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[0:00] Linedy Genao: Hello, hello everybody! Welcome to Entre Acts, your favorite podcast, Ya Tu Sabe. This is Linedy Genao, and I am so excited to introduce this week's guest. Not only are we pretty much dressing roommates, I see her every day. She bakes the best cookies and cupcakes and everything. It's incredible. She is a Grammy-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning powerhouse of the stage. Best known for originating the iconic roles of Catherine Howard in Six and Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby on Broadway. She's also taken the West End by storm as Eva Peron in Evita, a role she was handpicked for by Andrew Lloyd Webber himself. I can't wait to talk about that because I did not know we had that in common, mind you.

From regional favorites like Rent and Hairspray to her acclaimed solo cabaret tour, she is one of theater's most versatile leading ladies, and someone who I am grateful to have a friendship with. Mijente, please, please, please welcome Samantha Pauly! I love you! Thank you for being here! I love you so much! I'm so excited.

[1:16] Samantha Pauly: Me too! I'm so pumped. We get to see each other every single day.

[1:21] Linedy Genao: Literally every day. But we only get to see each other like twice on stage.

[1:25] Samantha Pauly: Yeah, twice? Once. When I'm like begging to get in the car with you guys.

[1:30] Linedy Genao: Yeah. And at Pau's.

[1:33] Samantha Pauly: Yes! Ain't that sad?

[1:35] Linedy Genao: Yeah. And that's it. Damn. So I like to structure this show like a sandwichito, a little sandwich. Fun in the beginning, in the middle, you know, we get heartfelt and serious, and at the end, we end with some fun because obviously. So we're gonna start with a little game of dominoes.

[1:48] Samantha Pauly: Okay.

[1:49] Linedy Genao: You're gonna, we're gonna play like an unconventional way. You're gonna pick a domino, sum up that number, and that'll pertain to a fun icebreaker question. Are you ready?

[1:56] Samantha Pauly: I'm ready.

[1:57] Linedy Genao: Okay, here we go. I just pick one?

[2:00] Samantha Pauly: You just pick whichever one calls to you.

[2:02] Samantha Pauly: Five.

[2:03] Linedy Genao: Five. Okay, five. Opening night party or going home to your dog, Scampi?

[2:06] Samantha Pauly: Oh, I mean, I love him, but opening night party. If it meant opening night, I gotta go to the party.

[2:12] Linedy Genao: Right? That's part of the invite.

[2:16] Samantha Pauly: Yeah. Exactly. Throw ass.

[2:18] Linedy Genao: Yeah. Can I say that?

[2:20] Samantha Pauly: Yes. Don't worry. We're gonna ask you later what you're throwing ass.

[2:23] Linedy Genao: Oh, perfect. Okay. Okay, next.

[2:26] Samantha Pauly: Oh, another. Oh, we're gonna do that four or five.

[2:29] Linedy Genao: Okay. Nine. Number nine. Thin slice or deep dish? I had to ask you this because I know you're a Chicago gal.

[2:36] Samantha Pauly: That's a good one. I gotta say deep dish, which I think is I don't know if that's a hot take. But I just think Chicago pizza is better than New York pizza.

[2:44] Linedy Genao: It is very good. I will say but now the next question, which is the best deep dish?

[2:49] Samantha Pauly: The Giordano's. What's the other one?

[2:51] Linedy Genao: Giordano's is disgusting. Don't go there. Sorry.

[2:54] Samantha Pauly: It's my favorite. I'm so sorry.

[2:56] Linedy Genao: No, it's gross. And you probably liked it because you haven't had Pequod's.

[3:01] Samantha Pauly: That's the only one that I didn't get to try. And that's what I heard. That's the one. That's Pequod's is the one. There's two of them. There's only two locations. One is in Lincoln Park. And then the other one is up in Morton Grove, which is like a suburb. And that I think was the first one. And it's in like a neighborhood near a train. And it's just like built into a house like it looks like a house like all the other houses. And it's so small. But that's the best one for my for my birthday last last year. 2024. I don't remember. Rick, one of our crew guys ordered me you can like order their pieces online and no shit anywhere in the country frozen. And he ordered me three of them. They're all gone now. I ate them all.

[3:50] Linedy Genao: Oh my gosh.

