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[0:01] Josh: And tonight we are hey queens, what's going on?

[0:13] Josh: It is Josh here, and we are back with another episode of The Queendom Podcast this week.

[0:17] Josh: We are heading out on the cruise ships once again with one of the swings on the Breakaway cruise, Miss Lizzie Walker.

[0:24] Josh: We are excited to chat all things cruising, life, happiness, laughs, Instagram, whatever it is, you're gonna find it here in this episode.

[0:31] Josh: Make sure you guys are keeping an eye on the official social media because we are gearing up to head back to work, ladies and gentlemen.

[0:39] Josh: Town and tour are currently in rehearsals.

[0:42] Josh: Oh, I think they are.

[0:43] Josh: Um they are gearing up to go back on stage, which is so exciting.

[0:48] Josh: So make sure you're checking out all the girls in the town and tour cast and the official social media.

[0:53] Josh: But for now, this is a podcast episode, so let's get down.

[0:57] Josh: I'm the Queen of the Castle.

[0:59] Josh: Get down, you dirty rascal get down.

[1:02] Josh: Hey Queens, and welcome back to The Queendom Podcast.

[1:05] Josh: Uh I am here by I am here by there we go.

[1:08] Josh: We're off to a great start, guys.

[1:10] Josh: I am joined by Lizzie Walker from the Breakaway cruise cast.

[1:14] Josh: Hey Lizzie, how you going?

[1:15] Lizzie Walker: Hi everyone, yeah, I'm good.

[1:18] Lizzie Walker: Hope we're all having a wonderful day 3000 in quarantine.

[1:24] Lizzie Walker: Not that we're counting, but we're etching into the walls for historical accuracy.

[1:32] Josh: Oh, so to start it off on an easy one, Lizzie, what's your favorite animal?

[1:38] Lizzie Walker: Oh, okay.

[1:39] Lizzie Walker: Um I have so many.

[1:41] Lizzie Walker: Oh my god.

[1:42] Lizzie Walker: Um, but I love sloths.

[1:44] Lizzie Walker: Sloths are like so cute.

[1:47] Lizzie Walker: And um, I saw them in London Zoo, a little mum and a baby, and I must have stood there.

[1:52] Lizzie Walker: They were trying to close the zoo, and I was like, nope, nope.

[1:55] Lizzie Walker: I'm standing here and watching this baby and his mum.

[1:59] Lizzie Walker: They are the cutest little things.

[2:02] Lizzie Walker: And I feel like they're my spirit animal as well, so one right there.

[2:12] Josh: Um, what's your favorite show that you've seen?

[2:16] Lizzie Walker: What oh my gosh, that is a hard one.

[2:21] Lizzie Walker: Um it feels like such a long time since I've seen anything as well.

[2:26] Lizzie Walker: Don't even start.

[2:27] Lizzie Walker: It's been like six months since my last one, and I'm like, what is this?

[2:34] Lizzie Walker: It's been so much longer.

[2:36] Lizzie Walker: Um my god, I can't even think.

[2:42] Lizzie Walker: Well, I'm gonna say, because it keeps coming to my head, Mean Girls for the minute.

[2:47] Lizzie Walker: So I saw it on Broadway last year, luckily, so that's what I'm gonna go with.

[2:52] Lizzie Walker: It was actually so much better than listening to the album, and I think that's probably what stuck with me.

[2:58] Lizzie Walker: Like, you kind of got you understood it more.

[3:00] Lizzie Walker: It really doesn't take yourself too seriously.

[3:03] Lizzie Walker: So yeah.

[3:05] Lizzie Walker: I loved Mean Girls.

[3:08] Josh: I yeah, yeah, that was yeah, I agree 100%.

[3:12] Josh: Good show.

[3:13] Lizzie Walker: Um, yeah.

[3:15] Lizzie Walker: With all our time in quarantine, what's a TV show that you've discovered and binge?

[3:24] Lizzie Walker: So my friends have just introduced me to a program called Selling Sunset.

[3:31] Lizzie Walker: Now, if you're into trash reality sort of documentary TV, it is perfect.

[3:38] Lizzie Walker: It's about um these girls and um these guys who sell real estate in America in LA, so it's like really expensive, luxurious houses, but it also is the drama of like a real housewives.

[3:53] Lizzie Walker: So they've kind of like merged these two aspects together, and it's absolutely amazing.

[3:58] Lizzie Walker: Like if you're into that kind of like trashy reality TV, it's amazing.

[4:04] Lizzie Walker: And the fights they have, but the fights they have, they're all like done up to like the nines and they're amazing, and then they go in and sell in houses, and it's just like the most bizarre thing, but it really works.

[4:17] Lizzie Walker: So yeah, some light hearted TV.

[4:22] Josh: Stuff you've made us watch.

[4:24] Lizzie Walker: I know, I know.

[4:25] Lizzie Walker: I have been watching some of the more intellectual things, but that that is like the one that stuck in my mind the most recent.

[4:31] Josh: So I love that.

[4:34] Josh: Um so how did you get into the wonderful uh world of performing arts?

[4:38] Josh: How did you get into theatre?

