This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Josh: Hey Queens, what's going on? It is Josh here and welcome back to the Queendom Podcast for another awesome week of your SIX: The Musical related content brought right to your earbuds.

[0:22] Josh: This episode is an exciting one, as all our episodes are, and I say pretty much every week. We are heading to our last cast. We have ticked every cast off so far, guys. Whoa, that's crazy. Becca Wickes is joining us from Bliss 2.0 and she is the Catherine Howard out there. We have an amazing chat this week and I can't wait to get stuck in. So without further ado, you know what time it is, Queens. As always, it is time to get down. Here we go.

[1:01] Josh: I'm the Queen of the Castle. Get down, you dirty rascal. And then we just get stuck in and have a chat about anything and everything. Feel free to run with things as long as you want to, as short as you want to. It is all up to you. I'm just gonna try and make my computer run as fast as possible because I've got a million windows open. I'm just gonna plug my charger in as well, just so I don't lose.

[1:31] Josh: That is awesome. I am used to dealing with technical malfunctions, people dropping out. I got someone's internet completely cut off on them the other day.

[1:42] Becca Wickes: Oh no.

[1:44] Josh: It's good fun. Also, I am absolutely obsessed with your collection of playbills behind you.

[1:51] Becca Wickes: Thanks.

[1:52] Josh: Yeah, so it's three tall and then runs all... I just lost...

[2:00] Becca Wickes: Oh my god, that's mad.

[2:03] Josh: Yes. I just lost all of my screens. Just give me a second. I have now just unplugged myself. Okay, I've got you there. Come on. Reconnect. Come on. Come back to me.

[2:21] Josh: Alright, we're up and running. Cool. Sorry, my whole computer just froze and I was like, oh no. Alright, let's get stuck in. We've hit record. Let's get a rolling, hey.

[2:34] Josh: Hey Queens, and welcome back to the Queendom Podcast. I am here with the amazing Becca Wicks from Bliss 2.0. Hey Beck, how you going?

[2:42] Becca Wickes: I'm good, thank you. How are you?

[2:44] Josh: I am fabulous, guys. This is a milestone. Becca ticks off the complete kind of... I'm gonna call it castle. It's like bingo, but we've hit every professional cast. We just need somebody from the OG school performance and we're set. Becca, you're ticking off all the boxes.

[3:05] Becca Wickes: I am honored to be here. I'm so excited to be here.

[3:08] Josh: I'm so excited to have you. So first of all, if you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?

[3:13] Becca Wickes: Oh, a chimpanzee.

[3:16] Josh: Oh yes.

[3:17] Becca Wickes: I love them. I just want to cuddle them. They're so cute. I either that or a monkey, just some form of... just because they just... anything like that.

[3:27] Josh: Yeah.

[3:27] Becca Wickes: I love. I'd love to. Sign me up. Or we go tiny and get a meerkat. That would be my only alternative there.

[3:34] Josh: Beach or bed?

[3:36] Becca Wickes: Beach.

[3:37] Josh: Oh well, always, always, always beach.

[3:41] Becca Wickes: Tacos or...

[3:43] Josh: I would do that now.

[3:43] Becca Wickes: So I say that again?

[3:44] Josh: Go on.

[3:45] Becca Wickes: No, I'll say what I would do right now is be down on a beach with a cocktail in my hand, honestly. Not okay in the world. Instead, we're all in bed, so right, complete opposite of where we want to be right now.

[3:43] Josh: Tacos or burritos?

[3:43] Becca Wickes: Tacos.

[3:43] Josh: A hard one.

[3:43] Becca Wickes: Yeah, I couldn't even answer that one myself. It depends on what I'm feeling on the day. Speaking of cocktails, what's your go-to drink on a night out?

[3:43] Becca Wickes: Go-to drink? I'm a Jack Daniels and Diet Coke kind of girl.

[3:43] Josh: Yes, I love.

[3:43] Becca Wickes: Yeah, I love. That's always... everyone's always like, what, whiskey? And I'm like, yeah, whiskey and bourbon, let's roll it.

[3:43] Josh: Yes, alright. Now let's get into talking why we're actually here, and that is the wonderful thing called musical theatre and SIX. What was your introduction to musical theatre? How did you get into performing and being on stage?

