This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Justin Clarke: And Justin can you clap? Yes. Thank you. At some point I'm going to go, we'll just take a quick ad break and we'll be back.

[0:11] Justin Clarke: We'll be right back. But that's just for me to know popping an ad here but we'll just keep going. Great, cool.

[0:17] Justin Clarke: Cool, okay, I'm going to do this. That camera going, I hate it, I hate it so much. No, we're performers, we understand.

[0:23] Justin Clarke: I know. Courtney, your last name, Monsma? Perfect. Yep, perfect. Okay, coolio.

[0:29] Justin Clarke: That one's recording, right? Yeah, yeah, that's fine. I'm pretty sure they are. Is the red light on?

[0:36] Justin Clarke: I cannot check. Double checks, you just never know. Yeah, you never know. Yeah, that's recording.

[0:43] Justin Clarke: Nice, cool. Alrighty then, we'll get going whenever Marty gives me the go-ahead.

[0:48] Justin Clarke: This feels like the most professional we've done it so far.

[0:55] Justin Clarke: It's the table.

[0:57] Justin Clarke: Yeah, okay. All good, Marty? Let me just get another pair of headphones. Yeah, nice.

[1:01] Sheridan Adams: Have you been in this space before?

[1:03] Courtney Monsma: Yes, we've been here, well Marty's had this, what, a year? Year and a half.

[1:07] Sheridan Adams: Year and a half, yeah, because FBI, as you can tell, owns it and then Marty, they use Marty's booth to do all the podcasting, well, their recording stuff, so then I use it for Marty, which is awesome.

[1:19] Courtney Monsma: Oh, yay. Yes. Yeah, it's been great here. It's been awesome. Alright, let's go.

[1:44] Justin Clarke: Welcome everyone to a very, very, very special episode of Theatre Thoughts Podcast.

[1:55] Justin Clarke: I have a returning guest coming onto the podcast today who is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts. She's performed in the ensemble of Tick Tick Boom and Cruel Intentions and she's now bringing the house down as Elphaba in Wicked. It's Sheridan Adams. Hi. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

[2:12] Sheridan Adams: Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[2:13] Justin Clarke: And then we have a new guest, which I'm so excited to welcome onto the podcast, who graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium of Griffith University with a Bachelor of Musical Theatre, most recently played Princess Anna in Disney's Frozen, also performed as Catherine Howard in Six, the understudy for Princess Jasmine in Aladdin and Sophia in Mamma Mia, and she was the 2018 finalist for the Rob Guest Endowment Award. It's Courtney Monsma.

[2:36] Courtney Monsma: Hi. Thank you so much for joining us.

[2:39] Sheridan Adams: Thank you for having me.

[2:40] Justin Clarke: I'm so excited to talk to both of you about Wicked and also yourselves as well, because I find your careers and who you are as people just fascinating and really, I think it'll be a great addition to the podcast.

[2:51] Sheridan Adams: Thank you for having us.

[2:52] Justin Clarke: Yeah, well, Sheridan, you've been on before.

[2:54] Sheridan Adams: Yes.

[2:55] Justin Clarke: To have you in person is great. It's also kind of funny, like last time, make sure I have my mic when I look at Courtney as well.

[2:59] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, the last time we spoke was pre-rehearsal.

[3:03] Sheridan Adams: Yes.

[3:04] Justin Clarke: Pre-everything, so it's kind of like almost a different, like a different version of Sheridan.

[3:08] Sheridan Adams: So it's kind of cute to be back after having opened the show.

[3:10] Justin Clarke: Exactly. And how are you both feeling with the show being open?

[3:13] Sheridan Adams: I mean, I think obviously very sorry, that's my chair. Can we redo that? That sounded like I farted really bad. Did you hear that?

[3:20] Courtney Monsma: Not the Glynda chair.

[3:21] Sheridan Adams: Not the Glynda chair. I'm embarrassed.

[3:24] Justin Clarke: That's right. If you put that in there, that's fine. It feels really wonderful that the show is open now. I think we had a really extensive rehearsal process. So now that we're open and like living in this show, it's really such a blessing because it's such a good show and it's really nice to share it with Sydney.

[3:39] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, it's been very well received as, I mean, as you would both know, you know.

[3:46] Justin Clarke: But I was saying to you before, like I came on opening night, my mum hasn't stopped talking about it. And she was like, oh, are you meeting Elphaba and Glynda today? I'm like, yes, I am, mum. She goes, oh, make sure you say hi and tell me how good they were. I was like, yes, mum, I will. Tell her we said hi, please.

[3:58] Sheridan Adams: And I said to Sheridan last time, it's actually my dad's favourite musical, which is the weirdest thing. He loves Glynda.

[4:02] Justin Clarke: And so like after the show, the first time it was here, he was like, Glynda, not Glynda. Also my favourite jokes on the show revolve around Glynda and Glynda. So it makes sense. I connect with your dad in that way.

[4:19] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, exactly. But I guess before we kind of get into things, I'd love for you guys to kind of chat about yourselves for a bit. Like what's the best things to know about Courtney and Sheridan? What do we need to know? What are the little tidbits?

