This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hey everybody, welcome to Survival Jobs, a podcast in collaboration with Broadway World and the Broadway Podcast Network.

[0:12] Jason A. Coombs: My name is Samantha Tuozzolo.

[0:15] Jason A. Coombs: And this is my amazing co-host, Jason A. Coombs.

[0:18] Jason A. Coombs: And we've had a little bit of a hiatus, baby one, but we're back kind of. We're just doing the best we can, people.

[0:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hey Jay.

[0:25] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[0:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hey, Samantha Tuozzolo.

[0:28] Jason A. Coombs: How are you?

[0:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well, Jason, I had a fun New York night last night, and I'm tired today. And yeah, that's it. And you know, how am I?

[0:38] Jason A. Coombs: So let me just say this. It's my busiest time of year for, you know, event work, as our faithful listeners know. I am an event planner, producer, whatever. And I thought it'd be a great time to launch another podcast.

[0:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: Right.

[0:52] Jason A. Coombs: So talk about it.

[0:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes.

[0:55] Jason A. Coombs: Thank you. So over the last two weeks, I've launched a new show that, as you know, has been in my brain for two years, Jason. I've been talking about wanting to do this for like two years, I think.

[1:02] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[1:05] Jason A. Coombs: It's called Odd Woman Out. It's on the Broadway Podcast Network, people. Um, we're just talking to women artists about insecurities and being strong women and how to uplift each other in an industry that sometimes doesn't uplift us automatically.

[1:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, and it's been really fun, and I'm so happy about it. And I hope that I hope that it can make another woman feel seen and love herself a little bit more.

[1:33] Jason A. Coombs: And you know, primarily I started this for myself because I was being very mean to myself. Still am working on it when I watch footage back of interviews or even in the studio, or even right now, I'll be like, oh my god, my hair, my fat, my eye bag, my skin, my this, my that, like just very silly things.

[1:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's just not nice.

[1:54] Jason A. Coombs: And it's not what we should be focusing on. And so we're just talking about it. My first guest was Bellamy Young from Scandal, who plays Melanie Grant. And we love Shonda. We've talked about Shonda and Shondaland and Scandal on this podcast so many times.

[2:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: So to have her be my first guest was kind of a full circle moment and really beautiful.

[2:17] Jason A. Coombs: So if you're listening to this, ooh, that no matter what level somebody is at, we are all feeling similar things.

[2:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: Right.

[2:28] Jason A. Coombs: Because you can look at Bellamy and look at this amazing career she has and look at the level she's at and the carpet she's walked and the people she's been around, and you could think, oh my god, she probably is so confident and feels so amazing, which she is, but she also experiences feeling the feelings and demons that I experience on a much smaller level.

[2:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: So that's my biggest takeaway. And as we get deeper into this industry and get more acquainted and meet more people, I find that so often, I find that theme so often that regardless of what level you're at, regardless of your Tonys or Emmys or TV shows you're on, carpets you're on, we are all human and we all feel things that are mean and to ourselves and insecurities, and we can work on it, and there's always gonna be the back, the inner noises in your head that are just mean and it doesn't go away overnight, right?

[3:30] Jason A. Coombs: But if we talk about it and have these conversations, hopefully, like hopefully my niece can one day if she wants to pursue a career in the arts, hopefully, my niece will be in a different world where she doesn't feel pressures from society or the industry to look, act, think a certain way because she's a woman.

[3:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: Right.

[3:52] Jason A. Coombs: And that's that. So everybody go listen to Odd Woman Out after you listen to this. And like, subscribe, follow, follow us on Instagram, follow us on TikTok, Odd Woman Show, Odd Woman Show, Survival Jobs: A Podcast and Odd Woman Show.

[4:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: What a dynamic view.

[4:10] Jason A. Coombs: Right, right. Uh, I was gonna say, uh just to add on. I just think, you know, even if your niece doesn't go in entertainment, I feel like I think what probably makes your show so relatable is that any industry probably can kind of get something from it, even if you're not in entertainment, right?

[4:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: Because I mean, as you're a woman, as you know, like women are always under the microscope, right? No matter what level, unfortunately, what level you are and where you are in your world and your career.

[4:38] Jason A. Coombs: Women just, uh, you know, we all know, so I appreciate your show. I'm so proud of you, and I think what you're doing is amazing, and we need it. We need it.

[4:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: I just want to thank you because there would be no Odd Woman Out if there was no Survival Jobs, and there'd be no Survival Jobs without you. I learned so much about podcasting from you that I could never have made this dream a reality if it wasn't from what I learned from you and what we made together.

[5:03] Jason A. Coombs: So thank you.

[5:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: And that's the bada bang, babe.

[5:08] Jason A. Coombs: Right, right. Bada bing, bada boom. Jason, it's a big week.

[5:10] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's a big week because we love Ragtime and the revival is opening.

[5:18] Jason A. Coombs: We love Ragtime, people call it Ragtime, honey. And my favorite, it's like yeah, it's a perfect musical. It's such a timely musical. I was listening to it today, actually, as like the, you know, the OBC. I had it on today just because I was in the mood, and I was like, damn, I forgot.

[5:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: I forgot when I got to that act too.

[5:39] Jason A. Coombs: I was like, oof.

[5:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: No spoilers, even though it's like 30 years old, but oof is right.

[5:41] Jason A. Coombs: Oof is right.

[5:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: Cool house does.

[5:49] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[5:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, he does it.

[5:52] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, and a hundred or something years later.

[5:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[5:56] Jason A. Coombs: I saw it. I saw it this past weekend, and my god. I mean, everybody, every single performance on that stage is stellar.

[6:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: Phenomenal.

[6:09] Jason A. Coombs: Like, this revival is something people are gonna be talking about for a long time, and everybody's stellar, but Josh Henry, Josh Henry, Josh Henry, Joshua.

[6:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: Fucking Henry is eating.

[6:24] Jason A. Coombs: Eating.

[6:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: He's eating all the crumbs.

[6:27] Jason A. Coombs: He's eating every last bite. He is giving a master class in performance.

[6:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: Did you see him and Nichelle on, is it Stephen Colbert? They were on one of the late night shows singing "Little Dream."

[6:40] Jason A. Coombs: I don't remember what show it was, but I watched it literally 10 times in a row on Instagram. I just kept playing it over and over again because I was like, this is a blessing that we were alive during the time of them singing this song together.

[6:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: No, it's unbelievable.

[6:55] Jason A. Coombs: And I was at a Sunday matinee and they got a full standing ovation for like "Wheels of a Dream."

[7:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes.

[7:29] Jason A. Coombs: After "Wheels of a Dream" on a matinee. So that just speaks volumes, you know. So anyway, everyone go see Ragtime. It's amazing. We're super excited because we're going to be covering the opening night.

[7:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, we're like fighting each other on who's gonna get to interview Audra.

[7:46] Jason A. Coombs: So tune back in next week to see who won the battle.

[7:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: We'll see.

[7:53] Jason A. Coombs: We'll see how the day goes, you know.

[7:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: We're just kidding, kind of, right?

[7:58] Jason A. Coombs: Uh Samantha, I had to say one quick thing because it is New York City election season that people need to make sure they're registered to vote.

[8:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, look at that.

[8:08] Jason A. Coombs: But I didn't get to say his name. I didn't even get to say his name.

[8:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love that.

[8:14] Jason A. Coombs: Yo, I think, um, I think the registration is actually opens next week. Uh, early voting starts next week. I should probably have known that before I said this, but I wasn't ready to. I just thought I just thought about it. I think it's next week.

[8:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: But the election is a reminder.

[8:34] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, the election is November 4th. So please just make sure you're registered. And I think this is probably one of the most critical and important elections. I know they say that every time there's an election, right? It's like always the most important election of our times, but this one, Samantha, is very crucial, especially for artists, right?

[8:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: Because artists are the people who, you know, aren't making million dollars. Most artists, anyway, aren't making the million dollars, right? Aren't making those seven figures. Most of the artists are working-class people who can use the support and can benefit from the leadership of Zolon Mom Downey.

[9:14] Jason A. Coombs: So I think it's important that we, people of New York City. I'm saying we, as I'm not a voter in New York City, uh, but I think people need to really wake up and just be the change you want to see and learn about this, about who's running and what they are going to do for our community, and I mean that for our theater community and our artist community and the people of New York City who can benefit from this. We're not the one percenters here.

[9:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: I know it's not a political podcast, but I think it's important to really, you know, expressing our freedom to vote is important, so yeah, get out there, y'all.

[9:55] Jason A. Coombs: Get out there, right? And so speaking of artists, you're like, we're all artists. Let's talk about our girl. Let's talk about our girl today for this episode.

[10:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: Carly Sakolove.

