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The Five Young Stars of Broadway's MRS. DOUBTFIRE are On the Rise!
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May 17, 2024
The HIillard family is back on Broadway! After a brief hiatus, Mrs. Doubtfire has returned to its home at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, where it is bringing audiences to their feet eight times a week. Five small reasons for its success are the talented young actors playing the Hillard kids- Austin Elle Fisher, Titus Landegger, Ava Gail Prince, and Tyler Wladis, who are making their Broadway debuts, and Analise Scarpaci, who returns to the show following its break.
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0:00
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of On the Rise with Candace Cordelia
0:08
I'm your host, Candace Cordelia for Broadway World. For today's installment, I will be speaking with all of the children playing the Hillard kids on Mrs. Dalfire, currently on Broadway
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I'll be speaking with Annalise Scarpachi. She plays Natalie Hillard. I'll also be speaking with Tyler Wolatus and Titus Landegger
0:27
They shared a role of Christopher Hillard. I'll be speaking with Ava Gail Prince and Austin L. Fisher sharing the role of Natalie Hillard
0:35
I hope you enjoy today's very special episode of On the Rise with Canis Cordelia
0:40
And don't forget to go see Mrs. Dauphire on Broadway. It is truly spectacular
0:45
First and foremost, thank you for joining us, Annalise. This is great. Thanks for having me. I'm so excited
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Likewise. Likewise. And, you know, I saw the show. You are fabulous in it
0:57
Thank you. It's beautiful. The performance. that you give, not just with singing, but with your acting, and you really give a lot of depth
1:05
and nuance to the role of Lydia Hillard. You know, my first question for you really is how familiar
1:10
were you with Mrs. Datfire, the movie version, before playing Lydia for the Broadway show version
1:17
Oh, my goodness, extremely familiar. Every time it was on TV, my dad would put it on and we'd watch it
1:23
together. And it's kind of like a full circle moment for us because, you know, my story as Lydia
1:29
revolves around the relationship between my character and her father. So to have this moment with my dad is really special
1:36
Oh, that's so lovely. And of course, you have a special bond with your dad
1:41
who is Rob McClure, the actor, but plays your dad in Mrs. Doubtfire as well as also
1:47
Mrs. Doubtfire. What was it like performing along Mr. McCourt? Oh, my gosh
1:52
I mean, it's still a dream to me. I don't really, I still haven't woken up
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But, yeah, I mean, I'm so grateful. The friendship that I have with him is truly something that I will cherish forever and ever and ever
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I was 19 when I met him for the first time. And to say that I've grown so much as an actor and as a human, just from performing with him and from watching him every single day for these past couple of years, it's really been a gift
2:21
So my questions are for both of you for the first part of this interview
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I understand that for you both. This is your Broadway debut. So congratulations on that
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That's really a massive accomplishment. How does it feel to share this experience with one another
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being as it's both of your Broadway debuts for Mrs. Alfire? It's amazing because Titus is the best friend I never knew I had
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He's my brother from another mother. And I'm so happy I get to share the role with him
2:53
and to support him when he's on stage. It's so awesome. Oh, that's lovely
3:01
What about you, Titus? Those were some nice words from Tyler. It's really a dream come true
3:07
Tyler's amazing. The cast is amazing. The girls who you'll meet soon that we get to share our debuts with
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it's all just a dream come true. And to share it with my homie on Maloney, Tyler Relottis
3:22
it just is a dream come true. Now, how familiar were you both with the role of Natalie
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Hillary Hillard. I'm not sure if either of you had seen the movie before. I've seen the movie once, but I've seen half of it. And then one time I finished the rest
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And then I watched a little bit more the second time But when I watched it I was just like when I saw the girl who played Natalie Hillard I was just like because like a lot of Broadway shows like they a little bit similar to the movie
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And like, I'm like, I'm going to get to do some of that. I was really excited
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And my mom was just like, if you get this role, like
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you're going to be so happy. You're going to be like so proud of yourself that you got this far
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and when we found out we were screaming our lungs out, we were just so excited that I got this role on Broadway
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And I almost cried. And it was just really a big honor for me to be here
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I mean, and for both of you, along with Titus and Tyler, I love the fact that for all four of you
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this is your Broadway debut, which is such a huge accomplishment. Austin, what does it feel like for you to perform as Natalie on Broadway
4:50
Broadway? Well, I've like never been on Broadway before. As you said, it's my Broadway debut
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And at first when my mom told me that I got the audition, I actually did not want to audition for it
