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[0:20] Jayke Workman: What's up, everybody? My name is Jayke Workman, and this is Oh My Pod U Guys, a musical theater and pop culture podcast. You guys, it's been a minute. How the hell are we? What's new? What's the cool jams? You guys, I have seen so many beautiful things in the last month since we last spoke. I'm sorry, I know, I know, I know. It's been a long time. But we are back. I am so excited to chat with you all, and we have so many things to talk about because I saw Bo, the musical off Broadway, written by friend of the pod, Mr. Douglas Lyons. You guys, this show was phenomenal. I could not believe it, actually. I mean, obviously, when something is written by a genius, it is worth it. But my god, the show was beautiful, the performances were incredible. Every single person in that show is an actor musician, so they are all singing and playing all of the instruments in the show. It was stunning. I couldn't believe.

[1:45] Jayke Workman: Fucking Wicked for Good film in theaters. It was magnificent. Ariana is taking it. Cynthia, absolutely incredible. Every performance was beautiful. Miss Ariana Grande Butterra. You guys, it was just incredible. Incredible. So I've had a month filled with beautiful art, delicious art to take in. But with that, we of course have to dive into this week's Broadway World recap brought to you by my amazing pals at Broadwayworld.com. You guys, I'm gonna keep it short and sweet and rapid because we have much to discuss and we have an amazing interview for you to hear. Okay, so Broadway World recap starting now. You guys, Broadway World just shared the incredible news that Shoshana Bean is going to lead the Lost Boys musical on Broadway as Lucy Emerson.

She is replacing the previously announced Casey Levy, which, of course, devastating. We love Casey. We support she needs time away, and that is more than okay. And who better than Shoshana Bean to fill those incredible shoes? You guys, I am so excited about this show.

[3:00] Jayke Workman: I also I know a little bit about I don't know, some secret other things in the cast that have yet to be announced, so I cannot wait to share those all with you as soon as they come out, but cannot wait for Shoshana Bean to lead this incredible show. Next, you guys, we got the very exciting news that Gray Henson is going to lead Bigfoot the Musical off Broadway this spring, opposite Katarina McCrimin from you know, Funny Girl Fame. Also, Alex Moffitt of SNL Fame is going to star in the show as well. It is a stacked cast, so I cannot wait to see what they are cooking up in Bigfoot the Musical. I kind of have no idea what to expect, but I'm also like, hey, at this point in the competition, it is what it is. Why would I count anything out? Next, you guys, Broadway World shared the very exciting announcement that the Orville Peck musical entitled Small Town Boy is gonna have a workshop presentation in New York City this coming week.

[4:06] Jayke Workman: And I know a little birdie in the show named Miss Danny Quadrino, friend of the pod and friend of foul play, who is in the show. So I cannot wait to hear how that workshop goes, and I hope that something, you know, is set for down the line for that show because who doesn't love freaking Danny Quadrino? You guys, it was also announced that Whitney Levitt of Dancing with the Stars and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Fame is going to play Roxy Hart in Chicago on Broadway. I would be remiss not to share this information as a lover of Chicago the musical. You guys, this is gonna be so good. She is a sleeper hit. Like, I cannot wait for her to go into the show and for her to nail it. I mean, she kind of proved herself on Dancing with the Stars, but this is gonna be so delicious. Like her as Roxy Hart, yes, it makes total sense. I cannot wait to see her do this role. And hopefully, I get to be there alongside her at the fabulous Ambassador Theater.

[5:15] Jayke Workman: And you guys, this has been the BroadwayWorld Recap. Oh My Pod U Guys, I am so excited to welcome my next guest to the show. Oh, I didn't even ask your pronouns.

[5:26] Tatianna Córdoba: She, her?

[5:28] Jayke Workman: Yes. She, her, is a star of the Broadway stage. Miss Tatianna Córdoba is here in the pod studio with us. You guys, welcome into your ears, Tatianna Córdoba.

[5:43] Tatianna Córdoba: Hi. I'm so welcome to being here. I'm so excited to chat. I have like been a fan from afar. We've never met before, but as soon as like the opportunity to chat with you came across my desk, I was like, oh, absolutely. I want to chat with this diva.

