Daniel Does DFW Theater
Take a listen as Daniel interviews local DFW Theater artists on... Daniel Does DFW Theater! Watch this Vodcast at: www.youtube.com/@danieldoesdfw
Daniel Does DFW Theater
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria (with Mary Gilbreath Grim)
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In our latest episode, Mary joins Daniel to weave a tapestry of tales from educational theater escapades, unforgettable musicals, to the nostalgic productions that have left an indelible mark on their hearts. The conversation with Mary is a rollercoaster of emotions and insights, brimming with laughter and poignant reflections. They recount the friendly jousts for roles with colleagues, and the transformative moments that connect them deeply to the music and stories of the stage. As they share their personal connections to songs from shows like "Ragtime," it's evident how these melodies become the score of their lives, setting the tone for memories and dreams.
If you want to catch all the action, you can watch the full episode video at YouTube.com/@DanielDoesDFW. Follow us on Instagram and Tik Tok: @DanielDoesDFW
I thought we'd welcome back to Daniel Duhd's DFW Theatre, where we talk about nothing but theatre. Thanks again for joining us for our next episode. Right, I'm so glad you're here, whether you're watching it or listening to it. Thank you for joining us Today. I have an amazing guest and I know I say that every single time, but so it's not about everybody. But I really mean it, even more so this time because really one of my theatre besties I'm not anymore. I'm just ruining my show. I'm not really going to my theatre besties that I like is family to me. At the same time, you might have seen this person on the Lyric stage multiple times in the past five years, from ragtime to when they did that miniature. Like we're back from COVID Broadway Showcase to Mamma Mia, to End of the Woods a couple of years ago just multiple shows and continue to do stuff here in the DFW area we have Mary Gilbreth Grimm. The studio audience goes wild.
Speaker 1The studio audience goes wild, yeah in case y'all didn't know, we're filming in front of a live studio audience.
Speaker 3Yeah, one person.
Speaker 1Yeah, but perfect timing. I wasn't going to flip it to you or anything. So thank you for coming on the show today, mary, I appreciate you being here.
Speaker 3I'm so happy to be here.
Speaker 1Why do you have like a gun to you?
Speaker 3I am so happy to be here. No, this is of course anything for you, Anything for you, Thank you.
Speaker 1Yeah, no, I'm not going to lie, I was nervous reaching out to you because I know that you, I know that you would really do it for me, I know that you would do it for me, but just I know that you were so busy, so busy.
Speaker 3Yes.
Speaker 1And so to be able to have the time to fill this in, you know, and have two hours we had a day off, oh, christ of the Lord, but yet I filled it with Everything was okay when we were souls in this and the concert tonight.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1So I'm thankful that you're here and that you agreed and that for some reason, we decided to match. To look matchy matchy. Do our brains just sync up? You think? That must be it. I don't know. I think our cycles in sync. Is your period starting tomorrow?
Speaker 3I hope it's done. It's done, I mean not like forever yet. Oh Please, lord, for my mouth to God's ears.
Speaker 1My work just like had a thing. They sent it out like everyone's invited to let's talk menopause and so I'll come. I'm the only guy on my team, so I think I'm going to join it and bring it back to my team. Guys, I want to make everybody, just want to tell everybody what I learned in menopause, and we also need to know me mansplain.
Speaker 3Yes, you mansplain menopause to everybody. Please do that. No, it just would be so horrible.
Speaker 1Okay, so the reason I say that Mary is one of my theater besties is because you can actually blame Mary for the reason that I'm on this podcast today. Mary is the reason that I even have a theater presence. So when I went back to college, a while ago 2016?.
Speaker 1I like that 2016,. I think Mary joined the following year and we happened to be in the same class. I was on the music like straight music well, not straight music class. I was on the music track and classically trained, like was in the opera, was doing a lot of like classical music, and Mary just kind of came in and like shook up the whole department and was like well, I'm doing musical theater.
Speaker 1They made me do opera too, which sounded great but was like I don't care, I'm gonna, it's my voice lesson. I want to do musical theater stuff. Sorry, julie.
