Chewing The Scenery

This week's guest is the hilarious Jonathan Hoover: "just a gay man casually awaiting a cease-and-desist letter from Patti Lupone." Jonathan is an amazingly talented musical theatre performer behind Inappropriate Patti: the Instagram sensation that features his hilarious impersonations of Patti Lupone. We'll find out how it all started and what doors may have opened for him because of his success as Ms. Lupone. We'll enjoy our signature drink, the "Who Do You Think You MAR(garita)," as we learn how everything started for Jonathan, from growing up in California with an opera singer mother to taking his talents across the country to NYC. Of course, we'll get his opinions on The Whether Report and bring back a fun-filled version of Encyclopedia Theatrica a la Lupone! So, grab a cocktail and play along cuz it's always more fun Together - Wherever We Go! (see... Patti sang that song in Gyp... oh, never mind!)

We've only been back for one episode in our second season, but we needed to take a VACATION! Ha! So, for Episode 27: Labor (Day) of Love, we're giving you the gift of games!! So many games! From Actor's Die So Loud with Richelle Meese to Backstage Romance with Benji Rivera and Connor Wince and even Casting Queen with Brita Filter we keep the laughs coming. And there's plenty of singing, too: Stephanie and Casey Likes, James Gish and Alan Plado, Krystina Alabado and Bob Lenzi, Rachel Redleaf and, of course, Scott and Ashley will all belt their faces off trying to win some Chewing the Scenery glory! So, sit back with your cocktails (but don't take Scott's suggestion for the secret word or you WILL be schnockered) and enjoy this very special flashback episode!

Fasten your seatbelts, theatre lovers, cuz this one is gonna be a bump-(and grind)-y ride!! For the start of our third cycle (and our 2nd year!), the irresistably naughty Bridget Everett joins us and we talk all about her journey from Kansas-born, ASU opera student to darling of the NYC cabaret world to executive producing and starring in her upcoming HBO series!! We'll get the scoop on all sorts of stars Bridget has had the honor of working with, from Amy Schumer to Patti Lupone and more! It's sure to be a wild ride as we slurp on our Chardonnays, quiz Bridget with The Whether Report and challenge her with a very sexy return to Cast, Keep or Cut: Bridget Everett style!

It's been one whole year, people, and we are ready to celebrate this singularly, sensational achievement on our 25th episode! We will look back at "cycle two" of our show and celebrate all that we've achieved so far - naming names and playing games all along the way! And, what's the biggest thrill for Ashley and Scott? We have a guest host grilling us with all the hard-hitting questions: Our fabulous friend and Episode 23 guest, Katie McFadzen, returns to Star Worldwide Networks with martini shaker in hand. Anyone up for our drink of the week? The "What I Did for Booze" will NOT disappoint! So, take this trip down memory lane with us and you may just hear some behind the scenes tales that have never been revealed - til now!

Tregoney Shepherd is in the studio with us this week and we are beside ourselves with excitement! Tregoney is a Valley of the Sun native who made it to the top with Broadway runs and National Tours of Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera and additional tours of Mary Poppins and a little show you may have heard of...Wicked!!  No wonder she created her own show called Bigger is Better - she knows all about the big time!  Find out all about her theatrical journey and how it has all led back to home.  Along the way, Scott and Ashley will get their draaank on with our secret word of the day and we might even have a super secret special guest join us for the return of an oldie but goodie: Musical Madlibs!  It really can't get any bigger or better than this!

On this week's episode we are thrilled to chat with Katie McFadzen and Debra K Stevens - two amazing theatre artists who have made a huge impact on the world of Theatre for Young Audiences both here in Arizona and across the country. But don't let TYA scare you. We will, of course, be drinking our fill of the cocktail of the week while we play a hilarious round of 2 Truths and a Lie and introduce our brand-new quiz game: Encyclopedia Theatrica! And yes, the questions just might get a little racy as we use Katie and Deb's most recent (decidedly non-TYA) production of Becoming Dr. Ruth as our jumping off point! That's right, we're getting a little sexy AND tipsy and we think you are gonna love it!

This week's episode is a Hollywood fairytale come true as we chat with the anything-but-typical actress, Rachel Redleaf! Find out how Rachel went from the youth theatre stages of Scottsdale, AZ to playing the recurring role of bubbly Beth Chapin in the Netflix hit, Atypical. Along her incredible journey she's even given us a little Mama Cass in Quintin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood! As per usual, we'll ask her all the hard-hitting questions, but we'll give our "Front Row Fans" a turn, too, with the return of our Breaking the Fourth Wall segment! Along the way, we'll take lots of gulps of our signature cocktail: The Atypi-tini. That should get us just loose enough to take Rachel back to her musical theatre roots with our super fun game: Musical Acronyms. Come on and drink along, sing along and laugh along with us - you won't regret it!

We know you're wondering, "How could Scott and Ashley put together a show that features improv acting, musical theatre and The Bachelor?!" To which we reply, "What're you? Living under a rock?" Richelle Meiss is in the mansion and she's gonna serve us our "most dramatic episode yet" as she lets us into the world of Bachelor: The Unauthorized Parody Musical! We're gonna hear about how she started, what it's like to be part of the Upright Citizens Brigade, how she parlayed a TikTok frenzy over her hilarious Bachelor songs into a full-fledged future national tour and sooooo much more. I mean, it's better than an episode of "the women tell all!" Join us in sipping our drink of the week, The Final Ros...e' and laughing our faces off in the ridiculous Actors Die So Loud! We promise this is a Group Date that is sooo worth it!

How do you go from the corn fields of Iowa to being the first American Eponine on Broadway? How do you go from playing Columbia in the Rocky Horror show in early 80s San Fran to becoming the darling of Andrew Lloyd Webber? How do you have a fabulous and varied Broadway and touring career and then reinvent yourself in Phoenix, AZ? It's all about staying power people, and Kelli James is singing it loud and proud: "I'm Still Here!" Find out all about Kelli's amazing artistic journey while enjoying our drink of the week, "The Delicious Diva" (of course) and play along as we revisit the hilarious game Stop the Words, I Wanna Get Off featuring a surprise returning guest! This is one for the books - don't miss it!

It's a bonus episode!!! And, oh what a bonus it is! We have Lana Gordon and Jelani Remy in the house. These powerhouse, triple-threat performers are here to talk all about their upcoming concert in Scottsdale: Broadway Perspectives - A Concert Celebrating Diversity. You know how we are, though, and we are going to get them talking about soooo much more. From where it all started to their stunning debuts in The Lion King and fabulous forks in the road that led to things like Chicago and Ain't Too Proud - we'll get all the facts and the fun out of these two! See how they handle the challenges of our hilarious games, "The Whether Report" and "Two Truths and a Lie...on King" and see how they handle their alcohol as we slurp up our drink of the week - The Broadway Breeze. All this and lots more are heading your way. Listen and share today!!