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: A glamazon.

[31:25] Rachel Potter: She sure is.

[31:27] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: How fun is that?

[31:28] Rachel Potter: And they were totally different in the part, of course. So...

[31:31] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Sure, of course.

[31:32] Rachel Potter: It was really fun to play. And the thing with Addams Family is that the jokes aren't always a slam dunk, you know? I had just come from Wicked, where I swear it didn't matter who you were. It didn't matter if you were even good or not. If you walked out on the stage and you said the words as they were written, it would get a laugh because it was just written in that...

[31:44] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It's that machine.

[31:52] Rachel Potter: It was just really well written. It's that... And these jokes were a little more nuanced. And we talked about it a lot in the replacement cast of finding our own voices in the jokes, finding our own ways to get laughs. And it became sort of this big challenge to breathe a different life than our predecessors into the jokes and finding our own moments. And that was a huge part of the fun with Addams Family.

[32:20] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: It's also got to be challenging for it to be so deadpan and still have energy.

[32:27] Rachel Potter: Mm-hmm.

[32:28] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: I run into this all the time working with kids who are trying to do old school musical theater where you throw a zinger and you let it land, right?

[32:36] Rachel Potter: Yeah.

[32:37] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And what ends up happening is they go, and it's lost. And you're like, okay, well, number one rule of comedy, you still got to hear it.

[32:45] Rachel Potter: Right.

[32:45] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: You know?

[32:45] Rachel Potter: Right.

[32:46] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: So the idea that you're tossing out these zingers is actually a very... Oh, gosh. It's a skill that we don't really do a lot of today. And it's also one of the reasons why I love a lot of the songs that Andrew Lippa wrote, because they feel almost vaudevillian. They feel like a call back to what you're saying, these nuanced performances where it's not necessarily about the words you say, but about the way you say them.

[33:11] Rachel Potter: Absolutely. Yeah. Like, especially in Pulled with the patter part and all of it, it is very show business, but in the best ways, right? And then with Morticia's death, this is just around the corner. It's so vaudeville. You hit the nail on the head.

[33:31] Rachel Potter: But they are old school, though. The Addams Family, that's like, even in the Wednesday show, they don't have cell phones. They're driving around in a super old car, like an antique automobile, you know? So they're not... Their whole vibe is that it's very traditional.

[33:50] Rachel Potter: They're very traditional. Yeah. And sometimes I like to think of, what if the Addams Family had come 10 years before in the 90s, and Julie Andrews in her Victor Victoria era is playing Morticia? You know? I think it could fit in because it's tapping into some of those just classic things. And then you have a Pulled or Crazier Than You that bring it into maybe more of a modern pop sensibility. But like, there is just so much old school in the show. It also reminds me of sitcoms, in a way, where you spend all the time crafting these really well-defined characters and then honestly put them in any situation and the audience is going to love it. Which is why I love talking about the different characters. So we mentioned Wednesday. What was your take on Wednesday? Like, did you get close to her? Did you love her?

[34:44] Rachel Potter: Oh, I loved Wednesday. Yeah. You know, I think that there was a part of me that always... For example, when I met my husband, I said, he's like, what color are your eyes? And I was like, they're black, like my soul.

[34:58] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: And you're like, and booked.

[35:02] Rachel Potter: So, but I think that I've always had a real fascination. Like my mom tells this story of when I was little, and my grandfather like shot a bird with a BB gun or something. They were from Alabama, so just whatever. And so I was probably seven and my brother's five. And she's like, it was just so funny to see how different you guys were. Because I ran inside and was like, Mom, Papa shot a bird. It's dead. It's so cool. And my brother runs inside. He's like, Mom, Papa shot a bird. It's dead. So I wanted to like go mess with the dead body and just like, what a freaking weirdo. But I was fascinated. And I honestly, I'm still fascinated with the idea of death and like what happens in the afterlife.

And can we reach out to those that have passed on? And my grandmother just passed. She was 95. She died in her sleep. Like what an icon. She was an amazing woman. She just recently died just a couple of weeks ago. And before that, thank you. And I had talked to her and I was like, Meemaw, what are you going to do to talk to me after you pass? Like, how are you going to send me signs? Just like, well, I love redbirds. I was like, okay, I want you to send me redbirds. You know, like try to try to communicate with me. And the day I got back from her funeral, I was standing in my kitchen. And this is not common. It's not like I see redbirds. And I've lived in this house for two years and never seen a redbird.

