This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Eli Tokash: Hello everyone.

[0:02] Eli Tokash: Welcome to episode 52 of Take A Bow Podcast.

[0:06] Eli Tokash: I'm your host, Eli Tokash, and oh my goodness, we have such a fun episode today.

[0:12] Eli Tokash: We have someone who is going to be reopening a show on Broadway.

[0:20] Eli Tokash: So we talk about all things as far as Broadway's safety protocols and opening up and how the shutdown and how he dealt with that, how the shutdown worked and this process of reopening. And since he's a dance captain, he works pretty close with the creative team and everything like that.

[0:42] Eli Tokash: So he has a great inside scoop on what's going on as far as rehearsals and everything like that.

[0:48] Eli Tokash: So it was a blast to talk to my longtime friend Fred Odgaard.

[0:52] Eli Tokash: Fred Odgaard is here today with us, but before we get into all of that amazing stuff about Moulin Rouge, which he's currently in, we're gonna talk about what's going on because this week was so fun, and it was so fun because of one thing and one thing only, I think.

[1:14] Eli Tokash: I think it just trumps everything else.

[1:16] Eli Tokash: So a couple shows announced that they were going to be reopening since the last time I was able to talk to all of you.

[1:28] Eli Tokash: So Aladdin is opening on September 28th, Diana the Musical is going to be November 2nd, and Tina got bumped up to October 8th.

[1:37] Eli Tokash: So very exciting stuff, and for Off-Broadway, Little Shop of Horrors announced that it will be opening with Jeremy Jordan, Tammy Blanchard, and Christian Borle on September 21st.

[1:49] Eli Tokash: I'm so excited for that.

[1:50] Eli Tokash: Everyone was kind of like, it was kind of like a Dear Evan Hansen moment for a second, and they were like, oh, well, is Jordan Fisher gonna be in it? Is in Little Shop's case, is Jonathan Groff gonna be in it? Is it gonna be Jeremy Jordan? Is it gonna be somebody else?

[2:05] Eli Tokash: But they put an end to those rumors, Little Shop did, and they announced that it'll be Jeremy Jordan, Tammy Blanchard, who was doing it before, as well as Christian Borle, who was doing it before when COVID shut down.

[2:05] Eli Tokash: And I think Jeremy Jordan was doing it before, but it was still very early in his run.

[2:22] Eli Tokash: So everyone kind of had those question marks, but we got them solved.

[2:26] Eli Tokash: We have the answers and exciting news.

[2:30] Eli Tokash: And another show that announced that it was gonna be reopening literally on Thursday, of course, great timing, so I couldn't include it in last week's podcast.

[2:39] Eli Tokash: Dear Evan Hansen announced that it was going to be reopening on Broadway December 11th.

[2:45] Eli Tokash: I'm a little surprised that it's December 11th.

[2:47] Eli Tokash: I know I said last week, like it did not age well. I was like, I won't be surprised if it opens on like the opening day with the big shows like Wicked and Lion King and all of that.

[2:58] Eli Tokash: And they just proved me wrong and said, nope, we're coming out December 11th.

[3:03] Eli Tokash: So we love that.

[3:03] Eli Tokash: But speaking of Dear Evan Hansen, we have a Dear Evan Hansen movie trailer.

[3:12] Eli Tokash: Oh my god, I lost my mind, like lost my mind. It's kind of like an understatement really.

[3:12] Eli Tokash: I definitely cried, I'll say that. It looks really good.

[3:27] Eli Tokash: I just could not believe kind of the backlash the movie's getting for having Ben Platt play Dear Evan Hansen.

[3:35] Eli Tokash: Like, I don't know about you all, but like maybe I'm just like a Ben Platt super fan, which I am, and I'm okay with that.

[3:43] Eli Tokash: But like at the same time, like Dear Evan Hansen is like, he is Dear Evan Hansen, you know? Like it was practically written for him.

[3:53] Eli Tokash: The show would not be what it is today without him.

[4:08] Eli Tokash: That role was literally written for Ben Platt, you know? Like, and not to mention he won a Tony Award for it and opened the show and made it what it is.

[4:20] Eli Tokash: I mean, like, and he was already a movie star, so like why wouldn't he be in a movie?

[4:24] Eli Tokash: But like I understand, like, I'm the biggest advocate for kids playing, you know, their age, especially in this industry, because you know, it's a lot of adults playing kids and everything like that.

[4:38] Eli Tokash: But like for this one, I honestly like don't even know if I'd want to see a kid.

[4:43] Eli Tokash: Like, I want to see Ben Platt, you know? Like I want to see Ben Platt revisit this role and do it for a movie that we can have forever.

[4:52] Eli Tokash: Like, I don't know. I don't know.

[4:54] Eli Tokash: That's just me, that's my hot take.

[4:56] Eli Tokash: I don't know if you all agree, but I figured I'd share my opinion and just like, I don't know, like I think of Dear Evan Hansen, like you think of Dear Evan Hansen, right?

[5:06] Eli Tokash: And you may think like blue polo, but like, or a cast with Connor's name on it, or something like that, or you will be found, or one of the iconic songs, but really we all know deep down that we all say, oh, Ben Platt, when we think of Dear Evan Hansen.

[5:22] Eli Tokash: So it's only fitting, in my opinion, that Ben Platt plays this role.

[5:26] Eli Tokash: And I'm gonna say this: it looks amazing.

[5:29] Eli Tokash: They've added characters, they've extended the story a little bit, not like extended it because I don't think it'll be a two and a half hour movie because that's just like not the average for movies anymore, like it is on Broadway.

[5:42] Eli Tokash: But I think we're gonna see some like new things that we really didn't see in the show.

[5:47] Eli Tokash: I mean, obviously we will with new characters and everything like that.

[5:50] Eli Tokash: But it looks great.

[5:52] Eli Tokash: But I will say, like, when I watched the trailer, I lost it.

[5:57] Eli Tokash: Like I cried when they showed him climbing up the tree.

[6:02] Eli Tokash: And for those of you, if you guys don't understand that metaphor, you should go listen to the Dear Evan Hansen cast album because it's amazing.

[6:10] Eli Tokash: But literally, I about cried.

[6:13] Eli Tokash: I cried, that's all I'm gonna say.

[6:15] Eli Tokash: I cried so hard.

[6:16] Eli Tokash: When I saw that part, and I was like, this is gonna be amazing.

[6:21] Eli Tokash: We don't deserve this.

[6:23] Eli Tokash: And I'm just so excited for it.

[6:25] Eli Tokash: I don't know.

[6:26] Eli Tokash: It's gonna be out September 24th.

[6:28] Eli Tokash: I think, I think that's what the trailer said.

[6:30] Eli Tokash: I'm almost like 90, I'm like 98% positive.

[6:33] Eli Tokash: September 24th, and I am so excited because we're gonna get Broadway, we're gonna get Dear Evan Hansen, we're gonna get a little bit of everything coming out in September.

[6:41] Eli Tokash: September's gonna be a great month.

[6:43] Eli Tokash: I have a couple birthdays in my family too. Woot woo.

[6:45] Eli Tokash: And yeah, it's just a bunch of fun things happening, and that was honestly like the highlight of what happened this week, of what like was announced and what came out.

[6:58] Eli Tokash: But also, of course, like these new shows coming back to Broadway.

[7:02] Eli Tokash: Oh, another fun thing that happened this week was Sutton Foster is gonna go to Anything Goes in the West End before her run in Music Man.

[7:12] Eli Tokash: So she's currently gonna be in the West End.

[7:14] Eli Tokash: She's gonna be doing Anything Goes, which is a show that she is very familiar with.

[7:19] Eli Tokash: I think she did it on Broadway for quite some time.

[7:21] Eli Tokash: And I honestly, like I love this move.

[7:24] Eli Tokash: Like, you know, you haven't performed in so long, and now you're gonna be in a crazy, crazy, you know, physical show and draining show and just like a demanding show in Music Man.

[7:38] Eli Tokash: So I kinda like the move.

[7:39] Eli Tokash: It's gonna be interesting.

[7:40] Eli Tokash: I'm surprised that there haven't been like more people doing this, trying to like, you know, get back into the groove of things before they start like a new project.

[7:48] Eli Tokash: It's gonna be opening and having a chance to another chance at a run for a Tony or something like that.

[7:54] Eli Tokash: I don't know.

[7:56] Eli Tokash: And for her to revisit a show like this, it's iconic.

[8:00] Eli Tokash: So I'm very excited.

[8:01] Eli Tokash: Sutton Foster is a queen.

[8:03] Eli Tokash: She's gonna be in Anything Goes, which is amazing, and it's in the West End.

[8:09] Eli Tokash: So if only I lived in the West End.

[8:12] Eli Tokash: So for anyone who loves Broadway and listens to this podcast and they live in London, like I am jealous of you, and I hope that you go see her in Anything Goes because it's gonna be fantastic.

[8:23] Eli Tokash: I just know it.

[8:23] Eli Tokash: And speaking of like the West End, I know this kind of relates.

[8:28] Eli Tokash: It's gonna relate when I finish the story, I promise.

[8:31] Eli Tokash: You know, people are still like the Broadway League is still trying to figure out the safety protocols for when Broadway reopens, right?