[4:32] Sheridan Adams: Oh, that's a it's nice to be asked that. I would say I'm like a massive weirdo and I love performing and just like escaping with acting and playing roles. And I'm very grateful to be in the position that I'm in and get to play this amazing role. But I feel like a lot of what I do is part of who I am. So when people ask me who I am, I'm like performing. I'm obviously lots of other things, but it definitely defines a lot of who I am. And yeah.

[5:00] Courtney Monsma: That's such a beautiful, honest answer. It's nice. Thank you. Things that are good to know about me. My favourite fun fact is that I can't whistle. So we can start there.

[5:10] Sheridan Adams: Oh, really?

[5:11] Courtney Monsma: I know. I think it could be because I had braces. But let's be honest, I don't think I could whistle before I had braces either. Also, I think, as Courtney was saying, it's nice to find something that you really, really love, such as music, theatre and acting. And then to be doing it professionally, it does feel like a huge bucket list ticking off. And I identify that with that as well. So it's nice to be living it. I'm thinking about getting a dog.

[5:35] Justin Clarke: What type of dog?

[5:37] Sheridan Adams: Probably maybe a Groodle.

[5:39] Justin Clarke: Yeah. They're just so cute.

[5:41] Sheridan Adams: Yeah. I love Taylor Swift and wombats.

[5:44] Justin Clarke: So have you got Taylor Swift tickets?

[5:46] Sheridan Adams: Cannot confirm nor deny.

[5:48] Justin Clarke: Cannot confirm nor deny.

[5:50] Sheridan Adams: Very, very excited. I really hope it'd be lovely. So huge Taylor Swift fan. I'm trying to think if there's anything else that's really important to know about me. You know what? I actually was at the cinemas the other night and the trailer for the Taylor Swift concert came on.

[6:02] Courtney Monsma: There's a trailer?

[6:03] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, there was like, because they're doing the film version of it. So if you don't have tickets, you can go watch it in cinema.

[6:08] Courtney Monsma: Oh, that's lucky.

[6:09] Sheridan Adams: And I sat there and I went, all right, that looks pretty good. Oh, and it's nice that it's coming here too. Because it was originally only for, I think, the US market. Now it's coming to Australia.

[6:20] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, apparently she's going to record her concert as well.

[6:22] Sheridan Adams: Really?

[6:23] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, lucky.

[6:24] Justin Clarke: So you're in.

[6:25] Sheridan Adams: Yes.

[6:26] Justin Clarke: Well, I'd love to do our one-minute theatre thoughts, if you will. So Sheridan, you're familiar with this. Some of your answers might have changed. I don't know. We'll wait and see. But essentially they're just a whole bunch of different questions, which we'll ask in like roughly a minute. And then whatever comes off the top of your head is your answer. And then we'll go back and we'll pick apart some of your answers and go like, why'd you say that? Or what's that answer? And so on.

[6:48] Courtney Monsma: Great.

[6:49] Justin Clarke: Cool. Cool.

[6:50] Justin Clarke: Alrighty. So do you want to do one at a time?

[6:53] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, we'll do one for one.

[6:54] Justin Clarke: So whoever wants to start.

[6:55] Courtney Monsma: You go first.

[6:56] Justin Clarke: I'm nervous.

[6:57] Courtney Monsma: I'll go first and Sheridan will go.

[6:58] Justin Clarke: Okay, here we go. What has been your favourite production you've seen recently?

[7:02] Courtney Monsma: Mine would be Miss Saigon. Because it also is quite recent. I think I saw it a couple of weeks ago and I was just blown away.

[7:08] Sheridan Adams: At the Opera House.

[7:09] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, at the Opera House.

[7:11] Sheridan Adams: I will also second that. But I'll also say I recently went to New York and I got to see some incredible performances and I loved Sweeney Todd.

[7:17] Courtney Monsma: With Josh Groban?

[7:19] Sheridan Adams: Yes, with Josh Groban. And I just thought it was incredible.

[7:23] Justin Clarke: That was also at the Opera House as well.

[7:25] Sheridan Adams: Yeah. I actually drove when I was living in the UK with my friends. We wanted to see Miss Saigon and we couldn't see it in London. It was in Manchester. And we drove there and back on a day. It was like a five-hour drive or something. But it was so worth it.

[7:39] Justin Clarke: Name a play that left you speechless.

[7:42] Sheridan Adams: I wonder if my answer is still the same. Network with Bryan Cranston, which I saw in New York when I was there with University. So I think that was around 2019, I believe. And then Gloria comes to mind. Also I saw that at MTC. Also when I was in third year in 2019. Yeah, they hit me very, very hard. And it kind of made me realise that... I mean, I love music theatre and obviously I want to do it for the rest of my life. But I also have a calling in doing straight plays as well. Some of the storytelling there and the drama, I have not seen in the music theatre realm yet.

