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[0:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hello everyone.

[0:07] Jason A. Coombs: Welcome to Survival Jobs, a podcast in collaboration with Broadway World and with the Broadway Podcast Network.

[0:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: We're here in our season three.

[0:16] Jason A. Coombs: We're so happy.

[0:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you for listening, Survivors.

[0:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: My name is Samantha Tuozzolo, and this is my amazing co-host, Jason A. Coombs.

[0:24] Jason A. Coombs: Jason, happy season three, episode two. How are you feeling?

[0:28] Jason A. Coombs: Hey, um, as you guys can hear, I have a bit of a cold.

[0:34] Jason A. Coombs: I've been I'll try to push through the past couple of days. Uh so you know, it's fine.

[0:40] Jason A. Coombs: I just um you want like a mic check now? Should I just go into my mic check?

[0:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: Like yeah, let's go.

[0:46] Jason A. Coombs: Check one, two, three. This is Benny on the dispatch. Yo, anyone?

[0:52] Jason A. Coombs: Our Broadway fans will know what that's in reference to.

[0:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, yeah.

[0:55] Jason A. Coombs: I know I just hate not being um 100%, you know, not being able to give 100% when we do our shows, and I sound like I just chewed glass for breakfast.

[1:08] Jason A. Coombs: But uh, yeah, you know, I'm just trying to be optimistic.

[1:11] Jason A. Coombs: This world is is crazy with everything going on.

[1:14] Jason A. Coombs: Um, but we try to shed some light, right?

[1:17] Jason A. Coombs: We try to be the positive, the positive energy that we want to be, we want to give out, you know.

[1:23] Jason A. Coombs: Um, because things are crazy in this world.

[1:26] Jason A. Coombs: My heartbreaks for for Gaza and Congo and Sudan and all the places that are suffering in the world right now.

[1:34] Jason A. Coombs: But um, you know, that's why we do the show, right? This is our way of spreading a little bit of sunshine.

[1:39] Jason A. Coombs: So I'm trying to keep that in my head as I'm suffering through this cold as well.

[1:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: Yeah, I mean, I feel like we're on the um brink of cold season being over, Jay.

[1:52] Samantha Tuozzolo: So I think you're close.

[1:54] Samantha Tuozzolo: I think you're Jason. Did you watch the Oscars?

[1:58] Jason A. Coombs: I did, I did get to watch.

[2:00] Jason A. Coombs: I will just say how incredible Ryan Gosling is.

[2:04] Jason A. Coombs: And that performance, I'm just kidding, was like one of the best live performances on the Oscars ever, probably.

[2:10] Jason A. Coombs: The energy, how he reworked the crowd, his his his uh he gave like a was it is an ode to Marilyn Monroe, right?

[2:19] Jason A. Coombs: And in Gentleman Prefer Blondes, right?

[2:21] Jason A. Coombs: I'm just kidding.

[2:23] Jason A. Coombs: Anywhere else I be to my destiny to live and die a life of love for two.

[2:35] Jason A. Coombs: I'm just kidding. Where I see the love, she sees a friend.

[2:40] Jason A. Coombs: I I just I love it.

[2:41] Jason A. Coombs: He's a star.

[2:42] Jason A. Coombs: He's like one of the last incredible like Hollywood stars that we have.

[2:47] Jason A. Coombs: He really is.

[2:48] Jason A. Coombs: That performance was amazing.

[2:50] Jason A. Coombs: I will be honest and say I did drink a lot of red wine at the Oscars.

[2:55] Jason A. Coombs: Every year I attend my friend Lisa.

[2:57] Jason A. Coombs: Um shout out to Lisa Bakuzzi.

[2:59] Jason A. Coombs: She always hosts us for the Oscars, and she does a really beautiful cheese board, and then she gave me a lot of wine.

[3:05] Jason A. Coombs: Um, and so I definitely lost the ballot.

[3:07] Jason A. Coombs: She prints out the Vanity Fair ballots.

[3:09] Jason A. Coombs: I definitely lost the ballot.

[3:11] Jason A. Coombs: I was slacking on seeing movies this year.

[3:14] Jason A. Coombs: I will just well say um I saw Killers of the Flower Moon and I saw Barbie, and that is about it.

[3:21] Jason A. Coombs: So I was really, really rooting for Lily Gladstone.

[3:24] Jason A. Coombs: Um I listen, I hear Emma's, I did not see Poor Things, so I cannot comment my opinion.

[3:34] Jason A. Coombs: I I heard she was phenomenal, and I heard she did deserve to win.

[3:39] Jason A. Coombs: Um, I will share something that Robin De Jesus, one of our past guests and a good friend of the show, said to me, and I was like, it's so tracks because I watched Killers of the Flower Moon with him, and I was like, Robin, I'm so disappointed about Lily.

[3:55] Jason A. Coombs: Like, obviously, it was all the only thing I saw, and I was rooting for her.

[3:59] Jason A. Coombs: And he said, you know what, Samantha, I want Lily to win when she's giving a performance that's not about her people being oppressed.

[4:07] Jason A. Coombs: I want her to win when she's doing work that doesn't revolve around her race or her heritage being targeted, which is such um, which was something interesting that he said, and I I just wanted to share that.

[4:23] Samantha Tuozzolo: I mean, that would be nice, but we know what the reality is.

[4:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's like those roles.

[4:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: I mean, we're talking, I think, is it the bean?

[4:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, the wonderful black woman who won the best supporting actress for The Holdovers, which was amazing.

[4:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: If you I would definitely recommend seeing that right away.

[4:40] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, but no for performers of color, we don't get those roles.

[4:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's why Angela Bassett was like so uh I think like her hurt last year when she didn't win for Wakanda Forever, because like when is she gonna get a role like that again, especially at her age?

[4:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: And not saying she's old or anything like that, but it's just a reality for for women of color who are in these roles, like Emma Stone love her to death, and she was amazing in in uh past um sorry, what's her movie called again?

[5:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: Poor Things.

[5:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um she was amazing in that, but she's gonna get another role as a leading star tomorrow.

[5:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: You know, she has nothing to worry about.

[5:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: Lily Gladstone.

[5:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: When's the next one?

[5:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: Is she gonna get a juicy role?

[5:23] Jason A. Coombs: Well, hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, there's some change.

[5:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: And her talent is so great.

[5:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I hope that there is a producer and a director out there who says, let's go, Lily.

[5:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: Because I do want to say in her high school, Lily won most likely to win an Oscar.

[5:43] Jason A. Coombs: I love it.

[5:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: For the super super, I can never say this word, superlit.

[5:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: And so she, it's coming.

[5:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: It's coming.

[5:51] Samantha Tuozzolo: I really I am a Lily Gladstone fan now after seeing that, and after just seeing her do this press tour and just seeing the way she carries herself.

[5:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um I really am a Lily fan, so I'm here for it.

[6:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I hope Greta Gerwig calls her.

[6:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Call, you know, let's call these.

[6:18] Jason A. Coombs: It's a question that we ask a lot on the red carpet.

[6:21] Jason A. Coombs: Like, we gotta make sure we're opening pathways for people of color to get these roles.

