Glitter and Be Gay

Mary, Did You Know that we've been traveling?

This week's episode begins with Michael and Sean breaking down opening night of the play Michael directed, Pure Glitter at Second Generation Theatre. We then talk about some travels - both of us going to Philly to see Demi Lovato, and Sean's trip to New York where he saw a few big Broadway shows.

We finish the episode with our TITULAR Mary, Did You Know segment which includes everything from local business recommendations to new music from on of our faves.

Follow the pod on Instagram and TikTok on @marydidyouknowpod and you can follow Michael on Instagram at @mikewachowiak and @michaelwachowiak on Tiktok, and Sean on Instagram & @seanzyryan and on TikTok at @seanzy_ryan.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Mary. Did you know?

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Hello, and welcome to Mary. Did you know the podcast?

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Well, it's technically been a minute since we did this because we had a pre-record last week.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Yeah, so it's it really has been a while.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

It's been a couple weeks. It's been like two two weeks. But we've been we'll we'll get into all of this. We've been gallivanting about here and here and forth. Um, but it's good to be back on the mic with you. Yeah, back on the mic. I ran to some shareholders in the wild. Yes. A couple folks that told me last night that they just started. So I said, catch up. There's plenty, plenty of gabbing to hear.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Yes. So this is episode 13. Yes. And we have made the executive decision to have a 15-episode season one. Yes. So.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

So it'll be you'll get this week, you'll get one the week after you're listening to this, and then you'll get one more there. Yes. Because then we go on the bachelor party, and then there's like a whole summer thing, or we're gonna come back after the wedding is the tete tight. So we'll be back in the fall. Yes. Um, for more ga uh I don't know what that was. For more.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

For more. For more. For more gag.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

For more gag. It was like a mean girl's thing. I'm trying to say like gooped and gag at the same time, and it was like blah.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

Uh so let's talk about this week. Yes. Um, how was how was your week before we get to the end of the week? My week was fine. It was um, I'm still very much enjoying my free time, um, which you had none of this week. No, I didn't. Um, yeah, let's let's get into it. So take take me through your week. Um, I know that you were in rehearsal pretty much all week.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Yeah. So luckily I had a short or like a less busy work week, which was which which was nice. I was able to um like do my work, but not feel like as soon as like when I was logging off, I was like, ah also it was hard because we started at six. So, you know, to get downtown to get downtown by six, yeah, you have to leave by like five thirty. Trying to make like dinner around like 4 30, even when I was still working. So I was like, I want to be able to eat before we go down. And Matt and I were trying to trying to drive down together most days when we could, but then some days like we drove separately because I was like, I'm gonna have to stay for a production meeting. You're tired, you wanna go home. So um it was good. I mean, it's plays are a little easier. Um, so I wouldn't say it was a stressful week. Like that's good, you know, like musicals are always just you got a band, you got more costumes, you got yeah, it's just like there's just more shit that you have to try to work in, like choreography or like you know, it's it's different with a play. There's you you you've got more time to like maybe like work on some stuff, but um we I was home each night. I think the latest I was there all week was like I got home at like 1045 one. Oh wow, okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

So you didn't feel like um like the the crunch time of it all during the yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

No, no, I mean we had you know we were concerned about getting everything done, getting all of like the set done, getting all the painting, getting all of that done. We ended up like moving the production photos um just slightly to to make sure that we got everything that we wanted to to see in them, which I'm happy we happy we did. But no, it was it it was I mean, there have been nights where I've been at the Smith and we've been like kicked out, like because we had it till 11, and like the Shays person is like, I I have to tell you to leave. You have to um so or like you know, shows like Marilee was almost three hours long, so we you know just the actual act of doing the show becomes too long, and that that's hard with like longer musicals. Yeah, it's like there's almost as a time to even just do like also like our we were able to be loose with our go time, like throughout the week. I'd be like, I'd be like, okay, like I'd like to go at 7 30, but like if we go at 7 45, we go at 8, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

It's not the end of the world.

SPEAKER_01 4:00

The thing is 90 minutes. It's like we will be totally fine. So I actually had a relatively stressed. I mean, as for as far as tech weeks go, I was okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

Love it. So I no complaints there. Yeah, that's great. That's great. So then you opened on Friday. Yes, yes. Last Friday.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

Yes, we opened we opened on Friday. We had um Douglas Lyons, the playwright of uh Pure Glitter, uh, was in attendance, which was cool. He was there um last night as well, uh, for another for a talk back with um the audience. Uh and yeah, I mean, I I think it went well. It's it's so hard. I was actually talking about this with your former co-star Lissette last night because she came she came to the show. Um we don't have like real preview periods, right? And when it's a comedy, that's hard. Yes. To like to go from like some chortles that they had, like the last two days with some people coming to see the show, yes, and then Friday, which was amazing, but like and they all did a good job of riding the wave of the laughter, but that's hard.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

It's tough because as a performer, if you don't have an audience or a preview and you're just going into opening night and this being like your first like real full audience, you don't know sometimes you do, but sometimes you're surprised at what they laugh at. Yeah, so you don't always know what's gonna get the laugh. And sometimes the jokes are really close to each other. Yes, and so sometimes you don't even hear a joke because they're still laughing at the other joke. And I did notice that on Friday, which is a good problem to have, you know what I mean? Like, um, I could tell that you know, some of the jokes the cast probably wasn't anticipating that they were gonna be a hit, you know? So some of the lines um didn't get lost, but I could tell they were like, Oh, oh, I need to I need to wait a second before I keep talking about it.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

There were even a couple adjustments. Like I told my husband yesterday there's like one line when um in the middle of the turtleneck sequence when he's like you know making those comments to the Stan character, uh, when he says, Whoever, whoever told you to wear those, I would reconsider that friendship, and uh BB hides behind the couch. He can't see that happening, so he doesn't know that he kind of has to hold for the physical comedy bit. And like that's just stuff that you have to just figure out on the fly. It's it's hard, especially something like that where you're like, I like the actor can't see it, but the audience is laughing, so you have to kind of like try to stop.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