[10:08] Jason A. Coombs: I can't wait to see this show. Samantha and I are gonna go see Carly Sakolove shine in Mamma Mia, but we got to interview her before we're gonna see the show. And you guys, she's so funny, so talented. I mean, I think this episode's pretty long because we just couldn't stop chatting. We were having the best time chatting. She tells some iconic stories. Her survival job stories are some for the history books, y'all. Like really, really, really stellar.

[10:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: So listen to me.

[10:40] Jason A. Coombs: She's amazing.

[10:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: She's amazing.

[10:42] Jason A. Coombs: She's such a wonderful human being, and I'm so happy we got to connect with her, and I can't wait to see her shine. And such a fun, great show. And I'll be honest, I've never seen the show. I've only seen the movie and I know the music because I think it was like I think the original came out when I was at my peak of discovering musicals and being part of the theater world. So I love, love, love Mamma Mia so much. Like "Voulez-Vous," that song is my shit, Samantha.

[11:08] Samantha Tuozzolo: I know.

[11:09] Jason A. Coombs: I'm so excited to be able to see this show. So yeah. So everybody needs to go see the show. It's a limited run. Get your tickets.

[11:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah.

[11:17] Jason A. Coombs: Carly will tell you all about all the tea. So stay tuned on this episode. And we'll see you next week, people.

[11:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: We'll see you next week.

[11:24] Jason A. Coombs: Love y'all.

[11:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: Awesome. Welcome to Survival Jobs Podcast, Carly. We are so excited to sit with you and chat.

[11:35] Carly Sakolove: I'm so happy to be here. I'm here in my home, but here virtually.

[11:40] Jason A. Coombs: Right. We are here. We're connected.

[11:42] Carly Sakolove: Exactly. And first of all, before we even jump in, we have to say huge congratulations for making your Broadway debut.

[11:50] Jason A. Coombs: And Mamma Mia!

[11:53] Carly Sakolove: Nice notes. I wound up today. I was like, does sound good, Jason.

[11:59] Carly Sakolove: You're so sweet. Thank you. Yeah, it's a very special moment in time for me for sure.

[12:05] Jason A. Coombs: I mean, it is just so much. We haven't seen it yet, but I did associate produce the opening night party when I met you. Um, I don't know if you remember, I was in a different light, but that party was just the energy from the party was incredible, and I'm around a lot of opening night parties on Broadway, and that energy that night was just so special and different that you could tell the production is just thriving.

[12:32] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, special.

[12:33] Carly Sakolove: That party, I mean, I just keep saying I wish I could go back and do it like four more times. And I, you know, you like it's like your own wedding, you know, you just like it happens and you're like, did I even see anyone?

[12:48] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[12:48] Carly Sakolove: You're like, wait, what happened? Especially in that venue it's so big and so I know. I was telling someone it was.

[12:55] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, yeah.

[12:56] Carly Sakolove: Yeah. And I was telling someone just the other day that I didn't eat anything, like didn't try. There was like 10 tablespoons full of food and I nothing.

[13:06] Jason A. Coombs: That happens when you're having the sign of a good time.

[13:10] Carly Sakolove: Um, but we have so much to talk about.

[13:12] Carly Sakolove: But before we jump into all of the artistic parts of your life, can you tell us a survival job?

[13:21] Carly Sakolove: Which while we're here is to talk about survival jobs that you had along your journey, maybe like even during gigs or in between gigs that sticks out to you.

[13:31] Carly Sakolove: Okay, I have the first one that sticks out like a sore thumb was a job that I carried for probably like two weeks. Um I think it was okay, but I needed it to survive, but it was so terrible I couldn't survive the job.

[13:47] Carly Sakolove: So um it was I think it was around like 2010. Um, and you know, just trying to make it to the next audition, to the next gig, to the next anything. And my father had a friend who worked for Carrera, which is like the cars, Carrera. Um, they were like, but this was like a slot car demonstration, so you know those like tracks, like the toy car tracks.

[14:20] Carly Sakolove: Okay, picture this. So the gig okay, the gig was to set up this like slot car demonstration in the middle of Toys R Us in Times Square during the holiday season. Okay.

[14:34] Jason A. Coombs: Oh no.

[14:36] Carly Sakolove: So it was like they're like, it's $25 an hour. And I was like, yeah, like this is the best thing. And they were gonna give me, I don't know, like 30 hours a week, um, for two or three weeks, like during the holiday season. I thought that sounded great. And I was like, this is gonna get me through to my rent, and it's gonna, you know, this is gonna be great.

[14:56] Carly Sakolove: Okay. But here's the thing you're in the middle of Toys R Us in Times Square. I'm the only person running this slot car demonstration where the kids are like grabbing the controllers, they press like the buttons so hard that the car would just fly off the track.

[15:12] Carly Sakolove: No, literally, and so it was me just getting the car this little car around Toys R Us, like trying to find it, kids just grabbing it out of each other's hands, and it was like I think yeah, I think it was um definitely that one stands out. I did it maybe like two or three shifts, and I was like, I can't, I can't do this.

[15:29] Carly Sakolove: I can't do this. I like can I can vision that Toys R Us R I P to that Toys R Us? It was like it was I think I would have.

[15:43] Jason A. Coombs: Didn't it have like a fair yes?

[15:47] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, yeah, it did.

[15:48] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I didn't know.

[15:49] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, well, I blocked it out, you see.

[15:51] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[15:52] Carly Sakolove: What is that? What is it now?

[15:54] Jason A. Coombs: I don't even know what they turned it into.

[15:56] Carly Sakolove: Probably.

[15:58] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[15:58] Carly Sakolove: Oh probably.

[15:59] Jason A. Coombs: Who cares?

[16:00] Carly Sakolove: Probably Sephora.

[16:01] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[16:02] Carly Sakolove: That's a good one. And that's the first. That's a survival job's first. We have not had that terrible job told on this show yet. So thank you.

[16:08] Carly Sakolove: Okay, we I have another one.

[16:11] Carly Sakolove: If you please tell us, I mean, I have so many, you guys. Like, I have so many.

[16:18] Carly Sakolove: Um, but I thought maybe it's the more funny stories that are the more fun. Um, I this was in high school, okay. I don't know if we're allowed to go back that far.

[16:29] Carly Sakolove: But I was there was this woman. I love how I say this woman named Christy the Clown, but I guess she was a woman and her name was Christy the Clown.

[16:40] Carly Sakolove: Uh and I started working for her. Um, like face painting at kids' birthday parties. Now, I'm not like a visual artist. I don't know why she just found this like 16-year-old kid and was like, here, put I'm gonna put a paintbrush in your hand and you're gonna paint kids' faces.

[16:58] Carly Sakolove: Oh my gosh. Yeah, but I so I was working for her, just like I mean like little like kind of princess looks like dots and things like that, but then she threw me out to the wolves, like to like a chilies or something, and was like, You have two hours of chilies, like bring your paints, and you know, like kids were coming up and they're like, I want a soccer ball. I'm like, okay, like just oh no painting a soccer ball in this kid's face, like uh I don't know what I'm doing, but you okay, so apparently it was fine because she kept getting these little like gigs, and um, and then this one day she was like, Hey, can you do a birthday party on Saturday? She's like, actually, it's it's a Hello Kitty birthday party. I have the I have the costume, which you'd be Hello Kitty for an hour. And I'm like, Oh, you get a hundred dollars for one hour for an hour. I was like, Yes, I'll do it.

[17:57] Carly Sakolove: Are they still looking for people?

[17:59] Jason A. Coombs: Right, maybe I'll give her a call.

[17:59] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, uh, thank you. Um, okay, now we're in Boynton Beach, Florida, mind you.

[18:08] Carly Sakolove: Okay, so birthday party Saturday, Boynton Beach, Florida. She goes, Yeah, just come on over, grab the costume. You'll go there, you get dressed in the parents' room, and then you come out, and it's like, you know, 30 minutes, dance around the kids, just jump around, take pictures, wave, blah, blah, blah. And then you go back in and change and drop the drop off the costume.

[18:28] Carly Sakolove: Okay, so I pick up the costume, it's in a large trash bag. And I'm thinking, okay, we've got like the bobblehead in here, and the thingy sounds good. And I get into the parents' room.

[18:40] Carly Sakolove: And it's a full on, like, it's not like a hollow head, it's not like a hollow bobblehead. It's like basically two pillows, like squishing your face, and with like a like a mouth, a breathing hole, like this big.

[19:02] Carly Sakolove: Like a little. So there's no ventilation, there's no air. It's just like two pillows mushing my head with like one little air wave. For one full hour.

[19:14] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[19:15] Carly Sakolove: And so I go outside. I go outside, and after I'm telling you like five minutes, I thought I was gonna pass out, and I and I like left.

[19:25] Carly Sakolove: I had to leave the I it was like a hundred degrees out, and I'm in this like suffocating hello kitty head. Um, and so I went back I went back in the parents' room, and the last thing I remember was like the mom was like kitty, like kitty, like I had passed out on the form of their bedroom.

