This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Alan Seales: Welcome to the Broadway Besties podcast, where real-life Broadway best friends come together to share life conversations, laughs, secrets, memories, and more about their lives onstage and off. From favorite theater-going experiences to fun facts about one another, to rapid-fire trivia questions, Broadway Besties is a podcast committed to promoting positivity, laughs, and love. Originally broadcast during lockdown on April 15, 2020, through the Broadway Podcast Network YouTube channel, here are real-life best friends Kristin Chenoweth and Ilana Levine.

[0:43] Alan Seales: Hey, John, how are you? Hey, Alan. Welcome to our Wednesday night Broadway Besties podcast. Welcome. I am Alan Seales. And I'm John Zaytoon. And this is, of course, a live podcast recording of a Broadway Podcast Network original called Broadway Besties. And we are very, very excited to share this Wednesday evening with you. But before we get started with real-life Broadway best friends Kristin Chenoweth and Ilana Levine, I want to remind everyone to please support the Actors Fund if you can. I'm going to pop up a little banner here. There we go. With instructions, and we're trying to use this podcast as a platform to further support our onstage and offstage heroes. There are many, many people out of work in the industry, and they could use your support today if you are able.

And to further support the Actors Fund, we're offering one lucky winner a chance to win a signed original playbill from Your Good Man Charlie Brown, the show that our two guests met on today. To enter, simply share a screenshot of your Actors Fund donation to feedback at bpn.fm, and the person with the highest donation at the end will win the playbill. To donate, also you can visit bpn.fm slash donate. If you'd like to ask a question throughout this live podcast event, you can text the word question to 63566, and either Alan or myself can incorporate it.

[2:12] Alan Seales: That's right. And we are thrilled to be joined today by real-life best friends Kristin Chenoweth and Ilana Levine. Emmy and Tony award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth has wowed audiences in Broadway shows like Wicked, Your Good Man Charlie Brown, On the 20th Century, Promises Promises, and so much more. And in 2009, Kristin received an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Pushing Daisies, one of my personal favorites, gotta say. And when Kristin is not delighting audiences on Broadway or on TV, she's traveling the world performing to sold-out audiences, including prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall. We're also so excited to welcome one of my favorite people in this industry today, Ilana Levine.

On Broadway, Ilana is best known to musical theater fans for her comedic turn as Lucy in the Broadway revival of Your Good Man Charlie Brown, hence the Playbill giveaway. She was also seen in Broadway productions of Jake's Women, Wrong Mountain, and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Ilana has appeared in countless films and television shows, including Seinfeld, Divorce, Law and Order, Failure to Launch, The Nanny Diaries, and so much more. When she's not performing, Ilana is hosting her hit weekly podcast series called Little Known Facts with Ilana Levine. Little Known Facts features intimate and hilarious conversations with today's most successful artists working in film, television, and on Broadway.

Without further ado, we'd love to welcome Kristin Chenoweth and Ilana Levine to the podcast. Yay! Applause, applause, applause! So let's kick things off and just tell everybody how you two actually met.

[3:52] Ilana Levine: Gosh, I was trying to think today about the very first moment. Well, I'll just lead off. I met Kristin by watching her be brilliant in a musical at Lincoln Center called A New Brain. And I was sitting with my friend, and I'll just name drop for this one moment just because it was Cynthia Nixon. And so it doesn't matter what I think. I'm telling this story. The point is what Cynthia Nixon thought. And the two of us were sitting there and we turned to each other when Kristin came out on stage in a small but brilliant role. And we were like, who is that person? That person is the most sparkly, brilliant, her voice, her talent. Every time she came on stage, we were riveted. And we had not seen, was it Steel Pierce, Kristin?

Was that the other show? For whatever reason, we had missed that. So she was brand new to us and we're watching this Bill Finn musical. And we were both gobsmacked. And afterwards, Cynthia and I were like, let's go meet her. And then literally we were too shy. We were like, we can't. What would we say? We would not be able to put a sentence together. And then I got cast in the show. And when I told Cynthia who was in it, she was just like, it happened. We wished for it. We wished for it.

[5:21] Kristin Chenoweth: So that's my memory of her. And then we started working together. And we walked in the door and we had our, Michael Mayer, our director, had set up books and hats of who was going to play who. And I wasn't sure who I was going to be playing yet. I thought I was going to be playing Patty. All the girls of the amalgamation that weren't Lucy. And so I looked and I sat down and it was like Sally, all this Sally stuff. And I sat down and I was next to Lucy. And I looked at Ilana and I go, I guess I'm playing Sally. I said, it's going to be so fun. And we were instantaneous, just in love. And she would come to me and she'd be like, listen, I've got to get a new pair of shoes on tour. If I don't, I'm going to go crazy, blah, blah, blah. And I would come to her and be like, listen, I got to get out. I got to go to dinner. I'm going to do something different. We were just those two girls. If we could have roomed together, we probably would have.