[6:02] Jayke Workman: Yeah. You most recently made your Broadway debut in Real Women Have Curves, but you have had so many amazing opportunities pre that and post that, which we will talk about. But before we get into any of it, would you tell the listeners where are you calling in from this evening?

[6:21] Tatianna Córdoba: I'm calling in from rehearsal of Picnic At Hanging Rock off Broadway.

[6:27] Jayke Workman: Period. That PR said she's hustling. She's doing the work. Where are you guys rehearsing?

[6:36] Tatianna Córdoba: We're at Ripley.

[6:39] Jayke Workman: Nice. Okay, Ripley. Love.

[6:41] Tatianna Córdoba: Yeah, we're at Ripley.

[6:42] Jayke Workman: The more we sometimes.

[6:47] Tatianna Córdoba: Oh, of course. Sometimes we despise her, but we have to make it work anyway.

[6:53] Jayke Workman: Well, thank you so much for making time to chat with me. I am so excited to talk about this show. But before we do, I would love to ask about your road to making your Broadway debut with Real Women Have Curves. Because I, of course, in doing my research as a podcast host, I know that you come from a beautiful sort of like line of artists in your family, and I would love to know about like what led you to be a performer in the first place because we, you know, being in New York and being on Broadway and whatever, like everybody's trajectory is different. But to have like lineage that is so tied to music, I would just love to know about like your experience with you know being a performer at like a young age and then ending up in New York City.

[7:43] Tatianna Córdoba: Yeah, yeah, totally. Um, well, my parents both grew up being artistic people. My mom was a ballet dancer, turned NBA cheerleader. So T, those pictures are T. My mom in the 90s. Hello. Right. Um, so she was she grew up dancing, and then my dad has been a musician his whole life. He's been gigging since he was like 11 years old. He was like in a family band when he was very young, and then just continued and still is, and he actually is a Latin Grammy winner, which is really really cool. And um, yeah, so I always grew up around artistic things, but both of my parents are very much not in tune, or at least they weren't. Now they're up to speed. They're like, our daughter's doing it, we have to do our report. But they were not really in tune with the theater world. So I grew up doing ballet like my mom, and I grew up around music like my dad, and my nursery when I was a baby was actually in his recording studio.

[8:59] Tatianna Córdoba: So he would be doing recording sessions, like full on like full-on like percussion drum recording sessions while I'm like asleep in records. So this is always something that I was constantly around. Like I have born in the game, baby. Yeah, like my boyfriend makes fun of me. He's like, You have like I have like a hundred uncles, and that's not even like an exaggeration. And they're not all related to you. I'm like, no, but like they're from just like the musicians I grew up being around my whole life. So um, yeah, but then when I was put into dance and started like having an interest in singing, and then my parents showed me the movie Annie, and I was like, okay, whatever that girl's doing, whatever that is, whatever that is is what we need to be doing. That part. Oh my god. Seeing Anne Reinking do We Got Annie in that yellow dress. I literally was like, Well, I guess it's over. I mean, like, there's nothing else I can do.

[10:01] Tatianna Córdoba: That, oh my gosh, that maybe from Annie is still like top five best musical theater songs. Of course. It's just that blew my mind seeing that, and like with it being a young girl that was the same age as me, like watching her do these like incredible things, and yeah, I was like, Oh, I can dance and I can sing, and like I can do that. Was like that like changed my life, and I was like, Okay, we're just doing that, whatever that is, we're doing it. And then my parents just I'm very lucky that my parents were always like I told them I wanted to move to New York when I was like six years old, and they were like, Okay, so they just my dad has always very much been of the mindset of whatever I don't care what you do, but whatever it is, you need to do it like full send. You just have to do it well.

[10:48] Tatianna Córdoba: Yeah. You have to commit yourself to it. That's amazing.

[11:07] Tatianna Córdoba: Like New York City was the goal for you.

[11:10] Jayke Workman: Well, yeah, I that was the goal. Um, but I actually ended up moving home for like a year and a half to, you know, gave up and and figure out, you know, I I couldn't move right away.

