This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Quincy Brown: It's so funny. I found this video of my very first time on as Elphaba. And I showed it to people, and they're like, you better open that throat. I said, those are baby cords. She's gone, and she used to be mine.

[0:12] Quincy Brown: Hello. My name's Quincy.

[0:17] Kevin Bianchi: My name's Kevin.

[0:18] Quincy Brown: And this is Sentimental Men. But keep your thumb away from that skip button. We're here to talk and maybe scream about our favorite women in musical theater.

[0:31] Quincy Brown: Hello, everybody. Welcome back. Quincy, how are you today?

[0:36] Kevin Bianchi: I'm good. I kind of had a very slow day. I mean, obviously, I feel like I've been doing a whole bunch of nothing in quarantine, but today was definitely a very slow day. Kind of just lounged around, watched a bunch of Real Housewives.

[0:50] Quincy Brown: Sure, sure, sure. Living the dream. Stability in these uncertain times.

[0:55] Kevin Bianchi: Yes, unprecedented. But today, guys, we have... Well, Kevin, I want to let you introduce this guest.

[1:01] Kevin Bianchi: Okay, well, you're so much better at this, but I'll try. This incredible actress, this amazing singer, this iconic Elphaba has been in the companies of the first National Tour of Wicked, the second National Tour of Wicked, the Broadway Company of Wicked. Not to mention, she was in the pre-Broadway opening Broadway and closing Broadway casts of Waitress. And most importantly, she was in the 2014 production of Nine to Five the Musical at the Art Center of Coastal Carolina, which featured me as Milton, the desk clerk. You know her, you love her. Her name is Stephanie Torns, and we are so excited to have her on the podcast today.

[1:43] Quincy Brown: And here's the thing, Kevin. Because you told me years ago that you had been in a production of Nine to Five with Stephanie Torns, where Stephanie played Judy Burnley as all Stephanie's should.

[1:53] Kevin Bianchi: As all Stephanie should. And I feel like I immediately asked for the video of her "Get Out and Stay Out," and I am still asking for that video because it has to exist.

[1:54] Quincy Brown: It has to exist. I literally was thinking about that today because I will never forget the first week she got up and sang "Get Out and Stay Out" like it was nothing. I mean, it was like the gay highlight of my year. She's great. I love Stephanie Torns. She is like a crystal clear, pingy dream. And literally was in Waitress for its entire run, including the Boston run. I feel like when you think Jenna in Waitress, or at least when I think Jenna in Waitress, I think Jesse Mueller and Stephanie Torns. I mean, Jenna is kind of Stephanie's role.

[2:35] Kevin Bianchi: Is Stephanie Torns kind of like the Jennifer Denoya of Waitress?

[2:39] Quincy Brown: Oh Kevin.

[2:41] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, do you like that? Because yeah, Stephanie was understudy for Jenna because I don't think Waitress had standbys, correct?

[2:48] Quincy Brown: Uh, Waitress did not. And she was an understudy because she was in the ensemble as his wife at the end.

[2:53] Kevin Bianchi: As Francine Pomeroy.

[2:54] Quincy Brown: Yes.

[2:55] Kevin Bianchi: Pomeroy.

[2:56] Quincy Brown: Potomer.

[2:57] Kevin Bianchi: Pomeroy.

[2:57] Quincy Brown: I never know how to say it.

[2:59] Kevin Bianchi: Potomer?

[3:00] Quincy Brown: Potomer.

[3:01] Kevin Bianchi: Dr. Pomeroy.

[3:01] Quincy Brown: Dr. Pomeroy. If something bad is happening to the animals.

[3:05] Kevin Bianchi: Oh my god. But yeah, so she was in Waitress forever, which is impressive in and of itself. But then if you think about how many women she understudied in that role, those were big names. Because it did, I feel like towards the end, especially got kind of fast and furious with like who they were bringing in, who was leaving, who was coming in. I wonder if that was just them trying to figure out who would keep the show open.

[3:26] Quincy Brown: Which is always interesting to me because Waitress is a really solid show. So the fact that it maybe wasn't doing as well in the later years was always kind of surprising to me. I think it will go on to have a good regional and college life. I can't wait to see who does it at the Muni.

[3:39] Kevin Bianchi: Who do you think it'll be at the Muni and who do you think it'll be at the Hollywood Bowl?