[3:51] Samantha Pauly: Yeah, I'm so glad because that's the one that I heard was the best and I didn't get to try is Oh my have you seen the episode? Did you watch the bear?

[3:59] Linedy Genao: Yes.

[4:00] Samantha Pauly: Did you watch the episode where even mocks his characters like working at a different restaurant and like the fancy fancy one?

[4:06] Linedy Genao: Yeah.

[4:07] Samantha Pauly: And they like serve a family who's like we came all the way to Chicago. We didn't have pizza. And they like do a whole thing where he like runs to Pequod's he picks up a pizza and the chef like prepares it.

[4:14] Linedy Genao: I didn't realize that was Pequod's.

[4:18] Samantha Pauly: It's Pequod's and I watched that episode and I cried. Pequod's we love you.

[4:27] Linedy Genao: Yeah, please send us pizza to the Great Gatsby.

[4:30] Samantha Pauly: I really would.

[4:31] Linedy Genao: Okay, next question.

[4:33] Samantha Pauly: Okay. I like to talk about that forever.

[4:35] Linedy Genao: Same. Seven. Number seven. Doing the new money choreo or doing the House of Holbein choreo? Did I say that right?

[4:44] Samantha Pauly: Oh, House of Holbein. Oh, um, oh, new money choreo for sure. House of Holbein is fun, but that's like chaotic. We were all just doing whatever we wanted. Like it's choreographed, obviously. But yeah, new money is a little more structured House of Holbein is like an acid trip.

[5:00] Linedy Genao: Yeah, it's like a fever dream. I scary.

[5:02] Samantha Pauly: Okay, last one. Here we go. Eight. Number eight. Would you rather have to perform an entire show in a corset that's two sizes too small or in shoes that are a size too big?

[5:11] Linedy Genao: Oh my god. It was nightmare.

[5:13] Samantha Pauly: I think I think shoes me too. Because of course it is two sizes too small. Yeah, I wouldn't be able to breathe.

[5:20] Linedy Genao: No, no shoes.

[5:22] Samantha Pauly: Well, but then your ankle but yeah, my ankle would break.

[5:25] Linedy Genao: Yeah, I was just gonna say am I gonna hurt myself? What do you what would you pick?

[5:30] Samantha Pauly: I think the shoes also it depends how much I dance.

[5:34] Linedy Genao: Yeah, I guess if I'm if I'm, if I'm dancing, like I'm dancing now, then maybe I would pick the corset.

[5:40] Samantha Pauly: And I would just deal with it. Because you know what, there was a night out at paper mill when they were figuring out my what my new money costume was going to look like. And it it was still a two piece but the top it wasn't like a like right now what I have is a bodysuit. It was a top that was supposed to look like sort of like a structured like kind of tux jacket but with no sleeves. And there was a day I had asked them to fix something so like got sent away and then it came back. But they didn't measure anything. So it was like they took it in and then I went to go put it on for that creature. I tried I tried it on before the show I think and I couldn't I couldn't even close it. I was like who's this for a baby?

[6:30] Linedy Genao: So what did you do?

[6:32] Samantha Pauly: I think they let it out a little bit but it was it was like I had to and close it and then do the number that I because they couldn't.

[6:42] Linedy Genao: So you pretty much did the show with a corset.

[6:44] Samantha Pauly: It was horrible. But I feel like I could do that if I if I had to. I wouldn't want it.

[6:49] Linedy Genao: Yeah, hurt my ankle.

[6:51] Samantha Pauly: Oh my god.

[6:53] Linedy Genao: Oh my god. Good. Thank you. Thank you. Those are really good.

[6:57] Samantha Pauly: Okay, you want to do one more?

[6:59] Linedy Genao: Okay.

[7:00] Samantha Pauly: Okay, let's do one more.

[7:01] Linedy Genao: Okay. For number four.

[7:03] Samantha Pauly: Okay.

[7:04] Linedy Genao: The Howard ponytail, a blessing or a structural hazard?

[7:06] Samantha Pauly: A structural like, to my head?

[7:09] Linedy Genao: Yeah, I think headaches like, oh, um, I don't I feel like it didn't really give me a headache.