[19:47] Carly Sakolove: The mom is not coming in there going, kitty, kitty, kitty.

[19:54] Jason A. Coombs: Wait, my kid, my dog just fully was where's the cat?

[19:58] Carly Sakolove: Harper, no kitty, no.

[20:01] Carly Sakolove: Oh my gosh.

[20:02] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, that's about short film right there.

[20:04] Carly Sakolove: I hope you I know it's definitely a chapter of my memoir.

[20:07] Carly Sakolove: I think it has to be.

[20:09] Carly Sakolove: I think that's how it starts.

[20:11] Carly Sakolove: I think that's how the memoir starts.

[20:13] Carly Sakolove: That story I like.

[20:17] Carly Sakolove: Just like the memoir starts kitty, kitty.

[20:20] Carly Sakolove: Kitty.

[20:21] Carly Sakolove: Yeah.

[20:22] Carly Sakolove: That's what shot of you like pans out, and you're just like passed out, and it's like that's amazing.

[20:29] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, I love kitty costume.

[20:30] Carly Sakolove: I really honestly do you have a photo of this?

[20:33] Carly Sakolove: We need it.

[20:33] Carly Sakolove: No, it was this is before photos existed.

[20:39] Carly Sakolove: No, no photos existed back in this down as this time.

[20:43] Carly Sakolove: Oh yeah, there's no photo because I took that costume, put it back in that trash bag and threw it in her garage and quit.

[20:51] Carly Sakolove: That was the last I thought.

[20:52] Jason A. Coombs: Did you get your hundred bucks?

[20:54] Carly Sakolove: I don't even know.

[20:55] Carly Sakolove: I probably got too much.

[20:56] Carly Sakolove: You're like the money.

[20:57] Carly Sakolove: They're like, only five minutes.

[21:00] Carly Sakolove: We didn't expect the kitty to paint, so no payment for you, girl.

[21:05] Carly Sakolove: No, that's it.

[21:06] Carly Sakolove: No.

[21:07] Carly Sakolove: I'm like crying.

[21:08] Carly Sakolove: That's so funny.

[21:09] Carly Sakolove: I'm laughing because you're here and you survived that traumatic experience.

[21:13] Carly Sakolove: I know.

[21:13] Carly Sakolove: That's really funny.

[21:15] Carly Sakolove: Really is amazing.

[21:16] Jason A. Coombs: I'm still here.

[21:17] Carly Sakolove: Yes, you are.

[21:18] Carly Sakolove: You're here.

[21:20] Jason A. Coombs: Our next question is absolutely right.

[21:23] Jason A. Coombs: You're so brilliantly funny.

[21:24] Jason A. Coombs: We love your impressions.

[21:25] Jason A. Coombs: And you're literally a fantastic series.

[21:28] Jason A. Coombs: I'm gonna make a quick side note because you got to work with Jennifer Coolidge.

[21:31] Carly Sakolove: Your Jennifer Coolidge is incredible.

[21:33] Carly Sakolove: It's like thank you.

[21:36] Jason A. Coombs: Did you get to do it for her?

[21:38] Carly Sakolove: I did.

[21:38] Carly Sakolove: I did it for her.

[21:40] Carly Sakolove: So oh my god.

[21:44] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, well, basically, I so I got this um bit part in the show The Watcher, which I was like in the right before.

[21:53] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, um, right, like kind of after the craziness of COVID um on Netflix, and I played Jennifer Coolidge's um interior decorator, and so um we had you know, we had a lot of downtime on set together, so I was like, I'm thinking, yeah, how am I gonna like like breach this subject of the fact that I've been literally doing an impression of her since I was 14 years old and she was stiffler's mom, she didn't have a name, she was just stiffer's mom, right?

[22:28] Carly Sakolove: Um yeah, so well, I get to the set, and she was getting her make she was in makeup and I was getting my hair done, and then afterwards I just came up to her while she's getting her makeup done and I was like, hi there. I was like, Hi Jennifer, my name's Carly. I'm gonna be um playing Georgia today, and she was like, Oh, I saw you over there, and I thought I gotta go say hi.

[22:52] Carly Sakolove: Hi, that was like is perfect.

[22:59] Carly Sakolove: Like to the people who are only listening, they probably are confused on who we're interviewing.

[23:06] Carly Sakolove: We need to you need that needs to go.

[23:08] Carly Sakolove: We need to talk to somebody.

[23:10] Carly Sakolove: You need to be on SNL doing that's instead of the people who are.

[23:14] Jason A. Coombs: No offense.

[23:14] Carly Sakolove: No offense to them.

[23:16] Carly Sakolove: I like to say, like, I mean, I'm not really up hip to the drive on the uh TikTok.

[23:23] Carly Sakolove: Um even though I I have when I I'm trying, it's hard.

[23:28] Carly Sakolove: It's a part-time survival job.

[23:30] Carly Sakolove: It is added to the list.

[23:33] Carly Sakolove: Literally, I'll be like staring at my phone for like probably for like four and a half hours, like going like this.

[23:40] Carly Sakolove: And my wife's like, Are you editing a TikTok?

[23:45] Carly Sakolove: How could you tell?

[23:46] Carly Sakolove: She's like, because it's been four hours of you looking like a lost puppy.

[23:51] Carly Sakolove: Um, editing a TikTok, it's hard.

[23:55] Carly Sakolove: Yeah.

[23:55] Carly Sakolove: Uh but she's like a TikTok person.

[23:57] Carly Sakolove: She kind of was getting me into it.

[23:59] Carly Sakolove: And she's like older, she's like almost like 60.

[24:01] Carly Sakolove: She goes so well.

[24:02] Carly Sakolove: And I'm like, I can't get it.

[24:03] Carly Sakolove: I just it's really hard.

[24:05] Carly Sakolove: Like, I can't do it.

[24:06] Carly Sakolove: It's just so time consuming.

[24:08] Carly Sakolove: Um, but like this is why I'm not like a viral impressionist online because I I can't, I just don't have that like bit of me, and it's it's so much effort, and I know people that do do impressions as like their job online, and it's just I have other things like I'm busy, I'm doing eight shows a week for crying a lot. Broadway.

[24:31] Carly Sakolove: Hey.

[24:33] Carly Sakolove: Um, so it's uh yeah, so basically, I put I put out a series of YouTube videos like back in like 2010, 2008, 2010, um, that got a lot of traction.

[24:45] Carly Sakolove: This was like before TikTok and stuff like that. And so, like, you know, a hundred thousand views was like a big deal.

[24:50] Carly Sakolove: And um, and I got like I got written up. I was like in Time magazine as like one of the top 10 YouTube videos of 2010.

[25:00] Carly Sakolove: Um, like yeah, and thank you.

[25:03] Carly Sakolove: And but like these days, like none of that matters anymore because I'm not like a TikTok sensation, you know.

[25:09] Carly Sakolove: So there's so many people that do Jennifer Coolidge now since um, you know, she got her big break.

[25:17] Carly Sakolove: Her I mean she's had a lot of roles, but like, you know, basically next level, yeah.

[25:22] Carly Sakolove: Next, like like the white lotus brought hers to a different level, and so then everyone everyone's doing it.

[25:29] Carly Sakolove: But but this um instance was like kind of right before her fame like really took off when I was doing the watcher with her.

[25:38] Carly Sakolove: And so I did my impression for her when we were sitting around, like I was like, hey, I did my impression of you um as my audition for for uh a game show, and which is this truth.

[25:52] Carly Sakolove: I was like, I did my impression of you and it cut it got me on the show, and I won sixty thousand dollars.

[25:57] Carly Sakolove: And she was like, You do an impression of me.

[26:01] Carly Sakolove: Oh my god, can I see it?

[26:03] Carly Sakolove: And so I did it for her, and then she was like, Oh my god, you sound just like me, and you look like me too.

[26:13] Carly Sakolove: You and Ariana just get me.

[26:17] Carly Sakolove: Like to say that it's between me and Ariana Grande for best for Coolidge impression.

[26:22] Carly Sakolove: And I say that because she said it.

[26:24] Carly Sakolove: I mean, wow. Thank you. You need to say it and shout it from the rooftops. She said it. Quoting, you know, Grande in the same sentence is correct. It's crazy. Oh my god, thank you for sharing that and giving us the Jennifer Coolidge because that is amazing. Also, another survival jobs first. You're giving us so many firsts on this episode. Oh my gosh. Oh my, I mean, I did, you know, I did put my impressions into several one-person shows that kind of got me through to the next gig as well. So we're gonna keep moving up.

[26:59] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. So sorry, go ahead, Jay.

[27:01] Carly Sakolove: No, I just wanted to I didn't even ask my original question because I went up on advanced it, my bad. When did you realize that you had this gift of performing? Because you have a great voice as well. Like I was watching some of your clips as well, and you're so funny, like I was saying. So, like when did you discover you had this knack of performing and you just was like, I'm gonna pursue this?