[3:43] Becca Wickes: So I kind of have a very cliché story. I've just always done it since I was about five or six. I've always had a massive interest for it, and I started going to a musical theatre school from a very, very young age, a Saturday school, and then it kind of just grew from there. So when I was young, I went to musical theatre school on the weekends, and then that progressed into dance classes throughout the week. So I used to go to dance class one day to Friday as well. And then as I went through school, there were the subjects that I chose to study at school, and then after school, I went to university. So I did a three-year musical theatre programme, a degree, I mean, and then yeah, so it's kind of been something I've always done.

[5:28] Becca Wickes: There's just for me, there's never really... I should have a backup, but I've just never wanted to do anything else. I think it's weird though because nobody in my family comes from that background. Like, I don't have anyone in my family who's also a performer. It's kind of just me. I don't really know where it came from. I think, I don't know, it's just always been something I've had a massive passion for from such a young age, and where I've got the most supportive parents, they just let me do whatever class I wanted to take, and it kind of just grew from there. Yeah, so it's been amazing. It's been my life.

[6:07] Josh: Yeah, that's so cool. Before we jump into SIX, and I mentioned this when we were setting up this episode, I want to touch on another show that you were in. And if you guys follow Becca on Instagram, you will have a hundred percent seen pictures of this character, and this is Scaramouche from We Will Rock You. We Will Rock You holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the first shows I did as a performer as well. So talk to me about Scarra and your experience with We Will Rock You.

[6:09] Becca Wickes: So We Will Rock You was my first job out of college. I left college in July and then I booked this job in the September time. So this was really fresh out of college.

[6:50] Becca Wickes: For me, the biggest learning experience I've ever had was We Will Rock You. I think everyone's first job is always where you learn the most about who you are as a performer, who you are as a person, how you hold yourself in a room, how you work with creatives and that. For me, Scarra was a dream role for me when I was a young girl. So being able to book this job was really a dream come true. I had the most rewarding year performing her. She is honestly the funniest, most amazing, gorgeous character to play. There's so much you can do with Scarra, and you know, she's so lovable. Even though she's got this fire, this feisty side to her, she is so lovable. I think she was just so exciting to play, and the audience always love her.

They love her little one-liners, like she's so witty, she's always on the ball. The guy who played my Galileo, when we were acting on stage, it was like we were just talking in real life, like that's how our conversations went. It was just so natural, and it was an amazing show to be in, and I'm so grateful to have had that opportunity.

[8:15] Josh: That is so cool. I've got another friend that played Scarra on the Australian tour down here, and she came to see our amateur production on our opening night, which was so sick to have her there. So yeah, Scarra holds a special place in my heart, and so does We Will Rock You. It's just a fantastic, fantastic show.

[8:22] Becca Wickes: It really is.

[8:22] Josh: Here's something I want to pitch to you as a professional: is there a difference between doing a jukebox musical and an original score, like going from We Will Rock You to SIX? Is it different learning the show when you know the songs compared to needing to learn the songs?

[8:22] Becca Wickes: That's a hard one because whenever I go into learning a show, like into the rehearsal process, I try so hard to steer clear from what the recordings sound like. With any show, you can listen to the recordings, you can listen to the soundtracks. But especially with jukebox musicals, you have to really try and detach yourself from what you already know and kind of go in with a fresh mindset and just let the musical director teach you the way that is intended to be taught. Sometimes that is hard, especially when I've grown up listening to Queen. When you go into that rehearsal room, you've got such a fixated brain on what you think the song is meant to sound like. But you just have to be really open and really relaxed with just trusting that you're gonna learn new things along the way, and things are gonna change.

I think that's the same with any show because every recording is so easy to listen to these days. You can get any soundtrack of any show; you just have to be really cautious of detaching yourself from what you think it should sound like to what it actually needs to sound like.

[9:36] Becca Wickes: That's really important with We Will Rock You too because some of the songs were rewritten for the show and have different lyrics and completely different meanings. It screwed with my head trying to learn those.

[10:29] Josh: I know, so different to the original.