[7:15] Samantha Pauly: Well, now I think everybody gets a full wig. I think if they want it. I, I don't know. But I feel like every time I see it, I'm like, that's a full wig. But yeah, I was pulling it up. So I had a lot of breakage. But I will say if I pulled it tight enough, it was giving facelift. It was, you know, you have you seen celebrities like doing they do like the teeny tiny little braid?

[7:37] Linedy Genao: No, in there, like hidden under their, the rest of their hair and they like, pull it tight to do like instant pull.

[7:42] Samantha Pauly: You've heard it here. Samantha Pauly. I've never tried that. But we should try that one day. When you put our wigs on, please make two little braids. Give a facelift.

[7:55] Linedy Genao: Yeah, it was Yeah, I was giving facelift sometimes.

[8:00] Samantha Pauly: Yeah, I had a lot of breakage when I left. But I love that ponytail. That's what it was. I'll never forget that.

[8:05] Linedy Genao: Love it. Thank you for playing the game. I love the game.

[8:12] Samantha Pauly: So, as you know, this show is in three acts right in between acts.

[8:19] Linedy Genao: Yeah.

[8:20] Samantha Pauly: So I wanted to create a space where we talk about transitional periods in our lives when life feels intermission and forgets to tell us what's next because I found myself in that place for the first time after Bad Cinderella. Two years went by before I worked again. And so, you know, putting pressure on myself, feeling the external pressure kind of reaching the apex of my career and not knowing what was coming next. I also got married during that time raising children bought a house. So it was a lot of transitional things going on in my life period personally or professionally. So I wanted to ask you, what does the in between mean to you that space where, you know, you're not yet who you were, but you're not yet who you're becoming?

[9:06] Samantha Pauly: Oh, my God. I feel like part of my answer to this question is something that I tell students often when I teach when it comes to like hearing no a lot and getting rejected from things or things that you are so sure you're going to book and then it doesn't work out and you're like, well, what the why did I do all of that then that I that like this is all of this is my job. It's not my life. All of the most important things I think are the things that happen in between getting married or whatever. And I feel like I've had so many so many moments of this thing didn't work out or oh, I didn't book or what am I going to do with all this time that it actually gave me the ability to like be at home if I needed to be at home or go to this wedding or, you know, God forbid, like have the time to like go to this funeral that I need to go to.

Like, I think people what people don't understand about this business is that we have to miss out on so many things all the time, like the once in a lifetime that will never happen again. And I missed it. And so I've I've tried in all of these in between times to take advantage of the time that I have, but also think about the things that, oh, I guess if I had booked that I wouldn't have been able to be at home for this and I wouldn't have been able to do this thing.

[10:30] Samantha Pauly: Like, I remember I don't remember what I didn't book or like what didn't work out or something. Actually, it might have been right before I started six rehearsals in 2019 that I was supposed to be out on tour with Bad Out of Hell.

[10:42] Linedy Genao: Oh, wow.

[10:43] Samantha Pauly: You can do a zoom in a cut to like Jim in the office. Bad Out of Hell tour. And we were supposed to be out for a year. And after a month, they like canceled the whole thing with no explanation. And I went back to Chicago and I you had come here already. I we rehearsed here and then we were in Toronto for a month and then three days before we're supposed to go to our literal second stop for the entire tour, we're supposed to go to Detroit. They called everybody in for a meeting and they're like, unfortunately, the tour just can't continue. So we have to send everybody home. And everybody was like, what home? Like we got rid of apartments.

[11:25] Samantha Pauly: Yeah, we sublet for a year, like got rid of, you know, whatever. I was very like I had a house at that point with my then husband. And so that's where I went back to. But I then had like all of this time and you know, I was like going to see friends and shows that like I had booked but said no to because I was supposed to be out on this tour or whatever. But I remember like being in auditions for six. And I had a couple weeks before it started. And my dad had to have shoulder surgery or something. And I was able to go home. My mom was like, if if you're able to, I think I'm going to need help with this. So I was able to like, go home and help her and help him and like, run out and get things or like set a timer in the middle of the night to wake up to make sure he took his meds when he was, you know, whatever, all of that stuff that like, if I had been out on this tour, she would have had to do all that by herself, which like, isn't, you know, necessarily a fun thing to be doing. But like, all of those things are important for me to be present for.