[4:41] Lizzie Walker: So, as a very very young child, I began dancing.

[4:46] Lizzie Walker: Um, my mum and my nan had all danced for the same um dance school.

[4:52] Lizzie Walker: Funnily enough, just happened to be three generations of us, and um, it was just the hobby, just something to do, like local communities on a Saturday, and um I think when I was about eight years old, my head of the dance school sort of said um to my mum, does she want to join the Am Drum, like the amateur dramatics, the local ones?

[5:12] Lizzie Walker: And um, they were doing a production of Scrooge, and I ended up being Belinda Cratchit, one of the Cratchit children.

[5:18] Lizzie Walker: Um, so that was my first my first dabble into musical theatre.

[5:23] Lizzie Walker: I don't really remember it because I was so young, and then I just kind of started doing more and more um local stuff, and um I think when I was about 10 I auditioned for Annie for the role of Annie, a classic.

[5:39] Lizzie Walker: And um that was the first time I think I remember being like, oh, I can actually kind of do this because I'd never played a part like that.

[5:48] Lizzie Walker: I I'd only kind of just been chorus or like done little bits, um, and we kind of realized that I could sing, and I still don't remember knowing that I could sing, like I just did I just was like singing along to the the like this the album and I was like okay cool and like this is this is alright and then did that and it kind of went from there and I started uh I started with like an acting and a musical theatre group, so then I really blossomed into like wow, this is really what I want to do.

[6:17] Lizzie Walker: Um that group did so much for me and just taught me so much, and um from there I sort of heard about a six-form college, which is our 16 to 18 over here.

[6:32] Lizzie Walker: Then I went and did two years of musical theatre, then obviously that was kind of um conditioned us to go to drama school.

[6:40] Lizzie Walker: So from there auditioned for drama school, went to drama school, and yeah, the rest is history, her story.

[6:46] Josh: And you were another one of the many casts from GSA, the the wonderful school.

[6:54] Josh: Um it seems to be kind of a hot spot for Six castings.

[6:59] Lizzie Walker: Yeah, yeah.

[7:01] Lizzie Walker: It's it's a funny one.

[7:03] Lizzie Walker: But um, yeah, they must they're doing something right, obviously.

[7:09] Josh: Um speaking of Six, how did you find out about the show?

[7:13] Josh: What what was your introduction to Six?

[7:16] Lizzie Walker: I was actually on another ship doing Grease um for Royal Caribbean on Harmony of the Seas and um I remember there was just a couple of people being like, Oh, have you heard of this new show?

[7:27] Lizzie Walker: I was like, Oh, not really.

[7:29] Lizzie Walker: Um they said, Yeah, it's kind of doing some bits, it's like gaining some traction, but like it's nothing like it's just been at the fringe, I think at that point.

[7:37] Lizzie Walker: Yeah, it was a it probably was around the summer.

[7:39] Lizzie Walker: My contract finished in the November, so I think it was around the summer time, it'd been to the fringe, um, they were maybe starting to do some bits in London, and I think the only song I'd really listened to was X-Wives, and we were me and my friend, he's American, and we were obsessed with Renee's riff, like obsessed with it, and we could not get over it.

[8:00] Lizzie Walker: Um so that was the first time I was introduced to it, but luckily when I got back from the ship, that's when they were doing their very first UK tour, and they came to Manchester and that's at my home and that's where I was at the time.

[8:12] Lizzie Walker: And my American friend was coming to visit and he stayed with me for a few days in Manchester, and on a whim, I was like, Well, shall we go and see it?

[8:19] Lizzie Walker: Because it's here, like it's kind of like great timing, let's go.

[8:23] Lizzie Walker: And he was like, Yeah, yeah, and the tickets were so cheap.

[8:26] Lizzie Walker: They must have been about like £12 each or something, and maybe a bit more expensive, but not nothing that I was like, oh god.

[8:33] Lizzie Walker: Um we went and saw it and I was literally like, I'm shook, like that was sensational.

[8:44] Lizzie Walker: And the time I saw it as well, um, so two of the girls had actually called in sick, and it was only when Grace was the the swing.

[8:55] Lizzie Walker: So Lexi had to sit on a stool downstage left and perform most of the show and Grace had gone into the par track.