[10:33] Becca Wickes: I was actually listening to Radio Ga Ga the other day and I started singing along to it, and I was like, wait, why is it lyrical like this?

[10:45] Josh: Amazing.

[10:45] Becca Wickes: So let's shift from rocking out to rocking out with SIX. What was your introduction to this show? How did you find out about it?

[10:55] Becca Wickes: So I actually, when I was doing We Will Rock You, the soundtrack for SIX got released, but it was only when they released "X Wives," so it was just one track. One of my uni friends texted me and was like, "Beck, have you heard the new song from SIX?" I was like, "No, I haven't." So I listened to it and I was like, "I want to do this." I was literally waiting and waiting for the whole soundtrack to be released, and when it did, I was obsessed. I was like, "I have to be in this musical, like this is incredible."

[11:27] Becca Wickes: So when I got home from We Will Rock You, I remember I was sitting at my table, I was doing some avenue work, and I saw an email come up, and it was like, "Audition for SIX." I was like, "Oh my god, oh my god, the moment's come, the moment's come." So I had that, and then yeah, I kind of was like obsessed with the show right from the outset, and then I was very lucky to get an audition for it, and then it went from there. The next thing I knew, I'd been offered a part, and I was like, "What is going on? How has this happened?"

[12:11] Josh: Who were you most drawn to? Who did you want to play? Were you always a Howard?

[12:16] Becca Wickes: See, no, I never saw myself as a Howard initially. I was and still am obsessed with Cleves. I think she's just the most fierce, most powerful woman ever, and I cannot explain to you the feeling on stage when you're doing "Get Down" and you walk forward and you say "Woof." Honestly, that moment will never get old. I feel like the baddest person ever. I love it. I absolutely love it. So when I initially listened to the whole soundtrack, her song stood out the most for me just because there's just even like that simple bass line at the beginning, it just gets me going. I'm like, "Oh, I'm ready for this, I'm ready."

[13:07] Josh: Yeah, it's a... the whole soundtrack's incredible, but the one that really stood out to me was "Get Down."

[13:12] Becca Wickes: There we go, that's cool.

[13:13] Josh: What was it like after getting the call? Actually, let's go into the call. So do you still remember the moment that you got the call saying, "Yeah, hey, you're a queen now. Congratulations"?

[13:20] Becca Wickes: I was actually... when I'm not performing, I teach musical theatre, and I was on my way to teach a class of four to seven-year-olds. I remember I pulled up in the park, agent rang, and I saw the call come through, and my heart... because I was awaiting the call to see if I got it or not.

[13:51] Becca Wickes: Can you hear me? It says my internet connection is unstable. Can you still hear me?

[13:54] Josh: Yeah, I can still hear you, yeah.

[13:56] Becca Wickes: It's all good. We've got red bars, so we might drop out for a little bit, but it's okay, keep going.

[14:01] Becca Wickes: Yeah, so I was in and I saw the call come through, and I was like, "Oh, this is the moment I'm waiting for. This is what I'm waiting for."

[14:08] Becca Wickes: And I answered, and he was like, Hey Becca, um, just an update. And he was like, So I was just wondering, like, if you could play any queen, who would you want to play? And I was like, What? And he was like, Wouldn't it be happening, Howard? And I was like, What? And he was like, What would you say if you got off in it? And I was like, Don't stop messing with me, what's going on? And he was like, You've been off in it, and I was like, and I started and like immediately started crying. And I was like, I literally have to go and teach this class of babies right now, like with tears streaming down my face. And I walked in and like all of my kids like when I put the phones down and I went to set up the class and all my kids came in.

And they was like, Becca, why are you crying? I was like, I'm not crying, like I'm just so happy. And I was like, What's going on? And I had to teach an entire two hour class, just like ecstatic inside, like screaming at all these kids because I was so excited. I was like, What's going on? So yeah, that was that moment.

