Two Kids & A Broadway Star

Ellie and Haley interview LIANA HUNT! 

Liana can be seen on Broadway right now as Lorraine Baines McFly—Marty’s mom in Back to the Future. And yes, we ask her if Lorraine has a crush on her son like she does in the movie. But you also might know her from Mamma Mia! Because she toured with the show and made her Broadway debut as Sophie. She also starred as Katherine Plumber in Newsies, toured with Wicked and Bright Star and is part of a sketch comedy show called SHIZ: Broadway Meets Sketch Comedy.

Liana tells us about:

⭐️ Putting her own spin on a beloved character

⭐️ What it was like moving from small-town Vermont to NYC

⭐️ Making her tour and Broadway debut with Mamma Mia!

⭐️ Her favorite Back to the Future prop!

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Ellie and Haley interview KATIE ROSE CLARKE! 

Katie Rose Clarke doesn’t do things small. She made her Broadway debut in a little show called The Light in the Piazza when she was 21. She’s been Glinda A LOT. In fact, she holds the record as the longest-running Glinda on Broadway. Now, she’s hanging out with a little Sondheim show named Merrily We Roll Along. Which means she’s taking the stage eight times a week alongside Jonathan Groff, Danielle Radcliffe and a whole bunch of talented people. 

Katie tells us about:

⭐️ How she got her start in theater!

⭐️ Her record-setting time in Wicked!

⭐️ What Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe are really like! 

⭐️ The Sondheim Renaissance happening on Broadway right now!

Note from our parents: This episode was recorded in October, while the SAG-AFTRA strike was still active. 

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Ellie and Haley interview JOSE LLANA! 

Jose leads a big, new take on what a Broadway show looks like in Here Lies Love—an immersive show that makes the audience a part of the performance. But before that, he graced the stage in Rent, Flower Drum Song, Wonderland, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The King and I — not once, but twice. And he’s been seen on your screens in Sex and the City and Hitch, and is a recording artist. Plus, as always, a whole lot more. 

Jose tells us about:

⭐️ What to expect at an immersive Broadway show

⭐️ What it’s like playing Ferdinand Marcos

⭐️ His trick for getting the audience to play along

⭐️ His advice for theater kids!

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Ellie and Haley interview LESLI MARGHERITA! 

Queen Lesli herself! Lesli made her Broadway debut as Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda the Musical. She was everyone’s favorite Princess in Emojiland, everyone’s favorite Cindy Lou Who in Who’s Holiday AND is the creator of two broadway.com vlogs, a digital short series, two books, two solo shows and the album Rule Your Kingdom.

But before she did all that, she won an Olivier Award for her West End debut as Inez in Zorro the Musical. No biggie. 

We’ve seen her on stage, we’ve seen her on TV, we’ve seen her at BroadwayCon and now we’re so excited to have her on our podcast! 

Lesli tells us about:

⭐️ Missing Emojiland after the shutdown

⭐️ Working with kids in Matilda

⭐️ How to deal with negative online comments. 

⭐️ Which one she’d keep — Star Wars or Muppets?

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Ellie and Haley interview MARIA BILBAO! 

Maria made her Broadway debut earlier this year playing Johanna in Sweeney Todd and was in On Your Feet, Evita and In the Heights before joining one of Broadway’s biggest shows of the year. We talk to her about what that’s been like, all her favorite Sweeney things, and of course her advice for aspiring Johannas and Mrs. Lovetts. 

Maria tells us about:

⭐️ Launching her Broadway career alongside Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford

⭐️ Being a soprano in a world that loves belting 

⭐️ Playing Gloria Estefan in “On Your Feet”

⭐️ And a lightning round full of Stranger Things, dream roles, Cuban food and Taylor Swift 

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Ellie and Haley interview ERIC WILLIAM MORRIS! 

From the original SQUIP to Be More Chill to Mamma Mia! to King Kong to White Girl in Danger, Eric William Morris has popped up in some of our favorite shows. And he can be seen in Fleishman Is In Trouble, I Know What You Did Last Summer and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. But we’re here for all things on-stage! 

Eric tells us about:

⭐️ Playing three roles in White Girl in Danger and how he does all those quick-changes.

⭐️ Kicking off Be More Chill before its off-Broadway run.

⭐️ How his soap opera roots helped him lean into the camp of White Girl in Danger.

⭐️ King Kong? Or Godzilla? 

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Ellie and Haley interview ANDREA MACASAET! 

We know Andrea best as the first—and fan favorite—Queen to lose her head in Six. 