[8:17] Courtney Monsma: I haven't seen many plays, which is horrible, live at least. But if I was changing that to musical, if that's allowed. It would be when I saw Parade recently as well. And I sat in the cubicle and I bawled my eyes out. And I had to, I think, wait 15 minutes at least until I could leave the theatre. It was incredible.

[8:35] Sheridan Adams: That's insane.

[8:36] Justin Clarke: Yeah, it really... I can't stop thinking about it. I'll share my one after.

[8:39] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, please.

[8:40] Justin Clarke: So, I guess this is a bit of a tough one, but what is a dream role you'd love to tackle?

[8:45] Sheridan Adams: For me, it's still Jenna in Waitress.

[8:47] Courtney Monsma: Yes.

[8:48] Sheridan Adams: Yeah. We were talking about this before. I think a dream for me would be to originate a role. That would be a really cool experience just to be able to bring my own stuff to a new character.

[8:59] Justin Clarke: Yeah, that's a great answer. What is your pre-show ritual?

[9:04] Sheridan Adams: Mine kind of begins as soon as I wake up now. So, I wake up and I steam, and then I don't talk for half an hour, and then jump in the shower, kind of check in with my voice, have a little sing, the acoustics in the bathroom are just chest kiss. I'll have some food. That's always kind of a staple of my morning and my day. And then when it comes to before the show, I don't have too much. I like to get in a little bit earlier, just set up my dressing room, and then I'm in the chair getting green, and I warm up while I get green. I chat to Jake, and I chat to Kate and Dee, my lovely green team. And then right before I go on, I do my warm up, and I sing The Wizard and I while Courtney is on stage in her bubble.

[9:45] Courtney Monsma: Oh, right.

[9:46] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, I need to sing that. That song I find, funnily enough, quite tricky. It's straight off the bat too. And after a scene where you're doing a lot of yelling, so I just like to make sure it's all there in my voice, where I might need to kind of focus on if it's not there, and where I need to be more technical for that show or that performance. I go out, I have a Garethers, and then I give Gareth a little fist bump before I go on as well. It's like lots of little things with people, but that's mostly my kind of daily ritual.

[10:13] Justin Clarke: Interesting. I love that.

[10:14] Courtney Monsma: There's a lot.

[10:15] Justin Clarke: Yeah, no, I think it's great. It's really interesting to see the insight that different actors do.

[10:18] Sheridan Adams: For sure.

[10:19] Courtney Monsma: Yeah.

[10:20] Sheridan Adams: I love a routine, like to the point where if my routine changes, I might be like, freak out a little bit. It's just part of my brain. So I always will get in, and I've done this for years now. We'll get into the theater an hour before the hour call, and I'll do my makeup already. I'll sit there and do my makeup, and that's when I'll do a slow kind of warmup. And then once my makeup's done, I'll do a nice stretch before our actual warmup, because in the theater, as a principle as well, after the hour, you've got people coming in to preset your costumes, your mic's going on. There's not really that time for yourself, and I feel like I always need that alone time to just prepare to socialize as well, not be around people. But similarly, when you're performing that night, you think about it throughout the day, and I'll always wake up, and I don't enjoy drinking water, but I will just make myself drink water.

[11:05] Justin Clarke: Interesting.

[11:06] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, so I often get Gatorades, like the no-sugar Gatorades, because they're really yummy, and that's my way I'll intake water, because otherwise I'll be too dehydrated.

[11:15] Courtney Monsma: Do you drink lots of tea?

[11:17] Sheridan Adams: I do, but this sounds really bad. Sometimes I'm too lazy to boil the kettle.

[11:21] Justin Clarke: Fair enough.

[11:22] Sheridan Adams: It takes too long.

[11:23] Justin Clarke: You've got a lot going on.

[11:24] Sheridan Adams: I know, I know.

[11:25] Justin Clarke: Get in the bubble and get out there.

[11:26] Sheridan Adams: But I do love tea, I do love tea. And with Glinda, it's straight off the bat as well, so warming up. I'm lucky that with our kettle at home, I drink a lot of tea as well in my ritual, but it boils to a certain temperature. So I understand, if you have a kettle that goes to 100, you've got to wait, and then you've got to pour it out, and then you've got to wait for it to cool down. It's so technical, isn't it?

[11:42] Justin Clarke: I get it, I get it. It's hard life.

[11:44] Sheridan Adams: It's hard life.

[11:45] Justin Clarke: And the last question was, which production would you most want to see come to Australia?

[11:49] Sheridan Adams: I said American Psycho last time, and I still stand by it.

[11:51] Courtney Monsma: Yes.

[11:52] Sheridan Adams: But funnily enough, I do love Parade, and I would love, I know that's come again recently, but I would love to see it on the larger scale than I'm sure Courtney would have seen on Broadway.

[12:02] Courtney Monsma: I'm trying to think. I think that is my answer for now.

[12:09] Courtney Monsma: I would say Dear Evan Hansen, but it's just been announced that it is, which is really exciting, and I cannot wait to go watch it, because similarly, that was an experience that I won't forget. And I was sitting next to a gorgeous boy and his mum watching the show, and every time Evan did something, he would grab his mum, and I just was watching that.

