Broadway Journeys » podcast

He’s not just any agent, he’s a special agent! Sofia chats with the SPYTACULAR Curt Mega (Spies Are Forever, Black Friday, Glee, Buffering)!!! Curt is best known for starring as Agent Curt Mega in the Tin Can Brothers musical comedy Spies Are Forever. Curt has also starred as struggling writer Ben Little in the web-series Buffering and The Ben Diaries.On television, he has been featured as Nick the Warbler on Glee and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Criminal Minds, NCIS: Los Angeles and Stuck in the Middle. He recently produced and performed in the satirical musical theatre revue Shitty Broadway, along with Corey Lubowich, Mary Kate Wiles, Sinéad Persaud and a number of special guest stars. Curt most recently starred as President Howard Goodman in Team StarKid’s twelfth and latest musical, Black Friday. Curt and I discuss his favorite songs and scenes to do in Spies Are Forever, playing President Howie and his moments of craziness in Black Friday, his backstories for all of his Black Friday characters, the origin story of Shitty Broadway, how he stays positive and productive during the Coronapocalypse and much more! You can watch Spies Are Forever and Black Fridayon YouTube, and look out for Curt’s upcoming projects!

You’re just as sane as she is! Sofia chats with the MAGICAL Tessa Netting (Her amazing YouTube channel, the Fantastic Geeks Podcast, Spies Are Forever, Billy Elliott, Bunk’d)!!! Tessa made her Broadway debut at the age of 18 as the “Spastic Starfish” Ballet Girl in Billy Elliott. Tessa is best known for her Harry Potter and fandom-themed YouTube channel, which currently boasts 602,000 subscribers. Her videos range from parodies and vlogs, to original music videos to Potter-themed games. Tessa portrayed geeky scientist Barbara “Barb” Lavernor in the Tin Can Brothers musical comedy Spies Are Forever, and currently stars as Hazel in Disney Channel’s Bunk’d. She and fellow YouTuber Anna Brisbin, known as Brizzy Voices, are the creators and hosts of the Fantastic Geeks (And Where To Find Them) podcast. Her other film and television credits include Glee, Flop Stoppers, The Peanuts Movie, Buffering, Love Daily, Freakish and Inappropriate Parents. Tessa and I discuss the origins of her obsession with Harry Potter and musical theatre, her favorite Harry Potter cosplays that she’s done, her experience playing Barb in Spies Are Forever, her hopes for Barb’s future, her inspiration from Team StarKid and much more! Tessa is one of the original YouTubers and ultimate fangirls. She has worked on and helmed so many exciting projects in both the fandom world and the musical theatre world. You can listen to the Fantastic Geeks podcast on iTunes, and look out for Tessa’s upcoming projects!

Sofia chats with the BRILLIANT Melissa Anelli (Harry, A History author, The Leaky Cauldron webmistress, Pottercast host, Mischief Management CEO)!!! Melissa is the webmistress of The Leaky Cauldron, one of the most popular Harry Potter fan websites of all time, the host of Pottercast, the first ever Harry Potter podcast and one of the first podcasts on the internet, and the author of the New York Times best-selling novel Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon, which includes a foreword by J.K. Rowling. Melissa is also the founder and CEO of the company Mischief Management, which has produced six annual fan conventions including LeakyCon, GeekyCon, BroadwayCon, Con of Thrones, AlienCon, and now PodX. Melissa is an incredible trailblazer in the fandom community, a seasoned veteran of the podcasting and convention industries, and one of the ultimate experts on all things Harry Potter and fandom-related. Melissa and I discuss her first experiences working with The Leaky Cauldron, her newest ideas and plans for Pottercast, the equally wonderful and stressful aspects of managing multiple Mischief Management fan conventions, the benefits of being an impatient writer, the character that she would want to be in Harry Potter and much more! LeakyCon is currently set to return to Dallas, Texas on August 9th-11th and Boston, Massachusetts on October 11th-13th.

The guy just doesn’t like musicals! Sofia chats with the INCREDIBLE Jon Matteson (The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, The Power of Prom, Completeness, Tiny Fascists: A Boy Scout Musical, Black Friday)!!! Jon is best known for starring as Paul, the titular musical-hating leading man in Team StarKid’s latest production The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. Jon is also a founding member of (re)discover theatre, a theatre company with a mission to redefine theatrical norms by creating immersive, unique new productions. He has also starred as Hamlet in Hamlet at (re)discover theatre, Vince in The Power of Prom, Tiny Fascists: A Boy Scout Musical and Trigger Happy at the Annoyance Theatre, as well as Completeness at Theater Wit. Jon wrote and performed his solo show Jon Matteson: A Solo Show by Jon Matteson at the Annoyance Theatre in 2018. His film and television credits include Pwn3d, The Most Dangerous Game, Chicago Fire, #DontBeMine and Comp’d. He is the co-host of the YouTube podcast Rim Tim Timmy’s Fun Time Hour alongside Jeff Blim. Jon is a regular improv and sketch performer in theaters all around Chicago, and has worked with Second City Theatricals since 2014. Jon is currently set to star as the demonic toy Tickle-Me Wiggly in StarKid’s upcoming horror-comedy musical Black Friday. Jon and I discuss his strangest, craziest survival jobs, the origin story of the (re)discover theater and its production of Hamlet, his favorite moments and musical numbers from The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, his solo show at the Annoyance Theatre, great coffee places in California and much more! You can go see Jon in Black Friday at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre in Los Angeles this holiday season, from October 31st to December 8th.