[9:07] Lizzie Walker: So it kind of was like a weird thing to see we didn't think we were going to see the show because in the beginning they um there was a lot of delay and we kept being told over the microphone like um there's been some illness and we're really gonna try and put the show on for you but they kept pushing back and pushing back and we were kind of sat there half an hour after it um meant to have started and we were like are we gonna get to see this show today we're not sure um so it was a bit reblocking backstage like crazy crazy crazy um but it went ahead and I was still as blown away by it even with all the changes that um the girls had had to put together very last minute I'm sure so that was my very long-winded first experience of Six so going from there we'll just quickly touch on um because I was gonna ask this question later but we've brought it up um obviously Six on the ship you were on was with Norwegian uh and you'd done a contract with Royal so how did those two compare uh ship life performing life um royal to Norwegian because royal ships are notoriously big on the seas um so what was that like yeah um so my ship when I first um started on it was actually the largest in the world so it was huge um it's now the second so not not really a demo should but like um so that that just the size this like the sheer size of the ship was quite drastic when I got onto the the Breakaway um but on Royal we worked a lot more in terms of shows so we did um six uh five uh five days a week five days a week but we did six shows um we did a one double show day and that was of our other show which was called Columbus um so we did we did a few more working days we didn't actually have to wear name badges on Royal well correction some of us didn't have to wear name badges on Royal for some reason like hierarchy is such a bizarre thing but it's so potent on ships and um some of the casting have to and some did luckily I didn't have to but it did cause a bit of like friction and tension because people be like well why can't I not wear one if they haven't you know so it's a bit of a funny one but on NCL that was eradicated because everybody had to wear name badges so it was um it was quite interesting how the guests would interact with us on Norwegian because instantly we were um they saw our badges so they'd come over to us and talk to us so that that was slightly different um trying to think what else there was the itinerary was different I it was nice to see some different places on the Breakaway um but I did enjoy being in Miami more than um Port Canaveral in the lovely uh just just south of Orlando which was a thing because our um our turnaround day we didn't have enough time to go to Disney and that was something that I was like please please can we go and we never got the chance because we didn't have time.

[12:16] Lizzie Walker: They were probably a bit more strict on NCL to be fair than Royal Royal was a little a little more um we could get away with a couple more things but obviously Six just doing that show is just sensational so let's dive into it then and let's unpack it.

[12:36] Josh: Um you finish Grease, get off the ship, go see the show, and then you hear, hey auditions are up.

[12:45] Josh: Um so what was it like having that kind of buzz about knowing what the show kind of is, having heard it, then seeing it staged, walking into the audition room and being like, yeah, cool, I could actually be performing this show.

[13:00] Josh: What what was kind of going through your head and what were the emotions throughout the process?

[13:04] Lizzie Walker: So when I sort of heard that the auditions were around, I got straight on to my agent and I was like, please tell me you put me up for this show.

[13:13] Lizzie Walker: Um and he had, and I got my first audition.

[13:16] Lizzie Walker: I was so excited, but I think I was also very nervous, and I bombed, bombed my first audition.

[13:25] Lizzie Walker: It was horrendous.

[13:27] Lizzie Walker: Like I was so embarrassed.

[13:30] Lizzie Walker: I went in, and um, so I actually don't have much of a low range, and I was singing "Stone Cold," but because they asked us for a however cut, I just sang the end bit, so it was like quite a lot of like vocal, like straight away in your face, it's a bit like whoa, but I didn't have to do the beginning bit, which is far too low for me.

[13:51] Anyways, so I do the bit and it's all okay. And they go, Do you know what? We just we want to see a bit more storytelling. So how about we go from the beginning? And I was like, no, please, no. So I just stood there and I was like, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. So the piano starts, and I'm literally like stoned, god, stoned, like nothing came out. Sorry, my vocal cords don't vibrate that low, unfortunately. I just don't have it. So I stood there and I'm just my brain is in like overdrive. Like, this is awful, this is awful, they hate you, they hate you, they hate you. Like classic audition situation. And um, I was just trying to get through it, but then I'm also trying to like be directed and do what they're telling me to do by telling the story of the song, but I'm also going, this sounds awful, this sounds awful, and I'm like, but do what they're telling you to do, do what they're telling you to do.

And then I just kind of finished and I was like, mm-hmm. And I just thought, right, they're gonna literally be like, thank you, that's all, and Toby bless him. He must have felt sorry for me or something. And he kind of was like, he's like, what else have you brought with you? And I was like, Thank the Lord, somebody out there is looking out for me. And then I did my other song and I kind of redeemed myself or I felt like I redeemed myself, and I was like, Do you I can leave the audition feeling a little better than I would have had they have said that'll be all for today.

[15:19] Um and I can't remember if in the I don't think they told you in the room at that point. Um so I was just kind of called my agent and told him what had happened and he was like, it's okay, like don't worry about it, you know, some days, some days that happens, and then a couple of days later, I think I got the recall and I was literally on the floor. I was like I was so surprised. I just thought, well, I don't know how this happened, but it happened. Um, and then I actually got really far that first time. I got to the finals, um, and on the finals day, I think I was in for Seymour, I was just in for Seymour actually. And um I got cut on the finals day, and I remember being devastated just because I just knew that I was meant to be in the show, and I just kind of was a bit like just gutted that that I'd got so far into that process and it was it felt so close, and then it was like nope, and I honestly just remember being like, Oh wow, that that one hurt.

[16:28] Some days you're like, Yes, okay, I can take that because I I didn't do my best, but I I really felt like I'd done all I could have done and to get the rejection was it was a bit of a yeah, that one was a stinger, but um then it came round again for the tour cast, so I said, Am I up for it? Yeah, you're up for it, okay. In we go. I think I did the first day of auditions, two rounds of dance, cut after the second round, and I was like, Oh no. And then third time lucky, um, I see that the auditions have come out again. Um send an email to my agent, yeah, I've submitted you, and I knew I didn't have an audition because I knew exactly when the days were so um I cheekily sent a little email to Pearson Casting and I just said, Hey, um I haven't received um a slot or an audition. Is there any chance you can see me on Monday? And they were like, Yep, come along to the dance audition, and the rest is history.