[3:44] Quincy Brown: Hollywood Bowl needs to be Laura Bell Bundy, and we've discussed this.

[3:48] Kevin Bianchi: We have. I think Laura Bell Bundy is actually more likely for the Muni.

[3:52] Quincy Brown: Really?

[3:52] Kevin Bianchi: I think the Hollywood Bowl, it would be like Sara Bareilles or somebody like her.

[3:56] Quincy Brown: Okay.

[3:57] Kevin Bianchi: I guess I just align Laura Bell Bundy with more California now. I don't know why. I would just love to see Laura Bell in the role.

[4:04] Quincy Brown: Me too. Lindsay Mendez was another name that I really wanted to take over at some point. But yeah, so we're having Jenna Extraordinaire and Elphaba Extraordinaire, Stephanie Torns on in just a few minutes. Before she gets here, I think it's time for Stuck on SJB.

[4:21] Kevin Bianchi: That was a new melody this week. I didn't really love it. Just keep trying.

[4:27] Quincy Brown: I accidentally foreshadowed my Stuck on SJB to you because my Stuck on SJB is Stephanie J. Block performing the role of Grizabella at the Muni in 2011. We sat like across the street when we saw the Cher show.

[4:44] Kevin Bianchi: So you know that nobody plays to the back of the house like Stephanie J. Block.

[4:48] Quincy Brown: Sure. But that video of her singing "Memory," I can't think of many things that are more impressive to me because Stephanie J. Block, future Tony winner at this point.

[4:57] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[4:58] Quincy Brown: And then in 2011, she was getting ready to go into Anything Goes. Like that was her next Broadway job, I think.

[5:03] Kevin Bianchi: Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. You're right. What was her last Broadway gig before Anything Goes?

[5:07] Kevin Bianchi: Was it Wicked?

[5:07] Quincy Brown: Nine to Five?

[5:08] Kevin Bianchi: Nine to Five.

[5:10] Quincy Brown: Okay, so it's 2011. Stephanie J. Block is in a fur coat, three pounds of clown white makeup, a synthetic wig, and she is in 90-degree heat playing to 11,000 people outside. This superstar is rolling on the floor, pawing at it like a fucking cat. And then she gets up and she sings that like you know how it's really low. And then up to the heavy side layer, touch me. It's so easy to leave me. I cannot believe the audacity.

[5:46] Kevin Bianchi: I mean, and she was Stephanie J. Block at the time. She was Broadway Stephanie J. Block. I think Cats is an utterly ridiculous musical, and I love it so much. And I think that the absolute heightened performance given by Stephanie J. Block only serves to make it better.

[6:05] Quincy Brown: No, I have to go back and rewatch it because the thought of Stephanie like crawling in hunched over, literally like pawing at the floor. I mean, thank you, Kevin. That was a fantastic Stuck on SJB.

[6:17] Kevin Bianchi: I thought so too. I thought you were gonna like it.

[6:19] Quincy Brown: Okay, I think it's time to get into our interview with Stephanie Torns.

[6:26] Quincy Brown: Stephanie, how are you? What are you up to?

[6:29] Stephanie Torns: Not much. Yeah, same. You know, at first it was like I was thrilled. I haven't stopped in a long time. But now it's just more like getting involved and doing a lot of like Zoom classes. So like more of things like that.

[6:42] Quincy Brown: Yeah. Yeah, that's all good. All good stuff. But yeah, thank you so much for being here. We're so excited. Tell us about when you first heard of Wicked, not as an actress when you were going to audition, but just Wicked the Musical.

[6:53] Stephanie Torns: Yeah. Um, I actually was in high school and in chorus, and we had sometimes these projects that we had to get up and sing in front of everybody. And I remember a girl saying, "I'm Not That Girl," and I thought it was like such a great song. It's so cool. And I didn't know what it was from or anything. So this is when I had to like burn a CD.

[7:14] Stephanie Torns: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I would listen to it and I loved it. And I obviously just kept playing like "The Wizard and I" and "Defying Gravity" over and over and over, popping blood vessels in my car. But I loved it. And so that's when I fell in love with just the music. And then I didn't get to see the show. But then when I did see the show, man oh man, I cried from start to finish. And I just was like, I need to do this. Like this is an ultimate dream of mine was to play Elphaba in Wicked. I would go to the Wicked Lottery. Never won, but you know what? I still tried. I just loved it. I cried. I knew I had to bring tissues. Like I literally was like that crazy person, just sobbing at all times.