[15:02] Becca Wickes: So going into rehearsals, did you know any of the other girls that you were going to be sharing the thrones with? So quite a few of them I'd met in the audition process. Um so yeah, who so in the in the last uh rounds of of the auditions you have like workshop sessions. So we kind of all saw we kind of all saw each other, yeah. Um but like nobody really knew each other that well at the moment apart from I kept in contact after the audition with Lucy who plays Berlin in our cast. Yeah. Um and we were just messaging back and forth, like asking if any if either of us had heard anything yet, and then obviously we both heard and we we'd both been offered. So we'd been chatting, then we met up a um a couple of times before we actually went.

Uh so it was nice because we we already really knew somebody like before we went. Yeah. Um so that was really nice. So we all knew of each other and like we all knew like who who each other was and who was playing who. Um but we g immediately once rehearsal started, it's like we knew each other all our lives, like we just instantly jailed as a group. Um and I we still speak now every day, like they're like sisters, yeah. Amazing.

[16:14] Josh: It's great. How do you explain uh hearing the songs come together for the first time? Like that first sing-through that you had and just hearing everyone's voices medal together.

[16:27] Becca Wickes: It honestly is like they're like moments you'll just never forget and like in life, especially when like each of us all had like a massive passion to do the show. Yeah. So like especially when you have that desire, and then when you hear like it will come into life, and like when you first run or like when we first ran X Wives and sang it and did the whole number, like it w it's so overwhelming, but not in not in a in a bad way, and and obviously like such a happy way because you're like, oh my god, like we're actually doing this show, yeah. And it's such it's such a a beautiful memory, and like yeah, it's amazing. And we we was we was all like just counting our blessings to be there, and it's just it's a it's a moment you'll never forget. Amazing.

[17:10] Josh: Did you guys do your rehearsals in Tampa?

[17:12] Becca Wickes: Yes, we did, yeah, in amazing Tampa. So what's life like um away from home, learning a show, ready to go on a cruise ship? It's for me, like I I come from a very like family oriented home, like I love I love my family so much and my friends. Um so when I when I first got offered rock you, which was the year before, and that was a year away from home, I was really apprehensive about that, and I was like, Oh my god, I don't know if I can do a year from home. Yeah. But when you go away for such a long period of time that the people that you're working with, they become a family and you become so reliant on them and and of course you still miss home and and you still miss like the the normality of things and and like normal land life instead of like ship life.

Um you you you do you become you become such a close unit that like you get each other through it and like even on your like your down days, like there was always somebody there who picks you up. Yeah. And and if I'm being honest, like there wasn't I didn't really have many times where I I was down because I was like, I'm just so grateful to be like traveling the world as part of my job, performing in these amazing shows, meeting all these amazing people from all around the world. Like I have so I have friends now who live all over the shop, and although that's sad because we don't get to see each other all the time, like it's an amazing excuses for holidays that I can you know flight to New York and go and see my best friend. Yeah. Um but yeah, you just you you do you have each other and like that's like your that's your core foundation for the for the time you're away. Yeah, amazing. I love that.

[18:47] Becca Wickes: Um so learning this show, um I'm gonna touch on a couple of different things. Um what was your favorite moment in the show to learn and put together?

[19:03] Becca Wickes: That's a hard one. I'm gonna say for me, ex wives was was my favourite to learn. I think because that was the first thing we learned from the show. Yeah. So obviously, like your adrenaline is just pump in and yeah, I think and because that's when obviously when each character when each queen is established, um, that's just a really exciting moment in the show. Like the opening is so powerful and like when you get the the first boom boom and like you just you're pressing you're like, oh I'm kinda it's ready, it's ready, it's ready. Um so yeah, that was probably my most that was probably my favorite moment in the show to learn. Amazing favorite choreography to learn.

[19:45] Becca Wickes: Get down. Get down. There wasn't even a second of thought there. I know, there's just that that's that number in specific, it's just like obviously every every number has like a different flair of choreography. Like there's like different different styles in every number. But for get down, it's just so it's like really commercial, really hip hop, and it's just again it just it it just goes back to Cleese like it's such a fierce number and like it's just it's really it feels really empowering to be a part of. I know that's can sound quite weird because just like on a choreography basis, but the the like the the choreography is incredible from start to finish, but in that parti uh uh specific number for me, like it's just so it's so exciting like performing that number every single show. And and yeah, that's yeah, that's just the choreography is spot on. Amazing.