Speaker 3Well, julie was great too. She's like yeah, that's what you do. Well, I came in. Well, daniel too, we came in, not in traditional, we came in old. Yeah, we'll say that yeah. We came in old. We both had left to work and have life, and then decided like we each had kids. We each had kids three apiece and we decided that maybe we should like have health insurance for those children. So we went back so that we could well, both of us to teach. Did you go back to teach? I did yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah, mom teaching. Yeah. I was gonna say English, I wasn't, but that's Tea, tea. No, just because you're all, teaching is hard. I love those kids, teaching is hard. Anyway, we went back and when you're older in college, it's just kind of like I am who I am. I mean, I was at that point where I was like this is who I am, yeah, and I'm not coming to be somebody else.
Speaker 1I'm coming to. Yeah Well, and we felt that with some of the freshmen, like they were trying to fit in and so like it was nice to have your energy where it was like. This is what I'm presenting. Yeah.
Speaker 1And so it was after our sophomore. It was that first year that we were hitting the summer and Mary said hey, when's the last time we did musical theater? And I was like, oh goodness, high school was. And like I didn't fit in with the theater. Kids in high school really Like they were very, very nice to me, but like I wasn't a theater kid, I was a choir kid. And Mary said, well, my husband's music directing a show and they need more guys if you're interested. And I was like what the heck? So I auditioned for a little show that I really knew nothing about called Rocky.
Speaker 3Horror. I didn't know that, you didn't know anything about it. I knew nothing about it.
Speaker 1When I auditioned, I originally wanted the role of Eddie. I remember like I was like I just want like a small little singing role that I come out like sing one song and die, and so that's what I put, like I want Eddie, and Hans called me and I was like so how do you feel about Riff Raff? He's on a lot, this thing's a lot. Yeah, and it was me and another one of our classmates that were supposed to play Riff Raff and Magenta.
Speaker 3Oh right.
Speaker 1And then they dropped out. That's when they dropped out. And then we get to first day of rehearsals and Mary's like surprise bitch, because they didn't have anybody else. And when I tell you that was one of my favorite productions that I have ever done. We had so much fun.
Speaker 3That thing makes a loud sound every time I say that.
Speaker 1No.
Speaker 3You need to get like a nice little felt yeah, scooby-doo, bop-bop. I'll put that in the budget. Yeah, put that. Who's your lip? Amanda, put it on the list. Jeffrey, jeffrey Ainsley, put that on the list. Bring the car around. Bring the car.
Speaker 1But, yeah, it gave me the theater bug though. Yeah, right after that. And then, after we graduated, you were like, hey, my friend is doing some shows, is now the executive producer of this theater called Theater Arlington. If you're interested, you should come and do it Audition, because they need more guys. We're doing 9 to 5. And I was like, oh, I don't know. And then I did it, and then I became like stock at.
Speaker 1Theater Arlington Started working there, so thanks to Mary, I got into theater, which I don't know if you are also giving that to your students as well.
Speaker 3I try.
Speaker 1Good yeah, Speaking of that. So like I already mentioned, your husband is also in the theater realm. I know he music directs here in the area.
Speaker 4Yep Hans.
Speaker 1Hans. I'd never called it to his face before, but just last week I was like hello, hans Elizabeth. Hans Elizabeth is it grand, because nobody's ever called me that that's not his middle name. No, yeah no, that's mine Not, can you imagine?
Speaker 3We were both Mary Elizabeth, hans Elizabeth Great.
Speaker 1Meg and Hague, meg and Hague, meg and Hague Sounds like an Irish Meg and Hague.
Speaker 3Meg and Hague, bring me a yogurt.
Speaker 1Go, come so, and then your children.
Speaker 3I have three. I have three children 15, 17, 21.
Speaker 1Yeah, I mean, and they are also very active.
Speaker 3Yes, we tried to make sure they were not arts kids, but how can they not be?
Speaker 1I was going to say which your senior recital at school was the best, when you had the whole family participate in the recital, my son, matt, sang a duet with me, and Rose and Maddie, who the youngest, sang I know it's today, I know it's today by from. Jimmy Tessori.
Speaker 3Tessori, tessori. Yeah, tessori is kind of. Yeah anyway, love that show, but it was a family affair and then Hans played, had a whole bunch of friends sing, because that's what I wanted. I was like, just come and celebrate. That I'm finally getting out of here.
Speaker 1One of my favorite memories from us that we did in college as well was putting on Voice Versa.
Speaker 3Yes.
Speaker 1That was.
Speaker 3Because, well, uptown does like a Broadway, backwards, backwards Broadway, is that?
Speaker 4what they call it Uptown.
Speaker 1I think so I think they call it. No, they do a Broadway our way.
Speaker 3Broadway our way.