[6:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: So Greta Gerwig, if you're listening, please call Lily Gladstone immediately.

[6:31] Jason A. Coombs: Immediately.

[6:33] Jason A. Coombs: Immediately.

[6:34] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um inspiring.

[6:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: One last thing.

[6:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: I this is on the topic.

[6:38] Samantha Tuozzolo: Uh the gentleman who wrote American Fiction, his first name is Court.

[6:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: I don't know his last name right now.

[6:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: Guys, I'm on this view snix.

[6:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: Not an ad.

[6:45] Samantha Tuozzolo: I just drink a lot of it.

[6:47] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, but he also wrote about like create, he said that you know, there's lots of 200 million dollar films out there.

[6:53] Samantha Tuozzolo: Uh I understand that this is a risk averse industry.

[6:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: I get it.

[6:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, but it 200 million dollar movies are also a risk, you know, and and and it doesn't always work out, but you take the risk anyway.

[7:03] Samantha Tuozzolo: And instead of making one 200 million dollar movie, try making 20, 10 million dollar movies or or 50, 50, right?

[7:13] Samantha Tuozzolo: 50, uh four million dollar movies.

[7:16] Samantha Tuozzolo: Like you can there are so many people.

[7:19] Samantha Tuozzolo: I I just feel so much joy being here.

[7:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: I mean I felt so much joy making this movie, and I want other people to experience that joy, and they are out there.

[7:25] Samantha Tuozzolo: I promise you.

[7:26] Samantha Tuozzolo: The next Martin Scorsese's out there, the next Greta Gerwig's out there, both Greta's, the next the next Christopher Nolan's out there.

[7:32] Samantha Tuozzolo: I promise you, they just want a shot, and we can give them one, and this has changed my life.

[7:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: Thank you all.

[7:37] Samantha Tuozzolo: Let's also get an opportunity for young younger performers and and producers and writers to get their stories out there, right?

[7:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: If we have 50 four million dollar films, how incredible would that be?

[7:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: Give opportunities.

[7:55] Samantha Tuozzolo: Let's keep like a fire on these people's asses and like really make it happen.

[7:59] Samantha Tuozzolo: There's mad creatives out there who aren't getting the opportunity, who should get the opportunity to create, and have a platform to create.

[8:06] Jason A. Coombs: So that's it.

[8:07] Jason A. Coombs: I know I sound like shit right now, so I'm sorry to be talking so much out like this.

[8:11] Samantha Tuozzolo: You sound great, and you know what?

[8:13] Samantha Tuozzolo: That's life.

[8:14] Samantha Tuozzolo: People get sick, and we still have shit to do, and we're keeping it going.

[8:18] Jason A. Coombs: Boom.

[8:19] Jason A. Coombs: Let's go to share.

[8:21] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay, guys.

[8:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: So our season three, episode two guest is Sherz Aletaha.

[8:27] Samantha Tuozzolo: My gosh, I love this girl.

[8:29] Samantha Tuozzolo: I met her this past year through another friend of the show, Crystal Joy Brown.

[8:35] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, and it was an instant connection of wow, this is a good person in the industry.

[8:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: And we talked about this a lot.

[8:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, I think in our press for the party of just like keeping the people in the industry that are good and that are supportive and that are gonna uplift you, keep them, keep them.

[8:56] Samantha Tuozzolo: Because unfortunately, there are, you know, there's it's it's anything in life.

[9:01] Samantha Tuozzolo: There are people who are haters and who are gonna like spew that judgment, which a lot of my insecurities about that video came from, but that's neither here nor there right now.

[9:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: And then there are the people who are just so genuinely happy for your success in your when there's enough cake for everyone and Sherz.

[9:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: My God is one of those people, and what a talent.

[9:20] Samantha Tuozzolo: She's been going on so much for Mary.

[9:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I have heard run to the theater when she goes on because I hear she's incredible.

[9:33] Samantha Tuozzolo: So guys, Sherz.

[9:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: This is gonna be a great episode.

[9:39] Jason A. Coombs: It is.

[9:39] Samantha Tuozzolo: We do her bio.

[9:41] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[9:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: Um, Sherz, which is pronounced like more than one share, is an Iranian American actor, singer, and vocal coach.

[9:50] Samantha Tuozzolo: Originally from Southern California, Sherz is based in Manhattan and is currently appearing in the hit Broadway revival of Steven Sondheim and George Firth's Merrily We Roll Along, alongside Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez.

[10:05] Samantha Tuozzolo: She has been seen on stage at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Ars Nova, as La Lune in Kismet, directed by Lonnie Price for Santa Barbara Symphony, Aldonza in Man of La Mancha at Triad Stage, Spring Alive, Dixon Plays, the cast albums available, people, and the 2022 off-Broadway revival of Merrily We Roll Along at the New York Theater Workshop.

[10:30] Samantha Tuozzolo: She is frequently seen in concerts around New York City and is often part of readings and workshops of new and developing work at theater companies like Playwrights Horizon, New York, and Musical Theatre Factory.

[10:43] Samantha Tuozzolo: As a voiceover artist, she has recorded work for Netflix and Age of Learning, among others.

[10:48] Samantha Tuozzolo: Her on-camera work includes appearances on PowerBook Three, Raising Canaan, The Detour, The First Wives Club, Three Trembling Cities, Wing Women, Insomnia, and Numerous Commercials.

[11:01] Jason A. Coombs: So yeah, she is incredible, y'all.

[11:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: I I love meeting her.

[11:06] Samantha Tuozzolo: Her energy is just so palpable.

[11:09] Samantha Tuozzolo: She's so kind and loving, and it's a ray of sunshine.

[11:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I think you're gonna fall in love with her if you don't know her yet because she's great.

[11:17] Samantha Tuozzolo: Enjoy this episode, everyone.

[11:22] Samantha Tuozzolo: Hello, Sherz.

[11:25] Sherz Aletaha: Jason and I are talking at the same time because we're so excited.

[11:30] Sherz Aletaha: I'm so excited to be here.

[11:32] Sherz Aletaha: Thank you.

[11:33] Sherz Aletaha: Thank you for spending your afternoon with us.

[11:35] Sherz Aletaha: Thanks for making time.

[11:36] Sherz Aletaha: Thanks for being a tech wizard over there, getting yourself on.

[11:41] Jason A. Coombs: Wizard is definitely not the word.

[11:45] Sherz Aletaha: You did better than me, so I will give you all the credit, Sherz.

[11:48] Sherz Aletaha: Thank you.

[11:49] Sherz Aletaha: Congratulations on your Broadway debut in Merrily We Roll Along.

[11:53] Sherz Aletaha: Yes!

[11:54] Sherz Aletaha: So much.

[11:54] Sherz Aletaha: It is uh a very, very dreamy, dreamy Broadway debut.

[12:00] Sherz Aletaha: I mean, that is facts.

[12:03] Sherz Aletaha: It really is.

[12:04] Sherz Aletaha: Uh yeah, I mean, it's one of those weird things where I'm in my 30s and we're told in this industry that like you'll go to college and then you'll become by show, and that's it.