[20:37] Josh: Before we go on to a deep dive with Howard, um what character did you find easier to connect more to or find yourself in between Scarra and Howard?

[20:47] Becca Wickes: Ooh, that's a hard one because like character-wise, they're so they're so different. Yeah, but they also have a lot of oh that's that's really hard. It's a weird kind of Venn diagram with the two because they have some things in common, like character wise, but also they're polar opposites in other initially. I'm gonna I'm gonna say I'm gonna say Scarra, like that was kind of an an immediate connection with Scarra. Um because of like the dry weird and like her her sarcasm kind of like resembles really well with me. That's kind of like who I am as a person, and a lot of my humour comes from sarcastic, witty comments. Yeah. Um and and that that is the same with Howard. I mean in her monologue, she does have a lot of like savage, savvy comments.

Um but then I think with Howard as as the process went on and as you learn, because there's so much more to Howard than meets the eye, then like when you when you listen to the soundtrack, you think it's just like it's a happy pop song, like and it's you know all I did, but when you actually like really listen and really start to understand the character, that it is so meaningful, and I think a lot of people connect with that song more than they initially think. Like when you really listen to the lyrics and when and like especially when you watch when you watch the show and you see the journey that that that Howard goes on, yeah, and it is a really detailed journey, like that song is a marathon, like there was so much so much to it, yeah.

And so yeah, for me, as as the process went on and I was learning more about Howard, I was like, wow, I actually have so much to relate to with this character, like so much to relate to, not character, queen sorry. Um so yeah, I think with with Scar it was more of an initial, yes, I I can I can really relate to her, whereas with Howard, it was more of a I really enjoyed the process of Howard and learning and learning who she was, what she was about and her journey.

[22:48] Josh: What was uh something that you learnt about Howard that you were either surprised with or was like, Whoa that is really cool?

[22:57] Becca Wickes: So for me, like just I I like to I had really fun taking a different so you know when you when you hear about all like the the men that she had that she had relationships with and uh immediately you just assume she was you know she she liked to to dabble around but when you actually start to to really read into it and you can you can get a different take on it and it's actually re it was really heartbreaking. I mean me and Franny who is the who is our director the amazing Franny we had we had many talks about about Howard and there was there was this one moment in rehearsals where I actually got so upset like so so upset because like the things that Howard that that Howard went through they're so relevant to today like so extremely relevant and people and I don't think people understand like we some of some of the exercises we did like whilst learning all you want to do like they were really really intense.

Yeah but they they needed to be that level of level of intense because you to understand so strongly like that what she went through and it was like it's heartbreaking like it is so heartbreaking so for me I I didn't expect to be to be that taken back by it and to be that emotion like emotional about it. Yeah um so that was that was really really really interesting and something I enjoyed very much. Really much.

[24:34] Josh: I love that, and you summed it up really well. I've had this discussion with we've had nearly every Howard from nearly every cast on here at some point. And we all go into that emotional state because the I was one of those people, you definitely don't pick it up on the off the recording. Um like the the way that it's recorded, they've done a fantastic and Jody touched on this a couple of weeks ago. The way that they've recorded the show, uh the soundtrack is just so different to what the show is because you don't get that emotional depth and character development properly in the soundtrack, I don't think. Um and I remember the first time I saw it stage, I was like, oh, okay. Me too. I get this show now.

[25:22] Becca Wickes: Like so let's talk about from an acting perspective. Um, because Scarra has some deep moments in We'll Rock you as well. How do you but mainly for Howard because she had you had to go to such an emotional kind of place to connect with some of the elements in this show? How do you draw the line in between um kind of work and home so you don't kind of take it home with you, dwell on it and drive yourself into kind of a hard place to work?

[25:58] Becca Wickes: It's just something like as as an actor you just give me a sec, Beck, if you can hear me. Alright, we're just gonna wait for a second, clear all the airwaves. And we've just gone red again? Just give it a sec. Alright, you should be good to go now.