Speaker 1That's what it is. Broadway our way, it's New York that does.
Speaker 3New York does, yeah, broadway backwards, and so we wanted to do kind of like a variety show kind of thing, and we wanted to sing songs that we never get to sing. I wanted to sing the you know, I want to sing the guy songs, the Vell Johns and stuff like that, and so we really let's do it. What do we call it? Miss, miss Cowze? No, no Voice Versa. Yeah, there is a Miss Cowze.
Speaker 1We really also thought of it as that, because there had been such a rift between the choir and the theater department for so long and there always is.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1And so we thought, hey, you know, let's do this as a way to bring, because we can do musical theater, we can do opera, we can do everything all in the same show. And I really felt like that was like a moment where we were all.
Speaker 3Yeah, we did, because we had people do opera too, so we had guys sing, like David's saying Queen of the Night, arya, and it was great, yeah, and one of our professors sang like D'Ravine Chedda yeah, the guy Just so good.
Speaker 1So that was one of my favorite memories, but I think my all time favorite friend memory that I will always remember all studying abroad.
Speaker 3Oh, my god, and I want to go back.
Speaker 1So bad, I want to go back so bad.
Speaker 3So our senior year.
Speaker 1Yeah, it was like which. Ok, let me tell you, we had to register for two classes for this and had to do work about it, which we did not do.
Speaker 3I was like I don't remember.
Speaker 1No, you also have like write a paper or something after we were done.
Speaker 3How do you know I didn't do it? Did I tell you?
Speaker 1I didn't. Yeah, you told me you didn't do it.
Speaker 3I don't remember doing it.
Speaker 1Yeah, no, and we were supposed to go back and present to the next year, but it was our senior year, and so, mary and I, it was like not even like $1,500, I think for a while it was like $1,000. Yeah To go to London and we also got reimbursements and stuff like that available to us it was really cheap. So it was like for almost like two weeks maybe.
Speaker 1Yeah, maybe 10 days, yeah, Almost two weeks, and so just the opportunity to be able to do that in London and have fun with that was just so much fun. You could have shown shows and tour. We made sure to pack our schedule with even more shows than everybody else, because everybody else just saw one show.
Speaker 3And then they went to Paris or something. Some people went to Paris.
Speaker 1But we got to see Book of Mormon in Dream Girls.
Speaker 3And then we went to Play. That Goes Wrong with Julie.
Speaker 1I forgot about the Play that Goes Wrong.
Speaker 3I was really sick walking back. I don't know what happened to me. She had this shit I didn't. I wish I had I could have handled that.
Speaker 1But yeah, London was just so much fun. And then, that little, we went to a little dive jazz bar that we found yeah, it was Brigitte, yeah, brigitte the waitress, our waitress. I still remember those moments, I still have photos and I can remember them all together. But the reason I wanted to talk about this is they're coming for us.
Speaker 3They're coming for you. They found out what you did. What?
Speaker 1is it that I?
Speaker 3did you tell me we're not telling everybody in the world?
Speaker 1OK, but speaking of London, I kind of want to scoot on over to the piano and sing a little number. Oh, let's From, maybe, a show that's been running in London for a bit yes. And has some hard.
Speaker 3I don't know if it's still running. I don't think it's still running.
Speaker 1But it did. It is a British show and was out there, yes, and was running out there on the, as they called the. Was it called West End, the West End?
Speaker 3Thank you, mary, for that You're going to say the great white way. I was going to say the great white way.
Speaker 1No, that's here, that's in America, across the pond, across the pond of the West End. So let's go over to the piano and sing, or I'm not going to sing.
Speaker 3We're going.
Speaker 1I have never seen this show before you not. I have not, not even the movie.
Speaker 3I started to watch the movie. I mean, it was fine.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 3But like the original stage production, I like it.
Speaker 1Is there a recording out there?
Speaker 3Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, go look it up.
Speaker 1Go look it up. Well, tell them what they need to look up, tell them what song it is. Oh sorry, it's called.
Speaker 3Everybody's Talking About Jamie. It's also, I believe, Ooh. I don't know the licensing company, but it's out to be licensed.
Speaker 4Oh really. Yeah.
Speaker 3Just recently out to be licensed.
Speaker 2We've probably never seen it in Texas, but yeah, not a lot of people know it.
Speaker 3Yeah, no, Not a lot of people know it, but I love it. I don't know what it was about, the music, I mean, the story is amazing, but I really connected At my age.
