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[0:06] Robert Peterpaul: Hello, beautiful people. Welcome to The Art of Kindness, where we have compassionate conversations with artists from all areas of the entertainment industry who are using their voice to spread joy and make this big spinning planet in the universe a better place to be.

[0:22] I'm Robert Peterpaul, and I'm so glad you're here.

[0:35] Hey, old friend, are you okay? Old friend, I hope you are. Listeners, I hope you're having a great day. I thought I'd check in musically because it's on theme for today's episode, but also a lot's been going on in the world, including a recent earthquake over here on the East Coast. I was getting a massage during it, my first massage ever, but that's a weird and wonderful story for another episode, perhaps. I used to do short and sweet bonus episodes, perhaps you recall if you've been here, if you're an OG. And I did one about when I was at the dentist, and there was a bank robber. It's kind of thrilling. It's a thrilling audio listen. If you want to dig that up. And I'm thinking maybe I'll do one for this massage incident.

And of course, in bigger news, there was also the solar eclipse. Did you get to see it? I know that's kind of a rhetorical question, but please DM me your photos if you did at Robert Peterpaul or at Art of Kindness Pod. I would love to see. In our neck of the woods, Prime Eclipse viewing time was said to be between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. ish. And of course, that's right when I unknowingly scheduled today's interview recording with a really wonderful guest. So what you're about to hear is kind of a time capsule. I had a total eclipse of the heart with today's guest, Sherz Aletaha.

[1:54] Sherz Aletaha, which is pronounced like the plural of having more than one of the icon Cher or the word giving, like shares. Anyway, is an Iranian American actor, singer, and vocal coach. Originally from Southern California, Sherz is currently in Manhattan, appearing in the hit Broadway’s revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along alongside Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez, who she covers for all the time. In addition, she has been seen on stage at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Ars Nova, and at many other wonderful theaters. She has also lent her vocal prowess to voiceover work for companies like Netflix. Her on-camera work includes appearances in Powerbook III, The Detour, The First Wives Club, and numerous commercials.

It was such a joy to get to speak with Sherz, and I think you're really going to enjoy our solar eclipse party. As always, stay tuned after the interview for your kindness tip of the week. Now, without further ado, let's get this solar eclipse party started. Please welcome the sensational Sherz Aletaha.

[3:37] Sherz Aletaha: Thank you so much for having me.

[3:39] Robert Peterpaul: Sherz is plural because you're multiple icons in one. I gotta say I had the privilege of seeing you in Merrily We Roll Along, and my eye was immediately drawn to you. And I didn't see you as Mary, which you've now begun to shine in your own right as, but you are just so engaging and dazzling, and this is such an epic production. I enjoyed it so much, and I just can't wait to break it down with you. Thank you for being here.

[4:04] Sherz Aletaha: My pleasure. I'm so happy to be here with you. And listeners, it is solar eclipse day. So we are having a solar eclipse party. This is history in the making. It's eclipsing as we speak. It is a total eclipse of the heart, literally outside right now. It is getting dark as I look out the window.

[4:21] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah, we need to call Little Shop of Horrors because there's the plant is coming. This is wild. So we might need to peek out the window at some point. But thank you all for being here with us. Now that I've kind of just hit you with a bunch of compliments, the first question I always like to ask, and they were genuine by the way. I didn't just make them up, but I always like to start out asking, how are you at accepting compliments and now all the love you're getting for this show? Because I feel like it's a tricky thing as an artist.

[4:46] Sherz Aletaha: You're so right. Um, I'm not good at it. I'm trying to be better and to be graceful about it and to accept it and appreciate it. But it's wild. It's really overwhelming. And I've been in the city for a long time, and this is my Broadway’s debut, and so I have, you know, 15 years of friendships and relationships that I've built here, and all of a sudden this outpouring of people showing up and being so incredible and so supportive is sometimes too much to handle. I get so genuinely overwhelmed by it and I just think I'm like I'm never gonna be able to repay these people for being so kind to me. I feel it so deeply and I recognize it, and it's truly overwhelming and beautiful, and yeah, I just I couldn't be more appreciative of it.

And it's a moment that feels like all the no's were for a reason. It's so I could have gotten to this yes and have this really, really special moment in this show that means so much to me, telling a story that means so much to me, experiencing it with the people in my life right now who mean the world to me, my family and my friends and my company in this show. It's just it all feels like kismet. It's so special.

[6:20] Robert Peterpaul: Oh, kismet, I love that word, and I think that's so beautiful. You wrapped it in a beautiful bow. I'm glad you're getting so much love, and yeah, you deserve it. Again, this show is just so powerful, and I know it's been a long journey and a lot of no's. I thought you said nodes at first. Nightmare, Julie Andrews in the house.

[6:40] Sherz Aletaha: No, I mean, yeah, alright to the nodes. But I love that you lead with such gratitude and joy, and it's very apparent. You know, the second I went to your Instagram page and started kind of combing through things and researching you, you just are such a great example of what I think we need more of in the arts right now. So thank you for that. I'm gonna keep complimenting you for this full hour.

[7:06] Sherz Aletaha: Oh my God, this is the best. I'm gonna eclipse it with compliments.

[7:10] Robert Peterpaul: So another question I'd like to start out asking because it's very relevant to today's conversation is, what is your definition of kindness, Sherz?

[7:19] Sherz Aletaha: My definition of kindness is being giving and being open and being open-minded while also having boundaries.

[7:31] Robert Peterpaul: That's so important. I love that you added that because boundaries are something we don't always learn until later in life, or at least understand. As a trying to be reformed people pleaser, it is something that I had to learn with mistake after mistake after mistake in my adult life that I was like, oh, you can't just give and give and give and give. You will be depleted and you will get resentful, and those are horrible things to be. It's hard to come back from those things, so you have to have boundaries, or else it's all for nothing. And it doesn't feel as authentic to be kind. I have learned in those moments. It feels like you're doing it because you feel you have to or need to, or it's required versus just from your genuine heart to wanting to be kind to people.