[11:23] Tatianna Córdoba: And then as we know, New York is so expensive and it is so crazy. Um Boco's expensive.

[11:30] Jayke Workman: Oh girl, yeah.

[11:32] Tatianna Córdoba: So uh um yeah, I kind of just went home to sort of get my bearings and figure out, you know, what my next move was. And then after about a year, year and a half, I moved.

[11:43] Jayke Workman: Wow.

[11:44] Tatianna Córdoba: To the dirty jersey.

[11:48] Jayke Workman: Yes. Okay, so before we talk about Picnic At Hanging Rock, which obviously we must, uh, I would love to know about like your journey with making your Broadway debut with Real Women Have Curves because it is such a uh sort of singular experience from an outside perspective. You you know, playing someone who I would imagine is very similar and like you know, uh charged with your own experience being a Latin woman and in America, like tell me about making your Broadway debut with such a special show. Like how how did that go for you? What even was like the the initial like did was it just like the the standard like audition process and then you book a show or like what was it like for you?

[12:34] Tatianna Córdoba: Yeah I mean I have been auditioning for I had been auditioning for Real Women Have Curves since I graduated since 2022. Fierce um since I uh since I got out of college um I had been in for a reading of it and a workshop of it and when they did their out of town at ART in Boston I was in final callbacks for Anna for that and it was just never my my time it just wasn't wasn't it but I I just like knew that I had to be a part I was like I would have played one of the sewing machines like I just wanted I mean it's so I mean not even rare it's just not a thing to have a show that is fully about and celebrates Latin women like on stage. That's just not a thing. Um it doesn't exist and so to see that and like I mean every Latin musical theater girl was like please you know it's like especially and then you like you narrow it even more that it's it's bigger bodied women that's like not even like that's so crazy and and so sing you singular like you were saying like that's just not I was like there's no way I can't be in this room because yeah it's just too it's too close to home like it's too perfect for me like I have to.

And then when the Broadway one came around from my agents, it was for the ensemble. And I was like, yes, I don't care what I am. It's like I just I just wanted to be a part of it. And I was on vacation and I was like, and they wanted the tape like in the next two days. And I was like, oh my god, I can't. I didn't bring any of my stuff. Like, I was trying to have a real vacation, not an actor vacation. I didn't bring my self-tape stuff. I was trying to have a real and I was like, I didn't bring anything. Like, can I please have an extension? Please let them know I'm I'm so interested. And in me asking for an extension, the casting team was like, hey, actually, can we we'll give her an extension because we want her to actually we we looked at her tape from two years ago, and we want her to actually try for Anna again.

And so I came back from vacation and I had auditions. I I think on a Monday or Tuesday, and it was just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And then that Saturday, I I did that Zoom call that they ended up posting on Instagram and everything where I'm sobbing and looking crazy. Oh, that is so it was very, very crazy, and then it just was like I got on the bullet train and it just didn't stop until it did.

[15:24] Jayke Workman: Oh my god, and it's the type of thing where like you obviously like when you have been in like the you know commercial theater space, whatever you sort of know, you understand like the scope of things, but like I would imagine in your position you were like, okay, sure, I will lead this original musical on Broadway, and then it became this like kind of explosive, like cult following show where like people were like obsessed with it. Like, did you know going in that it was gonna be what it became?

[15:56] Tatianna Córdoba: No I mean no I mean I I mean for from the I mean just like seeing your face like on Marquise and like like every commercial and all the things I was like that girl is a star. A star no I mean I had no idea. I grew up like knowing about the movie. I studied the movie in in school like that was something something that we studied and I know that the movie had a cult following but so I knew that there was that and then the play um you know is taught in a lot of you in a lot of theater classes and it's a beautiful play by Josefina Lopez. Um but our show was neither the play or the movie it was it's completely different. I mean obviously it's the same base story but it's a totally different new take on the story and so none of us were sure what I mean we believed in it so much but it's one of those things with new shows already you never know how people are gonna respond to it.