But before she made her Broadway debut, she racked up some awesome stage credits, like Avenue Q, Heathers and Miss Saigon. Then, during the shutdown, she popped up in Ratatouille the Musical. And she’s back on stage in RENT at this year’s Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada, where she’s playing Mimi. Another queen, honestly.

Andrea tells us about:

⭐️ Bringing Mimi to a whole new generation of RENT fans at Strat Fest.

⭐️ The best part of connecting with the audience during Six.

⭐️ What it was like doing a show with her best friends—and all the challenges the pandemic threw their way.

⭐️ Her advice for not just kids, but girls who want to be on Broadway someday!

Special thanks to Melissa Mae Shipley at the Stratford Festival for helping make this episode happen! 

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Ellie and Haley interview ELIZABETH TEETER! 

We love a good Beetlejuice story, and Elizabeth Teeter has one of the best! When the show came back to Broadway in 2022, she jumped into reviving the role of Lydia Deetz. And she had a blast until the show closed in early 2023, sending off our favorite goth girl with a big heart. But Elizabeth has a handful of other amazing shows under her belt, too, like Mary Poppins, The Audience and The Crucible. 

Elizabeth tells us about:

⭐️ Working with one of Broadway’s most fun casts

⭐️ Her love of dance and who inspired her

⭐️ What it was like bringing Lydia back to stage, and saying goodbye

⭐️ The super-secret magic behind Lydia and Barbara levitating!

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Ellie and Haley interview JULIE BENKO!

You might have heard of a little show called … Funny Girl? Well Julie’s been with the show from day one in a BIG WAY. First as the Fanny Brice understudy, then taking on the role full-time and now as the character’s alternate every Thursday. She’s also been in Spring Awakening, Fiddler on the Roof and Les Mis. And the New York Times named her a Broadway breakout star in 2022.

Julie tells us about:

⭐️ Playing the iconic role of Fanny Brice

⭐️ Where you can find her in the theater when she isn’t on stage

⭐️ Harmony, the new show she’s been working on!

⭐️ What it was like performing Spring Awakening when she was just 19

⭐️ Her advice for staying above the rumors that can distract a cast

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In this very special episode of Two Kids, Ellie and Haley are helping raise money for one of their favorite kids and their favorite places. Madison Barthelmes has been fighting pediatric cancer for the past year, and her parents own Ellie and Haley’s local youth community theater, Spotlight Arts in Fairport, NY. To help support Maddie and her family, Two Kids auctioned off three guest spots for this episode.

Courtney Buss, Nico Dobrot and Mikey Martin are theater kids just like us! In this episode, we talk about all of our favorite things about Spotlight, Broadway, being on stage and more!

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Ellie and Haley interview GERARD CANONICO!

We’ve been big fans since we first saw Gerard as Rich in Be More Chill. But you might also know him from some of Broadway’s favorite shows, like Spring Awakening, American Idiot, Groundhog Day, 21 Chump Street and now Almost Famous!

Gerard tells us about:

⭐️ Reuniting with his Spring Awakening cast in 2022

⭐️ Be More Chill and his love of the Iconis Family

⭐️ How he relates to his character, Dick, in one of Broadway’s newest shows, Almost Famous

⭐️ Breaking chairs and spraining ankles on stage

⭐️ The one thing he wants you to pay attention to in Almost Famous!

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Ellie and Haley interview KEELEY KARSTEN!

You can see Keeley in Steven Spielberg’s new movie, The Fabelmans. She plays Natalie, a role inspired by Spielberg’s younger sister, and the movie tells the story of how Spielberg fell in love with film. It’s a big deal.

This episode is a little different, but we worked in plenty of Broadway AND we’re so excited to have Keeley on the show because she’s a big theater fan just like us!

Keeley tells us about:

⭐️ What it was like working with THE Steven Spielberg!

⭐️ The Fablemans and what she hopes people take away from the movie.

⭐️ Her upcoming stage role (it’s a really great one).

⭐️ The Broadway show her mom was in!

⭐️ Her favorite season of Stranger Things! (So much Stranger Things talk …)

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Ellie and Haley interview ELI GOLDEN!

If you haven’t heard of Eli Golden yet, you’re about to! He plays Evan, the star of Netflix’s new 13: The Musical movie, out August 12! And for theater kids everywhere, that’s a BIG deal.

In this episode of Two Kids, we talk to Eli about what it was like bringing a musical to the screen, what he hopes kids take away from the movie, what the audition process was like, recording his own music and, as always, his advice for kids like us!

