This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Bryan Plofsky: Hello and welcome to the official Broadway Podcast. We're drunk on theater. I'm your host, Bryan Plofsky, and we're nonstop. That would be enough, but we're helpless. So we'll take a break and burn, but also stay alive, because we're the best of wives and women. If Skylar is defeated, then tomorrow there'll be more of us. But if the world was wide enough, then it's quiet uptown, sisters. Joining us today are the usual Alexander Hamilton's, including Kevin, the orphanage jager.

[0:49] Kevin Jaeger: Oh, the orphanage.

[0:54] Bryan Plofsky: That's the, whenever someone says orphanage or orphan, that's all I hear. Kimberly, our satisfied game master and unofficial babysitter for the hour.

[1:06] Kimberly Cooper: Hi!

[1:11] Bryan Plofsky: And with us is a returning guest and somebody you may have seen as Eliza on tour in Hamilton, or as one of the hosts of the horror movie podcast, Talking Horror. Let's give a big Broadway welcome to friend of the show, friend of the show, friend of the show, Nikisha Williams.

[1:20] Nikisha Williams: Y'all ready for this? I'm so ready. Oh my God. And do you see how like we were able to make all of those noises at the same time?

[1:30] Bryan Plofsky: I know. How is that, Bryan? How are you able to make all these sounds and overlap our voices and everything?

[1:35] Bryan Plofsky: Because I've gotten much better at technology. Zoom has really improved. We are actually in the same room together.

[1:49] Kimberly Cooper: Yay. In person. At my kitchen table. I don't know what to do. It's been so long.

[2:04] Bryan Plofsky: It's a real conversation. I know. Well, let's just start with what are you drinking?

[2:10] Nikisha Williams: Ooh. Bryan?

[2:19] Bryan Plofsky: Oh, yeah. Tell us about your cup. I'm drinking out of the Great Gatsby Cup. I have tequila. I have seltzer and I have a little bit of lime juice.

[2:25] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah. No olive juice this time?

[2:29] Bryan Plofsky: No olive juice this time. The only thing that I can see from my end on that cup is telecharge.

[2:35] Kevin Jaeger: This is a telecharge cup?

[2:41] Bryan Plofsky: I'll drink from the other side. There it is. Perfect. I was like, are you sponsored by them, Bryan? Okay. No. Not Broadway's to just Bryan. Bryan is sponsored by telecharge. The Great Gatsby Cup says something great is coming to Broadway. Do they ever switch it? Something great has come to Broadway. Or something great is on Broadway? Or something great came on Broadway?

[3:00] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah. No, that wouldn't be it.

[3:07] Bryan Plofsky: Kevin, what are you drinking?

[3:13] Kevin Jaeger: I'm drinking some Jack Daniels with some lemonade that Kimberly's husband made for us.

[3:23] Kimberly Cooper: And his name's Jay.

[3:29] Kevin Jaeger: Yes. Yes. Indeed. Indeed. Kimberly.

[3:35] Kimberly Cooper: Oh, I have. Oh, you're drinking with us again. You were drinking with us last season.

[3:41] Nikisha Williams: Correct.

[3:41] Kimberly Cooper: Here I am. Able to drink again. Yes. In very small amounts. Because now I'm a mother and I don't drink that much. Sure. And I'm wondering, I'm just like, wow, can I get home safe? I literally walked home from dinner a block and a half away and was like, I'm tipsy and I'm going to get myself a whiskey.

[4:03] Kimberly Cooper: Okay. I'm drinking Keeper's Heart American Irish whiskey. Also with the lemonade that Jay made. Which makes it sound very fancy. It's like a country time lemonade powder.

[4:10] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, it's delicious. I mean, it's still good, but I preferred.

[4:15] Kimberly Cooper: It gets the job done.

[4:21] Nikisha Williams: Yes. That was excellent. Chemistry, babe.

[4:30] Bryan Plofsky: My book just went off. It's all good. Wait, Nikisha, what's in your lemonade?

[4:36] Nikisha Williams: Yes. Tito's vodka that I'm stealing also from Kimberly and Jay's house. Oh my God. We can cheers.

[4:41] Bryan Plofsky: Oh yeah. Cheers. I mean, they're all plastic, so you can't really hear.

[4:49] Nikisha Williams: Oh, these are glass.

[4:49] Bryan Plofsky: Fantastic. Well, Nikisha, let's just start with, you know, we haven't talked to you in a while.

[4:54] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[4:54] Bryan Plofsky: And you just came back from, as Kevin put it, 12 years on the Hamilton board.

[5:01] Kevin Jaeger: 12 years a Hamilton slave.

[5:04] Nikisha Williams: You played every character. I said it, so it's okay.

[5:11] Bryan Plofsky: I guess talk about doing something for so long, and then you just finished. What's the transition back to civilian life, if you will?

[5:23] Nikisha Williams: Absolutely. Well, I'll start off with that question and work backwards. So I've been done for about two months now, and it feels like you jump off a moving train, and you're rolling down a hill, and you don't know when you're going to stop. That's what it feels like when you get off of the road, and you come to a place where you are now settled, and you're not moving around so much. And so the routine of always traveling, and packing up your things, and not being in one spot for too long. Now you're sitting with all your stuff and thinking, what am I to do next? Because your brain is still moving in that tour phase. And so it's really hard for you to say, brain, it's okay. We don't have to go anywhere.

You can throw your suitcases away or burn them if you want to. You're going to stay in one spot. So it's really an interesting transition, just coming back home. And I already have an apartment in Jersey. So at least I didn't have to come back and try to move into a new apartment.

[6:23] Bryan Plofsky: You could just come in and settle.

[6:25] Nikisha Williams: Exactly. To a place that you knew.

[6:30] Bryan Plofsky: Exactly. Yeah. So it was nice. It was just now I have all these trinkets and stuff that I can put out for my mom.

[6:35] Nikisha Williams: Trinkets.

[6:35] Bryan Plofsky: Do you sometimes just go and sit in your car every three weeks for a few hours just to feel like you've gone to a new location on the tour?

[6:40] Nikisha Williams: Stay up late and then come right back.

[6:41] Bryan Plofsky: Right. Exactly. Well, sometimes driving around in Jersey is like being on the road for two or three hours with the traffic. That's true.

[6:50] Nikisha Williams: So yeah, it's been nice. But being with Hamilton for so long, and doing a show for so long, it's very interesting to try to keep it fresh. But I think last time we talked to... Was I doing Eliza when I talked to you guys? Or was I still in the ensemble?

[7:05] Kevin Jaeger: Maybe you were. I don't know.

[7:08] Nikisha Williams: About to be Eliza? Maybe.

[7:10] Bryan Plofsky: I don't know.

[7:11] Nikisha Williams: But I feel like when you were in ensemble and you were covering, you were doing a lot of covering of Angelica.

[7:16] Nikisha Williams: Yes. Yes.

[7:18] Bryan Plofsky: I feel like when you were covering, you did a lot of that. And then you played Eliza.

[7:22] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[7:23] Bryan Plofsky: A little time. So you had a lot of experience with both of the more prominent sisters.

[7:28] Nikisha Williams: Oh, absolutely. And I will say, and I'll die on this hill. Well, and Peggy. And Peggy is great. You only have to worry about two songs and you can go about your day.

[7:37] Bryan Plofsky: Sure. And you get to wear a sexy red dress and be the sexy one.

[7:41] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. Like, that's fun.

[7:42] Bryan Plofsky: Because it's a dutch dress.

[7:43] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. Like, you're known just enough, but it's not a lot of pressure.

[7:46] Kevin Jaeger: So you can go have a drink beforehand, or after the show.

[7:50] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[7:51] Bryan Plofsky: Because it's not that crazy.

[7:51] Nikisha Williams: Beforehand.

[7:52] Kevin Jaeger: Your big line is like the subject of many a drinking games.

[7:57] Nikisha Williams: I say, and Peggy, like every time somebody says, and Peggy, somebody's got to drink at least once.

[8:02] Bryan Plofsky: Oh, I, well, are you drinking now? Can we do that now?

[8:04] Nikisha Williams: Oh, yeah.

[8:06] Bryan Plofsky: That's the rule.

[8:07] Nikisha Williams: That's the rule for this show. Yeah. Anytime you just naturally throw in Peggy for the rest of this episode.

[8:12] Bryan Plofsky: I'm drinking, yeah.

[8:12] Nikisha Williams: Okay.

[8:13] Bryan Plofsky: Oh, God.

[8:15] Nikisha Williams: So, but like, when, if you're getting to this part of the story, like, I love to hear what the difference between, like, being in the ensemble and covering versus knowing, like, you're going on as Eliza every night. Like, how did your day change? How did all that work? Once you get to that part of the story.

[8:35] Nikisha Williams: Yes, yes. Well, I'll just, I'll get to that part of the story now. It's different knowing that you're just doing one thing every day, and that is comforting to your anxiety. But then new anxiety fears come about of, am I going to be able to sing through this today? What am I doing to keep up with my voice all the time? Especially because Eliza is a vocally demanding track. And so it was a lot of making sure I'm getting rest, doing all the, you know, awful singery things that we have to do to make sure that we can do things.