Like you have so much personal investment into it that you can't really see clearly um and then it's like it's not just a new show but it's a new show that is about such a specific community or that people like to think is so specific when really the story is so universal. So universal people don't know that right so it's just very scary to you have no idea what what's gonna happen and then people just like we people came back t I think the this one girl who we love she came back like twenty five times.

[17:37] Jayke Workman: Wow and that's so special just loved it and that the honestly that was what made closing really hard is that we knew that what we had was good stuff. Like it what like you know that and that people really loved it and and people would come up to us and tell them you know their stories and how they related to it and not just Latin people, everyone would come up to us, you know, that's my mom, that's my sister, that's my like you know so that was really really special and especially doing that show this year and the time right that we were doing that show at the height of a lot of you know the ice raids and and and Trump and and you know all the Oh we could say it um you know all the things happening in the world and in America and with our with politics like doing it during that time having to go on stage and reenact somebody getting deported while whilst on my phone I'm watching people get deported was yes a very weird and disturbing like juxtaposition to be like oh we're doing a play about this but it's like really happening.

[18:55] Jayke Workman: Yeah.

[18:55] Tatianna Córdoba: That was also very scary. I a really awesome opportunity to get to like show that and to reflect I mean our show was in the 1980s but it was literally a direct reflection of what was literally happening exactly in that right now.

[19:12] Jayke Workman: Yes. Well and I I cannot imagine you know, the level of commitment that is required to tell a story like that day in, day out. But also I just have to say I commend all of you as performers but also as uh Latin women, uh, because that is so scary and it's a it's but more so it's so important. And so I'm so glad that you all had the opportunity and felt compelled to do it every day because it really is I mean apart from just like you know the the baseline just like being a representative of someone who may have never seen themselves on Broadway, you know, on a stage. Um you're also telling really really important and heavy stories and and so it's just so amazing that you guys were able to do it and I I thank you as a fellow performer but also just like as someone who I I just have the utmost respect for people who are willing and able to put their like literal security on the line and tell stories like that because it's just it's incredible.

[20:15] Tatianna Córdoba: Yeah thank you. It was I'm very very grateful that that was my first that that was my first foray into Broadway, sure.

[20:23] Jayke Workman: Just casual.

[20:24] Tatianna Córdoba: You're like I could have been ensemble number 42 in Shrek the musical but oh no we're gonna be the leader.

[20:30] Jayke Workman: I'm like that's what I expected and was wanting my journey to be. And and then they were just like no But how fucking amazing that the universe was like oh actually no it's gonna go ahead and be this thank you very much.

[20:43] Tatianna Córdoba: Yes very grateful.

[20:46] Jayke Workman: Okay well switching gears because of course we are have to talk about Picnic at Hanging Rock which is going to open off Broadway at the Greenwich House Theatre in the new year. Tell me about this show because I uh famously do not know that much about it.

[21:03] Tatianna Córdoba: I have friends who have participated in uh readings and workshops. This show has been kind of like floating around for a while.

[21:11] Jayke Workman: Yeah. Um, and I know that they had an amazing um experience with it at Good Speed a few years ago. But I think if I'm not mistaken, this is the first time that it's being staged in New York City.

[21:22] Tatianna Córdoba: Yeah. Uh, like for the public.

[21:24] Jayke Workman: So tell me, like, what what is your role in this show and what is like what can like audiences kind of expect from you know the broad, just regular description of the show without getting into too many details.

[21:37] Tatianna Córdoba: Sure. Yeah. Picnic and Hanging Rock. Yeah, this is the world premiere. So this is the first time it's gonna be, you know, fully staged and everything. It's really exciting. Um, but it is uh based on a movie that was based on a book from uh the 1970s. Um, and it's by this famous Australian writer named Joan Lindsay, and this book was actually based on a dream that she had, and she had this dream and then wrote the book in two weeks following.

[22:08] Tatianna Córdoba: Like it was like yes, and now it's like taught in schools in Australia, and it's like a very it's a very big thing. And then they turned it into a movie in the 70s, and the movie kind of and I didn't know this until I started the project. The movie has a huge cult following.