[26:22] Becca Wickes: Yeah. Um, so yeah, so as a as an actor, like you you do tend to use past past experiences and past emotions to help like enhance the the build of your character. Um but I just think it's it's just important to know that you can just dab into it and you don't you you shouldn't rely on that to to be your to be your character. Um it should just be something that not remind you, but yeah, but I I I guess does essentially remind you of of what of what it feels like. Um so as I think so when you're when you're in performance, it's just it's just something you have to be aware of that you can't you can't delve into that into that past experience or something. You just have to remember what that emotion felt like, but not read the story, but just kind of remember it and then you can use that.

Um I think you're when you're in performance it's kind of subconscious, like you don't you you wouldn't like when you're so in the when you're so in that you don't you don't really have time to think about anything else apart from apart from who you're playing in that specific moment in time because otherwise you just can you take yourself out of out of the scene and you know it can not only affect your performance but it can affect everybody else's performance on stage because you're completely in a different world to what what your character is um or for this example what queen what like that your queen is in. Um it's important just to know that you just you have to just dab in and dab out, like you can't rely on that.

[27:51] Josh: Amazing. I love that. That summed my question up perfectly. Um so life on board a cruise ship, how did you go with cr uh ship life?

[28:02] Becca Wickes: I see like I really, really did love it. Um you know, like performing is obvious is is obviously the biggest perk of the job, but also like you get to see the most amazing places and you're essentially traveling the world whilst performing in your dream show, and it's like what more could you possibly want?

[28:22] Becca Wickes: Like it's it is it's another life, it's a complete different life. Um and ship life isn't for everyone, um, but for me personally, I loved it, like it was great, you're with your friends 247, like you're just literally having the best time. Um, and like in in port days, like you can get off and you can go and explore these amazing places that you go to. Um and then when you're not getting off the ship, you're doing amazing shows, so it's like it's a win-win all the time. Amazing.

[28:51] Josh: What was the favorite port that you visited?

[28:54] Becca Wickes: Oh, um favorite port I visited. This isn't really that much of an interesting one, but I just personally loved it. Like I would love to live there. Boston, um, in America. Yeah, we did Boston a few times, and it's just it's just so it's so beautiful, like so so beautiful. Um yeah, and I just really enjoyed exploring that place, and I think that's actually something that I would really love to live. Um favorite place. Shout out to all the Massachusetts that that's definitely not what you guys are, but shout out to you guys for having amazing city. Um so where was I going? Oh, yes, here. Um let's talk about the the abrupt end to the contract that was coronavirus and everything that kind of led us to here. Um what what was it like for you guys on board?

[29:58] Becca Wickes: Um it was really heartbreaking. Um so we we had literally just got on board and we did our opening night and then the morning after our opening night we we all got told that we would be sent home, and then after that we had to do another two shows that evening. Um and it was just it was just really sad because like the adrenaline you get from opening that show, and as I said earlier, like we all had such a passion for this show, and you know, I I loved the girls so much, and we had the most amazing time performing that show. Um and it was just so sad that it ended so abruptly, and but we just kept we just had to tell ourselves that you know we're not the only ones going through this. This is a global tragedy, and yeah, so many people across the world have have lost their jobs to this, you know, and it's affected so many people.

So we just you know, we just had to keep telling ourselves that we'll be back, like this is this isn't permanent, like this is a temporary thing, and we're not the only ones experiencing some form of loss or some form of heartbreak, you know, there are a lot worse things going on.

[31:07] Josh: Yeah.

[31:08] Becca Wickes: Um, and we just had we just had to keep saying to ourselves that it was uh we had an amazing experience and it's one that we'll never forget, and it's not over, like it's not over yet. Like this we're we're gonna go back, we're gonna finish we're gonna finish doing the show. We just don't know when. Um but in that during the time we just have to remember that we was very lucky and very fortunate to be able to be a part of you know the the six queendom and the six community and actually have the opportunity to perform the shows that we did, even though it was only four shows, they're four of the most amazing shows we've ever been a part of. So we just have to stay really grateful and and count ourselves lucky that we we had that opportunity given to us.

[31:47] Josh: Amazing. I love that mindset that you've got. And shout out uh to Sam, who was your company manager. Am I correct?