[8:21] Sherz Aletaha: Yeah, I'm a recovering people pleaser too. I'm actually, I'm probably still a people pleaser. I need to—

[8:25] Robert Peterpaul: It's hard.

[8:26] Sherz Aletaha: It's so hard. I get that. I heard an interview with Sally Field recently on Julia Louis-Dreyfus's podcast, which shout out, it's so good. I mean, she doesn't need the shout-out because it's doing amazing.

[8:38] Robert Peterpaul: Please, we love you.

[8:39] Sherz Aletaha: Yeah, we love you so much. And Sally Field answered a question on how she kind of learned how to stop people pleasing, which is that she just got more curious about people and would ask them questions about their life, and then eventually she was sitting there saying, I actually don't even like this person. Why am I trying to please them? They're not asking me anything about myself, it's just me asking them. Why am I wasting my time? So I think it does go down to sort of giving yourself the gift of time.

[9:04] Robert Peterpaul: That sounds like every day I go on in New York City.

[9:06] Sherz Aletaha: Oh no, really?

[9:08] Robert Peterpaul: Sherz, great men, we must discuss this.

[9:12] Sherz Aletaha: You have to make conversation.

[9:14] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah.

[9:14] Sherz Aletaha: Yeah. No, it's something that I think is a life lesson for people out there. And then summer, I'm sure it goes in the opposite direction, which is that they're just making too much conversation about themselves, not asking you anything. I also have learned this about myself where I know if I sit down with someone, if I'm nervous about making conversation, I'll just try to engage them and I'll start asking them questions, which feels so nice to be across from somebody who is, you know, interested and wants to get to know you, and all of a sudden they'll be like, oh, an hour has gone by and it's like therapy, and this person has told me everything about themselves and they've gotten really comfortable with me all the time. And I have to be like, oh no, oh no, no, no. Wait, wait, wait, look at that after how that said, Sherz. I have a journal right here that I want to read to.

[9:58] Sherz Aletaha: No.

[9:59] Robert Peterpaul: I yeah, I totally get that. It's something my grandma always taught me. Every time we would hang out, she would have a list of like topics and questions to ask me, and it was just such an act of kindness because there was such curiosity. And so that's a kindness tip right there. Just think of a question to ask people before you're gonna see them. And I have a ton here for you because we're all very curious about you, Sherz. I'm gonna call this episode "Sherz Shares."

[10:21] Sherz Aletaha: Is that dumb?

[10:23] Robert Peterpaul: No, I love it. I love it.

[10:25] Sherz Aletaha: Perfect. What is your favorite way to show kindness to others? Because I feel like kindness is an action.

[10:33] Sherz Aletaha: Absolutely. Um, oh, that's such a great question. Well, because boundaries is a self-kindness, but it also is a kindness for other people because you're absolutely, it's you know, if you see someone having a hard day, it's always walking that fine line of I want to show you that I'm here for you and be a source of support, but I also don't want to overstep and make you talk about something that you maybe not want to talk about. We're at work. Maybe you want to just put that behind you and have a laugh. And um, for me, I'm a big fan of all things comedy and goofy and silly. And so if I can do things that make people just have a laugh for the day or get their mind off of something, and we can joke around and we can be silly together, and we can just put our defenses down and be like this is a judgment-free zone, and we can all just be tiny little weirdos together.

No judgment. Let's it's okay. That's fine. I think that's a big one for me of showing kindness is making sure people around me are enjoying themselves and smiling and laughing and that the vibe and the energy is a positive one and helping contribute to that. I think in theater, it's a really competitive field, and it's hard not to feel that sometimes and to help strip away that edge of competitiveness by being supportive and showing up for people. I think that's really, really important as well. And again, if we can do that by laughing together and having a good time, even better.

[12:15] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah, laughter's the best medicine. I couldn't agree more. And I feel like I will do even just the craziest things just to get a laugh. Like I'll throw myself on the floor if I feel like a situation is tense. Maybe not always, but you know, sometimes you just gotta. I feel like laughter's the bridge to connecting people from all backgrounds.

[12:33] Sherz Aletaha: Absolutely.

[12:34] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah, I'm sure backstage. Are you like a prankster backstage? Are you generating that or you're just participating in the laughter?

[12:41] Sherz Aletaha: I get pranked a lot because I scare easily. And so that's so funny. Our company members are popping out at me from very hidden corners and nooks and crannies. I think that they have enjoyed it even more because my genuine from like a guttural place response when they do that is to scream and I just blurt out why are you like this when they do that to me, to whoever it is, and genuinely, why are you like this? What is this strange? What have you gone through? Again, we all have a good laugh about it, and it's fine. Our show is built on bits. There are so many backstage bits. And I was just playing my normal track in the ensemble, so that we can have all the bodies on the stage. And before I make my first entrance in the prologue, Crystal Joy Brown, who is fabulous as Gussie, she's so amazing.

[13:43] Robert Peterpaul: Yes, we love her.

[13:44] Sherz Aletaha: Um, she's amazing. Oh, she and I enter from the same place, so we're always standing together right before enter, and we do like this weird arm dance, and then we hug, and then we do this thing with our fingers and we shimmy, and then I enter. And I didn't have her there to do that. And I was like, how did I enter? I don't, I've never done this without doing that little thing with her. And I got so nervous. I was like, no, go, you're still about stage out. And act of preparing. And it's there's so many moments like that in our show where people are doing these weird little interactions that we must do in order for the show to go on. And it's not for the audience. It's all backstage. Nobody else sees it.