[9:06] Bryan Plofsky: Yeah, sure.

[9:07] Nikisha Williams: You know, but it's like, get the sleep, you know, have the steamer, do the warm ups, all the stuff. But even then, sometimes your voice just doesn't have it. And then it's like, okay, well, do I call out? Or do I have like 70% in me? And is that good enough to just go and do this show? So you kind of have like that mind kind of thing going on back and forth of, okay, I'm at 75%. Should I do this show? Or should I just sit it out? But being a cover, I think I just didn't like give a fuck as much. Because it's like, this is my job, I have to go on and I'm literally just going on to keep the wheels going, like to keep the show going.

[9:43] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[9:44] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. So it's not as much pressure.

[9:46] Bryan Plofsky: Of like, it needs to be 100% perfect.

[9:48] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, it's kind of like, no, we just want to make sure the show is going well. Now, of course, I want to make sure I'm at 100% all the time. But then it's like, Eliza full time, I realized it's like now you're in the reviews and people are looking at you and comparing you to everyone else. You're getting press and all this other stuff.

[10:05] Kevin Jaeger: You're going on like St. Louis Today.

[10:07] Nikisha Williams: Yes.

[10:08] Bryan Plofsky: Yeah.

[10:08] Nikisha Williams: Like you're going on morning shows, you're doing Instagram.

[10:11] Nikisha Williams: The morning shows are fun. I like it. I'll ham it up with like a news anchor.

[10:15] Kevin Jaeger: Really?

[10:15] Nikisha Williams: It's fun.

[10:16] Bryan Plofsky: You'll ham it up?

[10:17] Nikisha Williams: Yes. I didn't even mean to.

[10:19] Bryan Plofsky: You said it.

[10:20] Nikisha Williams: I did.

[10:21] Bryan Plofsky: You said it.

[10:22] Nikisha Williams: But yes, I will. I will ham it up. I even had to teach one news anchor in Atlanta how to beatbox.

[10:29] Kevin Jaeger: Oh, wow.

[10:30] Nikisha Williams: And that was a really fun time.

[10:32] Kevin Jaeger: Did they do a good job?

[10:33] Nikisha Williams: They did. They did a really good job. I forgot what news studio it was. And I hate that I forgot, but it was in Atlanta. But yeah, I had to teach him how to beatbox and it was really cute.

[10:43] Bryan Plofsky: Oh, my God. It's super fun.

[10:44] Nikisha Williams: It was fun. But yeah, it's definitely less pressure being a cover because it's kind of like whatever it's going to be, it's going to be. But as Eliza, you're just being compared a lot.

[10:53] Kevin Jaeger: And since you were a cover for so long, was calling out like a different experience because you knew what that meant for someone else's day?

[11:01] Nikisha Williams: Yes. Yes. I made sure if I knew the night before that I wasn't feeling however, that I was texting the company. We had a text chain.

[11:08] Nikisha Williams: Everyone, I don't feel well.

[11:09] Kevin Jaeger: Right.

[11:10] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. And I'm like, I'm letting you know now because a lot of times too, people had family in town or friends in town. So it was like, well, let me let you know early enough so that your people can get a ticket to come and see the show.

[11:21] Bryan Plofsky: See you as a live show.

[11:22] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. So it definitely was like we had a text chain, made sure, and it was kind of like, let's communicate more. I will over communicate.

[11:32] Bryan Plofsky: I've never thought about, you brought up something that I've never even thought about because obviously with like Elphaba's, there's like the videos comparing the Elphaba's and who's your favorite and people are like, remember what Elphaba they saw. But like, that's probably also true of like the main characters of Hamilton as well. So did you have you experienced like online people talking about like your Eliza compared to others and like?

[11:50] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. Okay. I haven't seen like a video of me as Eliza in like comparing, but there is an Angelica one of all the satisfies because they named at first Mika. I don't know if you guys know her, but she was a cover and they had her video, but they said it was me. I was like, this is not me. But then they found a video of me and they're like, this is Nikisha. But I was like, I didn't want to take the credit. I was like, this is not me. And this is amazing Mika. And she has a fantastic voice. But then like there's a whole subreddit section about me being an awful Eliza in Chicago.

[12:37] Bryan Plofsky: Well, I was looking for the interview with the news anchor in Atlanta, like see how this turned out. And then of course you see your name and it's like, Nikisha Williams sucks.

[13:04] Nikisha Williams: It was just probably some jerk and Peggy.

[13:12] Bryan Plofsky: Oh, that's so wild.

[13:13] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. But it's part of the, it's part of the gig.

[13:46] Bryan: So this is the second time you've seen it?

[13:48] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[13:49] Bryan: Was your first favorite me yesterday?

[13:51] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, yeah.

[13:54] Bryan: And that name?

[13:55] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, same.

[13:56] Bryan: You're right, I was warmer.

[13:57] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[13:58] Bryan: I guess the natural question for, like, what you found on the Chicago Reddit is, like, were you bad in Chicago?

[14:03] Nikisha Williams: And listen, I probably was. I'm not even gonna lie to you. There were some days in that cold, negative degree temperature.

[14:10] Bryan: And we were there in the wintertime.

[14:12] Nikisha Williams: Nikisha's like, the gig is up. They caught it. They caught on to me. That's fine. People love an absolutely Chicago winter.

[14:24] Bryan: Oh, yeah. It's terrible. Even despite the Chicago winter, I still fell in love with Chicago.

[14:31] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[14:32] Bryan: Oh, I love Chicago. You had an AMC in your building.

[14:34] Nikisha Williams: I had an AMC in my apartment building. I had a mall inside my apartment building.

[14:39] Bryan: And so I could literally just go to the fourth floor and go to the AMC and watch a movie or, like, go to the third floor. And that's where the mall started.

[14:46] Nikisha Williams: That's what you need in a Chicago winter.

[14:48] Bryan: Wow. Not going outside.

[14:50] Nikisha Williams: Exactly. If I lived in a movie theater house.

[14:53] Bryan: If I lived in a movie theater house.

[14:56] Nikisha Williams: If I lived in a building that had a movie theater in it, I would live there.

[15:02] Bryan: Yeah.

[15:03] Nikisha Williams: You would have a different chair.

[15:05] Bryan: I mean, honestly. Do you want to have a movie night tonight?

[15:08] Nikisha Williams: No, no, no. Downstairs.

[15:10] Bryan: Yeah. If I worked from home and lived in there, I would take, like, an hour and a half lunch and see, like, you know, a movie.

[15:18] Nikisha Williams: I mean, yeah. I couldn't think of one movie.

[15:22] Bryan: I would see, you know, I bet I do, right?

[15:25] Nikisha Williams: Based on context, I bet I do know what you mean. I also love movies that start early in the morning.

[15:32] Bryan: Yes.

[15:33] Nikisha Williams: Oh, yeah. Because then you go before work.

[15:35] Bryan: Yes. Have you ever done that?

[15:37] Nikisha Williams: No.

[15:38] Bryan: Okay. But you could.

[15:40] Nikisha Williams: I could.

[15:41] Bryan: Right. Yeah. Well, movie days. Chicago. How early would those start?

[15:46] Nikisha Williams: Those would start early. Oh, that would be, like, a Sunday.

[15:48] Bryan: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I guess, kind of, like, how do you, you know, you were on the tour. What, two years, you said?

[15:55] Nikisha Williams: As Eliza, a year and a half.

[15:57] Bryan: Mm-hmm. But tour two is three? Four? Like, with ensemble?

[16:02] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. I started in 2018.

[16:04] Bryan: Oh, wow. Yeah.

[16:06] Nikisha Williams: So that's, like, legit, like, five years? And then you had, like, a little break, right, where you thought you were done, and then you were Eliza?

[16:11] Nikisha Williams: Like, a fake out. It was a fake out.

[16:14] Bryan: You were here for a bit.

[16:15] Nikisha Williams: I was, yeah. Well, okay, so I started in 2018, October 2018. Was with it, the pandemic happened, but we were still on salary, and we come back, and then I end in March of 2022 as an ensemble member. And then April of 2022, I get an email that says, hey, we're offering you Eliza, do you want to take it? I'm like, yay, yes. But then I didn't start Eliza until August of 2022, and then I just stopped.

[16:41] Bryan: So you really pulled an Eliza because you broke up with Hamilton and then got back together with Hamilton.

[16:47] Nikisha Williams: Yes. And Peggy. Truly. And Peggy. And Peggy.

[16:53] Bryan: I'm already drinking. So I guess my question based on that is, it's been such a part of your, like, DNA for so long.

[17:01] Nikisha Williams: Yes.

[17:03] Bryan: How do you get into the mindset of, like, what's next?

[17:06] Nikisha Williams: That's such a great question. I feel like I'm living.

[17:08] Bryan: Thank you. You don't have to answer it.