[12:29] Sheridan Adams: Episode 55 Re-Release.

[12:59] Sheridan Adams: Episode 55 Re-Release.

[13:29] Sheridan Adams: Episode 55 Re-Release.

[13:59] Sheridan Adams: Episode 55 Re-Release.

[14:29] Sheridan Adams: Episode 55 Re-Release.

[14:59] Sheridan Adams: Episode 55 Re-Release.

[15:29] Sheridan Adams: Like film TV cameras, they had screens in the background, so you had Bryan Cranston just filling the stage in the theater with these performances, but also the nuances of his performance up on the screens. And I mean, spoiler alert, so if you don't want to hear the end of Network the play, don't listen anymore for this point. But at the very end, someone ran through the audience with a gun and shoots him. Oh wow, and he is dying. It's Bryan Cranston dying. So like obviously he's a film TV actor. He don't like just the reality of it. Like Courtney said, it feels like you're there and it's actually happening. And so blood is pouring out of his mouth and people are rushing trying to save him, obviously all fake. But I was just, I had the shakes. And that was how it ended.

[16:21] Sheridan Adams: And it was similar to Gloria as well, again spoiler for Gloria, but Gloria is a play about an office shooting. Okay, I went in, I had no idea. The first half, this is like tongue-in-cheek, like kind of comedy.

[16:31] Courtney Monsma: Yeah.

[16:34] Sheridan Adams: And then at the end of act one, everyone just dies in front of your eyes. And then act two is all about the beautiful and not beautiful aftermath, but tells the story beautifully about the aftermath and how people sensationalize trauma. And again, another play about media, which I maybe I wanted to be a journalist. Seeing a thread there in both of those, I just had no idea that things like that could be portrayed on a stage.

[16:57] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, really touch an audience and affect an audience in such a visceral way.

[17:01] Sheridan Adams: Well, the reason I wanted to ask was because I'm interested in whether you think going blind into a show makes for more visceral experiences than going into something that you know what to expect. I think there's arguments for both, but I think for example, having some knowledge of even with our show Wicked, the knowledge of The Wizard of Oz gives you that light bulb and you feel like you know the piece even more. But then there's also a kind of a wonderful thing of introducing someone to a world at the same time.

[17:33] Courtney Monsma: Yeah.

[17:34] Sheridan Adams: But it's like the same thing as people coming back to the same show 30 times in a row, and it's just this extra special thing because I think when you get to know something, it feels like it's yours a little bit.

[17:44] Courtney Monsma: I think you're right because like The Wizard of Oz kind of gives you that extra depth. Like in the second act when you know Dorothy starts coming into the background, you hear little things like when you're like, "Oh my shoes, damn girl."

[17:56] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, people love that.

[17:59] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, and it's that recognition, isn't it?

[18:02] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, it's kind of interwoven.

[18:03] Courtney Monsma: Yeah.

[18:07] Sheridan Adams: I think some of the best experiences I ever had were when I had no idea what was going to happen. And I think with a show like Wicked, it is funny. You're balancing people that have expectations and have an idea of what the show is, which is incredible. But I also really welcome people who've come and you've never seen it and I know not necessarily Wicked fans yet, and introducing them to that world. And it's so lovely because they come in and there's no sense of, "Oh, I wanted Wicked to be like this."

[18:29] Courtney Monsma: Yeah.

[18:30] Sheridan Adams: They come in and they're like, "That was one of the best things I've ever seen," and it feels really special to be able to chat with those kind of people at stage door as well because I remember seeing it for the first time. And I think the beautiful thing about Wicked though is when you listen to the soundtrack, you don't necessarily know what happens.

[18:42] Courtney Monsma: Yes.

[18:49] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, what's taken music out so that you aren't spoiled when you go see it. And there aren't many musicals that do that. So I think, hey, even if you love the soundtrack, you will probably still get a visceral response that you weren't expecting.

[19:03] Courtney Monsma: That's great.

[19:11] Justin Clarke: Okay, we're going to take a quick break and then we'll talk about Wicked. That's just for me to know. I'd break. This isn't for the podcast, but I've actually secured a... and I really wanted to interview him before today because I wanted to film something for you. I'm talking to Stephen Schwartz next week, which is like insane.

[19:22] Sheridan Adams: Excuse me.

[19:26] Justin Clarke: I know because the Prince of Egypt musical is filmed and it's coming to cinemas. And so I just got this email. They were like, "Oh, we could set up an interview for Stephen Schwartz. Would you like to interview him?" I was like, "I would like to tell him we said hi."

[19:37] Sheridan Adams: I know because I wanted, I've tried to get it booked in before today, so I wanted to get it like a little film be like, "Oh, by the way, I have a gift for you."

[19:44] Justin Clarke: That's cool. But maybe I'll still do it if I can get him to do it. But anyway, that's just something that's so cool. Sorry out there.

