WEBVTT 00:03.952 --> 00:06.075 [SPEAKER_00]: Let the gay app name for a gay app podcast. 00:07.076 --> 00:10.481 [SPEAKER_01]: Zachary Noah Pizer is on that's a gay ass podcast. 00:10.581 --> 00:13.585 [SPEAKER_01]: Are the rumors true you're calling in from a Broadway dressing room? 00:14.640 --> 00:15.120 [SPEAKER_00]: very true. 00:16.081 --> 00:26.009 [SPEAKER_00]: I would never, I don't think I would ever paint my walls this color, but that's that's what got you drag the designer of that purple wall. 00:26.570 --> 00:37.218 [SPEAKER_01]: Um, no, I'm so excited to talk to a Broadway baby for so many reasons Zack Pizer question number one to get us into our heart hitting patronalistic questions. 00:37.679 --> 00:41.562 [SPEAKER_01]: You said in an interview, I'm Asian and Jewish, so I've got an intense 00:44.225 --> 00:46.691 [SPEAKER_01]: Zach, what are we usually anxious about for me? 00:46.811 --> 00:49.417 [SPEAKER_01]: It's physical health or that somebody doesn't like me. 00:49.558 --> 00:50.179 [SPEAKER_01]: What's it like for you? 00:50.813 --> 00:52.194 [SPEAKER_00]: what are we not anxious about? 00:52.394 --> 00:53.254 [SPEAKER_00]: Is the right question? 00:53.674 --> 01:06.700 [SPEAKER_00]: Because again, being Asian Jewish, which is like, you know, double the amazing food and double the love and double the family aspects, but then double the anxiety and double all that's the guilt as well. 01:06.720 --> 01:07.260 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh my gosh. 01:07.500 --> 01:07.640 [SPEAKER_00]: Yep. 01:07.880 --> 01:13.163 [SPEAKER_00]: I would say the things that usually take up the majority of my anxiety are related to 01:14.243 --> 01:18.525 [SPEAKER_00]: probably what someone thinks of me, but also I'm also my worst own critic. 01:18.785 --> 01:23.527 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's like I have anxiety about someone else's anxiety affecting my anxiety. 01:23.607 --> 01:26.168 [SPEAKER_00]: You see how this is well, my fair face is very well. 01:27.412 --> 01:28.052 [SPEAKER_01]: And you know what? 01:28.072 --> 01:33.815 [SPEAKER_01]: We're thankful that the Jews of the globe and allegedly the Asians are all very grateful for therapy. 01:34.436 --> 01:38.618 [SPEAKER_01]: Um, I actually went to this interesting book thing last night. 01:38.658 --> 01:40.439 [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if you've read about fruit fly. 01:40.479 --> 01:43.220 [SPEAKER_01]: It's like all the gay guys are obsessed with trying to get a hold of it. 01:43.740 --> 01:44.441 [SPEAKER_00]: I've been recommended. 01:44.461 --> 01:46.462 [SPEAKER_01]: So I just I got my hands on a copy last night. 01:46.482 --> 01:47.022 [SPEAKER_01]: Thank God. 01:47.082 --> 01:53.205 [SPEAKER_01]: I went Gary Janetti spoke with Josh the author last night and the thing that struck me that applies to this 01:57.188 --> 02:04.122 [SPEAKER_01]: that he had gone through his whole life as like a queer person wanting to make sure everybody likes him. 02:04.142 --> 02:06.847 [SPEAKER_01]: He had a switch where he said, what if I go through life? 02:08.047 --> 02:11.088 [SPEAKER_01]: not worrying about that, but worrying about if I like that person. 02:11.548 --> 02:15.529 [SPEAKER_01]: And he's like, it's so hard to live your life with trying to get everybody to like you. 02:15.549 --> 02:21.590 [SPEAKER_01]: And I like sat there like, wait a minute, I think I, I try to book the affection of like the grocery store clerk. 02:21.650 --> 02:24.711 [SPEAKER_01]: Like, I'm not proud of that, but I, that's why I am. 02:25.351 --> 02:26.132 [SPEAKER_00]: Which grocery store? 02:26.492 --> 02:27.232 [SPEAKER_00]: That's very important. 02:27.910 --> 02:29.232 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, I live in Los Angeles. 02:29.352 --> 02:32.155 [SPEAKER_01]: It is a chain called Ralph's, it's owned by Crowger. 02:32.235 --> 02:34.438 [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm a Ralph's girlfriend through, I know Ralph's. 02:34.578 --> 02:35.139 [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, I don't know. 02:35.159 --> 02:37.642 [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, duh, you, you've spent a time in California. 02:37.902 --> 02:39.123 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I know Ralph's very well. 02:39.827 --> 02:40.127 [SPEAKER_00]: Nice. 02:40.668 --> 02:41.008 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay. 02:41.028 --> 02:43.430 [SPEAKER_00]: You're like homegrown, like not too fancy. 02:43.711 --> 02:44.391 [SPEAKER_00]: That makes sense. 02:44.431 --> 02:45.572 [SPEAKER_01]: I like. 02:45.613 --> 02:46.373 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, not. 02:46.413 --> 02:46.633 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah. 02:46.694 --> 02:51.198 [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe I'll get into another economic status where I will be a bougie grocery beach. 02:51.378 --> 02:54.981 [SPEAKER_01]: But for now, I'm really living the Ralph stream. 03:02.248 --> 03:05.191 [SPEAKER_01]: your bio says that you are Jewish and Hoppa. 03:05.331 --> 03:06.712 [SPEAKER_01]: Can you tell the girls what Hoppa means? 03:06.992 --> 03:17.081 [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, so Hoppa was initially has its lineage in Hawaii and culture, but it's like made its way to mainland to the states more. 03:17.121 --> 03:23.286 [SPEAKER_00]: We're essentially it is now claimed by people who are half Asian and half white. 03:23.746 --> 03:28.070 [SPEAKER_00]: But I think also people who are just half Asian and have something also also can be that as well. 03:28.655 --> 03:37.340 [SPEAKER_01]: If we are looking into the specifiques, which of your parents is Jew and which of your parents is a Jiong? 