[12:33] Samantha Pauly: Right before we started rehearsal for Gatsby, I was doing Rent in Sacramento. And one of my grandma's passed away. And that was like, I mean, that Sacramento

[12:43] Samantha Pauly: The show runs for a week. You rehearse for two and a half and then you're out. And because it's so short, I just couldn't leave. So I missed all of that. We've talked about this before. The older we get, I cry about everything. I get so sentimental. I had so many moments where I was like, Oh, whatever last time I was ever there to see her was the last time and I didn't know it. And that will never happen again. And I thought the same thing when my other grandma got moved to an assisted living facility. I was like, Oh, my dad sold her house and it belongs to somebody else. I'll never be in that house ever again. What was my last time there without knowing it? There are so many moments like that.

Again, as I get older that I am aware of and I try to hold on to in all of that in between because we don't often get to have those moments if we are currently working in a show because we get five bereavement days, five personal days, a couple days if there's a wedding or something like that or a graduation. And shows don't always have to say yes. One thing that I will say for Gatsby is they are so accommodating. When I had to put my dog down, they were like, And here's bereavement days and here's some more. And you know what? We're just going to go ahead and do this. I'm like, Oh, okay, cool. You get it. Not every show is like that. Sometimes you feel like you have to pick and choose, which sucks because there really is so much like once-in-a-lifetime stuff.

[14:30] Linedy Genao: You're absolutely right. What I love about being in the show with you is that you inspire me for many reasons, but you take off days every few months for you to refill your cup. Let me tell you, I love that because even when I took two days to go visit my parents in Florida to feel the sun, my cup was so filled that I felt like a new person. I felt like the weight was lifted off. And seeing you do that, and again, this industry, you can't take off. Or, Oh, I don't want to miss because what if this person comes to the show where I don't want to miss, FOMO, whatever. But you have to take care of you because this industry will run you down. And I missed my brother's wedding because it was the first preview of Bats Under Bella and I'll never forgive myself for that.

And I still beat myself up about it. But it's like, you're right, the moments that we're at a standstill, we don't have anything to kind of like work at at the moment are those moments where we have to refill that part of our lives with family, with friends, with ourselves.

[15:35] Samantha Pauly: Yeah, which we don't, again, if you're actively working, you don't get to do that often. I've had this same conversation with Noah Ricketts who was in Gatsby and he left after a year and he's been doing like workshop readings like you did one with him and he's doing concerts and like a couple months ago we were talking on the phone and I was just like, I think it was like height of holiday schedule. And I was like, I'm tired. I'm run down. Everything hurts. I'm not having fun at the moment, which I always feel bad saying because like what we get to do for a job is fun. But there are definitely times where it feels more like work when we're doing extra shows because of the hot, you know, whatever.

And so I'm just like venting. I'm going off and I was like, how are you? What's going on? And he's like, I remember he was like, I'm really sorry to say this, but like, I'm really great. And I was like, no, I love that for you. That's incredible. And he said something like, I realized like I will never be this young and hot again. And like I he's been in New York City for a lot longer than I he's been he's been here for like 10 years. Like I've never really had time to just like enjoy the city and live my life. And like, yeah, sometimes I'm not working and I think about money, but like money will come and go. But I'm trying to like live and also enjoy myself and be a human. So it's nice to do that.

And I can always feel which I'm going. I'm going to be gone for a couple of days, like at the end of this month that I threw it on the calendar. I looked at the calendar of like personal days and vacation and who's out when. And I was like, I think it could be this. I can always feel it in my soul, like April and November. I'm like, I got to get out of here. I got to go somewhere. I got to do something else.

[17:29] Linedy Genao: I love that. But I just like I I just need to like be in the sun and I need to chill and be nonverbal. I feel that. And it's like we get so happy when we get to see you again because we miss you.

[17:33] Samantha Pauly: I know. I miss you guys, too. It's nice, though, because I feel like it also I get overwhelmed and I get tired and I'm like, I actually don't know if I can do all of these shows this week and then I'll go away for a couple of days and I'll come back and I'll do new money. And I'm like, you guys, this is fun. Yes. But it's also like take that PTO, y'all take that PTO. It doesn't matter what industry you're in. Even when I was in banking, I'm like, no, I can't take off. I can't take off. I can't take off. Yes, you can. Take the time. You're never going to know a Ricketts. I'm never going to be this young and hot again. Take Noah's advice. We love you, period. Yeah.