[27:18] Carly Sakolove: Well, I was, um, I came from kind of a not a showbiz family, but a family that loved showbiz. Um, if that makes sense, like nobody was professional. Um, but my parents were huge Broadway buffs, like they loved musicals, they loved musical theater. Um, and my mom did a lot of performing in the community, um, community theater shows and temple shows, and so I would watch her growing up, um, doing all the shows, and I just wanted, I just knew I wanted to do it when I was like six, so they put me into like a children's theater, um, children's theater company and company, like it was basically, like babysitting. It was like you paid probably to give your kid go get looked after for two hours after school, and then we put on a show. Um, so I was six, and my first show was Beauty and the Beast. And I was I was a vital role of three chip. Almost. Um, I was forkslash spoon. Okay. Almost chip. Forkslash spoon. I mean it's spinnerware.

[28:32] Carly Sakolove: Yeah. Um, I just was like, wait a minute. Oh, no, not a spoon. Okay, so basically my mom made me like this kind of like backpack. It was cardboard covered in tin foil. Um, and it was like a fork and then on like crossed with a spoon. Oh, okay. Clever. So like she made a fork and she made a spoon. Yeah, no, large, and crossed them like this, and then made it into a backpack. I loved her. She was very crafty. Very crafty. What's funny about like all those shows was like now that I'm thinking about it, was that like you had to provide your own costume, and they'd tell you, like, okay, well, you know, so they give you like the gist of what they needed you to wear, but like, yeah, so you had to provide your own costume.

They did not cost you much. So when it came to when it came time for um The Little Mermaid, which was the next show I did when I was seven, and I got another very important role. Um, I thought that I was gonna get Ursula, but instead, okay, so you know Ursula's got the two eels.

[29:50] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, yeah. So there were twins, these like twin boys that were like about my age, and they're like, so they got flotsam and jetsum. And then they gave me the role that they made up of the third eel called Get Some. So it was Flotsum Jetsum and Get Sum. And I was get some. Yeah, get some. So that should also be a survival jobs podcast first, because that role doesn't even exist. But I originated it. Of course. Get some, the third eel. And so I have to circle it back to the costume because they because they um third eel. That's what this episode is called, the third eel. The third eel. Um so I the two like twins, like their costume, their mom dressed them in literal like gym pants and like a turtleneck. Gray, like all gray. I mean, they look like teammates. And for me, I came in with a full on like snakeskin onesie.

[31:10] Carly Sakolove: So it was like some get some bats. This is so good. She does I don't I don't know where that snakeskin onesie came from. Also, why is it snakeskin? Is this still before photos? Because I want to look at this as well. No, I believe that photos existed when I was this is earlier, but then they existed then. Thank you. But not for kitty kitty. No, not for kitty kitty. Um but I I think I can find I could definitely have my mother dig up some of the footage of the three please do please do this is amazing we need the we need to get some footage um immediately immediately um get it um so you graduated from boston conservatory iconic i have so many friends uh who made their way through boco as well oh wow yeah so we'd love to remerge or pre-merge with uh berkeley or post merge with no clue okay i think maybe post okay because it it like merged with berkeley in the last like i don't know five years or oh so pre pre okay yeah i'm like i actually have no clue so pre no worries no worries i'm like i i made a joke for a long time because i had a ton of friends that went to boco and i did not get in but I told everybody as a joke that I was on the that I got wait listed that I was on the wait list that's like a more like a lie I was I would be like guys it's okay I'm on the wait list like and then I'd be like oh I'm joking but then everybody actually thought for years years and years until like until I had to do a speech at a wedding and actually confessed it was oh my god I guess you had to be there guys yeah it wasn't like blatantly lying it was kind of a joke but I guess it wasn't when you said it just now it sounded more like a joke than a lie so that's okay thank you so much I mean it's it's both it's a joke as well as a lie.

[33:15] Carly Sakolove: Yeah. Exactly. Things can be true. Thank you, Jason. Anyway, shout out to boko. Can you tell us what is uh something that you learned in your education there that you still carry with you today?

[33:29] Carly Sakolove: Don't eat the street meat before a performance. It's just literally one of the things that would have been. Well, no, it was more like right before our um our senior showcase because we had a senior showcase in the city in New York, um, like right upon like after graduation. And so we had like this whole prep like unit preparing us for the for the real world. And our teacher was like, she's like, you mean her name's Fran. She had a very distinct way. And she's like, Yeah, make sure you save your dollars, you gotta save your dollars and don't eat the sweet meat. You eat the sweet meat and can shake your pants. So don't eat the street meat. Thank you. Thank you. I mean, everybody's listening who's listening, listen to Fran. Listen to Fran. But like you can eat it if you're not having a performance later, as long as it's like.

[34:25] Carly Sakolove: Maybe if you don't get the white and red sauce combined. Yeah, I ate the street meat when I first moved to New York in 2012, and I got really sick. I haven't eaten it since really. Oh my gosh. Yeah, and I would smell for like seven years when I would smell it, I would like I would get that feeling. Oh no. So Fran is right. I mean, I do love it. I love it. Some rice and some chicken and the sauce. It's all about the saucer. The sauces are so good. Um, okay, but if I'm being real, okay. What did I learn at Boko for that very expensive education besides don't eat the street meat? Maybe um I I they were really, really good in teaching us how to act a song. I mean, I I know that's like the whole point of musical theater, but it was um it they just they really did a great job digging in on that.

[35:17] Carly Sakolove: Um and and just connecting to text and um it was a very well rended well-rounded education. We read a lot of Shakespeare. We did, I mean, it was we had a lot of acting classes and um and movement, voice and speech. Well, I guess I'm just describing a BFA education. Uh but but yeah, it they did a great job in preparing us. I don't know, real world stuff. So a lot of I'll be honest. Um yeah, I haven't been back as a um like as a master class or anything yet. Would I wouldn't be down to do that.

[36:01] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[36:03] Carly Sakolove: Hello, if anyone's listening, what are you waiting for? Does anyone work there anymore? Fran. Oh, Fran just retired. That's part of why. Uh but um yeah, I've been back just to visit, and it's just still as beautiful as ever. I mean, they've updated they updated the space, I think right after I graduated. They updated some of the buildings, and I was like, Thanks a lot.

[36:23] Jason A. Coombs: Samantha and I don't know, yeah.

[36:26] Carly Sakolove: They like built a beautiful theater like two years after we left, and we like had this janky broken down, stinky.

[36:34] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, but somehow they're still asking us for money, right?

[36:38] Carly Sakolove: Always I'm like, you're barking up the wrong tree, guys.

[36:43] Jason A. Coombs: That's right.

[36:44] Carly Sakolove: Uh yeah, no, I but I I'm actually from the Boston area, and um, but we moved to South Florida when I was 15. So I went to high school in South Florida, and then I went back to Boston for college. So it just has a very special place in my heart. Um Boston in general and the area there.

[37:05] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, I love Boston.

[37:06] Carly Sakolove: Oh yeah, and so I went back on tour last year and that was really special. We were there for a couple weeks. Amazing. So you touched on your your Broadway Diva impersonation videos a little bit earlier, and that kind of led to getting some of your cabaret work in New York City, right? In the in the early 2010s. So maybe you can talk a little bit about that. And did you did you expect your videos to take off the way they did? And I guess what was the biggest challenge of creating your own cabaret show?

[37:33] Carly Sakolove: Okay, yeah. So when I I put out so first I put out one called some people dot dot dot have multiple personality disorder. That was the first YouTube video that I put out. Yeah. Uh where it's saying some people from gypsy as a lot of different divas. And that one was it didn't take off super like a lot. It was more just did it for fun. And then I did the the next one I did was Broadway Diva Sending the Clowns, and that's the one that really took off. Like within like within hours, I was getting emails from like a lot of like well to do people in the industry and um people asking me when when they can see this live and when's my one woman show. And I was like, like I don't have one.

[38:22] Carly Sakolove: So um, but that's when I I'm so sorry I'm back lit yet, you guys. Um I thought that this was a really great place. Oh, it's fine. Like an angel. Yeah, it was actually it looks gorgeous. It looks gorgeous. And you're going in and out, like it sometimes it's like not. Sometimes it's not. But I just had to address it to the people that are watching and not. On Broadway Worlds. You know what Broadway Worlds? This is what you get today. And it's gorgeous.

[38:49] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, Renee.

[38:50] Carly Sakolove: That's it. That's it. Yeah. Okay. So I I realized that I had to put these live. And it was so I think it was over 100,000 views in 24 hours, which which in 2010 was like crazy. It was like me and like the double rainbow video were were happening at the time. And uh and then me and Double Rainbow and I got yeah, heard from well, Joanna Gleason, uh, who was the original Baker's wife in Into the Woods. Casual. Yeah, Tony Award-winning Diva Extraordinaire, um, and one of my childhood like inspirations and heroes.