[7:59] Quincy Brown: So who was your first Elphaba?

[8:00] Stephanie Torns: The very first Elphaba that I saw was Eden Espinosa.

[8:08] Quincy Brown: Wow.

[8:09] Stephanie Torns: Yeah.

[8:09] Quincy Brown: That's a good one.

[8:11] Stephanie Torns: And I believe Megan Hilty was my first Glinda.

[8:15] Quincy Brown: Yeah. I mean, what a starting cast.

[8:17] Stephanie Torns: I know. Well, my favorite of all time, and that was before I was in it, was SJB.

[8:22] Quincy Brown: Sure. Thank you for saying that.

[8:24] Stephanie Torns: So I have a fun story about it too. So when I got on the Wicked tour the first time, everyone knew that I was like this Wicked fanatic. Because also I was 21. I was so young. And to them, they were like, Look at this cute girl. Like, you know, she loves this show, right? And so we did Secret Santa my first, you know, year. And by this point, I'm really new to the company at this point. The whole cast is there, right? And I opened it, and my Secret Santa got me a signed photo from Stephanie that said, "To one Elphie to another." And I ugly cried in front of this cast.

[9:04] Quincy Brown: Oh my god. That's so sweet.

[9:06] Stephanie Torns: And it was the sweetest thing in the entire world. And my mother has it framed and it's at my house in Long Island.

[9:13] Quincy Brown: Oh my God. I love that. So then when you played Judy, did you kind of have a moment where you were like, I was like, I am her, right? Stephanie's stay together, you know?

[9:23] Stephanie Torns: Yeah, yeah. I love that. So then walk us through your audition process. How did that happen?

[9:27] Stephanie Torns: My audition, I auditioned five times before getting into the show.

[9:32] Quincy Brown: Wow.

[9:32] Stephanie Torns: Um, and it was all kind of sporadic. It wasn't like boom boom boom. Okay. So my first one was just like a general open call at Telsey. And of course, for me at the time, I was like, well, this isn't gonna happen for a long time, but holy moly, that was cool. And then I actually got an appointment and auditioned for the show, which then I was like, wait, this is really happening. Um, so I went back in and I auditioned and did all the Elphaba stuff. Um, and then the final audition I had was a dance call first, because in the ensemble you have to get lifted and dance. And for me, I was thrilled because I grew up in the dance world, so I was like, oh shit, yeah, right. And so after the dance call, we had to go in and do the whole entire Elphaba package, and then I got the call the next day, and they needed me to be on the road in like two weeks or something crazy.

[10:29] Quincy Brown: That's... and I obviously I've never like what was me, I've never done anything yet. Like, and so I had no idea what to bring, what to pack. So that was your first big job was booking the Wicked tour.

[10:41] Stephanie Torns: Yes.

[10:42] Quincy Brown: That's incredible.

[10:43] Stephanie Torns: Yeah, I graduated from AMDA in February and got the Wicked tour in October, September, October.

[10:51] Kevin Bianchi: Okay.

[10:51] Stephanie Torns: And got an autograph from Stephanie J. Block in December.

[10:55] Quincy Brown: December.

[10:57] Stephanie Torns: So then we did first national, Broadway, second national.

[11:01] Kevin Bianchi: Is that the order?

[11:02] Stephanie Torns: Mm-hmm.

[11:03] Kevin Bianchi: And then Broadway to like help out.

[11:05] Stephanie Torns: And then back to the first national.

[11:08] Quincy Brown: They just, they are full family and they just kind of call you and do you kind of love the idea that you can just be bopping in and out?

[11:15] Stephanie Torns: I do. I do. I love it. Especially after I did it for so long already. So for me to like get a call that, hey, so-and-so is asking for a two-week vacation. Are you available? And I'm like, yeah. Yeah. Come in, do it for two weeks, and then out I go. Dust it off, then put it back on the shelf.

[11:32] Quincy Brown: Yes.

[11:32] Stephanie Torns: But she's on the shelf.

[11:34] Kevin Bianchi: She's on the shelf now.

[11:35] Stephanie Torns: Is she on the shelf?

[11:36] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. I was gonna say, like, if they called you in the aftertimes after quarantine, would you go back?