[19:51] Justin Clarke: Okay, let's talk about Wicked then. So I shared and last time we spoke to you, it was you'd landed the role. What was it like when you were first greener, find, and you were on stage? And Courtney, same with you when you're first in the bubble, first in the outfit, and you kind of just looked at each other for the first time?

[20:12] Sheridan Adams: It was really special getting green for the first time. I always say it's such a privilege and it's such an honor, and it's something that so many young people who want to play Elphaba, it's something we've always dreamed of and wanted to experience. And you watch YouTube videos of people getting a little behind-the-scenes documentaries, and so to live it was wild. So I'm very, very grateful that I get to do that every day. And I'm really lucky that I have such an amazing green team. It was quite seamless the first time I got green and I looked in the mirror and I was like, "Felt like Elphaba." And you put the little glasses on, the spectacles on, and then you feel more like her before you step out on that stage.

And yeah, looking, pardon me, looking at Courtney and singing "For Good," I think the first time, that's when it really, you're really able to take one another in. That's when I was really able to kind of go, "Oh, I'm green and you're wearing the tiara and the blonde curls and you're in the bubble dress and you got the grimmery and it's happening." And it's that honestly, there aren't really words to describe it and just you got to live it.

[21:10] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, so wonderful and so special. And I think what I like about Wicked as well is how it goes beyond the stage. Like I keep up with you guys on Instagram, always sharing like my favorite person and stuff like that. You always hear about, I might be wrong with this, but I'm pretty sure either Gemma or Lucy asked one another to be the bridesmaids of their wedding. I'm not sure if that's true or not. I might have made that up.

[21:31] Sheridan Adams: They're very, very close.

[21:34] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, but they got close beyond the stage and I feel like that helps with your characters for sure.

[21:39] Sheridan Adams: It's, I mean, it translates and the more trust we have with each other and them, that gives us the ability to be vulnerable on stage, which I think is that extra special element that makes people believe the connection.

[21:51] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, yeah.

[21:54] Sheridan Adams: Oh, I mean the outfit, I was like, I personally, like I've never been blonde before, but it was really surreal. And I just see myself as her, like I don't see myself as me, if that makes sense. But going up in the bubble for the first time, I was, didn't realize how high it went. I was like, "What?" Well, I'm not necessarily scared of heights, but I'm just scared of being scared. So I didn't know how my body would react, but it was actually kind of cool because it gives you the sense of power for the character, which really helps. But you know, sometimes I'm like wearing this beautiful dress and I get handed my little fairy wand. I'm like, "What is life? This is crazy right now." And then I head off in the bubble and I'm looking down and I'm like, "This is what Glinda, she's looking down on the people." And it makes the story so easy to tell.

[22:43] Justin Clarke: What is it about Wicked that is like, upon the pun, very popular about it? You know, what keeps bringing everyone back to it, do you think?

[22:53] Sheridan Adams: I think it's timeless and I think it's so relatable to any time that it comes back to. And it's unlike most shows, it's not really set in an era or a time, which means it's really hard for it to, I think, be outdated. And the themes are so relevant always. The score is incredible. And I think also luckily, like, you know, they're recasting these roles so you get to see new interpretations of them, which is cool.

[23:18] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, I think the show is also just so good.

[23:23] Sheridan Adams: Good show. And I think great art and great theater lives on and they become classics and it becomes a timeless piece just through how wonderful it really is. And then one thing that I've loved discovering with Courtney and throughout the show and throughout the rehearsal process is the story between Elphaba and Glinda and the friendship between these two women because it's not depicted in the media as much as I would have thought.

[23:47] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, right.

[23:50] Sheridan Adams: It's such a special friendship and relationship that's told and the way it grows and the journey they both go on. It doesn't feel trivial or it just, what's the word? It's just told with such depth.

[24:02] Courtney Monsma: Yeah.

[24:08] Sheridan Adams: And to be able to portray that on stage, I think that's one of the messages that kind of lives on. It's the beautiful relationship that these two women have.

[24:15] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, it's not like I was trying, I remember when I saw it and I was trying to write my review of it. I didn't want to come from like an angle because I've seen Wicked like multiple times and I was trying to think of like a new angle to take it in. And I was thinking like, what other musicals, how many musicals are there that has that friendship, that female friendship? It's not many.

[24:32] Sheridan Adams: And it's also so technically sung. So I wanted, it was something you said earlier about you preparing for The Wizard and I did a bit of a quick research. I'm not a big composition-minded person, but I did a quick research on it. This person was laying out, it goes from this night to this night, this night, and I was like, "Oh my God." Like I didn't realize, I knew it was hard. I didn't realize how hard it was.

[24:55] Courtney Monsma: Do you mean the whole score? Do you mean like The Wizard and I?

[25:00] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, I didn't know how hard it was. So I love the song. We sung it for auditions and you sing it at home and you're standing and it's like, oh, I love this song. It's great. Defying Gravity is the hard one, right?

[25:10] Courtney Monsma: Yeah.