03:37.980 --> 03:47.285 [SPEAKER_00]: So my mom is an immigrant from China, and my dad is a Jewish white boy from Indiana, but my mother actually converted into Judaism before she had me. 03:47.825 --> 03:49.306 [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm a real Jew. 03:49.786 --> 03:50.306 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm real. 03:51.147 --> 03:53.248 [SPEAKER_00]: Um, it was important to her real Jew. 03:53.988 --> 04:05.798 [SPEAKER_00]: my dad's side of the family and my mom become part of the family and the running joke of our family is now that my mother is a better Jew than both me and my father combined. 04:06.178 --> 04:09.261 [SPEAKER_00]: She's like she's the mischievous of the temple that we go to. 04:09.741 --> 04:18.609 [SPEAKER_00]: So like she's like in the kitchen she's like it's like the equivalent of like whoever blessing the like kitchen making sure it's maintaining all the proper rules and we're in a 04:20.370 --> 04:23.071 [SPEAKER_00]: household growing up in conservatory conservative temple. 04:23.771 --> 04:31.875 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's not hyper vigilant about like super kosher and orthodox in any way, but there are still rules to maintain in a kitchens. 04:31.995 --> 04:32.935 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, she's the one. 04:33.756 --> 04:42.059 [SPEAKER_00]: She's the person who's like there's like she's just the Asian woman at the bottom in the basement who's just like making them sure everything is appropriate and kosher. 04:42.899 --> 04:49.941 [SPEAKER_01]: It's so funny, my twin brother's wife is also Asian and also converted to Judaism and I love this tradition. 04:50.341 --> 04:52.621 [SPEAKER_01]: I also grew up in a conservative Jewish home as well. 04:52.961 --> 05:02.164 [SPEAKER_01]: For people who might think that means we're maga, it's not, it means that you are not as chillax as the reform Jews, you're not as intense as the orthos. 05:02.664 --> 05:07.925 [SPEAKER_01]: But the conservative Jews were like, you know, I hate kosher for a long fucking time. 05:08.385 --> 05:22.719 [SPEAKER_01]: I am going to get into the famous podcast question, and then of course I have to find out if your bar mitzvah had a party theme, but let's ask the gas podcast question first, Zach Pizer, that question is, whose fault is it that your gay? 05:22.799 --> 05:24.240 [SPEAKER_01]: Who do we blame babe? 05:24.561 --> 05:25.502 [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, blame. 05:25.922 --> 05:26.783 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't blame anyone. 05:27.243 --> 05:32.889 [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, but if I had to blame someone, it would definitely be, um, I think it was power angels. 05:33.943 --> 05:35.184 [SPEAKER_00]: I think it was the power Rangers. 05:35.504 --> 05:39.986 [SPEAKER_00]: I was such a big power Rangers kid, more so than like cartoons I also watched. 05:40.407 --> 05:48.171 [SPEAKER_00]: Pretty much the only things that were on in my household were Spongebob's group hands, fairly odd parents, charmed and power Rangers. 05:48.251 --> 05:51.533 [SPEAKER_00]: And now that I hear all that, actually I think maybe all those things are to blame. 05:52.033 --> 05:56.256 [SPEAKER_00]: I think maybe just like the TV, like that what I was, what I was consuming, 05:57.256 --> 05:58.897 [SPEAKER_00]: in the household media. 05:59.138 --> 06:08.904 [SPEAKER_00]: But I think Power Rangers because I remember being so obsessed with them and like with like that they could change and they could morph and that they had like colors. 06:09.004 --> 06:13.987 [SPEAKER_00]: And I of course really love the pink and with then also really love like the green. 06:14.027 --> 06:14.347 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know. 06:15.288 --> 06:19.454 [SPEAKER_00]: actually, and then I actually met the power Rangers when they were filming on site. 06:19.474 --> 06:29.429 [SPEAKER_00]: This is totally off tangent, but met the power Rangers when they were filming in Florida, when I was visiting my Jewish grandparents, obviously, because that's where all the Jewish grandparents go. 06:30.310 --> 06:46.170 [SPEAKER_00]: Um, and we went to each and they were filming something and it was the best day of my life and then also subsequently the worst day of my life because best day because I met them like I met the actors, they like took off their masks and they like we I have a picture of them with somewhere in the archives. 06:46.751 --> 07:02.502 [SPEAKER_00]: But then essentially had to have the conversation with my folks, I was like, okay, so Zach, you do know that these, these are not real, like these these these people, they're not they're actually actors like power Rangers are not actually real and I remember being in. 07:03.062 --> 07:14.535 [SPEAKER_00]: a deeply, you know, as depressive state as you can be, as a very, I was a very happy kid, but like deeply sad, I was like laying in my parents bed for a couple days or like thinking about that whenever I came up. 07:14.555 --> 07:20.342 [SPEAKER_00]: And then of course, no, I've got over it, but that was a really big moment of my childhood of. 07:21.263 --> 07:29.985 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, the version I guess what it would be is, you know, telling kids who celebrate Christmas that Santa Claus is at real that we don't really have that I was just going to say that. 07:30.345 --> 07:44.429 [SPEAKER_00]: And so instead of for me, it was at the power Rangers, you know, they they are real on TV, but in life they're just actors and they can actually, you know, you know, power up and do all those things that's not a real thing and I was like, oh, no, my life is over. 07:44.990 --> 08:02.839 [SPEAKER_01]: it's devastating for a child to realize the facade of the theater of television program, but I don't know, power Rangers comes up with so many of us gaze, and I too loved the pink, your reaction to the power Rangers not being real was my reaction to the tooth fairy not being real. 08:03.039 --> 08:11.843 [SPEAKER_01]: If there are any people listening on the age of six, I'm so sorry to a first year bubble, but when I found out the 08:12.343 --> 08:13.704 [SPEAKER_01]: two fairy wasn't real. 08:13.885 --> 08:19.770 [SPEAKER_01]: I was like, why y'all live about that to begin with because I thought I saw her wearing a pink poodle skirt, and that's the truth. 