So yeah, so I think I mean I was there on Friday night, and I thought it was just fabulous. No, I I did, I did, and I'm not just saying that because my sister was the director, and then we're on mic, uh-huh, and we're on mic. I actually I really, really enjoyed it. I thought, and it's it's funny because I was telling this to Douglas on Friday night after the show. Um I saw the the reading that you guys did those many years ago, and it's just really cool to see the development of a piece, you know. It's not like a Broadway show that you know has been running for for forever and you know, we're we're putting it up in an already established show. Like this is a newer work.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

We're doing it with five less five less people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:03

So it's it's cool to see a newer work that is still actively being worked on and changed, and to see the growth from the reading to till now and some of the changes that have been made, and also see it fully staged as opposed to just uh you know a reading of it. Um it's just really cool to see the growth. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Yeah, it's I was very I was very proud watching it. It's um some of it's hard. Like that we were we talked about the overlapping of that of that charade scene on an earlier episode. And we were talking about it last night during the talk back because someone asked, like, how how do we do it? Like, and I was basically like, well, we and I I was a little not nervous saying this in front of the playwright, but Douglas agreed. It was like, um we almost were looking at the script and be like, okay, that's the line before your line, but what's actually the line before your line? Like, what's the line that you need to hear that starts your train of the of the dialogue before the other train of the dialogue starts? Um and it they they they did it. So it's it's just it's I the more I like the I like still act occasionally, but the more I'm like this is mainly directing, I then like look at a scene like that and like, yeah, I know I could do that. Like I but I'm like, how are they doing that? I start to have a bit of detachment of like that's hard.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

Yeah, like it's really hard. I always hate overlap in a scene as an actor because primarily it's done either poorly or it's written poorly, you know. But I think this your example of it in Pure Glitter, it's done right, yeah, where it it makes sense, you don't lose anything, you know, you can hear everything that's going on, and it's funny.

SPEAKER_01 8:43

Yes, and that's the other thing that we were talking about last night too in the talkback. I was like, some of it actually doesn't matter. Yes, and that's why I said to him, I go, after when it starts to really devolve into chaos, you and actually it was advice that Douglas gave was that the charades from the first production he saw, he said that the charades, the person doing the charades should be insane. Yes, and that adds to the chaos, and it made me realize oh, we don't have to hear every line of dialogue. Yes. Because when we first when we staged at the at the designer run, I had everyone sitting for the majority of it because I thought, well, this is hard. Yeah, like we're gonna need, we're gonna not need too much visual because we need to hear the scene. And then afterwards, I was talking to Kelly and Kristen and some other folks, and um Douglas had this note, he he had watched a video of it, and uh the the note was like um like we actually need to see like where to look. Yes, and I was like, Oh, okay, and so then we completely restaged it, just like you getting up here, you getting up here, you moving here, like that does actually help your eye, even if you can't fully hear what's being said, you see you see who's like leading the direction someone who's talking, that's who you're listening to. Yeah, so that that that made that actually was very helpful. And I told him last night too when we were on stage on the talkback. But I read it too, it almost reads like a like a movie. I can imagine it cuts to people. Like I can I can see like the way it sort of is is framed in that way. And he did say that it was his favorite staging of the charade scene of these things. And he seemed too. So I will I will take it for now. That's what I said when we were walking back to the car, and I said that to Matt. I was like, Oh, that was like that, like made me feel like great. He was like, Okay, well, um, as a reminder, he seen two. I was like, That's funny. Damn, whack me again. Um, but no, it was it was it was uh it was good, and I think it's I I read this in my director's note too, like it's so funny because obviously, like you we think the play is funny for many reasons, but it's like to watch like like even last night, general audiences, like some old women laughing out loud at some of the gay shit, even if they don't understand it, is funny.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

It has a universality, even though like I don't think everyone knows where the flashlight is.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

Right, right. And I do think that some of and this is not a read, but some of the writing is so niche and so specific, it's written for gays. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. But it's it does a really good job of not the whole play, isn't like that. No, you know what I mean? Like there's these little things here and there where it's kind of like a wink to the gay community to be like, I know you know what this is. Correct. But it's not like the main joke. Yeah, you know, or you know, so I think I think he does a really good job of of making it funny and relatable to anyone who goes to see it.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Yeah, it was yeah. So I think I think I hope it hope it does well.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

And like the I mean, plays are plays are hard to sell. They are, they are, but I think especially with a play like this, people want to have fun, people want to have like a feel-good time, and also there is like some level of deepness to this story, and you know, there's you know, it's it's all about relationships and and friendships and you know, your chosen family. And so you leave the theater after laughing your ass off for 90 minutes, but you're also like that. Was a really good story.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Someone asked Douglas at the talk back last night. Um, he was saying how like the rants character, they go, it's it's unique in a play sometimes to have maybe your comedic relief also sort of like drive some of the play. Yeah, they were sort of just asking about the way he wrote that. And I thought what was insightful that he that he said was um he was like, well, often in in plays, particularly like gay plays, characters like that are like siloed, or it's like, oh, you're the funny one, you're the sad one. And like this, what I find interesting about this play is that when I watch it, I see like different, like I know, like I'm like, oh, I'm not just that person. I'm like, oh, I'm a little bit that, I'm a little bit that. Like they have all got a decent amount of shades, or like that's something I think it's interesting about the Nico character who's like the young thing that's there at the party. I feel like there's um, and we talked about this a bit in the rehearsal process. I feel like there's a couple jokes early on that are a little at the expense of him, and people are sort of like laughing at him. But I think the ironic thing is that when you get that scene with him and Rance later in the play, he ends up being like one of the more like interesting and insightful characters. Yes. And I had talked with Brand about how like ultimately it ends up being a um and not everyone's gonna judge them, but for people in the audience who are judging the character, it actually ends up being a reflection of you watching. Yes. If you don't if you laughed at that person saying they were non-binary or pansexual or whatever, then when they start being one of the only people on stage that is willing to um uh combat like depth and feeling, you're like, oh, and then you quietly are like, why would I judge that person? And I think that's I think that's interesting too.