[12:15] Sherz Aletaha: And if it doesn't happen that way, we're so sorry.

[12:17] Sherz Aletaha: And so to it have not so so many no's had to happen for this yes to happen, and it just kind of feels very meant to be.

[12:26] Sherz Aletaha: It's really exciting.

[12:28] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, I love that. And you know, that's that thought of like by the time you're in your 30s, it's so, you know, they say it in general, but so specific to women.

[12:37] Jason A. Coombs: So, like as a strong ass woman, like in "Merrily We Roll Along," I am here for it.

[12:42] Samantha Tuozzolo: We are your cheerleaders. You are amazing in the show. We're gonna talk so much about it as we get on, but I did just want to say, like, fangirls of Sherz over here.

[12:53] Sherz Aletaha: Fangirls of you two.

[12:55] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, that's sweet.

[12:57] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well, let's go back a little bit, Sherz. Can you start with what our show is about? Survival jobs, and share your favorite survival job you've had in your past.

[13:07] Sherz Aletaha: Oh my gosh, I have had so many. Um, yeah, I worked for years in cocktail bars in New York City. And as a server, as like everything. I hosted, I served, I bartended. Um, yeah, I had done a show, like, I don't know, maybe like 10 years ago, I did this show, and it ended up not being like a great experience. And I kind of figured I was like, I kind of think I need to step away from theater for a second, but I also need to pay my rent. And I reached out to the fabulous Michelle Ragusa, who listeners, if you don't know her, look her up and obsess over her. She is an incredible leading lady of Broadway, and we had worked together, and her fabulous husband Tom was the head bartender at this gorgeous bar called Dear Irving. I love them so much. I love Dear Irving the best, the most beautiful. That's one of the last bars I went to before the pandemic. I remember that specifically.

[14:11] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, in early March.

[14:12] Sherz Aletaha: Incredible. Those cocktails are a piece of art. They're like truly so good.

[14:20] Sherz Aletaha: So I reached out to Michelle and I was like, I know what her husband works at a bar. I know nothing about bars. Do they need anyone to work there? And they kindly and blindly hired me with no experience. And I thought this ignorant dum-dum that I was and I was like, it's just a serving job. How hard can it be? And it was just this eye-opening experience to this whole other world in New York that I kind of just fell in love with, and I ended up working there for three years as I took a pause from the theater and entertainment world. I did like little jobs here and there. I shot some commercials and I booked a little TV job here and there. But theater I really was not doing because I just the spirit was not with me at that moment in time.

But it became my home and my family, and it was this exciting moment of like, oh, here's all these things that I love about theater where it's like people who are super passionate, people who are the best at what they do, who have so much knowledge about this thing that they love and they have dedicated their life to it. It was so amazing and exciting and intoxicating to be around that, and I met some of my closest friends. Some of my favorite friends, my best friends are through that time of my life, and then it set me up when I finally kind of had this moment of like, I think I'm ready to, you know, get back into theater. And if I stay at this job, I'll never do it because I love them too much.

Like, I'll never be able to just audition and like leave them on a whim because I got a job that starts tomorrow. I care too much about being here for them. So I had to like put that chapter to bed. And again, they're still, you know, some of my closest friends, and I spent New Year's Eve with people from there. They've all come to see the show. It's just so special. And so I do. I love a survival job. I think it is so important to us and our lives, and it just enriches us. It's great.

[16:27] Jason A. Coombs: I love that story. Jason and I were literally around the corner. What years were you at Dear Irving?

[16:34] Sherz Aletaha: I was there 2015 to 2018.

[16:41] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, we were right around the corner in our survival job.

[16:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: And I think that's yours. We were there at Havelina Tex-Mex, right there on 18th, between Parks and Irving. Like, literal in our survival jobs in another world, so close to each other.

[17:00] Sherz Aletaha: That is so cool. And here we are all together. I love it.

[17:04] Samantha Tuozzolo: Did you ever go to that restaurant?

[17:06] Sherz Aletaha: Oh, yeah.

[17:07] Jason A. Coombs: That queso.

[17:08] Sherz Aletaha: I mean, shout them out.

[17:12] Samantha Tuozzolo: Well, I don't think Jason and I are as passionate about that survival job as you are about yours, but we will say that that queso was—

[17:12] Sherz Aletaha: No, but I think that's so true because like honestly, some of my good friends are people I met working in the restaurant industry. I think you do because of the high stakes and the pressure and just the camaraderie. You have to kind of become a family in a way, right?

[17:34] Jason A. Coombs: Do you watch The Bear?

[17:36] Sherz Aletaha: I saw literally this past Monday night, I went to dinner at a fabulous restaurant called Chouquette in Chelsea, if you haven't been, and my dear friend Paige manages there, and we met and became friends because we used to work the dreaded Saturday night shift together at Dear Irving, and it was like 12 hours long. And it was just these people who would show up and treat us terribly. The customers, some of them were really nice, but there were some real just monsters. And we were just in the trenches together, and we have this like forever bond because we survived that together, and we laugh about it, and we laughed through the night together, and we had a—we made it fun for each other, and like I love her. I will always be her friend. I will always go visit her wherever she is. I just, you know, it just bonds you forever that you survived the survival jobs.

[18:31] Jason A. Coombs: Totally. Yeah, especially the restaurant industry, some crazy things happen. So Dear Irving was, you know, one of the better ones. Do you have a survival job that was like maybe not so dreamy and lovely? A story, even that you want to share something crazy that might have happened?

[18:48] Sherz Aletaha: Okay, buckle up. So, as actors, we're always in search of like the chupacabra survival job of like this is the job that's gonna pay me so much money, but also require no time or commitment from me so that I can audition and gig and whatever. And I talked to this actor, and she was like, I have that job. Do you want that job? I was like, Yes, what is it? I need it. And she was like, I work for this company as a matchmaker. And I was like, You can ask any of my exes. I'm not good at relating to unqualified. And she's like, You're good. Anyone can do it, and actors are great at it. Do you want to work for this company? And I was like, Yeah, okay. I lasted like maybe six weeks. I hated it so much.

It made me so upset and heartbroken for the state of people looking for relationships in New York City. Because it was like people were applying for jobs. I would literally get on, it was usually Zoom with a client, and most of my clients were men looking to date women. And they would be like, She, you know, has to look like a supermodel, she has to have gotten her PhD at Harvard, she has to live in my exact neighborhood, she has to make this amount of money. And I was just like, is this what people are looking for when they're looking for relationships? This is awful. I am in shock. It was insane. And they would give me these crazy, like laundry lists of what they wanted in a person, which, yeah, I guess we all have our standards, we all have, you know, what we want.

But we also know that if you're sitting across from someone and like the vibe is there and you're just into them, it doesn't matter any of those other things. You're just you're into them, so it's gonna be great. Um, I would get these guys and I would find this, you know, magic unicorn woman who fit the majority of their needs, and they would call me up and I'd be like, How was your date? Did you have a good time? Oftentimes I would send them to Dear Irving.

[20:56] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[20:58] Sherz Aletaha: Are they keeping it in the survival job family?