5:05
Because I was saying like Broadway is not my thing. I don't like life performances because like if you mess up, it's just like you mess up
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But she told me that if I do it, like it'll be so big. So. And so. And
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I listened and I did it. And it's just such, it's like so magical
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Performing with all these wonderful actors. And, you know, we're like basically family
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Like everyone can really connect to each other. And it's just like really nice having that connection, even if it's not a real family
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But it feels like it's the real family. I mean, were you both at all familiar with Mrs. Soutfire
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the movie and also the role of Chris, or was this the first time that you were both acquainted
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with Mrs. Doubtfire in general? I mean, I heard of the movie. I didn't really see it
6:03
but I watched the movie, and now it's like my new favorite movie because it's such an
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hilarious movie, and Robin Williams is a genius. So it was, yeah. Absolutely. What about you, Titus
6:17
I never saw the movie. I've heard of it all throughout my life from my grandma, grandpa, and dad, but I've never really watched it. But I did see the musical when Jake Ryan Flynn and every cell were still in it. But now it just is crazy to see. I saw a musical five months before I opened that musical on Broadway. So it just is unbelievable that I got to share the experience with Tyler and the rest of the cast
6:47
Oh my goodness. That sounds great. And you mentioned your grandparents. So this question is for you, Titus, specifically. What does your family think about your performance and about Mrs. Doubtfire on Broadway in general
7:00
All my family loves it. They say whenever we walk out of the theater, we always hear people saying, this has made my day. This has made my year even. And my family just enjoys the show so much. They're so happy for me. And all of them knew I was coming from
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soon, but maybe not this soon, but just as a drink from true. I believe it because you're very talented, as are you, Tyler
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So it couldn't have come any sooner, at least in my opinion
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Also for you, Titus, what do your friends think about your performing on Broadway and being an actor
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So I and myself go to an all-boys school. So a lot of my friends aren't really so open with the arts
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And when they heard, they were like, all of the kids. them were texting me why aren you at school And once I had the okay to tell everybody posted this big thing on my Instagram and all of them saw it I in a Broadway show And all of them were like what Because all of them thought I had COVID or I had some sickness so I couldn make it to school
8:05
And now my birthday is in four days, if I'm correct. And pretty much my whole grade's coming, which is so exciting
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You know, one thing that I read about you, which I really want to ask is about your career as a recording artist as well
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I understand you have an EP. Talk to us about that in that process
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I do. It's actually this new journey that I'm starting to bring to life
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And during the pandemic, that's what really made it happen. Because it was the first time that I had absolutely nothing to do
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At the time I had deferred from school for a year because I was doing Mrs. Doubtfire
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So I wanted to have that break. But then the pandemic came and I had nothing
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So it was just me in my house with my parents and my guitar
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And, you know, two years later, 30 songs later, I picked the best seven and it became
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Pathetic Little Dreamer, which is now streaming on all platforms. And that's very weird for me to say
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And I love the title, Pathetic Little Dreamer. What or who was the inspiration for that title
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You know what? A lot of people ask me this. And I still don't remember how it actually came to be
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I think I was just kind of, you know, the melody of the song is very catchy
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So it kind of just came to me and I was like, well, what fits this? And I thought to myself, well
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it's kind of pathetic that I'm sitting here all day long doing nothing
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And I'm such a daydreamer. So it kind of just came naturally, I guess
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Tyler, I understand that you performed on screen and in TV and film
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So how was it different for you? acting on Broadway? Well, I feel like screen is a whole different thing because you get all these
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chances to do it again and again and again. But once you're on Broadway, you only get one chance
10:02
one night, and that's the beauty of it. I mean, you can mess up and we're humans, we're supposed
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to mess up. So it's, I think I like Broadway a little more because when I was little, I love to sing