Viva la vie bohéme! Sofia chats with the LEGENDARY Anthony Rapp (Rent, Star Trek: Discovery, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, If/Then, Six Degrees of Separation)!!! Anthony is best known for his iconic origination of the role of Mark Cohen in the revolutionary Broadway phenomenon Rent, and reprised his role in its West End production, as well as its 2005 film adaptation. Anthony has also starred onstage as Charlie Brown in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Lucas in If/Then, Seymour Krelborn in Little Shop of Horrors, Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, King Henry V in Henry V, The King and I, and The Little Prince and the Aviator. He has starred on television in Adventures in Babysitting, Six Degrees of Separation and Dazed and Confused. Anthony has toured around the world with his solo show Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss and the Musical Rent, as well as his many concert performances with Adam Pascal, including Adam Pascal & Anthony Rapp: Acoustically Speaking. He released his solo album “Look Around” in 2000. Anthony is the co-founder and organizer of the musical theatre fan convention BroadwayCon alongside Melissa Anelli of Mischief Management. Anthony currently stars as Lieutenant Commander Paul Stamets on Star Trek: Discovery on CBS. Anthony and I discuss his memories from Rent, filming Rent Live!, the origin story of BroadwayCon, his role on Star Trek: Discovery, the characters that he would play in a Star Trek musical and much more! You can catch Anthony on television in Star Trek: Discovery, which recently wrapped up its second season.

He wants to learn to play the banjo! Sofia chats with the GENIUS writer and actor Nick Lang (Holy Musical B@man!, Starship, A Very Potter Musical, Ani: A Parody, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals)!!! Nick and his brother Matt Lang are the founders and co-creators of Team StarKid and are the masterminds behind every Team StarKid musical to date, including A Very Potter Musical, A Very Potter Sequel, Me and My Dick, Starship, Twisted, A Very Potter Senior Year, Holy Musical B@man!, Ani, The Trail to Oregon!, Firebringer, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals and the upcoming Black Friday. Nick has starred as Robin in Holy Musical B@man!, Pappy and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Ani, the Caller Bug and Mister Bug in Starship and Mr. Weasley, the Sorting Hat and Scarfy in the Very Potter Musical Trilogy. Nick also co-wrote and acted in the web-series Little White Lie along with many of his current StarKid co-stars.  Nick and Matt have written a graphic novel series, Quicksand Jack. Nick and I discuss how childhood bedtime stories inspired his signature StarKid writing style, the Lord of the Rings musicals he wrote in college, his inspiration for the Star Wars satire of Ani, the increasingly darker tone of current and upcoming StarKid musicals, his take on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, fun facts about Tickle-Me Wiggly, the origin story of the Puppy-Kitties and much more! You can buy tickets to StarKid Homecoming at the Theatre at the Ace in Los Angeles this May, and stay tuned for news about the upcoming StarKid horror-comedy musical Black Friday!

He is a man of justice, he is a man of might! Sofia chats with the TOTALLY AWESOME Brian Holden (A Very Potter Sequel, Holy Musical B@man!, Ani: A Parody, Starship, Me and My Dick, A Very Potter Senior Year)!!! Brian is a founding member of Team StarKid and has played many different roles in their productions, as an actor, co-writer, director and producer. Brian is best known for starring as Remus Lupin in A Very Potter Sequel, and went on to star as Superman in Holy Musical B@man!, Junior in Starship, J.J. and Admiral Motti in Ani, Flopsy in Me and My Dick, Rubeus Hagrid and Lupin again in A Very Potter Senior Year,  Smelly Balls in Firebringer and Airport for Birds. He has co-written the book of every musical in the Very Potter Musical trilogy, Me and My Dick, Starship, The Trail to Oregon! and Firebringer. Brian has narrated over seven audiobooks, including Dead Moon, The Lightning Fart: A Lightning Thief Parody, When Millennials Take Over: Preparing For The Ridiculously Optimistic Future Of Business, The Sorcerers of Caramine, 1% Murders: The Adair Classroom Mysteries and most recently The House In Poplar Wood. Brian and I discuss his StarKid origin story, his all-time favorite StarKid roles from Superman to Lupin, how superheroes could truly use their powers for good, his middle school audition for West Side Story, his penchant for playing “pathetic” characters, why Smelly Balls is such a great character in Firebringer and much more! You can buy tickets to StarKid Homecoming at the Theatre at the Ace in Los Angeles this May, and look out for more upcoming StarKid musicals and concerts!