08:19.890 --> 08:31.060 [SPEAKER_01]: I was that gay kid that had a dream that I saw her wearing like grease, era cost to me and yet I was then to find out that it was just my parents give me a couple bucks. 08:31.861 --> 08:41.407 [SPEAKER_01]: It's really tough for gay kids to see sort of the facade of Santa, toothpary power Rangers can crumbling down. 08:41.487 --> 08:44.029 [SPEAKER_00]: There is definitely, I feel like there is something through. 08:44.089 --> 08:45.130 [SPEAKER_00]: There is some like. 08:46.270 --> 09:05.276 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, something that makes sense that something could draw a really nice, beautiful psychological hypotheses about about like whether it's we have to mask for certain amount of things or or you're discovering who you are and then to kind of find that there's another layer to whatever you show to the world or don't I think there's something in their beautiful defined but in the meantime we can just say that. 09:05.916 --> 09:06.556 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, for sure. 09:06.596 --> 09:19.460 [SPEAKER_00]: The power Rangers, I would say that and also this is a less well known fact about me, like I don't think you could find this if you like look me up on the internet, because not about me, but my father was a neurologist. 09:19.660 --> 09:20.120 [SPEAKER_00]: He's alive. 09:20.140 --> 09:25.322 [SPEAKER_00]: He just he's retired, but my dad was a neurologist, which if for for the girl is that don't know that's like, you know, 09:25.542 --> 09:41.826 [SPEAKER_00]: the doctor that sees the bits and parts for both men and women, but that means that pretty much in my household, like the running joke for patients of my dad or like my dad's colleagues were to give like penicits, like, you know, from all different cultures. 09:41.866 --> 09:43.987 [SPEAKER_00]: So there was just like phallic paraphernalia. 09:44.467 --> 09:47.327 [SPEAKER_00]: Not necessarily in the home, but like definitely in his office. 09:47.768 --> 09:48.828 [SPEAKER_00]: So you're probably 09:49.628 --> 10:00.119 [SPEAKER_00]: I think by the time I was going into the office, it was probably, I already knew, like Pyrenees, that face had already happened, but I don't think that that probably, you know, the tail end of things probably just confirmed. 10:00.259 --> 10:00.860 [SPEAKER_00]: A lot of stuff. 10:01.220 --> 10:03.303 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm just picturing your first word with like, Kegel. 10:04.824 --> 10:12.213 [SPEAKER_01]: I also love the idea of a closet of kid growing up surrounded by phallic objects. 10:12.393 --> 10:17.859 [SPEAKER_01]: I think also as a Jew, I must same also talk to your father's family for having a doctor. 10:18.640 --> 10:21.883 [SPEAKER_01]: Um, I, your Lord runs so deep. 10:22.084 --> 10:23.585 [SPEAKER_01]: You know what's also crazy about you, Zach? 10:23.685 --> 10:24.887 [SPEAKER_01]: Is that you are, 10:25.187 --> 10:30.130 [SPEAKER_01]: Pretty, you're like definitely a lot younger than me, but you've had this in same career for the girlies who don't know. 10:30.610 --> 10:34.492 [SPEAKER_01]: Zack Pyser is currently starring in Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway. 10:34.833 --> 10:42.457 [SPEAKER_01]: You were also in Redwood with the Dino Men'sel, fellow U.S. on Broadway, also doing it at the premiere at La Jolla Playhouse. 10:42.817 --> 10:47.720 [SPEAKER_01]: You were in Do you're in Hansen as Evan on Broadway, you did K-pop on Broadway, you were 10:55.205 --> 10:56.807 [SPEAKER_01]: on your short time on this planet. 10:57.088 --> 11:04.861 [SPEAKER_01]: But I think that the journalistic question must be asked, you made your Broadway debut as a Bach and Wicked in 2016. 11:04.961 --> 11:06.083 [SPEAKER_01]: Were you fully five? 11:07.180 --> 11:13.082 [SPEAKER_00]: I was it's kind of crazy that you know, I've had I've done all the things, but I'm still like 24, you know, it's kind of wild. 11:13.322 --> 11:13.762 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah. 11:13.782 --> 11:18.303 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, you know, but you know, when you're Asian, like, you don't really age is kind of the thing. 11:18.343 --> 11:18.943 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like a rule. 11:18.963 --> 11:22.504 [SPEAKER_00]: Asian don't age and Asians not age and I've heard that. 11:22.984 --> 11:23.765 [SPEAKER_00]: I've never heard that. 11:23.785 --> 11:24.585 [SPEAKER_00]: No, that's crazy. 11:25.465 --> 11:32.547 [SPEAKER_01]: you've been on Broadway for a decade and it's absolutely crazy. 11:32.767 --> 11:40.649 [SPEAKER_01]: What's also crazy is you replaced Robin to Hay Zeus as Bach and Wicked and the movie camp is what made me gay. 11:40.949 --> 11:42.990 [SPEAKER_01]: Were you able, have you seen the movie camp? 11:43.695 --> 11:55.710 [SPEAKER_00]: I have not, but I'm just marveling at the fact that every I think everyone in whatever I was saying anyone in the industry, but I think just like anyone maybe who's gay or definitely anyone who's Jewish is like one degree of separation. 11:55.890 --> 11:58.453 [SPEAKER_00]: And if you put those together, it's like you're we're family. 11:58.653 --> 11:59.014 [SPEAKER_00]: I know you. 11:59.414 --> 12:22.599 [SPEAKER_01]: were all mishpook uh note that the uh movie camp um made me gay there are so many amazing vocal performances it made me also want to go to stage door manner which I never was able to but that's okay um for the full circle of it all your bar mitzvah did you have a theme to the party and if so what was 12:23.019 --> 12:23.400 [SPEAKER_00]: I did. 12:23.880 --> 12:27.906 [SPEAKER_00]: I'll never forgive myself and my parents for for this theme. 