[39:39] Carly Sakolove: So she hit me up, she just sent me an email the following day and was like, I'm your biggest fan. And I was like, what? And to this day we are close friends. Actually, she gave me this, she gave me this jacket. Iconic. Thank you, Joanna Lisa, for the jacket. Thank you for the jacket. Actually, she gave it to my wife, and I took it. That's the that's we, yeah. Good. It looks good on you. Sorry to be wise, but it looks great on you. Yes, I appreciate it. And we're not really the same styles, but yeah. So there was a lot of uh that came out of that, and I was like, I guess I have to make a one woman show. So I started, I teamed up with Bill Russell, who was the um who wrote Sideshow and Algies for Punks, Angels, and what's the other one?

Queens. Elegies. Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens. That's it. Okay. Uh, and because he had done um, he had directed me in a show. And he came in for like a little special moment and directed a show his show at Boco. So I knew him, and I was just like, would you be interested in like making a like writing a one woman show with me? And he was, and so we put it together, and that first show was called I Hear Voices. Um and it was a it was like it was less of like, I mean, it was a cabaret because we were sitting at the you know, we're at the duplex and everyone had a two-drink minimum, so it was a cabaret. But it was uh more of like a one-woman show, like play, where I I had I was in a therapy session, and my I was in therapy for multiple personality disorder, and my issue is that like whenever I you know think about a Broadway diva, like I just like become them.

Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Another chance to disapprove another brilliant singer, another reason not tomorrow, another vodka stager. Don't look like the fourth of July. Happy. How we shame. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it how change day. And so then that was kind of my vehicle for doing all the songs, like Broadway of many of the Broadway greats and singing a lot of their songs. And I mean, we ended up doing a residency at the duplex for like many months. Like it sold out. And it was like it was a real fun um way to it was just a vehicle for me to do all my impressions and I could switch things out. And and Dan Mitchike, who is the um We love Dan.

Yes, yes, Dan. The MD of Wicked, for those who don't know. Um, we also went to Boco together, and he music directed that uh residency. And so it was just a really fun time, and um and it and yeah, brought me into the cabaret world and the and then like randomly I was in Provincetown and in on the Cape with some friends, like right after I had started to do that. Yeah, right after I'd started to do that, and ran in I ran into this guy who was like hawking tickets to like a drag show, and he was like, Do you like Broadway divas? Come see this drag show. And my friend was like, Carly does Broadway divas. Uh-huh. And he was like, What Carly? He's like, Carly Sakhalov, and I was like, Yeah, this is like the first time anyone had like heard of me.

Oh my god. And it turned out to go turned out to be the producer of Newcall, the musical, which was running off Broadway with Christine Petty and Christina Bianco. Um, and it was like a long-running um like spoof show where it was like kind of like Forbidden Broadway, but all the songs were original and spoofing the news, and it ran for many, like many, many, many, many years off Broadway. Anyway, I basically he was like, We were just talking about you. We just saw your Send in the Clowns video. I was talking about you like 10 minutes ago, and here you are. And so that led to I got basically a direct offer for musical. It's iconic. And so I started um yeah, so I started understuding Christine Petty and Christina Bianco, and then I ended up taking over.

Um, I forget who left. I think maybe Petty was going for a little bit. I think she was going into Chicago. Um thank you for thank you for going to Chicago. Yeah, so thanks, Patty. Anyway, she's a close friend now, Christina's close friend, and I kind of entered that world of like, you know, like the Broadway diva impressionist uh land, and well, it goes on from there. Bring it back. We need to bring it back. Um actually last night I did Broadway sessions with the cast of Mamma Mia and I brought back Sun and the Clowns and I sang it off. Yes, see, it all comes back. Um okay, so speaking of Mamma Mia, I want to talk about this because the entire cast was on tour, right? Before it transitioned to Broadway for 20 months.

Yeah. Um, which is amazing. So can you talk about how you guys found out that you were all going to be everybody's making their Broadway debut, correct? Not everybody. Um there's I wanna say, so the um all three dads have been on Broadway. Jalen Steele, who plays Tanya, has been on Broadway, um, and a few a couple of the ensemble, and everybody else is making their debut, including Christine Cheryl, who plays Donna, who is a full on Broadway diva. Yeah, which is amazing. So can you can you tell us what that was like when you found out that the tour, you know, everybody booked a tour, and then next thing you know, you're on Broadway. Tell us how that happened and what it was like. Well, we all kind of like everyone had hunches, and it was because there was like a deadline article that was um Judy Kramer, who was the um who's the creator of Mamma Mia and the producer and creator.

And she had she had done a deadline interview that said she was hoping that it could come back to Broadway, like for an you know, in light of its 25th anniversary and whatever. So she had said that just around the time that we were like going out on the tour. So I think a lot of people were thinking like, oh, like it could be a foot in the door, you know, like uh, and so everyone kind of like was hoping it would be the case, but first it was just like a lot of speculation, like, oh, is it gonna come? Where's it gonna go? Like on all just all of a sudden, like little like hints and things were leaking here and there, and we're all thinking like maybe it'll go, but like will we be invited, you know, is the question.

And so there was this honestly upbeat. I'll be perfectly frank, it was a super awkward meeting. Um when we were in uh it was in February. Um we were in New Orleans, and the whole like um all the producers, not Judy Kramer, but like all the American producers here in America came like for a visit, and they're like called an kind of like an emergency meeting on stage, like right after a rehearsal or like right before show. And they were like, You're probably wondering what's gonna happen, you know, at the end of once we hit Denver, and um fact is we will be closing the tour for six months, and we'll be opening the show on Broadway for six months, and then the tour will go back out again. And we're all like, cool, good for you.

I don't know. You didn't say like we're all going. Nope. Oh god, and so we all kind of left that meeting and we're like, cool, like what they're like, we'll be letting you know what your role in all this is, like, and then the next day we all get the email. We all got the email like inviting us to join the cast, basically saying we were gonna get an offer. Why did they make you wait a 24 hours from that meeting? I wonder. I don't know, it was so stressful. We're all like, what? And yeah, but I mean, it's just the cast is like well, the 25th anniversary tour, like everyone wanted it, you know. Like first of all, like we knew, I mean, everyone thought it would do well. Nobody realized how well it would actually do, how we recouped in 13 weeks, which is unheard of for a national tour.

And we're sold out almost everywhere in every city, and because well, we were doing one week's because I think that they didn't realize how many people wanted to see this. Um then it just would sell it just would the week would just sell out, and we just I mean, just it did so well. And so, but but everyone wanted to to be a part of this tour, and so and the creative team kind of told us that they, you know, they got the people that they wanted. And it made us feel really good at the beginning and like and throughout just being able to like really settle into our roles. I mean, I had played the role before, um, in the 2012 13 tour. Um, and but like I don't know, this was just like seemed like a whole different ball game.

And I mean, it was the non-union tour when I joined it back then, and um, and so I didn't think that I'd be cast as Rosie. And I thought maybe like if I'm lucky, I would get cast as like a cover for the dynamos. But you know, I got it, it was really exciting, and everyone was so excited to do this tour, and and having that much time to really settle into our roles, like and being on on the road for so long. I think that they I think that they realized how how like the just the like sheer level of talent in this cast is incredible. But the fact that we have had this much time together and the show is all about these special, special relationships and the way that you can see them on stage because we all are so close.

Um, it just that is something you can't you can't replicate, and you can't just like pull this person because they would be good for the role and pull this person and and create what we have. And I think that I am I have no idea. I'm just assuming that that's what they saw, and that's why they decided, you know what, I think we should bring the whole cast. That's amazing. Yeah. Shout out, shout out to the producers for that move because you know, they didn't want to go get a big name or anything, right? Not that I'm not a big name, but you know what I mean, like a George Clooney, sorry, whatever. Right. He was in the theater right before that. That's why I said it. So I think it's really cool because we don't even see that.

We don't see that a lot on Broadway these days. It's a it's a lot of like star grabbing, and how are we gonna like sell these tickets? But for this, I mean the stu they've always said that the show is the star. Yeah. Yeah. Which is true. And at this point, you've got you had it used to be kind of like the the generation of of people that like listen to ABBA. We're gonna be the fans. But since that original production went up, the you've had two movies. You've had children grow up with the movies, and they love Mamma Mia, and they've maybe never seen it on stage before. I mean, maybe they've seen you know, regional productions and high school, they've done high school productions, but they never saw the original production, um, which is what we're doing.

And so now that it's back and it's like selling out on Broadway every single performance. Um I think it's because now it's all generations are fans. Yes. Oh my gosh. So speaking of just the audiences loving it, what do you hope they take away from seeing this 25th anniversary version, right? Um and when what do you what has what has surprised you most about the run so far? Um well I hope that I I really want people to go in with an open mind, like ready to just simply like enjoy the music, enjoy the story, enjoy the relationships, have a laugh, have a cry, have a dance, go with your besties, go with your mom.