Sofia chats with the FANTASTIC Andy Mientus (Smash, Les Miserábles, The Who’s Tommy, Spring Awakening, The Flash, Wicked)!!! Andy is best known for starring as writer Kyle Bishop on NBC’s Smash. He has starred onstage as Tommy in The Who’s Tommy at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Marius Pontmercy in Les Miserábles on Broadway, Hanschën Rilow in the national tour and Deaf West production of Spring Awakening, Mark Cohen in Rent, Boq in Wicked, Stokes in Carrie and Brett Craig in Parade. On television, he has been featured as Jackson on Chasing Life, James Finley in Gone, and is currently starring as Hartley Rathaway, AKA the supervillain The Pied Piper, on the CW series The Flash. He is one of the lead vocalists of the much-anticipated album The Jonathan Larson Project, an album that features Rent mastermind Jonathan Larson’s previously unheard music, as well as cut songs from Rent. Andy’s original musical Burn All Night was performed for the first time at Feinstein’s/54 Below in 2016, and was premiered at the American Repertory Theatre in 2017. Andy is the author of the middle-grade book series The Backstagers, based on the graphic novel series by Rian Sygh and James Tynion IV. Andy and I discuss his own experience as a Backstager, how his experience in Deaf West Spring Awakening influenced the story of his latest Backstagers novel, the amazingness of recording the Jonathan Larson Project cast album, his dream roles in Cabaret and Rent and much more! You can catch Andy on television on The Flash on The CW and hear him sing on the upcoming Jonathan Larson Project album (of which two songs have already been released).

He’s not just a sidekick! Sofia chats with the STUPENDOUS Joey Richter (A Very Potter Musical, Starship, Me and My Dick, Spies Are Forever, The Trail to Oregon!, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals)!!! Joey is one of the founding members of Team StarKid, and made his YouTube musical debut as a hilarious, Red Vines-loving, blue headband-clad Ron Weasley in A Very Potter Musical, A Very Potter Sequel and A Very Potter Senior Year. Joey went on to star as Bug in Starship, a fictionalized version of himself in Me and My Dick, Henry McDoon (AKA the Bandit King) and everyone else in The Trail to Oregon!, Grunt in Firebringer and most recently Ted in The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. Joey is also one of the founders of comedy troupe The Tin Can Brothers, and has starred as Owen Carvour, Sergio Santos and Vanger Borschtit in their original musical Spies Are Forever, as Scrags in their Scooby-Doo parody The Solve-It Squad, their short film Flop Stoppers and their upcoming web-series The Wayward Guide for the Untrained Eye. He has been featured online as Ernest Hemingway in the web-series Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party, School of Thrones and I Ship It, and has been featured on television as Officer Petey on Jessie, Henry Danger and Genie in a Bikini. Joey and I discuss his all-time favorite StarKid roles, his upcoming Tin Can Brothers writing projects, the challenges and rewards of producing original content online, why Batman is the coolest superhero and much more! Look out for the upcoming Tin Can Brothers web-series The Wayward Guide for the Untrained Eye and an exciting Very Potter update from Team StarKid!

He steals everything! Sofia chats with the OREGON-TASTIC songwriter and actor Jeff Blim (The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, The Trail to Oregon!, Twisted, Holy Musical B@man!) Jeff is a longtime member of Team StarKid, and has penned the music and lyrics for their original musicals The Trail to Oregon! and most recently The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. Jeff has starred as a psychotic incarnation of Aladdin in Twisted, the candy-coated villain Sweet Tooth in Holy Musical B@man!, Father in The Trail to Oregon!, Mr. Davidson, General McNamara, Sam and Greg in The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, Aragog in A Very Potter Senior Year and Airport for Birds. He has also been featured onstage as Gauguin in STARRY: A New Musical and Jan/Pressman in Native Son. He has been featured on television in World’s Worst Musical, Chicago Med and APB. Jeff recently started a YouTube podcast called Rim Tim Timmy’s Fun Time Hour with Jonathan Matteson. Jeff and I discuss his original concept for The Trail to Oregon!, why he loves to write his own material, how he caught the musical theatre bug from show choir, a potential sequel for The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals and much more! If you haven’t already checked out The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals on YouTube, iTunes and Spotify, what are you waiting for? Have you been swamped…with business? The apotheosis is upon us!