[8:43] Eli Tokash: So they're saying, you know, maybe some people wear masks, maybe the vaccinated people will get a certain section, and the non-vaccinated people will get another section.

[8:54] Eli Tokash: And all these talks, you know, like these rumors and these ideas and everything like that.

[9:02] Eli Tokash: So they haven't, they've said that they're not prepared to comment and they're not prepared to share their plans yet as they are not finalized and they want to continue to hold out as much as long as possible because, you know, like I know it doesn't seem like too far away, like we're almost in June, and they open in September, so like July, August, September, we're about like four, four and a half months away.

[9:27] Eli Tokash: So I understand like that's a lot of time and things can change by then, so I don't think they wanna come out with a plan too early, you know.

[9:38] Eli Tokash: So I respect that, and who knows, maybe I know that they're gonna try to be a hundred percent occupancy, but as far as like, you know, maybe we'll have plastic dividers in between each seat.

[9:51] Eli Tokash: Maybe we're all gonna have to wear a mask, maybe we're all gonna have to do, maybe there's not gonna be the concession stands with like drinks and like little snacks and everything.

[10:01] Eli Tokash: I don't know, it's gonna be interesting.

[10:03] Eli Tokash: But they announced, they came out and they said that their people were wanting them, and they came out and they were like, no, we're not ready.

[10:11] Eli Tokash: I'm sorry, you're gonna have to wait.

[10:13] Eli Tokash: So I just thought I'd update you all on that, and it's interesting.

[10:17] Eli Tokash: So I've ranted long enough.

[10:19] Eli Tokash: The Dear Evan Hansen, I'm passionate about it.

[10:22] Eli Tokash: I'm sorry.

[10:23] Eli Tokash: So let's just turn it over to the drama dictionary, word of the week.

[10:28] Eli Tokash: And this week we're actually gonna do something similar to what we did a few episodes ago, and we're gonna kind of like compare each role in the industry that you may not be aware of.

[10:40] Eli Tokash: So, or you are aware of, and I'm just gonna like clarify the differences between them.

[10:45] Eli Tokash: So this week we have a guest who is currently the assistant dance captain for Moulin Rouge, and he's been a dance captain often, and he's also been a swing often, and he's also been a choreographer.

[11:01] Eli Tokash: So we talk a lot about that, and I just wanna like give some clarity before like the interview starts because we don't really specify or talk much about it in the interview to like really make it clear to what we're talking about.

[11:17] Eli Tokash: So before we do that, let's do it.

[11:19] Eli Tokash: So, a swing, a dance captain, and a choreographer are the drama dictionary word of the week.

[11:26] Eli Tokash: So a swing is, we've talked about that before on the show.

[11:30] Eli Tokash: A swing is someone who is in the cast, and they have no guaranteed performances in a week.

[11:39] Eli Tokash: It's just, you know, you're kind of like an understudy, but you're an understudy for like the ensemble for I would say about anywhere from like six to eight tracks, depending on how big the show is, the production is, and how many swings there are in the show.

[11:57] Eli Tokash: So they are basically there to be prepared to go on for anybody at any given moment.

[12:03] Eli Tokash: And that's a swing, and that's kind of like their only role.

[12:09] Eli Tokash: So then you go a tier up, and it's the dance captain.

[12:13] Eli Tokash: And a dance captain, like the dance captain, so they're someone who works really closely with the creative team, with the director, with the choreographer, with the producers, like whatever, like all of the messages and all of the notes and everything that happens during a show will always come from the dance captain.

[12:13] Eli Tokash: And the dance captain knows every single role in the show, so they are a swing for literally everyone.

[12:13] Eli Tokash: It's kind of crazy when you think about it, and when I say everyone, they have to be a swing for everybody because they are the ones that when a show reopens, a creative team can't really be there to rehearse every new person that comes into the show.

[12:13] Eli Tokash: You know, you have other productions going on in the same show, you got other projects you're working on, there's just too much stuff and the schedules don't always align.

[12:13] Fred Odgaard: Um, so that's the main thing that a dance captain does. They'll teach you the show once the show has reopened for anyone that is entering the cast mid-run. Um, so during Pippin, I was taught my role by my dance captain at the time, Sabrina Harper, shout out. Um, and we literally rehearsed in the lobby of the Music Box. Like, we didn't have a rehearsal space or anything; that was where I learned the show. And so when I go to Dear Evan Hansen, it's still a very emotional time for me to just step foot in that theater again. That's where I made my Broadway debut, um, and that is where I learned my first Broadway show at the same time. So it was, it's a very fun time, and it's literally just you and the dance captain and no one else, and you don't get anybody, you don't get any more cast members, you don't get anybody.

[14:04] Eli Tokash: So then a choreographer is like the person who literally makes up the choreography. So all of the dancing and all of the movement that we're doing on stage is mostly done by the choreographer. If it's during a scene, that's mostly done by a director. So the big like dance moments are all choreographer. Um, but a dance captain and the assistant dance captain is very um works very close with them, and they are they all they act like assistants to the choreographers, even though they're called dance captains. So um, and the assistant dance captain is basically the dance captain, but they are on stage every night, so they have like a regular role in the um in the show, and they're not like technically a swing, but they can hop in and Fred talks about it, so I won't talk too much about it.

Um, but yeah, that's the difference of between all of them. They're all very closely related as far as knowing many tracks and designing many things and figuring things out, um, as far as choreography and movement and everything like that. It's it's intense, and uh those people are like the the unsung heroes of Broadway as far as the performance is concerned. Um, and uh yeah, so Fred does a lot of that, and he's been in three Broadway shows, and he's gonna tell us all about it. So, without further ado, let's just turn it over to him, Fred Odgaard curtain up.

[15:49] Eli Tokash: So, this episode, we have a guest who I I mean, I don't even know how to describe it. Like, it's like a triple threat, but like times three, if that's even possible. I mean, he's literally conquered the industry as an actor, as a singer, as a dancer. He's been on TV, he's been on live musicals on TVs, he's been in a national commercial, he's been a choreographer. He's just doing it all, and I can't wait to just get into all of it with you. So everyone, welcome to Take a Bow, Fred Odgaard. Frederick, thank you so much for coming on.

[16:22] Fred Odgaard: I'm so excited.

[16:23] Eli Tokash: Oh my god.

[16:23] Fred Odgaard: Oh my god.

[16:25] Eli Tokash: This is long overdue.

[16:26] Fred Odgaard: Oh my god, long overdue.

[16:28] Eli Tokash: Like years overdue.

[16:29] Fred Odgaard: Like a handful of years overdue.

[16:33] Eli Tokash: One too many. We'll just say that. And uh I'm so excited to like be able to catch up with you and ask you all the things, and uh just to like, I don't know, like kind of get to know you more. Like, because I'll be asking you questions that I wouldn't have. Well, we're now I mean, I would say you're now an adult.

[16:49] Fred Odgaard: I've I've been I've been an adult, but yes, you are no, no, no, no, no. You're like 18 too, don't worry.

[16:56] Eli Tokash: You're like 18 with me.

[16:57] Fred Odgaard: Yeah.

[16:59] Eli Tokash: I have great genetic great genes, I feel like, and a really nice doctor.

[17:03] Fred Odgaard: So amazing, amazing. Hey, that's kind of what like Broadway's doing nowadays, is they're just like having adults like play 16-year-olds. So you can know, maybe that's in your but I've like I've deeply started like entering the dad realm. So like I am Yes, uh like I've like gone in for like a couple of different commercials where they're like a young gay dad, and I was like, oh wow, okay, this is where this is where we are. I was like, this is kind of fun.

[17:30] Eli Tokash: Amazing. Are you do you kind of like do you like that? Or are you kind of like I I always feel like I in this like last like sort of transition in my life, like to acting, like I I felt like I've done like these big major transitions like a few different times in my career. Um, but I always kind of felt that like there was something for me in my like later years that was going to like use everything I had like got all the information I had from when I was like younger and in the beginning of my career to now that would like kind of push me into this new like genre and it I am like deeply embracing like what this like idea kind of means for me, you know.

[18:20] Fred Odgaard: Amazing. I love that. I have to admit, like I'm still not over. I mean, it's new, but like I'm still not over the fact that people call me adults. I'm just like stop, just stop, don't do it. I don't want to do it. I don't want to transition into the next one happens. You go from being the youngest in the room to being the oldest in the room in a flash, you know what I'm saying?

[18:37] Eli Tokash: Yeah, I don't know how to feel about it. I had to ask your opinion on it. Um okay, well, let's start at the beginning and let's start. You're your star, okay? So why what was that like little twinkle that started this shining star that you are are now um and what kind of made you fall in love with theater?

[18:57] Fred Odgaard: Um I think I've always really loved theater. I always saw it as like a medium that was kind of like everlasting, like and something that um transcended sort of age bias. Uh-huh. Like theater you could do at a young age, you can do at an older age, you can do like at the age I am now. I'm like 37 now. Like, you can it just literally there is always kind of something for you in these like different sort of like nebulae of like age brackets that like have always kind of drawn me towards theater where like in other aspects of my like career, like my dance, like my dance career, and like I think that younger side, that younger career of mine, like there was always a it felt like I was always coming up against like the wall of age, right?