[22:23] Jayke Workman: Totally.

[22:24] Tatianna Córdoba: And the movie is very if you want an interesting watch, go watch Pick movie. It is, I mean, it's a beautiful movie, but it is it's haunting and very it's very strange. And I've had never said the word strange so much in a positive way than when I started this show. Yeah, it's it's like kooky and spooky and and you know, a little a little witchy and super fun. It's about this group of girls that are at a boarding school in Australia. Um, and it's a mix of girls from Australia from um the uh from the UK um from England, and they are sort of just navigating like girlhood and you know coming of age in this is also based in the 1900s, so you know, coming of age during that time at the time of the century, and what what that's like and sort of you know the expectations put upon them, and uh it's kind of there's that, and then there's also this like cool, dark, grungy side of it where they go on this picnic um at Hanging Rock, which is a real place in Australia actually, um, and some mystery witchy spooky things happen.

Um three of the girls go missing, and and you'll find out if you come see the show how that unfolds, what happens. Um, but it's a beautiful show. The music is so beautiful. Um it's it's it's music that I feel like we don't see a lot of in musical theater right now. Um, so I'm really excited for people to get into that. Um and yeah, it's just like it's it's really uh different and kind of heady and abstract, and I think that it's a really really cool piece of new work that I'm really excited to do.

[24:17] Jayke Workman: Well, ah, I cannot wait to see it. I from the jump, like when I very first heard uh like whispers about it, um, when a few of my pals were participating in one of the like workshops at Goodspeed, uh, I remember just hearing like, you know, the very like preliminary concept of it. And and I, of course, like my true crime ass. I was like, oh, so three girls go missing on a picnic. I'm there. That is that is something that I am drawn to. But then of course, cut to like hearing tiny little snippets of music and like, you know, seeing who the people involved with I mean Sarah Ellis king everybody in this show, you guys, Erin Davy.

[25:03] Tatianna Córdoba: Yeah.

[25:04] Jayke Workman: Hello.

[25:05] Tatianna Córdoba: I'm obsessed.

[25:07] Jayke Workman: She plays the like owner or not the owner. I guess she is. Like headmistress.

[25:13] Tatianna Córdoba: Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Um, she plays the headmistress, Mrs. Appleyard. Um also a very interesting kind of dark woman. Um scary.

[25:23] Jayke Workman: Yeah, she's scary in the show.

[25:25] Tatianna Córdoba: She's scary. So um, yeah, it's super fun. I play the role of Irma Leopold, and she is one of the like popular girls. Um and naturally, no acting required. And she's an heiress to like a diamond mine. Her family is like owns a diamond mine in Brazil, and she's like just decked out. I wear this ridiculously large bow. Like I just I'm I'm giving London Tipton like.

[25:57] Jayke Workman: Oh my god, the best character inspiration there ever was.

[26:00] Tatianna Córdoba: Yeah, that's that's incredible. So it's it's super super fun. Um, and I get to sort of do things that I haven't gotten to do professionally before. You know, I get to do a dialect. I have a I have an RP dialect, which is fun. I've never gone I haven't done that since school. So to get to do that professionally is cool, and you know, to get to do something, I mean, I'm getting to do a super fun, very London Tiptini character that's really dark really fast, which is really cool. So yeah, it's different and really fun.

[26:32] Jayke Workman: So can you tell us any details of like the actual um experience for audiences? Like where is the show taking place? When can we expect to see like promotional material perhaps, or like when you um eventually open in the new year? Like how long is your run gonna be?

[26:49] Tatianna Córdoba: Yeah, so we open uh December 16th to January 17th. So another four four and a half week run um at the Greenwich House, like you said. And uh yeah, we're on our Instagram, Picnic the Musical on Instagram is our is our handle. We're starting to post some promotional material. We did a really fun photo shoot um a few weeks ago when we first started with rules. So they're starting to post those. Our composer Greta actually just showed us um a really cool video that may or may not have me and a few of the other girls singing one of the songs from the show that they are planning to put out. Um, but yeah, it's super fun. Um the show is set in Australia, so and the way that we are manipulating Greenwich House is so that the audience really feels that they're in it with us.