And I was standing in my kitchen and a redbird came and landed on my windowsill and like, peaked into my window. And I was like, holy cow. Yeah. And I mean, it just sat there for a minute and kind of looked and then flew to my porch and flew away. And I was like, what just happened? So, you know, I'm not really religious, but I do have a firm belief that there is communication with our souls and our energy as we pass on. And it's, I wouldn't even call it darkness because I think that it's part of who we, like our human experience, but just sort of openness to it. And Wednesday had this real openness and acceptance of all of that, the dark side, you know, but I don't necessarily consider the dark side evil.

It's just, it's the stuff that our society doesn't want to talk about because it's a little uncomfortable, you know, and we don't do a great job of being very like out with it with death. Like death is gruesome. It's very gruesome, but we kind of tie it up in a neat little bow. We send our dead away. We have people that are morticians that we consider weird, but like, they're doing the Lord's work. Like that sucks. Right? Like, let's be so for real. Like who was-

[38:02] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: No, like they're facilitating our inability to, you know, maybe-

[38:07] Rachel Potter: Deal with it.

[38:07] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Mourn in a healthy way by pumping our loved ones full of fluids and painting their skin so that they look as alive as possible. Like it's crazy. It's crazy what we're asking them to do.

[38:18] Rachel Potter: It is. It is crazy. And it's for our benefit for us to not feel as uncomfortable. Right? And so the whole Addams family's ability to just accept the uncomfortable and dwell in it is really something that I connected to.

[38:35] Rachel Potter: Well, when the Beinecke's come and you get to know them a little bit, you got the mom, Alice, the dad, Mal. Is that right? Mal. And then the son, Lucas. And even though the Addams family is kind of quote unquote dark, they're the family that feels toxic. Nobody's talking about their feelings. Alice is only speaking in rhymes, these like little poems. And yet, like no wonder Lucas has fallen in love with Wednesday because like she is willing to be comfortable with all of the aspects that clearly are not spoken about at home, at his house.

[39:21] Rachel Potter: Everyone is struggling. Everyone has pain. Everyone has toxicity. Everyone has issues in their family. But The Addams Family just leaves them all on display. And they're not afraid of them. And they face them head on. And they're just talked about and they're open. Where the Beinecke's represent, I think, what the majority, I think, of like Americans, the country club family, if you will, where it's like, you zip it up tight, you have a persona in public. And this is how we act. And we don't talk about how we feel. Because that makes people uncomfortable, just like painting our dead ones' faces. Like it's the same idea that we paint a picture to not have to deal with reality. So yeah, that is something that I have always struggled with.

Like I could never be like I was in pageants, but like, I didn't fit in. Really? I was it's such a weird part of my story. But I is that partly like the southern of it all? Um, honestly, it came into my life because I needed money for college. And somebody was like, Oh, you should, you should go do the Miss Seminole pageant, you can win a few thousand dollars and pay for everything you need to pay for. And I was like, Oh, yeah, okay, what do I have to do? And they're like, sing, walk around in a swimsuit, go in an evening gown. I was like, got it. Okay, fine. But I never really, I remember being in those situations where like, I would talk about smoking weed, or I would cuss, or I would talk about like, dating or whatever, in a very real, real way that people were like, Oh, Rachel, you know, and I was like, yeah, grow up like, you know, I was the like black sheep. And honestly, like, sometimes in some of my circles of friends, I feel like I'm sort of the conservative one sometimes, you know, like, not politically, but you know what I mean? So it's like,

[41:10] Jeff Parsons: No, no, no, I get it. I get it. It's I often feel the same way. But now I'm starting to see where the black fingernails are coming from. Okay, like, I think we know which parent brought...

[41:25] Rachel Potter: Yeah, that's right. When this dinner goes down at the end of the first act, the Beinecke's come, they are clearly not getting along with the Addams. We find out that Wednesday and Lucas are wanting to get married. And I think Gomez knows that, but he is not telling Morticia for sure, because that would freak her out, which is creating tension, because they usually, like you said, don't keep anything from each other. Right? Meanwhile, Wednesday's little brother Pugsley is scared that if she gets married, then she won't torture him anymore. So he steals like a potion from grandma, that's a truth serum. And at the dinner, he's going to make sure that Wednesday drinks it so that all of her crazy comes out of the dinner table, and then the relationship will be over.

Well, what ends up happening is Alice, Lucas's mom, drinks the potion and outcomes everything that she has been thinking but could never say out loud. He spills the tea, and it's scalding hot, right? So now all of this is out in the open. Mal, the dad is like, we're out of here. Then there's a storm. And it's like, looks like you're gonna have to stay the night. I think that's act one.