[31:54] Becca Wickes: Sammy B, yes, she is an angel sent from above. We I have never ever come across um a stage manager like Sam. She is an absolute pleasure to be around, honestly. Like when we had really like long rehearsal days and we were all so tired. Sammy B would always pick everyone up, always. Um we actually like would sing songs for her, like we would sing chants for her, like we love her. Um, but unfortunately, she wasn't gonna be our our stage manager on the ship. She was own she was only in there for rehearsals and for install. Um but yeah, she is she's a an amazing, an amazing woman, and we all love her, we all love her dearly. And if you don't follow the Bliss 2.0 account, please go and do it now. Because Quarrung Queen thing that is going on over there or has been on is fantastic to that is so much fun.

[32:51] Josh: Um talk me through you only did a couple of shows with six, but this can delve into scara as well. Um what do you have a set kind of pre-show routine that you go through before every show?

[33:05] Becca Wickes: Yeah, so I um I have to I kind of follow quite a strict one, and if I if I miss something, I get really agitated.

[33:14] Josh: Are you a superstitious performer?

[33:17] Becca Wickes: Um, yeah, I I think I am. I really think I am. Um, so before it's just that little things as well. Like I I have a specific warm-up that I do before, so I warm up and then I'll go to to the group warm-up. I like to do my own things because I kind of like know what my voice needs to be vocally warm. So I do that first. I always have a lemon and ginger tea with a squat of honey, and I always steam. I have like a little sippy cup steamer that I always I always have to do before every show, and specifically for rock you, I had an odd like a very specific order of people that I would so before every show I always wished everybody good luck, and it was at the same time, every single show, and it was in the same order of people.

[34:03] Becca Wickes: And honestly, one time my friend Charlie, um he he didn't he didn't say good luck in the right order, and it freaked me out big time. I was like, oh my god, I need to start again, and I need to go around and say good luck to everyone in the in the right order. And for some reason, it just I've never I've never done that before, like I've never been that serious about anything, but I think because I literally started it from the first show, and then I just kept doing it, and then it became this thing that I just I couldn't not do. And like if I started to forget, I'd literally jump out of my chair and run really quickly to go say good luck to everybody. Um but yeah, like everyone always knew it as well. Everyone always knew it was coming because it was literally at the exact same time before every show, like the exact same time.

[34:48] Josh: Um so yeah, that was quite a weird one for rock you. Um, but yeah, yeah.

[34:54] Becca Wickes: I always like to get into my zone as well. I like to give myself like five minutes just where I'm on my own. I used to just sit in the corridor. Um, so we have our dressing rooms, and I just used to sit in the corridor outside our dressing rooms just for five minutes. I just like to sit there, just not talk to anybody and just really like get into a zone. I don't like to be distracted before a show, I like to be really like focused. Um, yeah, yeah, so that's that.

[35:19] Josh: Talk me through seeing the pink for the first time and getting to see it all come together.

[35:25] Becca Wickes: Honestly, when I first saw the pink ponytail, I was like, I'm dyeing my hair pink roughly a second. They put it in, I was like, that's it, my hair is pink now, I'm never being brown again. Obviously, I didn't dye it, I didn't die. Um, but for some reason, like just putting that long pony in, I felt like a new woman, and like I was living in that ponytail, and then when the um the costume got made and I was fitting into the costume, it was just like it just didn't feel real because there's so much like personal detail that goes into each of the costumes, like the costume designs, and it they are genius, like they are so genius, and they are so specific, so specific.

[36:15] Becca Wickes: Um, and it honestly, it was just like an amazing because we had our initial costume fit in quite a few months before we left. We had it, I had mine in London. Um, and it was kind of just like a mock up that they make first, and even just seeing the mock-up, I was like, oh my god, this is like the amount of detail that they're putting into this is crazy. Um, and then when you have quite a few costume fittings, and then when the final product gets put on to you, it's just like oh my god, it was so beautiful, and again, so overwhelming, like especially because you know, you see all these photos on Instagram of of all the queens and all the queens costumes, and they just look so beautiful. But when you're in person and when that actual costume is put on to you, it's like, oh my good god, I'm an actual queen. Like it's an it's such an amazing feeling. It's such an amazing feeling.

[37:04] Becca Wickes: Um, but yeah, and I love I get to wear these um these uh pink hoop earrings as well, and I love hoop earrings. So when I got some like pink ones, I was like, oh my god, this character is me.