[21:01] Jason A. Coombs: Exactly.

[21:03] Sherz Aletaha: And they'd be like, I mean, yeah, she, you know, has a PhD from this Ivy League school, and she's reading the books that I read, and she lives in the neighborhood I like, and she does all the things I'm interested in. But I'm gonna send you a picture of what I'm looking for. And they would literally send me photos of like Victoria's Secret models. And I was like, sir, you're a five on a good day, and you want that. How dare you? How dare you turn down the lovely, wonderful, smart, brilliant woman that I sent you up on a date with? And I just could not do it. I couldn't hide it on my face how much I hated these men.

[21:44] Jason A. Coombs: I hate them as well, just by hearing just this little snippet of this story.

[21:48] Sherz Aletaha: I am also appalled that this job exists. Like, who knew? It was wild. It was wild. And they also felt like because they had paid money to be on a service versus like swiping on an app that if you didn't get them exactly what they wanted, you're not doing the job properly. Like it was you, not them. But the best was this guy who sent me this picture. I was like, okay, you want a date that's like a super super hot chick. You got it. I set him up with a super hot chick. I was like, how was it? And he goes, um, she left in the middle of the first drink. And I was like, you don't say really because you had nothing in common with this person.

[22:33] Jason A. Coombs: As a man who dates men, we are trash.

[22:39] Sherz Aletaha: But you're in a higher tier. You guys get it.

[22:41] Jason A. Coombs: Fairly, yes, but Jason, you are not trash. You are the furthest thing away from trash that I've ever come in contact with. This person that was looking to date a supermodel is absolute trash. I bet you this man is still single.

[22:58] Sherz Aletaha: Has to be. Or he's dating somebody much, much, much younger than him who doesn't has not learned yet.

[23:05] Jason A. Coombs: Exactly.

[23:08] Sherz Aletaha: A wild ride. And for my own sanity and mental health, I was like, I can't do this. It's just it's too upsetting.

[23:15] Samantha Tuozzolo: That is upsetting. And I well, I would like to say that's the first in survival jobs history we've heard that job. So you just uh moment in history on the show.

[23:25] Sherz Aletaha: I guess season three, season three matchmaking, right, Jay?

[23:29] Jason A. Coombs: Nobody else has been a matchmaker.

[23:31] Sherz Aletaha: No, I love it though. My favorite part about this and favorite and like a most appalling part is that we have to do follow-ups. How hello? How is the date? It's like a true sales job.

[23:38] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah.

[23:41] Sherz Aletaha: Checking on your clients.

[23:43] Jason A. Coombs: Literally. It was unbelievable. And then sometimes they would judge, they'd be like, I didn't like that bar you sent me to. And also, then you plan your date. Because you had to plan the date for them as part of the service.

[23:55] Sherz Aletaha: So you're a matchmaker, event planner, salesperson, checking on the clients.

[24:07] Samantha Tuozzolo: Sorry, before we move on, I do just have a question because I am so intrigued by this. So the people wrote to you, where did you get the dates? Like, did women submit? Were they like, I'm also looking? Or was it like a casting call? Like, where do we get the headshots?

[24:23] Sherz Aletaha: They actually, I'm not naming the company because I don't want to like incriminate them, but the company got in trouble because some of the people who worked for them would go on dating sites and like swipe to find dates for their person, and they're like, I'm not looking for me, but are you interested in this person? But they had like a database basically of people who were interested in working with this company. And so you could like go in the database and search like this gender, this age, this area of the world type of thing, and try to like smorgasbord piece together this Frankenstein of a person who meets the needs of your client.

[25:04] Jason A. Coombs: This is like, do you know there's those jobs in the city where you can just go cuddle somebody? Have you heard about that?

[25:11] Sherz Aletaha: This is like giving that kind of vibe to me.

[25:16] Sherz Aletaha: I feel like I would prefer that just some cuddling.

[25:20] Sherz Aletaha: I've watched two, I watched every episode of SVU that I don't think I could go cuddle someone. I would prefer for sure be in the Hudson in the morning in my mind. Can we go back a little bit?

[25:33] Sherz Aletaha: Yes, can we go back to the very beginning? Because you grew up in Southern California, right?

[25:38] Jason A. Coombs: I did, yes, born and raised in uh Orange County.

[25:41] Samantha Tuozzolo: Oh, okay.

[25:41] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, the LC.

[25:43] Sherz Aletaha: Yes.

[25:44] Samantha Tuozzolo: Okay. Used to love that show when I was younger. But um what was the catalyst or like the aha moment where you were like, I have a voice and I want to use it and I like to act and I like to perform. How old were you? What was the catalyst? Give us all the dates.

[26:00] Sherz Aletaha: I always loved music ever since I was itty itty bitty. And my parents um they started me on piano lessons when I was like five years old. And so there was always music around. Music was very much a part of my everyday life and like development, and I loved it so so much. I would literally just like sit at the piano for hours and I would get in trouble because I would go to my piano lessons and the teacher would be like, You she doesn't know her song, and she'd go to my mom and be like, You are wasting my time with this child. She shows up unprepared. My mom's like, She sits at the piano for hours. What do you mean she's unprepared? But I wouldn't play like practice the um classical music I was supposed to be doing.

I have like the Phantom of the Opera's vocal selections, and I would just sit there and play through that literally all day long. And um I loved music, I was obsessed with it. And when I got to high school, I knew I wanted to do something that involved music. I knew I wanted to grow up and do something with music. My mom always likes to tell this story. Um both my parents are Iranian, therefore, haha, I'm Iranian. And um it is a very well known joke in the Iranian community that you grow up to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer. It's those are the jobs.

[27:21] Jason A. Coombs: No DVD.

[27:23] Sherz Aletaha: Exactly. And so I'm sitting in the car with my mom one day, and she looks over and she's like, Yeah, I just looked over, and you had these like tears in your eyes. You were 12 or 13, and I was like, What is wrong? Why are you randomly crying in the car? And I was just like, I don't want to be a lawyer, I want to do music.

[27:46] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love that.

[27:48] Sherz Aletaha: I'm like crying, I'm like crying from that story. Like, that's so sweet. And I was just so scared to say it to my parents because I was like, I know this isn't what we do. But they were luckily wonderfully supportive, and they're like, okay, so you like music. We see that. Let's figure this out. All right. And so I went to high school, and I remember I specifically chose the high school I went to, which was Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach, because I had heard they had a really good theater program. And I was like, okay, they do musicals. That's something with music. They have some kind of art program there. I'd never done any shows or theater before. And I get to the school and they had a fall musical and a spring musical as well.

And I remember like right in the beginning, I was I'm very much an introvert, and if I don't know people, I get very shy. And I was new to this, like very I had gone to the small private school, and I was now in this very, very large public school, and I didn't know a lot of people. And I saw that they were auditioning for the fall musical, which was as much as I love it. Unfortunately, it was once on this island, and it was the like whitest school ever.

[29:03] Jason A. Coombs: Yikes.

