This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Jayke Workman: Is Pepsi okay?

[0:02] Unknown speaker: I don't know.

[0:03] Unknown speaker: Is she?

[0:04] Unknown speaker: Has anyone heard from Pepsi?

[0:06] Unknown speaker: How's Pepsi doing?

[0:07] Unknown speaker: Is Pepsi okay?

[0:13] Unknown speaker: Oh my god, did you hear?

[0:15] Unknown speaker: Did you hear?

[0:16] Unknown speaker: Did you hear?

[0:17] Unknown speaker: Oh my god, guys.

[0:20] Unknown speaker: Oh my god, that is not oh my god, you guys!

[0:29] Jayke Workman: What is up, everybody? My name is Jayke Workman, and this is Oh My Pod, you guys, a musical theater and pop culture podcast. Welcome, welcome back for those who have been trusty, loyal listeners all throughout my illustrious podcasting career. And welcome to the newbies, the newbie boobies who are here to listen to me ramble and slamble about Broadway and sometimes pop culture.

[1:02] Jayke Workman: You guys, I was trying to think of like the news of my life to talk about on the pod, like what's been going on, and unfortunately, I have to say, not a whole lot. Um, I'm back in New York. It feels like I'm back in the throes of it all since being gone for so long and then traveling. Uh, and I'm happy. I'm loving it. September is crazy. October is going to be cooking bananas.

[1:31] Jayke Workman: Um, I keep looking at my schedule and I'm like, what am I doing? But um, some really exciting stuff. I have a performance with um some incredible dancers um called Muse that will be on October 10th. Um, I'll put a little, you know, link to things in the description or whatever, as they say. Um, but yeah, I'm performing there. I'm performing at Green Room 42. I'm gonna be performing at 54 Below.

[1:55] Jayke Workman: And on top of that, I will also be back at Chicago from the 6th to the 15th, I believe. Um, so things are just gonna be nuts. Um, but I am really looking forward to it. I really kind of think I thrive when I am busiest, which is uh toxic probably, but I don't care. I like to work. Um, so yeah, it's gonna be a bumpy ride, but um I'm happy to be here in New York City and to have so many amazing performance opportunities. I feel really lucky and fortunate that things are, you know, flying at me.

[2:32] Jayke Workman: That sounded weird. Anyway, let's dive into this week's BroadwayWorld Recap brought to you by my amazing pals at Broadwayworld.com. Oh, wait, okay, also really quick, before we do that, um, I just have to say that I am obsessed with Trixie Cosmetics. Everyone who knows me knows that I love Trixie Mattel so very much, and I love her makeup company, Trixie Cosmetics, and she just came out with an incredible new palette and like little set series um with the Queen Brittany Broski.

[3:09] Jayke Workman: I need, I need these whores both to get on the pod. Um, but yeah, so check out that gorgeous palette. Um, I think it's literally just called like the Britney collection. It's gor stunning, Gorgina. Shout out, love you, Trixie and Brittany. Okay, Broadway time. First, you guys, Broadway World shared a little uh like a mini recap of the Emmys, and I just have to say that they highlighted Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder for their wins on Hacks for lead actress and featured actress in a comedy series.

[3:39] Jayke Workman: You guys, I am obsessed with Hacks, and Jean Smart can do no wrong. And now, finally, after four seasons, Hannah Einbinder has also joined Jean as being an Emmy winner for this series. And I couldn't be happier. It's about time. Also, Hannah, shout out to you for your incredible acceptance speech calling for justice. I'll just put it that way. So huge congratulations to Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder for their Emmy wins for Hacks.

[4:11] Jayke Workman: Next, you guys, Broadway World shared the very crazy kooky, exciting announcement that Dream Girls is going to return to Broadway in the fall of 2026. Directed and choreographed by Camille A. Brown. You guys. This is crazy. This is gonna be huge. And they have shared that they are going on a worldwide search to find the next Dreams. This uh search for Elle Woods, who? Oh my god. Dream Girls. This is gonna be a bloodbath, first of all.

[4:52] Jayke Workman: But once it's cast, this is gonna launch people's careers. I really, really hope that it does. I hope that they are able to really do their um their diligence in auditions because there somebody is out there who deserves to be a star, and this could make someone's entire career. So I am thrilled to share more as I know more about the upcoming Broadway revival of Dream Girls.

[5:20] Jayke Workman: Next, you guys, we got the very exciting announcement that Giant, starring John Lithgow as Roald Dahl, is going to open on Broadway in March of 2026. Apparently, this show had like a really amazing, acclaimed sold-out run at London's Royal Court Theatre on the West End. And I apparently am not keeping up enough with the West End theater game because I didn't know about this, but this is so thrilling. I love John Lithgow.

[5:49] Jayke Workman: John Lithgow had these children's books. Mom, I know you're listening, and I know that you are the one who got me these books. He wrote a book called The Remarkable Farkel McBride, and he also wrote Mahalia Mouse Goes to College. And I used to listen to him read the audiobooks of these children's books that he wrote. And I have been a fan ever since. I love his voice. It's so specific. So for him to star as Roald Dahl is just wild. And I cannot wait to see this. So it says it will be open on Broadway in March of 2026.