SPEAKER_00 13:27

Yeah, and that's like the that's talked about in the show because Rance is one of those who who judges. I do love the line where it's like you it's like you you you what's like you young kids are just making shit up these days. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, so I think it's a good reflection of and you kind of go on that journey as an audience member because that's kind of what the the character Rance is going through as well. Because at the end, he's also like, Oh, I kind of I want someone to love me.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Yeah, yeah. I know it's sad. It's like also it's like I there's like several like kind of that's I like the structure of the way that we all have to like admit something at the end because sometimes like if you just like do like this, like this person's talking, this person's talking. It's I feel like it doesn't feel like there's so these sort of like speeches at the end, it doesn't feel that way, yeah. It feels like they're having a conversation. Um the uh and I think that the gypsy Patty Lapone fight is so funny. It is so funny. So funny. I also like a small thing in there, so they in the the play they have an argument about who the best mama rose is. And I actually kept laughing with Greg, the actor who plays Dwight, because he kept putting air quotes on Mama Rose. He was like, the best mama rose. I go, I I go, okay, well, she's real. I go, I think I think I think they think the air quotes are on the best, but he kept being like whoever that is. Yeah, but uh uh I love at the end the concept of number one, Nico saying it's Bernadette for me and everyone gasping. Uh-huh. But then also I love the line when he looks at Dwight and goes, My mother raged me on the OG cast recording. Get into it. I go, he thinks the 2003 cast album of gypsy is the OG Cast recording. And no one laughs at that, but I think it's so funny.

SPEAKER_00 15:06

Because someone who is, you know, I mean, how old was he even no, he's supposed to be like 24.

SPEAKER_01 15:12

He's 24, so he would have been like one when that was out.

SPEAKER_00 15:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 15:16

Chilling. Oh, oh.

SPEAKER_01 15:18

I also love, and I had said this, and like um, I uh when we were staging it, the line when he says, when he says, um, he's like, How old are you? And he goes, I'm uh he's like, I'm 24, I'm a whole adult, and the audience laughs. Yeah. Because it's not to say that you aren't, you are an adult at 24, but a whole adult is crazy. Yes, a whole adult is crazy.

SPEAKER_00 15:38

And it it is funny because you know that that's the attitude that people have when they're 24. And, you know, now that I'm a little older than that, uh-huh, I'm realizing that maybe I didn't know everything at 24.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

What's that line in Nothing New? How can a person know everything at 18 and nothing at 22? Which is not the same ages, but like that concept of like there's something when you're younger, you think you know everything. And it's not that you don't, you do about your experience. I feel like it's a little bit more about what what you end up experiencing. Yes, you know everything about your experience, and that's and that's valid. And just as you get older, you're gonna have more experiences and you're gonna end up learning more shit. Exactly. Exactly. Wow, insightful. Yeah, look at that. Well, anything else you want to say? Yeah. Any other praise you wanna you wanna you wanna give me?

SPEAKER_00 16:22

Yeah, so for literally for the shareholders who haven't gotten their tickets to go see Pure Glitter, go get them because May 18th, 17th. It's a lot of fun. You will have a great time, you will laugh. Um it's for everyone. So go get your tickets.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

Get them now at secondgeneration theater.com at the Shea Smith Theater. Get them. And we'll take a break and we will be right back. All right. And we're back. Okay, so this has like been a minute now, but we um you done? We yeah, sorry. Just still jingling my ice. Um we went to go see, which we did on the last episode of the pie, we talked about seeing Demi Lovato. Um, and now we have seen Demetria. And we have. And how why don't you kick us off?

SPEAKER_00 17:27

How how was it in Philly as well? Yes, yeah. So we went to Philly, which we saw her second con third.

SPEAKER_01 17:36

Because she was in Orlando, and then she was somewhere else, or she called it Orlando. Yes, and then she was in Philly.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

And then Philly, yeah. So we saw her third concert of this tour. Um and she was when I say she sang down, it was wild. The bitch is singing crazy. Like she might be one of the best vocalists of our generation. Yeah, it was the the vocals live were wild. And you could tell they were live, yeah, just because you you can always tell when someone is it's not like perfect, but it's like damn near close.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Yeah, and like sometimes I feel like you can tell. I sometimes I feel like when you can tell it is like the phrasing. Yeah, like just because they're dancing and moving, it's not as we're not doing these like full, nice musical theater phrases. There's a little bit more like breathing and catch catch breath, but you can hear. I mean, the vocal was crazy.

SPEAKER_00 18:23

The vocal was insane.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

And also, like, she even on like the songs with the backing track, um, yeah, there's not much of a backing track.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

Like, there's one, there's one playing, but it's like not much. Yeah, because there were a couple moments where she was like, sing it with me. And she like held the mic to the audience. Yeah, and like that well, which there was nothing.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

That was the second verse of the second chorus of Skyscraper.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

Yeah, she was like, uh-huh. You do it, yeah, yeah. Um, but it was so it was so good. This whole new album I'm just obsessed with. That's great.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

I haven't dug into like the full deluxe version yet. I have because she did blow rise jeans when we were there, right?

SPEAKER_00 18:59

Yes, and that was before it came out.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

Oh, yes. No, I think it just I think it was the day or the day after.

SPEAKER_00 19:04

Oh, it was.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Yeah, I think it was like the day after. Because it came out the same day as the Olivia song, or maybe it was a week. I don't remember. Because it came out the same day as the uh as the as the Olivia song.

SPEAKER_00 19:12

Oh, well, well, for you, brand new, brand new, brand new information. Um yeah, so her her set list was great, I thought she had some older stuff, but majority was this newer album. Yeah, um, and then she also does this section, surprise song section. Ours was not a throw. We had fun guesses last time. Yeah, so we are here to report that we did not get anything that we thought it would be. What did we end up getting?

SPEAKER_01 19:43

What was the song called?