[11:41] Stephanie Torns: Oh, I don't know. I mean, maybe, obviously one never knows. She could be dusted off again if she needed to.

[11:48] Quincy Brown: Exactly.

[11:49] Stephanie Torns: Um, before we jump into "What Is This Feeling," so we have a theory that any actress who conquers the beast that is Elphaba is either a Wizard and I Elphaba, a Defying Gravity Elphaba, or a No Good Deed Elphaba. Do you feel like you are most comfortable in any of those three?

[12:06] Stephanie Torns: Yes. I think it changed sometimes, you know, it depends, but it was never No Good Deed. It will never be No Good Deed. And I never understood, like, I know those Elphabas who were like, "Oh, No Good Deed was like my thing." And I'm like, oh my hell no. At that point, I am tired. My voice is like, sit down. And so for me, that was not it. I think for me, it was like between the Wizard and I and Defying Gravity, I would go back and forth. But I did think it was really cruel that the Wizard and I is the first thing that comes out of our mouth. You kind of knew how your show was gonna go, to be honest.

[12:41] Quincy Brown: So after that, you're like, well, this is where we're at today.

[12:44] Stephanie Torns: Yep. Would you like spend the whole beginning part of the song trying to like feel out if you have the ending?

[12:50] Stephanie Torns: Yeah, I mean, I feel like there's just like no turning back. You're just shot out of the cannon, and it's whether or not it's gonna just be like, oh yeah, this feels good today, or it's gonna be like work.

[13:01] Kevin Bianchi: So, in a situation where you're doing the ensemble of this show eight times a week, and then on night six, they're like, "Hey, you're going on as Elphaba." Is that like exciting, or is that like, "Fuck, I'm so tired and I don't want to do Elphaba tonight?"

[13:17] Stephanie Torns: It was more exciting for me because one, I was younger, and it was more of a, you know, something to look forward to and change, you know? Because when you're doing a certain thing eight times a week, you start to feel like a robot a little times, you know?

[13:31] Quincy Brown: Sure.

[13:31] Stephanie Torns: Everything is so specific backstage too. So we get our wig on at a certain time. If we miss it, good luck. Like, you know, your costume change. Everything is so choreographed backstage, so it felt like a nice change of pace for me.

[13:45] Kevin Bianchi: Do you feel like your ensemble track and Elphaba were equally as challenging?

[13:51] Stephanie Torns: I mean, I'm sure they're challenging in different ways. I mean, definitely Elphaba hands down is the hardest thing in musical theater. I'll never forget, actually, it was in the early days of like going on as Jenna in Waitress, and Chris Fitzgerald, who's like the original Ogie, is in our show, and he was like, "All right, I have a question for you. Which one's harder?"

[14:12] Quincy Brown: Yeah.

[14:14] Stephanie Torns: And I remember being like, uh, Elphaba. They're different in different ways, right? Like Jenna was like emotionally tiring and draining. And then like Wicked is just like vocals, vocal, vocal, vocal, vocal. And in Broadway, you're running to all the trapdoors. So you're literally anytime you're not on stage, you're literally running through the theater to get to certain doors. Nuts.

[14:39] Kevin Bianchi: Okay. So you've just finished "The Wizard and I," you struck your pose, the lights are down. What's going through your mind as you're like moving towards your mark for "What Is This Feeling?" Is "What Is This Feeling" kind of a rest for you, or is it still you gotta kind of be on?

[14:52] Stephanie Torns: I mean, it's definitely more of a rest. It's funny because as you guys named those three, I eventually got to the place of making it like bookmarks for me. So like I looked at instead of being like, "Man, I have 10 more songs to sing," I'd be like, "I have two. You can get through those."

[15:07] Kevin Bianchi: Sure, sure.

[15:07] Stephanie Torns: Cause the rest of them are more conversational and fun and easier.

[15:12] Quincy Brown: Yeah.

[15:12] Stephanie Torns: But no, going to that mark for "What Is This Feeling?" it was kind of either you were feeling good or like it's gonna be a long show, you know.

[15:20] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, I mean, I guess in certain ways there's probably moments too where it's like if the end of "The Wizard and I" didn't go well, it's like you don't have time to get stuck on that because you're singing another song in literally 15 seconds.