[17:34] Love James and Rosie. Go to that. Yeah, absolutely. Um, I just I just had this weird feeling that even though I got the no's to begin with, I would I'd be on the tube or I'd be wherever, and I kind of would see the poster on the escalator, and I'd look at it and I'd go, I know this is meant to happen. I know it is. So even though I'd had the two no's already, I knew in my heart of hearts, I was like, I will be in this show. And whether you yeah, whether you're a believer of that kind of like manifestation thing or not, I I just knew. I was just telling myself, and I just had this feeling that I am going to be in this show, and here we are today.

[18:20] Um so that third time, obviously, for those that don't know, Lizzie is a swing. Um cut alternate, whatever. Either way. Whatever floats your boat. Um the third time through, did you were you auditioning for several roles, or was it just Seymour again that you were seen for?

[18:40] Yeah, so I also weirdly had a feeling that I was gonna be swinged. I don't know what I don't know why I had that feeling, but they I kind of I guess I never necessarily saw myself in one of the queens. So I think that was that was something that was kind of in the back of my head. So this time round, when we started to get material, um I was told to look at Aragon, I think it was Aragon, Berlin, Seymour, and Howard. Yeah, those were the four that I looked at. So for my very first material audition, I sang all four of those. Um, and then I think when when we did our like penultimate day, I did it was a bit we didn't have too much time, I remember that day because they they were trying to see everyone do everything, but then they were like, We've not got enough time. So I can't I think I only did Boleyn and Howard on that penultimate sort of finals day, and then on the finals day, I did all four, and I was so ill on that day.

[19:48] I was living um probably about 40 sort of 40, 50 miles outside of London, which actually doesn't sound too much, but um I had to get the train in and out each day, which a lot of people do. It is a commuter area, but I was having to get up at like half five to warm up, eat, get ready, have enough time either side, and then I had to walk to the train station, which was like a good half an hour walk. So I'd been doing that a lot with six and a couple of other auditions, so I was so unwell and I just um so run down. Luckily, I still had a voice, but I just felt so ill inside myself. And for some reason, now this doesn't ever happen to me because my last name being Walker, I'm obviously the bottom of the list because everyone always goes in alphabetical order. But this time round, I go first for the four parts that I'm auditioning for.

[20:43] So we're all sat down, we've all done our like Queen's introduction where they have all six of us do the beginning of the show and they like see everyone's um chemistry and whatnot and move people around. And then they're like, Well, first we have Elizabeth Walker for Aragon, and I was like, No, please, no, I'm never first for anything. So that that was that, and I'm sat there in the corner, like literally holding all the strength together that I can because I feel horrible. I have to go first, and then we get to Berlin. Oh, it's Elizabeth Walker up first. I was like, no, please, no. And then Seymour. I'm like, oh, please stop this torture. And then of course, when it came to Howard, they were like, well, I wonder who's up first. And I was like, So that was honestly traumatic.

[21:35] But yes, to answer your question, I knew this time that I was up for swing. But funnily enough, I never auditioned for par. I'm like, I'm looking at who you were covered. I was like, where did PA come from? I never had a sniff of par and obviously was singing for Boleyn. And then they just absolutely flipped that on its head. Like I don't even know if there was one part that obviously Liv wasn't auditioning for, and she covered. I can't remember if it was it was between like Boleyn and Aragon, I think. It was those two that they'd swapped around. I can't remember if she went in for par, but um that was such a shock to me.

[22:14] And I o I only found that out at my costume fitting. So we had a we hadn't been told. Um I just had I'd just been offered um the contract of swing, and they didn't say what characters I was playing. So when I got to my first costume fitting, Gabby goes, um, so do you know what parts you're covering? And I'm like, uh no. And she's like, well, that's fantastic. We're fitting you for these parts. And I was like, oh. Here are the parts of the parts. And I was like, whoa! I I literally was like, oh. Because I I think I remember obviously being so intent on learning "Heart of Stone" because that was the first one I was up for. But then the listening to the par song kind of became the thing that I loved the most 'cause I wasn't so stressed about it and wasn't like attached it to an audition. I just was like I can listen to this song and enjoy the beauty of it. And so I I'm s I was like overjoyed when she told me I was being fitted for par.

[23:14] I'm just scrolling through Instagram feeds. You don't have a f yes, you do there. Yes. You're I'm just like your alternate. Like I l I love the teal and like all your variations are just so amazing.

[23:31] Um so with your with your costumes, well, what one's your favorite? What what variants your favorite?

[23:45] So I think my Howard one made me feel like an absolute super queen. I just don't know what it was about it. I think it's like the sort of like sexy cute edge that it gave me that I just loved because I I wear the top for the all of them, so the top obviously never changed that um, but I think I loved the Howard costume the most, like the little K and the skirt, and I just felt so like cute and sexy and it just really put me in very much the mind frame to do the part as well. And I think that is such a massive thing that Gabby has created and it yeah, so I was um just that was probably my favorite just for the way it made me feel and how I connected with the character through wearing my costume, which is kind of crazy, but yeah.