[6:24] Ilana Levine: Well, I want to explain that because before we came to Broadway, we did an out of town, like an old fashioned out of town tryout of this show. And I had never, I mean, we'll get into this later. I'd never done a musical. And the only reason I was in this musical at all in any way that was working was because Kristin Chenoweth was my personal vocal coach and music coach and support system and blood transfusions, like anything I needed to get through. She warms me up every night, like no joke. And I've said this before. I had never been in a musical before. It's not like I wrote one on my resume and lied about it. Like everybody knew there was going to be this girl in this show that might need a little extra support. There was no other. There was no other choice. That was the Lucy. That was Lucy.

[7:13] Kristin Chenoweth: Well, nobody. It was not the choice as it turned out. But I had also never toured before. And I remember Christine and Kim Grigsby, our musical director and then conductor were roommates. And I was so I was like, I didn't even know that was a thing. Like, I didn't know you could do that. And they were like, you have to save your money. Like, you don't know. Maybe it's going to Broadway and maybe it's not. Things happen. It's like, you mean they can say something's going to Broadway and it won't? Like, I was so naive about this entire thing. And I was like, asking Anthony Rath to room with me. And he was like, no, I'm not. I don't want to remain. He had done Rent. He wasn't worried at that moment about his financial security.

But I learned so much, not just about being in a musical, but sort of how you pace yourself in humility and don't have an expectation just because they say something's happening. Anything can happen along the way. And so she taught me so many things, but we really did like we would hit every mall and in and in Delaware, I think there was there. It was tax free. Delaware. It was that we were almost late to the show constantly because it was all tax free shopping and we had never heard of such a thing before. So all of the money she saved rooming with the brilliant Kimberly Grigsby by Delaware was done. It's done.

[8:39] Ilana Levine: Yes. And we also worked out. We would get up in the morning, go down to the gym and before the show. Yeah. And you and me and BD, there were a lot of meals together at that time. And one of the most special things that happened and BD has since written a book about it. So I'm not speaking out of school is he told us that he and his partner at the time were trying to have a baby. And that baby just started. And what you, by the way, can't we can't even understand how that happened. But just on that ride also, where this person you love is exploring with his word BD and Richie married that I can't remember if they were married or they were married. They were married and they were having that baby.

Yeah. And so that was a whole sort of if the show was the A story in the series of your Charlie Brown, this B story was every stop, like figuring out, you know, where could he get to a lab to do donations? I mean, there was a lot going on. And we were so happy for our little brother.

[9:59] Kristin Chenoweth: Yes. Because Christian Sally was madly in love with Linus and Linus was my brother. So there was a trinity of us three. That was really we were together a lot. We were together. Do you remember when we went to lunch and that lady came up to BD and she goes, oh, BD, I loved you in Golden Child. It was like, I'm BD. And I was in and better. Right. But other than that, could you bring bread?

[10:32] Ilana Levine: Oh, yes. But I was in the kitchen. She got your name and your show wrong. He goes, Kristin, it's going to happen to you all the time. And you just let people, you just be nice. And I was like, but she called you BD and said you're in Golden Child. I can believe it. He's so famous. Of course he was. I mean, you know, from what was the movie that he did with Martin Short, where he's the father. Right. He got recognized a lot. I mean, now, Mr. Robot and a million other things blown up. But I had a thing like that happen. I was doing a little film with Patti LuPone. We were shooting in Staten Island. It was very exciting for me. I had to be shooting with Patti LuPone. And this woman came up to her and was like, Patti, Patti, can you sign my album?

I have loved you. My mother took me to all your concerts. I am obsessed with you. And Patti looked down at the woman's album cover and she was like, are you sure you want me to sign this? She's like, yes. And I even brought a pen. And if you could write it to Lila, it would mean the world to me. And she's like, you want me to sign this album cover? And Patti LuPone took the album cover, held it next to her head. It was a picture of Patti LuPone. And she said, I want you to look at this album and I want you to look at me and you want me to sign it. And she was like, oh, Patti, I've waited. You just have to say thank you. I'm so glad you loved Golden Child.

[12:10] Kristin Chenoweth: With me, I loved you on Golden Girls.

[12:19] Ilana Levine: I love you.

[12:23] Kristin Chenoweth: It happens. People want to say, oh, you were great on, what's that, Jessie's show?

[12:31] Ilana Levine: Let's see. No. The Disney show? It was, oh, Jamie Lee Presley played the part.

[12:45] Kristin Chenoweth: I wish we could phone a friend.

[12:47] Ilana Levine: Can we phone a friend?

[12:49] Kristin Chenoweth: Anybody know, drop it in the comments.

[12:51] Ilana Levine: Georgia, if you're watching, help a girl out.

[12:54] Kristin Chenoweth: Jamie Lee Curtis, what she won the Emmy for.

[12:56] Ilana Levine: Presley.

[12:57] Kristin Chenoweth: I mean, not Presley, Jamie Lee Presley. Anyway, I was like, I wasn't in that show. They're like, we don't care. Will you sign it anyway? I was like, but I wasn't there.