Speaker 1Of the right 25.
Speaker 3Of the right 25. You're now looking for the more adult roles. Grandmother. Mother, we're getting to.
Speaker 1Grandmother, we're not there yet I'm looking for a like Melissa Joan Hart that just got cast in the grandmother role.
Speaker 3Yes, Are you kidding me, sabrina, as a grandmother? Yeah, ridiculous, yeah. So I saw this and then the mother is a great character. I was like, oh, I want to play her. And then she comes out with this song and it's kind of folksy. It's very different from the rest of the music. The rest of the music kind of has this pop flair and it's very British. But then she just comes out and sings about how her life's been screwed up. But if she did it again, she wouldn't have her son, who she loves, and she's one of those supportive moms. Her son is different than everybody else and she loves it and she nurtures that so great.
Speaker 3So this is called oh if I met myself again from everybody's talking about 誰most shameful me.
Speaker 4If I met myself back, then I wonder what I'd say. But I tell that simple what I'd, girl, the truth, if I met myself again a childhood lost away who was just about to pay the price of youth. I tell their only fools rush in and think their hearts can leap. I tell them, grow with thick skin cause, girl, they all gonna bleed. I tell them blue skies turn to grey, the only questions when I'd make her see her future's me If I met myself again.
Speaker 4If I met myself again, I wonder what she'd say. That love-struck girl who thought she was so smart If I warned her of the men, the ones that got away and worse, the ones who stayed and break her heart. I tell her love's losing game as better left on plain. I tell her you've yourself to blame for every choice you've made. And I tell, and I tell her till my voice came out, and then she would smile, wait a while and go and do it all again. If I met myself again and if I met that girl again, I tell her sing or swim, I'd wait for love and thought I'd make her run. I turn back time and say, girl, stay away from him. But if I did, if I dared. There's a price I would pay and I'd lose, cause I won't have my son If I met myself again, if I met myself again, if I met myself again.
Speaker 1Which one Grandmother and Shrek the wolf grandma.
Speaker 3She's not in Shrek, grandma's in Into the Woods. I don't think you ever see grandma in Shrek, isn't the wolf?
Speaker 1also just the grandma.
Speaker 3He like eats her or something. Have you never seen Little Red Riding Hood?
Speaker 1Oh yeah, it's Into the Woods. How would I get those confused?
Speaker 3Cause it's the same fairy tale.
Speaker 1And next, speaking of Into the Woods, I want to talk a little bit about your history in theater and, like I said, I know you did Into the Woods at Lyric, but let's back it up even more and how you got started. I know your first show ever was Annie, when you played the role of Annie.
Speaker 3Yes, exactly, actually, I directed that and start yes, I think you've touched your facts. Did you look on Wikipedia? Did you say Fats? I think you look fat.
Speaker 4I'm trying. No, you don't.
Speaker 1It was Oliver.
Speaker 3It was the other. It was the other orphan show. My first show was Oliver. Can you say it yourself? I was five. I did not play Oliver, I was just an orphan.
Speaker 1Oh, orphan number four.
Speaker 3I remember this was Odessa, texas, at the Globe Theater. If anybody Odessa, yes, hear me out. If you go to Odessa, texas, odessa, texas, west Texas, in the sticks Next to Midland Cause, nobody knows where Odessa is. They have a replica of the Globe Theater and it is gorgeous.
Speaker 4Sitting in the middle of.
Speaker 3Odessa. Texas.
Speaker 3And it's. I think it's on the campus, kind of on the campus, if I remember. I know it's young, but it's on the campus of Odessa College when my dad was a professor of Spanish and French. He was a college professor and we just my sister always did summer shows there. My sister is nine years older than me and so she was. I don't remember how she got into it. I mean, our parents always took us to theater. My parents were not theater people, like they weren't. My dad was a college professor, my mom was secretary and a business and they just always took us to theater and my sister did it and I remember she was in Pippin. I think Pippin was probably the first show I ever saw. Yeah, take your four-year-old to Pippin. The orgies are favorite part. I didn't understand. I don't know what's happening. I remember Do you do this where you? You have smells, you have sounds that will take you back to time.
Speaker 3We'll fog machines, because I remember.
Speaker 3Glory, glory we read the dude in the battle and all the heads are rolling and all these fake heads are like Rolling down the stage. And I can remember the smell of the fog. It was different back then. It was like bad for you fog. Back then I remember what they used, but it's different now. But I can remember that smell. I remember the smell, if only, yes, back when fog was made out of meth. Crazy, but I remember the smell. I don't know, I was mesmerized, I wanted to do that.