You know, like I can't do this anymore, I can't do this anymore because now I don't look like this. I can't do this anymore because now my body feels like this. Like I it was always sort of that we're like we're like acting, like I always say that like I want to be like I want to play something like Gandalf when I'm like 65. If somebody told if somebody told me I would be a wizard right now at 65 in a motion picture, I would be like, I'm on the right track. Like that's exactly you know what I'm saying, like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, like those are like the pe my idols, and something about them when I more I researched them, I was like, oh, they didn't start really taking off until they were like 40 and 40 plus. Right. So I was like, you know.

[20:53] Eli Tokash: I feel like you're ahead of the game though, like what from them. Like, I feel like you've already like you've been in three Broadway shows, dude. Like, come on.

[20:59] Fred Odgaard: Which is wild from somebody who didn't know how to sing when they moved to New York City in 2012.

[21:08] Eli Tokash: Oh my god, no freaking way. Are you kidding me right now?

[21:11] Fred Odgaard: No, I swear to God, I hadn't sung an actual professional note at all by the time I moved to New York City in 2012.

[21:23] Eli Tokash: Stop it. That's I was never paid, I was never paid to sing.

[21:27] Fred Odgaard: And then what? You were like, you got casted in a Broadway show, what, three, four years later?

[21:33] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, so I did I like moved to New York. I mean, I started doing voice lessons like right away. I kind of quit dancing for a little bit because I was like, you know what? If I can't sing, then you know what, the musical theater thing might not be for me, so I gotta really figure out if I can do this or I can't do this. You know, I feel like singing is definitely there is some gray area, but like either you can do it or you can't, really.

[22:01] Eli Tokash: Yeah, like totally.

[22:02] Fred Odgaard: It's like my totally in my like personal opinion, like either you can hear pitch or you can't hear pitch. Like, that's kind of like how I feel. And it's if you can match it, you can match it. If you got a three-note range, you got a three-note range, but at least you can hear pitch. Yeah. Some people just that doesn't exist for them. So I was like, well, I better figure this out if I can or I can't. Um but I just I put in a lot of work and a lot of money, and I was like, let's go if we're gonna sing. And then I kind of I got cast in my first musical at 28.

[22:36] Fred Odgaard: So I was I did West Side. Yeah, I did West Side. First music to work. As one as a dancer should, you know what I'm saying? I was like, okay, I can do this. Um, literally learning music theory. Uh like I walked into that room and how to read music. I still don't know how to read music.

[22:55] Eli Tokash: Like, yeah, that's what's crazy.

[22:57] Fred Odgaard: I so I was like, what are these notes? I was like, what are these dots? I was like, I don't even know what page I'm on. What are you talking about a measure number? I was like, I don't know these things. Right. So I don't know what a major third is. I like don't know what like I was like, they talked about like my I remember these conversations of like, well, yeah, just like a third above or like a modulation or like this thing. I literally was like, I was like, uh-huh, uh-huh. Uh-huh. Stop. You're coming for me. I was like, this is funny to me. That no one knows that I don't know what they're talking about.

[23:36] Eli Tokash: So right. Just smile and nod. Fake a team. And the the bizarre part was that like I started, so I was on that tour for a year in Germany almost.

[23:47] Fred Odgaard: Oh, yeah. And then um, we did Germany in Paris, but the bizarre part was that like I sort of like fell in love with like singing at that moment, and I started like practicing like I started practicing like Tony, like on my own, and like had all these like great like lessons with like our music director, Donald Chan, and like it was really cool. And so, and then I did we will rock you afterwards because I think I realized after that what I wanted to sound like. Uh-huh. And I wanted to do like pop rock. I wanted to do the things I grew up listening to. I grew up like listening to like Celine and Queen and Journey, Bon Jovi, like Sticks. I grew up um heart. I grew up listening to these, like Pat Benatar.

Like, I grew up listening to these vocalists that were just like balls to the wall, sort of like big voices, screamers, like I got a voice that carries, you know what I'm saying? So like I was like, let's get into more of this. And then I got I did We'll Rock You. I went on a first national with We O Rock You for almost a year as well, like right after that. And then um it wasn't until the fall of 2015, so like almost three years later, that I was kind of like, is Broadway gonna happen for me?

[25:13] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[25:13] Fred Odgaard: I was like, is it gonna h I was like, I'm oh I'm 31. I haven't made my Broadway debut. I was like, what kind of show is out there for me? And then Finding Neverland sort of like landed in my laptop.

[25:29] Eli Tokash: Never heard of it.

[25:32] Fred Odgaard: Um well we just I was trying to remember, I was like, what was the first thing I had done with you? And it was wasn't it Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol?

[25:39] Eli Tokash: Yes, it was. Oh my god, stop. That that show, we actually had Lexi Underwood on, who was like one of the little girls in there too. And that show was like too too much at the time and like too fun.

[25:54] Fred Odgaard: It was like it was the craziest experience because it was literally like only one or two performances for like the actors fun, but like it was like a whole like rehearsal day, like which they redid.

[26:05] Eli Tokash: Yeah, which they redid like last year, I think.

[26:08] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, like I I wasn't able to do it.

[26:10] Eli Tokash: Were you able to do it?

[26:11] Fred Odgaard: No, I hello. I my voice changed.

[26:14] Eli Tokash: You said I don't sing that high anymore.

[26:16] Fred Odgaard: Right. Yeah, no, none of that. We don't do that anymore.

[26:19] Eli Tokash: You said I am eunuch, thank you very much.

[26:23] Fred Odgaard: Right. She doesn't go that high. Um. So wait, so you talked about like just listening to Celine Dion when you were growing up and you're just being like a huge fan of her.

[26:34] Eli Tokash: And you actually, like, one of your first shows that you ever did was like a Celine Dion show, right?

[26:39] Fred Odgaard: Yes. So the the I always consider it like my like big break. Yes. It's like, you know, like everybody has those moments, I think that like legitimizes you in your not only for yourself, but it legitimizes you to everyone else.

[26:57] Eli Tokash: Like everyone has that job. Everybody has that credit that like is this sort of catalyst for you.

[27:08] Fred Odgaard: And that's I joined the company of Celine Dion a New Day in Las Vegas in the beginning of 2006.

[27:17] Eli Tokash: Okay.

[27:18] Fred Odgaard: And I was with the show for two years. And after I mean, and I had no idea. I mean, I loved the show, loved Celine, wanted to be in it. It was such a weird kismetic sort of thing that happened.

[27:36] Eli Tokash: Uh-huh.

[27:37] Fred Odgaard: I was also like had auditioned and then a week later left for Tokyo Disney. Like casually. And in the middle of that contract, I like found out I like got my dream job. So I literally had never quit a contract before. I had like never like stepped out of something.

[27:55] Eli Tokash: I literally was just like, I have to do this thing because this is like my literally my dream. Like so, which was so bizarre. But that for me was like the thing that like legitimized not only myself for me and what I was like working towards and but it also kind of really put a stamp of like it put that like oddly enough that like blue check mark that every people everybody has like on instant of that verified check mark it literally put that little blue stamp like on me and it has everyone knows what that show is everybody know like it's when I talk about it my like my husband even was like when he found out he was like I can't you were in I was and I was so young I was like right I was 20 years old I was 22 years old when I when I started that this was before you moved to New York right?

[28:58] Eli Tokash: Oh yeah I mean I had I feel like I've had lives before I moved to New York, you know what I'm saying? I've been here about 10 years, but like I feel like I've had lives like I moved to LA when I was 17 and worked professionally at 17, and then like I moved all I like went to like Japan and I've lived in like Germany and I lived in like Switzerland and I've lived like then I lived in Vegas for six years and I did two shows there and then I moved to New York. Like I just feel like I've had like 12 lives.

[29:30] Fred Odgaard: That's why I call I always say I joke I'm like 405.

[29:33] Eli Tokash: Right.

[29:33] Fred Odgaard: Because I feel like I'm just like people look at me when I explain to them, start to like talk about like the places I've like lived and what I've and they're like how old are you? I'm like, oh yeah, I'm like 400, that's why.

[29:46] Eli Tokash: No, oh my god, of course not. Oh my god, you're that's too funny. But wait, do you have like when you were in all these places? I mean, I know that you were there for some period of time. I mean, were you able to like enjoy those places that kind work kind of took you, or like was it kind of just strictly work?

[30:05] Fred Odgaard: Well, no, it was like both. I felt like I always told people like I wanted to be a professional dancer. Like when I first started, I always told people the reason I wanted to be a professional dancer was because I wanted to travel the world.

[30:19] Eli Tokash: Right. So you consider yourself more of a dancer, right?

[30:22] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, I would well, not necessarily so much now, but like I mean, for the majority of my like now oh god, like twenty-five year career, right? I feel like saying I'm just a dancer now is like such a huge detriment to all of like the things I've like kind of especially with living in New York the last like ten years, the things that I've like picked up along the way.

[30:55] Eli Tokash: Do you feel like your career is like a 20-year tour?

[30:59] Fred Odgaard: Like, you know, like kind of, but I also like I always say I am yeah, I know you've had her on here before, like apparently Carmelo is like such a friend of like both of ours. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? I'm so obsessed with her that like I tell everyone I want to be Caroline Carmelo when I grow up.

[31:19] Eli Tokash: Of course.