[15:31] Stephanie Torns: Exactly. It just keeps moving. You have no time to feel sorry for yourself at all until intermission. And even then, you gotta change the dress, you gotta get the makeup on it.

[15:41] Kevin Bianchi: Exactly, feel bad at home.

[15:43] Stephanie Torns: Exactly, or in the shower after the show, you know. Cause Kevin and I were kind of talking about how "What Is This Feeling" in some ways feels like the true start of the show because the first, I would say, 20 minutes or so is like exposition, I want song, and then we get into the main plot.

[15:58] Quincy Brown: Yeah, I agree.

[15:58] Stephanie Torns: I think because also you haven't really gotten into the depths of these characters either yet, right? Because you know, obviously they're setting it up like she's popular and this one's not, but she has this big dream and she's got powers, and you're like, ooh.

[16:13] Quincy Brown: But "What Is This Feeling," I feel like sets up this whole entire relationship with the two of them and getting to know each other and the push and the pull and the, you know, yeah.

[16:24] Kevin Bianchi: Obviously, everyone is on her side, as they say.

[16:27] Stephanie Torns: And yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's in the text.

[16:30] Quincy Brown: I don't know if you know that, but that's so interesting. Cause we've had other guests saying to us how lonely it is to be doing the show as Elphaba. And I was thinking, like, especially going from the ensemble into Elphaba, did you have that experience of like, wait, where'd all my friends go? Like, I'm not seeing everybody?

[16:45] Stephanie Torns: Yeah, it is kind of interesting because like when you are in the ensemble, you have this community and this like you're backstage just being fools and you know, talking and shooting shit. And now when you're on, you never see anyone. And even when you see Glinda, it's on stage. So it's not even like you're in the wings and you can like catch up with each other, right?

[17:08] Quincy Brown: So it is kind of interesting to go on, especially when you go on for like a little bit of a time.

[17:14] Stephanie Torns: And I would always like stop in the girls' ensemble and be like, "What's happening? Tell me something. I don't know anything anymore." You know, and it's been like three days.

[17:22] Kevin Bianchi: Um, but yeah, it can be very isolating to be Elphaba for sure.

[17:27] Quincy Brown: Do I remember correctly that you were the last cover to have her own set of costumes made?

[17:32] Stephanie Torns: Yes.

[17:33] Quincy Brown: That is so cool.

[17:34] Stephanie Torns: So they exist in that magical warehouse, it's the most cool list thing I've ever seen. And for a Wicked fanatic, you obviously it's like this crazy experience because that's every person who's ever been in the show and everything is like perfectly in order.

[17:50] Kevin Bianchi: Will they put other people in costumes that were made for you?

[17:53] Stephanie Torns: Yes.

[17:53] Kevin Bianchi: So do you know anyone who has worn your costumes?

[17:55] Stephanie Torns: I would assume like maybe someone who went in my track after me or like right after.

[18:00] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[18:00] Stephanie Torns: Or even like now, if like a cover needs a dress, that one is in the world somewhere.

[18:05] Quincy Brown: Wow.

[18:06] Stephanie Torns: I hope that they're doing it proudly.

[18:08] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[18:10] Stephanie Torns: I hope it's bringing them joy.

[18:10] Quincy Brown: Except at this point it's been so long, they're like, "Who's this?"

[18:14] Stephanie Torns: It feels like a whole lifetime ago, which it kind of was.

[18:17] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, well, and you've done a whole, you've done an entire Broadway run of another show since then.

[18:21] Stephanie Torns: So which is nuts.

[18:22] Quincy Brown: You're kind of like a serial monogamist of theater.

[18:25] Stephanie Torns: It's like you have these like long-running relationships.

[18:28] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, no, it is kind of funny.

[18:30] Stephanie Torns: It's like I've been very lucky to be in long-running situations and I stick with them.

[18:35] Quincy Brown: Well, so did you intend to stay with Waitress for the entirety of its run, or is that kind of just how life happened?

[18:41] Stephanie Torns: Yeah, just kind of life happened. And I just went with the journey. There were times where I was gonna be like, you know what? I'm gonna walk away from this, and like hopefully something happens, right? But then I'm like, no, you're in your 30s and you have bills. So like, what, why, why?