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and perform and be on stage and entertain. So, what's one? something that you learned playing the role of Natalie on Broadway for Mrs. Alpire
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Um, I learned, like, um, a lot of stuff, basically, like, at practices, like, I learned to just be
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like, focused, and I learned to just be, like, concentrated, like, concentrated, um, just, like, be
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focus to Jerry, our director, and just, like, listen to what he says because he has
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amazing ideas, and all of the ideas are very funny. And I love that about him. And he is very
11:01
nice. And I learned from him, like, if you mess up, just keep on going. And, like, the audience
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will get over it, like, very fastly. They'll just, like, whoever's, like, performing
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they'll think they're really good and forget about, like, how you mess up. up and like at a stage store like one time I missed up by accident and they forgot about it and
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they were cheering me on at the stage store and I was really happy. Austin what about you? What have you
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learned playing Natalie Hillard and Mrs. Outweyer? What I've learned even though we have lines and
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there's really like not that much improv on Broadway because things have to stay on time but even though
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we have lines to say I still learned that you can still be yourself with the lines You can say it in your own way We can still say the same line maybe just in the different way And I also learned that I have messed up a couple of times in my past but everyone
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mess up. And the one great thing about when you mess up, and the two great things, actually
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it's number one, you learn from your mistakes. And number two, the audience doesn't even know
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that you messed up because they don't know the show. They're seeing it. And even her parents, like, because they're not allowed to be backstage when we're rehearsing and stuff
12:26
Normally they would, but not on Broadway. So they don't even know the show
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I told my mom I messed up. She didn't even realize. My last question for you both is now that you're on Broadway and this is your debut, you know, you're going to have a lot of kids in the audience that would love to be in your shoes
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So what advice would you give to another actor within your age
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or rather any actor in terms of wanting to become a Broadway star
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You should be able to handle rejection because in the words of the famous Rob McClure, who's a genius
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when you don't get the part, it's more that you weren't right for the part than you weren't a good
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actor. And I think that everyone needs to know that so they feel happy and yeah
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I like that. That's really great. What about you, Titus? I agree with everything Tyler said, and I just want to add one small thing
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In Broadway, you never make it. You only chase it. You just always need to just have your head up and just keep running for it
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A lot of people, including the Hollywood Reporter, they've spoken so highly of your performance, and I can see why, because it really and truly is to
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Who are your acting inspirations? Oh, my goodness. Definitely Patty Lupone, for sure
14:00
For sure. She's just incredible, and I've gotten the chance to see her in company and in war paint throughout my times that I was old enough to actually go see shows by myself
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But also just watching videos of her career throughout my young childhood
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It's just she really is an inspiration. and also Liza Minnelli and Audrey McDonald
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And I love the classics. I love Kristen Chenoweth. I love Judy Garland and Barbara Streisand
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Can't go without saying that. And Sarah Borellis, too, as an artist
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kind of as a whole in a way that she can do it all. She writes, she writes songs, she writes musicals
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she stars in musicals. She's on television. Like she's really that powerful woman doing it all
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Oh, you've made some power. choices. I love it all. You know, thank you so much, Annalise, for being here with me today
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and congratulations on all of your successes. And we can't wait to see what else you do
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not just on Broadway, but beyond, on TV, film, and also recording. So thank you so much for
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being with us. Thank you so much for having me. You're so welcome. And thank you, everyone
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for watching. Another episode of On the Rise with Candace Cordelia. I'll see you next time
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long, oh, thank you. Thank you
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