[37:18] Josh: Yeah. That is wonderful. Well, Beck, that wraps things up for us. Uh that thank you so much for coming in hanging out.

[37:27] Becca Wickes: Thank you for having me. I've had so much fun.

[37:29] Josh: I've had an abundance of fun.

[37:32] Becca Wickes: That was a weird way of saying that.

[37:34] Josh: But you know what time it is? If you guys want to go follow Becca, scroll down, hit the link down below, go show her some love.

[37:43] Becca Wickes: Please do.

[37:43] Josh: You know where to find me? That is Ozqueenam and the Queen'em cast. I nearly forgot my own app. Um yeah, we will uh wrap things up with this last question.

[37:55] Becca Wickes: Um having things cut short, um actually, we've got two questions. What's your favorite memory of this whole experience?

[38:07] Becca Wickes: Just meeting meeting the girls and meet meeting the creative team, like made friends for life, like completely made friends for life. Um I think when it's quite an uh an overwhelming thing when when you go into a room of all women, like there's the whole creative team, the whole cast, everyone is is is is a woman.

[38:30] Becca Wickes: Um and you know, I've I've never worked on on a on a show that involves that before, you know, as I'm guessing probably not a lot of people have. And but honestly, that whole experience of of working with with only women is so empowering. Oh my goodness, I've never been involved in a process before or in a room before where the women just support and love each other so much and there was no negative vibes, like everyone was so positive, and it was such a beautiful experience, and that is something that I will take with me forever, and I am so humbled and so grateful to be able to work with such beautiful, inspiring women, like just amazing.

[39:13] Josh: Man, and that leads me into this question, which I probably should have started with before that one. Um being away from everybody and having things cut short, uh, what's the biggest thing you miss about six?

[39:26] Becca Wickes: I guess it's kind of the same answer.

[39:28] Josh: Yeah.

[39:29] Becca Wickes: Um yeah, like it just like and it's such a shame because we literally from the from the first day we all met, it was just laughter continuously and in even and and with the creative team as well, and with Sam and with everybody who was involved. Every single person got along. Um and you know, it was just it was special, it was such a special experience, and I I miss, I miss I miss seeing the girls, I miss seeing the creative team. I just I miss performing a show, I miss being surrounded by beautiful women, and I'm I just I miss the whole concept of it. I miss everything about it. Um, but that also just means that when we go back, it's gonna again it's gonna be so magical and it's gonna be the most amazing feeling when we all get to perform that show again.

[40:15] Josh: Yeah.

[40:16] Becca Wickes: Because where we all love it and we all miss it so much, like that adrenaline, that fight when we go back is gonna be so powerful. I I know we're we're all buzzing, we're all so excited to get back and just get back to being with uh to being together. I I really want six to kind of stagger the returns so I can do a like a world tour and see everyone's first shows because every single one of them it's gonna be intense, it's just gonna be like a we haven't we haven't actually touched on this, but I'm just gonna fright out there anyway. That's I think one of my my another favorite thing about six is that you can see like every single performance of six around the world, and I can guarantee there'll be something magnitudely different about it.

[40:57] Becca Wickes: Like one thing that I I love I love is that you're like you're encouraged to not to not follow another another queen's interpretation, like you're really you're you're serious, you're really encouraged to to find your own take on her and to like to bring your own essence to the queen, and that's what I enjoy. Like when you go and see all these different performance different performances, you're like, oh my god, I've never thought of of doing it like that. Oh my god, that's such an interesting take on it. And I just think again, I think that is just another thing about the show that is just so so well done and so intelligent and again so beautiful.

[41:33] Josh: That's that's an even better note to wrap this episode up on, right? Queens, please go show Becca some love. All her ads are down below. Beck, we can't wait to see you and your girls slay it back on stage.

[41:45] Becca Wickes: Thank you.

[41:46] Josh: We can't wait. All this is over. Uh and Queens, hit that subscribe button because you do not want to miss out next week with a brand new episode of the Queen of Podcast. This is where we'll be, and we will see you then.

[42:05] Becca Wickes: We're six.