[6:25] Jayke Workman: Next, you guys, we got the very exciting announcement that Kevin Zolak will step into The Outsiders on Broadway in the role of Bob for a limited little run while Kevin William Paul takes a leave of absence. You guys, Kevin Zolak, famously partner of Friend of the Pod, Miss Soleil Pfeiffer, and he just came off of playing Tulsa in the Broadway revival of Gypsy with freaking Audra McDonald. Kevin, congratulations. This is so exciting. I hope that I get to catch you as Bob for your little uh little run.

[7:01] Jayke Workman: Next, you guys, we got the very exciting announcement that the La Jolla Playhouse production of Working Girl, Cindy Lauper's new adaptation of Working Girl, is going to star Ashley Blanchette, Leslie Rodriguez Critzer, and my darling diva, Miss Jojo LeVec. You guys, ah! I am so glad that Jojo is taking this and running. She obviously had an amazing run as Satine in Broadway's Moulin Rouge. And I was hoping that it wouldn't just be this one little stint for Broadway, and that she would be back in her musical theater roots.

[7:39] Jayke Workman: And here we are. She's going to be in Working Girl at La Jolla Playhouse this October. And who knows, you know, if and when and how soon that could transfer to Broadway, and we will have Jojo back on the boards. Jojo, please come on the pod. You know how much I love you. Um, this is so thrilling. I cannot wait to share more details about this production as they come out. Uh, Jojo, I love you.

[8:05] Jayke Workman: And lastly, you guys, speaking of Moulin Rouge, the musical on Broadway, we got the very exciting casting announcement that none other than Bob the Drag Queen is going to take over the role of Harold Zidler for an eight-week limited engagement beginning January 27th of 2026 in Broadway's Moulin Rouge. You guys, who doesn't love Bob the fucking Drag Queen? I she is the best drag superstar, comedian, actor, author, New York Times bestselling author. If you haven't read the book Harriet Tubman Live in Concert, you guys, it is one of my favorite books that I've ever read.

[8:41] Jayke Workman: I read it this summer and I flew through it. I think I read it in like a day and a half. It was so brilliant. But I love Bob the Drag Queen. Bob, if you're listening, come on the pod. Let's chat. Let's chit chat. Let's talk about Madonna. Let's talk about Moulin Rouge. Broadway debut for Bob the Drag Queen. I'm thrilled. And you guys, this has been the BroadwayWorld Recap.

[9:04] Jayke Workman: Oh my pod, you guys. My next guest is a star of the stage and an absolutely uh lovely, wonderful angel person. What is the tea, Olivia Valli?

[9:20] Olivia Valli: Hey, there's a lot. What is up?

[9:23] Olivia Valli: Thank you so much for being here.

[9:26] Olivia Valli: I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for having me.

[9:29] Jayke Workman: Oh my god, of course. I have been wanting to hunt you down for a while. And then we finally got to meet in person like mere days ago. And I was like, this is perfect. And on top of it, of course, like meeting through our darling mutual friend Trent, who is who we love.

[9:48] Olivia Valli: Who we oh my god, I'm so excited to chat with you.

[9:54] Jayke Workman: But before we dive into it, would you tell us where are you calling in from on this fine day?

[10:00] Olivia Valli: I'm calling in from my back deck in New Jersey, baby.

[10:04] Olivia Valli: Yes, a Jersey girl through and through. Truly, like my tomato plants, my cucumber plants, like just living my best life with my loud dog.

[10:17] Jayke Workman: What I would give to have a yard and a garden. Let me tell you, I will always tell everybody to get away from the city is like the best thing you can ever do for yourself.

[10:29] Olivia Valli: I mean, it feels like I, you know, so many of us live here only because of theater. And I do love lots of parts of New York, but even how we were talking about just a few days ago, how you can get into the city so easily anyway, that like being away from it and having a house and a yard.

[10:48] Jayke Workman: Oh dreams.

[10:48] Olivia Valli: Exactly. I just feel like every I like if you want to live in an apartment or a condo, hell yeah. But if you want to live in a house and if you want to be somewhere that's out of the city, you absolutely can and should because it's just like oh, it gets crazy, and I love the city, but she gets crazy, and I get to go home and like drive my car to my house.

[11:13] Jayke Workman: Beautiful, perfect.

[11:15] Olivia Valli: Uh, amazing, what I would give.

[11:17] Jayke Workman: Yeah. Although I will say, I do love driving. However, I just had a birthday, and my driver's license is now expired.

[11:27] Olivia Valli: And so we'll have to figure out what to do there because the DMV is hell.

[11:33] Jayke Workman: Oh, absolutely. I'm not going to the DMV in New York City. Are you absolutely kidding?

[11:37] Olivia Valli: Taking a driving test in New York City.

[11:39] Jayke Workman: I'd rather immediately know.

[11:41] Olivia Valli: Yeah, no, we're not doing that. The test would be okay. Can you parallel park that you have to roll back a hundred feet and then do it in the middle of rush hour traffic?

[11:51] Jayke Workman: Absolutely.