[18:14] Linedy Genao: So talk to me about a huge pause when literally opening night of Six. Please, please just explain.

[18:23] Samantha Pauly: Yeah. OK, so I can't believe this. Broadway shut down in 2020, the day that Six was supposed to open. So we had seen we had already been seeing on the news what like did March Madness get canceled or something? There was something like that that as soon as that got canceled, I feel like everybody was like, oh, this is like something, something really bad is happening. And I my family was in town. My sister and her boyfriend lived in my apartment still at that point. But like everybody was there. We went and had brunch that morning, brunch in a crowded, crowded restaurant. Can you imagine peak covid? And my parents went to their hotel. I dropped my sister off somewhere because she's going to get her makeup done.

And I was on my way home to like shower and get my outfit. And some Playbill article came out that was like effective March 13th. Broadway shut down. And I was like, oh, well, today's the 12th. Like we'll still open tonight. And I got home and everybody's sort of texting each other. I nobody knew if we should be going to the theater and some girls were already there. I think I called our stage manager and I didn't I didn't get a chance to say like, hey, Bonnie, what's up? And she answered and she said, I don't have any answers. I have no idea what's going on, but just stay home for now. And I said, OK, sure. And then maybe an hour later, I mean, the show was supposed to, you know, opening nights are early.

It was supposed to be like six or six thirty. And I think finally, maybe four p.m., we all got an email that was like, we will not be opening tonight. Everybody stay home. If you're already if you were already in Midtown, they were like, we're going next door to Glass House. But I was already at home. I was like, I'm not going back in because they were also saying like, you guys can come. But like all of your guests can't come. We don't want too many people. So I was like, well, just stay home with my family instead. So that was wild, because even then they the email that they sent, they were like, we will definitely probably be shut down for a month, four weeks, but we will be up and running and in the month in a month, April 13th.

And then we got to like a month ish. And the only people I was seeing were my sister and her boyfriend because they were like four floors above me. Nobody was going anywhere. And we knew that the three of us were like, we could just go back and forth. So I at least wasn't like alone, alone. But I remember a couple we got like a month into shutdown. And I remember her boyfriend being like, I think this is going to go until at least September or October. And I was like, I really can't have you saying that to me right now. I was like, I'm stressed. I need to go back to work. I can't think about that. And then I ended up going back to Chicago because my ex-husband was still there. We still had our house.

I was like, I think I'm I don't want to be in the city. I'm going to rent a car, drive the dog, go back. And then I was there until when did everything open up again? 2020, September 2021. So I think I came back here July or something.

[21:45] Linedy Genao: And that's when you I started following you when you started doing your cover song, like videos of your cover song.

[21:51] Samantha Pauly: Yeah, I did like I did like a song a day series. I don't remember what I started it when I was when I was still here. So I started it pretty quickly because I was so bored. I was like, you guys want to hear some songs like I'll do cover song. And I started getting all these requests. I did it for a couple of days and then drove back to Chicago. And I was like, I'll make it to like 100. I'll do 100 different songs. And I was doing it every day. And it was nice because it was like giving me sort of a structure to that. I don't know why I was putting all this pressure on myself that I was like, I think because I got very into the like, well, if I'm going to sit around and I'm going to be on my phone anyway, like I'm going to try and take advantage of this.

And like, when should I what what time every day should I be posting? How should I be posting it? How long should the videos be? What like, you know, all of that stuff that now I don't give a shit about. But at the time, I was like, I'm not doing anything else. So I was trying to like film in the morning, edit it, have it posted by a certain time, whatever. I think I did 100 days and then I took a break. And then I like came back and did like Christmas for 12 days, like 12 days of Christmas covers and then took a break. And I was like, well, I guess we're still shut down. Like, let's all do what I think I made it to 200, 250. I don't remember the exact number. It's on my phone somewhere, but they're iconic.

And I never I never repeated a song and it got more and more chaotic. I was like ordering costumes on Amazon and dressing up. I remember seeing you in the car. Yeah, I was really here. I was fully going for it. And also probably mentally unwell.

[23:28] Linedy Genao: No, no. Yeah, it was crazy.