[13:06] Ilana Levine: My name is Earl.

[13:09] Kristin Chenoweth: My name is Earl. Maybe you get to win this because of you. I have told people, and the thing that was really amazing, and Kristin was in it, so she couldn't quite observe herself during the process of watching someone you love go from loving what she did and bringing more to it than any other human I'd ever known. Kristin's discipline, I mean, her voice, of course, the fact that that voice came out of, you can see how little she looks right now in this video. She's tiny, and her voice is that of like the greatest operatic singer, and we know that she's had that training, but it really is an astonishing thing to be next to her when that voice comes out of her pint-sized magnificence, and the thing that I watched happen as we were doing that show is this person that I will hearken back that Cynthia and I thought we discovered earlier in her performance in the Bill Finn musical at Lincoln Center, the whole world was realizing that this was kind of a once-in-a-lifetime, lightning-in-a-bottle, unbelievable fusion of actress and part.

[14:32] Ilana Levine: And then when Andrew wrote my new philosophy, which he brought in one day and sort of elevated what she described at the beginning was all of the girls that weren't Lucy by writing that song. Not only did Sally kind of solidify in terms of her character not being a lot of other girls, but very specifically the marriage of Kristin's acting talent, comedic skills, and voice. And that's, look, that song is part of every young person's audition, you know? What do you call it? But to watch the world fall in love with this person that you love so much and to watch her handle this onslaught of attention. And it was a very teeny ensemble show, so she also had to navigate being so sensitive to our feelings about it.

It was one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever shared to watch someone take on something really intense with so much grace. And Kristin, you know, you can speak to it from your perspective, but that's sort of—I was talking to Tim Busfield today, who was in Brighton Beach Memoirs when Matthew Broderick did it years ago. We were talking about what it is to watch someone arrive.

[15:59] Kristin Chenoweth: Well, and neither have you, really. I mean, we just kept on keeping on. And one of the greatest memories that I have, and that I thought, "Oh, all besties were like this," you know? I wanted us as a team, and I wanted us to all be together always. And you know, we won the Tony, and a week later we closed. And we were so calm down.

[16:35] Ilana Levine: Okay, you crap.

[16:38] Kristin Chenoweth: Yeah, so, but one of the things that I'll never forget in my entire life—I tell it all the time—is when I was backstage and I had to sing with—we sang together as a company, and then they did the category that was the best supporting actor, the one I was up for. And if I won, I didn't want to go out there as the five-year-old, you know, pat it down. I wanted to look like this.

[17:04] Ilana Levine: Yeah.

[17:05] Kristin Chenoweth: And I wanted to do a change, and Rosie said, "I'll get your dresser," and we did a 14-second change, I think. And when I won, I was all dressed and ready to go, and I thought, "Well, this will get a new meaning to all dressed up and ready to go if you don't win." But the one night when they called my name, I still get emotional about it. When they called my name, I hear a lion scream from her gut, like from the lowest of her belly, just like this blood-curdling scream out of sheer happiness for me. And so rare in our business do you have a friend? I mean, friends love you, and they're happy for you, but to have that—I knew that my sister was so happy for me. I've never had—

[17:58] Ilana Levine: Right, it meant everything to me in the world. And you know, I think that had a lot to do for me while we only had a week left. We've remained so close.

[18:10] Kristin Chenoweth: Yeah, we were together all the time.

[18:13] Ilana Levine: Yeah, I mean, people who know us know that I'm Laverne and she's Shirley. And I don't know the day that started, but every text that we write to each other starts with Laverne or Cheryl, every audio message, whatever, because we are the schlemiel and schlemassel.

[18:29] Kristin Chenoweth: I feel like, you know, any part of the joy of your good man, Charlie Brown. I have yet to meet a person who loves musical theater who wasn't one of those characters in their school, let alone whether they've done it in a professional way. There's not a human on the planet, Alan. Who did you play?

[18:50] Alan Seales: I was Snoopy, right?

[18:50] Kristin Chenoweth: So yes, John. Did you do Charlie Brown in that production?

[18:57] Ilana Levine: No, I wish I was.

[18:57] Kristin Chenoweth: Well, you are the one person there.

[19:02] Ilana Levine: Life isn't over yet.

[19:05] Kristin Chenoweth: That's right. And I feel like there is something about that show that is so special—the music and the unique thing about our—and my point is it's just six people. And so we became carrying a big show with a big message of love and acceptance, and not just acceptance of each other but acceptance of who we are and forgiveness. And when that show ends with Anthony Rapp, with Charlie Brown as Mark Cohen looking at me, you know, and I got to say, "You're a good man, Charlie Brown," and that's all any of us want is to feel understood. And that was really this beautiful message to the center of that show.