[24:34] Good segue to my next question. I love them. Obviously, you've got three kind of you've got the three deepest characters in the show, I think. Um kind of a content perspective and just like an emotional perspective with their songs.

[24:52] Um what was the first track that you focused on? What was your what was your process in learning then?

[25:01] Yeah, so we um we were both given like a first first cover, if you will, and it was mine was Seymour. So for the first sort of two and a half weeks of rehearsals, that was my main one that if we were ever doing anything or learning the harmonies of, they were kind of like concentrate on that one. It just seems like a way of a process to do that. You focus on the one, learn the show as well, and then we'll quickly slot you into the other two and just keep an eye on what they're doing. So I concentrated hope well, not wholly on Seymour, but very much on Seymour, was keeping an eye on the other girls and what they were doing. We had a yeah, about two and a half weeks to do that, and then we had about two and a half days to turn around into the next character, and then another two and a half days to turn around into our last character.

[25:53] So it was it was stressful. I've never been a swing before, um, never never really like understudied properly professionally either. So it it was like really new for me, a lot of new learning techniques, a lot of information to take in and to process and to do to a quality of standard, and um it was a lot, it definitely was a lot. I remember in rehearsals, I was on the phone to my mum, and I was like, I don't think I can do this. I honestly didn't believe I could because it was just so information dense and so detailed. It just felt so overwhelming for that first couple of weeks and and then at the end of the um of our last um swing run, it just felt amazing to sort of see what I was actually capable of, even though my brain was going, You can't do this. There's no way you can do this. To then have gone through the three tracks and done it in such a small space of time.

[26:58] Lizzie Walker: I remember being like, Wow, that's an accomplishment. Yeah, it wasn't my most amazing work, but I got through it and that was kind of all they wanted from us. And we, I think you kind of put yourself on this really like stressful pedestal of being like, you must be amazing and you must get everything perfect for this swing run. And they did tell us, they were like, guys, honestly, it's so chill, it's so relaxed. We just want to see you get through the show so we can like give you some notes and help you sort of take that further when you get on the ship and you've got lots of time on your hands to refine. I put far too much pressure on myself and the Howard, oh my god, I remember doing Howard, that was my last cover, and I was like, No way am I getting through this song and getting the lyrics correct because Liv used to sit with me on the sofa and I'd literally start the track and I'd be like, here we go.

She's like, girl, you've got this, you can do it. And I just forget all the lines and I'd be like, oh my god, I stress it in the black. I think it was like, stop it, it's fine, it doesn't matter. I was like, I'm never gonna learn these lyrics.

[28:00] Lizzie Walker: Now we've had your three amazing cast members that you covered on the podcast before. So what was it like kind of learning these tracks alongside Amy, Amelia, and Georgia and kind of seeing it all come together together and then being able to place yourself in between the three? It's super just you kind of don't even know how it happens because it just happens. So the first time I went on was actually, it wasn't a proper show, it was the crew show. So we went on for like a cruise show, me and Liv, and then I remember the first time I went on for Seymour, it was for the second show. Amy'd hurt her neck, so that was a bit stressful. But to answer your actual question, I don't actually know sometimes I just like do things and try not to think about them too much.

I think I'm so sort of inward sometimes that I don't like see the bigger picture and I'm just kind of just like focus on myself and put myself in the place. But they were always so amazing and so supportive and they couldn't do enough for me when I had to go on for things and G used to always say to me before we'd go on, she'd be like, We've got you, whatever happens, we'll cover it, like don't worry. So just from that perspective, just having the girls being there just took like a massive weight off my mind. But it was amazing to sort of see the show and watch it. But for me personally, it was easier to I like to rehearse backstage after a while of watching it because there's only so much watching can do, and I could watch it at any time on the video.

So I was someone who liked to rehearse backstage and just practice, practice, practice. Is that my way to like slot myself in? I didn't know, I really didn't answer your question then, but that's good.

[30:01] Josh: Let's try another one though. Out of the three tracks, what did you find the most difficult to either connect with or learn?

[30:11] Lizzie Walker: I would say so there's really quite a process for Seymour for the song and they kind of put you through it. We didn't, Amy had a private session on that because we do a lot of exercises as well in our first week of rehearsal that everyone's a part of and that was quite emotional for Seymour. And then her private was obviously we didn't see her protest for that but once we got onto the ship I had mine with the MD and the director and they honestly really put you through emotionally they kind of try and figure out what is the thing that you need to connect with that takes you to that place with obviously without hurting you so much but they do kind of break it down to that point where you the floodgates just open and you do feel that emotion that really the song is about and whatever way you connect to that.

But what I think I probably struggled with was maybe recreating that on stage because I'm quite a private person and can be like a small amount standoffish with my emotions to begin with so for me it was hard to try and recreate that to a point that I'm not bawling my eyes out on stage and can't sing the song but obviously not just playing the emotion and not really feeling the emotion so that that was probably one of the hard things to do with Seymour, show to show to recreate something, make it real without going too far, but going far enough. That was quite an interesting thing. But Howard is also that song is just hard. This is a hard song, especially with our stage probably being like two times the size of the arts theatre because that the amount of like running around you do, you have so much more space to cover.