[23:33] Samantha Pauly: So, OK, when you aren't Catherine Howard, when you aren't Jordan Baker, any of the other iconic women that you've played, who is Samantha Pauly? Who are you outside of your artistry?

[23:40] Linedy Genao: People who only know you from the incredible work that you've done.

[23:47] Samantha Pauly: My God, who am I? Who am I? I, I. What do you mean? How would you explain the person that you are outside of?

[23:59] Linedy Genao: Oh, well, we constantly at least speaking for myself, like sometimes we let ourselves be defined by our work. Right.

[24:07] Samantha Pauly: So, oh, yeah, totally. Who who would you say you are outside of that?

[24:12] Samantha Pauly: Outside of all of that, I don't I don't like to be perceived like I'm I'm a homebody. I want to be quiet. I feel like if I'm in like a new setting, very shy. I get very nervous. I get very anxious. But I don't know. I've I feel like like I don't really listen to musicals. I'll go see shows if like friends are in them. But I find that because I'm so like that is my job. I there are other things that I like. I don't know. I love to read. I love to exercise. She's a great baker. Really? Yeah, I do like to bake. I'm into animals. I like to I feel like if I wasn't doing this, I'd be working at a dog rescue. I still might. I don't know. Who knows? Who knows? Who knows? Yeah, I feel like I'm just I'm very normal. Like I'm very chill. If I don't have to be working, I like to do other things that have nothing to do with what I do.

[25:24] Samantha Pauly: Oh, the season of life I'm stepping into right now. I honestly, it feels very uncertain. I really have. I feel like in this moment. I have no idea what I'm doing. Don't we all? I yeah, I was just having this conversation with my friend Abby to Phillips.

[25:55] Linedy Genao: Shout out.

[25:56] Samantha Pauly: Lost Boys. It's so good. I've seen it twice in the last week. Um, I was just saying to her yesterday. I was like, I think I need a break from social media because I'm seeing I'm doing the thing that you're not supposed to do. I'm comparing myself to everybody else. I'm seeing like so and so is now going to do this show and this person's hopping into this and that look at this concert and this person's singing at Carnegie Hall and blah, blah, blah.

[26:19] Samantha Pauly: And I'm like, well, I could do that. And I'd one need to not be doing I need to not compare myself because I have a job. I'm fine. But I am also very ambitious person. So I always want more. I want to do the next thing. I want to continue to build my resume. I want to stay visible, even though I don't want to be perceived like in the world of what we do. I want to stay visible because I feel like there's always a fear of like, but don't forget about me though. Like I could also I would do that. Do you know what I'm saying? That even though I have a job, I still feel I don't know if panic is the right word, but a sense of like, but yeah, we can't like settle.

[26:55] Samantha Pauly: Yeah, which is horrible and like not a good mindset to have. And I tell my students all the time. If I do a master class or whatever, I'm like, well, you can't compare yourself to everybody else. We all do it. That's what we literally all do. And I don't know if it ever goes away. And if anybody has gotten it to go away, hit me up because I like what.

[27:11] Samantha Pauly: But so I guess I have things to look forward to within this year that I'm really excited about. But there is a little bit of like in between and some of that that I already feel the sense of like, but what can I do? I should be doing something. Um, so I feel like I'm trying to enter that moment in my life with a sense of I could kind of do whatever I want, period. I could do a concert if I want, or if I just want to like rest, I could rest. I don't think I've had a proper break in seven years.

[27:41] Samantha Pauly: Like my time between I left six at the end of 2022 and then we started rehearsals for Gatsby September 2023. I had surgery at the beginning of 2023 and then I had auditions for Gatsby and then I did like I had set up for myself a mini concert tour for the summer because I wanted to feel like I was doing something. So I went to like eight different cities and then did rent and then three days later did we started rehearsal, but I haven't had any like proper it's okay to just rest and kind of do whatever you want.

[28:08] Linedy Genao: Well, the day that that comes, I'm sure your body's going to be like, yeah, I think so too.

[28:12] Samantha Pauly: I, I don't know, but I feel like even after I remember when a couple of the girls first left six like before the rest of us did, we would have these interesting conversations of like, but sure as shit every night at like 630 my body does this weird thing where it's like it's time to go right? Like it's probably it's time probably time that we should go to work and warm up and do the thing and it took them a long time to figure out how to relax.