[19:50] Ilana Levine: But I was just gonna say that any win for anyone in that production really felt like this incredible—

[20:02] Kristin Chenoweth: Yeah, but the other thing that part of what built Sally and built all of our characters is the other thing that happened early on in that rehearsal process is Michael Mayer had permission from Charles Schulz, the author of the Peanuts characters, for us to recreate the book of this musical. And so we spent maybe almost the first week in this very unique position of going through volume after volume of every comic strip ever written by Schulz, and we could choose our dialogue. We could kind of piece together the play. So we also felt such ownership of it because we kind of helped write this new version of the show. It was so artistic. We were given a chance that not very many actors are given, and we especially in the Bible.

[20:53] Ilana Levine: Yeah, yeah, we were right on.

[20:59] Kristin Chenoweth: Yeah, we were ready. And that's where, you know, every character like BD as a very studious young character in Linus, like BD's thoughtfulness and the way in which he approached which strips he would choose for Linus and then what Stanley Wayne Mathis—Is he in this picture? Yes. Can you guys see this? This is like the book report before Roger and Kristin come in with like the most amazing Mission Impossible number. There it is right there. Like what Stanley chose, what Kristin chose to build Sally, and what Anthony chose for Charlie Brown really created the book that everyone does now when they do that musical, every two-hour version.

[21:45] Ilana Levine: Yeah, and every night, Charlie Brown, our Anthony, would trump up to the—

[21:48] Kristin Chenoweth: Or tredge up, or whatever the word is, to the top fridge.

[21:55] Ilana Levine: Yeah, not Trump, not Trump.

[21:55] Kristin Chenoweth: With on the top floor, and Anthony was on the bottom floor, and he would go up, and she would put his eyebrows on him and get him ready for that show. And we were all doing that for each other. We did it. We were family.

[22:11] Ilana Levine: Family, brother and sister.

[22:18] Kristin Chenoweth: Yeah. All right. Are the two of you still close with all everybody else in the cast?

[22:21] Ilana Levine: We just did this 20th anniversary.

[22:27] Kristin Chenoweth: Right, it's at BroadwayCon, right? That's what you're referring to.

[22:27] Ilana Levine: Yeah, yeah.

[22:30] Kristin Chenoweth: Well, I mean, I wish I got to talk to Roger more. I don't know how you feel, Ilana, but I don't get to see him. It's all good when we do talk, but every once in a while, we'll get on a chain. Usually it's about politics, and we'll like vent. But I don't get—I miss Roger.

[22:47] Ilana Levine: Stanley Wayne either. He used to bake for me all the time. Every show I was in, he'd spring up these days. It's like, why aren't you owning a bakery? You're an incredible baker, right? I miss them, but yeah, we see each other, you know, through the years. I would say that—so I did text Roger today to tell him that we were doing this, and also because I saw that he had a footprint stamp that somehow I never realized. And I was like, why didn't we all have stamps for our—I did, me. I didn't leave. But you know, he had a daughter. He was the first one of us to have children.

[23:27] Kristin Chenoweth: Yes, he already had a daughter when we were doing that show.

[23:32] Ilana Levine: They are together now in New Jersey.

[23:34] Kristin Chenoweth: Quarantine together.

[23:34] Ilana Levine: And she's also in college.

[23:47] Kristin Chenoweth: Really? Which is incredible.

[23:49] Ilana Levine: Makes me out.

[23:49] Kristin Chenoweth: I know, I know. But I would say that the thing about this show—so I would say Anthony and me and you and BD maybe are the most consistently in touch with each other. But I would give a kidney or any organ to any one of these people. I'd take a bullet for any of them.

[24:10] Ilana Levine: Yeah, and hopefully that won't actually—we won't have to test that.

[24:21] Kristin Chenoweth: I hope not, please, Lord Jesus.

[24:22] Ilana Levine: Yeah, yeah. But I mean, I was trying to think of stories because John, you had said that some of it would just be us sharing anecdotal stuff rather than a Q&A. And I do remember an Olive Garden incident. Kristin, why don't you tell them? Do you enjoy boutique-y little off-the-road restaurants, or are you a girl who likes the chains?

[24:40] Kristin Chenoweth: I like the chains. I like to know what I've heard of. I know what I'm gonna get. I love Olive Garden. I love Outback Steakhouse. I love Chili's. Oh, I love Chick-fil-A, especially now that they're good with the gays. I love, love, love, love, love like Potbellies.

[25:02] Ilana Levine: Oh.

[25:02] Kristin Chenoweth: So, which meant that lunch in between shows with Kristin—not sushi, not anything that she wouldn't have eaten as a seven-year-old in Oklahoma. It had to be something that if she ate it in Texas, Florida, Atlanta, or Jersey, it would taste exactly the same. So there was a lot of Olive Garden. And one day—and this is not to say that this would ever happen again—but we did not feel well. A lot of us went to lunch together, and a lot of us did not feel well at the same time, is all I'll say about that. But we're professional, and we never missed a show.

[25:47] Ilana Levine: And BD, he had diarrhea.

[25:51] Kristin Chenoweth: There were a lot of sick people. Tell them about the three-show-a-day, like we were Rockettes on Saturdays.