[17:10] Nikisha Williams: Still exciting. That's all I needed to hear. That's a great question. I feel like I'm living in the mindset of that now, of what could possibly be next that's not Hamilton, because Hamilton is ever shifting, and people are in and out of that revolving door all the time. So then you think, oh, well, then the next logical thing is something on Broadway that's Hamilton. One of those tracks.

[17:35] Bryan: Right. Yeah. And then you just, yeah. And it's like, you could just kind of wait of like, okay, well, when is that going to happen? Like, when will you be Samuel C. Brees?

[17:43] Nikisha Williams: Fane will leave.

[17:44] Bryan: Exactly. I got it. I got the leg extension. We're good to go. But it's also like, well, Broadway is more than just Hamilton. So open yourself up to other things.

[17:53] Nikisha Williams: Yes. I think you limit yourself when you kind of expect. And I think this is with a lot of corporate shows now. Like, you're moving from the tour or different parts on Broadway.

[18:06] Bryan: Yeah.

[18:07] Nikisha Williams: It's kind of like, okay, well, there are other things around. So be open to other things and not just put your eggs in one basket.

[18:13] Bryan: Sure. So I'm just trying not to put my eggs in one basket and really think that I broke up with Hamilton this time.

[18:18] Nikisha Williams: Right. Right.

[18:20] Bryan: I didn't mean all your orphans in one basket.

[18:21] Nikisha Williams: The orphans. All the orphans have to be in a basket.

[18:24] Bryan: Yeah. What an awful thing.

[18:26] Nikisha Williams: Unless it's a comfortable basket.

[18:27] Bryan: A very big basket.

[18:28] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. Like a big, comfy couch. Like a spacious...

[18:34] Bryan: That's great. No, yeah. So whatever's next. Cool. I love that. What are you listening to to be inspired now?

[18:41] Nikisha Williams: Well, I haven't listened to things. I've seen some shows.

[18:45] Bryan: Oh, yeah. What have you seen?

[18:48] Nikisha Williams: Yes. What have you seen this week? Or lately.

[18:51] Bryan: Or lately.

[18:52] Nikisha Williams: The last show I saw was... I can't forget about that. More recently. Have you seen this week or since the last we spoke? Or since last time we saw you?

[19:00] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. I actually saw Hell's Kitchen last week.

[19:03] Bryan: Last week?

[19:04] Nikisha Williams: Last week. Yeah?

[19:06] Bryan: And that was really inspiring just because I love Alicia Keys. And I got to meet Alicia Keys after.

[19:12] Bryan: That's so cool.

[19:13] Nikisha Williams: Which was so fun. Wow. Because secret, not secret, I'm like an investor in the show. So I put a little money in the show.

[19:18] Bryan: Oh, they did one of those programs for it?

[19:21] Nikisha Williams: Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which was great.

[19:23] Bryan: That's so cool.

[19:25] Nikisha Williams: So me and some other Hamilton, former ex-Hamilton people, put a little money in the show. And we got to see the show and then meet her after. And she was a fucking delight.

[19:37] Bryan: Yeah.

[19:38] Nikisha Williams: Literally the nicest person. But she was probably like, you invested money in my show. Thank you.

[19:42] Bryan: Yeah.

[19:43] Nikisha Williams: But she was like...

[19:44] Bryan: That's so fun.

[19:45] Nikisha Williams: She shook everyone's hand, looked people in the eye. All I have to say, the show was inspiring because the arrangements of her music was fantastic. Everyone was singing their fucking faces off and dancing their asses off.

[19:55] Bryan: Yeah.

[19:56] Nikisha Williams: It's Shoshana Bean.

[19:57] Bryan: It's Shoshana.

[19:58] Nikisha Williams: It's Shoshana Bean.

[19:59] Bryan: Who is Eddie, but she's in it?

[20:00] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, she plays the mom.

[20:02] Bryan: The kitchen?

[20:03] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[20:04] Bryan: Just the kitchen?

[20:05] Nikisha Williams: The kitchen.

[20:06] Bryan: Oh, that's the kitchen. I see.

[20:08] Nikisha Williams: I'm screaming. She plays Alicia Keys' mom, quote, unquote, because it's loosely based on her life.

[20:12] Bryan: Yeah.

[20:13] Nikisha Williams: She is in that kitchen, though. There is a kitchen. And she's in the kitchen a lot. Edward Albee wrote the book. It's really upstairs. I'm going to get upstairs.

[20:20] Bryan: Yeah. That's so good. But no, it was great. But someone behind me during intermission was like, I don't like that mom's voice. It's too nasal. You cannot talk about Shoshana in this way ever in person. We don't listen to her. You get out of here.

[20:26] Nikisha Williams: Anything. I went to that Billy Crystal show for her.

[20:30] Bryan: I did, too.

[20:31] Nikisha Williams: I'm screaming. How was that?

[20:33] Bryan: Shoshana was there. She was great. She had a great middle of it.

[20:36] Nikisha Williams: I'm screaming. I'm screaming. I'm screaming. I'm screaming. I'm screaming. I'm screaming. I'm screaming. I'm screaming. I'm screaming.

[21:19] Nikisha Williams: But the secondary character was also amazing. And it needs a song.

[21:21] Bryan: Yes.

[21:23] Nikisha Williams: Yes. Because they're also developing and changing as a character. It's like give them something.

[21:29] Bryan: Wait. It's new music?

[21:31] Nikisha Williams: Or is it..? It's a combination of her old stuff, and she wrote some new stuff.

[21:36] Bryan: Cool.

[21:37] Nikisha Williams: For it. But the new stuff is old stuff that was written into new stuff, that sounds like old stuff.

[21:46] Bryan: Yeah. Yeah.

[21:49] Nikisha Williams: It was a fun time. I will say the book is... Was it my favorite?

[21:52] Bryan: Yeah.

[21:53] Nikisha Williams: When you write a show about a devil cooking show, the book is going to be hot.

[21:57] Bryan: Yeah.

[21:58] Nikisha Williams: Or the daredevil feature? Why?

[22:00] Bryan: Yeah.

[22:01] Nikisha Williams: Exactly. Is Gordon Ramsey also an investor?

[22:03] Bryan: I do love those shows. If you give me Gordon Ramsey in an American cooking, I'm going to watch it.

[22:05] Nikisha Williams: It's a musical adaptation of Hell's Kitchen, the cooking show.

[22:06] Bryan: Yeah. Oh my God. That would be so great.

[22:08] Nikisha Williams: One person was just like, wow. They made it. It's a musical adaptation of Hell's Kitchen, the cooking show.

[22:12] Bryan: Yeah. Oh my God. That would be so great.

[22:14] Nikisha Williams: One person was just like, wow. They made it. It's a live Hell's Kitchen.

[22:18] Bryan: I would watch Chopsicle.

[22:23] Nikisha Williams: Chopsicle? I would too. Oh my God.

[22:25] Bryan: Right? I would watch it. Chopsicle would be so good. You know they made a great British baking show musical in London.

[22:30] Nikisha Williams: Oh, they did?

[22:31] Bryan: That'd be epic.

[22:32] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. Like off West End. Shoshanna Dean could be Alex Gunaschelli or Bonaschelli or...

[22:35] Bryan: Shoshanna Dean could be anyone, even Tim.

[22:36] Nikisha Williams: Actually, yes. Shoshanna for Tim.

[22:38] Bryan: Tim for Tim.

[22:39] Nikisha Williams: Tim for Tim.

[22:40] Bryan: Tim for Tim.

[22:41] Nikisha Williams: Tim for Tim.

[22:42] Bryan: Tim for Tim.

[22:48] Nikisha Williams: Peter, Paul, Mary?

[22:49] Bryan: Tom?

[22:50] Nikisha Williams: Tom?

[22:51] Bryan: Tom?

[22:52] Nikisha Williams: Tom of Chopped.

[22:53] Bryan: Ted.

[22:54] Nikisha Williams: Ted.

[22:55] Bryan: It's Ted?

[22:56] Nikisha Williams: Ted. Oh, you're thinking of Chopped.

[22:58] Bryan: I'm thinking of...

[22:59] Nikisha Williams: Project Runway.

[23:00] Bryan: Top Chef.

[23:01] Nikisha Williams: Yes.

[23:02] Bryan: Oh, no. No, no, no. Top Chef.

[23:05] Nikisha Williams: Top Chef with Tom.

[23:06] Bryan: Tom Colicchio. Who did...

[23:08] Nikisha Williams: Craft.

[23:09] Bryan: Right. Craft. Doesn't he have Chopped Salads? Isn't that him?

[23:12] Nikisha Williams: Is Chopped him?

[23:13] Bryan: Oh. Like the restaurant?

[23:16] Nikisha Williams: Chopped?

[23:17] Bryan: Yeah.

[23:18] Nikisha Williams: Right. I love Chopped. You know what? The salad's chopped.

[23:22] Bryan: Three chopped salads are chopped.

[23:23] Nikisha Williams: Sometimes you type in salad near me, and there's just salad, almost salad, this was salad, this could be salad.

[23:28] Bryan: Is it not chopped?