So it's like cardio, like it's pure cardio while singing. So kind of just I was just not going through the motions, I don't like to say that, but I did struggle the first couple of times I went on from it to try and do my best without literally thinking what is happening next and what am I singing next. So those probably my two main struggles with the characters that I played. Pa's easy, she's the best. She's just like standing, have a lovely old time.

[32:39] Josh: Out of all that then, what was your favourite part to learn? What was your favourite moment to kind of piece together and then have that moment of yeah, cool, we've got this?

[32:53] Lizzie Walker: I would say Pa just because I feel like character-wise, I'm quite like her as well. So and just her part of the show is so beautiful. Her message, the one she drives it home, and her story, and I just really, really enjoyed doing that part and being in that place at that time and singing that song. Cause she has the intimate sort of small beginning, and then she also has the powerful, even during the first part of I Don't Need to Love, that powerful, like, you know, remember I did this and I did this, and like all these things I've done, I'm a woman, like, and then obviously the end bit, but it just really connected with her, and it always kind of felt like the pieces fell together when I did when I played that role and never had to stress too much about Pa, it was just quite a comfortable place for me to be. So nice and easy, yeah.

[33:56] Josh: The show in general. What is your favorite moment in the show?

[34:04] Lizzie Walker: There's so many. I do think I like the moment that we flip it on its head, and the audience, like, oh, you've been playing us. I honestly think that's my favorite moment because we've been you've we literally obviously, as it's said in the story, we've been oh hello, we've spent the whole show portraying this idea that everyone connects with, like, women fight, women want to get one up on themselves, and all this business, and then we just turn around and go, Yeah, we knew what we were doing, and you went along with it. We got you, we got you to check yourselves. That for me is just such a good moment, and then you've got the rest of the show to just be like, yes, so yeah, we love an education, so yeah. Yeah, I love that.

[34:57] Josh: What was your favorite moment in the show to watch? Like, what was that kind of moment every night that you were like, oh, this is just too cool?

[35:10] Lizzie Walker: It's probably the bit where it's like, where they all come together at the back and it's like, I mean I'm gonna attempt to sing, but this is gonna be horrible. This sound judge me on this is the bit where they're like better in this for me, and then it just like explodes and they come forward and it's like Henry, yes, I'm through, and it's like oh it's every time I get to that part watching that, I'm like I hear that kind of harmony start, and I'm sitting there like, Yeah, you literally feel the momentum and you're like this is so good. We're telling you that we don't need you. Yeah, we're on the same page. I got you. Yes.

[35:54] Josh: So Sherry, obviously you'd had the experience being on a ship before. And you also did Burn the Floor on the breakaway as well. But what was it like going from a big cast such as Grease down to a tiny cast and sharing kind of that confined space together and living together essentially? What was how did you did you like the difference between the big cast and getting kind of connect to connect more?

[36:28] Lizzie Walker: So funnily enough with having a big cast, I feel like you find groups, there's you still go into those little groups anyway, so we never spent time as a whole cast because you had so many different characters that actually didn't necessarily get along with each other. So I ended up in a small sort of similar-sized group anyway in my other cast. I got on with everyone, never really had a problem with anyone. But yeah, so I used to hang out in a sort of similar group, but it was nice to have the girls and sometimes I'm not much of a girls girl. Like I kind of have that energy of like I like to be around boys just because I'm not I don't do the drama really, like I'm not too into it. And stereotypically, even though that's what the show's about, sometimes that is created with girls.

But it was kind of amazing to do something with a group of girls, just girls, and feel the power and we all got on so well. Like I can't even tell you how much we got on, and we all used to hang out in each other's cabins all the time and just chill and it was really nice to just have a group of girls and do that. So yeah. It was really nice differences to see between the two casts, but I think you always end up being in smaller groups anyway. So like the big casting wasn't really like we didn't feel necessarily like that big of a cast.

[38:02] Josh: Yeah, that's fair. So you've had the taste of Aragon and Boleyn. So if you got the opportunity to cover the other three roles that you hadn't weren't haven't covered already, who would you choose to cover?

[38:19] Lizzie Walker: Aragon, easy peasy. That wasn't even a second thought just then. No. She's just I think I'm not necessarily a comedy queen, and I feel like Boleyn and Cleves definitely have that edge. So I think I would feel less comfortable portraying them, but I feel like I really connect with Aragon's energy. Like she's a fierce, strong queen telling her story, and I'm really into that. So I think definitely if I had a choice of a fourth cover, that would be the first one I'd go for. Yeah, easy.

[39:01] Josh: Now another pick and choose. You get to choose a lead costume to choose. What colour, whose costume are you jumping into?