[25:58] Ilana Levine: So eventually, I want some of our producers, who we were very lucky that we have producers that weren't giving up on us, but they were like, "Look, we think that you guys should have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off." And we're like, "That sounds great." So then they're like, "But really, we need to add another show on the weekend." And I'm thinking, I'm doing math. I'm like, "We'll put that Thursday."

[26:26] Kristin Chenoweth: And so, yes, Kristen, one on Thursday, one on Friday, and then three on Saturday. And I remember nearly coughing up a lung. I'm thinking, "I don't even wake up until like one. No, you want me to do a show at 10:30?"

[26:46] Ilana Levine: Was it 10:30?

[26:51] Kristin Chenoweth: 10:30, half hour for an 11 o'clock show?

[26:51] Ilana Levine: No, we did that.

[26:59] Kristin Chenoweth: And you know what? That was great because it helped our show, but it was also frustrating because Charlie Brown, though it is a kids' show, it's actually very sophisticated by Charles Schulz. So the adults were taking their kids that 11 o'clock show thinking that they were getting like the circus, you know, when we were like doing our play. That was the time that was the only time that I thought—I don't know about you, Ilana, what we've talked about—was the only time that kind of felt like—

[27:23] Ilana Levine: But I know the kids loved it.

[27:26] Kristin Chenoweth: So, you know, we did that. I know I remember feeling like Nancy Kerrigan, like going out to sign at, you know, 1:30 or whatever time we went out. I felt like there was, for that particular show, a feeling of like they went to escapades or they came to our show, and there was a sort of— But I also remember it was really interesting playing Lucy, and a lot of mothers would come up to me or fathers and be like, "Oh my God, this is my daughter Karen. She's a Lucy." And I always felt like they were saying it like, "She's so bossy," or "She's so opinionated." And I remember trying to really instill in all of these parents who would say these things in front of their kids that, like, Lucy, as I saw her, was a feminist, someone who wasn't afraid to speak her mind.

Maybe she could finesse it and be more politic in the way that she shared her ideas, but really, Lucy was mostly always right. And so right. I mean, did she have to pull? She couldn't help herself. She had like impulse control. Like she saw that football, and she had to pull it away before he kicked it over and over again. And that's like a little—that's not great. But the rest of the lessons that she was trying to teach were actually really valuable lessons about stopping shy, going after what you want. And I remember just really feeling like I wanted them to take their daughters, who were, I don't know, not shy, and encourage them to speak their mind rather than sort of shaming them about it.

[29:04] Kristin Chenoweth: That was my like personal mission every time someone would be at the stage door, sort of like winking at me.

[29:09] Ilana Levine: I can remember you doing that and thinking that that was so cool because it's like what you will celebrate later.

[29:15] Kristin Chenoweth: Yeah, yeah. I was all fun and games until we had a big group come from out of town, big buses. Remember Ilana? We always had those big buses and we had a bus come in and then I was leaving. Ilana, remember it was like time for maybe after the 1:30 show? Yeah, and the buses were lined up and I walked out to go sign and this lady was like, "Get on the bus! Get on the bus!" and I was like, "No, no," and she was like pushing me. She's like, "No, get on the bus!" I was like, "Oh, okay." So I'm in this line with kids.

[29:54] Ilana Levine: Oh!

[29:58] Kristin Chenoweth: So I'm getting on the bus because I've been told to get on the bus and I'm on the bus and all of a sudden she comes up. She goes, "I don't think you belong on the bus." I'm like, "I know! They pushed me!" They were all trying to get me to go back and I was Sally and they're like, "Oh, that's hilarious!" It happened. I feel like that was a really, when I look back, that was the early days of stage stories becoming a thing. Like we spent hours signing and meeting everyone and it was the beginning of musicals and stage door experiences. It's pre-social media in a way.

[30:41] Ilana Levine: You know, I feel like MySpace and those kind of Broadway chat rooms were first starting at that time.

[30:48] Kristin Chenoweth: But that was one of the most joyous. People would be sobbing because they had just listened to "Happiness." The show would just come down.

[30:59] Ilana Levine: Ah!

[31:05] Kristin Chenoweth: Do you want to know a little happiness? I'm not going to, but could you sing just your little high school band?

[31:07] Ilana Levine: Happiness is...

[31:11] Kristin Chenoweth: Playing the drums in your own school band.

[31:18] Ilana Levine: Happiness is two kinds of ice cream, knowing a secret, climbing a tree.

[31:24] Kristin Chenoweth: Remember how sweet that someone?

[31:27] Ilana Levine: Yes.

[31:29] Kristin Chenoweth: I think about Schultz all the time and I know how proud he was of us. He didn't come see the show because he had the disease where he couldn't leave his compound, but he would let us know that he heard and that he knew that everybody was perfect. And we children always came and then we sang at his memorial service, which was incredible, and we sang that song from Snoopy, "Happiness."

[31:49] Ilana Levine: Oh, it wasn't "Happiness"?