[11:51] Olivia Valli: And I would say no.

[11:54] Olivia Valli: I'd say actually the wheels fell off the car suddenly.

[11:57] Jayke Workman: Actually, my wheels were stolen four weeks ago.

[11:59] Olivia Valli: So I have yeah, I'm very busy. I have to mop the ocean. Like I've got things to do.

[12:05] Jayke Workman: Precisely. Oh my god. Okay, so we have to dive right in.

[12:10] Jayke Workman: And I think I would love since we talked about our darling angel Trent and how he was our mutual. We have to talk about how you two met.

[12:21] Olivia Valli: Well, actually, is that a lie? Did you guys know each other before you guys did the Pretty Woman first national tour?

[12:29] Olivia Valli: No, we I that's how I met him was on the Pretty Woman national tour. I was Vivian and he was Julio, and it was the best.

[12:39] Jayke Workman: Yes. Okay, so tell me about your road to that show and then also your experience leading a company across the country as Vivian.

[12:51] Olivia Valli: It was so it was like right when everything was opening up, and I had sent in a tape for Kit De Luca. Yes. And I was like, yeah, this is in the bag. Like Jersey girl, Kit De Luca, like we've got this. Like, cool. So I get a call back, and it's literally like mere days after like auditions are ready to be in person again. We're gonna get this going. It's gonna be a great time. So I walk in and it's for the team, a minus Jerry. Uh and he I will I walk out after singing my kit stuff, and they were like, Can you wait for just a second? And I was like, sure. And anytime you gotta wait, feels like 10 hours. I was like, okay, what do they need? What do they want? And so I um I still waiting, like five minutes, and they give me a packet that's so thick.

And it's three sides and three songs. Oh my gosh. And they go insane. Insane. And they go, Can you read for Vivian tomorrow? We think you can handle it. I went, Yeah. I sure can. I sure can. You know what? Absolutely. So in 12 hours, I am holed up in my room, like studying all this music, setting all these scenes, looking at performance clips, just to get a better idea of the show because I was um in the ensemble of Wicked on the national tour when the show came out. Yes. So I never got the chance to see it. But I loved the movie. But I was like, you know, the movie to screen to film to Broadway to book, they're all different. So I just wanted to see like what iteration I was gonna get myself uh familiarized with.

And so I didn't it didn't take too long to be like, oh, okay, cool. Like we're doing like the the Cinderella story. Yes. Great. And I walk in, and now it's for the full team, including Jerry. And I sing, and he goes, he goes, tomorrow, I want you in a Leotard and Laducas for the dance call. And I was like, okay, cool. Like, let's go. And he goes, and I need to see you. He's like, I I just need to see like uh a dress, a dress on you. And I said, okay. I mean, it was like great. And it was like everybody was like, wear what you're comfortable with. And I was like, for me, I'm like, listen, if you need to see a certain look, like fine. Whatever. If Jerry Mitchell says, please put on a dress, you put on a dress.

Yes. If he wants a six-inch platform pump for the dance call, I will do it. I'm tap dancing in them. Like, exactly. I will do a backflip in that. Like, whatever you say, I will do. Right. And like also, like, I don't know, like, they're not asking me to do anything crazy. They're just asking to see clothes. Yeah. Okay. So I I walk in the next day and it's work sessions. And so we are doing a dance call. That's how I met one of my friends, Kelsey Kimmel as well. Uh, and she love, we love her. And um in the dance call, we uh she was helping me with the dance moves because I was like, I haven't danced in so long. What am I doing here? Help, help me. And so we then do partnering, and then from that they pull me from it and they're like, Can you read and sing for Vivian with DB Bonds and Will Van Dyke, the music supervisor?

And I was like, Okay, sure. So we do that, and I go back in the room, and now it's the same setup as before to sing, and I'm singing and doing the scenes, and we're they all the things they've coached me on, and I booked the role a week later. Wow. And it was sick. It was kind of it was actually extremely insane to build a show right after COVID and while being in the thick of COVID while living and traveling. Um, but I think it taught me a lot of lessons, a lot of great lessons, how to stick up for myself, how to find my worth as an actor, how to advocate for myself, but also just being more precise with how I perform and how what I need to do in order to create a sustainable show that I can do eight times a week.

Absolutely. Um I got a really horrific back injury from wear and tear um doing the show, and that's nobody's fault. It's just perfect storm of a million things, and so I had a really horrific back injury, and I her needed my lowest disc in my back, and I learned how to then really like take care of my body while doing a show and the importance of being able to do your pre-sure show warm-up and your cooldown because that's longevity. And you know, I made some mistakes as well, as we all do. We're all learning and we're all figuring out how to be humans and adults. And I'm like, it's like your late 20s, like you're just figuring out everything. So um and I I was really grateful for the fact that I could make these mistakes and like still have grace be held.

Yeah. Because like everyone's just like, yeah, girl, like we're all just doing it, you know, we're all just figuring it out together. And nothing was insane, but you know, I I was really I was really happy to figure out how to do an HO week because I'm absolutely convinced that's what can like made me do an HO week as Alphaba week after week after week because I just like learned how to be the scientist within my body, so hyper aware of it and like mixing the voice with the dance with the physicality that I didn't have to hurt myself, and even if I did, I still made it very practical to do an HO.