[23:29] Nikisha Williams: Everything from salad experience. And then you go to the place, like half of the stuff is not salad.

[23:35] Bryan: They're like, here's our wrap menu. And you're like, how does just salad have a wrap menu?

[23:40] Nikisha Williams: I know. They're like, but would you like your salad?

[23:45] Bryan: So you've broken your concept.

[23:46] Nikisha Williams: Inside apart.

[23:47] Bryan: Yeah. I'm like, I mean, man. I don't know.

[23:51] Nikisha Williams: I have somehow made that up then.

[23:55] Bryan: Yeah, but I like it.

[23:56] Nikisha Williams: I'm into it.

[23:57] Bryan: I like it. I believe it. It's now true. Everyone put it on the internet. Tom Colicchio Salad Restaurant.

[24:01] Nikisha Williams: There you go. Tom Colicchio Chopped. Witchcraft.

[24:05] Bryan: Oh, the sandwich place.

[24:06] Nikisha Williams: Yes.

[24:07] Bryan: Witchcraft.

[24:09] Nikisha Williams: Not witchcraft.

[24:11] Bryan: No. Tom Colicchio Chopped was the kind of concept restaurant Tom Colicchio gets into. Listen, money's money. Sometimes I make something up in my head, and that is fact.

[24:21] Nikisha Williams: I liked it.

[24:22] Bryan: I was into it.

[24:23] Nikisha Williams: I liked it.

[24:29] Bryan: Chicken Caesar. It was good. This has been salad talk.

[24:35] Nikisha Williams: Salad talk.

[24:38] Bryan: Any chain restaurants from somewhere else that you've found on tour?

[24:42] Nikisha Williams: Oh, great question. Now I'm just like, where would you get lunch?

[24:45] Bryan: Oh, yeah. Salad talk. Because every day of my life at work is, where am I getting lunch?

[24:50] Nikisha Williams: Gross. True Foods Kitchen is a staple.

[24:53] Bryan: Oh, True Foods Kitchen is great.

[24:55] Nikisha Williams: Everywhere in a major city. There was one in Chicago.

[24:58] Bryan: There's one here.

[25:03] Nikisha Williams: It's a little further west. By the Westfield Mall. Have you ever been up there? In that area?

[25:09] Bryan: Yeah. There's True Foods Kitchen there. But they have an incredible kale Caesar salad.

[25:14] Nikisha Williams: I love a kale Caesar. Add some shrimp to it. Fantastic.

[25:17] Bryan: Ooh. Yard House.

[25:19] Nikisha Williams: I love a Yard House.

[25:20] Bryan: Yard House. Yes, of course.

[25:22] Nikisha Williams: Yes. Also a great kale salad. Because they put pistachios in it.

[25:26] Bryan: Oh, yeah. Toasted?

[25:28] Nikisha Williams: Yes. Toasted pistachios. That's the only way.

[25:31] Bryan: I don't know. What else? I'm trying to think of the things that I just randomly get. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

[25:37] Nikisha Williams: Did you order a hot plate?

[25:38] Bryan: No. What is that?

[25:40] Nikisha Williams: Did you travel with a hot plate to cook?

[25:42] Bryan: Oh, no. Because I...

[25:44] Nikisha Williams: What is a hot plate? What is this new thing?

[25:49] Bryan: Cooking your own food?

[25:51] Nikisha Williams: Right. What is this hot plate?

[25:53] Bryan: So something.

[25:54] Nikisha Williams: Air fryer.

[25:55] Bryan: I have an air fryer.

[25:57] Nikisha Williams: You brought an air fryer around with you?

[25:59] Bryan: Yes.

[26:00] Nikisha Williams: That's genius.

[26:01] Bryan: On my car.

[26:02] Nikisha Williams: That's brilliant. I drive a Raffleworth, so I had a lot of shit in my car.

[26:05] Bryan: Oh, damn. But I traveled an air fryer. Did the air fryer ride in the front seat and buckle in with you? Did you buy a baby seat for it?

[26:10] Nikisha Williams: It definitely stayed in the box. And I just put it in the front seat and traveled.

[26:16] Bryan: That's really smart. Did you draw a face on the box?

[26:19] Nikisha Williams: No. Not like Plank. I imagine your air fryer was like your Wilson off the road.

[26:27] Bryan: Absolutely. Put those chicken nuggets and fries in there. It's really good.

[27:32] Nikisha Williams: And then you see the fear in his eyes.

[27:36] Kevin Jaeger: Literally, I was like, where are we going with this?

[27:40] Nikisha Williams: It was that moment in improv where you said, yes, and, but you don't know what's coming.

[27:45] Kevin Jaeger: Yes, and.

[27:46] Nikisha Williams: Oh, side note, speaking of, I went to Second City and saw an improv show.

[27:50] Kevin Jaeger: That was really fun.

[27:51] Nikisha Williams: And then I had Peter Pitt afterwards.

[27:54] Kevin Jaeger: Oh, I love their shows. They're so good.

[27:56] Nikisha Williams: Oh, my God.

[27:58] Kevin Jaeger: Well, welcome to Kevin's Corner.

[28:01] Nikisha Williams: Everybody knows Kevin's Corner, or at least you think you do.

[28:04] Kevin Jaeger: But this is a new season of Broadwaysted!.

[28:07] Nikisha Williams: And so we are switching things up and getting digital and high tech.

[28:12] Kevin Jaeger: So now, welcome to Kevin's Corner 2.0.

[28:14] Nikisha Williams: OK.

[28:15] Kevin Jaeger: Beep, beep, beep, beep, boop.

[28:16] Nikisha Williams: So now you are going to be scrolling the Kevin's Corner web.

[28:22] Kevin Jaeger: Oh, God.

[28:23] Nikisha Williams: Where there are different websites you can visit, which will take you to different fun Kevin's Corner things.

[28:29] Kevin Jaeger: So you can either scroll to Kevin's Wikimedia.

[28:35] Nikisha Williams: Oh.

[28:36] Kevin Jaeger: You could go to Kevin's Netflickers.

[28:41] Nikisha Williams: There's Kevin's Picktalk Duets.

[28:44] Kevin Jaeger: OK.

[28:45] Nikisha Williams: There's Kevin's 23 and Me, Me, Me.

[28:49] Kevin Jaeger: So those are your options.

[28:51] Nikisha Williams: So what website would you like to visit in Kevin's Corner and find out what's going to happen there?

[28:55] Kevin Jaeger: The Netflickers.

[28:59] Nikisha Williams: Great.

[29:00] Kevin Jaeger: OK. So welcome to Kevin's Netflickers, where I'm going to talk about something that I've been streaming lately.

[29:06] Nikisha Williams: And then it's going to somehow turn into a question.

[29:09] Kevin Jaeger: OK. So I have been watching old seasons of Top Chef, which is great because we're talking about the food stuff.

[29:16] Nikisha Williams: Because I watch a lot of Gordon Ramsay bullshit.

[29:20] Kevin Jaeger: And I know it's bullshit.

[29:21] Nikisha Williams: And I know I'm like, oh, this is such like feed to the masses garbage.

[29:25] Kevin Jaeger: But I just love it and eat all of it.

[29:27] Nikisha Williams: I don't care if it's like.

[29:28] Kevin Jaeger: So I have to watch MasterChef Junior.

[29:29] Nikisha Williams: MasterChef.

[29:30] Kevin Jaeger: I don't even like shows with kids on it.

[29:33] Nikisha Williams: But like MasterChef Junior I'll watch.

[29:35] Kevin Jaeger: MasterChef. He now has this new show that's called Next Level Chef, which is where they cook in a crappy basement.

[29:42] Nikisha Williams: And then a middle of the level restaurant kitchen.

[29:45] Kevin Jaeger: Oh.

[29:46] Nikisha Williams: And then there's a mansion dream kitchen.

[29:48] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[29:49] Nikisha Williams: And each week they get assigned a different level and have to cook.

[29:52] Kevin Jaeger: And then they compete.

[29:53] Nikisha Williams: It's amazing.

[29:54] Kevin Jaeger: But I've been watching all these old episodes of Top Chef.

[29:57] Nikisha Williams: And Top Chef is so interesting because chefs don't actually make a whole lot of money.

[30:02] Kevin Jaeger: I mean, you can make a lot of money as a restaurateur.

[30:06] Nikisha Williams: But if you're actually just like a chef, like the day to day, based on how much you work and how much you get paid, you don't make a lot.

[30:12] Kevin Jaeger: So some of these episodes, as the show gets more and more popular, you can see they're more excited about the money they're winning.

[30:19] Nikisha Williams: Like on the challenges, like the weekly pit fire, quick fire challenges.

[30:26] Kevin Jaeger: The pit fire?

[30:27] Nikisha Williams: The pit fire challenge where you can win like $10,000 and stuff.

[30:31] Kevin Jaeger: But I've been watching a lot of the seasons where it's like, what's it called?

[30:36] Nikisha Williams: People who have been on old seasons that are brought back.

[30:39] Kevin Jaeger: Like an all-star?

[30:40] Nikisha Williams: Thank you.