12:27.986 --> 12:29.127 [SPEAKER_00]: But this is just what we did. 12:29.147 --> 12:33.093 [SPEAKER_00]: I was a super late bloomer to theater. 12:33.153 --> 12:33.794 [SPEAKER_00]: So this is me. 12:33.834 --> 12:39.701 [SPEAKER_00]: This is me as a caveat before because whenever I say when I once I say it, you can't unhear it and then you're going to judge me for it. 12:39.742 --> 12:40.783 [SPEAKER_00]: So I just need to like print. 12:41.103 --> 13:00.818 [SPEAKER_00]: There's got to be some prefacing I've learned that I just I didn't come to theater until like the end of high school and so my I thought that I was going to be a professional swimmer my entire childhood like my parents took me to I grew up in in the Bay Area and you know they were like. 13:00.998 --> 13:18.254 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, we're going to take you to a bunch of things when you're three or four, you know, there's ballet, they're singing, there's there's there's dance, there's T-ball, there's swimming, there's all the other things and they were like, choose some things and then, you know, we'll see if we can make that happen and the first choice that I made was swimming. 13:18.434 --> 13:20.816 [SPEAKER_00]: I have no idea why, but I swim. 13:21.697 --> 13:25.664 [SPEAKER_00]: like competitively through through high school, essentially. 13:26.205 --> 13:32.536 [SPEAKER_00]: And so therefore, my, my bar mitzvetheme was swimming. 13:33.972 --> 13:56.782 [SPEAKER_00]: see now you can't adhere to it now it's just that so you know the put the gifts were like towels like there were goggles on the tables there were it I you know it's chic actually I think there's something theatrical about swimming because there it's prop heavy it's also you know my body goes to my brain goes to 13:58.742 --> 14:00.903 [SPEAKER_01]: bodies wearing tiny swimsuits. 14:01.043 --> 14:03.304 [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously for a 13 year old, I'm not picturing that. 14:03.404 --> 14:11.247 [SPEAKER_01]: But I am picturing the pageantry of the Olympics and competition. 14:11.287 --> 14:15.709 [SPEAKER_01]: So we can still thread the needle of gain is to that bar mitzvah theme. 14:16.849 --> 14:24.452 [SPEAKER_01]: I shot it to ask this question because I don't I don't want to come from a place of disrespect, but are there a lot of short king swimmers in the sport? 14:24.832 --> 14:39.965 [SPEAKER_00]: And this is exactly why I wish that someone had told me when we had puberty, when I had puberty, you know, like, maybe this is not the route for you, because I stand at a very short height. 14:40.206 --> 14:46.751 [SPEAKER_00]: I remember when I was growing up, like, you know, through like elementary school and through middle school, even it was like everyone's gone. 14:46.791 --> 14:48.172 [SPEAKER_00]: I can still compete and then as soon 14:48.813 --> 14:50.414 [SPEAKER_00]: and a middle school high school puberty. 14:50.774 --> 14:52.234 [SPEAKER_00]: It was like everyone was growing. 14:52.374 --> 14:55.936 [SPEAKER_00]: And I just, there was no chance for me to even compete in any way. 14:56.836 --> 15:15.344 [SPEAKER_00]: So those, you know, one dream, I said goodbye to one dream, but, but I will say those, the silver lining for, I mean, there are many silver linings for being a swimmer growing up because there was discipline, you know, and the wake-up super early to go to practice and all those things that I think made me in terms of the work ethic that I, 15:15.604 --> 15:32.049 [SPEAKER_00]: that I do now, that I have now, but just like anatomically physically, I think that learning how to hold your breath underwater has helped me in so many ways have a larger breath span to kind of sing, you know, that's kind of like a nice guy. 15:32.129 --> 15:39.751 [SPEAKER_00]: The Ghostbusters should come in and Ghostbusters, Mythbusters should come in and like bust me on that, but I think that swimming 15:45.030 --> 15:48.552 [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, I'm sure it led you to being the Belt Trust that you are. 15:49.412 --> 16:01.037 [SPEAKER_01]: Also, when it comes to short kings, I speak to short kings with so much adoration because I find the short men among us to be some of our strongest soldiers. 16:01.097 --> 16:06.600 [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, so many women when we're growing up when you're trying to date as a heterosexual fake heterosexual. 16:07.340 --> 16:09.261 [SPEAKER_01]: are always saying, you know, you're less of a man. 16:09.301 --> 16:16.383 [SPEAKER_01]: If you're sure, I don't want to date someone taller than me, but you have grown maybe not in height, but in heart. 16:16.523 --> 16:21.445 [SPEAKER_01]: And that is to embrace who you are every single inch. 16:21.705 --> 16:24.566 [SPEAKER_01]: Not that I'm a size queen, but when people ask for your height, do you tell them? 16:24.906 --> 16:28.448 [SPEAKER_00]: There are definitely versions of my height that I share depending on who's asking. 16:29.128 --> 16:29.788 [SPEAKER_00]: Is that the question? 16:30.876 --> 16:31.156 [SPEAKER_01]: Right. 16:31.777 --> 16:36.060 [SPEAKER_01]: That's a great answer by the way, because like, we'll box, box is a very specific height. 16:36.280 --> 16:38.682 [SPEAKER_00]: You have to be under five seven to play box. 16:38.742 --> 16:45.307 [SPEAKER_00]: So I am five seven or under incredible, incredible. 16:45.547 --> 16:48.049 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, really, that is a Broadway baby. 16:48.648 --> 17:05.120 [SPEAKER_00]: I have to comment because or I have to of what you say where you're like you don't have like what you make up for him height in your heart or whatever in your your life because that do you remember college essays remember like we have to write an essay about call like to get in the college and it was like you're like of course. 