[18:54] Jayke Workman: Sure, that's so interesting. Well, and I would think too, like, it's it's such a different beast to uh take on, you know, a lead role that doesn't really have the same level of um history or notoriety in people's in people's brains, you know, it's not like you know, compared to something like Alphaba, where there are expectations, there are precedents already set. There are riffs that you can change and riffs that you can't, and notes that you are expected to hit one way, you know, and so for you to be able to sort of put your stamp on Vivian and make it be sustainable for yourself is so awesome. Like that's so cool. And you were opposite Miss Jessica Crouch. Yes, Belle McKelly in Chicago, the musical in Aspen, Colorado.

My God. I love her. Obsessed with her. The kindest soul. Just so down to like be there for everybody and also have a great time. Like she really held it down. She was there for everybody, and it was great. And I got to work alongside Adam Pascal, which like Are you kidding? One of my dear friends. Like Daddy of all Broadway. Are you kidding? Yeah, like casually. I was like, oh, sick. And we just, I could not have done that show without them, and also just the entire cast. And it like being a being in a leadership position, I really wanted to emphasize the importance of like there's no hierarchy. We are all in this together. There's nobody better than the other. I don't care what role it is. I could not do all my quick changes without my incredible team.

I could not be supported in the show without everybody else in the show. And I I just it really I always felt that way, but I got to actually have the chance to emphasize the importance of it. And I think that that's I also wanted to be really um I wanted to be very thoughtful in the way I was leading.

[21:05] Olivia Valli: I love that. Yeah, because I just think that, you know, theater's so hard anyway. T. Crazy. It's theater is wild. And so I just think that's a good thing. And at the same time, though, we're not we're not rocket scientists. Nothing is that deep. We can we can do impactful work and make incredible art and still have fun and be kind to each other. It's literally we're all playing professional cosplayers. We're all just professional cosplayers, and we're getting paid to do it. It's not that deep. It's never ever, ever that deep. It's never that serious. It is just a silly goofy time. Okay, so switching gears a little bit in in terms of you know, talking about leading a show, leading a national tour.

You obviously also went on to play Miss Alphaba Throp on the National Tour of Wicked, which you know, I've had a a number of Alphabas, a number of blindos on the pod, and everyone has such similar things to say and such different things to say. So I love getting to hear from each and every one of the witches about your experience because it is it's a sisterhood, it is a legacy, it is a monster of a show to do and to lead. And now with the movie coming out, you know, the first half is has been out for a year, and now we get part two in November. There's been such buzz and hype about the show all over again and its impact. And so I would love to know, you know, like your your experience booking the job, but also like getting green eight eight shows a week out on the road.

Like it's a completely different beast, even from doing it on Broadway. Like, you are you don't have a home base, you are in a new theater every other month. Like, what what is it like doing Elphabet on the road?

[22:58] Olivia Valli: It was a dream come true because I was the alphabet understudy for three years on that same national tour, and then did Jersey Boys and then I did Pretty Woman and then went right into Wicked. And so I think for me, it really felt like I need to do a good job for younger me and also for the people who believed in me while I was the younger me and pushed me with love and made sure that I was seen in a way that people would go, Yeah, let's make her alphabet. Wow. And so I really felt that responsibility, but not in a way that was like, I have to be perfect and everything must be unbelievable. And I it's like this is like my swan song every night. I think the great thing about having the advantage of doing the show for three years, you get to see different iterations of the witches, and every witch in every city, you're the best one, it's the best alphabet they've ever heard, and then the next one comes in, and they're the best one, it's the best thing they've ever heard.

And in a way, it's true because they have not seen many other people, they don't have that accessibility, and that's why I love touring. It creates that accessibility, maybe not financially, but it creates the access to see the shows. And so, in a way, like, yeah, they are speaking their truth because they haven't, they don't live in New York and they're not gonna see Wicked once a year or twice a year. Like, yeah, see a hundred thousand alphabas. And I think because of that, I was able to take the pressure off and be like, I've done my work, I've already known I know what it's like to lead a show and have a slight expectation because some people expected Julia Roberts. A T. Which, like, is T. Like, and if you want Julia Roberts to see the movie, that's kind of crazy to accept that from every actress.

Like, sorry, she was she was a sex worker in the 80s. Girlfriend was tough, all right. She saw and experienced some crazy stuff. Um, but I think I was able to take the pressure off immediately because of all of that. And I said, I'm just going to keep my head down and do the work and have a really good time because I am living the dream that my 16-year-old self wanted, and nobody's taking this away from me.

[25:32] Olivia Valli: Nobody's expectation, nobody's opinions on me. Because if you want to do it so bad, baby, tell my director that they're wrong, and then you go step in. Like, I'm sorry. And that goes like for anybody who has an opinion about anybody, like, go tell the director that. I bet that'll go well for you. Very bad. Well, also, it's so interesting to think of it too. Is like, I'm not I'm not gonna let anyone take it away from me, not even myself. Like, I have to hold myself accountable to the fact that like it is hard work, there's no denying that, and it's gonna be really tough and probably really shitty some days, but at the same time, we dreamed about this and we get to do it, and that is crazy in itself.