[29:13] Sherz Aletaha: Yes. Uh the early 2000s. Uh a wild wild. Very different time for sure. But I didn't, I like didn't even know what this musical was. I had no idea what it was about. And my mom was like, Oh, you said that they're auditioning for the musical, so you're gonna audition. And I was like, I don't know, I don't know what this musical is. I feel uncomfortable. I don't know if they like even have freshmen that let them come and do the show. And she was like, You made us bring you to this high school because of theater. You're auditioning. Go. And like my mom basically forced me to go audition. I didn't know what I was doing. I sang lovely from my fair lady because it was like one of the only show tunes I really knew.

And I was just like, I don't know what this is. Um, and they kindly cast me, even though they usually didn't cast freshmen's. So instantly, just fell in love, became obsessed. My entire life became theater, and I felt like I had to play catch up because everyone was already so obsessed and so just immersed in it. So I would just come home every single day and like listen to a different cast album and be like, This is what they're talking about. Okay, go. This is the one they're talking about. Oh got it.

[30:36] Samantha Tuozzolo: I it became yes, what was yours? What did what did you do?

[30:39] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, I I grew up in like a very inner city, so and I didn't know much about musical theater. So, like, all I knew was like they sing opera, like I was so I was so ignorant. And it wasn't until I went to Formanars High School, and uh they played uh Light My Candle from Rent, and I was like, This is musical theater, and I literally just like went down a rabbit hole, and here I am today interviewing Broadway.

[30:49] Sherz Aletaha: I know. I feel like it's like when every theater kid learns rent is so important, yes, so important so important. When I was for my 16th birthday, that was my 16th birthday present because it the tour was coming through LA. Oh I asked my parents, I was like, Can we get tickets and go see rent? And I just will never forget how uncomfortable I felt during the orgy scene sitting next to my two Middle Eastern parents, just like all of us staring straight forward, not moving, not acknowledging each other, you know, and then getting in the car and being like, Let's talk about anything else, please.

[31:44] Jason A. Coombs: That is so funny because I had a similar experience. I grew up with Robin De Jesus, and so he booked rent like when I was still in high school, and I remember leaving school early to go see him be angel with my family, and it's exact like the same feeling of like, oh my god, we're here, like somebody from our town is um Broadway. This is amazing. But then it was like the subject of rent with your mom next to you when you're a child, when you're a child is like okay, I love theater. I was like inside, I was having the best day of my life. I was so excited, but I was just like, We'll never speak of this. We'll never speak of this.

[32:26] Sherz Aletaha: I love that we all have a rent story. That's amazing. Um, so Sherz, we do have a lot of younger listeners, a lot of people wanting to pursue art and acting and come to the city and do the thing and dreaming big. Do you have any um advice for them on like how to get rest representation or how to just like hit the ground running? Like, how did you do it? If you could share a little bit about that process, um, that would be awesome.

[32:55] Sherz Aletaha: I think what was really important for me to learn and to always also just remind myself of even now is very much that idea of like keep your eyes on your own page, what we learned in school, because there are there's a romanticized idea of what we think it's gonna be to pursue this industry, and that like A leads to B leads to C, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. But I think it's so personal, and I I myself as the prime example nothing went the way it was supposed to nothing was what I expected it to be and I just had to keep getting creative and I have to keep reminding myself if this is what I really want I have to find a way to make it happen. It's no one else's job to make it happen. It's just me if I'm not getting you know appointments for jobs I want that's not because my agent or my manager isn't working hard enough it's because I need to do something more.

If I'm not getting that agent what do I need to do to get that agent I have to work okay these people don't want to hire me maybe I can get in with some new writers and new composers and do their work. And so I think it's just about taking on as much responsibility as you can handle of course because we cannot do it alone. We need our people we need our teams our support systems but yeah that was always really important to me just it's really easy to get into the comparison game and it's really easy to say like that person is getting all of these jobs that person's getting all these opportunities why aren't I and I'm like that person is like a tiny Asian soprano. We will never be up for the same job that's why yeah and that's great let that person like thrive cheer that person on I think it's really really important to learn to cheer on other people in this industry and to be happy for everyone else's success and I think it really helps just create this like gorgeous abundance mindset instead of like if they get it, that means I don't get it, and I don't like that. I think if you can switch to if they get it, am I allowed to curse?

[35:16] Jason A. Coombs: Yes, great.

[35:17] Sherz Aletaha: If they get it, fuck yes, yes, yes, yes. I'm thrilled for them. I'm gonna go, I'm gonna be there on opening night, I'm gonna see them, I'm gonna cheer them on, and what's for me is gonna find me, and it's gonna be fucking amazing and magical and great when it happens. And yeah, I think that is personally for me one of the biggest and um brightest takeaways of this entire journey is just to like throw expectation out the window, stay as positive as you can, and stay as proactive as you can.

[35:49] Samantha Tuozzolo: I love that, which leads into our next question, Marilee. What was the audition process like for their role?

[35:59] Sherz Aletaha: The audition process was loyal. I again, this whole concept of what is for you will find you. I had been called in for the wonderful, wonderful production um for six a couple of times, and they had reached back around and they're like, we want to bring her back in. And I was like, Great, I'm so excited. This is gonna be it, this is gonna be my chance to like book that big job. Um, and I this was April of 2022. I got COVID and it was allergy season, and I have horrible allergies. I completely lost my voice, gone, like could not speak, let alone sing, let alone sing six, you know, because they are a belting, screaming, glorious top goddesses, all of them. Anyone who's done that show. Jesus, they're amazing.

Um, and I was just like, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I like went on vocal rest. I went to my uh like my ENT, I went to my voice teacher, I tried all these crazy things. I got my voice back a little bit. I literally tried to do the audition. It is the only time in the history of life where I was like, dancing was great, singing was trash. Usually it's like she can't dance, we don't want her. And so I was so heartbroken. I literally in the room like shrugged and was like, I I'm so sorry, y'all. I just don't have it today. And they're luckily the nicest casting people ever. We love you, Tara Ruben casting. You are angels from above. They've been so kind to me. Um, and they were like, We get it, it's okay.

And I just remember feeling so dejected and being like, Oh, what am I doing? What's gonna happen? I just want a job. And like a week later, I get the appointment for Marilee, and it was a self-tape first, and they kind of had um Frankenstein, the first scene in the show where Mary is at uh Frank's party for his movie opening, and she progressively gets drunker, has this big fall, screams at him and ends their friendship. Um, light, very light material. Like the show starts with that, and you're like, Oh, awesome.

[38:21] Sherz Aletaha: Cool, it's great. Yeah, and I was getting called in for ensemble to cover Mary. And so it was that scene and um her solo in Now You Know, her gorgeous portion of Now You Know. And so I finally was feeling better. I put that on tape. A week or so later, I find out you're going in in person, and I was like, great. Uh, I go in in person, and it was both of those the final scene in the show, the rooftop scene before our time, and I had to sing a section of the opening number. Did that got a call being like, You have a work session with them, more added material. And then after that was another callback, and I thought that was it. And every single time I went in, they kept like handing me more, like, can you do this song and this scene as well?