[14:28] Sherz Aletaha: But it's just it makes us all smile and feel closer together. It's great. I love it. Yeah, and it translates to the audience. Yeah, I'm sure. Because these aren't the things you're doing. I mean, I guess we do them in acting class and auditions and stuff like that. They're not teaching you to do this, but I just think it creates such a better environment. And then everybody's able to, you know, do their thing in a better, more happy fashion, I guess we'll say. And sometimes people go the opposite, maybe they like that. I don't know what the deal is there. But I like it when people are very positive and silly. And I think that's really fun that it's gotten to that point. I just shut down. If people are super judgmental, if people are super cold, I don't do well with cold.

If someone isn't open and warm, I'm very, very sensitive to that. That's something I struggle with. And it's hard because I'm like, that's not up to me. I have to be able to just show up and do my job no matter how anyone else is. I know. So that's something I need to work on, clearly. But no, I get that. We need to we sometimes we need to wear a jacket and protect ourselves from that. And just I think the jacket is the fact that I've learned a lot in talking with people on here, and a lot of people remind me to give people the benefit of the doubt, and that's sort of the way they were raised. And just because maybe I come into the Zoom and you do with a smile and we're excited. Other people, their way of showing excitement is like, you know, they're a little bit more chill about it.

And that's okay. That's just how their upbringing is. That's sort of their moral compass, their values are different. So it's not a I take it very personally sometimes. I'm like, oh, they're icing me out. So I get that. It's hard. And then you have to just be like, yeah, not everything's about me. I can let it go and just do my thing. And but yeah, I think having that sense of play and fun and no judgments. For me, that's when I am able to all of a sudden like do my best work and hit the highest notes and get the biggest laugh and do the greatest character work because I feel safe doing it. It's a hard, vulnerable thing to do to be an actor to get up in front of hundreds, sometimes thousands of people, and we run the risk of stepping on stage and falling on our face every single time.

That is absolutely something that can happen, something that has happened. Like we've all been through it where we've messed up our performance. And it has to be an environment where you can mess up and that's okay. You just gotta get it right the next time. And if the people around you make it okay that that happens, it'll be fine the next time. But if all of a sudden you just clench and tighten and stress because it's that part that you messed up that's so stressful, whatever, that that person over there is looking at me and judging me and they're waiting for me to fail because then they'll get to go on or whatever. It's never gonna be pleasant, it's never gonna be fun, it's never gonna be creative, it's just miserable for everyone.

It probably won't even be healthy because then you're just focusing so much on the fear and the negativity that you're forgetting about the love and the support system that you have. So I think that's a beautiful place to land and transition. I mean, we're here right into the goods. You finally made your Broadway’s debut after hustling for so long. As someone myself who knows that hustle for decades, I'd love to know how you first of all, before we I really guess get into Merrily, how you found the persistence in especially the hard times just to just to keep going.

[17:59] Sherz Aletaha: There were a lot of hard times, and there were a lot of times where I got to a point where I just thought to myself, I don't know if I can keep doing this. It's really heartbreaking. I love it so much, but how much more time do I give myself to make this dream a reality? And it would always come down to I would go and I would make a to-do list of like, what do I love? What do I not? What else could I see myself doing? I would go and I would try to research other jobs, and I genuinely just could never find anything else that I wanted to do. Nothing else filled me up the way that this did, nothing else made me feel as great, as fulfilled, nothing got me excited. And when I would get the opportunities to perform, it sounds kind of cheesy, but it feels so almost spiritual and it feels so good and authentic that everything in every fiber of my being is like, Oh yeah, this is what you're meant to be doing, and this is what you've trained to do, and this is what you're good at.

Yeah, this feels right. Good. Stick with doing this. So there was always just these little blips of moments where things aligned, and in those moments of alignment, I would get the strength to be like, all right, I can keep going. I can keep trying and keep moving forward, I can keep getting creative with what's next or the next step. And for me, it was not a linear experience, and it was not an experience of like you go to this college and then you get this agent and you get that job and it leads to this opportunity. It was not bad at all. It was up and down and up and down and sideways and backwards and all of it. It was every direction you can think of. And it just made me feel like I had to take responsibility for myself and for my actions and for my career versus well, my agent needs to get me a job, or that director needs to like me.

It was more about like, what can I do? All right, I can work on this material better. I can strengthen these relationships. I can get into doing new musicals and development and get in on the ground floor. And so that also just gave me agency over my career versus waiting for someone else to make it happen. No, I'm gonna put the responsibility on me. And if it doesn't happen, it's because I'm not working hard enough. So what else can I do? Yeah. And how else can I get creative? And how can I make this happen if I really do love this that much?

[20:38] Robert Peterpaul: That's so smart. The switch of looking internally versus externally and blaming everyone because it is. I mean, I know for me, so easy to walk out of an audition that you don't feel great about and sort of blame them and then treat yourself to a Schmackary's cookie, hey Schmackary's, you know? Love you.

[20:52] Sherz Aletaha: We do love them so much. So good. Well, rolling into Merrily. Woo-woo again, so good. I did send in a really bad self-tape for it. I heard about your audition process. Please tune in to our friends at Survival Jobs for the full story involved. They are the best, right? Sam and Jason. They're amazing. It involves a lot of auditions and jury duty just to tease that. And it's such a good story. It made me wonder when you keep getting called in for something like that, how do you personally not psych yourself out as a performer? Because I know I deal with this thing where I think I'm getting somewhere with something and then I think I have the power to actually reverse it. And so I'm like I it like stresses me out. Do you know what I'm talking about?

[21:36] Sherz Aletaha: I feel like staying as just present as possible is really helpful. I know I struggle with blinders when it comes to auditions all of a sudden there is no other audition, no other job in the world. It is only this and there is no other possibilities if this one doesn't work out and that's something that I always have to remind myself of like this is great and how wonderful to have this opportunity but maybe there's someone in that room that's going to see you and something five years from now they're going to cast you in. Yeah. Maybe there's another audition that's coming down the pipeline that you don't even know about. Maybe there's someone somewhere in a room having a conversation about you that you know nothing about and that is going to change the trajectory of your career.