[31:20] Fred Odgaard: Because she literally I and when I remember talking to her at Fighting Neverland, I literally was like, I don't know what else to do. And she was like, Why would you do anything else?

[31:33] Eli Tokash: Right.

[31:34] Fred Odgaard: She was like, If this has a s like an expiration date on it, then fine. But she's like, if it doesn't, that means you're supposed to be doing this. She goes, she was like, at one point, she was like, look at me. Like, she's like, I will not do anything else.

[31:51] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[31:51] Fred Odgaard: And I was like, work.

[31:55] Eli Tokash: Right. As a dancer, I feel like you're always told you can't do it forever.

[32:01] Fred Odgaard: Uh-huh.

[32:02] Eli Tokash: But no one tells you that there can be a career past it.

[32:08] Fred Odgaard: Like, everybody says, like, oh, you're gonna run out of time. Like, oh, you're not gonna be able, you're like, you're gonna get to a point where you're gonna have to quit, you're gonna have to stop. But why do I have to stop? Why can't it just be different?

[32:23] Eli Tokash: Right. That's so interesting that you say that because I know you know him, and we've had him on the show. I go to school with Jeremy Viaz, who was like one of your young Lola.

[32:33] Fred Odgaard: Yeah.

[32:33] Eli Tokash: So he is like, na like, now we've been talking like career plans with each other and everything, you know. Like, we're both going off to college and we were talking, and he was like, you know, I'm literally just gonna focus on dance for the next cute few years because I can't do it much longer. And then after I do, like after I can finish having my career in dance, then I'll focus again on Broadway because that's what I love to do. And so, like, it's so interesting, like hearing you and hearing you say that there's no expiration on Broadway, but like in a way, there's a limitation on dance, like it just it's wild.

[33:09] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, but I think the limitation, the limitation comes from your body and the expectations you have to like it. I could oh I can only I can't dance the way that I used to when I was younger, but also like I don't necessarily want to right but I the way I dance now is so much for personally better than the way that I danced back then it I just think that like it's again it's not about stopping it's about it being different and Sonya and I talk a lot about this like as you get older like it's just different and like embracing that idea of it being different and being okay with that is like is part of the I think part of the process.

[34:15] Eli Tokash: Right absolutely wow it's crazy it it's crazy too like it's not like dancing in Broadway is too far apart you know yeah and just to think that there's so many other like aspects and like things that go into each careers and everything you just like would never imagine like how different it is really like in reality.

[34:41] Fred Odgaard: And I think that like I the reason why maybe wasn't on Broadway before was because um I either wasn't ready I wasn't ready the industry wasn't ready and the industry had to shift like its idea of dance and what dance could be on Broadway for me to be able to be in a Broadway show. Like I didn't grow I grew I like did c like company work, concert dance. Like I grew up like going to ballet schools. I grew up doing these things, and so did a lot of other people in the musical theater world, but I the musical theater style of dance pre my I think pre-my existence in New York was something that like just wasn't me.

[35:40] Eli Tokash: Right.

[35:41] Fred Odgaard: You know?

[35:42] Eli Tokash: Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's funny how life takes us on, like, you know, there's a t it's all timing, especially in this industry. It's crazy. Just what how life has its own plan for us and it had plans for you to be in Broadway on Broadway eventually.

[35:59] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, and now you here you are in your third Broadway show in Moulin Rouge.

[36:03] Eli Tokash: I know.

[36:04] Fred Odgaard: So, like coming out of events, coming out of a pandemic and going right back to it.

[36:08] Eli Tokash: Right. Oh my god, wait. Let's talk about this because what is happening? Like, how first of all, what was the week like of like leaning up to the shutdown? Like, did you kind of foresee this?

[36:20] Fred Odgaard: My week was actually very interesting. Because tell me everything. Well, because I got I got married the Sunday before.

[36:30] Eli Tokash: Stop it.

[36:31] Fred Odgaard: Yeah. I got mar Brad and I got married in like a civil ceremony in Central Park by a friend of ours that was in the show. Her name was Jackie Arnold. So we ended up getting married that Sunday.

[36:46] Eli Tokash: I went to work on Thursday because we had a double show day on Thursday. Um we went to work on Thursday, and we kind of were told that we were gonna have a company meeting that early that morning before our first show.

[37:06] Fred Odgaard: So we all went to the theater, like expecting like a company meeting, and we were like, okay, there's gonna be like an update because you know, like the rumblings when we started shows on Tuesday, we were like, okay, it was just like getting worse day by day.

[37:19] Eli Tokash: Right.

[37:20] Fred Odgaard: So we ended up getting the Thursday, had a full company meeting, and then in that meeting, they were like a few people have tested positive for coronavirus in our company.

[37:36] Eli Tokash: Right.

[37:37] Fred Odgaard: Oh my god. Yeah. I forgot about that.

[37:39] Eli Tokash: Yeah, so a few people tested positive for coronavirus, and then they were like, so we're gonna cancel our matinee, and then actually we need to see these four people in the office and like stage management, and my name was one of them, and I was like, Uh-huh, no, no. I was like, what's happened?

[38:02] Fred Odgaard: I didn't realize during this meeting that my partner, my dance partner in the show, wasn't there because she was at the emergency room getting tested for coronavirus.

[38:13] Eli Tokash: So we the few of us were like, you come in very close contact with these four these two people. They're currently at the hospital, they're getting tested. Um, we think it's gonna come back as a positive case, and you're gonna find out within like a couple of days, so you can also go get tested. And so it was wild. So then we canceled our first show. We waited until it was like maybe like 5:30 before we were all gonna go back to work.

[38:46] Fred Odgaard: And they were like, we're gonna cancel our second show. All the other Broadway shows were canceling that whole week. And like it was just bizarre. Madness. Yeah. Oh my god. I can't freaking imagine. This is insane. I completely forgot that like there were a few castmates or cast members of Moulin Rouge that were literally had it that week. Like were diagnosed or whatever. It was Tam and Paloma, and they it was just it like turned into this like crazy event. And then we like kind of all of our cast members, like including myself, like went into like Dr. Thornton's office. Like we all got tested. We all like we all were like all of a sudden it was like 17 people had coronavirus in our company.

[39:35] Eli Tokash: What?

[39:36] Fred Odgaard: I know 17 people. 17 people. Also, what's funny is like we look back on it and we think that like we we think as a cast, we hosted a super spreader event. That like we hosted a super spreader event the Monday. Uh huh. That Monday, we before the shutdown, we hosted for the cast of Moulin Rouge and the cast of Chicago and the cast of I think Frozen. Uh-huh. Um, a party that night under like Iron Bar.

[40:10] Eli Tokash: No.

[40:11] Fred Odgaard: Oh my god. And tons of people were like tons of people were there, like everyone was there, everybody was dancing. It was like, you know, like underground, like kind of sweaty, like it was a whole thing, and then literally, like the in the Broadway community, it just like exploded. So oh, so it was all your fault.

[40:26] Eli Tokash: Oh, it was all easily.

[40:29] Fred Odgaard: Oh my god. That's that's insane. I can't imagine. And so now here we are. What is it? A year and a half later, basically.

[40:38] Eli Tokash: Oh my god, yes, a year and a half later. And now Broadway is deciding to reopen on us, thankfully. Um, but like what has been this process? Like, has there even like been a process of the reopening stages? Like, do you know like anything as far as when rehearsal starts and all of that?

[40:56] Fred Odgaard: We have been given um, well, now like everybody it's like public knowledge, like our opening is gonna be on September 24th, our first public performance is like September 14th. Yes, you know, so we do know that. Um, but when it comes like rehearsals and stuff, it's like we're given very vague ideas because it's like the middle of August. Right. Or the beginning of August, or like because we're gonna have a new Satine. So, like, how long is that gonna like how long is that gonna take? Like, right. So, you know what I'm saying? Like, there's just we've never had a new Satine. So we don't know. I was wondering how that was whole all gonna work. Like, as far as just, you know, it is there gonna be like rehearsal, or is it gonna be like a couple days before it and then like especially for the shows that have been running for a few like years?

[41:49] Fred Odgaard: They want us to do three weeks of full company rehearsal, but they also are like how like how long is it gonna take for like us to get a new Satine into the show? Like, is she like what is it gonna take to tech her because she's never done it? Like we have been in this process for the last like almost four years with the same group of people.

[42:21] Eli Tokash: Right.

[42:21] Fred Odgaard: So like there really hasn't been much of like a turnaround in that a major sense, like it will be this time. So it is it's gonna be fascinating to see like what that process is like and what that person needs. Wow. That's because they will never seem they will never even even seen the set or stepped on it, and we're only supposed to have like a I don't know, two weeks of maybe a week of tech.

[42:53] Eli Tokash: Right.

[42:54] Fred Odgaard: Jesus. You know, so like it it's gonna be really fascinating. Yeah. For at least for us. Moulin has never been simple at the like at the heart of it, it's always been very complicated. So it's like, you know, it's just gonna be complicated again. Is this is that like I mean, I don't know if like everything's set in stone yet, but do you know if like that's the only person who's not returning your Satine?

[43:19] Fred Odgaard: Um I do know a few uh a few others, obviously, like they're like I can't say who they are, but like I know our official like uh that official like release hasn't come out yet um to say who's like returning and whatnot, but all the most all the principles except for Karen. Uh-huh. And then we'll get new Satine, and then there's like a very small sprinkling of people that won't won't return. But like the the for like various reasons.