[28:40] Linedy Genao: It's nighttime now.

[28:41] Samantha Pauly: Um, that's oh my gosh, that's weird. The muscle memory to also fun fact. I saw Sam in six in Chicago. That's the only time I've ever seen six in Chicago. I was doing West Side Story at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. We got tickets to see six. You were my favorite queen. I'm not saying that to be biased, but I you you're amazing. I wish I could have seen it again on Broadway, but hopefully I can see you again someday.

[29:05] Samantha Pauly: I would love to. Yeah. Hello. I'll come back anytime. They know that.

[29:10] Linedy Genao: Oh, they know that.

[29:11] Samantha Pauly: You know that.

[29:12] Linedy Genao: They know that you maybe someday.

[29:14] Linedy Genao: Oh, Sam. Thank you so much. We're gonna end now with the other half of the other end of the sandwich cheeto. Okay, and it's like hot takes like rapid fire, you know, great, you know, okay. Is there any Gatsby cheese? May we can talk to a cheese? May is awesome. Right? Any Gatsby cheese?

[29:30] Samantha Pauly: No, we can sing. Is there? I don't think so. It's kind of I mean, let me watch my words. I feel like nothing's really happening right now. Like we have a bunch of people that just joined. Yes, which is fun. And they're all like still getting settled. So it's just kind of I feel like I'm, I'm trying to be hyper aware of like, I want to make sure that I do the same thing every night. And I'm not dicking around too much yet. Because I want them to feel comfortable. Then then I don't know. I feel like nothing is nothing's happening right now. Maybe as the weather warms up, there'll be more guys, the weather gets warm, we'll be out in the streets.

[30:05] Linedy Genao: Yes, yes, yes.

[30:06] Samantha Pauly: Um, what's the weirdest thing you've signed at the stage door? Our stage doors get pretty intense.

[30:11] Samantha Pauly: Oh, something weird. I feel like I've signed people's hands. Yeah, I've signed people's foreheads before, which is odd. But you do you. I always get nervous if people somebody did this to me the other day on Sunday, I think somebody was like, can you draw this thing? Because I would like to get it as a tattoo. I've done that at least five times that people have been like you sometimes when you sign your signature, you put a little heart next to it. I want to get that heart tattooed. Can you just draw the heart or people have asked me to redraw? Like, I didn't draw this this little martini glass tattoo that people are like, Could you draw that for me? And I'm like, Well, I didn't do this one. So I don't know how to wanna. And every time I did my hand is shaking. I'm like, Yep, I can. Yeah, sure.

[31:00] Samantha Pauly: Like, yeah, though, that is which isn't weird. Like, that's I feel like that people ask for that. But yeah, it's a lot of pressure. Yeah, I get this tattooed on your body.

[31:07] Linedy Genao: Um, what is your Roman Empire? What's something that you spend way too much time thinking about? That's like, like, for me, it's winning the lotto. Like, I have planned out. I have planned out.

[31:20] Samantha Pauly: You think about that a lot? That is so funny. Way too much. So I have planned and I love to ask people, and then I'm like, No, no, you have to protect your money. You have to get an attorney, you have to get a business manager, because they're like, I'll buy a house. I'm like, No, no, no, you have to protect that money.

[31:40] Samantha Pauly: Oh, yeah, I was always told. Yeah, if you ever win the lottery, who's the first person you call a lawyer? Exactly. That's my business degree came in handy. Don't call your friend. You don't tell your parents you call a lawyer. Correct. So when I Roman Empire? Oh, too much. That's like, ridiculous.

[32:00] Samantha Pauly: Oh, God. I mean, I don't know if it's, this is this is gonna be dumb. And I feel like, like, I feel like every time I watch the, the Tony nominees every year, when they do the announcement in the morning, I sometimes I like, sometimes I get myself like, really worked up thinking about like, and then someday they're gonna say my name. But I like myself, but I like get I like start sweating. I like get hot. And I'm like, and then it will be like this. And I like get emotional.

[32:30] Linedy Genao: You are not alone. You are not alone.

[32:32] Samantha Pauly: I have to relax because I I guess I've I've also had these like mental talks with myself. Especially after like that out of hell got canceled. I was like, Okay, I think it's time for you to start leveling with yourself and be okay with the fact that like, you will probably never be on Broadway. And that's okay. You're never gonna perform on the Tonys. That's okay. You have to be okay with that. Because you're still working and you enjoy what you do. And like, that's not for everybody. And if it's supposed to happen, it'll happen. Spoiler, it happened.