SPEAKER_00 19:44

Body Say. Jesus Christ. Yeah. And she all like even Demi was like, I don't know what era this is from because it's a single that was released like between albums.

SPEAKER_01 19:53

Yeah, it was like, yeah, it's like when like Taylor decided that today was a fairy tale was going on fearless. Everyone was like, okay. Yeah, it's like you say so. Sometimes songs are just like out there like homeless, and you're like, okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:04

Yeah, she even was a little like she was like, I don't know if this is from Tell Me You Love Me or Confident, but I'm gonna do body say. And I was like, What the fuck? You could like tell the room was like, you know, you don't have to, right? Right. Pick again, pick again. Um, but overall the concert was incredible. Yeah. Um, do you want to talk about the saga of your tickets? Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

Yeah, so it was like a bit of a so um so our friend Jeff was supposed to come with us. So long story short, when Sean asked me originally to go to this concert, which was a while ago, I knew I was gonna be in rehearsal.

SPEAKER_00 20:43

So I and I I So I I bought tickets. Yeah, I bought four tickets, Josh, for me, my fiance, and two of our friends because I assumed that Michael I knew we would be in rehearsal, so I was like, Oh, he he can't go.

SPEAKER_01 20:56

Yeah, and I think I even told you, oh, if I can go, I'll just buy my own. Yes. And so I did once I realized that I was like, oh, I can make it all work. Um, and so our friend Jeff was supposed to come with us. He ended up having to go to California with um to visit his girlfriend's family, which is fine. And uh, so I couldn't like I just was like last minute, I couldn't find anybody to take the ticket. Like, nope.

SPEAKER_00 21:15

And he was in the same section, but like maybe 12 rows back. 12 rows back.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

But I could not find anyone to take them. And so I was like, okay for free.

SPEAKER_00 21:24

Like he was giving them away. Yeah, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

I was like, I was like, I was like, would you want to come see Demi the Vile? Like, you don't have to pay a thing. I even eventually was like, I'm paying for the hotel room. Like, just like come to the show. I even I texted a friend of mine who lives in New York and almost asked her to come down, and then she was like, I can't. And I was like, I get it, but I was like, girl, we're going. Because we were in Philly. I was like, we're actually closer to New York. Yeah. Um, so uh eventually I was just like, you know what? Six hours in the car by myself sounds lovely, and it was. On the way back, I kind of was like, Oh, I'm falling asleep. But um the way there it was great. Um, and so I but I kept watching the seeds in the section because there were a coup 'cause I. Let's just say she wasn't she wasn't sold out. So I was like, I kept looking at the seats being like, okay, maybe something will open up. And there were two seats right in front of you all that I was like, okay, I'm waiting, I'm waiting. And so eventually I just put I don't know if I told you the order of it. I put mine, I think I bought those first and then put mine up. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

Just kind of being like, well, maybe they'll go up. And they mine did sell. Because I put them for I ended up losing money, but not that much money. So I just put mine up. Somebody bought them. And then I had the two in front of you, uh, which was great because I we were actually able to be there together. But then I said that there was like an open. So I was talking to the two of the other two of the other girls. I'm not gonna be nice about this. I'm not gonna not gonna say all what I would say um for the sake of getting cancelled. But um we uh uh I told these other two girls, I was like, I was like, I was like, oh, like, you know, this is actually an empty spot. And they're like, oh my god, like can we have our friend come down? Like she's up there by herself. And I was like, totally, like that's like where I was stuck. And let's just say, like, I did not want like once once the friend got there, I was like, I wish she would have stayed up.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

Well, the the reason why this is funny is because all of us behind were behind you, and we were watching this conversation happen. And I think Colin goes like, oh, because we heard that their friend wanted to come down, and Colin was like, Oh, is she fierce? Like, is she fierce? Let's let's bring her down. And let's just say she was not fierce. And she was not fierce. No, she was not fierce, mama.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

And I hope she had a great time, and I'm gonna just take that as karma. But yeah, unfortunately, I do remember her coming down and someone behind me saying, Oh, is that the friend? Is that the friend in question? And I was like, Oh, Jesus. Oh Jesus. Um, but you know what? We all had a good time for Demi. And I hope I hope that girl had fun in her her her free upgraded seat.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Yep, yep. And we took public transit, which was kind of fierce. Yeah. Um, to get to and from the I simply forgot about that video that you posted yesterday with the bird.

SPEAKER_01 23:54

Like there's like like shot took a video of us being like, mmm, mm-mm, and the bird flies through like the like the underground, and we're like, wah!

SPEAKER_00 24:01

Yeah. Um, but it was like they have like an actual subway system.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

Yeah, it's also crazy the um the like uh the way all three of those stadiums are in the same parking lot. Yeah, it has to be a logistical nightmare. Yeah, like the Eagle Stadium, the whatever who their baseball stadium, and the hockey NBA stadium are all in the same giant area.

SPEAKER_00 24:23

Yeah, they're like right next to each other. Which is crazy. Um I I'm assuming they don't ever have events at the same time. I don't think they could.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

I mean, maybe you could do baseball and well, but like well, I guess the season's don't you baseball and um I I never know when the NBA plays. I wonder if there's overlap there.

SPEAKER_00 24:41

Winter?

SPEAKER_01 24:41

Or like how no hockey's going on right now. So hockey and baseball could happen at the same time because baseball is also also happening. But those two are smaller. Yeah, because I bet you the capacity of the of the um the Phillies, the Eagles stadium is those two other stadiums. Oh, so I bet you they can do those events at the same time. They just can't do an Eagles game with something else, is how I bet you that sort of shakes out. Okay, and that's on urban planning. Um Philly was fun, crazy. Feels like a bit of a fever dream because we were in and out in like 32 hours.