[53:05] Carly Sakolove: Like what's so surprising is just seeing like, I mean, you see three generations going together and like what a special thing that is. You know, you've got grandma who like witnessed Waterloo winning Eurovision, ABO, you know, winning Eurovision with uh with Waterloo. That brings back memories for them. They've shared it with their kids and you know, the 40s, 50s somethings grew up on the music because their parents loved it. And then, you know, and then you've got the kids that grew up on the movies and just seeing these three generations, it's just it's so beautiful. Like I think I've been surprised at how much people have been touched by the production and how people are leaving, like with tears in their eyes, or just like so happy. They're just happy when they leave. And it's really nice to be a part of that.

[53:59] Carly Sakolove: Oh I think yeah, everything's like the role boo. I've never seen it live before. Oh my gosh. So so fun and sexy and like all the and the shore is so sharp and um and the you can tell that everyone's excited to be there, you know, like the and the ensembles, they're sharp and they're so good, and they all they all have to be like phenomenal singers. Well, most of the ensemble cover, you know, principles, but also all the vocals, um, all the backup vocals are live. Yes. Um, all the backup vocals are live, so um, they're singing like their hearts out backstage in a vocal booth, and um, and so they're they're just incredible. I mean, the and the energy that comes from from the ensemble. And I'm gonna shout out again to Broadway Sessions.

We had Broadway sessions last night where I'm gonna shout out Ben Cameron. You're amazing. Um, you still got it, baby. And uh, but I for the first time got to see some of my castmates after two years together, like sing a full song by themselves and really show their amazing talents, and I was just blown away. Blown away.

[55:21] Carly Sakolove: Yeah. So in conclusion, everyone, get your tickets to Mamma Mia right now. Hello? What are you waiting for? Because hello for good. And also, yeah, what do we have left? Three months, four months. What month is that? Four months, four more months, guys. Yeah, we don't even know. So yeah, yeah, four more months. Go and get it. Can you tell us? We're wrapping we're we're getting close to we to the end of this interview, which is crazy. We could talk to you for hours. But can you tell us what is something that you learned about being on Broadway that maybe like we don't know, something inside scoop of what it's like to be on Broadway, a secret Broadway tip or whatever.

[56:06] Carly Sakolove: Ooh, okay. I this is it's gonna sound like bragging. Bragg Bright way, brag. When you're on Broadway and you open a show on Broadway, people like to give you shit. They just give you shit. I mean all the press and all of the um like we have partnerships, everyone wants to be partnered with Mamma Mia because it's super fun and it's honestly great to partner. Waterloo seltzer is our sponsor. Hello, those seltzers are smart, so good too. Yes. First, they're so good. They've been giving us seltzers like every day. They give the audience seltzers sometimes, and um, and it's just so smart. Uh, but like we're also sponsored by Caraway Cookware, which is coming out with a new um, like a Mamma Mia like blue lagoon like um color for their cookware, and they're like, We heard you like to cook here, have some cookware.

I love they so now I have like a lifetime supply of like amazing cookware, incredible and they're just like they're like, Oh, will you do this five-second thing on the stage with us where we're gonna give you cookies and a caraway takeaway container, and you just take that a cookie out and take a buy? Oh, okay, sure. So I did that, and they're like, Want more caraway cookware? And I'm like, Yeah, and more cookies, thanks, yeah. And so, and just a lot of like Bloomingdales. We did we performed at Bloomingdales, and we got gowns, and we did a little thing for never fully dressed, which is like this gorgeous, like fun patterns and stuff, um, boutique in Soho. And they have they have a stores in in London as well, and it's size inclusive and it's super cute stuff. And we had to see a little moment for them. They gave us gorgeous outfits. Like, yeah, so it's really fun being on Broadway. I love getting stuff for very short. I love it.

[58:06] Carly Sakolove: Um, but there's other funny, fun little things. I mean, I did tell somebody this recently, but like my dressing room is on the fourth floor, and it's like every time I have to go upstairs, I'm like, all right, here goes, you know, like and my I've I'm very physical in this show on like dropping down to the ground. I spend like 50% of the show on the ground. Oh my god. Dropping, crawling, oiling, um, you name it, and getting up very quickly from the ground, and like my knees are killing me. So um, so the four floor dressing room is exciting. So I've been like the BT girl is like you could go up sideways or you could go up backwards. Um like could to relieve your knees. And I'm like, so like once in a while, people see me just like going up the stairs backwards.

They're like, oh Carly. I live in a walk-up, I'm about to start going up backwards. Yeah, oh, totally, or sideways helps your knees too. Um to know, yeah. As well as coming down, do you go down sideways? Down, I pretty much like drop myself down each stair. Just kind of like jump down each stair. So I just don't have to like use my knees and just like jump. Also, it's more like a yeah, like a bunny bunny hop down. I don't know, guys. I'm just trying to survive.

[59:31] Jason A. Coombs: Listen. I we would love a video of you going up the stairs backwards so we can insert it here.

[59:37] Carly Sakolove: So if you don't mind sending that over, then we'll do it.

[59:40] Carly Sakolove: We'll do it. Thank you so much. So we're almost at the end. Like Samantha said, I have one more question and we have a really fun game and we'll let you let you go. You know, I hope they told you that we we always end up a fun activity or game or something like to just you know bring us back. But yeah, last question is is there you've had such a wonderful career, right? And I feel like you've been such a self-starter in your career. You haven't waited for someone to give you an opportunity, right?

[1:00:02] Carly Sakolove: Oh yes, that's correct.

[1:00:06] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah. What's a what's the risk you've taken artistically that maybe scared you at the time, but ultimately paid off in a big way. Manifesters, do you want to manifest a dream role or project or okay with us?

[1:00:20] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, I love it. Two parter.

[1:00:22] Carly Sakolove: Okay, two parts. So the first part, um I when I was after the for the first year on tour, I was ready to kind of do something else. And I uh just because it was really physically demanding because we were doing like one nighters and we were driving eight hours into a show, and you know, it just yeah, it was really hard physically. Um, so after the first year, and they offered me the to do the second year on that tour. I had heard that they were doing it on a cruise ship, the same production, like uh this production, and the Broadway team was putting it up on the cruise ship for like the first one. So I wanted to do that, and I I had to audition for Royal Caribbean. Um, they couldn't just take who they wanted through the Mamma Mia producers because we're all had to hire you as well.

But I got it. So I did the next year on a ship and which was super fun and not as many performances, and there was like days, days, days at a at a time that I didn't have to perform. So just like island hot laying island beyond the island I know just enjoying like being a cruiser and it got me into the world of cruising and we had done some cruises when I was a kid but um but what what I learned was about um about the uh wow sorry guys the um performers that just came on like for a couple days the headliners okay um and that they did like their one person shows or concerts or whatever and then left and I was like um I want to do that so I took like I'm saying I'm seeing like and this is a lot for me back then I think I took like six grand and I put it towards um putting my own one woman one woman cruise ship show together and getting like charts for 11 piece orchestra for every song and like getting back up background tracks and sweetener tracks and like just getting the whole package together for a cruise ship show.

[1:02:26] Carly Sakolove: So that's a ri a vigorous that I took um and it did not pay off immediately it was um uh I did get to do one at the end of that contract because they had like an extra C day where they needed something and so they gave me a date and it was great um but I got off the ship thinking like I'm gonna go and I'm gonna do this on lots of ships and do it everywhere but I couldn't break in to the cruise world I could like and it didn't it was just really hard I couldn't get a cruise agent and um and it took honestly like fast forward I had a lot of did a lot of great off Broadway shows and I did a more touring things. Um but it I think fast forward I think it was 10 years later um yeah like right before I started I went on this tour um I found a cruise ship agent that like had heard about me and he was like I book for celebrity and I wanna I want to get you in that door and I was like yes absolutely like my God I've been waiting for this moment and I and I had a a date you know coming up like two months down the road and I was like okay I'm gonna take that show dust it off you know and you know just start preparing soon but he called me one night um and he was like this is gonna sound crazy but like a girl like grandmother is dying and she can't do the show like she's like the ship is in Colombia the country can you fly to Colombia tomorrow morning and get on the ship and do your show tomorrow night and I was like yes and I though I can tell you what that 24 hours was I I can I'll tell you another time but like it was the craziest 24 hours I had not done the show in 10 years and I hadn't done it with a full band in a while either I had to like all my charts were like locked in the cloud and the guy who had done my like the guy who had done my charts like had the like ability to like unlock them slash like give me the new coat like the new link or whatever to download the music so I could print it out for the musicians and he was in London so he was asleep.

[1:03:05] Carly Sakolove: And I was like, please, when you wake up, I know you haven't heard from me in a while. But please, please, can you? I need my music. This is an emergency. I know you haven't heard from me in a while. But I'm going to Columbia. I'm going to Columbia. I gotta go. I barely made it on the ship. I barely made it to that theater. I barely had my sound check, but I did it and I nailed it.