Eli tells us about:

⭐️ How forgiveness is such a big part of 13: The Musical

⭐️ Auditioning virtually

⭐️ His upcoming album!

⭐️ Working with legends like Rhea Perlman (Shout-out to Mrs. Wormwood!) and Debra Messing

⭐️ And so much more! If you’re a kid and you love 13, this is your episode!

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Ellie and Haley interview ANALISE SCARPACI!

If you’ve been around Broadway lately, you know her as Lydia Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire! And we were lucky to get a sneak peek of the show way back in 2020 at BroadwayCon. But before THAT, she made her Broadway debut in A Christmas Story and later starred in Godspell and Matilda, a show we just did, so you better believe we talk about that! Analise also just released “Pathetic Little Dreamer” on all your music streaming platforms AND works with kids and teens who want to be on Broadway. She’s our youngest guest ever and started her Broadway career as a child actor.

In this episode of Two Kids, we talk to Analise about Doubtfire’s journey before, during and after the shutdown, what it was like being a kid swing in Matilda and what she’s up to now!

Analise tells us about:

⭐️ The songwriting process for her new album

⭐️ The power of being the short kid on stage!

⭐️ Recording the cast album with her Doubtfire family

⭐️ What being a kid on Broadway is really like—for parents, too!

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Ellie and Haley interview JORDAN MATTHEW BROWN!

We met Jordan in 2019 when he was touring as Elder Cunningham in Book of Mormon. But before he became one of our favorite stage-door people, he was in Into the Woods, Parade, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Who’s Tommy AND made his Broadway debut as Book of Mormon before heading out on tour!

In this episode of Two Kids, we talk Broadway. We talk food. We play a lightning round of word association. And we have the best Patti LuPone impression you’ll hear all day.

Jordan tells us:

⭐️ How his Elder Cunningham has grown over the years

⭐️ His advice for kids who want to be on Broadway someday

⭐️ What it’s been like to pop back into Book of Mormon

⭐️ What his Broadway debut was like

⭐️ The trick to learning all Jack’s lines in Into the Woods

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Ellie and Haley interview JOHN TARTAGLIA!

John first hit Broadway as the original Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q, and he stayed on and off Broadway in a bunch of shows, like Beauty & the Beast, Newsical and Shrek as the OG Pinocchio and the hands behind dragon and the magic mirror.

In this episode of Two Kids, it’s all about his work as a puppeteer! From Johnnie and the Sprites to Julie’s Greenroom, he’s brought some of the most amazing children’s characters to life. And he just brought back Fraggle Rock on AppleTV+!

We’re talking all things puppets and Muppets with THE Fraggle expert.

Hear John tell us:

⭐️ What Avenue Q meant for puppets on Broadway

⭐️ How he auditioned for Shrek—and ended up being a puppet

⭐️ What it’s like to hug Julie Andrews

⭐️ The trick behind the magic mirror

⭐️ What it’s like living his Fraggle Rock dream!

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Ellie and Haley interview KIM SAVA!

If Kim and Ellie have one thing in common … it’s that they’ve both done shows with Haley! Kim recently wrapped up a super-fun run as Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda at Syracuse Stage, and before that, she made her Broadway debut in Beetlejuice in some of the show’s most memorable roles, including understudying Delia, Barbara and Maxine. She also toured with Matilda and has done regional shows, like Annie and Singing in the Rain.

Hear Kim tell us:

⭐️ What she loves about regional theater

⭐️ What it was like performing at the Tonys

⭐️ A little bit about what’s next for Beetlejuice! (And her!)

⭐️ How to have a great audition

⭐️ And advice for kids like us!

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Ellie and Haley interview BEN CAMERON!

You know him from BroadwayCon. You know him from Broadway Buskers. You know him from Broadway Sessions. You know him as your Broadway Buddy! Ben Cameron was in the original Broadway casts of Wicked, Footloose and Aida, and has toured with multiple shows and can be heard on a bunch of cast albums. We met him at BroadwayCon and can confirm he’s as awesome as he seems!

In this episode, we talk to Ben about very important Broadway stuff, like:

⭐️ A Muppet Christmas Carol

⭐️ Why we didn’t say hi at Broadway Buskers

⭐️ Whether it’s true Glinda was her friend!

⭐️ Watching American Idol with Idina Menzel

⭐️ The first time he saw Elphaba fly

⭐️ His advice for kids who love Broadway as much as he does

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Ellie and Haley interview JOE ICONIS!