SPEAKER_00 25:13

But at the same time, it felt like we were there for a week.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. And then we oh my god, the other thing is we went to this club, which well, there's a there's a place in Toronto called Woody's, which is like a gay bar. And there's another one in Philly. So we're like, oh, we'll go there. It was fine. But um the woman Matthew made friends with like the front door woman, and she was like, Oh, if you go to this other bar, this bar calls it at two. If you go to this other bar, um, like you'll get a discount. And so we were like, Oh, a discount? Yeah, sure, we'll go. So we left at about 140 to go to the other bar for a little bit. We walk up and we're like, hey, we have our wristbands for the discount, and the guy goes, Okay, so instead of 35, it's 30. Yeah. Which is fucking theft.

SPEAKER_00 25:54

30 dollars.

SPEAKER_01 25:55

And I was unhappy ultimately we went in because we had we had fun, but like 30 dollars for and like that place was fine.

SPEAKER_00 26:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:03

30 dollars.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

$30 is actually crazy. Um but it was fun. But I will never be doing that again.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

No, I'm not paying like I just like honest, I'll also we honestly only even did it because Colin gave me a hundred dollar bill, and then I was like, sure, I'll pay the fifty. So most of you I barely paid, most of you didn't pay, and Colin really paid a lot, so yeah, whatever. It was worth it. I forget what it was called. Voyeur. Voyeur, yeah. Oh yeah, because we were a little scared by the name. It was not as scary. Yeah, we thought it was gonna be like a place where you you you wouldn't you wouldn't want to be.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

Yeah, it ended up ended up. No, it was very fun. Um, but yeah, overall the trip was was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 26:44

And then you also went to New York.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

I did the week after.

SPEAKER_01 26:49

Um went to New Jersey.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

New Jersey, yes, New Jersey and New York. Um, I went to visit my best friend Lauren, who I went to high school with. Um, she's one of my sisters, and she's in the wedding party, but she just can't come to Miami because her and her husband already committed to going to another wedding. Oh, yes, it is or something. So she was unable to come to Miami, so she was like, Oh, come visit me, I'll host you for the weekend. Perfect. And you know, we can go into the city and have some fun and stuff like that. So I went to visit her, which was a lot of fun. Um, we stayed at her house. She lives outside of the city in New Jersey, but it's like it took it took us like 25 minutes to get into the city by Uber from door to door amazing to get dropped off at the city. Where did she live in Jersey? Um, Bloomfield. Oh, no idea. Which is I asked this like I was going to know. Um, yeah. So I went down, hung out with her. We went into the city, we saw a couple Broadway shows.

SPEAKER_01 27:54

Uh tell us about them.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

So I saw Death Becomes Her. So fucking good. Um, which was so good. And it was crazy because I was texting you when we went to see it, and the entire principal cast was in.

SPEAKER_01 28:07

Which, like, for a Saturday matinee in like year two of the run is a little rare, I think.

SPEAKER_00 28:12

Yeah, yeah. Um, but I was I was so happy and it was great. Um, I saw I saw Betsy Wolf, I saw uh Jennifer Simard, Christopher Sieber, and Michelle Michelle Williams. Um and it was it was fucking hilarious.

SPEAKER_01 28:27

Michelle Williams sings down. She was that opening down is crazy. And you know what? I saw I've seen it twice, I saw an understudy the second time. And remember the first time I saw it, it's not no shame on my on her. There's just like so like the two women are doing like everything. And so at first I was like, Oh, Michelle's not really like given that much, but then when I saw someone else do the role, I was like, nope. She has like a power in her stoicism that it does not other people just are not a member of Destiny's Child. So she knows how to just be in that power. Yes. And also I heard someone else sing the score, and uh-uh, they were optioning down, they were like, they they couldn't they couldn't do the the end of the opening or like the the end of Siempre Vita is also crazy. Yes, and I bet you she still sounds amazing all these like months in.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

Oh, she sounded incredible. Literally, after she sang her number, everyone in the audience was like looking around at each other, like, are you kidding me?

SPEAKER_01 29:20

Are you kidding me? And then she's gonna do it again, yeah. Also, a princess track. Yes, she does have to sing her face off, but she's other than when she has to wait in that thing at the end for a long time, yeah. Um, she's just like she just got does her songs and leaves.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

Yeah. Um, so it was great. Um, they're going on tour and coming to Buffalo next year. Um, so I do want to see that because my mom saw it on Broadway and she said she loved it. Like this is one of her favorite shows. It's so good. So we're probably gonna get tickets to see it on tour at Shays.

SPEAKER_01 29:47

It's so good. I love when they um when Madeline's in her like Hillary Clinton drag. Yeah, when she's in that like blue suit with that ugly ass hair. Yes. That's my favorite song. Yeah. Falling falling apart. Um falling apart and the duet probably in the second act as well. Yeah. Because they I think that that's the only real duet they have is the one at the end. There's like a couple songs that they someone actually said, which I thought was very insightful, in act one, like or in act two, once they're both dead, they never sing a solo. All of their songs are together.

SPEAKER_00 30:19

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 30:20

As they are like stuck together for the rest of their lives, which I thought which I thought was interesting. Yeah. The only time other than that, in the act moment they sing together is the Ernest song.

SPEAKER_00 30:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 30:28

But other than that, they have primarily solos in the first half.

SPEAKER_00 30:32

Interesting. Come on.

SPEAKER_01 30:33

Musical theater writing.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

Okay, dramaturge.

SPEAKER_01 30:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 30:36

Um, and then and then we saw Cats, the Jellicle Ball. Um, and that was incredible. So we only plan to see Death Becomes Her um because Lauren like bought those tickets, and you know, we were gonna go in, see the matinee, get some dinner, and go home. But I was like, if I'm going to the city, I kind of want to see something else as well. Um, and specifically cats, because Dudney's in it, and um, you know, it's I'm just hearing all these great things. Yeah, yeah. So I bought I bought us the tickets to go see cats, and it was incredible. Like what a fun time that was. Um, and it was just so great to see uh Dudney and just see him thrive and shine. And like doing the most, like and doing the most. She is on there doing everything, doing everything, doing everything, and it was just incredible. And so we got to go backstage after um after the show, and his parents were there that night. Um, so we had family and um there's some other friends as well, and it was just it was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 31:44

So what's interesting about cats as well is like Angelo Weber is interesting because he's I think understanding that um, and a lot of people don't sometimes oft realize this until like maybe they're not even here anymore, like maybe they're dead, and that's when people start to take risks with their work. But I think between Sunset Boulevard, this and A Vita next year, he may actually end up have a musical of his one Best Revival three years in a row, which would be crazy. But I feel like he's um they're like they're not changing anything about the shows in terms of his writing. This score is like newly orchestrated, um, but it's still the same like vocal arrangements and stuff. Yeah, um, so I feel like he's realizing that like you have to allow your work to be like malleable if you want it to remain relevant. Yeah, like people now like cats, and cats was like the butt of the joke for years, right?