And this one and this one. And I was just like, mm-hmm, you got it. And I would just go home and stay up all night and not sleep because I wanted it so badly, and just try to perfect it as much as I could. And um at the third callback, I figured I was like, that was it. I remember asking a friend of mine to meet me for dinner afterwards so I could like decompress and hopefully get off my brain and not upset. And remember telling him, like, I think I think it went as well as it could have. I don't think I can't think of anything that I would have been like, oh, I would I wish I would have done that better or this differently. I'm really happy with how it went. If it doesn't go my way, it's just a puzzle piece that I don't fit into, and that's okay.

I can live with that. And then two days later, I got a phone call from my managers being like, Hey, they need you to come back in one more time. And I had worked so hard on the material that I literally started crying on the phone. I was like, what else do they need from me? I was like, did they say why? And they're like, no, it's a good thing, Chairs. They just want to see you again. I was like, but why? I was like, what else could I give? I gave it all. And I was like, did they do they have any notes? And they're like, no. And I'm like, well, what material do they want to see again? Because at that point, I had, I think it was five songs and eight scenes that I had done for them. Oh my god.

They just said bring everything. And I was like, it's the whole script. Because a one-woman show. And so I went in one other time. And it was again, they were always just it was a dream of an audition room. It was so warm and collaborative. And I think it was something that made every single one of us that audition for it say, We really want to do this piece. Like, this seems really great and creative and special. Um then it was my least favorite thing to happen, which was a final callback on a Friday, because then you have to suffer through the entire weekend. Oh weekend. And so they actually didn't. We kept getting updates throughout that next week, being like, no decisions have been made, no offers have gone out.

She's still in the mix. We now have to, you know, everything needs to go through the the Sondheim estate, so we haven't heard anything yet. And then I actually was in, I had um jury duty, and so I was at jury duty, and I was in like the little holding room that they put everyone in. All morning goes by, they send us on like a long lunch break. That all happens. We come back from lunch, and they come and they tell our whole room, like everyone in this room is going to a courtroom, and we're gonna start questioning you to see if you're gonna be like a juror on this case. I was like, okay, we're literally about to walk into the courtroom, and I get a call, and it's my manager, and I was like, I text him immediately saying, I can't pick up, I'm at jury duty.

I'm about to be in a courtroom. This is so good. Call me when you're done. And I was like, no. Oh, when you're done. You're like texting me now. I was like, this is either really good or really bad, and I don't know where she's like guilty. They're guilty, they're guilty, they're guilty. Get me out of here. I was like, I have a conflict. I feel like I have a conflict with this case, a conflict of interest. I've got to go. So I go and I have to sit in this room for literally two hours. No I can't tell you what this court case was about. I don't even remember anything that happened in that room because my mind was just like, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. And they finally they release us.

I like run out of this courthouse as fast as possible. I call my manager, Harold, and he answers, singing the opening number of merrily to me. And I was like, wait, just you have to say the words. Did I get it? And then he was like, You got it. And he was like, Why don't you sound excited? And I was like, I'm surrounded by government buildings and police officers. I'm trying not to scream right now.

[43:21] Jason A. Coombs: That is one of the best like posted stories I've ever heard. Not you having to sit through jury duty for two hours is like unbelievable.

[43:34] Sherz Aletaha: Torture. And I mean, at that time, so you booked it. Did you know anybody else in the cast yet? Did you know like Daniel, Jonathan, Lindsay were cast already, or was it all like up in the air?

[43:46] Sherz Aletaha: Um, Dan was in the show. He had already been announced, and then I had heard rumors about um John and Lindsay. Um, and then my wonderful Vishjal Vidya, who's in the show, he and I share a manager and we've been friends for a long time. So once we both accepted, they told us about each other being in the show. So we were really excited. But then everyone else was as we you know got to the first day of rehearsal and as as the announcements came out, that's how I learned about the rest of our fabulous cast.

[44:16] Jason A. Coombs: As it all rolled along, if you know what I mean. So this is kind of like a few questions in one, so bear with me. So you started rehearsal pro the rehearsal process, and I imagine like when you're understudying and covering Mary, you're not rehearsing directly with John and Dan, all right? You're rehearsing with the understudies. So were you was it nerve-wracking being in the room with them or like the first time you went on as Mary? And then how you've been going on so much. How has that felt? What has that been like? And then third part of the question, I do follow you on Instagram. You mentioned being Middle Eastern and like coming from this culture, and you're calling your Mary a very specific Mary name, but I'm not gonna try to say it and butcher it.

So, how does that like feel for you to be like just being who you are, representing your culture in this amazing show and the amazing cast getting to go on? Sorry for all those questions in one, but I just had to do it.

[45:15] Sherz Aletaha: I love it. Um we luckily have literally the nicest company ever on Broadway, and I'm sure everyone says that, and it's the nice like PC thing to say, but genuinely, every single person on that stage is so kind, so open, so supportive. Um, and when I was told I was gonna get to go on for the first time with Dan and Jonathan, they were just they're they're literally angels, the two of them. It was not about like this is what I need from you, so that my show goes right. None of that. Like, they were just on the ride, they were so down to play. I remember Dan pulling me aside being like, You're really funny, that was fun. Like, that line got a laugh. That was great. And I was like, Oh, cool, okay.

He's okay with me, like doing my version of it. Yeah. That's incredible, versus just slot in and do the same thing so that you know it's always uniform. Um, there's room to play and bring yourself to it, which is such a gift. And I God, Lindsay Mendez is a queen. She's so incredible. I also feel like I have had the gift and the luxury of watching not one but two rehearsal processes of her processes, whatever the plural of processes. Yeah, I've got to watch her develop this character, put it on its feet, and perform it through two of those now. And it's incredible what she does with it, and it was so informative to watch her, and just also how she interacts with us as a cast and how she leads has taught me so much.

There would be times where she would come, like there was one time in rehearsal we were doing something, and she came and literally took me by the hand and said, Come here, come watch this because it's a little complicated. You should see how it's done. And I just will never forget those things because she didn't have to do that. Like, that's not required. That's so incredibly kind and so generous and gracious and thoughtful. I hope I can do that for someone one day. Um, and she's so supportive. And you know, whenever I go on, she always comes and checks in with me and asks, like, did you have a good time? How was it? Did you have fun? Again, she's not territorial, she's not, you know, a diva in a bad way, she's the diva in a good way. She's the diva we all want to be. She's like a leader for the people, she takes care of her cast. We love her.

[47:58] Sherz Aletaha: Um, and then the oh, yeah, the spelling. That was the third one. Yes, uh, you know. Yes, so it's Mary Flynn is the character's name. Um, in Iranian culture, there is like a very common name, uh, Mary, N-E-H-R-I. And so my wonderful friend Darius Rose, who some people may know as the fabulous Jackie Cox from RuPaul's Drag Race. Um, she and I have been friends since we were teenagers, we grew up in Orange County together. Uh Darius came to see the show. I know, so exciting, just amazing. Um, Darius came to see me when I was on and made the joke, and he was like, Well, when you're on, it's not Mary Flynn, it's Mary Flynn, and I was like, I love that. So we we adopted that. We we stole it from Darius uh slash Jackie, and so it's just it's really exciting, and it just means the world to me when there are people in the audience.