Joe wrote BE MORE CHILL, which is one of our all-time favorite musicals (ask us about our Jeremy and Christine cosplay from Broadway Con) and earned him a Tony nomination. He also wrote Broadway Bounty Hunter, Love In Hate Nation, Two Player Game and more.

Hear Joe tell us:

⭐️ How he wrote some of our favorite songs in Be More Chill

⭐️ How his love of theater helped him learn to play piano

⭐️ If he thinks there ever be a female (or nobinary) squip

⭐️ What Diane Kitten thought about the CATS movie

⭐️ If he’ll adopt us into Joe Iconis and Family

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Ellie and Haley interview CHRIS AND CLAY RICE-THOMSON, our first Two Kids & A Broadway COUPLE!

Chris is currently on tour with Hamilton and was in Pretty Woman and Book of Mormon on Broadway. And he and Clay toured together in West Side Story, where they met. Clay has also toured with Wicked, Jesus Christ Superstar and Oliver. And has been in King Kong, Matilda and Newsies on Broadway.

From Chris and Clay tell us about:

⭐️ How they got started in theater—and it’s REALLY close to home for us!

⭐️ What it’s like being back on stage and back in the audience.

⭐️ Their advice for kids who want to be on Broadway someday.

⭐️ THE. PROPOSAL. STORY. 😍😍😍

⭐️ And the most fun lightning round we’ve ever done!

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Ellie and Haley interview STEPHANIE D’ABRUZZO!

Stephanie is the OG Kate Monster in Avenue Q! It’s a role that earned her a Tony nomination and showed the world a brand-new kind of puppeteering—right on stage! She’s built her whole career on amazing puppeteering and voice work, with roles on Sesame Street, Julie’s Greenroom, in video games, on TV, in movies, off Broadway and more!

From puppeteering to Avenue Q, Stephanie tells us about:

⭐️ Her first puppets, and where they are now!

⭐️ What it was like to meet Big Bird as a grownup

⭐️ How Avenue Q was supposed to be a TV show

⭐️ What she thinks happened to Princeton and Kate Monster

⭐️ Her favorite Sesame Street guest stars

⭐️ Her advice for young performers

⭐️ And what’s the difference between a puppet and a Muppet anyway?

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Ellie and Haley interview DREW GASPARINI! Drew is a composer, songwriter and performer, and he’s been making big waves lately with the new Karate Kid musical and a stage version of It’s Kind of a Funny Story.

In this episode, Drew tells us all about ...

⭐️ Staying true to Karate Kid and when we can see its out-of-town run!

⭐️ Becoming a noodle.

⭐️ How he feels about Cobra Kai.

⭐️ Some exciting news about It’s Kind of a Funny Story!

⭐️ How he became friends and writing partners with Alex Brightman, and what they’re working on right now!

⭐️ His new puppy, Gordy.

⭐️ The first show he’s going to see when Broadway reopens—and who he’s taking with him!

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Ellie and Haley interview TAMAR GREENE! Or as we like to call him: George Washington! Tamar joined the Broadway cast of Hamilton in January before the shutdown, and before that, he spent a year and a half in the role during the show’s run in Chicago. And he was born right here in Rochester, NY, where he went to the Eastman School and performed in some of the same local theaters we’ve been lucky to be a part of.

In this episode, Tamar tells us all about …

⭐️ His first Broadway audition, and his Hamilton audition!

⭐️ His background in opera and piano

⭐️ When Hamilton will be back in rehearsals!

⭐️ His advice for young performers

Ellie and Haley interview AARON ALCARAZ! We first saw Aaron as Angel in the 20th anniversary tour of RENT! And he later made his Broadway debut as a swing in the cast of Mean Girls. He’s one of the nicest actors we’ve ever met and we can’t wait for you to hear what he had to say about …

⭐️ How he learned Angel’s crazy dance moves!

⭐️ How he got from the RENT tour to the Broadway stage!

⭐️ What’s harder: Being a lead or being a swing?

⭐️ What’s next for Mean Girls

⭐️ Where all the swings hang out!

⭐️ His advice for young performers

⭐️ How we can bring Broadway back BETTER!

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Ellie and Haley interview ALEX BRIGHTMAN! You know him as the ghost with the most. The teacher with the meacher. He’s rocked out in School of Rock and he’s haunted the Winter Garden as Beetlejuice. He’s a two-time Tony nominee, a writer, a voice actor and a member of the comedy group The (M)orons. AND he’s the nicest Broadway star we’ve ever met. In this episode, Alex tells us all about …

⭐️ The new TV show he’s writing!