SPEAKER_00 32:31

And I think this was such a good like adaptation of the original work, um, because it it makes sense, like everything's shocking.

SPEAKER_01 32:41

There's everything makes sense. One thing, I mean, obviously, like the concept for those of you who don't know cats, the concept is all of these cats are basically auditioning for their chance to go to the heavy side layer, which is like a place where like they send like one cat at the end, an old dude around to me is gonna pick whoever gets to be the winner, and then like Grisabella comes out and sings Mammaria. They're like, it's her, and that's the end of the show. That really could be the entire plot of cats, but the cats is like two hours and 40 minutes. But in this, they're it's like ballroom culture, so they're like doing categories and they're performing for the like judges, and it makes so much more sense. And the one plot point that never makes sense, which for the first time, I was like, Oh my god, is when they take Gus, the theater cat. In actual cats, McCavity is just like magical and just like takes Gus through like magic, and then we just pretend like that's okay. In this, like the ballroom gets raided by like McCavity's goons, and they take Gus away. And I was like, Oh my god, this makes or do they take oh no, they take they take us. I was like, this makes so much sense. And for the first time ever.

SPEAKER_00 33:47

Yeah, yeah. And another thing that I just loved is that Grizabella was like a former ballroom, uh-huh, you know, like person. And I think just the the storytelling of it, I just loved it. And I feel like in the original cats, like I never really understood why everyone hated Grizabella so much. And in this version, they don't ru they don't hate her.

SPEAKER_01 34:10

No, they feel the like they they're scared of becoming her. Yes. And that's it's like a it's a I don't want this around because I feel like this is what I'm going to become.

SPEAKER_00 34:19

Yes, yes. And like her just her return to the ballroom was just so well done.

SPEAKER_01 34:25

And I'm sure it's staged even I'm sure I'm sure the lighting is even better on Brawi than it was, but like the way it is where she takes the coat off and she's like sort of like like sort of like stumbles forward, and like the the like the beautiful key it's in, it's like it's not the original key because they're using it to to fit the actress's voice, but it's in this sort of like I got like a lower resonance that's really gorgeous. Um and uh I yeah, I love all there's a couple things like that too. Like I love that Jenny Ennie Dots is like the drag mom in the beginning, like where she's like she's like like like again, all of these things, Mungle Jerry and Rumpel teaser being this this little like Kaka da Ka duo. Like it really, and I love my fate, okay. My I don't really like cats is I can give or take cats, but one of my favorite cat parts of cats has always been Skimble Shanks the Railway Cat. Um, because one of the better songs, and her being like a like a like bilingual um MTA worker is iconic so good.

SPEAKER_00 35:22

It's so good, and like I we were talking about this a while ago, but um in the opening number, like once they all start doing choreography together, yeah, that's it. And like the the chorus hits and everyone is just living their lives. I've oh my god, I never felt anything.

SPEAKER_01 35:39

I have never that was one of the experience and again I can't wait to say it again because I'm sure on Broadway it's even crazier, but it was like to heat the room erupting at them singing jellicals can and jellicals do, uh-huh. Like, which is like, what does that mean?

SPEAKER_00 35:54

But it was crazy, yeah, crazy. Yeah, and it was it was sold out, and everyone like had their fans, like ever and they made an announcement at the beginning of the show. Like, this is not a traditional show, so we want you to be engaged, we want you to make noise.

SPEAKER_01 36:09

I guess they've been giving out fans to the first like X amount of people who get into the theater because they want like they have people buy them, but I guess they've been giving out a certain amount just because they want free fans energy.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

Yeah, um but yeah, it's also really cool because they have audience members on the stage as well that you can buy those tickets. Um, and I think if I were ever to see it again, I would want to be on stage.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

Yeah, I'm glad I was in the mezzanine for the first time I saw it, but um I'm thinking when we buy it, we might do the mez because we were in the cabaret scening off Broadway, and I know it'll never be that good, so I kind of don't want to try to replicate that. Whereas I'd rather be able to get maybe a fuller scope view of the thing. Um you sat in the mes, and Kristen the second time she saw it, sat in the mes, and she said it's the front mez is a great view of yes of the entire thing.

SPEAKER_00 36:55

And the actors are in the mezzanine as well. Like there's so many moments where you know, like the actors will come up through like the box seats and come into the mezzanine, like into the aisles. So, like there was, you know, we were there were two seats next to us and then the aisle, and there was like performers like all around us.

SPEAKER_01 37:13

The only other time I've ever seen that was a great comet. They were like running around, they were like they they built those like staircases that connected to the balcony. It was crazy. Um yeah, I'm really excited to see it. It's probably I mean, knock on wood, but it's probably gonna win best revival, which is crazy. And I I would it's gonna probably I mean, this has been such a terrible season for new for new musicals. The New York Drama Critics Circle just released their like um their votes for like best play, but they opted to not give a best musicals citation this year, which that's happened before. Oh wow. But them opting to be like, you know what, we're good, check back in next year is crazy. Um that is why there was one other thing I wanted to say about cats. I can't remember, but yeah. I'm uh I never thought I'd be I'd be so geared and ready to go see cats the musical.

SPEAKER_00 38:04

Right. Um and but this is what I love. I love when they take if they're gonna do a revival, like don't just do the same exact production, exactly, bring some put some new life into it.