[1:05:09] Jason A. Coombs: And that's amazing.

[1:05:11] Carly Sakolove: That was a risk. And I'm not gonna say I hadn't popped a gummy before I told him yes.

[1:05:18] Jason A. Coombs: I think you deserve that.

[1:05:19] Carly Sakolove: I think you deserve it.

[1:05:20] Jason A. Coombs: Sorry in Broadway World.

[1:05:21] Carly Sakolove: No, it's freaking that. We love a gummy. But like, I mean, I was off, you know, I didn't have anything going on. And so I said yes. I was like not in my like right mind.

[1:05:33] Jason A. Coombs: And then how and so then you went on the ship, and then how long did you stay?

[1:05:37] Carly Sakolove: I stayed for like three days.

[1:05:40] Carly Sakolove: I did my show. They said that I might have to do a second show. So I'm on the I'm on the plane, like downloading like karaoke tracks to like make up another show, like just in case. But after I went and did the I did the show twice in a night, and I hadn't slept a wink, not one wink, and neither had my wife, who was doing all this, like getting all the music together and sending it to the ship.

[1:06:00] Carly Sakolove: She was a lifesaver. Um like putting all the music together for like each part um for each instrument, and it was crazy. And after I did the two shows, they're like, just so you know, like you don't have to do your other show, you can have fun the next couple days. Like you did great. We're not gonna make you, you know, do anything else. Thank you for saving our asses, whatever. And then the next day I got an email that had like basically dates for a year, um, booking me on celebrity. Which is amazing, but then like two like a month later, I got Mamma Mia. So I said Oh man. I don't know if I feel like it always happens that way. Yeah, it's like quiet, and then it's everything. Yeah, yeah, exactly. But um, but that's okay. I ended up being able to do a few of them and which was really fun, and I have it ready to go. And that that that agent is a lovely human, and he's you know ready to book me if what if and when I'm ready to go back. So that's great.

[1:07:01] Carly Sakolove: So that's part one, right? Sorry. Dang, you're done, kitty. Dang, kitty kitty, kitty kitty. Um what was the second part of Oh, that's manifest. Let's manifest. Okay, well, I'm gonna manifest that I want to play Jennifer Coolidge's daughter in something. Let's do it. Oh it's coming. Or sister or whatever, like we have that connection. I sadly didn't get to like we we became Instagram friends or whatever, but I don't know how like much she runs her own Instagram now. But we had some little back and forth right after the show, you know, and and I think we really like had a good rapport, but I would love to do something else with her and maybe play her daughter. I'm also like um I'm ready to like do some other kind of stuff on Broadway.

If you know, if the opportunity presented itself, um dream roll. I don't know. I mean, I've always wanted to be the witch in Into the Woods. I would I did it in college, and that's just the dreamy, dreamy, dreamiest of um dream rolls.

[1:08:20] Carly Sakolove: So following Bernadette Peters and Vanessa Williams' footsteps. If anyone's listening, she's available in the next four months. In four months, maybe four months. Yeah, let's. I mean, of course, they just did a revival of that. But uh that's fine. Anyway, it's just a dream roll sometime. And um, and I don't know, Death Becomes Her looks pretty good. It's so good. Oh my god, you know, it looks like a good job. Yeah, some great things to manifest. Yeah, I'm just happy to work. I just would love to continue to be challenged and just continue riding the wave because I'm just I'm really having the time of my life.

[1:09:03] Jason A. Coombs: Right it girl, ride it, girl. Thank you for how far we've come from the slot cars in Times Square. We've come a long way. Thank you so much for joining us. I know we've been chatting with the team for a while to get you on, and it took a while, but we're so happy to have had you on. This episode's amazing, you're so funny, and your stories are so great, and hopefully it inspires our listeners to know, like put the work in, and then it'll come. Um, but like like we told you, we always end with a super fun game. I'll let JC take it away just to tell you about it.

[1:09:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, so I thought this would be a really fun game. Um, given your current show, it's called Super Trouper Super Speed Song Association. Say that three times fast. Super Trouper, super speed. So we're gonna throw out a word to you, and as fast as you can, you've got to either sing a lyric from a song um that has that word in it. It could be a song from Mamma Mia, it could be a pop song, it could be a Diva song. Any kind of song. Um that pops in your head first.

[1:10:07] Carly Sakolove: I'm so okay, okay. No pressure, no pressure, yeah.

[1:10:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, you don't have to sing, you can just say the line as well. But if you'd like to sing, take it away.

[1:10:17] Carly Sakolove: All right. You're gonna crush it.

[1:10:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, number one.

[1:10:21] Carly Sakolove: Dancing.

[1:10:23] Carly Sakolove: Dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen.

[1:10:28] Carly Sakolove: I'm sorry, I have to crush. It's gonna be hard to stay away from Mamma Mia's songs here.

[1:10:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: I would feel like you bring them up, bring them all.

[1:10:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, second word is Broadway.

[1:10:39] Carly Sakolove: I'm just a Broadway baby.

[1:10:44] Carly Sakolove: Walking off my tired feet.

[1:10:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: Excellent.

[1:10:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: Excellent. Next word is lady.

[1:10:56] Carly Sakolove: And I'm singing a proud lady.

[1:10:59] Carly Sakolove: Is that it? Is that a thing?

[1:11:00] Jason A. Coombs: Proud lady.

[1:11:01] Carly Sakolove: It is now.

[1:11:03] Jason A. Coombs: It is now.

[1:11:04] Carly Sakolove: I have no idea.

[1:11:06] Carly Sakolove: Is that not it?

[1:11:07] Jason A. Coombs: It's like a Broadway.

[1:11:08] Carly Sakolove: Alexa, what's the song?

[1:11:10] Jason A. Coombs: Ladies.

[1:11:13] Carly Sakolove: Shut up.

[1:11:17] Carly Sakolove: Listen.

[1:11:19] Carly Sakolove: We're giving it to you.

[1:11:21] Carly Sakolove: Thank you.

[1:11:21] Carly Sakolove: It has to be something if it was in my head.

[1:11:23] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, I agree.

[1:11:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay.

[1:11:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: I agree.

[1:11:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, next one is uh money.

[1:11:30] Carly Sakolove: Money.

[1:11:31] Carly Sakolove: Money, money, money, must be money in a rich man's world.

[1:11:39] Carly Sakolove: I mean, love.

[1:11:40] Carly Sakolove: How I didn't want to be there.

[1:11:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: We had to.

[1:11:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, next is love.

[1:11:46] Carly Sakolove: Don't be afraid, it's only love.

[1:11:51] Carly Sakolove: Only a touch that frees you.

[1:11:55] Carly Sakolove: Let it release you.

[1:11:57] Carly Sakolove: Take my hand, it's only love.

[1:12:01] Carly Sakolove: I don't that's from like a wild show.

[1:12:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you.

[1:12:05] Carly Sakolove: Yes.

[1:12:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: How about dream?

[1:12:09] Carly Sakolove: We are dream girls.

[1:12:11] Carly Sakolove: Oh my god, coming back.

[1:12:12] Carly Sakolove: It's coming back.

[1:12:13] Samantha Tuozzolo: Iconic.

[1:12:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: I cannot wait.

[1:12:16] Carly Sakolove: Okay, you're so iconic.

[1:12:17] Carly Sakolove: Oh my gosh.

[1:12:19] Carly Sakolove: Queen.

[1:12:20] Carly Sakolove: Well, it's gotta be.

[1:12:22] Carly Sakolove: It's hard.

[1:12:22] Carly Sakolove: Dancing Queen.

[1:12:23] Carly Sakolove: Oh, wait.

[1:12:24] Carly Sakolove: No, it's not.

[1:12:24] Carly Sakolove: I did that for dancing, though.

[1:12:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's okay.

[1:12:27] Carly Sakolove: Oh, I think I'd do a different one.

[1:12:28] Carly Sakolove: Queen.

[1:12:29] Carly Sakolove: Okay.

[1:12:33] Carly Sakolove: I only can think of dancing.

[1:12:35] Carly Sakolove: Queen.

[1:12:35] Carly Sakolove: I mean, I can Queen Winnies.

[1:12:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay.

[1:12:39] Carly Sakolove: I don't know it.

[1:12:40] Carly Sakolove: Well, you should sing it.

[1:12:45] Carly Sakolove: Well, I could I know like the Jason Robert Brown like um Summer in Ohio.

[1:12:50] Carly Sakolove: Oh yeah.

[1:12:51] Carly Sakolove: I could be in line to be the British Queen.

[1:12:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: Perfect.

[1:12:57] Carly Sakolove: Yes.

[1:12:57] Carly Sakolove: That was good.

[1:13:00] Carly Sakolove: Thank you.

[1:13:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: You're welcome.

[1:13:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um next one is a disco.

[1:13:08] Carly Sakolove: Disco.