⭐️ What he fell back on when Broadway shut down.

⭐️ What he thinks might be next for Beetlejuice.

⭐️ His advice for young performers and how he found theater as a kid.

⭐️ Why it’s important to share what you know!

⭐️ How we can all support the theater community.

⭐️ How Kevin is doing.

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Ellie and Haley interview JENNIFER ASHLEY TEPPER! Jennifer produced BE MORE CHILL on and off Broadway, and also produced Love In Hate Nation and Broadway Bounty Hunter. She’s also an author, the creator of The Jonathan Larson Project and is working on the Tick Tick Boom movie. AND she’s the one who gets all those awesome shows to Feinstein’s/54 Below. Phew!

Jennifer definitely told us all of her secrets, liiike:

⭐️ How she was a theater kid just like us. Right down to the show!

⭐️ What a Broadway producer really does. (Hint: Everything.)

⭐️ All things Be More Chill!

⭐️ George Salazar. 😍 Lin-Manuel Miranda. 🤯

⭐️ The Jonathan Larson Project and working on the Tick Tick Boom movie!

⭐️ Her favorite theater secret!

⭐️ And who’s in the yeti costume???

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Rory O’Malley has played some of Broadway’s funniest, most likeable characters! And after talking to him, we can tell you that sounds just like him! He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Elder McKinley in Book of Mormon and was the first replacement for King George in Hamilton. WHOA. We had so much fun talking to him and finding out a bunch of theater secrets, like:

⭐️ How Elder McKinley was created and what makes him so funny

⭐️ How to turn any audition into a good relationship

⭐️ How Jonathan Groff helped Rory take over as King George in Hamilton

⭐️ His advice for theater kids

⭐️ Who would win in a beauty pageant: Elder McKinley or King George?

⭐️ What Josh Gad and Leslie Odom Jr. were like in college (Spoiler alert: At least one of them was a !)

⭐️ The secret behind that crazy Book of Mormon costume change!

And always ➡️ what we can do to support theater RIGHT NOW!

This episode supports Fair Fight and Stacey's Drama Club.

You can learn more and give at:

Ellie and Haley interview KRISTIN STOKES! Kristin originated the role of Annabeth Chase in the Lightning Thief musical off-Broadway, on the national tour and in the show’s limited Broadway run.

Kristin talks to the girls about:

⭐️ How being her mom’s theater buddy led to her start in theater.

⭐️ How she auditioned for The Lightning Thief before even reading the Percy Jackson books!

⭐️ What she has done in 2020 to recover from her crazy 2019.

⭐️ What’s next for her and The Lightning Thief.

⭐️ Which Broadway star would be the best quest partner.

⭐️ How she totally became the Annabeth of the Lightning Thief cast.

⭐️ Seaweed. Brain.

Thank you to Broadway Plus for helping make this episode happen!

Ellie and Haley interview DANA STEINGOLD! Dana played the Girl Scout in Tony-nominated Beetlejuice and starred in Avenue Q and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She’s also the voice of Saraline on the Emmy-nominated Welcome to the Wayne.

Dana talks to the girls about:

⭐️ How attending theater camp changed her life.

⭐️ Her secrets for auditioning and puppeteering.

⭐️ Being in the fun and challenging Avenue Q.

⭐️ What it was like when Beetlejuice closed early.

⭐️ How we can support theater right now.

⭐️ What kids with big Broadway dreams can do to build their skills now.

Haley and Ellie interview HUNTER FOSTER! Hunter is a Tony Award nominee who has been in Grease, Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors, the Producers and more! Today, he’s artistic director at Redhouse Theater in Syracuse, NY.

Hunter talks to the girls about:

⭐️ His career path and how he got where he is today.

⭐️ Hus favorite role.

⭐️ The surprising way he and his sister Sutton found their way to musical theater.

⭐️ Why he agreed to do a musical all about pee.

⭐️ How they can make it to Broadway when they’re older and how all of us can help support theater and the arts right now!

In their first-ever episode, Haley and Ellie interview John Barthelemes, the owner and artistic director of Spotlight Studios for the Performing Arts in Fairport, NY.

John, who has directed Haley and Ellie since they were both 5 years old, talks about the Broadway performers he’s trained, how he picks each year’s lineup, what it’s like to direct kids of all different age groups and the story of how Spotlight came to be.