SPEAKER_01 38:14

That that that's why people because I've seen I've seen ragtime and I I will be seeing this, this cat's and those are sort of the two big um revivals. And I think it's pretty easy that cats gonna win. Not that ragtime's amazing, but ragtime, they're just doing a great production of a great musical. Yes, there's nothing about that production that is revolutionary in terms of how it's um staged, cast, whatever. It's it's it's just a very solid production of a great musical. This is a reinvention, and I feel like that is that should be the point of a revival. Like it's more creative.

SPEAKER_00 38:47

Why are we doing that? I think there's a time and place for everything, and I think you know, I think it's absolutely okay to do like basically a remount of a show and call it a revival, and you know, but doing if you're gonna do like a new adaptation, this is how it should be done. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:03

So well, we love that. Well, yeah, uh anything else you want to say?

SPEAKER_00 39:07

No, it was a a great couple weeks of traveling.

SPEAKER_01 39:10

I know, and you're you're off, you're off again.

SPEAKER_00 39:12

Yep. Uh this week I'm going to Texas for the weekend um for my best friend Erica's wedding. Um and then You're also seeing Florence. Seeing Florence, yep. And the machine. Florence and the machine.

SPEAKER_01 39:26

Not for we're not on a first name basis. Not yet. Is that her government last name? And the machine.

SPEAKER_00 39:30

And the machine, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:32

Florence and the machine Welsh.

SPEAKER_00 39:33

Uh-huh. Um, yeah. And then after that, like two weeks from then it's Miami. Which is this is crazy. Unbelievable. This is crazy. I got shit I gotta do.

SPEAKER_01 39:43

Okay, we're gonna, we're gonna we're gonna take a break and we will be right back. And we're back. Okay, we're back with our titular setting. Titular. Mary, did you know? Do you have something you'd like to share with us?

SPEAKER_00 40:08

I do. Okay. I do. Let's hit it. Uh, Mary, did you know that when this episode comes out today um is the start of small business week?

SPEAKER_01 40:21

I'm not laughing at small business week. I'm just laughing at the the LinkedIn of it all jumping out.

SPEAKER_00 40:26

This is true. This is true. So um May 4th starts National Small Business Week. Okay. Um, so it's a great time to go out and support your local businesses, your mom and pops, your, you know, the small businesses that make our community thrive, mama. Okay. Um so for those who don't know, part of my job, I work at UB and I work for the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and we have programs and workshops for small business owners in the community. So part of my job is to help bolster the economy and community through entrepreneurial development. Um, so I'm a big proponent of small business and you know, supporting local businesses and helping them thrive. So, what are some of your favorite local businesses?

SPEAKER_01 41:15

Oh, what are well let me let me let me think. No, I only like corporate overlords. Um Well, I love 26. Yeah, that's a great, a great um LGBTQ uh uh small business um uh and expanding. Love that, love that for them. Trying to think of other small well, I haven't gotten my nails done in a long time, but Rue Nail Salon um over on Elmwood is owned by um our friend Sophia, and she's uh they're lovely there. So if you want to get your nails done, she does excellent work there. They're they're on Elmwood um by the co-op. Um trying to think of other small businesses.

SPEAKER_00 41:52

It's funny because pretty much there's there's actually a lot of small businesses in Buffalo, pretty much anywhere on you know Chippewa or Elmwood or Allen.

SPEAKER_01 42:02

There's a lot of places that we think is like institutions because they've been here for forever, but they are they're they're small businesses. Also, because I bet you the the you know this better, the definition of a small business I feel like is more expansive than we realize. Like it we we think it can be a little coffee shop, but it also can be like a restaurant, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:18

Like it can't be Paula's donuts is technically a small business. Yeah. Um because it's centralized to Western New York, um, Buffalo, really. Um, and although they have a few different excuse me, locations, they're technically owned and operated in Western New York. So Okay. Um I think I could be wrong, but I think the actual true definition of a small business is like less than 500 employees.

SPEAKER_01 42:45

Yeah, I believe that's true.

SPEAKER_00 42:46

Which like that's a shit ton of employees.

SPEAKER_01 42:49

Yeah, that's like kind of that's a little like you know what I mean. Because also, like, that's wait, that's crazy. Also, because like I work, like we have some clients that are under 500, but there's they they don't feel small. Right. I mean, they feel like if you have 400 employees, like that's a that's a big business, but yeah, in the eyes of you know, I think it truly like I remember at my old job, we used to have one of our clients was like the some chamber of commerces, and so what they would do is they would be like you know, businesses that only had four or five individuals that wanted a health insurance plan. So they would they would go in collectively through the chamber of commerce to get better rates, to get better plans. Because if you as a small business employer just need to get health insurance for like your four individuals, you'll get really fucked if one of those people has, you know, a chronic illness or is sick or something and gets a lot of claims. Like the way the insurance works is so is so fucked. Because that will drive it up because the pool is only four or five of you. The bigger your pool, the more everything balances out, the more healthy people you have, et cetera. So that that's where it gets a little it gets hard.

SPEAKER_00 43:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:48

Um, what are some of your favorite small businesses?

SPEAKER_00 43:50

Twenty six, obviously. Love that local establishment. Um, and pretty much any restaurants, because I feel like the restaurants are the ones that actually need the most love because The turnover rate for for restaurants in small business is like so much higher than any other industry. Um, just because there's more risk. There's you know, so I love going out to eat, and I think I think if you're gonna do anything this week for to celebrate National Small Business Week, go eat. Go to your favorite local restaurant. I've not been to Miris.

SPEAKER_01 44:23

I need to go.

SPEAKER_00 44:24

Oh, Miris. Oh god.

SPEAKER_01 44:26

I I have to go.

SPEAKER_00 44:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:27

But you gotta get a I gotta put a reservation in like now.

SPEAKER_00 44:30

Yeah, and you'll you'll get a table two weeks from now. That's what I mean.