17:05.300 --> 17:06.021 [SPEAKER_00]: This is me. 17:06.401 --> 17:07.322 [SPEAKER_00]: This is about my life. 17:07.742 --> 17:22.415 [SPEAKER_00]: That was literally my college essay of like I've been called short or like my pediatrician said I wouldn't grow and every inch or like that I make up for these other attributes which looking back on that is pretty kind of psycho. 17:22.855 --> 17:23.216 [SPEAKER_00]: But um 17:24.341 --> 17:24.862 [SPEAKER_00]: It worked. 17:25.262 --> 17:26.563 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, it worked. 17:26.683 --> 17:32.968 [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, she got into Northwestern University, which is canonically not an easy school to get into. 17:32.988 --> 17:42.555 [SPEAKER_01]: I have many friends that that went to Northwestern, I'm you know, big fan of the the work of the Northwestern University, but. 17:43.215 --> 18:02.197 [SPEAKER_01]: Uh, someone I'm an even bigger fan of is the Dean of Menzel and this would not be a gay ass podcast if we did not take a quick chant into talking about your time with her doing Redwood before I do anything about the show just give us a snapshot of a Dean as vibe backstage before after shows what's the Dean was vibe. 18:03.017 --> 18:15.358 [SPEAKER_00]: Adina is the most consummate professional that I've ever worked with and I think the most present actor on stage, but then that like contrast so. 18:16.838 --> 18:20.719 [SPEAKER_00]: beautifully with like as soon as she's off stage, she's so authentically herself. 18:20.819 --> 18:25.621 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think she's just the authentic way herself both on and off stage, but like the difference of like now she's in go mode. 18:25.981 --> 18:26.761 [SPEAKER_00]: She's on stage. 18:26.781 --> 18:31.103 [SPEAKER_00]: She's not leaving for like an hour and 45 minutes if she's climbing and doing backflips on a tree. 18:31.123 --> 18:31.923 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah. 18:31.983 --> 18:36.405 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm like in my dressing room like, you know, having a nice coffee and then come out and sing us home. 18:37.125 --> 18:38.866 [SPEAKER_00]: Um, but she really, 18:39.706 --> 18:40.446 [SPEAKER_00]: She was just the best. 18:40.646 --> 18:41.226 [SPEAKER_00]: She is the best. 18:41.467 --> 18:47.388 [SPEAKER_00]: Like she is so mother and she before the show, my dressing room was right above her dressing room. 18:47.448 --> 18:50.089 [SPEAKER_00]: So I would just warm up with the denomans out every single day. 18:50.509 --> 18:52.069 [SPEAKER_00]: I would just be like, okay, what do you got today? 18:52.089 --> 18:52.710 [SPEAKER_00]: And she's playing. 18:52.730 --> 18:58.971 [SPEAKER_00]: She's saying, I'm like, oh, my, there's, I have so many videos of me that she doesn't know about because I think that she would not want to have them. 18:59.472 --> 19:03.173 [SPEAKER_00]: But I have so many videos of me just now thing to a denomans 19:05.127 --> 19:32.281 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm breathing that in so deeply right now because the gay dream of hearing a denomansel, warming up in the safety of her own dressing room, and you having a sort of homosexual exhibitionistic view of a denomansel's voice singing in a ray, I mean, you genuinely had a free show before your show. 19:32.901 --> 19:48.232 [SPEAKER_01]: And you know what's also interesting about that whole experience is that it was Adina's big return to Broadway and it was a show that actually my parents went to New York and they only had time to see one show and they saw you in Redwood, I'm very excited and get to see it, but they absolutely loved it. 19:49.493 --> 19:57.319 [SPEAKER_01]: But of course on the other side of the coin is the reality of Broadway, which is that Redwood ran for 127 performances on Broadway before closing. 19:57.719 --> 20:00.342 [SPEAKER_01]: which I'm sure was like an emotional journey. 20:00.682 --> 20:05.948 [SPEAKER_01]: So my question is what's it like doing a show when you have no idea how long you'll be employed? 20:06.048 --> 20:09.632 [SPEAKER_01]: And then once the show closes, are you devastated? 20:09.832 --> 20:14.457 [SPEAKER_01]: Are you getting into any toxic patterns to lean into your devastation? 20:15.098 --> 20:16.740 [SPEAKER_01]: What are we emotionally eating? 20:17.180 --> 20:18.282 [SPEAKER_01]: Tell me, what's that like? 20:18.782 --> 20:25.464 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, emotionally eating, I emotionally, if I'm happy, I'm always emotionally eating again, Jewish, in Asian, horrific. 20:25.664 --> 20:26.385 [SPEAKER_00]: Yes. 20:27.145 --> 20:34.167 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, when you sign on for a show, especially for new work, post-bandemic, Broadway is so much stronger than what it was when we first came out of the pandemic. 20:35.008 --> 20:38.949 [SPEAKER_00]: But it's still, you know, finding its footing and, and, um, 20:39.869 --> 21:01.323 [SPEAKER_00]: Especially in seasons that are so dense and by that I mean when there are like 20 shows and that season of Redwood actually was the same season that made me happy ending was in it was like death that comes her real women have curves like so many gigantic shows that it just really is kind of survival of the fittest and just what is able to latch on to an audience. 21:02.103 --> 21:21.433 [SPEAKER_00]: I think being in the industry now for 10 years, you know, you learn how to cope with that and you learn how to manage your expectations in every way that, you know, for Redwood, for example, I signed a year-long contract, but it ended up only being about six months with rehearsal's tech previews and run. 21:22.173 --> 21:25.255 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's just one of those things where, you know, I think my 21:31.098 --> 21:33.900 [SPEAKER_00]: And that was one of those shows where I was like, wow, you're long contract. 21:33.940 --> 21:35.201 [SPEAKER_00]: I'll be for a year, how exciting. 