[42:46] Rachel Potter: Exactly, exactly. Which brings up somebody that we haven't talked about yet, which is Uncle Fester. Uncle Fester has this like, interesting relationship. And even like post Broadway, he became almost a narrator, like talking to the audience, having a relationship with the ancestors of the act, like the ghost ancestors, requiring a great chorus, right? Like the ancestors are kind of giving up. He has the relationship with them to try and create the atmosphere in which all of these things can be explored. So like, they are ultimately responsible for the storm that keeps everybody in the house. And then act two is going to be what happens in the aftermath. Can you talk to me about Kevin Chamberlain? Was he still in it when you were?

[43:31] Jeff Parsons: He wasn't. He wasn't? Okay.

[43:31] Rachel Potter: No, guess who I got? I got Brad Oscar.

[43:40] Jeff Parsons: Well, come on. I know. Past guest of a musical theater podcast.

[43:40] Rachel Potter: What? Brad Oscar is a dream. A pro. He is a brilliant actor. And I was really lucky to get to be with, honestly, the entire Replacement cast. But I mean, Heidi Blickenstaff was another one that was a part of my Replacement cast as Alice. And then of course, Brad, and he's such a chameleon. I mean, he's but he's a comic genius and a Broadway veteran. So I was just really lucky to get to witness them in the parts and get to like, be backstage with them and watch how they acted and like, learn about the professionalism side of Broadway from these true Broadway veterans. It was just really a unique experience. And I feel really lucky in that regard, because they were tremendous. And I was in all my rehearsals with them.

[44:36] Jeff Parsons: Oh, see, that's cool.

[44:36] Rachel Potter: Yeah. So it was a sort of... You don't always get to rehearse with people when you're going into a Broadway show. So how cool that you got a full cast. And I had been in the Wicked tour. And so I knew a little bit about professionalism. But I was I mean, so green, like the Wicked tour was the first big professional job that I'd done outside of Disney World. So I had to sort of like learn the ropes and learn how things work and like, what is okay, what's not okay, like all those nuances of being a professional in this industry. And so I got a front row seat to some of the most professional people that there are in the industry. So that was really cool.

[45:12] Jeff Parsons: My gosh. Well, in Act Two, as you can imagine, everything goes down. And we all need to learn our lessons. You got lots of fun numbers. I kind of want to skip to the the squid.

[45:28] Rachel Potter: So weird. So in the original Broadway version, and people might be thinking, might be asking, what's squid? In the original Broadway version, there was this squid that lived in the basement of the Addams Family house. Like you do. And ultimately, it's the squid who kind of teaches the dad, Mal, a lesson about love.

[45:47] Jeff Parsons: Yes. Yes.

[45:56] Rachel Potter: I don't know how. Somehow there was some sort of a love transfer between him and the squid. And then he learned to love Alice. Thank you, squid.

[46:06] Jeff Parsons: Yes. I mean, it kind of leaves me speechless. I don't know if it's like supposed to be psychosexual and kind of funny in that way. Like, I really don't know. All I do know is that that thing got cut as soon as Broadway closed.

[46:23] Rachel Potter: Sure did. It sure did. Yeah. And then the other thing I remember, I saw the tour, a friend of mine, Courtney Wolfson, played Wednesday, she was in the Broadway cast as well. And then she took over Wednesday on tour. And so I went and saw it when it came through. And I was like, Oh, man, it's so cool to see all the changes. But so squid was gone. And then Crazier Than You became like, a quartet, like a full scene. But yeah, the squid, darn, I forgot about the squid. I wasn't in the squid scenes. But I remember it being just absolutely ridiculous. But you know, what you said earlier is so right, that I never really thought about it that way, that it's like a sitcom where you develop each character, and then you make the stakes high, and then you let everything fall apart, and like comedy ensues. And that's exactly it. You're like, you're so right about that. I've never, never seen that part of it. That's, that's really smart.

[47:17] Jeff Parsons: It's also interesting to think about like other properties, intellectual properties that started out as comics that became musicals, and seeing how they've been similar or different, in many cases, a lot of similar. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown with Peanuts, they went the route of just doing all these little vignettes. But then when it came time to come to Broadway, they realized they needed more shape, and even more songs. And so who did they get to do it? Andrew, mother effing Lippa.

