Wicked Is Coming To Philly & Is Bringing a Homegrown Local With Them...

Brett Stoelker, a Washington Township native and cast member on the traveling musical Wicked, is returning home to Philly for the month of November! Brett joined me to chat about his role in the show, and what It means for him to come back home to perform a show he loves on his home teather of the Kimmel Cultural Campus.

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Recorded live at the iHeart Studios inPhiladelphia. Herd's the APTI Markets. It's
serving surrage. Now, here's ragebread. Hello, how are we doing?
You ready to get this party started? I'm ready? Let's go all
right, a little homegrown local Brett. That's correct? Yes, are you

(00:22):
a minute man? You guys beatmy button softball every year, So I
just there's no animosity. I swearno, where is no where is it
happens. It happens. But Iknow, and are you a Phillies fan?
Because what the heck man? Ilygonna talk about it? Game seven?
I mean we should have taken itin six and then seven it was

(00:43):
brutal, it was rough. Whereis the shore bomb? And we needed
you know, I can't, likeyou said, can't even talk about it
like I'm I literally just googled theseven stages of grief. So we're we're
doing well today. It's good tosee you though. You're brightening it out
the day just a little bit.And we are so excited to have you
back home since you're a part ofthe ensemble of wicked that is coming to
the Chemic Cultural Campus. How didthat fall into the stars aligned for you?

(01:07):
Like that? You know, it'sit's good to be home for sure.
Last time I was through Philly atthe Academy was with lem Is back
in twenty eighteen. We were supposedto do it again in twenty twenty,
but of course they'll think all COVIDcame around and ruined the panorama. Yeah,
yeah, yeah, the whole thing. So but it's amazing. I
can't wait. You know, theAcademy is amazing. I'm sure you've been
there, and it's one of themost beautiful theaters in the country. I

(01:30):
mean, it's absolutely stunny. Ihave so many people and all those you
know, all the people that wouldbe cheering out there. Of course,
like you know, Philly love youknow. I'm just going to say,
you know, you're you're pretty muchon home territory, so you know exactly
what to expect a bunch of stepon that stage. But I am actually
going to be there on closing night. Prior to this interview with you,
my family and I were like,we got to get tickets. I've never

(01:51):
seen Wicked before, even on Broadway, but like I know who you're You're
in for an amazing treat. LikeWicked's one of the coolest it's the prequel
to the Wizard of Oz, andit's like the story of Alphabet growing up
and how she becomes you know,the Wicked Witch, and you know it's
Glinda the Goodwitch and all of thatand this whole kind of love triangle with
Fierro, who's you know, theprince from our Giki. Like, it's

(02:13):
it's very cool, very very cool. It's an amazing show lights. I
mean, you got the costumes whichare incredible, dancing is awesome, the
music is phenomenal. Yeah, I'mso excited. My I've never seen it.
It's amazing, you know. Andif I have, I do have
like this like vision in my brainof Alphaba once, but I don't couldn't
recall where it was when I watchedit, and I feel like it's just
not even going to be Is therea difference, I mean obviously there is,

(02:35):
but like the show is still thesame from like if it's on Broadway
versus if it's at the Chemic CulturalCampus, right exactly. The only major
difference I would say is that onin New York there's a rake, so
the stage is actually ever so slightlyraised to provide a little bit of depth
perception. But we can't travel onthe road, you know, because different
theaters have different you know, depthsand this and that, so you can't
exactly that. But otherwise it's thesame show that you're seeing in New York,

(02:58):
but a different cast, right,so you know, the elf of
England in our show is different.Of course, then clearly we're not,
you know, duplicating ourselves, youknow, sure, no, but you
just you just mentioned that the castin New York can't go on tour,
do you guys? So you're bouncingfrom Philly somewhere else? Oh yeah,
so from Philly. I mean wejust well we keep you know, going
around this. This show has beenon the road since two thousand and Our

(03:20):
tour has been on the road sincetwo thousand and nine, but Weekend has
been running since two those three.The twentieth anniversary actually in five days,
October thirtieth of twenty three. Theyopened October thirtieth of two thousand and three,
so it's twenty years in the making. The movies coming out next year.
They have two tours running simultaneously,Nick for a little while and then

(03:42):
that first Natural close and the secondNational that we're on currently has been running
since two thousand and nine. Theshow right now is in Nashville, and
next up after Philly, we goto New Orleans. So it's you know,
just keep bouncing around to market tomarket, and you know, we
get to gift of Wicked with everybody. You guys could pretty much do this
show in your sleep, is whatyou're saying. Yeah, yeah, I

(04:02):
think so. I think that's probablyaccurate. Yeah amazing. I mean,
you just brought up the Wicked movie, and I think we are all very
well versus to who's going to bein said movie. I'm curious as to
if you have a comment on thescandal that took place out of Wicked.
You know, I have no commenton that. I just love Wicked fair
enough and that's all we need totalk about. But I imagine that you're

(04:24):
in the ensemble and you're actually anunderstudy for some major characters. Have you
ever had the opportunity recently to stepin and take on that role? So
yeah, So I joined the showback in June. My first performance was
in July, and I debuted asmy also track in July in Atlanta the
Fox Theater, which is such anamazing house. There's a few Fox theaters

(04:45):
throughout the country, but I hadmy first performance as Fierro in Durham,
North Carolina. Wow. Very coolbecause also that's the same theater we closed
Les Mizzen when the pandemic happened,So it was very kind of Ye it
was neat, I mean, liketo finally go back to that at that
stage where you know, we nevergot a final bout for that show,
and to go back there and toyou like a dream role that is Fierro,