[43:46] Eli Tokash: Right.

[43:46] Fred Odgaard: But the rehearsal process won't be like as crazy for them, right?

[43:51] Eli Tokash: No, I don't think so. They will also have any new member to the company, like ensemble-wise, will also have a rehearsal process with like myself and Carly, the other dance captain. Right. To kind of catch them up because when we hit full company rehearsal, it's about for us building stamina and building like a new rhythm with our new principal. Like that's like really and like getting these people to feel and understand like what it means to do the show. Because they are gonna have such a limited, they're gonna have such a limited amount of time to be like, hi, I'm like the one new company member in the ensemble, like, okay, like I've never done this before. I don't even know what the set looks like, like I don't even I don't know. So we're gonna be bridging all those gaps as they happen.

[44:47] Eli Tokash: Do you think it helps that it's still like kind of like a new show? Like that, you know, this opportunity will kind of like new show on Broadway, obviously you've been in the process for four years, but yeah, uh yeah.

[44:59] Fred Odgaard: Yeah. I think it will help the I really do think it will like help reinvigorate the show along with like all of the things that like have been going on, like with equity and like the Black Lives Matter movement and like all of the equality, all of the sort of like representation and the new like how Broadway kinda needs to be with like uh an HR department and like just a lot more checks and balances like within itself. I think it will be this really great amazing resurgence of like what it means to be on Broadway and I think what it will mean for us to do the show. I always I felt like for uh at least Moulin Rouge I felt like we were kind of cut short from like the glory of like what could be because we were just about to like sort of enter Tony like Tony season like which the Tonies are gonna happen but how are they happening? Like it it's just so we kind of felt a little cheated so it will be really nice to have to get to like ramp that back up again, you know?

[46:13] Eli Tokash: Right. Yeah it's a whole nother example and I'm happy to have a job.

[46:16] Fred Odgaard: Yeah exactly wait so was there ever like I don't know like I feel like it could be such a scary time like was there ever doubt that it wouldn't return like um I don't think that there was a doubt that it wouldn't return because I think Broadway in general is like such a I've always kind of said that it's like uniquely an American art form and it's something that exists in other places but it's like home is here and the idea behind like Broadway shows and the idea behind making performative art and the idea behind telling stories I think was n it was never gonna not happen again. I just didn't know how or when really.

[47:05] Eli Tokash: Yeah yeah it's crazy and and just see and and you've pivoted uh um now on during the pandemic and you were didn't you go be with the production in Australia?

[47:23] Fred Odgaard: Yeah so I like I was asked by Sonia to go out to Australia to help facilitate the audition process there because it no one had ever done it except for there's like maybe five people that have done this audition process and how difficult it is for how I mean every Broadway show is difficult. Every Broadway show has its own lists and checks and like things that like people need to be able to do you know like there it's always so very specific when it comes to like the show. But in a new show that would have had this life of like sort of giving birth to these different like entities like it was gonna be like the UK and then Germany and then like um Japan and then Korea like it was gonna have all of these like lights before Australia so there would be people and a sort of an infrastructure set up um to do this.

[48:33] Eli Tokash: Uh-huh.

[48:33] Fred Odgaard: I would never be like a part of anything like this on a global scale if it wasn't for the fact that like we were in a pandemic and no one else knew the material. Right. Nobody else knew like how to audition the show. Nobody else really knew what to look for what kind of dancer were we looking for what kind of singer were we looking for what kind like and so it came down to the fact that like there was just nobody else that like Sonia really trusted to go out to do this in Australia, other than myself and Carly and Katie the associate for Broadway. Wow. And then Kean and Ashley, the associate director and the associate music director.

[49:19] Eli Tokash: And Sonya is she the choreographer?

[49:22] Fred Odgaard: She's the choreographer, yeah.

[49:24] Eli Tokash: Yeah. And now, and you said that you are the assistant dance captain of Broadway. So tell tell us what that whole thing is, because I don't think we've had a dance captain on the podcast yet.

[49:35] Fred Odgaard: Oh my god. Um, well, being the assistant is like, I will say lovely, like in a way that like I've been a full-on dance captain before. So I'm the assistant dance captain. I'm also in the ensemble eight shows a week. Which is like a little different normally than a regular sort of assistant dance captain or dance captain. Carly, the dance captain is the one oh that is oversees me as well, and then she is also our fem one of our female swings. Right. So she has a more traditional sort of setup than I do in the show. So basically, it's about keeping the integrity of the choreography eight shows a week. Yes. And like getting and running rehearsals and getting people getting swings taught new tracks, um, going over choreography with people that are either that are in the show, that like you know, things things change and things shift, and so it's about keeping the original vision of the choreography sort of intact.

Um it is maneuvering this giant machine of like printable covers understudies swings ensemble members be also because like our show is so we lift people into the air in these like miraculous sort of like ways that like I a lot of what I do is I do a lot of like lift supervision and I do a lot of like I call myself like the lift captain which is funny because I gave myself that because it was just seemed to be what I was always doing. Put it on the guy I was explaining like lifts and partnering. You know what I'm saying? So we it just became that and that was also another reason why I was sent to Australia because there was nobody else that knew what I knew inside the choreography and the partnering in the show.

[51:48] Fred Odgaard: Yeah. It's just it is and I'm so lucky to have someone like Carly that takes on like a huge chunk of the work because she doesn't do the eight shows a week it is a little bit more the scale is tilted a little heavier at her direction.

[52:10] Fred Odgaard: Exactly. Because we aren't co-dance captains because it just can't exist. Like whenever you need someone I'm on stage most of the time.

[52:20] Fred Odgaard: Right. I can cover a lot of the things that are like on stage but for the most part she's doing all the managerial stuff off stage that I can't see. Like also when I'm on stage, she's in stage management doing like the schedule for the following day.

[52:36] Fred Odgaard: She's uh like talking to him about like what do we need who needs to learn what tracks? Like it's just it's not just a dance supervising position, it's also a huge managerial position that I think a lot of people don't understand.

[52:53] Fred Odgaard: No, yeah, definitely. They're one of the most underrated people in the entire production, the dance captains. Um and I wanna I'm curious, like, I know that you're like not technically like a swing because you're in the ensemble and you're performing at eight shows a week, but like, are there ever times that like you would be able to you're allowed to, I guess, step into the other where it needs to be?

[53:14] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, because I mean if funny enough, that's been something that's like happened. Yeah. And also I have a very I have a very busy track, uh-huh, but I am on stage m for most of it.

[53:27] Fred Odgaard: Okay. So it allows because I'm also the assistant dance captain, I know I'm basically a swing without being a swing.

[53:35] Fred Odgaard: Yeah. Right. Be teaching people their tracks, understanding the show from the inside out, helping build I've helped build the show, so like I know the inside of the show.

[53:46] Fred Odgaard: So it is the easiest if we are like down sort of like manpower. It's the easiest for them to go, hey Fred, can you do this thing?

[53:58] Fred Odgaard: Okay. Can you do this? And I can sort of like add on to my plate or adjust without having to disrupt a lot of what's going on around me if other things need to happen.

[54:13] Fred Odgaard: But I just won't I don't want to swing ever like ever again. I did like I swung basically my whole career up to my second Broadway show, and it was just like I think after a while, I'm just like my the energy that takes and the amount of stress that it gives.

[54:34] Fred Odgaard: I just didn't I'm no longer I no longer want to do that. The whole time all I doesn't mean I won't do it.

[54:43] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, absolutely. The whole time that you've been like saying this story, I just can't help but think of literally Finding Neverland basically only had three swings because there was one swing that was basically the swing of the principles in Kevin Kern.

[54:57] Fred Odgaard: And then like so like there was only like really two swings with you and Jamie, and then Julius would like come in too, and like Julius is very similar in Finding Neverland that I am in Mulan Rouge.

[55:10] Fred Odgaard: Okay, that's kind of what I was processing. Like it's kind of very much that whole um tag team, I guess, that you guys have with your friend Carly.

[55:19] Fred Odgaard: Um totally, and seeing that and having that experience is so helpful for me inside Mulan Rouge because I've experienced it already.

[55:31] Fred Odgaard: So the ideas of how to set kind of circumnavigate and what I'm capable of doing inside the show, have a lot of that has come from my experience on Finding Neverland.

[55:42] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, I mean, you were literally playing like three people some night, like it was just madness. But I mean, you also covered multiple people, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[55:50] Fred Odgaard: Didn't you? I did I did, but I only had to do one per show.

[55:54] Fred Odgaard: I didn't have to do it. But totally, but like having multiple having multiple principal roles inside like inside that brain.

[56:02] Fred Odgaard: I mean, as a kid, it's probably a little bit different, but like I but like for like having multiple principal roles inside my brain during Finding Neverland, I felt like a crazy person.

[56:14] Fred Odgaard: Oh my god. No, no, no. When you're I mean, like, listen, like also when they told me the first time I was going on that my made my Broadway debut as Josh Layman.

[56:24] Fred Odgaard: Stop it. It was the greatest thing ever. That's literally how I made my Broadway debut was by by playing Josh Lane.