There's kind of two messages I get that always kind of just make me really, really teary. And one is I've never seen an Iranian woman lead a Broadway show or a musical. I felt so seen, I've never seen that. And the other is the body positivity aspect of it of like I've never seen someone with my body type on stage. I've never seen a mid-sized woman as the lead of a musical. That was so exciting. I hope we see more of it. And it's just I know I always wanted that growing up. I'm sure every single person, it's a very universal thing to want to watch and experience the culture you love and to see yourself in it is so special. And I'm sure we all have those moments that we can pinpoint exactly what it is that I saw that person and it told me I could do it.

For me, it was Sarah Romeras in Spamalot. I saw that when I was a teenager, and I was, I said, if they can do it, maybe I can do it. Like, how exciting. I was like, here's someone whose name isn't super super easy and whose body looks like mine. Maybe I can do this. And so to give that to someone is beyond a gift.

[50:14] Jason A. Coombs: That's thank you for sharing all of that. My body is just covered with like chills right now. And I feel like very inspired and emotional. You are amazing. Thank you for being so open in this interview thus far.

[50:28] Sherz Aletaha: Thank you for letting me ramble.

[50:29] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my god, no, we love, we love. And I know we're like talking a lot. I do just want to give a shout out because I am a Marilee fangirl to the first time you went on. It was uh Broadway Cares, Equity Fights AIDS. Shout out to that audience member that gave you that. Can you just quickly quickly share that story?

[50:50] Sherz Aletaha: Right. So it was Broadway Care's Equity Equity Fights AIDS, and people were bidding. Exactly. So at the end of the show, Broadway Care season, um, we would uh almost every show do an auction where uh in the song opening doors, Dan is typing on a piece of paper, and he because he has to type in rhythm, it's usually just the same two keys so we can stay in rhythm and so that the typewriter doesn't get all jumbled and stuck.

[51:17] Sherz Aletaha: But at one point, Jonathan has to come over and type something, and it's in the script, it's meant to be something that like makes him laugh or whatever. And so Jonathan changes it up and we'll always like attempt to type something that they were talking about, or a funny word or a funny sentence, something to make Dan laugh, a song lyric, whatever. And so for my first show, um, he wrote uh fucking shares with like a million Z. Um, and so they auction that off and they let the audience know very kindly that it was my first time going on, and the amazing, amazing gentleman who won the auction. Uh, they would always personalize it and say, like, who do you want us to sign it to? And he said, give it to her.

My body's covered in shells again. I know, I still get tearing. So good. Yeah, it's such a good idea. Literally on my dresser, I like literally pop up in the morning every morning and I see it. The most special, and it just brings a smile to my face every day. I am forever grateful to that gentleman and his generosity. It's a good reminder, people are so kind out there. I know, like, this world is insane right now, but like to know those people who do like something that's that's like so personal and so beautiful.

[52:30] Jason A. Coombs: I'm so glad you got that because I keep hearing how amazing you're doing. We have a common friend who's in the show, and she's always raving about you.

[52:39] Sherz Aletaha: So uh I don't know. Shout out Coach Crystal.

[52:42] Jason A. Coombs: Crystal coach, Coach KGB. We love yeah. Um so it's all and it's so wonderful to meet you and to see like how wonderfully kind you are. And I don't know, I'm just rooting for you. I can't wait to see you up there, and I'm so happy that you're killing it and you deserve this moment. Like, so take it in, bask in it.

[53:01] Sherz Aletaha: So much. I hope you all come back to the Hudson. I hope your listeners all have a chance to come down to the Hudson and see us. It's it's a really, really special show, and it's we really do, I feel like feel a difference when there are creatives in the audience who just feel the story so deeply and yes and feel it so personally. Um I think the show is such gorgeous mirror at one point or another, you're gonna see yourself in it at some point in someone's journey.

[53:31] Jason A. Coombs: Yes.

[53:31] Sherz Aletaha: Um, and again, that just always feels great to see yourself reflected back to you in a story. It's a wonderful it is a perfect production.

[53:42] Jason A. Coombs: Sorry, Jason. That's all I'm gonna do.

[53:43] Sherz Aletaha: No, no.

[53:44] Jason A. Coombs: Shout out, people have to go get tickets. We have to everyone has to see it. But I was gonna tie this in because you're speaking about you know, being your culture, being Iranian American and representation and like all those good stuff. Do you have a dream role or collaboration that you would love to accomplish to perform to work with someone?

[54:05] Sherz Aletaha: Oh we're big manifesters on this show, so we love asking that Christian. I know, oh I know. My wishy friends, I see you. Oh my goodness, yes. I um I oh god, I love comedy. I am obsessed with all things comedy. Uh what I would do to work with like Pamela Adlon, Maya Rudolph, Will Farrell, those are dream people for me. Amy Polar, dreams, dream teams dreams. I love.

[54:36] Sherz Aletaha: Um in the theater world. Um, so many people. I was so obsessed with Lisa Peterson's direction of Good Night Oscar. I would love to work with her at some point. Beautiful. I would love to work with Rachel Chafkin. I would love to work with um, oh my goodness, who else? I'm literally scouring my brain. Um I I already work with her and I want to work with her more. The fabulous Rona Siddiqui, who is a dear friend of mine, uh composer, lyricist, librettist, music supervisor, extraordinaire. She's incredible, and she's been developing a beautiful show called Salamadina Tales of a Afghan about growing up, um, half Afghan, half Italian in America. And we've been working on it for like six years now. We've all uh been a part of her process in developing it. She's been kind enough to keep us on the journey with her.

[55:31] Sherz Aletaha: Oh, what I would give for a full production of that, because it's just my hat to play so I to a neck to play. Please help me, please hate me. I can do anything you want, but no, they tell me you just love Queen. Oh, what I would give for a full production of that, because it's just my happy place with that group of people. Um, the fabulous Raja Feather Kelly directs it, and he's just so magical. Um, I would love to work with him again. I've had the pleasure of working with the amazing Lonnie Price before, and he is everything. I would work with him again in a minute, like what I would give to work with him again. I would love.

[56:22] Sherz Aletaha: Um, yeah, I would love to do like I always like shows that no one does. I'm like, I want to play Lizzie in one ten in the shade. Great. Let's do it. So we have to do it. I want to play Al Songsa and Man of La Mancha, which is funny as I just said I want to do comedy. I'm like, you're just the saddest woman ever in musical.

[56:46] Jason A. Coombs: We're like, hello to any producers listening. Please produce theirs in all of her dream roles. Thank you. This was an amazing interview. We want to thank you again for being so open and just sharing so much with us and our listeners. And this episode's gonna be in the beginning of our season three. So what a way to kick off season three. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[57:08] Sherz Aletaha: Hear it and see it, and thank you so much for having me. You both are just yes.

[57:12] Jason A. Coombs: We do have one more question, and then we play a super quick, really fun game. We always like to end because we tend to get deep on this show, as you as you have experienced. So we always love to bring it back to just lightness and joy, even though everything we've chatted about is joy, even though we get a little deep. Um, so you're in the theater eight times a week doing this amazing show. But do you have anything else in your life that's feeding you artistically? A play you read, a TV show you like to binge, anything like that.