[25:11] Sheridan Adams: But I remember listening to the Sentimental Men podcast before starting rehearsals and every Elphaba talks about how hard The Wizard and I is. And I'm like, interesting. They're like, it is our kryptonite. Elphaba say, I know how the show's gonna go based on The Wizard and I. They changed the last note because of how difficult it is. And I was like, interesting. And now that I'm doing the show, I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm having that experience. And I love it. It's such a beautiful challenge to go out on that stage and basically have an 11 o'clock number as soon as the show kind of pays off. I was sitting there thinking like, because I guess it comes with anyone who plays Elphaba. You go, all right, let's see what you can do. And it's like that Wizard and I number and you just go and you smash it and everyone goes, all right, this is good. We're in.

[25:55] Courtney Monsma: I think technique aside too, I think the most important thing about all the songs in the show, for me at least, is not just the singing of it and the technical aspect. It's how you're telling the story. Because at the end of the day, you can sound beautiful and you can hit a gorgeous note. But if the story of The Wizard and I, if Elphaba's joy and hope isn't translated. And then popular as well. Like, oh my, it was so funny on opening night. I was sitting there and everyone around me was laughing their heads off. It was so funny. I wanted to ask with that, do you make a lot of stuff up or is that choreographed to a tee?

[26:31] Sheridan Adams: I make it up. Yeah, you know, there's this obviously scaffold in terms of, you know, story plot points. But it's, you know, I think the greatest gift of this show was given, was being given the freedom to interpret it how my Glinda would. So a lot, sometimes I do things, I'm like, where'd that come from? Like, I actually don't know. And like, as long as it's the rule really is, as long as it sticks to the truth of the story and the character, you know, it all works. And I just have so much fun.

[26:58] Sheridan Adams: Is there a point where like, you've come to the point of breaking on stage?

[27:02] Courtney Monsma: Oh, for sure. I actually think I naturally stopped looking at Elphaba. And so I watched a clip and I was like, I'm not really looking at Elphaba. I'm like, I'm not looking because I don't want to laugh. And I'm like, you know, sometimes connecting with someone makes you realise that. So then I've been really conscious to like, because you know, you try and help each other by not laughing. But it's, I think there's a beauty that lives on the edge of needing to laugh, you know.

[27:25] Sheridan Adams: So I think it was in the Music Man recently with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, there's a song in it where they purposefully try to see if they can get the other break to break.

[27:34] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, I try.

[27:35] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, it's just this playfulness. I did wonder.

[27:40] Courtney Monsma: There are a couple of moments where, again, and the beautiful thing is Courtney never does it purely just to try and make me laugh. Like it is from a place of being Glinda and the truth of it. So there's never a moment where I'm like, oh God, it is just pure joy and talent. So whenever she does something that's funny, I have to like, I honestly, my go to is biting my lip.

[27:59] Sheridan Adams: And at least with Elphaba in that moment, if she had a little smirk, it can be interpreted in many different ways.

[28:05] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, exactly.

[28:06] Sheridan Adams: You know, but God, there was one day right before you did your little spell, you made a noise or something. And it must be hard if I break.

[28:16] Courtney Monsma: Speaking of trying to get each other to laugh, I'd love to play my little game I've set up for you.

[28:25] Sheridan Adams: Yes.

[28:32] Courtney Monsma: They're honestly brilliant.

[28:33] Sheridan Adams: Yeah.

[28:34] Courtney Monsma: Awesome. Thank you. All right, cool. Well, let's.

[28:38] Sheridan Adams: Oh, wait.

[28:39] Courtney Monsma: You got it. Do you want to have a quick read through?

[28:42] Sheridan Adams: Okay, I don't get the second one, but that's okay.

[28:44] Courtney Monsma: Do you want to show me?

[28:45] Sheridan Adams: Maybe I will.

[28:46] Courtney Monsma: Yeah. I could just be.

[28:48] Sheridan Adams: Oh, yeah. I want to see if she gets it.

[28:51] Courtney Monsma: Okay, great.

[28:52] Sheridan Adams: I personally find it funny.

[28:53] Courtney Monsma: Okay, great. Because I have no idea. Okay, wonderful.

[28:55] Sheridan Adams: All right. So we'll see if we can try to get each other to laugh in these awfully bad Wizard of Oz wicked jokes that I've made.

[29:02] Courtney Monsma: Okay.

[29:03] Sheridan Adams: So take a second to, whatever you need. And then whoever would like to start.

[29:09] Courtney Monsma: Oh, no.

[29:10] Sheridan Adams: Okay. Okay. Well, this one's on the nose, in my opinion. But why is Wicked a must-see show? Because it's one of the most popular shows there is.

[29:22] Courtney Monsma: Now, you know who wrote that one?

[29:24] Sheridan Adams: Who?

[29:25] Courtney Monsma: Liam Head.

[29:26] Sheridan Adams: No wonder we didn't laugh. I'm kidding.

[29:29] Courtney Monsma: I'm kidding.

[29:30] Sheridan Adams: Liam, I worry about you.

[29:33] Courtney Monsma: Okay. Do you want me to do one for you now?