21:35.502 --> 21:36.803 [SPEAKER_00]: And that one ran even shorter. 21:36.863 --> 21:39.865 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we ran for about three. 21:40.365 --> 21:42.687 [SPEAKER_00]: So we only ran for two weeks. 21:42.988 --> 21:45.269 [SPEAKER_00]: But we had like three months of preview. 21:45.289 --> 21:47.671 [SPEAKER_00]: So we did a whole bunch of previews before we opened. 21:48.212 --> 21:52.615 [SPEAKER_00]: But that was again, one of those things, all of those experiences. 21:53.776 --> 21:59.380 [SPEAKER_00]: You really learn what you're made of and you really learn how to manage your expectations. 22:00.161 --> 22:21.070 [SPEAKER_00]: but also not have a really shitty attitude towards your industry because it's so easy and believe me, I have plenty of that in store, but I think really learning how to see those even if it's shorter, shortened by like a year or three months or six months, 22:27.112 --> 22:35.397 [SPEAKER_00]: every single of the actual experience that I've had has only led to other experiences in the fetal world or outside of the fetal world. 22:35.888 --> 22:36.649 [SPEAKER_01]: Amen to that. 22:36.789 --> 22:40.272 [SPEAKER_01]: I think, um, what you're describing is something that I've had to adopt. 22:40.412 --> 22:43.515 [SPEAKER_01]: Even though I'm not doing the theater, biz thing. 22:43.615 --> 22:46.977 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm still doing the entertainment thing on the West Coast. 22:47.098 --> 22:53.923 [SPEAKER_01]: And I have had to develop such a large amount of jadedness, but healthy jadiness. 22:53.983 --> 22:58.047 [SPEAKER_01]: Where it's that I can have big ol' dreams and manifestations. 22:58.147 --> 23:02.671 [SPEAKER_01]: And then if or when things fall apart or just like lead to nothing, 23:03.331 --> 23:19.907 [SPEAKER_01]: It is not a value judgment on us as people creators and just like we were saying at the beginning of this like turning everybody to like us our careers do not have to be I mean, that's kind of a Jewish and probably Asian thing too, which is that you have to have this huge career it's like the doctor thing you have to 23:20.327 --> 23:23.289 [SPEAKER_01]: to sort of prove your value maybe within your family. 23:23.469 --> 23:40.642 [SPEAKER_01]: And obviously, love being you, love the food and the traditions, however, I am divorcing myself, trying to divorce myself from one, the idea that one day I will wake up and because my career is successful or because I've reached this much money that I'm finally going to be like feeling good about myself. 23:40.943 --> 23:42.984 [SPEAKER_01]: Sweetie, I'm going to feel bad about myself to the day I die. 23:43.144 --> 23:43.545 [SPEAKER_01]: However, 23:44.265 --> 23:55.990 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to learn more and more to actually be grateful for what is happening right me out and let us say to that all my men. 23:56.650 --> 24:01.132 [SPEAKER_01]: I do have a few more really important questions before we go over to the Substack side. 24:02.212 --> 24:07.334 [SPEAKER_01]: One of my questions is going to be about DMs. 24:07.694 --> 24:09.255 [SPEAKER_01]: You are a very cute 24:10.375 --> 24:17.761 [SPEAKER_01]: attractive, handsome gay guy in New York City where there's a lot of gay guys seeing you in a broadway show. 24:18.082 --> 24:21.664 [SPEAKER_01]: What's your relationship to gay guys sliding into your DMs? 24:21.865 --> 24:25.708 [SPEAKER_01]: Is that something that you typically don't even open or have you ever responded? 24:25.988 --> 24:29.293 [SPEAKER_00]: definitely a healthy amount of DMs, not that many. 24:29.373 --> 24:42.671 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, you're very kind, but my kind of rule of thumb is that if it veers towards something that makes me uncomfortable, I just don't engage in any way, but if it's someone that's you know, 24:43.903 --> 24:51.065 [SPEAKER_00]: kind and and or saying something kind about like the show or the performance, you know, I'm always going to say like thanks for coming. 24:51.985 --> 24:57.687 [SPEAKER_00]: I think the, yeah, I remember when I was doing Evan Hansen, that was one of those shows. 24:57.707 --> 25:04.069 [SPEAKER_00]: Like there are shows where I'm like, wow, I looked fucking amazing doing that show like Kpop for example. 25:04.369 --> 25:06.390 [SPEAKER_00]: I've never been in better shape of my entire life. 25:06.470 --> 25:07.450 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we were dancing our 25:07.970 --> 25:11.173 [SPEAKER_00]: for we get this off for so like, and the costumes are insane. 25:11.533 --> 25:25.344 [SPEAKER_00]: So when I got DMs, it not show who from anyone, I was like, yeah, this makes a lot of sense, but I distinctly remember during Evan Hansen times where, I mean, you saw Evan Hansen, you said you had a hot take on Evan Hansen, but Evan Hansen, you know, is like, 25:25.964 --> 25:27.647 [SPEAKER_00]: or sniggling teenager. 25:27.667 --> 25:29.549 [SPEAKER_00]: You're like clearly something's wrong with you. 25:29.970 --> 25:33.335 [SPEAKER_00]: And if I like when I saw the show, I saw it then paddo it. 25:33.795 --> 25:38.121 [SPEAKER_00]: And I remember that assembly scene where we're like having a panic attack on the ground. 25:38.502 --> 25:41.606 [SPEAKER_00]: I was like, if someone is sending me a attractive, 25:42.267 --> 26:05.365 [SPEAKER_00]: doing this where I'm like gross and sweat and I was like something is not right and that was one of those shows where I was like that just so thank you so much for coming to see the show but this makes me just feel a little bit uncomfortable that for this show this was the moment we're thinking that this was a time to be like I don't know I mean again very sweet and I 26:06.523 --> 26:29.594 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, you never, you know, let's always feel good, but that was definitely one of those shows where I was like, I don't know, this doesn't really feel right in so many of it is, but in similar with the show where it's like, you know, I don't know if you've seen maybe happy ending, but I am like, shoot, I haven't seen it yet, Eric, we got to get you to come see the show. 26:29.634 --> 26:32.475 [SPEAKER_01]: I know, but the next time in the New York, I'm there. 