[57:40] Sherz Aletaha: I'm trash, I watch Bravo. I've literally watched all the time.

[57:45] Jason A. Coombs: Not trash.

[57:46] Sherz Aletaha: That is not trash.

[57:48] Sherz Aletaha: Fall asleep to women screaming at each other. That's like my lullaby as I drift up. Yes, I have a very active group chat who are a lot of actors and Broadway folks, and it's us just obsessing over real housewives. It's our thing. We love it.

[58:06] Jason A. Coombs: It's escapism.

[58:09] Sherz Aletaha: Right? Yes, exactly. Um, that is so good. I do I have been obsessing not a competing podcast, just a different podcast. Um as I said, I love comedy, and Amy Polar has this hysterical podcast called Say More with Doctor with a uh question mark after it, Sheila, because you find out that she doesn't actually have the credentials to be a doctor, so there has to be a question mark whenever you say her name.

[58:37] Sherz Aletaha: And it's this improvised podcast, and she plays a uh couples therapist, and two other amazing comedians will always come on and be the couple that she's giving therapy to. And it is they're like 20 minutes up 20 minute episodes, they're so funny. Um then as like a spin off, I'm also such a huge fan of his Ike Barenholtz. Uh he she's producing his podcast, which is called The Do Over with Chris Chatham, I think is how you say the last name.

[59:10] Jason A. Coombs: Oh wow.

[59:11] Sherz Aletaha: Plays this like Joe Rogan-esque podcast host who's been canceled and now he's like trying to make a comeback, and he just does it so perfectly. It's so funny, and I just I listen to it at home when I'm like doing little chores and stuff, or I listen to it on the subway, and I'm genuinely laughing out loud. I love it.

[59:31] Jason A. Coombs: They're so brilliant.

[59:34] Sherz Aletaha: Amazing. I love that. I love it too. I'm definitely gonna listen to that podcast.

[59:38] Jason A. Coombs: It's really funny.

[59:39] Sherz Aletaha: Doctor?

[59:40] Jason A. Coombs: Doctor?

[59:41] Sherz Aletaha: Doctor.

[59:45] Jason A. Coombs: All right, Jay, you want to talk about the game?

[59:48] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, so this really quickly gang, this really quickly game, excuse me. This really quick game. It's called very original title, Merrily Co-Star Trivia. So we have four questions for you about your wonderful co-stars. Most of them are true or false. There is a ABCD multiple choice one. And then we have a bonus, so there's no pressure. Um the big prize is that we are having a little event and we want to invite you too.

[1:00:14] Sherz Aletaha: Oh, only if you win.

[1:00:15] Jason A. Coombs: Oh, it's not true. I already sent her the invite.

[1:00:18] Sherz Aletaha: You're not gonna be like, he's already been invited.

[1:00:23] Jason A. Coombs: Sorry, you're not on the list anymore.

[1:00:27] Jason A. Coombs: You want to take the first one?

[1:00:29] Sherz Aletaha: Yes, I will.

[1:00:30] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, shares. Are you ready? Your first survival jobs game. True or false. True or false, true or false.

[1:00:39] Jason A. Coombs: Daniel Radcliffe was nominated for a Tony Award for best actor for Spring Awakening in 2007.

[1:00:45] Sherz Aletaha: False.

[1:00:46] Jason A. Coombs: Correct.

[1:00:47] Jason A. Coombs: It was Jonathan Croft.

[1:00:50] Sherz Aletaha: You know, okay.

[1:00:53] Jason A. Coombs: Question number two. Similar to you, which co-star was also on the show, PowerPoint 3 raising Kanan.

[1:01:02] Sherz Aletaha: Can I? I was gonna mess that up.

[1:01:03] Jason A. Coombs: Cainen Joy Brown.

[1:01:05] Sherz Aletaha: Yeah, multiple choice.

[1:01:11] Jason A. Coombs: You guys were not on the same episode, were you?

[1:01:13] Sherz Aletaha: No, I believe.

[1:01:14] Sherz Aletaha: How fun if you heard that died by the time I filmed my episode? Yikes. No spoilers, you guys.

[1:01:18] Jason A. Coombs: No spoilers, you guys.

[1:01:24] Jason A. Coombs: Okay, um, true or false. Lindsay Mendez played Alpha Bot on Broadway in 2014 through 200.

[1:01:32] Sherz Aletaha: True or false.

[1:01:37] Sherz Aletaha: True.

[1:01:39] Jason A. Coombs: Big.

[1:01:40] Sherz Aletaha: I was like, I know she played it. I don't know what year.

[1:01:43] Jason A. Coombs: You're literally three for three.

[1:01:45] Jason A. Coombs: Yeah, three for three.

[1:01:50] Jason A. Coombs: Okay.

[1:01:52] Jason A. Coombs: Number four, true or false. Your co-star, Reg Rogers, who plays Joe Josephson, is also from Southern California, specifically Newport Beach.

[1:02:01] Sherz Aletaha: Yes, we're from the same hometown.

[1:02:04] Jason A. Coombs: Are you?

[1:02:05] Sherz Aletaha: Yes, we bonded about that uh off Broadway.

[1:02:08] Jason A. Coombs: That's so fun.

[1:02:09] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my god, share.

[1:02:10] Sherz Aletaha: So Cher's perfect score so far.

[1:02:13] Jason A. Coombs: So here's your bonus.

[1:02:15] Jason A. Coombs: Oh my god. This survival jobs a podcast guest made their Broadway debut and merrily we roll along.

[1:02:24] Sherz Aletaha: It's such a trick question.

[1:02:32] Jason A. Coombs: Congratulations, you get to come to the survival jobs podcast season three launch.

[1:02:38] Sherz Aletaha: You booked it.

[1:02:42] Jason A. Coombs: Um before we go, can you please drop your Instagram, your Twitter, whatever you do on social to the listeners who don't who may not follow you yet?

[1:02:51] Sherz Aletaha: You guys definitely should.

[1:02:52] Sherz Aletaha: She's obviously an icon.

[1:02:54] Sherz Aletaha: You're so sweet. Thank you. Uh, like a true millennial. I'm just on Instagram. Uh, and it's at more than one share, because that's how I explain how to say my name, shares. It's like the singer share. More than one share. C A E R. That's me on it.

[1:03:09] Jason A. Coombs: Follow her.

[1:03:10] Jason A. Coombs: Follow her, people.

[1:03:11] Jason A. Coombs: And if you don't follow us yet, you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter at Survival Jobs Pod, on Facebook at Survival Jobs Podcast. Send us an email, let us know some feedback who you might want on the show. Survivaljobspod at gmail.com. Follow my boy Jason at Jason A. Coombs, and I am at Sammy Toots. Shares, you're amazing.

[1:03:35] Sherz Aletaha: Thank you for having me.

[1:03:37] Sherz Aletaha: Thank you, thank you.

[1:03:38] Sherz Aletaha: This is amazing.