[56:32] Fred Odgaard: Isn't that like the one way that you want to make your Broadway debut? I mean, I guess, I mean, at that point, I just remember Kat Purvis calling me at like 10 a.m. in the morning, and I was like, why is Kat calling me at 10 a.m. for a 7 p.m. show?

[56:44] Fred Odgaard: And I was like, I hadn't been on at this point, so I knew this was the phone call. I knew this was the call.

[56:58] Fred Odgaard: And when she goes, So, how do you feel about going on for Josh Laman? And I was like, What?

[57:09] Fred Odgaard: Stop that. And she was like, Yeah, because Kevin Kern's kind of already on for J and Barry tonight. So, um, it's just you.

[57:17] Fred Odgaard: And I was like, Kat, I haven't even looked at it. She goes, Well, you might want to look at it because it's gonna happen tonight.

[57:25] Fred Odgaard: I'll see you at 2 p.m. for rehearsal. And I was like, Oh, okay. You understand?

[57:30] Fred Odgaard: I hadn't sung on a Broadway stage in the clear ever. I didn't even get a music rehearsal with Mary Mitchell Campbell before I went on to the show.

[57:47] Fred Odgaard: She came up to me at intermission and goes, Are you okay with your parts in play? And I was like, Oh, right.

[57:58] Fred Odgaard: Um, you know, and she looked at me and she goes, I have a lot of faith in you. She's like, go out there and she's like, sing whatever.

[58:07] Fred Odgaard: And this is what I love about Mary Mitch. She literally was like, go out there, nothing you're gonna do is gonna be wrong tonight. Nothing.

[58:15] Fred Odgaard: She's like, nothing you're gonna do is gonna be wrong. We'll talk about it if it's weird tomorrow. She's like, but nothing about tonight.

[58:20] Fred Odgaard: She's like, I'm not gonna get in that head. She's like, we're gonna go on. She's just like, go out, sing whatever you sing.

[58:28] Fred Odgaard: And she's like, whatever you do is gonna be whatever you do is gonna be the right thing. And I was like, work.

[58:36] Fred Odgaard: So it came, it came. Yeah, we came to play. Okay, came to play, and I was sitting there and I was like, Here it comes.

[58:44] Fred Odgaard: Here it comes. I was like, here it comes. Here comes my Broadway debut as a singer.

[58:50] Fred Odgaard: I was like, this is funny to me. Yes. I mean, like, it's it it works too.

[58:59] Fred Odgaard: Like, I don't know, I don't know. It's probably definitely terrifying and everything like that, but honestly, in a way, it was good that it was that number because literally we're just playing, so it doesn't even matter.

[59:10] Fred Odgaard: Correct. That's why I think Mary Mitchell was like, when she asked me, and I was like a literally white in the face, and she was like, Listen, whatever you're gonna do is gonna be right.

[59:20] Fred Odgaard: Right. So she's like, just say the right words, and she's like, whatever, whatever notes, whatever melody, whatever anything comes out, she's like, it'll be right.

[59:28] Fred Odgaard: Don't even worry. That's the best. So were you were you like terrified, or were you able to enjoy it?

[59:34] Fred Odgaard: Like your whole performance, your Broadway debut. Oh, Kevin Kern and I had admittedly started calling when we would go on for new tracks, our blackout performance.

[59:44] Fred Odgaard: Yes. Um literally me and him, because I asked him the same thing when he went on for Jam Barry. He was like, literally, it's my blackout performance.

[59:52] Fred Odgaard: I have no idea. Wow. Wow. So you don't even know.

[59:56] Fred Odgaard: I don't think I was able to enjoy myself as a swing until I was like so I had done things so many times. Cause like at that point, I was just kind of like.

[1:00:16] Fred Odgaard: I just remember being like, you can't be scared. It's coming. Whether you like it or not, you're gonna have to do this thing.

[1:00:24] Fred Odgaard: So pull up your big boy pants and get out there and do the thing. Because there is no other option.

[1:00:32] Fred Odgaard: There, what was the option? Me go run off the stage screaming. No, you're on Broadway, you're doing what you're here to be doing, get on stage and sing the goddamn charm.

[1:00:42] Fred Odgaard: Right, right. And you killed it every single time.

[1:00:45] Fred Odgaard: So you were you're a star. I mean, literally, anybody that can be a swing can like do anything in the entire world, like honestly.

[1:00:53] Fred Odgaard: It's crazy. My husband was a swing for American Imperiance, and I literally was like, I don't, I like I was like, I don't know.

[1:01:00] Fred Odgaard: I was doing kinky boots that time, honey, and I was like sailing. Oh my gosh.

[1:01:05] Fred Odgaard: Wait, was kinky boots was the best experience the best Broadway show I had ever been in?

[1:01:10] Fred Odgaard: Tell me about it because I want to know how hard it is to dance in heels.

[1:01:15] Fred Odgaard: More difficult than you would expect. I kind of was like, Oh, oh I was like, I got this.

[1:01:19] Fred Odgaard: I remember getting the show, and I was like, I got this, I know what this is about. I can like tip around in a high heel.

[1:01:26] Fred Odgaard: Doing actual real dancing in a high heel, I literally was like, oh, yeah, I don't know how to do this.

[1:01:34] Fred Odgaard: I was like, I don't know how to do a Chanae. I don't know how to do like basic dance steps because I've never worn a heel and have had to do them ever.

[1:01:47] Fred Odgaard: So it was quite the fun learning process. Also, I had never worn a wig.

[1:01:53] Fred Odgaard: Well, I had never worn a lady wig, like in a real show. In a real show? No.

[1:01:59] Fred Odgaard: Tipping around maybe in a nightclub, sure. In a real show, where I was like, I've never had hair.

[1:02:07] Fred Odgaard: So I was like, oh, I don't even know what this is like. Like, wow.

[1:02:12] Fred Odgaard: I remember my put in and being like, I'm blind. No.

[1:02:16] Fred Odgaard: Like learning how to actually wear a wig and hair and dance with that. And like the thing that you start doing things.

[1:02:25] Fred Odgaard: Like you start like it's all of these things, you start adding them. You start adding these like hair flips.

[1:02:30] Fred Odgaard: You start doing these things because you're like, I can't see. I have to do a back hand spring in this.

[1:02:39] Fred Odgaard: Oh my god. I could not imagine. Were you not able to like rehearse in them?

[1:02:46] Fred Odgaard: Like was your first time the put in? Yeah, my first I was able to rehearse in my heels, but I think I mean my put in was the first time I like wigs, makeup, eyelashes.

[1:02:58] Fred Odgaard: Wow. The whole get like it was the first time I had ever been in the whole thing. And I was like, this is so bizarre.

[1:03:11] Fred Odgaard: Yeah. But I you loved it. Oh, loved.

[1:03:13] Fred Odgaard: But again, you're just like, you don't have a choice. What choice do you have?

[1:03:18] Fred Odgaard: They picked you for a re that's like always like what I say to me. It's I how I pump myself up, like usually doing something new.

[1:03:24] Fred Odgaard: I'm like, they picked you for a reason. Don't let them down. Don't show, don't show them that you're scared or weak.

[1:03:30] Fred Odgaard: Get up there and fucking do it. Just do it. Like, you know, you can just do it.

[1:03:36] Fred Odgaard: What's the holdup? Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, what's the holdup? Just do it.

[1:03:42] Fred Odgaard: Yeah. That's like what's crazy.

[1:03:47] Fred Odgaard: Hard. I think that most people just don't understand like what it means to do a repeat performance eight times a week.

[1:03:59] Fred Odgaard: No. For eternity. Yeah. But like, especially even like as I've never had to do a Broadway show as an actor, but I've had to do it as a singer.

[1:04:09] Fred Odgaard: I mean, I've had to do it as an actor. I just I haven't had to like go there emotionally in a way that like requires like a deep seated connection with somebody else on stage eight times a week and have to I rem remember Karen and Danny just saying that it you're exhausted because you're like at the end of your week because you're like I'm reliving this over and over and over, and I have to go to these like traumatic places over and over and over and over again, like and it just becomes exhausting.

[1:04:50] Fred Odgaard: Like, I mean, it's exhausting to be happy and excited eight times a week. It's probably very much the same to have to like be um like go on an emotional roller coaster eight times a week as well.

[1:05:03] Eli Tokash: Right.

[1:05:04] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, there's no doubt. I mean playing Peter, like that was the most I was a kid and I was supposed to have all this energy, and by Sunday, I was like, I am tired. I was like happy when I was able to play Jack on Sundays because I was able to leave the week with like a happy note, you know.

[1:05:23] Eli Tokash: Yeah, it's like yeah, you just go through that's more and more like how I've like started to see like the world as like an actor. You're just also that's kind of one of the reasons why I think I like the idea of film and television as an actor so much more because I feel like once it's like on camera, I can like leave it alone. I don't have to like continually like bring up these like traumas in order to like absolutely do this thing, you know?

[1:05:44] Fred Odgaard: Yeah.

[1:05:55] Eli Tokash: It's true, it's very once that's been like crazy.

[1:05:58] Fred Odgaard: Yeah.

[1:05:59] Eli Tokash: It's a lot. Yeah, people I don't think understand the mental fatigue of also being in a like Broadway show eight times a week. And it's like how people deal with that sort of mental fatigue as well.