And it's so hard in the audition process to not get really attached and it's this fine line and balance of I want it so badly but I also have to be able to let it go. And I had to really learn as an actor that just because I want something really badly. Sometimes I would psych myself out and be like, no, it's fine. I'm going to be nonchalant. I don't want this that badly. And I would kind of shoot myself in the foot a little bit because then maybe I wouldn't prepare as much. I wouldn't work as hard on the material. Because again, it's a weird mind game of like, well, if I work on the material forever and ever and ever, and I perfect it to my abilities in that moment, and then I don't get it, that's super heartbreaking.

But I would almost rather go into an audition now, knowing, well, I did, I worked as hard as I could on this material, I did it to the best of my abilities, and now I can just leave it all out on the table and show my skills the way I want to show them versus a half-assed version of it to protect myself and be like, Oh, I didn't even work that hard on that audition. Of course I didn't get it, whatever. It's fine.

[23:36] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah. No, I totally get that. I think one thing too that's beautiful about you is that you really seem to have found this awesome place of bringing you to the material versus trying to run after something you think they want. And I was so moved by your Instagram post that you shared on the first day of rehearsals for Merrily. You wrote that I don't think I wrote exact quotes, so don't kill me. You wrote that you were bursting with pride for making your Broadway’s debut. I think to sum it up at your current age in your current body and with your current name. And I feel like as humans we can sort of no matter who we are, feel this imposed need, imposed need to change who we are to fit into the society that we've built. And I love how your story is just an example and really shows other humans out there that you are enough as you are. So can you just talk about that for a second? Because I feel like that's so powerful.

[24:27] Sherz Aletaha: Absolutely. Yeah, it was really special for this to happen in this moment in time because I'm in my 30s and again in my 20s. All I was told was your body doesn't look the way it should look to work in this industry. Oh, Sherz Aletaha. Oh, you're Middle Eastern. I don't know if I can work with that. Can you change it? Do you go by something else? Do you want to maybe use a different last name? That wasn't good enough. And then as our industry started to embrace the Manasseh umbrella, Middle Eastern, North African, South Asian, and started to want to correctly cast people in those identities and in those roles. All of a sudden it was like, oh, well, you are uh you're light skinned and you have green eyes, but you're supposed to.

I thought you said you're Middle Eastern. And I'm like, I am, and this is what my grandfather looked like. So some of us look like this. Both of my parents are from Iran. I don't know what to tell you, you know, Joe and Beth who are casting about Middle Eastern things. Unsubscribe, Joe and Beth. Yeah, it's a lot of, you know, and I get it. People have a limited amount of time and are under a lot of pressure to put a cast together, to put a project together, and to put it out there, and they just want you to walk in and like fit in a box and be done with it. And it just never worked for me. I was never that performer. And I remember when I signed with my managers and when I signed with my agents, something I told both of them was I was like, I will never be.

There will never be a breakdown that's like curvy Middle Eastern woman who is light skinned and has green eyes and has a three octave range. That doesn't exist. It will never be that. It will be something totally different that I am not. But if you can get me in the room, I promise I will work harder than probably any of your other clients, and I will get them to like me and notice me. And I will get somebody to hire me. I just need you to get me in a room. I just need you to get me an opportunity. And I will. I will bring myself and I will work really hard. And I will be in a holding room with 15 other women who all look the same. And I am the wild card. And I'm like, all right, I'm just gonna use it to my advantage. I will be the wild card. That's fine. And I'm gonna go in there and I'm gonna be confident and I'm gonna show them what I can do. And if it's for them, great.

[26:51] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah. I will be the wild card. Sorry, I've been mentally making post-its in my brain of a lot of things you've been saying. I'll be the wild card. I like that. That's yeah, that's so wonderful and important because again, it's you kind of taking your agency and your power. And you've you've kind of said this a bunch of times in a way, but I feel like it is such an important lesson to learn to book the room instead of booking the job, you know, just making relationships, making quote unquote friends with people and just being a normal human versus going in there like a robot, you know.

[27:19] Sherz Aletaha: So I love that you lead with that too.

[27:22] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah, and that's it's something that I had to kind of learn from when I was younger of like walk in, be polite, say hello, smile, wear a dress that looks like this, don't make conversation, don't show any personality, just be perfect. All right, bye. And I was like, Yeah, no, I can't do that anymore. It just feels better to walk in like me, dressed like me, make a joke like me, sing like me, and then leave. That feels much better to me. And if that works for them, great. And if not, too. Somebody else will want it. It's fine.

[27:55] Sherz Aletaha: Totally. I know. Now I have to rein myself in of going too far, being myself and making bits, you know, walking into the room and tripping. It's just it might be too much. So you gotta find the line.

[28:04] Sherz Aletaha: It's all about balance, yeah. You know, you know, balance, balance, balance. Well, speaking of walk-in, uh, you really I feel like you walk the walk in addition to everything I sort of just read to you about yourself and that we spoke about. In addition to your own track in Merrily, you cover Lindsay Mendez's track of Mary Flynn, who you channel as Marie Flynn in the Middle Eastern spelling, which the name actually translates to kind, lovable, and sunny, by the way. Did I Googled it? First of all, how has the experience of infusing yourself into Lindsay's track been? Because on Broadway’s, and I know you're aware of this, it's not always something that happens with replacements or covers. They sort of just want you to replicate exactly what the performer's doing.

How have you found that? Because you've been shining in a unique way, which is amazing. They've been really, really kind to us in a way that you know get to the right place and say the right words, but you can do it your own way, which is really nice.