Speaker 3You were mesmerized, I was mesmerized and I wanted to do that. And whatever my sister did I had to do, because I was like, oh, she hated me and I revealed her. So the next play was going to be Oliver, and so another one of my favorite shows Was Fame Fame in the 1980s, 1980s good, I do love Fame, and so I knew the whole soundtrack Right, the movie Fame. And so for my audition as a five-year-old, I sang I Sing the Body Electric From Fame.
Speaker 4I Sing the Body Electric, which brings us to our next scene, begnaz, and so I knew the whole soundtrack.
Speaker 1Which brings us to our next scene, begnaz.
Speaker 3Let's go over to the next scene. But I sing it so quiet. My mom was so pissed at me. She takes me to this audition and I was a belter. Right, I'm a belter, I would belt shit out and I would belt. Can we cast it? Yeah?
Speaker 1I know you're right.
Speaker 3And I did love Annie. I knew the whole soundtrack of Annie and so I would belt all that. I get into the audition and I go, I sing on you, I knew it.
Speaker 4My mom was so pissed.
Speaker 3She's like what you like, a belaris. So anyway, I got in.
Speaker 3I was just orphan number two to the right you could have taken it out, you probably would have been on it, I might have been but I also remember in that show we had like kid wranglers and they would take us to the stage and back, I think I remember I remember them not grabbing me so I didn't make it for one scene because I don't know, I'm old y'all, so this was a lot. It's 40 years ago. But I also remember peeing my pants. Maybe I think I peed my pants Like no one would take me to the restrooms to pee my pants. You heard it here.
Speaker 3Yeah, a lot. There's weird memories. I remember peeing my pants singing Body Electric and them not taking me out for a scene, but that's where I got the bug. I loved it and then I just did shows there every summer. Music man I was Amarillo's in Music man, oh, and we did Hello. Dolly Did shows every summer until we moved to the DfW area.
Speaker 1Now you said your dad taught Spanish, mm-hmm. Is he Latino?
Speaker 3Yes, hey, you see it in me.
Speaker 1Well, the reason I'm asking is because one of my favorite videos is I'm going to do it.
Speaker 3I'm going to do it. Okay, go for it.
Speaker 1No, we need to talk about this, one of my favorite videos online, is a certain theater, I was 20. You were a certain theater. I probably won't name the theater, I was like 20 more, but you played Maria.
Speaker 3You don't want to mention the theater oh, we can.
Speaker 1Grandbury Opera House. You played Maria in West Side Story.
Speaker 3You played Maria in 1998? 1999. Now we're going to start the other day to say 1999. Because I was engaged to be married, I got married in 1999.
Speaker 3Yes y'all those accents and everybody. We didn't know any better back then. We didn't know any better. Guys, you don't know. Nobody white should play Maria in West Side Story. But back then we were idiots, we didn't know any different. I was thinking about this the other day. We always talk about actors' stories. It's your story to tell. That's not how acting works. It's your story to tell. We're actors, we're all telling other people's stories, but when it comes to race, it is their story to tell. I've not been oppressed. I'm not Whitey McWyderson. I don't know about oppression. I do a little bit. I'm a woman. I've been there when it comes to my sex, but not when it comes to my race. That was not my part to play, but I did. I loved it. But should Latina have gotten that? Absolutely? Actually, I remember my understudy. She's fabulous. Elizabeth, I believe, is her name. She was fabulous. She should have that role and she was Latina.
Speaker 3She was. I was equity. Maybe that had something to do with it. They had to have certain contracts or something. I don't remember.
Speaker 1So you got your equity card through CASA, right?
Speaker 3Through Casavignana because they did summer stock. I was in college. We all went over and auditioned Everybody in the musical theater. There was a musical theater department.
Speaker 1So I don't know if they saw the musical theater department or not.
Speaker 3I think they came back.
Speaker 1So you all went and auditioned, we all went and auditioned.
Speaker 3I got in. It was Carousel, cinderella and Annie Kittrick on that summer, and I'm just in the chorus. Back then everyone had to be equity. They were in equity house and it wasn't like, oh, we've got two contracts and everybody had to have a contract. It was a big deal. It was back when Custom was in the round. Well, time to go. And, yeah, I got my equity card and I was stupid because I was 19. I think it was 19, 1998? Yeah, 1920. I was 19 or 20. I was 19 or 20.