So the idea of like sitting in the chair when you're absolutely just like at your wit's end, mentally exhausted, like getting green and then getting to just like take a breath and then go and be Elphaba for two and a half hours is so fucking it's literally my favorite thing in the world, and it's actually exactly what you said. Like I knew it was gonna be hard. Everybody has a hard time at one point doing the role. It's physical, it's mental, it's emotional. Every aspect of it is hard, and it's a 24-hour job. It's not like some other leading roles where you can turn off. Like you've got to make sure like you're adjusting to the role, and like how's your voice? And did you hydrate that day? And I actually realized once I stopped stressing about all that too, I was fine. Yeah. And I was like, oh, wait shows, okay. But I took it day by day.

[27:06] Jayke Workman: Well, of course. I mean, that's all you can do. I just gauged it.

[27:09] Olivia Valli: Yeah, but um, for your question about getting green. Yes, it was like I would walk into work no matter how tired, no matter what has happened in my personal life, no matter how I was feeling, and I would sit down and start being painted by um our incredible makeup artist, Tashana Ferguson, who is like one of my best friends now, and I would come alive again. Wow. And like, even if it was like, man, like I had a tough day, or like I'm so tired, I would start to get into it, and it's like this bolt of energy. And I was like, okay, I'm ready, I'm here. We're gonna have a great time because I'm here and I showed up and I love what I do, and that's how I knew that I genuinely loved being the role.

I think that sometimes when we want something so bad, it's important to check sometimes, and not to say that we're bad people, if it's one answer or the other, but if we want it so bad, our why. Yeah, do we want it for notoriety? Do we want it for artistry? And you can have it be a whole bunch of things. There's no wrong answer. But I think the why does have to go deeper when you're playing a really hard role.

[28:27] Jayke Workman: Absolutely. It cannot just be about the one thing.

[28:31] Olivia Valli: It can't because it then becomes really um it comes it becomes empty after one point. Because you're gonna get noticed no matter what, you're Elphaba. Right. Your grease. Your green baby. Right, she's phosphorescent. She is bright, okay? And so I think that my because it was rooted deep within a why, and it was so layered, kept me moving forward. And for some people, maybe like it's I just really wanted to do this. I wanted to prove it to myself. I think all answers are valid if they're just strong in your conviction. Totally.

[29:12] Jayke Workman: So did you how how many times did you go on in the role when you were the understudy and in the ensemble?

[29:20] Olivia Valli: I went on 11 times. Amazing. So you had at least a couple of full runs under your belt with every element with a full audience before you had to basically agree to sign your life away for however long.

[29:35] Jayke Workman: How long was your contract as the full-time Elphaba?

[29:38] Olivia Valli: Um, a year and change. Okay. So like before, you know, even the idea of being like, okay, for the next year, this is gonna be my everything. You had already sort of dipped your toe into the world of being on stage that in that capacity.

[29:53] Olivia Valli: Yes. And I think that being friends with so many of my Elphabas who I had the honor of like watching and growing close with, but also seeing allowing the honor of seeing their vulnerability that they allowed me to witness and like trust me with, I think also made me ready to like do it and be like, okay, it's a year, and like there's like you said, for these interviews, like some things are so the same, and some things are so different. Like, even when it comes down to like vocal prep, like I just needed like a lozenge and water and like a straw to blow bubbles, and I was set. Some people need other things because it's hard, it is a really hard role. Yes, so and even when it like lived in my voice, because it lives in my voice. She's she's living there. There are just some days I was tired physically. I was like, can I do this? I don't want to wear 20 dress today. Literally.

[30:56] Jayke Workman: So is there a section of the show or a song, you know, that is like your favorite or was your favorite to perform every night?

[31:04] Olivia Valli: No good deed. Work! I love that answer. She's scary. I am a scary girl, and I love no good deed. There is nothing better than like having like an hour and 45 minutes more than that, like a pent-up energy, uh huh. And you just let it all out. Yeah, like you're mad at somebody that day. It I know exactly where it goes. Oh man. Like, and like, I don't know. Maybe it's the maybe it's the trauma in me. Who knows? Sure. But I love just letting it out and being like, I know what this feeling feels like to be betrayed and hurt. And I'm just gonna let it loose. Thor nuclear. That's so fierce. That is, in my opinion, because I have also played the role of Elphaba, as you know, in my shower. Um, I think that that is the hardest of all of the songs, not not Defying Gravity and not Wizard and I. I think it's definitely no good deed.

[32:10] Olivia Valli: I agree, because like you have Wizard and I to kind of like not play it back, you never want to play back anything, but like you're playing joy and like discovering it. Youth, it's the very beginning. Yeah, and like they want that really just like almost talked in a way. So like you kind of just get to ride it a little bit. Yeah, Defying Gravity, like whatever. But no good deed, if you like if you have overblown it for most of your show, no good deed will be the hardest song you sing. Yes, I can't imagine. Oh my god. So cool. My favorite moment in the show is when Nessa says to Elphaba, well, what did you expect after he'd heard what you'd done? How you disgraced us? He died of shame, embarrassed to death. I lived for those words. Girlfriend was waiting to say that.