[1:13:12] Carly Sakolove: Is that in any?

[1:13:13] Carly Sakolove: Wait, is that a lyric in anything?

[1:13:15] Carly Sakolove: Disco.

[1:13:18] Carly Sakolove: I'm I'm stumped on this one as well.

[1:13:21] Carly Sakolove: Whoa.

[1:13:22] Carly Sakolove: Maybe somebody can skip.

[1:13:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, we can skip.

[1:13:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: DM us.

[1:13:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: DM us if you think of one, guys.

[1:13:29] Carly Sakolove: Okay.

[1:13:30] Carly Sakolove: Next is baby.

[1:13:32] Carly Sakolove: Baby.

[1:13:34] Carly Sakolove: Um this is crazy.

[1:13:37] Carly Sakolove: I'm going to Adventures and Babysitting with Elizabeth Shue.

[1:13:42] Carly Sakolove: It's a movie.

[1:13:43] Carly Sakolove: Um from the 80s.

[1:13:44] Carly Sakolove: And she sings, I got the babysitting blues.

[1:13:49] Carly Sakolove: Baby baby.

[1:13:50] Carly Sakolove: The babysitting blues.

[1:13:53] Carly Sakolove: Baby baby.

[1:13:54] Carly Sakolove: Love it.

[1:13:55] Carly Sakolove: Baby.

[1:13:57] Carly Sakolove: Come on.

[1:13:58] Carly Sakolove: Thank you.

[1:13:59] Carly Sakolove: You're killing this.

[1:14:00] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, that's an Easter egg for some people, I'm sure.

[1:14:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: Love it.

[1:14:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: We have three more.

[1:14:05] Carly Sakolove: Oh.

[1:14:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Next one is woman.

[1:14:09] Carly Sakolove: Um I am woman.

[1:14:12] Carly Sakolove: Hear me roar.

[1:14:17] Carly Sakolove: Does anyone know the lyric?

[1:14:20] Carly Sakolove: Nope.

[1:14:20] Carly Sakolove: I am woman.

[1:14:22] Carly Sakolove: I don't know if I'm popping on beat.

[1:14:24] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay.

[1:14:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: Next the next one is.

[1:14:28] Carly Sakolove: Off beat.

[1:14:29] Carly Sakolove: One in the three.

[1:14:31] Carly Sakolove: Let's go.

[1:14:35] Carly Sakolove: I'm dead.

[1:14:36] Carly Sakolove: My mic.

[1:14:37] Carly Sakolove: My mic came undone.

[1:14:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: The next one is New York.

[1:14:38] Carly Sakolove: New York, New York, a hell of a town.

[1:14:45] Carly Sakolove: The Bronx is up, but the batteries down.

[1:14:47] Carly Sakolove: The people riding a home around.

[1:14:50] Carly Sakolove: New York, New York.

[1:14:52] Carly Sakolove: Have you guys seen the new show that's coming?

[1:14:55] Carly Sakolove: And it's like two people carry a pie through New York or carrying a cake through New York.

[1:14:59] Carly Sakolove: Yes.

[1:14:59] Carly Sakolove: I keep getting served the ad where the guy's just like, New York.

[1:15:04] Carly Sakolove: You know what's talking about?

[1:15:06] Carly Sakolove: Yeah.

[1:15:07] Carly Sakolove: It looks exciting.

[1:15:08] Carly Sakolove: I mean, I'm sorry.

[1:15:09] Carly Sakolove: Is there a disco inferno song?

[1:15:10] Carly Sakolove: Like disco inferno.

[1:15:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh my god, yeah.

[1:15:14] Carly Sakolove: Yes, okay.

[1:15:15] Carly Sakolove: There we go, guys.

[1:15:17] Carly Sakolove: We got the point for that one.

[1:15:18] Carly Sakolove: Oh, thank God.

[1:15:20] Carly Sakolove: And then our final word.

[1:15:23] Samantha Tuozzolo: Mama.

[1:15:27] Carly Sakolove: I'm not gonna do the obvious.

[1:15:29] Carly Sakolove: I go.

[1:15:30] Carly Sakolove: I'm gonna go.

[1:15:32] Carly Sakolove: Mama just killed me.

[1:15:35] Carly Sakolove: Ooh.

[1:15:35] Carly Sakolove: Put a gun against his head.

[1:15:38] Carly Sakolove: Not the clapping on this.

[1:15:39] Carly Sakolove: Sorry.

[1:15:42] Carly Sakolove: I was so fucking called.

[1:15:46] Carly Sakolove: Mama's just because she's like, yeah.

[1:15:51] Carly Sakolove: Let's go.

[1:15:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love it.

[1:15:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: That was the Carly, you crushed it.

[1:15:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: That was so fun.

[1:16:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay.

[1:16:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: Engaging with us and playing this game.

[1:16:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: Before we let you go, please drop your Instagram or your social media or your TikTok to let everybody know where they can keep up with you.

[1:16:11] Carly Sakolove: You got it. My Venmo is I'm it's just everything is my name at Carly Sakolove. So you've got that on TikTok, Insta, and I'm on Facebook. I do have a fan page.

[1:16:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh fan page.

[1:16:30] Carly Sakolove: Come on.

[1:16:30] Carly Sakolove: You know the page.

[1:16:32] Carly Sakolove: Business page.

[1:16:34] Carly Sakolove: Um, so yeah, at Carly Sakolove on Instagram or TikTok.

[1:16:39] Carly Sakolove: I'm working on getting those views on the TikTok.

[1:16:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, girl.

[1:16:46] Carly Sakolove: Love.

[1:16:48] Carly Sakolove: We'll have to follow up.

[1:16:49] Carly Sakolove: And yeah, please follow.

[1:16:50] Carly Sakolove: And also, you please treat yourself to some of my recreations of White Lotus' best scenes with Jennifer Coolidge.

[1:16:58] Carly Sakolove: Which I did.

[1:16:59] Carly Sakolove: Oh my god.

[1:16:59] Carly Sakolove: I can't wait.

[1:17:01] Carly Sakolove: I did with my friend.

[1:17:01] Carly Sakolove: We do the um the Tanya and the captain on the ship where she's like, I gotta get off the boat. You know, like um we do that one.

[1:17:11] Carly Sakolove: He's gays.

[1:17:12] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, gays, they're trying to murder me. Um, and so that's uh that one picked up a little traction.

[1:17:19] Carly Sakolove: That one's really fun.

[1:17:19] Carly Sakolove: And I did uh where she's on the phone with Portia, and Portia's sitting on the stairs, and she's like, I'm really worried something bad's gonna happen. Jeffrey Close is like, to you or to me.

[1:17:32] Carly Sakolove: Oh, there's some fun little gems on my TikTok.

[1:17:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you.

[1:17:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well we're gonna definitely go check out that TikTok.

[1:17:41] Carly Sakolove: Yes, please do.

[1:17:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: And if you guys are tuning in because you're a Carly fan and you don't follow us yet, follow us at Survival Jobs Pod on Instagram and TikTok.

[1:17:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: We're trying to on the TikTok.

[1:17:52] Carly Sakolove: I'm gonna follow you.

[1:17:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you.

[1:17:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: And on Facebook at Survival Jobs: A Podcast, shoot us an email at survivaljobspod@gmail.com.

[1:18:00] Samantha Tuozzolo: Let us know your thoughts.

[1:18:02] Samantha Tuozzolo: Uh follow my boy Jason at Jason A. Coombs, and I'm Sammy Toots.

[1:18:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: Man, I really wanted the confetti to come today.

[1:18:10] Jason A. Coombs: Sometimes confetti falls when I do that.

[1:18:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: What a crock.

[1:18:15] Carly Sakolove: Carly, you're an icon.

[1:18:16] Samantha Tuozzolo: We're gonna come see the show and we'll let you know.

[1:18:19] Carly Sakolove: Thank you.

[1:18:20] Carly Sakolove: Let us know when you do.

[1:18:22] Carly Sakolove: Yeah, thank you.

[1:18:23] Carly Sakolove: You'll see me dancing to Loulou Boo.

[1:18:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yes, I can't wait.

[1:18:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: I can't.

[1:18:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: All right, y'all.

[1:18:31] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode.

[1:18:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: We appreciate your love, your support.

[1:18:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: Like we said earlier, go support Mamma Mia.

[1:18:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's a limited run.

[1:18:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Ragtime, go check it out.

[1:18:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: And please like, subscribe, and support us.

[1:18:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: Leave a comment.

[1:18:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: Ball survival jobs.

[1:18:47] Samantha Tuozzolo: If you're interested, you know, in sending nice things to us, we'll take it.

[1:18:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: And if not, then don't.

[1:18:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: And and also go support my other podcast, please called Odd Woman Out.

[1:18:58] Samantha Tuozzolo: Odd Woman Out, thanks Odd Woman Out, Odd Man Out we love y'all survival jobs out.