[28:59] Sherz Aletaha: Yeah. And we're also really lucky that we have actors on stage with us who are open to that because I know other people who have been in shows with actors who were like, no, no, no, please just do what we are used to and do the rhythms that we're used to and do the punchlines that we are used to. And I just feel very lucky to be in an environment where creativity and play are accepted, and there is an okay for that, because it's not always the case. And one isn't right and one isn't wrong, because you know, people have to maintain a show. I totally get that. Um, but yeah, I have to give credit to the fabulous Darius Rose, aka Jackie Cox, who coined the term Mary Flynn. Um Darius and I have known each other since we were in high school, and we bonded over both being Middle Eastern and Iranian and doing theater when we were younger, there were not a lot of us.

And so when he came to see it, he made the joke that he's like, Oh, yeah, it's not Mary Flynn when you're on, it's it's Meshi. And I loved that. It was so special and sweet and wonderful, and just a lovely tiny little homage of bringing a little bit of myself and my culture to it. Um, but it's such a great role, and I've just never experienced a role that is so human, and she has like all of us, good qualities and bad qualities, and they're both on display, and you see her flaws and you see her shine, and it's so beautiful and fun to lean into those things and to play with them, and you know, every time I get to go on, I discover a little something new to play with, or I want to try this line a little differently, or oh you know, the show is just so brilliant of how everything connects and reveals and all the little things of hearing the underscore and being like, oh, that's that song repeats in this song, and that little musical pattern repeats over here, and that kind of infuses something even more, and it's just it's so exciting and so fun and so creatively fulfilling.

And for me to get to play my normal role, and then to also get to go on, just keeps everything fresh and exciting and fun, and there's no there's no time to get bored because it's doing one role in the matinee and doing one role at night, and you have to be like, okay, earlier today, you in this exact moment were on stage right, and you were singing these lyrics, and today you have to be on stage left and downstage and got to sing those lyrics. So keep your brain really fresh and sharp and keep it moving.

[31:46] Robert Peterpaul: That's trippy. You can't think about your Trader Joe's grocery run after the show. You gotta really stay in the moment.

[31:51] Sherz Aletaha: Oh, and it's onheim, so there's so many lyrics. Oh yeah. Oh my goodness, you gotta be brilliant. So many words. Yeah, and I mean this show really showcases the ensemble too. I mean, every time you come out with that same motif, all of you, and you sort of strut in your individual way to your spots, and it's just like it gave me goosebumps from the start of the show. But I yeah, I think that's so fun. And it's funny, Jackie Cox. I see him at like every event, and now I he's like a Broadway’s icon now. He's at like he's at everything. Please go see him in Make Me Gorgeous if you have a chance. It is incredible, incredible. It's a one-man show. He plays a million different parts and does it so well, it's so clear who is who. Oh, it's just I was I was so emotional when I got to go and and see him in it. I was like, I'm so thrilled that people are getting the chance to see how can I curse?

[32:47] Robert Peterpaul: Oh, yeah, go for it.

[32:48] Sherz Aletaha: How fucking brilliant you are, you're so good. Ah, he's amazing. Please, please, please go see go go go see him. Yes, that has been on my list. I gotta go. And go see Merrily while you still can. You know, at the core of Merrily, we've touched on this amazing ensemble and Lindsay, but of course, I'd be remiss to not mention Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff. You might have heard of them. How have those two been? How have they been to work with and how have they sort of shown you kindness when you jump in last minute to cover the to complete the trifecta?

[33:20] Sherz Aletaha: They're amazing. I mean, we're so lucky because we have this group of principals from Dan and John the Lindsay, Katie Rose Clark who plays Beth, Crystal Joy Brown who plays Gussie. They're all so warm and kind, and I feel so embraced by all of them when I get to go on. I hear from Lindsay when I get to go on for her saying, like, did you have a good show? Have fun, break legs today. You know, it's she's so giving and warm and generous uh with that. And to everybody else, it's just a good time up there. And you know, when I'm getting ready, Dan and Jonathan will come and sit in the dressing room and just kind of chat with me as them getting ready and we'll laugh about our days, and it makes it so easy and dreamy to walk on stage, you know, 30 minutes later and pretend to be best friends with them because I got to have this moment of genuine friendship with them before we come on stage and we get to share our lives and our days with each other, and it's it's something so small, but it means genuinely so much to me that they would take the time to you know build friendships and build relationships and come and ask me about my day and come and laugh with me while we're getting ready.

So I'm like, You're huge stars, you can be doing whatever you need to be doing to get ready for your show right now. Um, but they're they're so wonderful, and they are so generous, and there have been moments in the show where earlier in the run when I was going on for the first time where I was like, I'm a little unclear about this moment, I don't know what's about to happen. And they have both taken me by the hand and been like, we'll show you. Come on. And they're they're lovely about it. There was there was one show a few months ago where something I wear contact lenses and something was happening with my contacts. I could not see. Maybe kind of directly in front of me, but everything in the peripheral was not happening, not working out.

And I like mentioned something to Dan. If he would be next to me, he'd be like, he's like, we're walking fusy. And he was so lovely and kind and helpful. And there was a moment where there's a blackout at the end of act one, and he'll always like grab my hand and be like, and we step and walk forward. And it's always help me to make sure I know where I'm going so I don't run into something because I am very clumsy and I will.

[35:54] Sherz Aletaha: Oh, same retweet. They're yeah, they're just they're all the best. They're so, you know, I keep saying the word kind, but it is genuinely how I feel. I feel it's on theme. Very true. They're the best. They're just open and warm and accepting, and it's it's very dreamy, and I can't think about it too much because I will start crying because it's on July 7th.