[33:05] Jayke Workman: And how do you how do you it does it affect you differently every time when when you know you're playing sometimes opposite different people, different Nessas and different Glindas? Like, how do you navigate that?

[33:16] Olivia Valli: Oh, every like when it was a different Nessa, you just kind of because I've played with so many Nesses at this point now, all unbelievably talented and amazing, and their deliveries all were shocking. Because like there's different parts of the words they would play, or different hurts, or different anger or resentment, or like I've always hated you. I have always felt like I was ashamed of you. Now he finally was, and it was like all like projection. It was oh, it was crazy. I love acting.

[33:51] Jayke Workman: Me too. I love acting. I love acting so much.

[33:52] Olivia Valli: And I was, I I just had to be like, I blank slate. This is our show. Nothing set in stone ever. That's acting. That's what we're doing. I'm ready to just take it and then let it blow for the last line, which I personally love in that scene. Oh, but I will say my favorite song in the show is thank goodness.

[34:19] Jayke Workman: Oh, it's the best.

[34:20] Olivia Valli: The best! The best. I best song in a show. I love that musical so damn much. I it just I'm sorry for my dog.

[34:29] Jayke Workman: Oh my god.

[34:29] Olivia Valli: Santa Lily of the Valley. No.

[34:33] Jayke Workman: I love you.

[34:34] Olivia Valli: Never be apologetic for the dog.

[34:36] Jayke Workman: We we dog friendly podcast.

[34:39] Olivia Valli: Oh, hi, sweet girl. Oh, boy, are they them?

[34:44] Jayke Workman: She she is she.

[34:47] Olivia Valli: Really, just her pronouns are sweet angel. Sweet angel. Or devil child, devil child. Exactly. Demon baby.

[34:56] Jayke Workman: So in that same vein, do you have a favorite um mishap that ever occurred at The Wicked? Did you ever have a no fly show?

[35:07] Olivia Valli: I had one no-fly show, but I've had no land shows.

[35:11] Jayke Workman: What does that mean?

[35:13] Olivia Valli: I didn't get down. The Levitator never landed. Oh no. So I am on a ladder held by four strong men who are hoping that I don't fall because they are terrified. Oh my god, that's hilarious. Yes. And because it was all because of my one no fly show. And I was going up. I was going, it's not her going forward. She's not the one you want. It's me. Stop on it's me. Dead stop. And you see me jolt. Because the um the computer shut down. Uh-huh. It goes through like 12 security steps to make sure that we're good. And if it doesn't hit the last two before we fly, um, it doesn't go. But it went, but it just restarted. Like the whole thing was just like bugged. Damn. And so I stopped and my music director, Evan Reuter, who I love, I could see it.

He's like, no. And I was like, oh. Because at this point, and I I told my music director and my PSM at the time, I said, listen, if I get a no fly show, they're getting every riff in the book. Period! Okay? Because if I'm not flying, you're getting another type of show, and it's Celine Dion as Elphaba. Period. You're like, if if I'm gonna give these people their money's worth, and I'm not flying, we're giving vocals, okay? Absolutely. Not a single melody was sung that night.

[36:48] Olivia Valli: Oh my god. I feel like it's just so funny. It's so I get out of the levitator because of our amazing crew, and they're like, go live, go. And I just like go. And I just sang everything down. Uh just sang it down. Saying down. Down, but I did not land.

[37:04] Jayke Workman: I love that. Love that. Um, okay, so in you know, a different world when you weren't playing Elphaba, or if you weren't playing Elphaba, is there someone else who you would like to play in Wicked the Musicale?

[37:22] Olivia Valli: Madame Morable. Oh, work. And you better get in line because I want to play Madame Morable so damn baby. Baby, I'll be your standby. I will be your standby. Okay. I would gladly stand by for you.

[37:36] Jayke Workman: Oh my god.

[37:37] Olivia Valli: No, we'll just alternate. We'll just switch off every every night. Absolutely. Because you know what? At one point it will probably happen. Or like there'll be like an act one and an act two, Madame.

[37:50] Jayke Workman: Yes.

[37:51] Olivia Valli: Okay, so switching gears a little bit. You you mentioned it very briefly earlier, but we of course would be remiss to not talk about the Jersey Boys of Italy.

[38:02] Olivia Valli: Oh yes. And the legacy from which you come.

[38:07] Olivia Valli: I mean I'm literally like, I'm sure you get asked about this one million times a day, but we have to talk about the fact that you're the granddaughter of Mr. Frankie Valli.

[38:20] Jayke Workman: Yeah.

[38:20] Olivia Valli: And you had the opportunity to play your very own grandmother.

[38:25] Jayke Workman: Yes.

[38:26] Olivia Valli: Broadway in Jersey Boys. I have to know about this because it is before I did Jersey Boys. I was like, I never want to do Jersey Boys. Then I did Jersey Boys. I'm obsessed. I love it so much. It is so near and dear to my heart.