[47:49] Rachel Potter: So only the best. I love My New Philosophy. It's one of my favorite little songs to sing. It's so great. Beethoven Day, come on. So Charlie Brown definitely has been, you know, massaged and changed over the years. And then even Annie, which began as a comic strip as well, right? They decided to go up with a much more linear musical comedy version. But then you turn it into a movie. And now all of a sudden, like Poonjab and Annie are hanging off a bridge, you know, and Carol Burnett's passed out on the train tracks below. Like, it's interesting how these types of properties can grow when you have these characters and kind of free range to have them do whatever they want. So when the national tour goes out, gone is all of that stuff.

And they really just hone in on this central conflict, which is between Morticia and Gomez, that he had lied to her about the marriage between Lucas and Wednesday. You got the Wednesday and Lucas trying to figure out if they actually want to be together, even though their family lives seem to be a total mess. And then Alice and Mal, who, you know, truth is coming to the light. And how do you resolve all of that? I think what they realized is that it's all kind of the same thing, which is about communication and trust. And it all revolves around Lucas and Wednesday, an apple and a crossbow.

[49:18] Rachel Potter: Yeah, that's right. That's it. I think in your version, wasn't it about Wednesday convincing him to let her shoot the apple off his head? Is that what you remember? By the way, this was now 15 years ago. Can you believe it? This still feels like a new show to me.

[49:37] Jeff Parsons: I know. I'm also like, can't believe how old I am. So it's like, when you can reach back and go, oh, I was just on Broadway. It was like a few years ago, but like 15 years ago feels so far away now. I need to do another Broadway show.

[49:55] Rachel Potter: We'd all be so lucky.

[49:56] Jeff Parsons: Oh, thanks. Because there's like, from what I understand, there's this change where Wednesday was trying to shoot the apple off of his head. And then in Crazier Than You, he's like, no, I'm going to be even crazier than you to prove how dedicated I am. You're going to wear the blindfold and shoot the apple off of my head. It almost becomes this power move.

[50:21] Rachel Potter: Okay. And then Mal, his dad, sees how willing he is to be, I don't know, nonsensical about love. And instead of the squid, that becomes his motivation for change to be like, oh my gosh, my son is willing to let her do this to him. He must really love her. Do I feel that way about my wife? Mal was not an arc crazier than you've seen, but I did wear the blindfold and I did shoot the apple. That happened because I remember the trick shot and how we did that. And I remember having, it was his tie that I had as my blindfold. So I have like visceral memories of the tie. And then we would kiss.

[51:03] Jeff Parsons: Yeah. How cute.

[51:04] Rachel Potter: But Mal just wasn't a part of it in our version.

[51:07] Jeff Parsons: Got it. Got it, got it.

[51:08] Rachel Potter: So he didn't influence that.

[51:10] Jeff Parsons: Which is a really fun metaphor in a next to normal type of way, where it's like the cost of love is loss. And you're only really loving someone if you're allowing them to possibly hurt you.

[51:23] Rachel Potter: Right. Right. Because you have to be, the vulnerability is what breeds the connection.

[51:31] Jeff Parsons: The real connection. Yeah.

[51:32] Rachel Potter: So like the physical manifestation of this guy being like, you could possibly kill me and I'm okay with it. That is on some level how we all feel when we're opening our hearts to somebody. And I think it's really sweet. I think it's cool. Now, my favorite part of the show is actually these last numbers. It's the Morticia Gomez duet into their amazing tango into this like, almost operatic finale. The show really leaves you feeling like, dang, I saw a musical, which I love. It's almost like they save some of the biggest guns for the end.

[52:12] Jeff Parsons: Right. Because sometimes it can kind of fizzle at the end. Right. And it's like, it's nice. It's nice that it stays strong. But yeah, move toward the darkness. Somebody, I do a lot of like masterclasses and stuff for Addams Family, because like you said, it's so done. And so I've...

[52:58] Rachel Potter: We get done talking about it and I'm like, where's my ticket? You know, you get into the inner workings of these stories and of the people who created them and the artists like you that brought them to life and you see like the humanity in it and like how powerful and what a beautiful tradition. So it was a really fun show to be a part of. And it was a wild moment for me. Like my face was like on buses and taxis and like signs and subways. Like it was the quintessential Broadway star moment that was wild. And then my very first time doing it. So, you know, it may not have been in my top 10 had I not been in the show, but of course it is in my top 10 now having been a part of it. And I'm really proud of what we did and I'm proud to have been a part of it.