[29:35] Sheridan Adams: Yeah.

[29:36] Courtney Monsma: Okay. How is fun until you get soap in your mouth?

[29:40] Sheridan Adams: Then it's a soap opera.

[29:44] Courtney Monsma: Did Liam write that one?

[29:45] Sheridan Adams: No.

[29:46] Courtney Monsma: Okay.

[29:47] Sheridan Adams: How do we know Madame Morrible was a good witch?

[29:50] Courtney Monsma: Because she brought the house down?

[29:55] Sheridan Adams: No, that one's brilliant.

[29:57] Courtney Monsma: I'm just imagining Robin like that, that, that.

[30:00] Sheridan Adams: Okay. Only an American could have written The Wizard of Oz. Anywhere else, he'd be the Wizard of 28g.

[30:08] Courtney Monsma: Now, I find that very funny because Oz is in, like, the weight system. America versus ounces.

[30:14] Sheridan Adams: Oh, I don't think I'm clever enough.

[30:17] Courtney Monsma: 28 grams.

[30:19] Sheridan Adams: But that's funny if I was clever.

[30:21] Courtney Monsma: Maybe it's one you need to see, like, to look at.

[30:23] Sheridan Adams: Oh, yes, yes. Like, pounds and, yeah.

[30:26] Courtney Monsma: That's funny. That's funny.

[30:30] Sheridan Adams: I've been trying to understand why my candle has such bad insomnia. Guess there's no rest for the wicked.

[30:39] Courtney Monsma: That's a red one, too.

[30:42] Sheridan Adams: These are my kind of humour, because they're silly.

[30:44] Courtney Monsma: Because they're silly.

[30:45] Sheridan Adams: Okay. I'm not doing well.

[30:47] Courtney Monsma: Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz is by far the greatest character of all time. No one could hold a candle to him.

[30:56] Sheridan Adams: Okay, that's the one. That's the one.

[31:00] Courtney Monsma: That's actually funny. I love that.

[31:02] Sheridan Adams: I love that.

[31:03] Courtney Monsma: This one's funny.

[31:04] Sheridan Adams: I shouldn't say that, because it's ruined it.

[31:06] Courtney Monsma: How many actors does it take to change a lightbulb?

[31:13] Sheridan Adams: Only one. The rest stand around, saying, it should be me up there.

[31:17] Courtney Monsma: That's funny.

[31:18] Sheridan Adams: That's funny.

[31:19] Courtney Monsma: I'm like, yeah, get it. Especially when the bubble.

[31:22] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, that'd be me up there.

[31:24] Courtney Monsma: Okay, this one's a long one. The Wizard of Oz takes on a whole new plot when you look at it from Toto's perspective. As much as Dorothy misses Kansas, Toto misses the rains down in Africa.

[31:39] Sheridan Adams: That is funny.

[31:40] Courtney Monsma: That is brilliant. I didn't even read it fully, so it really hit me as I was reading it, too.

[31:44] Sheridan Adams: Did it just hit you?

[31:45] Courtney Monsma: Just wrote this.

[31:46] Sheridan Adams: I was like, why?

[31:47] Courtney Monsma: He's from Kansas.

[31:48] Sheridan Adams: He's from Kansas as well.

[31:50] Courtney Monsma: Silly.

[31:51] Sheridan Adams: Okay, this is... I don't know how to pronounce this word.

[31:54] Courtney Monsma: This last word.

[31:58] Sheridan Adams: Ah, yes.

[31:59] Courtney Monsma: Break it in two.

[32:04] Sheridan Adams: A classically trained performer just became a spy. I guess you could say they perform thespionage.

[32:10] Courtney Monsma: Oh, brilliant.

[32:11] Sheridan Adams: Brilliant.

[32:12] Courtney Monsma: It's like thespionage.

[32:13] Sheridan Adams: I don't know.

[32:15] Courtney Monsma: This one's my favourite.

[32:16] Sheridan Adams: Okay.

[32:17] Courtney Monsma: No, it could be the worst one, but for me, it's brilliant.

[32:20] Sheridan Adams: It's brilliant.

[32:21] Courtney Monsma: Okay. Why did the scarecrow get an award?

[32:24] Sheridan Adams: Why?

[32:26] Courtney Monsma: He was outstanding in his field.

[32:30] Sheridan Adams: See? Brilliant.

[32:31] Courtney Monsma: And then just picture Liam getting taken away.

[32:35] Sheridan Adams: Can I tell you a funny story? So, there's a moment in the show where Liam and I will say a bad joke to each other. And for opening, he got me like a dad jokes book, and we say jokes. So, I'm actually going to say these to him in the show.

[32:49] Courtney Monsma: Feel free to take them.

[32:50] Sheridan Adams: Yes.

[32:51] Courtney Monsma: Great.

[32:52] Sheridan Adams: Well, I'd love to wrap up by just asking one question that I'm really interested in. And I think I asked you the same one. So, feel free to add or change your answer.

[32:59] Courtney Monsma: Okay.