26:32.982 --> 26:34.622 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, you have to come see the show. 26:34.922 --> 26:39.343 [SPEAKER_00]: It's a must when you night that everyone this is in the podcast me so because you got to do it. 26:39.363 --> 26:53.486 [SPEAKER_00]: You have to come but when you see it you'll understand that it's another similar thing where I'm in robot drag like it's full on robot drag like I've got different colored eyes my face looks different my hair is like this like it's just so similar. 26:53.506 --> 27:00.788 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you know, don't don't yuck anyone's young, but there are certain shows that I've done where I'm like this feels like 27:01.588 --> 27:10.370 [SPEAKER_00]: It's meeting me at the right time these these compliments and then there are other shows where I'm like I'm not sure this is what you met but it feels a little weird. 27:11.221 --> 27:23.865 [SPEAKER_01]: No, I can completely understand that it's almost like if my Evan Hansen is attracting you towards me maybe we should look into why that's happening and maybe this is why I'm moving further away from you. 27:24.445 --> 27:31.387 [SPEAKER_01]: It's also that we're we're that we're living in a time where Broadway performers, any performers have never been more accessible like via a message. 27:31.407 --> 27:35.228 [SPEAKER_01]: Because back in the day what you were sent in fan mail, you were like whatever you were doing. 27:39.109 --> 27:42.210 [SPEAKER_01]: You know, as the US, I have always in like party situations. 27:42.250 --> 27:44.050 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm always wanting to set people up. 27:44.510 --> 27:57.293 [SPEAKER_01]: And so use accuracy to manage that I already have an idea of a friend that would be an amazing match for you, but I would never want to step on anyone's toes. 27:57.373 --> 28:04.895 [SPEAKER_01]: So off mic, if you ever want a really handsome setup, he does happen to be Jewish, the 28:09.396 --> 28:10.558 [SPEAKER_00]: Wow, I can't wait. 28:10.638 --> 28:11.319 [SPEAKER_00]: You look at you. 28:11.359 --> 28:13.301 [SPEAKER_00]: You're the matchmaker. 28:13.842 --> 28:15.744 [SPEAKER_01]: You end up one day. 28:15.764 --> 28:21.210 [SPEAKER_01]: I will attend a wedding of two people that I Set up. 28:21.331 --> 28:22.452 [SPEAKER_01]: It has never happened. 28:22.472 --> 28:27.338 [SPEAKER_01]: It hasn't happened yet, but um, I Dream it's it's only a matter of time 28:27.878 --> 28:28.859 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think so. 28:28.899 --> 28:31.020 [SPEAKER_01]: And maybe it'll be you, Zach, who knows? 28:32.160 --> 28:39.424 [SPEAKER_01]: Okay, let's get into our final podcast question so that we can go over to the sub-stacks solide and talk about Evan Hansen. 28:39.484 --> 28:41.865 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to talk about the first Broadway show you saw. 28:42.225 --> 28:48.729 [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe if any crushes and pop culture, and we'll see what else we can get into. 28:49.029 --> 28:52.871 [SPEAKER_01]: But Zach Pyser, the final podcast question on this side of the 28:55.812 --> 28:58.855 [SPEAKER_01]: you can only save one character act trash. 28:59.116 --> 29:01.198 [SPEAKER_00]: Who would you save? 29:02.039 --> 29:03.921 [SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely 100% Melissa McCarthy. 29:04.562 --> 29:09.727 [SPEAKER_00]: When I'm feeling sad, I will have never told anyone this. 29:09.947 --> 29:15.013 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes when I'm feeling sad, I will look up Melissa McCarthy bloopers from movies that she does. 29:15.233 --> 29:17.414 [SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever done that for a certain person? 29:17.994 --> 29:19.435 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what it is about her. 29:19.555 --> 29:20.455 [SPEAKER_01]: Or as I have. 29:20.835 --> 29:24.016 [SPEAKER_00]: It really, maybe that makes me sound like I'm like, I'm not like other girls. 29:24.376 --> 29:27.938 [SPEAKER_00]: But I really, that is like my, I don't know. 29:27.978 --> 29:29.618 [SPEAKER_00]: It's like my comfort watch in so many ways. 29:29.698 --> 29:35.820 [SPEAKER_00]: In addition to like dog videos and like food videos, but specifically her, because there's just something about watching. 29:35.840 --> 29:40.502 [SPEAKER_00]: I think she's just an incredible actress period, not just comedian, just everything. 29:40.842 --> 29:42.203 [SPEAKER_00]: But there's just something so, 29:43.265 --> 29:52.412 [SPEAKER_00]: filling about watching this genius at work breaking and breaking people around here that just makes me deeply belly laugh whenever I need it. 29:52.912 --> 29:55.875 [SPEAKER_00]: It's just that she she I would I would die for much. 29:56.015 --> 29:57.096 [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's all time. 29:58.159 --> 29:59.980 [SPEAKER_01]: it's such a beautiful reference. 30:00.060 --> 30:09.243 [SPEAKER_01]: It's such a beautiful reference because I'm going to the blooper reel of Melissa McCarthy, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. 30:09.983 --> 30:11.663 [SPEAKER_01]: I think this is 40. 30:11.783 --> 30:13.624 [SPEAKER_00]: Yep, yep, seeing it. 30:13.764 --> 30:15.545 [SPEAKER_00]: I will jackknike you with my feet. 30:15.885 --> 30:16.065 [SPEAKER_00]: Yep. 30:18.983 --> 30:19.683 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm a book. 30:19.963 --> 30:35.407 [SPEAKER_01]: They, I know, you need to, you need to, I need to see this on-stage adaptation and for some, somehow Zach Pyser is going to be doing a Melissa McCarthy drag, because, you know, you're a chameleon, Zach, you disappear into your work, who knows? 