Um a lot of it engaged, you know, throughout the house. So we're really bringing them into this like spooky, wacky world that we're gonna be living in. Um, and yeah, another thing that's really awesome is that uh hanging rock, the real hanging rock in Australia specifically, is um indigenous land. So we do acknowledge that in the show, and um very cool. We have a First Nations um expert that has been working with us on the show and sort of uh teaching us about the history of Australia and the native people of Australia and um the land of Australia which has been really awesome to learn and to sort of wow navigate as we've been working on it but uh yeah it's it's been a really cool pro an educational process and I think people will really um will really love it.

[28:33] Jayke Workman: Yeah that is fantastic. Wait so how can I ask like what um specifically about this show and maybe maybe it's just because it's like brilliant material but like do you find that there's a pattern um in the projects that you're drawn to um or like that you look forward to taking on like what about this show specifically was something that you were really um excited to pursue as as a performer?

[28:59] Tatianna Córdoba: Yeah I mean something that I've been very lucky to do is that ever since I moved I've been pretty much only doing new work which I am very before Curves I did one professional show and then I did Curves and everything in between has Casual Crazy but everything in between has been workshops and readings of all new things. Yeah. Um and then Curves was obviously new work and then this is something very new and I think I'm just really attracted to pushing myself and there's something really creatively stimulating about doing new work because the creative team really looks to the actors to help in creating the world, the characters, the show, you really feel like you have a hand in in creating something, which is really really cool and is something I've become really passionate about.

You get to be a little more vocal when you're doing new work, which I think there is this really harsh line between actors and then the people behind the table that I think doesn't have to be there. Um, especially when we're all we all have the same goal when we're making something. Um so learning how to sort of also just like have agency as an actor and especially as an actor of color as an as a female identifying actor, um, getting to really be in rooms that give me a little agency and some creative like freedom and license is has been really awesome. So I anything that's new, I immediately am like, okay, listen, send me the script, let me see. Like, because I I love doing things where you know we're you are in the fabric of creating it. I think that's really absolutely that's amazing.

[30:51] Jayke Workman: Yeah. And sorry, can I say one more thing?

[30:55] Tatianna Córdoba: Please, because this is just I have to shout this out about this show. Our our show is 99.9% women, which never happens. Period. Our director is female identifying, our choreography team, all both of our writers, our music director, our costume designer, our all of our stage managers. The the cast only has two male identifying folks in it. Like it is fully, I think only our lighting designer and sound designer. No, I think we're like, anyways, it is like fully, it is a full female charged show, which never ever happens. I can't remember the last time there was this many female identifying folks in a room that I got to be a part of doing a project, and I think that it shows in the work. Um, and um that's something I'm really proud and excited to be a part of specifically.

[31:50] Jayke Workman: Hell yeah. I cannot wait to see it. I've been like like peripherally looking forward to it for so long, and then as soon as I saw the opportunity to like talk to you, I was like, yes, yes.

[32:05] Tatianna Córdoba: Oh my gosh.

[32:08] Jayke Workman: Oh my god.

[32:08] Tatianna Córdoba: Well, Tatianna, thank you so so much for chatting with me. Would you tell the listeners uh where can we find you on socials to keep up with not only Picnic at Hanging Rock, but all things Tatianna?

[32:20] Tatianna Córdoba: Yeah, you can I'm most active on Instagram and TikTok, which is Tatianna Sophia, Sophia with a PH. That's my middle name. And my TikTok is Sophia with a PH with two A's at the ends. And I'm very active on all my socials, so you can catch everything there.

[32:35] Jayke Workman: Oh my god. Well, I cannot wait to see you in the show. And I also just cannot wait to meet you in person because you are just a true delight.

[32:42] Tatianna Córdoba: Oh, thank you so much.

[32:44] Jayke Workman: This has been so fun. Thank you for being here.

[32:47] Tatianna Córdoba: I'm happy to be here.

[32:50] 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 much for listening. Talk soon. Bye.

[33:05] Tatianna Córdoba: Oh my god, oh my god, you guys.