[38:43] Jayke Workman: I'm sure it is near and dear to your heart. So tell me, like, what how did that come to be playing Mary Delgado in Jersey Boys?

[38:54] Olivia Valli: It was a seven-year process in the making.

[38:58] Jayke Workman: Sure, just seven years.

[39:00] Olivia Valli: Seven years, casual seven years. Um, when I was in college and Jersey Boys was still on Broadway. Um, my grandpa and Rick Ellis were just having a conversation, and he casually mentioned, oh, my my daughter's in musical theater at Montclair State and she's auditioning. Now I was mortified when I heard this because I had had a conversation with my grandpa being like, stay out of my career. I want to know if I can do this for myself. Very cool that we have a last name that we share, but you are not my breadwinner. I and also like pop star theater, they don't really not the same, right? Not the same, and like he's older. It's a it's a different kind of pull, I think.

[39:45] Jayke Workman: Yeah, it's not really it doesn't really work like that when you're that or anymore.

[39:51] Olivia Valli: When you're uh but yeah, when you're when you're just older, it's just a different, like people are just like, oh, cool, rather than like, oh yes, let's put you in everything known to mankind.

[40:01] Jayke Workman: Sure, sure, sure.

[40:02] Olivia Valli: Which I I'd rather that anyway, yeah. Um, because I I'm not trying to be like an epotism baby.

[40:09] Jayke Workman: Sure, sure, sure. You know what I mean?

[40:11] Olivia Valli: Um, but so they called me in and I had told my grandpa, I was like, You did what? Furious. I was furious. He goes, I didn't say audition you, I just said you are at Montclair Center musical theater, an actor.

[40:29] Jayke Workman: Yeah.

[40:29] Olivia Valli: And I was like, okay, I guess. With the gun pointed to him off camera. Literally, like, yeah. I know a guy.

[40:40] Jayke Workman: Yes.

[40:41] Olivia Valli: And so I go, I walk in and I audition, and they're having replacements for Francine. For future uh productions and for Broadway. So I make it all the way to finals. And now I'm with Rick Ellis, uh Des McNuff, Mary Sugarman, Richard Hester. I'm with like the team. Sergio, everybody. And um it's we're done with my final and we're talking a little bit. And I said, hey guys, I just want to let you know, like, I really hope if anything moves forward, you're casting because of me and not because of my grandpa. Because if that's the case, I really would like to work my way to earn this.

[41:21] Jayke Workman: Wow.

[41:28] Olivia Valli: Rather than just be given it. Yeah. And I don't it wouldn't even be given anyway, because I was still auditioning. Right, right. Like I'm still in the room with like everybody else who's like just as a main amazingly talented. I was gonna say immensely and amazingly. So like talently.

[41:51] Jayke Workman: Exactly.

[41:53] Olivia Valli: Um, but so I I so they were like, you know, we just want to let you know we're here because you're here because of you. Love and we really just love your work, but thank you for letting us know that, and we really respect that. And I said, Great. Didn't hear anything. T. T. T. T. And I said, All right. Like, also, I'm in college, right? Well, I don't know what I'm doing. And would you have to basically like forfeit all of your commitment to college to be like, well, I booked Broadway, so bye.

[42:27] Jayke Workman: Yes.

[42:28] Olivia Valli: They'd be like, well, we could consider it a college credit, but you'd have to come back. No, no. No, not doing that. Yeah, I said, I'm good. I'm good. No, thank you. I said, a sole credit for a Broadway show. Right. No.

[42:43] Jayke Workman: So I I got my agent, my former agent at the time, and uh, they kept calling me in for like the tour and for this production and that production, and I kept going in for Francine, and I had not been getting anything. And I kind of she's my aunt, so like she's a part of me, but I just felt like the writing of it never fit with me. Not to say that the writing's bad, the writing's incredible, but like I just was like, didn't always like feel like it resonated to say daddy 800 times.

[43:16] Olivia Valli: Sure. You know what I mean? You know what I mean? I I can't connect because I do say daddy 800 times a day. But that's that's a separate thing.

[43:26] Jayke Workman: So yes, yeah, same in a different context, right?

[43:29] Olivia Valli: Right, right, right. Correct, correct, correct. Um, but I um I then uh right after I had left Jersey Boy, not Jersey Boys, Wicked on the tour, I ran into Mary Sugarman uh on the street. This was 2019, and she goes to me, How long are you hungry here for? I said, I'm here for good, and she said, Very interesting. I go the next day, and I'd already booked um all shook up at Arrow Rock, like that day. So I was like, Cool, I get to work again. You know. Um, I was like, I've never done regional, I've always wanted to. Yeah. But I get a call the next day, and it is Jersey Boys for my Nana. And like the hairs stood up on my arm. And I was like, oh. Oh. It's like that witchy, like, oh, I know now. Okay.

It all leads to this. So I go in, the scenes feel good, everything feels good. And there's a different level of not respect, because there's always respect in the room, especially with them. It's a great team, but a different level of understanding between all of us. I've grown up a little, I've done some things, they've seen me grow, but also like we all kind of were like, oh, this is the fit.