[31:56] Kristin Chenoweth: No, what's that? You guys probably know it from time. No, no, no, the musical Snoopy, which is a whole other musical. We had to learn this beautiful song that someone will know it. BD would know it if you were here right now. He would not like, he would not.

[32:11] Ilana Levine: Yeah.

[32:17] Kristin Chenoweth: Oh gosh, I thought it was a beautiful "Happiness." We sang "Happiness" at the Brooklyn memorial for Clark Gessner and then we did sing "Happiness," but we also sang this other song and I hadn't even known there was a whole other musical. Snoopy is the only reason I bring that up, but to meet his whole family and let us know what it meant to Charles that we had done it, and it was just, um, that's a whole other world. They call him Sparky and he had this article.

[32:40] Ilana Levine: Santa Rosa, California?

[32:43] Kristin Chenoweth: Yeah, Santa Rosa. And we flew in and we got to spend the night and remember we went and saw the ice-skating rink that he had on his property? Yeah, and the music, it was like Sparky town, like the whole town, and he had put so much into that town and so much into the people of that community.

[33:02] Ilana Levine: Anyway, this message lives on and on. You've done some things since then. Let me think. So after our show, you did that play with Alan Tudyk and Jeremy Davidson.

[33:13] Kristin Chenoweth: I'm forgetting the name of it.

[33:15] Ilana Levine: The Jerry's Acts directed "Epic Proportions." I loved it.

[33:20] Kristin Chenoweth: That's brilliant. I think wasn't that the first play you did after our show?

[33:27] Ilana Levine: Yes, because I was gonna go to "Millie," and that was a short run, and then I went and did Kristen, the big hit sitcom.

[33:31] Kristin Chenoweth: Yes, but then there was, I'm trying to think, it was like a musical. It was based on like, there were these sit... I don't know, a witch. It was based on a popular sitcom musical. It was based on like, there were these sit... I don't know which. It was based on a popular show, like a movie, and then...

[33:56] Ilana Levine: That chestnut.

[33:59] Kristin Chenoweth: Okay, right. I feel like it would be really amazing if you took a minute. I mean, that's been a minute too since you did that. Man, was it the 15-year anniversary?

[34:12] Ilana Levine: We went to last year, it was 15, so it's 16 years now, right? That was incredible. Every like Elphaba in England came out and chills. Can you just talk a little bit about...

[34:28] Ilana Levine: Alan, can I use some of this for my podcast, please? I was like, this is amazing having a podcast host as one of the guests because John and I have said nothing.

[34:37] Kristin Chenoweth: Yes!

[34:41] Ilana Levine: Times on day one, you know what it's gonna be, right? Like sometimes you're like, I'm not gonna say that loud, but this may end up being the biggest musical on the planet. And sometimes it catches you by surprise. And I'm sure your voice and Idina's voice, the way it blended right away, you knew vocally there was something magic here. But can you just talk a little bit about that show and what it was for you?

[35:08] Kristin Chenoweth: Well, when it first started, it was really just I was doing the big hit sitcom "Kristen," and Stephen Schwartz said, "Look at our people, look it up. Don't blink." I was doing this show and I was real tired, but he said that there's this show called "Wicked," and it's really about the Grinch and her love interest. And but there's a side character that is all about being popular, and I've written a song for you, and I really wish you'd just come to it for the reading. I said, "Okay." So I did it, and we had one scene together where at the time it was Stephanie J. Block, where we're roommates, and we had a roommate song—not the one in the show, but a different one—and something clicked between Elphaba and Glinda, and they started going, "It seems like it's about them." And it wasn't me going, "I have to have a bigger part." It was literally like, "Okay, bye y'all. See y'all Friday for the reading."

[36:05] Ilana Levine: So we did the reading, and then the next time we did the reading, Madame Morrible was the person that started out the show. They came and they said, "We're gonna have you kind of MC our show." I go, "Glinda? How's that gonna work?" And they're like, "She's gonna be the one that has the bigger arc now because this friendship is gonna be what it's gonna centerpiece."

[36:29] Kristin Chenoweth: Yeah.

[36:30] Ilana Levine: And I was like, "What?" So just like with "Charlie Brown," how you don't really know what the piece is gonna be or what part you're playing, it happened to me again in "Wicked." And I think, you know, I think it actually turned out right. I think that a lot of people can relate to two women being together, and we also went out of town, and we also were a family, and we were also trying so hard because there were no rules. Warner Brothers was doing it, and we couldn't do anything from the book, which a lot of were a lot of my funny lines of the night before we opened me and when he had to rewrite, but it was fun. It was really fun. And then still we were not completely accepted in San Francisco, so we went back to New York and rehearsed another month and came up with what you saw.

[37:14] Ilana Levine: Yeah, I think it's gotten better and better, frankly.

[37:20] Kristin Chenoweth: We opened probably not exactly ready, but we opened where I knew it wasn't gonna matter what the critics said. I knew that it was gonna touch people, and especially women, so I knew it just wouldn't gonna matter. And the song "Popular," the duet "For Good," I know there are so many songs from that show. I mean, "For Good," it's like their wedding songs, right? I mean, they're such a part of the culture or any kind of, um, I don't know. It was such an incredible commentary and again, like a deep dive into don't judge a book by its cover in the most fascinating way, I think.