(05:06):
Like I mean this, this isa role that I've been you know,
that I've loved for years. Youknow, it's such an incredible track.
And to be able to finally performthat, and to perform, you
know, with my friend Olivia Valleywho's the Alpha BA. We did Pretty
Woman together for about six months whenI first joined that show, and I
understood Edward while she was Vivian andnow she's Alpha BA and now I understudied

(05:29):
Pierro. So it's just like,you know, your dynamics insane. So
cool, but yeah, it's amazing. I love that. What's the emotion
that goes through your body when they'relike all right, bright, you're up,
Like did they tell you last minuteor is that something you know in
advance that one I had. Ihad about two hours notice, I think
before I went in for that flyingYeah. So you know, but if
you look at how how swings operate, right, So, swings are like

(05:51):
the unsung heroes in any production,and we have incredible swings. Sometimes they
go on mid show. Sometimes theygo on you know, they might have
like five minutes before the show startsto get Eddie and the character. So
you know, it's that's that's anincredibly difficult thing. I've done that,
you know, once or twice inmy career as well, and it's there
that's being thrown on last minute.However, Yeah, it was awesome moment

(06:12):
when when I was watching the showat the beginning uh uh dor rehearsal process
our, one of our guys whowas playing Fierro ended up getting sick mid
show. So all of a sudden, from one scene to the next,
it was a different Fierro, andyou know, the audience had no idea
to it. You know, Iwas gonna say, like, does the
audience recognize stuff like that? Areyou guys just have like the best makeup?
Ever? No one knows. It'shard to say, you know,

(06:32):
sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. But even alphabus Alphaba has a standby
if you know, she has tocall out mid show, they have to
greenify, you know, Alphaba.Uh you know Creemi fi. Yeah,
I mean, you know, it'sit's it's very cool. So the whole
process is amazing. It's a phenomenalshow. And I'm so excited for you
to see it, Like especially,I can't wait. I know I'm going

(06:53):
in with a pure brain, soyou guys can like brainwash me as much
as you want. I'm so stinkingexcited. And you had mentioned that,
like there was a part of thisexperience for you where it was supposed to
pop off in twenty twenty and unfortunatelythe circumstances prohibited that, but you didn't
stop. I kind of want totouch on this a little bit. You
made yourself very relevant and helped outthe community in a time where everyone needed
it, and you actually there's aheadline about you back from twenty twenty one

(07:15):
that says the NJ Man, Soyes, we are claiming you here in
Jersey, the NJ man behind aCOVID vaccine Twitter account helping thousands get appointments.
Can you explain how that what thatentailed. Yeah, that was one
of the wildest times. And itwas strange. You know, my parents
were having trouble getting vaccines. Everyone'shaving trouble to get a vaccine for you

(07:38):
know, the og COVID like thatwas going around and all of a sudden,
you know, you would find itsomewhere and it'd be gone. And
I'm like, well, how isanybody supposed to get an appointment, especially
you know, people who don't knowhow to operate technology right, who don't
know how to operate websites quickly.So I decided to kind of put together
this Twitter feed and you know,anonymously, because I didn't want any sort
of a weird thing like, oh, he's doing this for some reason,

(08:00):
which is not the case at all. So I created it's called C nineteen
backs Up Days was the handle atthat time, and you know, put
this whole thing together where I'd havethese paid refreshers. At any time something
would update on the website, Iwould get a notification and then I would
blast that out on Twitter, likeI would literally type out, I mean
I was on my phone twenty fourseven. My wife was like, hey,
are you good I'm like, sorry, I'm just going through this whole

(08:22):
process, right, I know we'rereading dinner, but hold on, I
got what else was there to do? Just you know, doing the Lord's
work during the pandemic, you wereso you know, it amassed, you
know, like in the first coupleof days, you know, a couple
of thousand people, and then overabout two and a half three months,
it went up to one hundred thousandaccounts that followed, and it became a
really cool situation where I would blastout you know, appointments that were happening

(08:43):
all throughout the different you know counties, and then people would take that information
and once they got their vaccines,they would start booking it for friends.
So it became almost like a alike a snowball effect, which is amazing.
And I think we ended up doingprobably twenty to thirty thousand employments for
people, you know during that timeperiod. Look at you, you're truly

(09:05):
a hometown hero. Yeah thanks,Yeah, Wow, it seems oft it
seems dystoping to even think that thathappened. You know, it's right crazy,
what a time to be alive.Well, for what it's worth,
we are so sick and excited tohave you back home. I'm personally going
to see you November twenty six,so I cannot wait. Of course,
the wicket is coming to the chemiculturalcampus starting November first, if I'm not

(09:28):
mistake it Wednesday, seven days fromtoday. Wow, okay, so we
get you back home for an entirewe how many days from today? I
don't even know week? Today's Wednesday, I think, right? Yeah,
so a week from today is it? Oh? My god? Novembers and
seven days? Ready? In mybrain, I'm like, wait, we're
about to hit October. I'm notyou know, I mentally got to prepare
for this. I'm so stick andexcited. Yeah, spoiler alert, it's

(09:50):
almost fall, it's almost winter.Well, Brett, thank you so much
for joining us, and obviously wehear gone and welcome back home. Appreciate
it, yeah, for sure,and you're gonna crush it as always.
Not that I need to wish alock, but you know what they say,
break a leg then I appreciate.We'll see you soon, alright. Foreh