30:35.707 --> 30:37.068 [SPEAKER_01]: Wait, wait, actually, that, okay. 30:37.808 --> 30:52.173 [SPEAKER_01]: I said that that was my final question, but your voice is butter, you have such great of acting depth, are there any dream roles that I know I'm sure people ask you this, but are there any shows that you would like be soaking wet to do on Broadway? 30:53.250 --> 31:08.256 [SPEAKER_00]: Honestly, this one was a big one, maybe have the ending for many reasons, but outside of the existing canon, like what's currently happening in the city, I would say, most of my dreams lie in like Newark and kind of creating new stuff. 31:08.356 --> 31:10.997 [SPEAKER_00]: Even though, you know, we just talked about how it can be. 31:11.817 --> 31:37.623 [SPEAKER_00]: relentless and it can be painful and it can be short lived and all those things I still sometimes it feels like a slightly abusive relationship going to new work because you're like I don't know if this is going to pan out and it's always risking so much but at the end of the day I still am at the part of my life and career where risking that for the artistic you know creativity whatever that is that that that thing that we chase is is well worth it for me 31:38.345 --> 31:51.035 [SPEAKER_01]: incredibly sad and we like to manifest on the subject side, but I think you just manifested that beautifully here and we're going to judge that and put it into the universe, so an original OG Broadway works. 31:52.596 --> 32:04.845 [SPEAKER_01]: And, Zach, since we want to go over to the Paywall section to ask some, you know, hot take questions, can you first tell these listeners where to follow you and how they can see you and 32:06.733 --> 32:25.725 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so I'm so bad at social media, but I think all of my handles are at Zach on your score, Pizer and you can come see you should come see the six time Tony winning Robin musical maybe happy ending at the Blasco theater we run eight shows a week. 32:26.425 --> 32:27.406 [SPEAKER_00]: one day off on Monday. 32:28.847 --> 32:29.828 [SPEAKER_00]: It is a beautiful show. 32:29.848 --> 32:41.656 [SPEAKER_00]: It is a one-act show so you're in and out in our 40 minutes and I guarantee you it will either change your life and or make you really consider what it means to be human. 32:43.606 --> 33:06.462 [SPEAKER_01]: Snaps, snaps, snaps, and I have to say I've on purpose not listen to a lot of it because I've been told I'll have a better experience when I do go but I could not help but watch clips of you singing some of the music and I just have so much respect for you the fact that you recorded this on a Thursday during an age show week everybody listening should feel so grateful 33:09.364 --> 33:14.405 [SPEAKER_01]: cannot tell you how much respect they have for the athleticism that you are doing. 33:14.425 --> 33:27.788 [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe not as a swimmer now, but definitely as a Broadway athlete, go seizeack and maybe happy ending on Broadway, go follow him and come to Substack where I'm going to have to grill Zach on Dear Evan Hansen because I have thoughts. 33:28.508 --> 33:32.269 [SPEAKER_01]: A question one to get us into the Substack side of this. 33:34.029 --> 33:44.715 [SPEAKER_01]: I guess before I do dear Evan Hansen, getting into sort of the vulnerable Zack Pizer BTS, since you are doing H shows a week, you only have Mondays off. 33:45.135 --> 33:48.197 [SPEAKER_01]: What is your favorite like day off routine? 33:48.277 --> 33:49.877 [SPEAKER_01]: What is act doing to self care? 33:49.918 --> 33:51.678 [SPEAKER_01]: What is act doing to luxury? 33:51.718 --> 33:53.680 [SPEAKER_01]: Are you a spa girly? 33:53.780 --> 33:56.121 [SPEAKER_01]: Are you a, you know, gym girly? 33:56.441 --> 33:58.002 [SPEAKER_01]: What are you doing to feel delicious 34:00.889 --> 34:13.589 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I think that it depends on the week, something that I've gotten much better at as I've gotten there is listening to my body, you know, we're always told that like listen to your brain and your body and your heart what it wants, I've actually gotten better. 34:13.649 --> 34:15.872 [SPEAKER_00]: I think just out of desperate need. 34:16.313 --> 34:31.212 [SPEAKER_00]: to say, okay, instead of planning every single day off, you know, I'm going to go into the spa or I'm going to go shopping or I'm going to do this and feel like I'm living a life instead checking how I feel on like the Sunday night before a Monday and say, what do I need? 34:31.532 --> 34:33.054 [SPEAKER_00]: There are some days where I am. 34:33.855 --> 34:36.196 [SPEAKER_00]: literally just in my bed, you know, just like rotting. 34:36.636 --> 34:39.858 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't have many of those, but there are certainly times where I'm like, I don't want to see anyone. 34:40.158 --> 34:41.118 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to talk to anyone. 34:41.519 --> 34:48.182 [SPEAKER_00]: I want to just be in my bed eating some food, maybe door dash some food, and just kind of relax and zone out. 34:48.222 --> 34:48.802 [SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't have to be. 34:48.822 --> 34:59.607 [SPEAKER_00]: You can get a book, me watching TV, but no matter what the common thread for me on a day off is always quality time with my dog, Scout, who is not here, 35:01.748 --> 35:15.172 [SPEAKER_01]: For the rest of the interview, head to Substack, linked below where you will also find chats with Colin Braun, Rich Burns, Christopher Pattinson, Rosso, Tyler Varval, Sebastian Dino, Cody Silver, Johnny Sibly, Sam Altizer, and more. 35:15.632 --> 35:22.795 [SPEAKER_01]: It's at substack.com slash at Eric Wills, and I will see you there for a gorgeous Harry Hornie time. 35:22.815 --> 35:23.775 [SPEAKER_01]: I love you, bye!