[33:06] Linedy Genao: Sure did.

[33:07] Samantha Pauly: But, but I feel like sometimes I think about that or like, I do you know what I mean? Like weird.

[33:12] Samantha Pauly: That's not it's like, and I did this thing and that's gonna be my Tony nomination. I just make shit up.

[33:18] Linedy Genao: Everybody, you're hearing it here. This is future Tony nominees, Samantha Polly right here.

[33:23] Samantha Pauly: And Leneity.

[33:24] Linedy Genao: Both of us.

[33:25] Samantha Pauly: We're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna

[33:27] Linedy Genao: What can we do together?

[33:29] Samantha Pauly: I don't know. But somebody cast us in something, please.

[33:34] Samantha Pauly: Oh, you know what I you know what else I also think about that? I don't know if this will ever be a thing. I guess I could make it happen. But I don't know how I don't have the, the skills to write a musical. That's not really something I'm interested. I want somebody else to write something. And I want to be in it.

[33:55] Samantha Pauly: But I want a Joan of Arc musical so badly.

[33:59] Linedy Genao: Everyone you heard it.

[34:00] Samantha Pauly: I want a Joan of Arc musical. And in my brain, her getting burned at the end is like, like a big, it's like a big production number like fire flames on stage.

[34:10] Samantha Pauly: And I don't know what the song is. But there's like a quiet moment where like, she's singing to herself about everything she's done. And it's like, like the noise of like the crowd and the flames and the burning, like all cuts out and she sings like some song by herself. I think about that a lot.

[34:29] Linedy Genao: Writers, directors, producers, please, please.

[34:32] Samantha Pauly: I think that'd be so cool.

[34:34] Linedy Genao: That gave me chills. That sounds incredible.

[34:37] Linedy Genao: Okay, and last one.

[34:40] Linedy Genao: What reality TV franchise would you be cast in?

[34:42] Samantha Pauly: Oh, honestly, I don't think I could ever be on like, like a Love Island situation, because I would, I would probably just end up hitting someone.

[34:49] Samantha Pauly: I would get arrested. I'd probably get arrested for physical violence. Honestly, because I watched some of these shows. And I'm like, how are you not slapping the shit out of that man right now? Maybe, um, it's not it's not a show here in the US. And I don't know what it's called. I think it's a show in Australia. But there's a TV show at a dog rescue, where families come in or like, you know, a person or a couple or whatever looking for a dog. And they they have them in like an outside area. And the rescue picks a dog that they think might be right for the family.

[35:30] Samantha Pauly: And then they film the whole interaction. And then they like follow their story of like taking the dog home. I see those clips on TikTok all the time that I'm like, I either want to be the person looking for the dog or I just want to work at the rescue. I feel like all those like the animal rescue shows. Yeah, I watch and I'm like, maybe I should go back to school and be a vet. Maybe I should like go just do something like that. I just want to take care of animals.

[35:55] Linedy Genao: If anybody knows the name of that show, please let us know.

[35:59] Samantha Pauly: Send me the next I'll find it. Yeah, I'll find it. It's so cute. Thank you so much. I love you.

[36:06] Linedy Genao: I love you so much. This is so nice.

[36:09] Samantha Pauly: Thanks for having me anytime. What a dream.

[36:12] Linedy Genao: Oh, what a dream to be here with you. So we like to end each episode with our tagline because life doesn't pause. It just moves in three acts.

[36:18] Samantha Pauly: Everybody. I love I love you so much. My sweet girl.

[36:27] Linedy Genao: Entre Acts is created, posted and executive produced by yours truly.

[36:32] Linedy Genao: And now produced in partnership with Alan Seals and the Broadway Podcast Network.

[36:37] Linedy Genao: Carlos Hernandez of He Guy Management and Media serves as our lead executive producer.

[36:42] Linedy Genao: Original music by Johan Beltré and Pedro F Fortunato and special thanks to welcome to Times Square dot com the billboard where you can be a star for the day. Don't forget to subscribe and follow in three acts so you never miss an episode. Nos vemos!