[37:59] Ilana Levine: You know, I know Stephanie, and I forgot for a minute that story, but we talked recently about how had Idina not replaced her and then Stephanie not go out on the national tour, it was such heartbreak for her that it didn't quite happen at that moment. But she only would have met the love of her life, her husband, if the story had played out exactly in that way because when she then went on tour, that's when she met Sebastian, and it wouldn't have happened if the order of things had... I mean, the way they write. And so it's such a lesson in like you think the most devastating professional thing, then you have to lick your wounds, and clearly things have worked out really well for her also.

[38:45] Kristin Chenoweth: I'm so funny. I know, but it's such a lesson in like just trusting that the universe... It's not that it's not painful. I would... Melissa Gilbert was just telling a story how she had really wanted the like "Miracle on 34th Street," that movie, and was devastated. And then her next audition was "Little House on the Prairie," and how if she'd gotten "Miracle on 34th Street," which would have been one, you know, a great TV movie to be in or whatever, "Little House on..." You know, you'd like, you just never know anything like that. Like you thought, "Oh my god, I didn't get that," but then you got this other thing that kind of changed your life in ways you didn't expect.

[39:25] Ilana Levine: You know, I really wanted... I think it's important especially to tell our young people that want to do what we do is that when you audition, you know, you still continue to audition no matter what level you're on. My meetings, my... They might be called meetings, but we're still trying to get where we want to get. And I was pretty close and was on hold for a role in "Hunger Games" for several months, and I really wanted it. And I think it's okay to say that too. I really wanted it. And I went to the director's house several times, and we just played and ad-libbed, and it didn't go my way. They put down hold for about three months. It didn't go my way. It went to a fantastic actress. It was a... Thanks, she's incredible.

And I thought, "Well, if I can't get..." Like, that's hard. That is so mean, like, you know, whatever. And then I got "Pushing Daisies" on TV, and I realized it wasn't "The Hunger Games," but it was supposed to be something unique and special and different.

[40:32] Kristin Chenoweth: And it was, and it was. So each time those things have happened, I've learned, or if I've had a decision to make, and "Annie Get Your Gun" or "Charlie Brown" or, you know, "Young Frankenstein" or "Pushing Daisies," you know, you have to... You just have to follow your gut. So many times people say, "I'm gonna go with the for sure thing." Well, there are no more for sure things, especially after all of this. I think that we're discovering that when we re-enter, this world is going to be so different, and there's talk about no rules. There's not going to be rules, and it's going to be... Well, the rules will be stringent. I mean, we will be doing, you know, masks and all this, but things usually happen the way they're meant to happen. I think it's gonna look like this. There's gonna be two squares, and this is how we'll act.

[41:25] Ilana Levine: This is Broadway.

[41:27] Kristin Chenoweth: Oh my god, you Hollywood squares! Oh my god, I don't know. Can I be Betty White?

[41:36] Ilana Levine: Yes!

[41:45] Kristin Chenoweth: But we can continue. I'll be Pauline. We can continue to do things we love together. I want to thank you. I feel like you'll be Broadway and I'll be Bestie. I love you so much. I mean, I have the most loyal... You know, the first person to reach out when any major thing has happened in the world, and when any major thing has happened to me, there's no one in the world that I feel like I can rely on when I really need them. We may have chunks of time where you're traveling and things, we're not in the same time zone, but I've never felt for one second that like if I send an SOS, you're always right there.

[42:11] Ilana Levine: And...

[42:25] Kristin Chenoweth: You really are my sister, and I can say or stop thanking Michael Mayer every time I see him. I'm like, "Yes, that show," which will remain forever. You know, I have had the honor of doing some really great writing in my life, but that show brought me my family, and no, we're so lucky. That doesn't always happen, and with such a small group that could have gone in so many different directions. We miss each other, and I miss her. Like she knows that. Like I said earlier, I would lay down in front of traffic for any of them, but Ilana and I have just really been through it. I mean, yeah, we know. She knows if anything happened, I would rush over there right now, and I know that she would do the same for me.

[43:02] Ilana Levine: Okay, don't right now. You gotta stay home. I'm saying good girl. Hey, I'm saying safe. And Alan and John, thank you for... I mean, thank you for FaceTime ourselves, but it's really nice. I put on makeup today.

[43:26] Kristin Chenoweth: Yeah, I did. I'm in pajamas from the waist down, but it's really nice to have an excuse to like have something.

[43:36] Kristin Chenoweth: You know, I think one of the things that we both have in common is that we love to laugh.

[43:46] Ilana Levine: Absolutely.

[43:56] Kristin Chenoweth: And we have a lot of fun together.

[44:06] Ilana Levine: We do!

[44:16] Kristin Chenoweth: I mean, I think that's the key to any good friendship, right?