[39:17] Lizzie Walker: I actually think again, not to sound like a broken record, but Aragon. I like the full body kind of situation. We all have our obviously insecurities, and she I think she's the only one that has like her full body covered. So not have doesn't have like a cropped up skirt or pants situation. I'm trying to think Boleyn, oh of course Seymour, but I'm not sorry, Gabby, I'm not too into the Seymour dress personally. For me, that is just because my proportions wouldn't look good in that dress. So I think that's more personally I don't vibe with it just because of how I think I would look in it. But the Aragon, oh my god, yeah, I would absolutely vibe with that outfit. I just love the gold and the spikes. It's like it's like a hundred percent like knowing like Aragon and having read about her personality and type of thing, it's literally like her personality in material. Like it's like yes. And the new Aragon costume is sensational.

[40:32] Lizzie Walker: So yeah, I would I would love to have a go at that. Um learning the show, getting to know your characters. What are some cool things you found out about the queens or their time? Um I on the ship I used to watch the Tudors, that's literally how I got into it because sorry, I got so into it. So racy, but so good. Um I just I really enjoy that period of time history-wise. We learn about that obviously in school. And um I just think it's fascinating and me being kind of like a feminist and that kind of woman, it's interesting to see how they dealt with these things and just par as well, like how she kind of was like, No, I'm gonna do all these things that women aren't really meant to do and go against everything and and it's interesting, obviously the Howard story and just to look into that and see how kind of manipulated she was and how young she was and just the stories are just so interesting and so amazing to portray.

And we'll never really know what happened. Also, that's kind of a very interesting fact. It's like, yes, we have one side of the story, we'll never really know the other side, but what actually happened, because it's you know, that c it can't be a whole truth. I can just imagine the crowds the day that time travel gets invented. Like I just keep thinking about how many people are gonna travel back to the exact same moment in time and see all these other people like what actually went on, like come on. I would like honestly, I I was thinking about this the other day. Um I got asked one of one of the girls was doing a QA and they said, um, what would you say to Henry if he was here if he were here?

And um that's by the by, but basically I was thinking of like time traveling, I was like, oh my god, it would just blow my mind to go back to that time and just see what was actually going on. Obviously, be passive. I wouldn't want to be there in my like everyday clothes and then be like, what are you? You witch and we're gonna burn you. But um I would oh I would give a lot to be able to go and see what happened and what went down and maybe give him a slap if I could, but yeah, that would be a bonus.

[43:09] Josh: That's great. I love that. Um so obviously on the ship doing two shows. How did you go coping with kind of that workload and learning Burn the Floor along with Six?

[43:23] Lizzie Walker: Um, it was funny actually, because I really didn't do anything for like the first two months. They just kind of um were just making sure everything was right, everything was up and running correctly, and um our PSM was kind of like we're gonna let Christmas happen and then we'll get everything going for you. Because we I think we got on the ship on like the third of November, so early November, and then two weeks we opened the show. So there's only about six weeks till Christmas. And I actually wasn't initially the cover for Burn the Floor, and then there was some stuff that happened, so Liv's then became the main singer, and I sort of put myself forward to be the cover for Burn the Floor. And all around Christmas time, it just kind of exploded.

So I was steadily like working my way through still the city stuff and just refining. And um they asked me to then host the Christmas show as well for the guests. So I had to like write the whole show. I was given the material for what we were doing, but I was asked to write all my speeches or the connecting part. And I am not an MC, like that I that is not a redeeming quality of mine. So I was so stressed, and I had to learn it all. And I am that girl that leaves everything to the last minute. So we're talking like the day that I had to prepare, had to have this prepared. I'm like still writing and trying to learn this awful, awful speech that I was doing. Um but also they were like, Oh yeah, you're now the Burn the Floor swing, so you need to learn all of this.

And I was like, My head feels like it's going to explode. I bet there was something else as well. It just it was like um buses, like three of them came at once, and I was like, ah, I haven't been doing anything all of a sudden I have to do all this stuff on the ship and get it all right. Um so it that was a little bit overwhelming at first, but once I kind of learnt all the Burn the Floor stuff and got Christmas out the way, it was um it was fine, yeah. And it was nice, it was nice to be able to um just stand and sing as well because you don't have to. There's a tiny bit of choreography, but in comparison to Six when I had to do so much stuff and remember so many things. When I was covering this. I was like, Well, at least I just get a park and bark at the back, and no one's really interested in what I'm doing here. If I make a mistake, nobody cares. So in that respect, it was a bit easier.

[45:53] Josh: From your cruising experience, what's been your favourite port that you've visited?

[45:59] Lizzie Walker: Um there's been so many. Cosmel was always a winner just because there was so much to do, and jeeping around the island was just amazing. Um Saint Martin was another one where we used to get quad bikes. This was on my last contract, sorry, not on my sixth contract. Um, we used to hire quad bikes, so there'd be like two people to a quad bike, and we just go around the island and see stuff that you wouldn't usually see. And I also really liked Grand Cayman or the Cayman Islands because it had a bit of a vibe of home. I think it's still like British territory. And um, we went to they had sort of turtle sanctuary there, and they had this little bit of um water, and they decorated it all. There was turtles in there that you got to like swim with, but you actually did, and they were just like bobbing about, and they were the small ones, but it was really cute.