[1:06:17] Fred Odgaard: What a world that we have got ourselves into. We gotta we love ourselves. You know what? I wouldn't want to and I wouldn't want it any other way, truly.

[1:06:26] Eli Tokash: No, seriously. I've I've said it before on here, like I'm currently doing like this whole like public policy thing, like because it's your senior year and you have to do like this final thing, and you like have to like submit it to Congress people and all of these things, and you want to make a difference. Um, like my policy is mental health in the and in the performing arts industry.

[1:06:47] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, so I think that it's like it's crazy because it does like. I talked to like my therapist a lot about it, like it talking about like mental health. Like, I talked to my therapist a lot about it. Like, you are in order to be an actor, it like in order to kind of go to these like make-believe emotional circumstances, you have to believe them so intensely that your mind and body are feeling like they are going through this make-believe traumatic experience.

[1:07:29] Eli Tokash: Right.

[1:07:30] Fred Odgaard: And in a way, and also like if you're needing to support, like, you're going back to like emotional and mental and physical traumas that happened to you, so you're constantly reliving these things. It's good in a way that like you're getting to like deal with these things that maybe you haven't had closure with, but it's also like very difficult to like continue. You're like, I just want to not have to like worry about that or talk about that.

[1:08:02] Eli Tokash: Right.

[1:08:03] Fred Odgaard: You're having to bring and you're having to bring it up constantly in order for you to like emotionally go places. I think that people don't understand that sort of a scenario when they it comes to like what we do, and people just think that we're just like in a land of make-believe, you know.

[1:08:18] Eli Tokash: Yeah, they definitely I mean people don't because like the the human norm, I guess, like when something traumatic like that happens or anything, like we want to push those things aside. So like the fact that we're like forcing those like as a performer, like it just it's not it like after a while it just takes a toll on you.

[1:08:41] Fred Odgaard: And it's yeah, I mean I remember taking like acting classes and like after three hours I'm like emotionally exhausted.

[1:08:47] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[1:08:48] Fred Odgaard: Like I literally just want to like lay on the couch and not talk to anybody.

[1:08:51] Eli Tokash: Right.

[1:08:51] Fred Odgaard: Like you know literally. I mean my mind has not been this clear of like things in general this like since the whole pandemic. Like ever before, you know like it's it's crazy what like not happening. Like inside the pandemic because there's so many people that are struggling with mental health because the voices now are a little too loud because they there's nothing else there was like nothing else around to distract anybody from anything.

[1:09:25] Eli Tokash: Right.

[1:09:25] Fred Odgaard: Right. And I mean thank God like I don't have those added stresses stressors in my life like I'm still living with my parents you know like I don't have to worry about paying for apartments and taxes and all of these things, you know like it's just like it's you know everyone goes through their own like struggles and their own like stressors in their life and that it all like it's all relatable it still.

[1:09:52] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[1:09:52] Fred Odgaard: You know? And it's still affects I think that people for I think that people forget that it is relatable.

[1:09:57] Eli Tokash: Right.

[1:09:58] Fred Odgaard: But a lot of people don't talk about the common denominator of like mental health the way that they really like should and that more people experience mental health issues.

[1:10:14] Eli Tokash: Right.

[1:10:15] Fred Odgaard: It's common.

[1:10:16] Eli Tokash: It's common. I talk about a lot of the time like how I how I have a therapist and like how I talked like I talk to her constantly, and like it's just nice to have somebody that's not that is disconnected enough from your life that you feel as though you can like open up and talk to in a way that you wouldn't talk to like even your best friend, you know?

[1:10:39] Fred Odgaard: Like well, I love that the fact that you were even able to reach out for help, and then you're also able to like talk about it and spread the word and shine a light on that. Like I did a pool for this research that I'm doing, and 87% of the people said that they wished that they were able that they were comfortable in reaching out for help. And the other 13 said, yes, I reach out for help. You know, like it's crazy why I mean, and also I mean, I guess like also the other part is the money issue. Like, I'm glad that I have the insurance in order to pay for it because it's also like building a relationship and a trust with like I trust my therapist. Like I know that she's gonna say that she's like been with me for the last like four years. Like I know that she's gonna tell me she's gonna be very honest, she knows how to deal with me and my problems and my traumas and the things that like but I wouldn't be able to go to her if I didn't have insurance.

[1:11:39] Eli Tokash: Right.

[1:11:40] Fred Odgaard: So it's like it's really it's very difficult, and like finding I didn't have like a a therapist for a long time because I couldn't afford one, and the ones that you could afford when you didn't have money are not the kind of people I want to be sitting in an office with.

[1:11:53] Eli Tokash: Exactly.

[1:11:54] Fred Odgaard: It's just it's PSA moral of the story is that it's okay not to be okay and it's okay. Actors, everybody goes through stuff like, you know, it's okay to not be okay and it's and it is normalized this, please.

[1:12:13] Eli Tokash: Correct.

[1:12:13] Fred Odgaard: And it is nice to have someone that like doesn't belong in your circle.

[1:12:21] Eli Tokash: Right.

[1:12:22] Fred Odgaard: That you can actually sit down and have these conversations with that is not gonna judge you, that you don't feel judged for having these feelings, you don't like you know what I'm saying?

[1:12:32] Eli Tokash: That's right.

[1:12:34] Fred Odgaard: Yeah. And it's interesting too, because in doing a lot of research on like resources and everything out there, like I wish that there was a resource that was specific for actors who are dealing with mental illness. I think that a lot of people, and like what I was talking to before. I think because we dig up so much trauma to get us to these places, um, that I don't people are like, well, aren't you like healing from doing that?

[1:13:05] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[1:13:06] Fred Odgaard: And like my therapist says that sometimes it's not helpful.

[1:13:10] Eli Tokash: Right.

[1:13:11] Fred Odgaard: She's like, I understand the reason why you do it. She's like, and you could probably pick another scenario. She's like, but you're she's like, I but why would you pick another scenario when this one is so traumatic when this is the like how you are able to get to this place exactly?

[1:13:30] Eli Tokash: It's like it's fa it's fascinating.

[1:13:31] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, and that's why I feel like we like there needs to be like a specific person or like resource for performers who understand the traumatic s uh mental states, I guess, that we put ourselves into in order to tell a story and make other people happy, you know?

[1:13:52] Eli Tokash: Yeah.

[1:13:53] Fred Odgaard: Like I've been on set I've been on set acting across from like another person or like in class acting across like from like I another person that like after it's like after the director or whatever says cut that they literally just like lose it because they have put themselves in this place that like they just they need the five or ten minutes afterwards to like go to the end of whatever they're feeling and then like collect themselves and sort of move on. But it's like it's wild.

[1:14:25] Eli Tokash: Yeah. Wait, I wanna ask you a question. Why what made you start this podcast?

[1:14:32] Fred Odgaard: Well, it's interesting because uh it actually I wanted to start it before the pandemic. Um and I was starting it before the pandemic and then Broadway shut down while we were making it and uh now it's shifted to just like continue to like bring Broadway to people, you know, and like in enhance stories and all of that. But it started out and what inspired me was actually uh well I've been a big fan of bro uh like a podcast and then like I was like I wanna start one, but like I would either talk about sports or Broadway, which are like my two favorite things, and then I was like, but like like I don't have any like connections in the sports world and like people that I've worked with, like people that I want to talk to are all in the Broadway community, and so I was like, but I don't know, like, would a Broadway podcast like be fun? And then Josh Layman came out with his.

[1:15:24] Eli Tokash: Oh my god, like, yes, a Broadway podcast can happen, people.

[1:15:30] Fred Odgaard: And um, so I was I started.

[1:15:33] Eli Tokash: Yeah, because I feel like they're the it's interest, it's like interesting. The what the different walks of life of people that have like entered into theater of why they've done it is like so it's like so large.

[1:15:45] Fred Odgaard: Like the reasons behind all of it.

[1:15:47] Eli Tokash: And not only that, like people can relate to so many stories of people that have made it, and they don't uh fully understand that. And I feel like listening uh can help that, you know, like and listening to people who have been successful. I mean, you like people can get discouraged that they don't know how to sing and be like, I'm never gonna make it to Broadway. But you you embraced that and you said no, I'm gonna learn how to sing, and here you are just doing and like more and more now of like embracing it's so difficult to like embrace like what makes you like truly unique instead of wanting to be like everyone else.

[1:16:28] Fred Odgaard: It's always like to live in your own like personal like truths of things, and it's something I like struggle with all the time because I'm like I find the constant comparison. I'm like, well, I don't sing like them, well I sing like me, and I don't act like them.

[1:16:41] Eli Tokash: Absolutely, I act like how I act, like I for sure you know what I'm saying?

[1:16:48] Fred Odgaard: Like, I dance how I dance, like it's just it's bizarre that like I was I'm able to say in a lot of ways in the dance world that I'm can live my truth there, but living it in comparison to like I think because I don't have as much experience when it comes to those other things, that that's why the comparison happens, but like, yeah, it's crazy. It's just it's bizarre.

[1:17:17] Eli Tokash: You're a dream. Thank you so much for doing this. I'm so happy that we were able to catch up and do this. Um, so yeah, thank you for coming on.

[1:17:25] Fred Odgaard: Yeah, and if you ever need anything, let me know.