[30:41] Kevin Jaeger: All-star season.

[30:42] Nikisha Williams: Do you want to drag race?

[30:43] Kevin Jaeger: I love it.

[30:44] Nikisha Williams: So I'm watching like an all-star season right now, which I love.

[30:48] Kevin Jaeger: So I was going to talk to you and ask you a question about all-stars of Broadway.

[30:55] Nikisha Williams: So if you were going to watch a Broadway musical in which four famous Broadway characters were having a cook-off, like MasterChef style, what four famous Broadway characters would be the most interesting to watch in a cook-off?

[31:13] Kevin Jaeger: The Witch from Into the Woods.

[31:15] Nikisha Williams: Okay.

[31:16] Kevin Jaeger: She's got a lot of healthy herbs.

[31:18] Nikisha Williams: Elphaba.

[31:20] Kevin Jaeger: Great.

[31:22] Nikisha Williams: Elokhanaman.

[31:25] Kevin Jaeger: Elokharaman.

[31:28] Nikisha Williams: There it is.

[31:30] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[31:32] Nikisha Williams: And Peggy.

[31:34] Kevin Jaeger: Oh, Mrs. Lovett.

[31:36] Nikisha Williams: Obviously.

[31:37] Kevin Jaeger: The chef of the family.

[31:39] Nikisha Williams: Obviously.

[31:40] Kevin Jaeger: And you got one more.

[31:42] Nikisha Williams: Oh, this is such a good question.

[31:45] Kevin Jaeger: I'm going through my Rolodex of shows.

[31:48] Nikisha Williams: Oh.

[31:50] Kevin Jaeger: What's...

[31:54] Nikisha Williams: I'm just going to say a name just to throw it out there.

[31:57] Kevin Jaeger: But...

[31:59] Nikisha Williams: Oh.

[32:01] Kevin Jaeger: Lady of the Lake from Spamilton.

[32:03] Nikisha Williams: Spamilton?

[32:04] Kevin Jaeger: Wow.

[32:07] Nikisha Williams: Get me out of here.

[32:10] Kevin Jaeger: I'm done.

[32:11] Nikisha Williams: That was such a good Freudian slip.

[32:12] Kevin Jaeger: I'm out.

[32:13] Nikisha Williams: Yes, yes, yes.

[32:14] Kevin Jaeger: Spammed a lot.

[32:15] Nikisha Williams: Okay. Just because I just saw it.

[32:17] Kevin Jaeger: Who would win?

[32:19] Nikisha Williams: I feel like Elphaba would make the best dish.

[32:24] Kevin Jaeger: Okay.

[32:25] Nikisha Williams: Because it would come from the heart.

[32:26] Kevin Jaeger: Yep.

[32:27] Nikisha Williams: But I feel like the witch from Into the Woods and Mrs. Lovett would plot against everyone.

[32:35] Kevin Jaeger: And somehow finagle the thing to where one of them would win.

[32:41] Nikisha Williams: An alliance of some kind.

[32:42] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah, an alliance.

[32:43] Nikisha Williams: And they would share the profits.

[32:45] Kevin Jaeger: I like that.

[32:46] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[32:47] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[32:48] Nikisha Williams: What would be the winning dish?

[32:50] Kevin Jaeger: Mmm.

[32:53] Nikisha Williams: I'm going to say some type of steak.

[32:57] Kevin Jaeger: Okay.

[32:58] Nikisha Williams: I don't know. Just like meat.

[33:00] Kevin Jaeger: They would be cooking hearty meat.

[33:03] Nikisha Williams: You know?

[33:04] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[33:05] Nikisha Williams: I'm just going to say a steak and mashed potatoes moment would be the winning dish.

[33:10] Kevin Jaeger: Simple.

[33:11] Nikisha Williams: Steak and potatoes.

[33:12] Kevin Jaeger: Simple but good.

[33:13] Nikisha Williams: Staters.

[33:14] Kevin Jaeger: Staters?

[33:15] Nikisha Williams: That was no good.

[33:16] Kevin Jaeger: And Peggy.

[33:17] Nikisha Williams: And Peggy.

[33:18] Kevin Jaeger: And this has been Kevin's Corner.

[33:19] Nikisha Williams: Well done.

[33:20] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[33:21] Nikisha Williams: Yay.

[33:22] Kevin Jaeger: Yay.

[33:23] Nikisha Williams: Yay.

[33:24] Kevin Jaeger: Yay.

[33:25] Nikisha Williams: Yay.

[33:26] Kevin Jaeger: I'm going to have to do a theme song for Netflickers.

[33:27] Nikisha Williams: Oh, okay.

[33:28] Kevin Jaeger: It should be like, da-da-da-da-da.

[33:29] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[33:30] Kevin Jaeger: I'm going to do it.

[33:31] Nikisha Williams: Oh, I won't.

[33:32] Kevin Jaeger: I'm going to try and go with you.

[33:33] Nikisha Williams: And then you start speaking very quickly.

[33:34] Kevin Jaeger: And you're like, da-da-da-da-da-da.

[33:35] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[33:36] Kevin Jaeger: Um, that was wild.

[33:37] Nikisha Williams: Thank you for sharing.

[33:38] Kevin Jaeger: Thank you.

[33:39] Nikisha Williams: We really got lost in that.

[33:40] Kevin Jaeger: You'll get lost in the dark web that is Kevin's Corner 2.0.

[33:41] Nikisha Williams: Oh, we'd love to see it.

[33:42] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[33:43] Nikisha Williams: Oh, man.

[33:44] Kevin Jaeger: So, um.

[33:45] Nikisha Williams: Go into Instagram reels and you'll hear.

[33:46] Kevin Jaeger: Also that.

[33:47] Nikisha Williams: Oh, God.

[33:48] Kevin Jaeger: Kevin, who will never go on TikTok.

[33:49] Nikisha Williams: I can't do it.

[33:50] Kevin Jaeger: Well, it's been a while.

[33:51] Nikisha Williams: I'm going to go.

[33:52] Kevin Jaeger: I'm going to go.

[33:53] Nikisha Williams: I'm going to go.

[33:54] Kevin Jaeger: I'm going to go.

[33:55] Nikisha Williams: I'm going to go.

[33:56] Kevin Jaeger: I'm going to go.

[33:57] Nikisha Williams: I'm going to go.

[33:58] Kevin Jaeger: I'm going to go.

[33:59] Nikisha Williams: I'm going to go.

[34:00] Kevin Jaeger: I'm going to go.

[34:01] Nikisha Williams: I'm going to go.

[34:02] Kevin Jaeger: I'm going to go.

[34:33] Nikisha Williams: Go.

[34:34] Kevin Jaeger: I got a trading call.

[34:35] Nikisha Williams: I'm going to go.

[34:36] Kevin Jaeger: I got a trading call.

[34:37] Nikisha Williams: I'm going to go.

[34:38] Kevin Jaeger: I got a trading call.

[34:39] Nikisha Williams: I'm going to go.

[34:40] Kevin Jaeger: It's going to be on like, Monday night.

[34:41] Nikisha Williams: He's like, I don't even see you a lot of like.

[34:42] Kevin Jaeger: Showers.

[34:43] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[34:44] Kevin Jaeger: You've not even seen the shower.

[34:45] Nikisha Williams: I mean, it's what's it like to be like reentering into like the New York scene and being gone for so long?

[34:49] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[34:51] Nikisha Williams: It's like starting from the bottom in the sense of trying to make connections again, let people know that you're back even and be like, yeah, if you have anything, I'm free and available.

[35:04] Kevin Jaeger: So just kind of making those connections again.

[35:07] Nikisha Williams: But it's been nice that I do have a few people who will contact me and be like, hey, we're doing this or I have a gig for this.

[35:12] Kevin Jaeger: If you want to go sing wherever, you know, and it's been good to kind of start reentering in.

[35:21] Nikisha Williams: I feel like reentering into society.

[35:23] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[35:24] Nikisha Williams: You know, my Bridgerton moment.

[35:26] Kevin Jaeger: Talk of the Tom.

[35:27] Nikisha Williams: Exactly.

[35:28] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[35:29] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[35:30] Kevin Jaeger: It's like I'm here, guys.

[35:31] Nikisha Williams: I'm trying to make myself notice.

[35:32] Kevin Jaeger: So it's been it's been interesting also because there's so many Broadway shows now.

[35:35] Nikisha Williams: So like there's not a lot of auditions for stuff because things are already.

[35:40] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[35:41] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[35:42] Kevin Jaeger: It's kind of like, how do you make your way?

[35:43] Nikisha Williams: It's a weird point in the season to kind of like come back with everything set.

[35:47] Kevin Jaeger: Exactly.

[35:48] Nikisha Williams: Or things that are coming are from previous things from out of town and they already have people.

[35:52] Kevin Jaeger: So it's kind of like, how do you make your way into like getting noticed by casting and all that stuff like that?

[35:59] Nikisha Williams: But so you've been watching things like showgirls to like practice, like shoving other people downstairs.