[44:48] Jayke Workman: Wow.

[44:49] Olivia Valli: Yeah. And then I booked it, and it was the best time. I had a dramaturgy, which was hilarious because you're like, I kind of know what I'm doing, but I was like, I know Alvis, but okay. You get paid to be here, so that's fine. Thanks for letting it show on the check. Very good. Like, yay. And it was it was an honor. It was an honor to do it, to finally do it, to honor my nana who had passed a long time ago, but she was my world. Like she, I see her everywhere and in everything I do. I really really believe that she's still with me. And so I just I really feel like I got to honor her in a way that like I never would have been able to outside of the shop.

[45:41] Jayke Workman: Absolutely. I mean, how special. And too, also probably, you know, there's some level of like I get to prove it to my family too, that like, you know, the legacy lives on and I get to be part of telling her story.

[45:55] Olivia Valli: That's so cool.

[45:57] Jayke Workman: So cool. How long did you do that?

[46:00] Olivia Valli: Oh, was that pre-COVID?

[46:01] Jayke Workman: Pre-COVID, so six months.

[46:03] Olivia Valli: Nice. Amazing. Yep. Easy. I I had left six months after. Not because I wasn't having fun. I just was like, I think it's time to move on. I have a weird feeling about something. Shutdown happened, but you could there was no outs in that very specific contract. So had I had signed it, I wouldn't have been able to do Pretty Woman.

[46:28] Jayke Workman: Wow.

[46:29] Olivia Valli: Yeah. Everything happens.

[46:32] Jayke Workman: Oh please go.

[46:35] Olivia Valli: Well, I've I've kept you for a long, long time, but before I let you go, I I have to just ask about your road to being a performer because as you mentioned, you know, you were like, I have this sort of uh legacy part of my family. Obviously, musical theater is it's separate from that, but um, did that do you think that you know your family's history um sort of led you to being a performer naturally, or or did you have people in your corner being like, no, no, you should do this? Like, how did you first even like delve into this world?

[47:10] Olivia Valli: It was kind of a mix of both. I always wanted to at first I wanted to be a pop star, and then I found out how the music industry works, and I said, Huh, nope. Never mind. Actually I'm good. I'm I'm alright. I'd like to keep my sanity alive. Thank you so much. T. T. T. Um, but I had always had people in my corner. Thankfully, my mom and my brother and my nana and my grandpa. I always loved to sing. I didn't know how I was gonna get into performing. Um, but I was always singing at concerts and in rock bands, and then I was like, Oh, I'll audition for the school musicals and plays, and I was like, Oh, oh, the bug hit the bug bit me late, but I like the bug that bit me. So I'm gonna do this. And that was high school, actually.

I had a very late start. Wow, because I just didn't know that musical theater was the outlet. I was like, I want to sing, I want to dance, I want to act, but I'm gonna have to be a recording artist and a movie star to do all this, and I want to blend that anyway. Yeah, and I still want to do film and TV, obviously, but I was like, Oh, I can do musical theater and go to school for it, and that was when I was a junior in high school, but I'd been doing the plays and everything since middle school. I was just like, I didn't know there was like a round job, yeah. Yeah, I was like, I thought this just like existed. Weird.

[48:40] Jayke Workman: So I I had everybody um in my corner. Um, but like I said, I told my grandpa specifically, I was like, You can give me advice, but I do not want your help. And I don't want I want to do this myself. I want the organic connections, I want the organic everything. You are my grandfather, not my meal ticket. And everybody was so supportive, and he was supportive, and like I think a little bummed because I think he took it personally, but I was like, it's all personal. I love you so much, but you're very proud of who you are, but yeah, yeah, big fan of your work, but like you're a pop star. This is musical theater. They're very different.

[49:22] Jayke Workman: Wow, that's amazing.

[49:23] Olivia Valli: Very lucky.

[49:25] Jayke Workman: Love it. Well, Olivia, I just freaking adore you. I can't wait to hang out again soon.

[49:31] Olivia Valli: Honey, I'm ready. I'm ready, okay? Hang out. Um, thank you so much for being here. Can you tell the listeners where they can find you to keep up with your shenanigans?

[49:42] Olivia Valli: Absolutely. You can find me on Instagram, Olivia F Valli, F for Francine, like my mom's sister who's in the show. Very sweet. She has I have her middle name. Um, and then you can find me on TikTok at Olivia Valli. I sometimes post there, but it's mainly Instagram. Love Valli with an eye. Baby, don't you forget it.

[50:07] Jayke Workman: Oh my god, you are the best. I adore you. Thank you so much.

[50:12] Olivia Valli: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me, and I can't wait to hang out with you. You're the best.

[50:16] Jayke Workman: You are actually and factually the best.

[50:18] Olivia Valli: Actually, and factually, title number. Honey.

[50:26] Jayke Workman: You guys, that's it for another episode of Oh My Pod, you guys. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe anywhere you listen to the pod, and you can follow the show on Instagram at oh mypod, you guys. Thank you so so so much for listening. Talk soon. Bye.

[50:41] Olivia Valli: Oh my god, oh my god, you guys.