[1:17:28] Eli Tokash: Like let me know. You just want to like reach out, hang out, like it's let me know. Like okay. Absolutely. Okay, thank you so much. Take a bow Fred Odgaard. Thank you so much for coming on the show. Thank you for reaching out to me. You are a dream. Literally, this was a very new interview, a new style interview that didn't necessarily like you know, bring a whole new field of the industry into play, but it was definitely a new perspective for sure. And we had a great conversation. I hope you all enjoyed it. And it was I thought it was a great one as far as you know, he was the first person that is gonna be in a show that was announced that it's opening, you know, like all of these crazy things are coming out, and we'll have more people on like that as we continue.

But um, it was great to hear him and hear his perspective on how things are working with Broadway reopening, figuring everything out. Um, his journey throughout the pandemic has been really interesting as far as you know, like staying with the production that he like that shut down on him. Um, I thought that was really interesting, and I really there that is such a unique situation that he was put in and granted and was living in Australia. I can. Um, that's amazing. Uh, and uh yeah, just his journey and how he made it to Broadway, and just the fact that like you know, he couldn't sing, but like he knew he wanted to be on Broadway, and he knew that that he wasn't gonna let that stop him. So, you know, you you you find your love and you find your passion, and you just can't let yourself get discouraged.

He figured out a way to do it. It took him twenty eight years to make his Broadway debut, and when he did, he was like, I knew this was where I was supposed to be the entire time. Like he he touched on that, and I thought it was amazing, uh, just the way he was talking about it and the way that he was like literally everything in my life that happened for a reason. You know, he was able to live his life and continue to work, but like not to continue to work all the time and do everything that he ever loved. Um, and uh yeah, and then his journey to Broadway where it finally um just finally came to place. So it was great, and I I just want to thank Fred for coming on and sharing his stories and here hearing his journeys.

We had a great talk about mental health as well. Um so he'll definitely maybe when Moulin Rouge will ask him back on, and maybe we'll get someone on with him uh from the cast of Moulin Rouge. Um, I had a blast talking to him again, and I hope you all enjoyed this episode.

[1:20:12] Eli Tokash: So let's talk about fun things that we could do this week. There's actually not too too much to look forward to, uh, but there is something very important happening. Um, and that is gonna be the Broadway Barks, which is a virtual event that will be happening this Sunday, May 23rd at 7 p.m. So if you're listening to this before Sunday, please, please, please go check out Broadway Barks. You can watch it online, it's free. It's it's uh hosted by the co-founder of Broadway Barks, Bernadette Peters, who's she, yeah, haven't heard of her. Um, no, she's iconic. Um, she's amazing, and she founded this wonderful organization called Broadway Barks, who has been able to uh introduce audience members uh and lovers of Broadway and people of New York.

It's usually an event that's happening in New York, but now they've done it virtually the past two years. Um, and uh they are going to be introducing viewers to adoptable pets from shelters across the country. So you don't have to be in New York to you know adopt a beloved animal that uh could be your lifelong friend. And uh you all know how important dogs and pets and everything like that are to me and my family. So please, please, please go give these dogs a home. It breaks my heart seeing dogs in crates, so and just in shelters in general, um, especially like ones that'll euthanize them after being there for too long or something is getting too out of hand or something. It's just like they resort to that too quickly, I believe.

So before they do that, please, please, please go check out Broadway Barks and go adopt a pet and have a lifelong friend, literally. I love dogs more than anything else in the world. Uh more than Broadway. That's right, that's right. I love my I love my little girl. I love my dog more than Broadway. Um, and uh yeah, go check it out. It's gonna be a fun event. It's also gonna be Broadway related, so you'll see some Broadway stars. Like I said, Bernadette Peters is gonna be hosting, so it's gonna be a great time, and that's this Sunday at 7. Go check it out.

[1:22:21] Eli Tokash: For this week's triple E segment, uh, I actually got a question that uh what someone wanted me to answer. So it I thought it was a good question because you know, we mentioned that like Fred's life has been a uh 20 year tour almost, uh, but not like a consecutive tour on a ca uh on the same show. He's been doing different shows and going all over the world doing show different shows. Um, but what life is like on tour um when you're not on stage was the question, and you know, I have a very different uh perspective and point of view on the on life on tour when not on stage. So I don't know if I'm the best person to answer this question, but from my experience, um most of my time on tour when I wasn't on stage was doing school because I was nine years old and I was still in school, obviously, and I had to do schoolwork, and from you know, like you do school for about like four to five hours a day, sometimes six, so that you can like have a little leeway later on in the week.

[1:23:35] Um, and we would usually do that from like 12 to 4 or like 11 to 4, um, and then from four to six, we would have like a dinner break that we could go eat food, go to the hotel, change, do whatever we needed to do, take a nap if we wanted, uh, do whatever to then prepare for our show. We would usually get there at six o'clock. Um, that was the call time, like an hour before the show at seven o'clock. And um, yeah, that was kind of my experience. But what thankfully, like I was in school. Sometimes they were able to use a field trip as your time doing school, and that was kind of the most um I was able to see a city. And you know, we try to go to like aquariums and museums and all of these things, or sometimes we just go to like historical uh uh places that are in each city.

So like you would go to like the the Harrison Ford Museum, and you go to like the biggest library in the United States and the biggest aquarium in the United States, and the um the Mall of America was one of them, which is like the only mall that uh was a mall that had roller coasters in it in Minnesota, and then you'd like come back and you'd like write reflections and write like a little essay of like what you learned while you were there and kind of like the laws of physics and the uh amazing species of fish and all of like these different things that you would like kind of learn and kind of just like figure out a way to make it educational. Um and then there were there was l a little portion of my experience on tour where I was able to experience tour on summer break.

And uh I have to say those were like those days were like great, but they were also like more boring. Depending on the city, of course. Thankfully, uh we were able to go to Alaska in like June, and it was insane. Uh we went to Alaska in June. I didn't have school, and I was kind of just able to explore, and I was able to be like an adult cast member that week, and that week like changed my life because um I was able to like get up super early in the morning. We would go on we we took this like little boat and we rode up to a glacier in Alaska and like they scooped up the glacier ice and that was the ice they used in our drinks on in our w uh of course mine was like a water or a Shirley Temple.

Don't don't let your mind wander here. Um But yes, this was this was that was one of the coolest experience ever. And we also like one day we went to like a moose farm and all of the then we would just like take a drive and just go up the mountains and see the wildlife. We saw like bears crossing, we take a bike ride. Um we would uh oh we went to uh horseback riding in the mountains one time um in Alaska and so you just find like fun things to do that is unique to each city and it doesn't really stay the same and that's why it never gets old. Um it allows you to see the world and explore the world uh while working and while um while working and also while uh having fun and like you're able to like do it with people who have similar interests in with you and people who become your lifelong friends, so you don't have to like experience alone or anything like that.

And it's just a really, really cool experience. So you you try to do a little bit of everything, you try to um experience the like you try to just be a tourist. It's like coming to New York for the first time ever, you know? You like you try to do the things that is so um what makes each city so special, you know. What makes New York special is like Madison Square Garden and Broadway and Central Park and all of those things. So like you you want to try to check those out before you leave, you know, like when you come to New York, and so and you're not from here. So that's that's kind of what life is like on tour just every week. And then you you spend the day and you're you're kind of like, okay, like I did enough sightseeing for the day.

You know, you have those moments where you're just like, oh, I I've walked around enough and everything like that, and I think it's time to go home. And that way, that time to go home was time to go home to our theater to do the show. So it's a very fun and very interesting experience. Um and if you're lucky, you go to some of the coolest places in the world. And we definitely got lucky on some of the places that we that I was able to experience. So life on tour is pretty sweet. So that's this week's triple E segment. The Eli's Entertainment Experience segment is wrapped up.

[1:28:37] Eli Tokash: And uh that wraps up today's show. So thank you all for listening. I know it's a little bit of a longer one, um, but I want to thank you all for listening because without you all listening, this wouldn't be possible. And I hope you enjoyed this week's episode, and I'm so excited for Broadway to reopen. I'm so excited to get more stories on pandemic life and reopening Broadway and everything like that from future guests. And I'm excited to start interviewing people when they are doing shows. Um it's gonna be it's gonna be fun. It's gonna be a new layer of take about that we haven't yet got to. Um, and it's gonna be it's gonna be a great time. So stay tuned. We have exciting stuff planned for future. And uh until then, I'll see you all next week. Bye everyone.

[1:29:26] Eli Tokash: Thanks for listening. For this episode's curtain call, I would like to recognize a few people who also deserve to take a bow. This podcast would not be possible without the help from Dory Berenstein, Brittany Bigelow, Katie Rosen, Alan Seals, and the team at the Broadway Podcast Network. Next in line to Take a Bow is Tessie Tokash, who edits the audio and all the visuals for this podcast. A special thanks to patrons Brian Thompson, Pat McNamara, the listeners at PCC, as well as all the other patrons for their continued support. If you're interested in becoming a patron, go to patreon.com slash TAB. And if you enjoyed this week's episode, don't forget to subscribe on the platform that you're currently listening to this on. Also, feel free to give us a follow on Instagram at TakeA Bow Podcast. Take a Bow's logo is designed by Giselle Bustos, and the music is by Nikki Torsha and Cormac Collinon. Bye everyone. Hope to see you next week.