[36:03] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[36:05] Nikisha Williams: Yeah. I did notice that.

[36:07] Kevin Jaeger: You know, I was like, you're trying to send out a message to all the other girls on Instagram.

[36:11] Nikisha Williams: I got you.

[36:12] Kevin Jaeger: Like, girly, watch out.

[36:13] Nikisha Williams: Absolutely.

[36:14] Kevin Jaeger: That is it.

[36:15] Nikisha Williams: And then I heard that you were honored in Nashville.

[36:16] Kevin Jaeger: Yes, I was.

[36:17] Nikisha Williams: It was a really fun time.

[36:18] Kevin Jaeger: Super sweet.

[36:19] Nikisha Williams: I used to teach high school choir in Memphis, Tennessee.

[36:20] Kevin Jaeger: And while I was there, I used to take my students to the Tennessee Music Educators Association Convention, where they do all state choir.

[36:33] Nikisha Williams: Oh, yeah.

[36:36] Kevin Jaeger: All state.

[36:37] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[36:38] Kevin Jaeger: Any capacity band or whatever.

[36:39] Nikisha Williams: But it's all state for music.

[36:41] Kevin Jaeger: And I would have some kids that would audition to get into that.

[36:43] Nikisha Williams: So we would always go to Nashville to participate in the thing.

[36:47] Kevin Jaeger: During my last year teaching, I got honored as one of the Young Music Educators of the Year.

[36:52] Nikisha Williams: And that was really sweet.

[36:54] Kevin Jaeger: So this go around, the chair of the TMEA, the Tennessee Music Educators Program, messaged me and said, hey, we would love for you to come and be a guest singer at our awards banquet.

[37:06] Nikisha Williams: So I got to go and reconnect with some former colleagues and chat with them and sing.

[37:13] Kevin Jaeger: And yeah, I got to see all the other people win these awards for educators and stuff like that.

[37:20] Nikisha Williams: But it was a really fun time to just kind of come back.

[37:22] Kevin Jaeger: And they wanted me to just come and sing and talk about my journey from teaching to going to New York.

[37:26] Nikisha Williams: Be a star and all that.

[37:28] Kevin Jaeger: Yikes.

[37:29] Nikisha Williams: That's what you want to call it?

[37:30] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[37:31] Nikisha Williams: That's so awesome.

[37:32] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[37:33] Nikisha Williams: So it was a really fun time.

[37:34] Kevin Jaeger: And it was nice to just see former teaching students and seeing people who were my students who are teachers now and people who are still teaching and holding on strong.

[37:45] Nikisha Williams: So because teaching is hard.

[37:47] Kevin Jaeger: If I was a teacher in the pandemic, I would have quit.

[37:50] Nikisha Williams: I believe a lot of people did.

[37:53] Kevin Jaeger: Do you ride any of those like trolleys for bachelorette parties in Nashville while you were there?

[37:58] Nikisha Williams: No, because the hotel that I stayed at had the convention in the place.

[38:05] Kevin Jaeger: Oh, that's the only reason you didn't do it?

[38:09] Nikisha Williams: Otherwise!

[38:10] Kevin Jaeger: Otherwise, if I was out in a boot, you know, then I would absolutely be on those trolleys.

[38:16] Nikisha Williams: Been on a hot tub in a truck.

[38:18] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[38:19] Nikisha Williams: With a margarita.

[38:20] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[38:21] Nikisha Williams: Absolutely.

[38:22] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[38:23] Nikisha Williams: It was fun.

[38:24] Kevin Jaeger: And I was only there literally for a day.

[38:25] Nikisha Williams: Like I came in on a Wednesday night at like 9 p.m. and then the thing was on Thursday night and then I left Friday morning at 9 in the morning.

[38:32] Kevin Jaeger: Oh, wow.

[38:33] Nikisha Williams: It was a really quick.

[38:34] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[38:35] Nikisha Williams: Wow.

[38:36] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[38:37] Nikisha Williams: That's very cool.

[38:38] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[38:39] Nikisha Williams: It was a very cool experience.

[38:40] Kevin Jaeger: Yeah.

[38:41] Nikisha Williams: I enjoyed it.

[38:42] Kevin Jaeger: That's good.

[38:44] Nikisha Williams: You say tension?

[38:46] Kevin Jaeger: Teach.

[38:47] Nikisha Williams: Teaching.

[38:48] Kevin Jaeger: Oh, I didn't know that.

[38:49] Nikisha Williams: You didn't know that.

[38:50] Kevin Jaeger: So much drama.

[38:51] Nikisha Williams: So much drama.

[38:52] Kevin Jaeger: Choir teaching in a pandemic.

[38:53] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[38:54] Kevin Jaeger: Certainly.

[38:55] Nikisha Williams: Which all my friends were on the struggle bus.

[38:56] Kevin Jaeger: But they did it.

[38:57] Nikisha Williams: I mean, they would just be giving them assignments.

[39:00] Kevin Jaeger: How do you hear a group singing Zoom while you can't all sing together?

[39:04] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[39:05] Kevin Jaeger: As we've proven.

[39:06] Nikisha Williams: That's true.

[39:07] Kevin Jaeger: You can't sing together.

[39:09] Nikisha Williams: Well, there was some, when they were getting closer into trying to reopen, there were some more expensive schools that had pods for their kids so that they could kind of sing in.

[39:16] Kevin Jaeger: Oh, all the tenors were together.

[39:20] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[39:23] Kevin Jaeger: Just put everyone in their little individual pods.

[39:26] Nikisha Williams: They had a small enough choir to where they could space people out.

[39:28] Kevin Jaeger: So altos are down.

[39:29] Nikisha Williams: Oh, sure.

[39:30] Kevin Jaeger: Somebody got COVID and spread it to the group.

[39:31] Nikisha Williams: Only sing outside.

[39:32] Kevin Jaeger: Alto pod is done.

[39:33] Nikisha Williams: Yeah.

[39:36] Kevin Jaeger: S-T-V.

[39:37] Nikisha Williams: S-T-V.

[39:38] Kevin Jaeger: Yes.

[39:39] Nikisha Williams: Have you seen this choir on TikTok that sings in what looks like a basement and it's just like as a full choir?

[39:47] Bryan: But I think it's just whoever shows up. Oh, like it's a choir and they have like guest vocalists. But I think just like, I haven't looked into this enough to talk about this. I'll tell you, I'll tell you in three months when it makes it to Reels. It's just like 70 people in a basement are like singing Hadestown and like two people from Hadestown are kidnapped and forced to sing with them.

[40:11] Kevin: Okay, I will look it up when we're done.

[40:16] Kimberly: Yes, please. I would love to see it.

[40:18] Bryan: But on that note, should we play a game?

[40:20] Kevin: Yeah, we should.

[40:25] Bryan: Perfect. I'm locking you in a basement. No, the theme of games this season are I'm a mom now and what's around. This game is called...

[40:36] Kimberly: So much drugs and porn. That's all that's around.

[40:40] Bryan: No, this game is called the golden age of golden books. There's no drugs.

[40:46] Kimberly: Okay. And so I have what has mostly been like a paperweight holding down an end table, but it is 75 years of golden books. It's an anthology series. If you're not familiar with the golden book, you are just harkening back to your childhood and think of those little gold edges on a book. There's a golden book for everything. I would like to tell you all this right now. There's golden book Taylor Swift. There's a golden book. They make them all. There's like every single iteration of Frozen. There's like Olaf's journey, golden book. Cute. They exist for everything. If you ever need to buy someone like a themed children's book, there's a golden book for that. But these are all like the classics.

[41:32] Bryan: Okay. Here. So what you're going to do and you can't tell what they are because they're in this fun little box. Okay. The theme of this season is also we can play with physical items. Yes. Yes. For the first time in like four years. So true. Instead of you going like, say when, say when everyone, say when. And you say when and six seconds later, she stops. I've reached the end of the list. The two years of a questionable when. Yeah. It's a late when. So when it's your turn, pick a golden book from the middle and then imagine how you would turn that into a golden age musical. I also have my Lights of Broadway show cards here should you need inspiration or casting. I like the golden book. I love it. Golden age musicals. The golden age of a golden book. It's cute. Presumably they're all also in public domain. So anyone take these ideas. Kevin, you want to start?

[42:30] Kevin: Sure. Just turn it into a musical. Yes. Okay. I have giant. They're really hard to get out, actually. Okay. There you go. Got it. Perfect. This is a good one for Kevin. Kevin, what did you get?

[42:45] Kevin: Oh God. I got Nakey Kids. It's called A Day at the Seashore. It's just like kids are wearing baby suits. They're wearing baby suits. They're super clear. A Day at the Seashore. And it's about little kids playing on the beach together and they have a little dog. It's super cute. Okay. I would turn this into a musical by making it a... Okay. I would do this kind of like how Carolina Change was done. So there would be like three people who play the ocean. And then there's a small ensemble of dancers who play shells. And then it's the two characters who play the kids and the dog. And it would be very just kind of like an interesting neoclassical, like atonal at times kind of musical. With children. With children. Yeah. Children at the seashore. But everything's kind of a little off. And it's more kind of like... The seashore I'm picturing is more like... What is it? The Jim Carrey movie with Kate Winslet when his memories...