[36:20] Robert Peterpaul: Please cry. Well, something amazing is around the corner for you. And I I just am so happy that you've launched into the Broadway’s stratosphere with not just a Broadway’s show, but this show. I mean, this is such an iconic, incredible production. And you got to record an original album. What was that like? Because that's not always the case, even for people that have are doing Broadway’s shows all the time.

[36:42] Sherz Aletaha: It's crazy. It's something that people I think may not realize. I didn't realize this for a long time. I mean, we only get one day off a week, it's Monday. The rest we're at the theater, we're doing our eight shows, and we recorded our cast album a week after we had opened. And so leading up to opening, we're in preview. So during the day we're rehearsing. At night we're performing. We get our one day off. Everyone is exhausted. Everybody was getting sick because we were just so depleted and so exhausted. Um, and so literally exactly a week after opening, they're like, We're recording the cast album. Let's go. And so we did the no, not even. We went to the recording studio on a Sunday in the morning.

We recorded a few songs, we went and we did the matinee. Some people were then called afterwards to go back, record some more. We all were called the next morning on our day off to record all day. And then the next day we were done with the recording, time to go back into the show. And so it's such this crazy whirlwind to make happen in this super short tight amount of time when everyone is exhausted.

[37:56] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah. So I guess you don't have time to overthink it.

[38:00] Sherz Aletaha: No, not at all. It was just show up and get it done. But it was so exciting, and we have a vinyl, which is so cool. And that's epic. I've had, you know, like my my sister and my cousins and their kids. I've gotten all these photos of them at their local like Barnes and Nobles holding our cast album and being like, your pictures on the back. You're in like the Barnes and Nobles in our hometown. This is crazy. And it's those weird, surreal moments that here's this very tangible thing that we made versus it's live once a night. You either see it or you don't. But to have that tangible item is so special. And we were joking, we were like, we have to we have to make like a tick I feel so old right now I'm like we gotta make a TikTok for the kids to talk to you but it just lists us as an ensemble as the new Broadway’s cast whenever we sing but like you were saying the ensemble of the show is so special and there's moments where everyone gets features and step outs and solos I'm like someone needs to do something.

We need to make something that shows like that's Natalie and that's Talia and that's Vish we gotta point out who's singing what and all these numbers so the world can know how fucking brilliant all these people are and how gorgeous their voices are because we have I gotta say some of the best voices on Broadway’s in our ensemble they're amazing.

[39:26] Robert Peterpaul: For sure so tight all the chords I was just I was blown away maybe you could use the sound from nicest kids in town from hairspray and I'm dead I'm data and then just like flash up where they're singing well we we kind of touched on the fact that Broadway’s runs you ragged. I mean the schedule is not very forgiving do and you do so much in this show and you have so much floating around in your brain how have you been able to kind of stop and show kindness to yourself and sort of practice self-care on Broadway’s I I'm not sure it's a work in progress for everyone but absolutely I have had to come to terms with the fact that I just I can't do everything and I I am not good at saying no and I've had to learn to say no to things that otherwise I would have been a very big yes to me whether it's a social obligation or can you come do a reading of something, which are my favorite things to do?

Be social, develop new musicals. Love both of those very deeply. But the show right now has to come first. And it's been really hard, especially with friends who are not theater people. Yeah, to explain. They're like, but you're free before the show. And I'm like, sometimes that's the only free time I have because with understudy rehearsals, they happen twice a week. So sometimes Tuesday during the day is the only time for the entire week that I have free other than my one day off. And so if I have to fit in laundry and groceries and cleaning and all those stupid adult things that none of us like to do on my day off, that's my only time to actually rest and just kind of veg out a little bit, or I might have the time to see one friend in that moment and not get to see everybody else.

And explaining that to people, it's it's very hard to me because I love them and would love that time with them. And it's not a slight against them. It's just an annoying truth about my schedule right now that I don't have the time. Um, but that has been really, really hard is learning that m resting is necessary and is important and needs to be prioritized, and it's really easy to think, oh, you're just at the theater at night, and everything else is your time. It's not, it's not at all. We're at the theater constantly, again with understudy rehearsals, with put ins. And now, especially because the show is ending now, now we gotta start auditioning again. That takes up our time. That takes up, you know, the vocal stamina I have for the day.

I gotta put a little bit aside for that. I gotta make sure I can do the show at night. So the balancing act has been really, really hard for me personally, because I do just want to say yes to everything and to everyone, and I can't, and I can't.

[42:26] Sherz Aletaha: That's nice. But you know, saying no to something is also a yes to yourself. You're saying yes to Merrily when you say no to these other things. And it's an important lesson to learn. I know even with a short run, you know, friends come to see the show and they want to go out out after, and people don't always understand why you can't. They're like, Oh, I just come for a drink. I'm like, first of all, I can't ever just come for one drink. I'm gonna be there all night. Second of all, yeah, I'm tired. So I think that's really important. I am tired. It's been the best is when my family has come to town or when they'll call me and they've really started to realize what the schedule is, especially in a longer run. And I'm like, oh, it it has been interesting, and I do so appreciate them taking the time to understand and to get it and to give me space to be like, you're exhausted, and that's understandable. Go sleep, go take a nap.

[43:22] Sherz Aletaha: We get it. Um, that part has been great. But yeah, it's so hard when people come to the show. Of course you want to hang out afterwards, of course you want to grab a drink, but sometimes you just can't. No. And I will say the one caveat to all of this, and I've been holding this in the entire time, is if Meryl Streep comes to visit, so please tell us everything about Meryl Streep.

[43:46] Robert Peterpaul: I can't even say her name. Meryl Streep coming to see your show. I'm this is crazy. We have been waiting for September for her to come. We're supposed to you knew she was gonna come. We had heard a rumor for some reason we thought she was coming earlier in the run. And everyone was running around being like, Meryl Streep is here. Oh my god. And she absolutely was not. We were so heartbroken. And we were like, when is she gonna come? We need her. We need her here.