[33:00] Sheridan Adams: But I'm really interested to hear what you think, Courtney. I'd love to know how you think the theatre industry has changed over the years and how those changes have impacted the work that you do and the work you participate in.

[33:12] Courtney Monsma: I think, personally, I'm so grateful for my education on the world, and especially since COVID years, about proper representation in shows as well as being authentic to play a role. And I think that's made art more rich and more quality. And I think we're seeing so much more of that. And it's the same as going to see a parade and watching it being authentically cast. It really does, I think, enrich the arts. And it's really nice. And I think also in terms of the work, I feel like there's a lot more work in Australia as well. And there's so many more shows in different categories that people can go and see. And it's good for the actors, but it's good for the people watching it too.

[33:54] Sheridan Adams: Oh, yeah. Great answer.

[33:56] Courtney Monsma: Thank you.

[33:57] Sheridan Adams: Thank you. Funnily enough, I was chatting to Dee, who is a lovely wiggy on our show, and our company manager, Jess, and just talking about how since COVID how shows and companies all respect when people are unwell. It might sound like something very, very small, but I think it's quite important.

[34:17] Courtney Monsma: I totally agree.

[34:18] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, it's like actors are humans. We're people. And I think the way the industry is shifting is we're being seen more as humans. So whether it comes to mental health days or physical sickness or injury, I think we have a lot of time and patience for people to take their time off and get well and come back and give the best show that they can. I'm finding that's really shifting personally. And also we had lovely Chloe Dallymore come in to Wicked. And I think intimacy coordination.

[34:49] Courtney Monsma: Oh, that's something I wanted to say.

[34:51] Sheridan Adams: Did she do the intimacy coordination for yours and Liam's?

[34:57] Courtney Monsma: As long as you're mine.

[34:58] Sheridan Adams: No, no. She came in and she gave kind of these beautiful kind of groundwork. What would you say? Like kind of strategies and ways to start conversations and things to empower us in the room, in the rehearsal room.

[35:09] Courtney Monsma: So great.

[35:10] Sheridan Adams: So checking in, are you all green today? It just opens up the conversation between Liam and I, or not even Liam and I, but between Elphaba and Fiyero, whoever that may be. And I'm really grateful that those things were brought into the room so that when we did As Long As You're Mine there was that kind of open discussion and I can always go into Liam and be like, hey, my shoulder's dodgy. I've done that before. I've been like, not that you ever really like hold onto my shoulder, but just so you know. It opens that dialogue and it's really brilliant. So I just think the introduction of intimacy coordination and just discussion around intimacy in general, it's very much needed and required. And hopefully going forward it's in all shows and film and TV. It's something I really value and I'm grateful for.

[35:50] Sheridan Adams: The reason I ask is because that was the best. And I was sitting there going, whoever was the intimacy coordinator for this number needs their own applause because it was so well done.

[36:02] Courtney Monsma: So well done to the point where you're kind of sitting there going, I should probably walk away right now.

[36:06] Sheridan Adams: Yeah, yeah. And it was lovely. It was really well done.

[36:09] Courtney Monsma: I'm off stage and the wing's lacking.

[36:11] Sheridan Adams: I know. Because of my massive dress.

[36:14] Courtney Monsma: Yeah, I think it's important to build that foundation of trust. And as Courtney was saying, when you have trust you can be vulnerable. And when you can be vulnerable and you have that trust, you know that there's going to be an actor there to support you and be there for you. And just working in the room with Taryn and Lisa, I think they have a really, really soft spot for As Long As Your Mind. And I think they really, really loved what we brought to it. Again, as all elements of this show, they weren't like this is what we want As Long As Your Mind to be. So Liam and I brought this thing. They're like, that's what you bring. That's how we want to do it. So, yeah, that's how it is.

[36:44] Courtney Monsma: That's how it is the way it is.

[36:45] Sheridan Adams: Love it. Well, excellent. Thank you so much, Shira and Courtney, for coming on. I've really loved this chat. And I'm so pleased that it's going so well. I'm excited for Melbourne and whatever comes next. Thank you for the new jokes that I can take.

[36:58] Courtney Monsma: You're welcome.

[36:59] Sheridan Adams: I can take them with you.

[37:00] Courtney Monsma: Yay.

[37:01] Sheridan Adams: Thank you for having us.

[37:02] Courtney Monsma: Thank you.

[37:03] Sheridan Adams: And that's it.

[37:04] Courtney Monsma: Woo-hoo.

[37:05] Sheridan Adams: Thank you so much.

[37:06] Courtney Monsma: Thank you.

[37:07] Sheridan Adams: That was great.

[37:08] Courtney Monsma: Divine.

[37:09] Sheridan Adams: I'm glad they were actually funny.

[37:10] Courtney Monsma: I do actually love them.

[37:11] Sheridan Adams: I love that last one.

[37:12] Courtney Monsma: Yeah.

[37:13] Sheridan Adams: Which one did I love?

[37:14] Courtney Monsma: This one.

[37:15] Sheridan Adams: Number two.

[37:16] Courtney Monsma: She brought the house down.