Speaker 4Which break? Are you 19 or 20.? I was like 1920.
Speaker 3And so they just gave you your card. Yeah, and I just took it because I was like that's what you wanted to do, You're going to be in the union and you had tons of friends from that.
Speaker 1You saw lifelong friends. Yes, lifelong friends.
Speaker 3Shannon McGran was in Cinderella.
Speaker 1We love you, Shannon.
Speaker 3We love you. Shannon McGran. Yeah, lots of people were in that, Lots of great people, yeah, but I was a kid and that was lovely and I was like I'm not a resident job from that. Debbie Brown loves you, I love you.
Navigating the Theater Industry
Speaker 3I love you but I miss you. She was my boss. She said hey, do you want to come and work for the Children's Theater? Because it was a residency program where you taught classes during the day and you did their shows in the morning and rehearsed another show at night. So I mean you were busy and you got an equity contract to that. And back then it was like 10 weeks you worked and you got your health insurance. Look at that 10 weeks you worked, you got health insurance. And then you got health insurance.
Speaker 3I mean it was great. So I did that for three years. I was in their children's theater for three years. I think Shannon came along with me my third year. She joined the children's theater. But yeah, that's my cost of time. And then I kind of left, because when you're doing that you can't do anything else. There's no doing shows anywhere else.
Speaker 3And eventually, as I started to work and work and work, I stopped getting work because I was a female in a right to work state and all the contracts went to men first. Always, if you've got this theater has two contracts, well, who are those contracts going to? Going to men? And that's just because men are few and far between in our business. Women are a dime, a dozen. And so I was like, well, if I'm going to need to work and I wasn't getting my weeks anymore. So I think I had my card for maybe seven years and then it was just like I want to do shows, like I'm not going to go live in New York, I'm here, you know. So I dropped my card and got to do things like theater island 10. You know, dallas contemporary theater and things like that that normally wouldn't hire me because I was too expensive. So there's that soapbox. I don't know if that was a soapbox, but that's why I dropped it. I mean smart.
Speaker 3So I tell kids all the time this is my soapbox I say, if you're 18, 19, and you're going to stay around here for a while, don't get your card. There's no contracts for you. And as much as I'd love for that to be different right now, it's just not. It's always going to be men first, because men are just hard to find. I don't even think it's a sexist thing, I just think it's like they are a few and far between the pool yeah.
Speaker 3And it's usually older men. Right too, because as you get older you stop working. So you're looking for your Ebenezer Scourge and Christmas Carol, or you're, you know, looking for your Jean Valjean. You've, that's where your contracts are going. It's not going to your chorus girl, to the left kind of thing.
Speaker 1You know so you know, we get that.
Speaker 3Don't get your card, wait till you go to New York and then get it.
Speaker 1So in the next few weeks we're going to be in New York. There is a show that is currently playing on Broadway. There's a I hate you so much that the two of us actually are in currently. We just did this past weekend, and so we have a couple more weekends of shows to go.
Speaker 3We do and we are running fabulous.
Speaker 1Running the show's great. It's great you were recording this before the show opens, so it's going to be great. It's going to be great, it's going to be great. The table read and you.
Speaker 3Gosh, everybody's talented. Let me just say so great.
Speaker 1So we're doing Sweeney Todd.
Speaker 3I was like where did these people come?
Speaker 1from yeah, no, yeah, doing Sweeney Todd with Lyric Stage and Dallas and Mary is playing Mrs Love it Mrs.
Speaker 3Love it and you're playing.
Speaker 1I am on some and I'm understanding Pirelli and Beatles. Yeah, that's a lot yeah. Yeah, I don't know why they did that to me.
Speaker 3I'm telling it, I played Pirelli, so if you need any tips, Thank you.
Speaker 1Yeah, actually, can you step in for me one night?
Speaker 3We would love that. I'm going to play Pirelli and Love it at the same time.
Speaker 1Why not I want it split down the face.
Speaker 3I always said that you need to do that when I did Beggar Woman and Pirelli. It's like Beggar Woman should be over here.
Speaker 1Yes. Pirelli should be over here. But yeah, we, we I mean currently right now we're in rehearsals, but by the time you're watching this, we have opened and you should come and see it For sure. We'll plug this again at the end as well and let you know where to get the ticket, because everybody's so talented it's really.