[18:55] Kevin Bianchi: But towards the end, the amount of love from the fans and the gifts that they would come to the stage door for me and have, and I would just be like, oh my gosh. I met my boyfriend in the show, and he made me like the most beautiful end gift, and it has how many performances of Jenna. I was the second most besides Jessie. And then I got all these gifts from the fans at the end, and he was like, "So my gift looks like crap." But some of these gifts were like, oh my goodness, it was amazing.

[19:29] Quincy Brown: I saw people were making like legitimate playbills for your Jenna.

[19:33] Stephanie Torns: They were, and they had, what'd they tell me at the stage door? They had petitions going online because there's an error where we were like, "We need to show appreciation for Stephanie Torns."

[19:42] Kevin Bianchi: No.

[19:42] Stephanie Torns: Yeah, I remember when they announced the London production was opening. There was like a wave on like Twitter and Instagram of like "Stephanie Torns for London Waitress," and I was like, "I'll retweet it, bitch, send her over there."

[19:54] Quincy Brown: I could not. That was like one of those moments where I was like, oh. It was like a ravenous. It was like I had to take screenshots because I was in like shock over how many people in London were going for this fight.

[20:09] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[20:10] Stephanie Torns: It was amazing.

[20:11] Kevin Bianchi: And has to feel so good too.

[20:12] Stephanie Torns: It does. It does feel good. Cause you know, a lot of times you put in work and then it's, um, you hope that it's being, you know, valued.

[20:19] Quincy Brown: So you kind of touched on this earlier, but Jenna versus Elphaba, Jenna was the easier time.

[20:25] Stephanie Torns: Yes.

[20:25] Quincy Brown: Or we can split it vocally and acting wise too.

[20:28] Stephanie Torns: I would. I think I would be exhausted after a Jenna show just because of the emotional journey. And that Elphaba is just so vocally demanding because she's also just very, you know, a tacky kind of, right?

[20:42] Quincy Brown: So it's always a constant forward with the voice instead of Jenna is just more subdued and more realistic as a person.

[20:50] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, and well, Jenna, you kind of vocally at least you kind of build up to the end. Whereas, as we said before, it's like Wicked straight out the gate. It's like, here's this green lady, she's gonna yell at you for two hours.

[21:02] Stephanie Torns: Yeah, yeah, exactly. And also, you know, Sara Bareilles doesn't write screamy pop.

[21:07] Quincy Brown: So the show is very her.

[21:09] Stephanie Torns: Cause I've always thought "She Used to Be Mine" is an interesting song because a belter can really take it and like belt away, or it could be mixed, and either way, it's really good.

[21:18] Stephanie Torns: Did they give you direction on how you should sing the song? I mean, they kind of would in so many ways, but not like telling people no or you know, but she definitely did not want you to be up in there trying to be like wailing, yeah, and like adding riffs up to the rafters.

[21:37] Quincy Brown: Um, do you think that our wizard and I define gravity no good deed theory also fits for Jenna?

[21:45] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah, okay.

[21:46] Quincy Brown: So for Jenna, it would be what bacon can do, she used to be mine, or everything changes.

[21:52] Stephanie Torns: Very good, Quincy. How would you categorize your Jenna?

[21:58] Quincy Brown: They always change.

[22:00] Stephanie Torns: Well, everything changes, everything does. I always love she's to be mine, like that was a safety net for me. When we got to that, I was like, We're good. Bacon can do is deceivingly hard. What I first would be going on in like the first year. I used to dread it, which once again, first thing out of the gate, right? So I would be definitely stressing out, being like, Well, that was rough. And then it moved to everything changes. Everything changes is my favorite Jenna song. It's so good.

[22:30] Quincy Brown: I know.

[22:31] Stephanie Torns: I remember the first time I went on, and I asked Jesse Mueller, I was like, How do you sing that song in that bed sitting like that? I just like couldn't get like a breath support at all. And so she told me she was like, I know it takes a you know, you gotta find the right place, but and it was. I after a while, I'd start to like when they give you the baby. I had to like uh scoot scoot a little bit, yeah, yeah, yeah. Open up that up, you know what I mean? And so then I did start to love that.

[22:58] Stephanie Torns: I was thinking earlier about what baking can do and the wizard and I because making good was cut in Wicked for the Wizard and I, and door number three was cut or rearranged to be what baking can do. And I kind of feel like there's parallels because both Making Good and Door Number Three, I think give more insight into the character, whereas Wizard and I and What Baking and Do maybe are better songs for like musical theater in the show, but I do really have a soft spot in my heart for door number three. It's my favorite.