[44:14] Sherz Aletaha: Yes, that's the TikTok. You guys preparing like in The Devil Wears Prada, all you running around backstage.

[44:21] Robert Peterpaul: We were so elated to hear that she was there, and she was so kind of. Did you hear before?

[44:29] Sherz Aletaha: Oh, sorry. Did you hear before the show or after?

[44:31] Robert Peterpaul: We did. We found out before.

[44:33] Sherz Aletaha: Oh my gosh. And it's interesting. Some people like to know in the building and some people don't. And we so we try to be very respectful of that. Because I understand that, you know, it can make people nervous if someone that they really admire or, you know, think is fancy is watching them on stage, especially for understudies and swings who aren't doing the track every single night. It can be a lie. You're like, I just want to focus on saying the right words in the right place right now. So we try really, really hard to be respectful of that in the building. But um, we found out that she was there because one of our fabulous dance captain and one of our amazing swings, Morgan, Morgan Kerner, she had a friend who was in the audience, and her friend texted her and was like, Meryl Streep is here.

So we knew before the overture even started that she was there, and we were all so excited, and of course, we had to keep making the joke that we're like it's Meryl E tonight. We're all like Meryl, Meryl. It did not get old for the entire almost three hours of our show.

[45:40] Robert Peterpaul: Oh no. And she was just so kind and so effusive and so generous, and it was just unreal. It's unreal. You don't think you're meeting someone at that legendary level when you get to meet her.

[45:59] Sherz Aletaha: Um, that's so nice to hear. Oh, she's like another level. I mean, I'm just weird in front of everyone, but I feel like she's the one person where I'd probably, I don't know if I'd be able to talk. I literally was just like hello. I think all I said was like hello, I love you. Like hello, I'm a huge fan. Um, but she was so kind and giving. It was just a joy, and we've been very lucky that, you know, we've had a number of wonderful incredible actors and celebs come through, and the ones who have taken the time to come and say hi to us, it means so much to us as a company. And I always feel like people forget like that's also a moment for the entire company to come together. Our hair department deserves recognition; they get to come and introduce themselves.

Like we wouldn't look good if it wasn't for them. They deserve that moment to say hello. Our lighting team, our dressers, the wardrobe, like it's a moment for the whole company, and it's really exciting to also show people, maybe especially people who are more in a different sector of the entertainment industry, like this is the amount of people it takes to make this show happen. It's not just this small group of people on stage. There's so much happening off stage, and they deserve their recognition as well. And they deserve to come out and say hello and get their picture too, because we have no show without them.

[47:30] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah, that's about a huge playbill. That's why after a movie, there's a million little tiny names scrolling by. And I know people that will stay for the credits out of reverence, which so that's nice to do if you can do it. But I think that's a really important point to bring up because it does, it's such a collective art, and like we were saying in the beginning, it's nice when it's a positive environment because it then it really allows everyone to feel like a family.

[47:54] Sherz Aletaha: Yeah. I will not say I'm not gonna say who, but there was somebody who came to the show and said that they only wanted to meet cast. They did not want to meet the company. And it just rubbed us all in the wrong way, and we were like, well, we don't want to meet that person then. How dare they?

[48:07] Robert Peterpaul: And did you have to meet them still?

[48:12] Sherz Aletaha: Oh, good. Okay. Absolutely not.

[48:15] Robert Peterpaul: Wow. Oh my goodness. You wanna say hello to everyone who makes the show happen?

[48:19] Sherz Aletaha: Yeah. No, thank you. That's so rude. It's like you want to put my coffee. No!

[48:24] Robert Peterpaul: Oh, that's terrible. Well, uh, speaking of not terrible things, I have a surprise. It's surprise game. It's really an insert cheesy theme song here. Everyone's beautiful in their own way. It's a compliment game on me.

[48:38] Sherz Aletaha: Yay, okay.

[48:40] Robert Peterpaul: It's the compliment. Compliment!

[48:41] Sherz Aletaha: Yay!

[48:44] Robert Peterpaul: Bump. It's really, it's not much of a game. Basically, Sherz, I reached out to someone in your life for a loving statement or a compliment about you, and I'm gonna read it to you, and then you have to guess who said it.

[48:57] Sherz Aletaha: Okay.

[48:58] Robert Peterpaul: Now I will say, because I know there's a lot of people that love you, this is on theme with what we're talking about today. Meryl and kindness. And I have a hint here that I'm gonna pull up on my phone because I actually forgot to put it in my notes. But we'll say you get like three guesses.

[49:14] Sherz Aletaha: Okay.

[49:15] Robert Peterpaul: I don't know. People freak out if there's no rules, but there's really no rules. Okay. I'm gonna put my reading voice on.

[49:20] Sherz Aletaha: Oh, okay.

[49:21] Robert Peterpaul: There are so many things to love about Sherz. It's very hard to choose.

[49:26] Sherz Aletaha: Oh my goodness, why did I black out?

[49:30] Robert Peterpaul: We're getting emotional already. It's so hard to choose. There are so many things to love about Sherz. It's very hard to choose just one to mention. For now, I'll say her love of celebrating. Celebrating others, herself, a good chat, a great restaurant. Just the way she infuses joy into the smallest moments in life, as well as the big ones.

[50:01] Sherz Aletaha: So nice.

[50:02] Robert Peterpaul: I know that's a really, that's really beautiful. And your first hint, I guess, is that it is someone involved in Merrily. But you can ask me questions if you need more.

[50:13] Sherz Aletaha: Okay. A cast member?

[50:15] Robert Peterpaul: Yes.

[50:16] Sherz Aletaha: I haven't narrowed down to two people.

[50:19] Robert Peterpaul: Oh, well, you get three guesses.

[50:21] Sherz Aletaha: Okay. Talia Robinson.