Speaker 3It's a beautiful musical. I forget I love it so much. But I don't listen because I know it so well. I don't listen to it on repeat or anything, unless I'm trying to learn, mrs, love it, it's hard, it's hard, but it's gorgeous. I mean things that you it's like, come on, I'm a genius.
Speaker 1He's a genius. I really haven't been through the show, right Like I've seen the movie yeah, and I've seen it, but I really haven't been through it. So it was nice getting to like hear all of it and see all of it as well, and like really enjoying a horror musical.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1Horror Musical.
Speaker 3Enjoying a horror and a musical. Yes, exactly A horror to musical.
Speaker 1Which I never thought I'd really be into, but do you know what other one I really really like? What's that?
Speaker 3What musical is that, Daniel?
Speaker 1Well, I'm going to tell you, Mary.
Speaker 3Tell me about it.
Speaker 1It's called Carrie. Oh, I've heard of that movie. Well, do you know how you've heard of it before? No, we're about to sing a song from it. Let's do it. Let's go and get over to the piano now.
Speaker 3That's one of my audition songs.
Speaker 1Shut up. Well, why don't we go and see how you audition for a show? Let's do it, thanks.
Musical Theater and Personal Anecdotes
Speaker 3Hi, hi. I'm Mary Gilbert-Brim and I'm going to be singing when there's no One From Carrie Carrie. Okay, now we got to start, I'm going to get to her the green.
Speaker 4When the song dies, there is silence. When the tune that filled my days no longer plays, the room is still and I hear long sighs. When the song dies, was I so foolish to think I could pray with theirs? Only one chance I could save you. I'd give you life. I can take it away, let the shadows descend like a knife, but when I am all alone will I cry? Carry, oh my carry. Who holds me? When there's no one? When the smiles I used to see are not for me, what will I do? Nobody's told me who will hold me? There is no sun when there's no one.
Speaker 1There was no one there for you.
Speaker 3And you? Is that the end of that commercial? Yes, I love, I love. Should I censor that one out too? Betty beep. You need to have a hand on it because you want Betty Buckley stories. Is he okay with you saying that right now? I think so.
Speaker 1Because she's a wonderful person.
Speaker 3You know what? She's as talented as mess the tea. It is what it is. Okay. Anyway, she's amazing and I used to have that album. I think I had an album where it was a whole bunch of songs. This was back when I was like a kid 13, 14, and that was on there and I just loved it 1913 or 1914?, 1913. And as I got older I was like that's perfect, You're looking for songs to audition with. That's not overdone that one's not.
Speaker 3And songs that fit your age. So I moved into that one and it's belty and it's rangy.
Speaker 1Well, I think it just sits so well in your voice.
Speaker 3Yeah, the one we just did, just a second ago is a little higher. I think they actually raised the key when they redid it. I want to say didn't Marin Maisie play it yeah?
Speaker 1that's the key.
Speaker 3I think it's a little bit of a soul, right it's another one of my spirit hands Audra McDonald and Marin Maisie.
Speaker 1So, Marin Maisie, can I tell you I really didn't know she was until you introduced me because of if you've never heard Mary sing back to before from ragtime.
Speaker 3Shame on you.
Speaker 1You can put that right here, don't you have a recording of it?
Speaker 4I do.
Speaker 3It's illegal that I recorded it I did it with lyric when I was 27 and it was a big deal.
Speaker 1There's your T it was a big deal because a lot of people auditioned and they're like this 27 year old, got mother.
Speaker 4It was a big deal that I was so young playing mother.
Speaker 1Then I played it again. I did it again.
Speaker 3I did it again. I did it again, I did it again, I did it again, I did it again. When I found there yesterday that you did the picture, that was subtle and weird, but I remembered it didn't matter and a lot of people imagine it even, but I did it and a lot of people thought that I was so young, like mother. Then I played it again, went uptown in turtle creek harrow joint because it said turtle creek and that it was gorgeous.
Speaker 1My next circuit you always forget that he recommended that and turtle Creek car will behind us and we were all kind of doing staging in front and also assistant director and choreographer by Megan Kelly.
Speaker 3I'm sorry, you're saying Hans assistant choreographed. I'm like Hans Elizabeth Hans Elizabeth did not choreograph, so I played it in 27,. I played it in my 30s. So it was in my 30s when I did it with Turtle Creek and then it was in my 40s when I did it.
