'Wicked' Takeover

Featuring Talia Suskauer

Talia Suskauer is currently playing Elphaba in "Wicked" on Broadway, following the success of the Munchkinland National Tour of the same show where she played the same role. From being a pasta lover to being a dog lover, Talia gets super personal as she shares how she got into theatre, which includes singing recordings in the car with her mom and sister. Talia looks back on the things that inspired her to pursue acting, the lessons she took throughout her childhood and teenage years, and how the support she got from her parents and mentors has molded her and helped her find her identity as an artist and performer. She recalls her first audition for "Be More Chill" just a week before graduating and her Broadway debut which she considers as unexpected and wild. During their closing week, Talia auditioned for "Wicked" as an Elphaba replacement and eventually got the role. And with live theatre shutting down for almost two years due to the pandemic, Talia opens up about how it affected her mental health, not being able to turn to theatre as a means of escape, and what helped her get out of her rut, including exercising. She was a part of the reopening cast for "Wicked" which was the first Broadway-caliber show to reopen in the country. She talks about being on tour and being on Broadway, why she loved touring, her passion for her job, and why you shouldn’t let anyone try to put you in a box because your uniqueness is what makes you special.Talia Suskauer is a New York-based actor and singer who made her Broadway debut in "Be More Chill" and recently finished a long run in the Munchkinland National Tour of Wicked as Elphaba. She attended Penn State, where she re­ceived her BFA in Musical Theater. Her other stage credits include "Shrek", "Little Women", and "The Secret Garden". Talia is currently playing Elphaba in "Wicked" on Broadway. She's also appeared in a few TV shows such as "The Kelly Clarkson Show" and "The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal". Connect with Talia: Twitter: @taliarach Instagram: @taliasuskauer Facebook: @taliasuskauernyc Website: taliasuskauer.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think.

Featuring Alyssa Fox

Alyssa Fox is currently in "Wicked" on Broadway as Elphaba standby, having been a part of "Wicked" for around 12 years now. Her lifelong dream of becoming true Disney royalty and growing up watching Disney movies was her first introduction to acting and singing and theatrical expression. Alyssa shares her love for singing and performing live, discovering "Wicked" in senior high school and finding her calling. She talks about her "Wicked" journey, why she decided to drop out of college, and how she went to New York for the first time to audition for a non-equity cattle call she saw on playbill.com. From humble beginnings, she went from not having an agent to booking "Wicked" and only having $18 in her bank account. As we all know, we discuss how the understudy, standby, and swing life is much harder in a different way from your standard roles. She shares some of her experiences as “Frozen’s” Elsa and “Wicked’s” Elphaba standby, from remembering her lines and staying sharp on stage to stage mishaps, and talks about the sisterhood and connection that comes with playing the difficult character of Elphaba, and why despite finding touring hard, it's also where she felt the happiest and most fulfilled. Reflecting back on her work, she sees all her peers as equals, explains why she loves doing theatre, and the amazing connections made between the performer and the audience.Alyssa Fox is an actress born in Dallas, Texas who is currently in "Wicked" on Broadway as Elphaba standby, also having played the lead role on the national tour. Her other stage credits include "Frozen" (Broadway and Regional) where she was Elsa standby.Connect with Alyssa: Twitter: @alyssafox Instagram: @alyssajoyfox Facebook: @Allyfox22 Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think.

Featuring Mikayla Renfrow

Mikayla Renfrow is currently making her Broadway debut as Nessarose in "Wicked", one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history. Mikayla shares her background, including growing up in Cincinnati and moving around a lot. She talks about inherited trauma, a point in her life where she always felt like a black sheep, and how that changed thanks to the Cincinnati art school she went into. Mikayla recalls how her "Wicked" journey started, including sending one tape, getting a call back the following day, almost missing her Broadway debut due to a conflict in schedule, and eventually getting the role of Nessarose. She adds how it was a validation of her gut feeling that it was meant for her. Mikayla talks about her interest in astrology, why she believes that every milestone was meant to place her where she is at the moment, creating a routine and sticking to it and that everyone should go to therapy. She shares how the pandemic affected the trajectory of her life and career as well as using her dance skills to get another job. She also speaks candidly about her being a competitive gymnast and a national champion when she was younger. Mikayla looks back on writing her dream life in her journal and how she's living her dreams today, and why it's important to go back to our "why's" to help us keep going.Mikayla Renfrow graduated from Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts in 2017 and then from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music in 2021. Her regional stage credits include "Cinderalla" (Paramount Theatre), "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" (The Muny), and "Smokey Joe's Cafe" (The Fulton Theatre). She's currently making her Broadway debut as Nessarose in the hit show "Wicked."Connect with Mikayla: Instagram: @mikayla.renf TikTok: @mikrenfrow Twitter: @mikrenf Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think.

Featuring Jordan Barrow

Jordan Barrow is currently making his Broadway debut as the principal role of Boq in "Wicked", making him the first black actor to play the role in North America. He talks about how he got into performing—from joining a theatre camp to doing voiceover work and getting his first professional job when he was 13. He shares how didn't sing until he was 11 and even cried after getting the role of Danny Zuko and finding out he had to sing in front of people for a Grease musical in a summer camp. Jordan explains why he decided to go to school instead of pursuing acting right away (his agent ended up dropping him eventually). He shares his career journey from auditioning for Shakespeare in the Park in 2015 to booking a guest starring part on “POSE”. Jordan gets real about how the pandemic affected his work, wherein he lost 14 weeks of work removed, but despite that, it was also during the pandemic that he auditioned for "Wicked" and got the role of Boq. He shares that it was his fifth time auditioning and that he did not give up thanks to his mindset of how every audition is an audition for the next thing. He recalls his Broadway debut and what the experience was like, doing spot-check rehearsals, and what makes his work exciting and fresh.Jordan Barrow is an actor based in New York City currently making his Broadway debut as the principal role of Boq in "Wicked". He graduated from the University of Michigan in the Musical Theatre program and holds a certificate from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts Shakespeare in Performance program. His other stage credits include "Sousatzka", "America V 2.1: The Sad Demise and Eventual Extinction of the American Negro", "Witness Uganda", "Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust Road", "The Tempest", "Hairspray" and "Peter Pan". He has appeared in several movies and tv shows, including "POSE", "Broad City", and "Amy and Peter are Getting Divorced".Connect with Jordan: Twitter: @jordant_b Instagram: @jordant_b Website: jordan-barrow.com Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think.