[50:22] Robert Peterpaul: Yes, Talia.

[50:25] Sherz Aletaha: That's my girl.

[50:26] Robert Peterpaul: You nailed it. My heart.

[50:30] Sherz Aletaha: Is it? She's okay. This was her hint. Saloon!

[50:35] Robert Peterpaul: We again, again, the show is built on bits. There is a moment in the show where a character says the word saloon, and she and I will always make eye contact on stage and go, saloon. And say it to each other, no matter what, every single show.

[50:52] Sherz Aletaha: And it is, I love her so much. I don't know what this experience would be without her.

[50:57] Robert Peterpaul: Oh, that's so sweet. Yeah, what's it like working with her? Do you guys have a lot of time on stage together? And I know you share a dressing room, right?

[51:06] Sherz Aletaha: We do, yeah. All of the ensemble, the women's ensemble in our swings, our women's swings, we're all in the same dressing room.

[51:13] Robert Peterpaul: That's fun.

[51:14] Sherz Aletaha: Which is really, really lovely. And Talia and I sit next to each other, and it's just like this constant source of support for one another. We always joke, she understudies the role of Beth, and she's amazing. She's so beautiful in the role. And we haven't had a show where we've gone on together. I've gone on with another cover for Beth, who is Liana Rey Concepcion, who's also fabulous, and Talia, I believe, has gone on with Jamila Savaras Clem, who's another merry cover, but she and I have never gone on together, and we always joke that we're like it's because we love each other too much, and if we went on together, be like, no, no, no, you deserve Frank. You know what? You worked hard for him. You can have him, curtain show is over. It would just be like two girls on stage loving each other and not caring about the two men.

[52:11] Robert Peterpaul: Yeah, it would not roll, it would not roll along. Like, not a day goes by, would never happen. I'd be like, you want to just get up and marry him? It's totally fine.

[52:19] Sherz Aletaha: Love it. We're like, okay, blackout.

[52:22] Robert Peterpaul: Exactly. Well, thank you so much for the compliment. That was a wonderful little surprise.

[52:27] Sherz Aletaha: Yeah, I love it. I appreciate you, and I've loved getting to share a little bit of time with you. I would love if we could end our time together by you sharing a tangible kindness tip for listeners, something you think people out there can do just to make the world better in their own corner.

[52:47] Sherz Aletaha: I learned this tip from my, which was gonna be my second guess for this lovely little game we played, Natalie Wachen, who's also in the cast of Merrily. She's amazing, and she's just her headspace is just so beautiful, and she is just this gorgeous energy to be around, and she puts a lot of time and care into self-care, which I think is really beautiful. And she shared with me when we were off Broadway’s every single day, her and a group of people in her life express things that they're grateful for every day. And I was like, oh, I like that so much. I'm gonna try that. And so I started literally just in my notes app on my phone. I write every day, I'm grateful for, and I list three things. And I write, I'm worthy of, and I list three things, and it just kind of like kick starts my day or ends my day, depending on when I do it, with this really beautiful outlook.

It's either getting ready to go into the world and thinking about the things I'm grateful for, or if it's at the end of the day, I get to say, you know, this person did this thing for me today, and it was so beautiful. I got to see this friend today, and it made me smile. It was sunny in New York after days of rain. Thank God, I'm so happy. Meryl Streep blessed us. Yeah, Meryl Streep came to the show and shook my peasant hand. I'll do my list every day. I mean, going forward. And it just, it really shifts your perspective and your outlook and your interactions with others. And I've noticed what a positive change it's made in my life just to do that daily. And there's times where I've fallen off and I haven't done it.

And I notice how much heavier sometimes I feel and how much heavier I walk through the world versus coming from a place of gratitude, a place of joy, a place of authenticity, and then getting to infuse my entire day with that is such a happier, more uplifting place to be. It just feels so much better.

[55:05] Robert Peterpaul: That's beautiful. I mean, it's sort of like as a performer, you know, they say to always make the positive choice. If you're making negative choices, if you're playing a villain, you know, with hatred. I'm gonna do something horrible today. Yes, no one wants to watch that. No one clicks with you. But if you're leading with love, like you're saying, and focusing on gratitude, I think you can't go wrong. And I am so grateful for this time with you again.

[55:30] Sherz Aletaha: Oh, thank you for bringing the wonder that is you to every space you go into, and I think that's a great lesson for listeners out there. I know I'm gonna try and bring myself, my Muppet, to everything I do, but it was great to meet you.

[55:43] Sherz Aletaha: So wonderful to chat with you. Thank you so much. This was such a fun time.

[55:53] Robert Peterpaul: And now it's time for your kindness tip of the week. I was reading online somewhere, I actually don't have the source, I'm so sorry, that the eclipse season is a time to take stock of the things in your life that no longer serve you and that you've outgrown so that you can let them go and then allow other things to take up that space in your life. I think we talked about something similar with spring cleaning. But since this is a solar eclipse themed episode, I want to remind you that it's important to let things go. Well, really, I want to remind myself. One of the things I need to let go, for instance, is perfection in everyday life. Even just the perfection of trying to say the right thing on this podcast and not saying, um, I have a lot of issues with that.

So why don't we all just take a moment to write down a list of the things that we're ready to let go of and then part ways with it? Maybe crumple it up, throw it away, light it on fire. Well, if that's safe to do so. Don't tell anyone I told you to do that. Knowing that the eclipse is doing something for us in this world. It's changing things up. I don't know, it feels like a nice time to just reset in that regard. So again, I don't know what the research is here, but it seems like a lovely thing to do. You know, letting go, as Elsa says, can only allow us to grow. Let go, grow. That rhymes. Okay, I'm getting loopy, so I'm gonna sign off, my friends. But thank you as always for tuning in. And until next time, please remember everything is gonna be a-okay.