[23:30] Quincy Brown: Me too.

[23:30] Stephanie Torns: But it was a very different show at the in the out of town. It was a lot darker with curl more, and so that song fit and made more sense. Door number three was my favorite. Such a good song. Yep, yep, it really is. She's just stupid that one. So I feel like they definitely were bringing in a lot of Jennas, especially towards the end. It kind of got a little fast and furious.

[23:49] Kevin Bianchi: Were the new Jennas they were bringing in? I have to imagine they kind of would look to you for some guidance because you were had kind of been there the whole time.

[23:59] Stephanie Torns: It was funny. A lot of them had to trail me because I would be on in between the girls.

[24:05] Quincy Brown: Oh, that's right.

[24:06] Stephanie Torns: So it's kind of strange how like most of them were like, I learned the show from you or watching you. And so was it like intimidating at all when they got into like bigger names or whatever? Was it intimidating to kind of teach the show to them?

[24:19] Stephanie Torns: For me, it was more of the stepping in when they have to call out was like the beast for me. That was I think the hardest for me.

[24:28] Quincy Brown: Did you feel like you got a lot of disappointment when you would go on?

[24:31] Stephanie Torns: Oh, yeah. Sarah's first time coming into our show. She was so sick, but she always wanted to make sure she was there because she knew that people were paying good money for her. She called out at intermission. I'm gonna say it was the worst experience in my whole entire life. That's top of act too. I'm behind the scrim, okay, holding this tie. And it's like, ladies and gentlemen, the remainder of this performance, the role of Jenna will be played by Stephanie Torrents. And it was like, oh, sugar. I mean, and so they were still like in a hubbub as it's starting, and I was like, I wanna have sex with my guide. Like, I was dying, and also like I was so nervous because I could feel the what the. And then thankfully, I got to win them over. And uh it was like a night all it started off horrible for me, but uh it ended pretty awesome.

[25:25] Quincy Brown: Is there anything that you think your time in Wicked taught you that prepared you better for your long run in Waitress?

[25:34] Stephanie Torns: Oh, for sure. I say it all the time. I am grateful that Alpha Well was the first thing I ever encountered. One, as a leading lady, could you get any more of an epic leading lady role, right? But because it was so difficult, it kind of set you up that you're like, I can do anything. You know, I can get through another show. And Jenna never left the stage either. I'm waiting for the day that I understand what it's like to be a leading lady that gets to pee.

[26:03] Quincy Brown: Exactly.

[26:03] Stephanie Torns: So, but overall, like I used to be like, Stephanie, you did Alpha about eight times a week sometimes. I think you're gonna be okay today. I do, I'm so grateful for it. And I also I learned the business and the professional aspects of being in a professional gig through that show, and I'm so grateful for it because it really taught me hard work and kindness and just making sure everybody is valued crew, hair, makeup, everyone. So I think that it was a really good place to start my career and my path with whatever comes ahead.

[26:42] Quincy Brown: Oh my god, this was so great. Stephanie, where can people find you online?

[26:47] Stephanie Torns: Um, on my Instagram, Tornesy18 T-O-R-N-S-Y 1-8. I am on Twitter a little bit, which is Stephanie Torns, but yeah, I'm I'm definitely more of an Instagram gal.

[27:01] Kevin Bianchi: Cute. Well, we will send everybody there. Stephanie, thank you so much.

[27:04] Stephanie Torns: Thank you guys. I had so much fun. This was so great.

[27:07] Quincy Brown: All right. Bye.

[27:09] Kevin Bianchi: Thank you. I didn't tell the story in the beginning, and I'm glad I didn't tell it during the thing because maybe Stephanie will hear it when she listens.

[27:19] Quincy Brown: Okay. One of my most treasured memories of my whole life is due to Stephanie Torns because I was trying to see her in the show the last time she went into the Broadway company, and Stephanie woke up from her between show nap and came out and played the lottery with me. Then neither of us won. And then she was like, okay, well, since you didn't win, do you want to come backstage? So then she took me backstage. She like showed me everything. Then this bitch took me onto the stage. They were doing a speed through of the light queues. And so I got to stand on stage at the Gershwin and see the entire show in Fast Forward from the point of view of the stage. Which I mean. I mean, I think about it all the time. It was it's honestly one of the best moments of my whole life.