And I love that it has had this incredible life beyond Broadway. And I love that so many kids get to connect to it. And, you know, that they're hearing that message, whether they realize it or not, that being vulnerable is where we get our intimacy and connection, like you said, and owning your quirk, like you're creepy and you're kooky, but we love you, you know, and it's, I love that that's, I love that's in so many educational theaters. It's awesome.

[54:47] Rachel Potter: I was going to say that it might be the definition of high school theater programs, right? Here's your safe space to be a little creepy and a little kooky. So no wonder the show is done as much as it is in high school. I mean, on top of having great characters and everything else. You know, it's hard sometimes in our small towns to really see past the crap of high school and whatever, but just know that like, this is just a glimpse at the community that's out there for you. This isn't it, but this is, this is the first taste of it, you know, and like, this is the promise. Yeah, this is the promise that there is a whole nother world of people who are just like you. And that's true, not only for theater, but for any kind of folks that have like a love of something that's unique.

My cousin, for example, she loves Dungeons and Dragons. And there is a whole community of people out there that are obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons. Are they in your town right now? Maybe not, but they're out there.

[55:47] Rachel Potter: Maybe, honestly.

[55:48] Rachel Potter: Maybe! But theater is very unique in that it's so accepting. And I love that we're bringing Addams Family into the fold. Like, it's just, it's a special place. And for any kids out there that are fans of your podcast and feeling like an outcast in their town, like, I think holding on to that promise that there is a whole world of weirdos out there that are gonna love you for exactly who you are. And you just have to find your Addams Family.

[56:16] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Amen! Oh my gosh, that's becoming a real. So good job. Rachel, thank you so much for doing this with me. What a great time and pleasure.

[56:28] Rachel Potter: Absolutely. I wish that I like remembered more of the show. Like, there's so much that just leaves you. I had some funny little run-ins too because, you know, Brooke Shields was a big star. So big stars came to see her because they were her friends. There was one time where I don't, I was just having an off day. And I like, it was, it was like a Thursday and I was really struggling just to, just to get through the show. And I got to the final scene and I was, and I was like, oh, made it. But I still had two more lines. And Brooke Shields is looking at me and I'm supposed to deliver my, like, final line to her. And I just forgot what it was. I was like, entered what actors call the white room of death, like just.

[57:07] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: The white room.

[57:08] Rachel Potter: Oh no. And she starts trying to give me riddles. Like the train leaves the station. I'm like, Brooke, just help. She was trying so hard, like, is it something about death? And I'm like, probably, I don't know. Maybe.

[57:26] Rachel Potter: Based on the themes of the show, you're probably right, but I don't remember. To the point where I just eventually got so far, like, gone. I just looked at the entire cast, all the ancestors and Jackie Hoffman and playing grandma. And I'm like, does anybody know my line? And Jackie Hoffman comes, whispers my line in my ear. I say it. And then we get through the end of the show, the curtain comes down. And I mean, my heart's just like, I'm like, mortified. I'm so embarrassed. I start hysterically crying. I go backstage and guess who was there that day? Matthew Broderick. What? So he sees me crying and he comes up to me and he's like, oh, don't worry about it, kid. I once forgot my lines so bad. And the producers, they had to bring my script out on stage to me and walked away. And I'm like, thanks, Matthew. So glad you came to play with us today.

[58:23] Rachel Potter: Thank you for seeing this show. But anyway, it was it was so funny. Like, my gosh, moments. Yeah, just those little moments of like, really famous people that would just kind of you just brush shoulders with them all away and just be like, of course. Hey, what theater were you guys in? I forget. We're in the Fontaine. Speaking of. Yeah, that's why you mentioned it. Same thing that happened with Ricky Martin. I mean, because he's also a different kind of celebrity. Oh, my gosh. Right. A pop star celebrity. And it's like J-Lo came to see our show. Christina Aguilera came to see our show. And I was just like, I saw J-Lo from about like 20 feet away and she was just glowing. Brooke's been famous her whole life, though.

Like, we went to her house. She invited us over to her house for like a New Year's Eve party right before we closed. And she's given us the tour and she's showing us her art and some stuff that's so cool in her house. And she's like, oh, yeah, here's my Skull Collection. And here's this painting that Michael Jackson got me for my 16th birthday. And maybe it was Prince. It was either Prince or Michael Jackson. Either way. The fact that it could have been either one. It really could have. She was very close. I think it was Prince. But she was also very close to Michael Jackson. So it was just like, it's just the fact the way that she just brushed over it. And I'm just like, what girl? You like you just said Prince got you this for your birthday. You know, that was just her normal. And isn't that interesting that like that was just bananas? It wasn't like a show off moment. It was just her truth.