[44:26] Ilana Levine: Totally.

[44:36] Kristin Chenoweth: And we also support each other through everything.

[44:46] Ilana Levine: Yes, and I think that's really important.

[44:56] Kristin Chenoweth: You know, we both have our ups and downs in this business, and it's nice to have someone who understands.

[45:06] Ilana Levine: Definitely.

[45:16] Kristin Chenoweth: And we can just be ourselves around each other.

[45:26] Ilana Levine: Exactly!

[45:36] Kristin Chenoweth: I mean, I can be totally goofy and silly, and you just get it.

[45:46] Ilana Levine: Yes!

[45:56] Kristin Chenoweth: And I love that about our friendship.

[46:06] Ilana Levine: Me too!

[46:16] Kristin Chenoweth: And we can talk about anything.

[46:26] Ilana Levine: Right!

[46:36] Kristin Chenoweth: I mean, we can go from serious topics to just laughing about the silliest things.

[46:46] Ilana Levine: Yes, and I think that's what makes it so special.

[46:56] Kristin Chenoweth: Absolutely.

[47:06] Ilana Levine: And we have so many memories together.

[47:16] Kristin Chenoweth: Oh my gosh, yes!

[47:26] Ilana Levine: Like that time we went to that Broadway show and just couldn't stop laughing.

[47:36] Kristin Chenoweth: Yes!

[47:46] Ilana Levine: It was such a great night.

[47:56] Kristin Chenoweth: And I think those moments are what really solidify our friendship.

[48:06] Ilana Levine: Totally.

[48:16] Kristin Chenoweth: And I love that we can share those experiences together.

[48:26] Ilana Levine: Yes!

[48:36] Kristin Chenoweth: And I can't wait for more adventures.

[48:46] Ilana Levine: Me too!

[48:56] Kristin Chenoweth: It's going to be amazing.

[49:06] Ilana Levine: Absolutely!

[49:16] Kristin Chenoweth: And I think we should definitely plan something soon.

[49:26] Ilana Levine: Yes, let's do it!

[49:36] Kristin Chenoweth: I love that idea.

[49:46] Ilana Levine: Me too!

[49:56] Kristin Chenoweth: And I just love having you in my life.

[50:06] Ilana Levine: Same here!

[50:16] Kristin Chenoweth: You're such a blessing.

[50:26] Ilana Levine: Thank you!

[50:36] Kristin Chenoweth: And I feel the same way about you.

[50:46] Ilana Levine: Aww!

[50:56] Kristin Chenoweth: It's just so nice to have that support.

[51:06] Ilana Levine: Yes, it really is.

[51:16] Kristin Chenoweth: And I think that's what makes our friendship so strong.

[51:26] Ilana Levine: Absolutely!

[51:36] Kristin Chenoweth: And I wouldn't trade it for anything.

[51:46] Ilana Levine: Me neither!

[51:56] Kristin Chenoweth: Here's to many more years of friendship.

[52:06] Ilana Levine: Cheers to that!

[52:16] Kristin Chenoweth: I love you!

[52:26] Ilana Levine: Love you too!

[52:36] Kristin Chenoweth: And I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.

[52:46] Ilana Levine: Yes, it's going to be amazing!

[52:56] Kristin Chenoweth: I just know it.

[53:06] Ilana Levine: Absolutely!

[53:16] Kristin Chenoweth: And thank you for being such a great friend.

[53:26] Ilana Levine: Thank you for being you!

[53:36] Kristin Chenoweth: Aww!

[53:46] Ilana Levine: You're the best!

[53:56] Kristin Chenoweth: And I can't wait to make more memories together.

[54:06] Ilana Levine: Yes, let's do it!

[54:16] Kristin Chenoweth: I'm so excited!

[54:26] Ilana Levine: Me too!

[54:36] Kristin Chenoweth: It's going to be a blast.

[54:46] Ilana Levine: Absolutely!

[54:56] Kristin Chenoweth: And I just love our chats.

[55:06] Ilana Levine: Same here!

[55:16] Kristin Chenoweth: They always brighten my day.

[55:26] Ilana Levine: Aww, thank you!

[55:36] Kristin Chenoweth: And I hope we can do this more often.

[55:46] Ilana Levine: Yes, definitely!

[55:56] Kristin Chenoweth: I love you so much!

[56:06] Ilana Levine: Love you too!

[56:16] Kristin Chenoweth: You're amazing.

[56:26] Ilana Levine: Thank you!

[56:36] Kristin Chenoweth: And I can't wait for our next adventure.

[56:46] Ilana Levine: Me neither!

[56:56] Kristin Chenoweth: It's going to be epic!

[57:06] Ilana Levine: Yes, it will!

[57:16] Kristin Chenoweth: And I just love you!

[57:26] Ilana Levine: Love you too!

[57:36] Kristin Chenoweth: Here's to us!

[57:46] Ilana Levine: Cheers!

[57:56] Kristin Chenoweth: Bye!