[28:05] Kevin Bianchi: That's incredible.

[28:06] Quincy Brown: It's just crazy that her first big job was wicked understanding alphabet. That to me is just like a crazy whirlwind experience. To be 21 and someone says to you, like, hey, you're gonna go on for Alphabet once in a while. At 21, I could barely tie my shoes. And like someone is handing you this behemoth to carry the show, and it's a show that you've been like gushing over for years. And it's wild.

[28:31] Kevin Bianchi: I I love every single alpha story.

[28:34] Quincy Brown: No, I loved that. I think it was kind of interesting to hear somebody say the words of how like the way the show is built, you don't have time to think about what you just did. You just have to like keep going with the show and you think about it at the end, which I'm sure is like in some ways probably extremely frustrating, but it's also probably kind of nice too.

[28:52] Kevin Bianchi: I was gonna say, like psychologically, at least that has to be good because you don't have time to like stress about like, oh, that wasn't I botched that. No, that wasn't good.

[29:00] Quincy Brown: Right. I think that must be like a really zen place once you can kind of settle into it of like those doors open at the back of the clock. You start the show and it's like, see at the trapdoor, baby. I'll check in with you later.

[29:11] Kevin Bianchi: Well, it's cool. It almost forces you to be present in the moment, you know.

[29:15] Quincy Brown: Yeah, it's probably nice.

[29:17] Kevin Bianchi: Which sounds exhausting, also though. Like, oh god.

[29:22] Quincy Brown: I think it's time for Kevin's Glinda Corner.

[29:29] Kevin Bianchi: Okay, so since today we were talking about what is this feeling, I decided to reflect a little bit on Gulinda's role in what is this feeling. I was thinking about it, and this is really kind of going back to what you were saying about like this being when the plot really gets started. Is this song also kind of establishes her as a bully?

[29:43] Quincy Brown: No, yeah.

[29:47] Kevin Bianchi: I was thinking Glinda is mean. Also, I would just like to point out, going back to my original point about Gelinda's vocal journey, is that this song is a prime example of the way that the role of Gelinda uses its soprano register as a tactic.

[30:04] Quincy Brown: Okay.

[30:05] Kevin Bianchi: Elaborate on that one. So it's like any Gelinda, no matter what her voice type is, she's going to have to sing differently at two points in the song than when she has to sing the rest of the song. So she's like flips into that kind of like upper register soprano. And the for the time we hear that previously is when she rolls in on the luggage.

[30:23] Quincy Brown: Oh.

[30:23] Kevin Bianchi: So you're like, oh, so this upper register is phony. And then you're like, oh, but wait, she was just using that upper register to address the citizens of Oz.

[30:32] Quincy Brown: Was that phony?

[30:33] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah.

[30:35] Quincy Brown: I have never looked at it that way or even realized that.

[30:39] Kevin Bianchi: I mean, look at you, Kevin. Teaching me new things every day.

[30:43] Quincy Brown: It's almost like I spent thousands and thousands of dollars at school learning how to analyze a musical theater character.

[30:50] Kevin Bianchi: Look at you putting that BFA to use.

[30:53] Quincy Brown: Finally using it.

[30:54] Kevin Bianchi: I mean, Kevin's Glinda Corner. Every day you learn something new.

[30:59] Quincy Brown: Well, this has been another thrillifying episode of Sentimental Men. I had so much fun, Kevin.

[31:08] Kevin Bianchi: And we'll catch you guys next week.

[31:10] Quincy Brown: Yeah, we'll talk to you next week.

[31:12] Kevin Bianchi: Bye.

[31:16] Quincy Brown: You've been listening to Sentimental Men. This episode was produced, edited, and hosted by Quincy Brown and Kevin Bianchi. Thanks to Julia Diamarzo for our thrillifying artwork. And thanks to you for tuning in. You can reach us at sentimentalmenpod at gmail.com. Or on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Scent MenPod. That's S E N T M E N P O D. Till next time, I'm Quincy.

[31:39] Kevin Bianchi: And I'm Kevin. I have a secret theory that Hillary Clinton is a Tony voter.

[31:49] Quincy Brown: That'd be cute. I feel like she sees everything.

[31:52] Kevin Bianchi: She sees everything. And if she's not, she should be.