[59:56] Rachel Potter: So what was because literally since like a baby, she's been in the spotlight.

[1:00:00] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah. And she became like a big star. I can't remember how early it was when she was in that first movie that went so well for her. But I mean, I want to say she was like 10. Like, she was a very, very young child star. And she, in some ways, I think Brooke, Brooke, really, and you'd have to ask her, but I think she really connected to Morticia because she's got a, you know, kooky side and her school collection. Hello. Hello. Yeah. Anyway, shout out Brooke Shields, president of Actors Equity now. President Shields.

[1:00:33] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: As always, if you have recommendations for shows you'd like us to cover on a musical theater podcast, you can always email me at amusicalpodcast at gmail.com. Join us on Patreon exclamation point where you get bonus episodes and polls and little essays that I write. It's a really fun community over there. We would love to have you. You get new stuff every single month. Patreon.com slash a musical podcast. You can also find us on social media at a musical podcast, especially Instagram and TikTok. We've got great videos over there. More than anything, everybody, truly, thank you for being a part of our strange and kooky little Addams Family on the musical theater podcast. I'm grateful you're here. Hey, Rachel, tell us how we follow you, how we listen to your music, anything you want to plug.

[1:01:17] Rachel Potter: Yes. Well, you can find me on Instagram and all of the places at the Rachel Potter. There's a lot of them. So the Rachel Potter is mine. We've got a pre-order campaign going on right now for my album. If you like physical CDs or any of my fun merch, but you can listen to my album Stages anywhere where you can stream music, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, all the places. Congratulations. Truly. I know that those things are so much work and it very much paid off, but we didn't even talk about the you can fly, you can fly, you can fly at the very end of.

[1:01:50] Rachel Potter: Oh, we can, if you want. I mean, I've got a few more minutes if you want to talk about it. That was that was another one that made me cry. What song is that? Who's that one about? So I mentioned that my brother passed away a couple of years ago. So his name was John Potter and he was very well known for playing Peter Pan at Disney World. So that song came from a good friend of mine named Laurel, who was in a band called the Young Fables in Nashville. Her sister, Lindy, had died tragically in a car accident many years back. So she wrote this song called She Was Mine. And I mean, my brother hadn't even passed when I heard it the first time and I just wept. It's so, so sad and so good. And then when my brother did pass, she and I talked on the phone for a long, long time because we had both lost both our fathers and our siblings.

So it was like this awful club to be a part of. And when I came to finally doing the album, I remembered this song and I listened back to it and I was like, this could be really special with an orchestra. Because it's a country song. So it's done very stripped down and really simplistic orchestration on their end. So I thought, what if we bring a full orchestra to this and then some Peter Pan twinkles in there and change the words to He Was Mine. And so I asked her if we could change the words and she said yes. And they sang harmony with me on the song, her and her boyfriend, Wes, who's in the band, the Young Fables. And then we were able to add like a second star to the right. And then there's one little moment where it's like, do do like that.

I can't remember the interval. Yes. But it's in there. You can hear it. And then the you can fly, you can fly, you can fly at the end. So that's a dedication to my brother. It's really sad. It was hard to get through. But I couldn't not do something for him, you know, it was really important. But then, you know, I don't think we talked about, I did Pulled, but I don't know if you've seen it, but I did a whole music video for Pulled. It's so fun. And maybe you can, you know, put a little a little sneak peek of it in the show. But I had a friend who's a costume designer in Florida named Tony Joaquim. He made me a remake of my Wednesday dress from Broadway. And I found like a little bob wig on Amazon.

And we and I, I went to Lowe's last Halloween, and they had all of these like amazing Addams Family things. It was so cool. They had and I got like these flickering candlesticks. So I got all these amazing props at Lowe's. Thank you Lowe's. I know. And I still had my Wednesday boots. And I still have my Wednesday leggings. So I wore those and I still like knew how to do my Wednesday makeup. So I did all of it. And then I did a transition to be dressed like Wednesday from the from the TV show.

[1:04:51] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Cute. This is all in that video.

[1:04:57] Rachel Potter: Yeah, it's on YouTube. Okay. I'll definitely put a link in the show notes so that people can check it out. Okay, cool. That sounds adorbs. Rachel, thank you again. Everyone out there. Thank you for listening. And remember, embrace your kooky.

[1:05:08] Jeffrey Scott Parsons: Yeah, that's right. Move toward what am I what are we doing? Towards the darkness. Yes, darling.