You got your little snorkel and your mask, and you sort of swam around this cute little mini ocean, and there's just these turtles just like swimming past you. So I love turtles, that's another one of my favorite animals. So that was a very happy day. Yes, green sea turtles, love that they obviously weren't the ones we were swimming with because they're massive, but um, I'm gonna have so many. I'm gonna stop there because I don't go on. Um, St. Thomas, this would be my last one, I promise. Saint Thomas was another amazing one. Um it's a shame on the sixth contract that we only had a very short period of time because I didn't get to take the girls to this place called a little island off of the actual main St. Thomas, and it's called Water Island, and that's where I had my first experience of actually swimming with real turtles, like in the water, free sea turtles.

So that was like sensational, um, just to be out there. It's um an area that you will see them. So I mean it's not 100% guaranteed that you'll see them, but a lot of people see them in that area, so just swimming around, and then we did see a couple bobbing about, and you got really close, and yeah, that was a really beautiful memory.

[48:02] Josh: I love that. Um, so talk to me about the experience of inviting the queen into your life, getting uh having that announcement put out, and then all of a sudden having the support come your way.

[48:19] Lizzie Walker: Well, I um it was funny because before I went away, I met my friend at the theatre cafe, and I had a bit of this extravagant idea because if you've seen my Instagram, we we like a good quality post. Um if I do say so myself, that's horrible. That's really big of me. But this is great because I'm literally like sitting on this post right now that we're about to talk about. This is great. Yeah. So I was with my friends, and I was like, B, do you mind? I was like, I'm gonna do something really cheesy. She was like, I know you're gonna do it, it's fine. Come on, like I'll take the picture. And then one of the guys behind the the uh till were like, we'll take it for you because it's a bit of an awkward angle, and I was like, okay, amazing.

And me being me, I was like, Do you mind if you like get all of this in, and I have to be here and I have to be central of the post, and I have to be like, I have an eye for detail, and I shouldn't be sorry. Yeah, sorry, not sorry about it. Um this guy was looking at me like, wow, you're you're like crazy, and I was just like, tee. So obviously, I had that taken, and when I got to post it finally, I was like, Yay. Um, but I still feel like it it took a little while, I think, for um people to kind of not be interested in us, that's not the right word to use, but I I remember it not really popping off until we were on the ship, and that's when we start um started to kind of gain a bit of interest and stuff, and um yeah, it's been amazing.

I also think that being home in a weird kind of way has elevated it, um elevated the support and the love because I've managed to be able to talk to people a lot more on the ship. It's really difficult to have um a continuous conversation with someone because you're always in and out of internet and you pay for your internet, so you can't be up well, you can be on there for hours, but you'll just spend your wages buying internet, which was not my thing. Um, I didn't have like somebody back home or like obviously my family, but I didn't have like a boyfriend or a loved one that I wanted to um had to keep in contact with, so I really was like, I'm not gonna spend loads of money on Wi-Fi because you can just throw it away without even realizing.

So I think it was hard to be able to connect with um with the fandom as easily as you would if you were at home. So as soon as we got home, I was managed like managing to speak to a lot of more people, and it was really nice to be connecting with people from all over the world, like you're in Australia, I speak to people in um the Netherlands, America. Um, so it's just amazing, and I've loved every minute of it. It's it's such a beautiful thing that this show has created this the fandom and created this like support and love of each other. It's amazing to be a part of, yeah.

[51:10] Josh: That's a really good note to wrap us up on, Lizzie. Thank you so much for coming and hanging out. Um guys, if you don't already, please go check out the spectacular feed that is Lizzie's Instagram. Spend hours just scrolling through there because it's legit. You can you can literally say that attention to detail because there is not one bad post on it. Don't scroll too far down. That's where it gets a little you can see where it kind of came kicks back into play, but um Queens, so go check out Lizzie's Instagram. You know where to find us, that's Ozqueenum and the Queenum cast to wrap us up, Lizzie. Final question from your six contract, what's your favorite on board?

[51:57] Lizzie Walker: On uh let's go on board and then on stage memory. On board would have to be my birthday. I won't go into too much detail, but it was uh just an amazing memory of all of us together. We were in the Bahamas, we had an overnight, we had the best time all together. So much fun was had. Um, and then on stage, I'm actually gonna twist this with a funniest memory, although I have many of those because I made a couple of mistakes. Um but when we were doing Get Down, when Jess said, Come on, get up, get up, get up, a guy jumped onto the stage, left, onto the stage, and I was I was on Facimo, and I literally was like you kind of see me, because we have the recording, you kind of see me like half doing the choreography, half staring at this man, like, what is he about to do?

Get him off the stage. And Jess was just like really chilling. She was like, All right, Lord, you can get down. And he like fair enough to him. I think as soon as he got on stage, I think he realized that that was not acceptable. So he he quite like he jumped off quite fairly, but that will stay with me forever.

[53:22] Josh: That is the perfect note to wrap us up on. That is oh, what a wonderful time. Queens, that does bring us to the end of the episode. So thank you for coming and hanging out with us, and we'll be back next week with a brand new episode of the Queendom Podcast. Bye.