[43:59] Bryan: Eternal Sunshine.

[44:04] Kevin: Eternal Sunshine. I'm picturing more like that sea, like beach. So it's more of that aesthetic. And that's what it is with them. And I would put the lead characters. I would have the... Yeah. Pull that one in. I really want to... I want to have the male played by Noah Ricketts just because after seeing him in Gatsby, I feel like he would be a really sweet, innocent kind of character. So I think that would be fun. And then the first person that came up was Keala Settle when I pulled that out. So the two of them together playing the little boy and the little girl. And then I'm just going to flip to see who plays the dog. And it's Jerry Orbach. Jerry Orbach comes back to life in order to play the dog in this surrealist musical. And that is A Day at the Seashore. Incredible. Diane Paulus has already been tapped to direct.

[44:52] Bryan: Incredible. Bread. Oh, yeah, sure. I'll keep it out. Yeah.

[44:56] Kevin: Yeah. So it's easier to grab a book with these pudgy fingers.

[45:00] Bryan: Your sausage fingers grabbing a book. All right. I got The Sailor Dog.

[45:05] Kimberly: Okay. Oh, okay.

[45:07] Bryan: Not Sailor Moon. No. So I mean, it's a musical about a dog who sails. Okay. Elevator pitch going well.

[45:18] Kimberly: Yeah. He's going out cover alone. He's judging the book by the cover.

[45:21] Bryan: 100%. I think what this actually is, is a musical about a dog who sails. Where does he sail to?

[45:35] Kimberly: I see the layers here. It's a dog who sails, but also a dog who sails.

[45:41] Bryan: So I think that this musical is actually told from the perspective of the dog who sails. Of the sails. So I think the dog has an owner. Okay. I think this is like Wishbone, where the dog has an owner, but we're kind of seeing the dog's daydreams. And what it is is the kid is growing up, and I think the dog is getting older. And so the dog is having flashbacks, not flashbacks, but dream sequences where he's younger in them, and he's sailing the world and doing all these things. And somehow this all ties in together at the end where we have to say goodbye to the dog, but the owner is older. And basically what we learn is that all these stories he was creating, the dreams he was creating, was his journey into the next phase of things. And what golden age writing team would you tap for this musical?

[46:55] Kevin: This will be definitely done by a dog.

[47:04] Bryan: And nothing says a dog who sails like.

[47:08] Kevin: Kander and Ebb.

[47:09] Bryan: Yeah. Okay.

[47:10] Kevin: Did you call them golden age?

[47:13] Bryan: Yeah.

[47:13] Kevin: Yeah. I mean, they're a little bit after that.

[47:16] Bryan: Cuspy golden age.

[47:17] Kevin: They're platinum.

[47:19] Bryan: Yeah. But I'm still going to have them make this. About a dog who sails.

[47:25] Kevin: About the dog who sails. And the big number, of course, is The Sailor Dog.

[47:33] Kimberly: I am a dog.

[47:33] Bryan: Who's going to play the dog?

[47:35] Kevin: Oh, yeah. Who plays the dog? Well, whoever I pick out of this pile plays the dog.

[47:39] Bryan: Oh, okay. Fantastic.

[47:40] Kevin: And it's obviously-

[47:41] Bryan: Obviously.

[47:43] Kevin: The entire cast of Shuffle Along for the making of the musical sensation of 1921 and all that followed.

[47:49] Bryan: What if it was like a...

[47:50] Kevin: A giant puppet dog?

[47:51] Bryan: But every night was a different cast member playing the dog for like-

[47:57] Kevin: I dig that.

[47:58] Bryan: You see, you literally could like go a month with like seeing the show every night and seeing a different performer.

[48:03] Kevin: Yeah. I mean, I can't even imagine what kind of the contract negotiations would go into that.

[48:08] Bryan: Oh, my God.

[48:08] Kevin: One show a month.

[48:10] Bryan: So I think that the dog is a puppet. Are we talking puppet like, like-

[48:16] Kimberly: Like Olaf puppet?

[48:17] Bryan: Or are we talking like War Horse?

[48:19] Kimberly: Yeah.

[48:20] Bryan: Or like King Kong puppet?

[48:22] Kimberly: Um, well, we all know there was actually an ape on stage for King Kong.

[48:26] Bryan: There was actually a real ape on stage. So I think that it's a frozen puppet.

[48:31] Kimberly: Olaf, okay.

[48:32] Bryan: I think it's- Like it's a really cold puppet or like Olaf frozen?

[48:36] Kimberly: No.

[48:37] Bryan: Yeah, they have to freeze it every night. Can you imagine every night it's just like dripping everywhere because it's thawing out on stage?

[48:43] Kimberly: Well, I think it's a puppet that is like, it's like a, I think it's like a marionette more. And the person doing it is just all in black. So there's someone actually doing the voice and singing separately. And that person is obviously the one and only Bob Fosse who comes back from the dead.

[49:08] Bryan: Yes. I love that. That's like the puppy from Boop with the marionettes. And there's a guy in all black and so good.

[49:15] Kevin: Um, that's what I think.

[49:18] Bryan: Well done, Bryan. Great.

[49:19] Kevin: Was it?

[49:23] Bryan: You sent a dog who sails a couple of times. That was great.

[49:25] Kevin: Yeah.

[49:25] Bryan: The dog sails.

[49:26] Kevin: Yeah.

[49:27] Bryan: Grand.

[49:28] Kevin: The dog sails.

[49:30] Bryan: The dog sails. Actually, the dog has to go on sales pitches.

[49:34] Kimberly: Oh, Jesus.

[49:35] Bryan: The dog is-

[49:35] Kevin: I can fly.

[49:36] Kimberly: Oh.

[49:37] Bryan: Okay. Now pick your book.

[49:40] Kevin: Stop bragging about that.

[49:44] Kimberly: Get down from there. I see the segment.

[49:49] Bryan: Well, this feels like it has to be a la Rodgers and Hammerstein.

[49:53] Kimberly: Yes.

[49:54] Bryan: Yeah, definitely.

[49:55] Kimberly: For very whimsical, but not Peter Pan-esque, but still kind of floaty.

[50:07] Bryan: I don't know. Does it have to stay in golden age? Because I'm like, let's throw in some LED screens of things.

[50:15] Kimberly: The revival of I Can Fly.

[50:16] Bryan: It is.

[50:17] Kimberly: There you go.

[50:18] Bryan: Yes, yes, yes. So Rodgers and Hammerstein, but we have LED lights. Michael Arden is directing this one.

[50:23] Kimberly: There you go. Perfect, perfect.

[50:25] Bryan: Yes, absolutely. I'm also going to go off of cover and say that there's just this one lead girl and all of her people that she meets in the sky as she flies.

[50:37] Kimberly: So to play, sorry, can I have the deck?

[50:41] Bryan: To play, the little girl who can fly and has a bit. Well, I'll just go to...

[50:47] Kimberly: Oh, wait. Is this a person? Is this a...

[50:50] Bryan: Oh, no, that's like a specialty card. Okay. Just kidding. From The Prom.

[50:57] Kimberly: I just want to find...

[51:00] Bryan: Here's more people.

[51:01] Kimberly: Liz Callaway.

[51:01] Bryan: Yeah.

[51:02] Kimberly: Oh, absolutely. Yeah. She can fly.

[51:03] Bryan: I can hear her singing that song.

[51:06] Kimberly: Yes.

[51:07] Bryan: What's the song?

[51:08] Kimberly: The title song?

[51:08] Bryan: Yeah, sing it.

[51:09] Kimberly: The I Can Fly song?

[51:10] Bryan: Yeah.

[51:10] Kimberly: How's it go?

[51:11] Kimberly: It's really pretty. She's like, I can fly.

[51:14] Bryan: Yes.

[51:14] Kimberly: I'm a pretty girl and I can fly.

[51:18] Bryan: Flying is so cool because I am a pretty girl and I fly with birds and other flying apparatuses.

[51:30] Bryan: That was great.

[51:32] Kimberly: Maybe Hammerstein's best.

[51:34] Bryan: The choice of apparatuses instead of apparati is just genius.

[51:42] Kimberly: Yeah.

[51:45] Bryan: All right, Kimberly, what book did you pick?

[51:47] Kimberly: I have The Three Bears.

[51:50] Bryan: A classic, classic.

[51:51] Kimberly: Yeah.

[51:51] Bryan: Is this with Goldilocks or is this like a precursor to Goldilocks?

[51:54] Kimberly: It's just Three Bears.

[51:57] Bryan: Or is this a Grindr story? We have found Goldilocks.

[52:03] Kimberly: Oh, yeah. Is it from the perspective of the bears?

[52:07] Bryan: Well, those bears are terrifying. Look at the porridge.

[52:10] Kimberly: It's actually a very interesting illustration.

[52:13] Bryan: It is.

[52:14] Kimberly: Yeah, she's got a weird face.