SPEAKER_01 44:33

Not not even. I feel like I looked it up. I feel like it's gonna get worse over the over the summer. Oh, yeah. Um, I need to put that in ASAP.

SPEAKER_00 44:40

Yeah. So go support local business and enjoy National Small Business Week. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 44:46

Well, mine is not as nice about like life and people. Um, mine is Mary. Did you know that Olivia Rodrigo performed a new song on SNL last night? Wait, I heard about it. Did you listen to it? No. Oh my god, after this, you have to listen to it. It is gorgeous. So she was the my also part of Mary. Did you know with this? Is that her, unfortunately, her episode of SNL, and it's not really her fault, but was dreadful. Like I missed the first of maybe 15 minutes, so I think I missed the cold open and like her monologue in the first sketch. Uh-huh. Um, because of when I got got home, but I remembered that she was the hosting musical guest. Oh, she hosted. Yeah, so I was like, okay, terrible. Like just some of the worst writing. I just unpainfully unfunny. And she was trying her best, but like there was one sketch where I turned him out and I go, is this a reference? They were like singing the entire sketch, but it wasn't funny. I was like, are they referencing some video I'm not familiar with? Like, so it was kind of bummed for her because woof, they were some pretty dreadful sketches. Yeah. But um she opened with Drop Dead, okay, introduced by Debbie Harry from Blondie. Crazy. Wow. Um, so she opened with Drop Dead, which was this cool, like the top of the set was like um uh it was like she was underground, so it was like uh tombstone and some grass, and then they were underneath there with with her band. Well, usually when they're hosting the musical guest, they don't do that much in the numbers because they're so busy they can't really like plan out a whole performance. So she sort of just like bobbed around and danced. And then the second one is this song called I think uh begging or beggar, and it was just her with three backup dancers in white. It was just her sitting on a swing. Oh. Is it like a bop? No, it's like a it's like a it's sort of like it's like logical or something like that. Like well, the song started and it was really good, but you know, like it was a little bit too of like just when I felt like it was too of the same, she was like doing this sort of like mumbly lower words, which was pretty, but I was like, Okay, this is gonna do something. It goes into like a like lilting big vocal chorus, and I would and she sounded incredible. Like good. I think like her she clearly has just been like working on her voice, yeah, and she sounded amazing. Oh, I love that. So you'll have to look up that song. I believe it's called I think it's called Bigger. Um, but I guess she also was like, She was like, Yeah, Drop Dad's the first song on the album, and then they get progressively sadder from there. So this and this song, someone someone on Twitter was like, I need to know what track number this is. They were like, because if this is like middle of the road, I need to I need to have a couple people on standby. Yeah. Um, but it was just a bummer that her um that her the sketches were just not hitting. Yeah. Which like even like I watched Weekend Update, and they had like the like um like all of like the guests that we can update were bad. Like two people were doing Alex Earl and um Alex Cooper, you know, like that drama that maybe they have, and like it wasn't funny. Yeah. The only thing I laughed at loud is there was one guy who came out, it was like a guy who just playing himself, and he was like, I love Mulan Rouge. And Colin was just like, You don't even know what Mulan Rouge is. He's like, Yeah, I do. He goes, It's written out frenetically for you on the cards. Nick Cuts, and it says, Mulan Rouge in phonetics. I was like, That's funny. Yeah, I laughed at that, but overall it was just sort of like I was like, this like should be funnier. But and that that's the thing with SNL. Like, sometimes it's just not great. But Aziz Aziz Ansari in the opening played um Cash Patel, the FBI director. Oh, that's it was very funny doing like the Bug Eye thing. It was I was okay. This was funny. It went on for far too long. Um also Connor's story was there. He introduced Olivia's second song. Oh, just gaze around. I guess so. She's she said, I want that one. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:26

Um but I think he just hosted, didn't he?

SPEAKER_01 48:29

I think.

SPEAKER_00 48:29

I don't know. I don't know. There I can't keep up with them. I know. Weekly episodes are really hard to keep up with.

SPEAKER_01 48:37

I know, but you're as we're hearing, yeah, as the girls are telling us. Um okay, well, we're about to record another one.

SPEAKER_00 48:46

Yeah. Oh, um, Olivia Rodrigo's going on tour.

SPEAKER_01 48:49

Oh, yes, and we're gonna try to get tickets for us.

SPEAKER_00 48:53

Yes. Um I already have my calendar blocks.

SPEAKER_01 48:56

I think we'll be okay because it's a it's a it's an Amex pre-sale. Yes, which I have. And luckily the children don't have them.

SPEAKER_00 49:02

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 49:02

So unless they're unless their parents are buying, yeah. Are you excited to be the oldest people at the Olivia Rodrigo concert without children again?

SPEAKER_00 49:08

Yes, I am. I think I'm gonna try to get us the same type of tickets where it's like front of the 100 because like the charity seats. I just don't want to do the floor. No, I don't want to do a floor. I'm old.

SPEAKER_01 49:21

Yeah. We can't do we can't do the floor. Also, like floor is like the thing I don't like about floor. Well, it depends on what her floor is. I think hers is pit, which is no no.

SPEAKER_00 49:30

Like her food if there's seats, then I'd down for floor.

SPEAKER_01 49:33

But hers, I believe, is pit. Yeah. And uh it's not even like I don't even because you end up standing for most of the concert. It's the you have to get there early.

SPEAKER_00 49:40

You have to get there early, and if you have to go to the bathroom during the show, getting back to where you were is impossible.

SPEAKER_01 49:46

Even for the errors tour, I ended up not going to the bathroom when we saw it the second time because we were on the floor, but you had to walk all the way up to the 100 level. There were no bathrooms on the ground floor.

SPEAKER_00 49:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:55

Which was annoying.

SPEAKER_00 49:56

Right. So I'll take a look. Um, but I think my goal is to get the same type of tickets that we got last time.

SPEAKER_01 50:02

I'm down. But anyways, well, we will we're gonna wrap it up there, and we'll see y'all later. Yeah. Goodbye.