[52:15] Bryan: She's got like drag queen makeup.

[52:18] Kimberly: She kind of looks like a doll.

[52:20] Bryan: Yeah. She's just a lost little girl. Have you not read this one yet?

[52:25] Kimberly: No, I haven't read anything.

[52:27] Bryan: Oh, no?

[52:27] Kimberly: Yeah, that bear is terrifying.

[52:29] Bryan: These bears are really scary.

[52:31] Kimberly: That's like cocaine bear.

[52:33] Bryan: It's definitely like cocaine bear.

[52:37] Kimberly: Why do you read your kid cocaine bear, Kimberly?

[52:39] Bryan: Right. That's the sum of nightmares. The cocaine bear's script is on their nightstand.

[52:46] Kimberly: You just read him the script.

[52:48] Bryan: Yeah. It's not even like a fiction book version. Exterior, woods.

[52:52] Kimberly: Listen, he's got to learn.

[52:53] Bryan: He's got to learn. Wait, I have The Three Bears with Goldilocks, who looks terrified of these very...

[54:32] Bryan: Real life Australian dude is so hot though nothing else with his like nothing. But like and if you're gonna move into the city to be an artist just leave it home for a long. I love that the whole movie's like can you believe her? Judgmental dad will let her dance half-naked on a table at a bar full of drunk groping men. Yeah, it's such a problematic situation. Yeah, and she's like no, it's empowering because we thought that was empowering in 2001. But now we look back like oh, none of this was.

[56:03] Nikisha Williams: Starting to act the inconsistencies of the walls of that bar and what actually happens is why? We're also water at that bar. No, I think that we know before life. Life size. Yes. Yeah, like what a film, what a film. Film with a capital F. Yes, absolutely. Anyway, that has been the golden books of the Golden Age. One last question for you. Yeah, we asked you this last time. We'll ask you again. What's your musical?

[57:14] Bryan: Oh.

[57:22] Nikisha Williams: Oh, that's such a hard question. I am going to say as far as music and story and it incorporates everything that I love about everything is Sweeney Todd. Yeah, hands down. Then Reuben and Clay's Christmas Spectacular. Yeah, and then from Justin to Kelly.

[57:46] Bryan: Yeah. Where's the stage adaptation of that?

[57:48] Nikisha Williams: So we're Justin to Kelly and you saw the newest production twice.

[57:54] Bryan: Twice.

[57:56] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, and you saw the original cast with it and the replacement cast.

[58:01] Bryan: I did. Yeah, and listen, it's a good time. Like no one can make me not like Sweeney Todd, especially hearing it live. I would have loved for the orchestra to have been like ten times louder. Like I want my eardrums to be bleeding at the very beginning. They really gonna hit you with it. Yeah, I'm in the pie shop.

[58:21] Nikisha Williams: Did.

[58:23] Bryan: Incredible.

[58:26] Nikisha Williams: I did. Yes. Yes.

[58:28] Bryan: Experience.

[58:29] Nikisha Williams: No, uh-uh, but there was some I forgot where it was like in Greenwich Village or something.

[58:35] Bryan: Yeah.

[58:36] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, when I was ours Nova or before it was ours Nova. Yeah, right there.

[58:39] Bryan: Yeah, I did. I saw I saw that.

[58:43] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, I love that sitting. They all have little benches.

[58:47] Bryan: Yeah, it was great. And now a giant full-scale production.

[58:53] Nikisha Williams: Yes.

[58:54] Bryan: Don't right.

[58:58] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, that's fine. It was still great.

[59:01] Bryan: Yeah.

[59:02] Nikisha Williams: Regardless of the pie bloody scenes, you know, it's horror and musicals, which is my plugging in for talking horror. Have you ever died in the show?

[59:06] Bryan: No, I haven't. I've got a lot of guys in a show. Well, Eliza lives on liar.

[59:18] Nikisha Williams: Unless we don't know you've gotten beat up in a show Memphis the musical.

[59:23] Bryan: Oh.

[59:26] Nikisha Williams: Scene.

[59:27] Bryan: Yeah, did you do the tour?

[59:29] Nikisha Williams: Love Memphis? No, I did a regional production in while I was teaching in Memphis.

[59:33] Bryan: Oh.

[59:34] Nikisha Williams: Doing Memphis in Memphis. It was great. I mean it drew in a lot of people because I think it was also one of the first region like it was a regional premiere of that show if I'm remembering correctly and yeah, it was it was a really fun time to do that.

[59:47] Bryan: I loved that show. Students come to see you?

[59:53] Nikisha Williams: Yes, so many students.

[59:56] Bryan: Yeah, but it was super fun and it was it's an equity theater but not I couldn't get like my union card or whatever like do or points towards a great. There's some the like some like a stage hands reunion or something. I think so.

[1:00:12] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, yeah, they could like hire like one union person in there.

[1:00:17] Bryan: Oh, yeah.

[1:00:18] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, but the house itself with the house itself.

[1:00:23] Bryan: Yeah, but it's great playhouse. Playhouse on the square in Memphis, Tennessee. And yeah, we did it also randomly speaking of Sweeney Todd I did I was in an ensemble of Sweeney Todd in college.

[1:00:28] Nikisha Williams: We do really?

[1:00:36] Bryan: Yeah.

[1:00:37] Nikisha Williams: Yes, in Mississippi quick story, we were painting the set and getting ready to do the show and then a tornado blew through our entire campus and like blasted through our performing arts center. Like we knew it was coming, but we like tornadoes and hurricanes are a thing, right? It's fine, whatever. Yeah, like we have hurricane parties like it's not a big deal.

[1:01:01] Bryan: Yeah, but then they're like no y'all we like we need to get into this basement and then like it passed over us and things were shaking and we heard sounds then we walk back on this stage and it's raining on our set and we had just like got done like painting it.

[1:01:16] Nikisha Williams: Production of it, but I forgot and when I went back to Nashville, Tennessee my friend who's a former colleague but also went to college with me reminded me that Stephen Sondheim wrote us a letter and was like heard about because our director like emailed him and told him about what happened and he sent us an email it's like heard about your plight. I really hope that you're able to like do the show like blah blah blah. I think I have like the actual verbiage of it, but I forgot that.

[1:01:43] Bryan: Fucking.

[1:01:45] Nikisha Williams: Which was incredible, incredible and wild and beautiful. Okay. I have it to the cast. This was May 14th, 2013 said to the casting company of Sweeney Todd Michael Lepinto who was our director wrote me about your prodigious efforts. Well, I can't talk in the face of a catastrophe I cannot tell you how I touched I am. I hope you all are properly proud of yourselves and I hope that the enclosed will help you rebuild what you've lost yours truly. It's Stephen Sondheim.

[1:02:23] Bryan: And now our directors in the slammer for embezzling.

[1:02:29] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, but so how does it feel that Sondheim personally wrote you a letter to Keisha says to Nicky show my favorite person my beautiful Joanna.

[1:02:45] Bryan: Yes, no, it was just really really cool moment anyway. Well that brings us to the end of our episode. Well, we did it. We did it. We made it here. We were we were about to talk to each other in person.

[1:02:56] Nikisha Williams: Yeah, we'll get better.

[1:02:59] Bryan: I admit the entire reddit is just me.

[1:03:14] Nikisha Williams: This is now a true crime broadcast for the first mystery.

[1:03:29] Bryan: Thank you so much for coming on. You can follow Nicky Shaw on social media, Williams Nicky Shaw on Instagram, but you can't follow her on the tour anymore.

[1:03:46] Nikisha Williams: You can find us wherever you get your podcasts things like Spotify and Apple podcasts. Rate and review up there.

[1:03:57] Bryan: I feel like I watched you start to shut down the computer your computer starts shutting down when you did do it. You're what? What are you doing?

[1:04:09] Nikisha Williams: No, I'm thinking about how I really haven't had a drink in a long time.

[1:04:16] Bryan: No, I'm not sleepy, but I started feeling like no, you know when you like, you know, you're just like I don't feel well.

[1:04:24] Nikisha Williams: Oh no, but you're like no you you drank alcohol you idiot.

[1:04:33] Bryan: Yeah, you're like oh no, I'm sick it's like no you've been drinking what are you talking about you saw it, right?

[1:04:39] Nikisha Williams: He's brain started to shut.

[1:04:42] Bryan: Five stars, please.

[1:04:54] Nikisha Williams: She didn't steal that became hers legally.

[1:05:03] Bryan: But you Napoleonic code what's hers is mine from streetcar? Yes, not like flat Stanley.

[1:05:11] Nikisha Williams: I was like the cops don't talk.

[1:05:21] Bryan: You can find us wherever you're on social media at broad wasted. You can also find us on Facebook Facebook groups on our patreon for some theater nerdy stuff. But we end every episode with a quote we do we do and today's quote is the one the only the orphanage and Peggy.

[1:05:39] Nikisha Williams: But as we end every episode we raise a glass and we say.

[1:05:54] Bryan: Thank you guys, yeah, no we should we should end every episode with like the last breath that Eliza takes.