Speaker 1Three years ago.
Speaker 3Yeah, a few years ago with Lyric. So it kind of came full circle. It was like really too young, kind of just right in there and a little too old, and thought, well, this is the last time it was emotional.
Speaker 1I think you could still play it again.
Speaker 3Well, I always tell people that's the role, so that if I could play a role for the rest of my life, that's that one would be it that I don't tire of it, because her journey just is amazing. Where she starts and where she ends is beautiful, and the music's beautiful. That's a underrated show.
Speaker 1Yeah, I think if I could do the same role for the rest of my life, it would probably be Dora Lee.
Speaker 3Absolutely yeah From nine From nine to five. Yeah, yeah, well, you had a reduction, I did.
Speaker 1I've always been misunderstood because of how I look. Shout out to Kate. Yeah, I shout out to Kate.
Speaker 3Who was?
Speaker 1amazing Emma. Now, I was about to say Battle of Menti, oh my God, last name changed Garcia, so no, who do you feel here in the area is your arch nemesis? Who is always stealing your roles? Okay, that was fast. Most people need a moment to think of you.
Speaker 3I think of him daily. Him, I think of him daily and Do call him out right in this camera. Okay, it's David Coffee. I just want to say that we're always up for the same role. He gets it.
Speaker 1Stop it, David Coffee.
Speaker 3Ever since like right Grandbury Opera House. Here's David.
Speaker 1You wanted to play the older man in Y by. Night, so bad In everything In everything I want to say. As a child I think I saw him in like Frog and Toad or something.
Speaker 3Probably. He was probably amazing, yeah, and he was.
Speaker 1so, david Coffee, please tell me if you actually did that or if it was some other.
Speaker 3I saw Frog and Toad at Casa. I think it was some David Coffee. It's like Jakey Cabe and Bob.
Speaker 1Anyway, it doesn't matter, oh my.
Speaker 3God Bob, equity Bob, Equity Bob, equity Bob. Yeah, you know, equity Bob.
Speaker 1We all know Equity.
Speaker 3Bob. Everybody knows. Equity, bob. I think he was in it with Jakey Cabe. That was a long time ago. But, david, I love you, stop taking my roles.
Speaker 1You heard it here first on David and Zucker.
Speaker 3I wanted to be on Golden Pond with Debbie. But definitely can you imagine.
Speaker 1I would have rocked that. Let's flip that script.
Speaker 3Let's flip that script.
Speaker 1A lesbian version of on Golden Pond.
Speaker 4Yes, yes.
Speaker 1I didn't know what it was and I really thought it was like an erotic show.
Speaker 3It was not With David Coffee and David Pond.
Speaker 1Yeah, I didn't know that would be amazing.
Speaker 3Yeah, but I think because Did you not see the movie?
Speaker 1I mistook it for On Golden Showers, which is a porn version of that. We're gonna cut that out.
Speaker 3We probably should. That's gonna be on the cutting room floor. For Daniel's sake, oh yeah, oh my God. Mom I'm sorry, yeah, does your mother watch this? She's watching it for me. Does your mother watch this? She's watching the one I'm on.
Speaker 1Got side story. How have I not brought this up sooner? I don't know Y'all. Can I tell you my own junior recital, my own senior recital, that Mary was featured in as well. Any show that I do, my mom does not come for me, she comes for Mary. My mom had a t-shirt for opening night of Sweeney Todd that said I'm here for Mary.
Speaker 3It's not Sweeney Todd, no, oh, my Sweeney Todd, yes, like the one I did a long time ago.
Speaker 1No.
Speaker 3I didn't know.
Speaker 1she had a shirt, no you don't know yet the one that's coming up March 15th oh.
Speaker 3Oh she had one made. Yes, that's what you're getting those past. I'm very confused. That's hilarious. I can't wait to have already seen that.
Speaker 1Yes, I love her. Yeah, she my mom. If my mom knew that we were recording this today. She would be here, she'd probably be back to rolling tortillas right now, ready to feed you Because, again, my mom loves Mary she didn't feed me.
Speaker 3She has brought me food. You brought me food that your mom has got You're right those early mornings at school. Yes, so that's my arch nemesis.
Speaker 1Yes, your arch nemesis, and I know that you said that mother in drag time is the role, but I know you told me before that your biggest dream role.
Speaker 3Yeah, if anybody knows that, you know it. Yeah, I know what is it I know. I'm just checking to see if you know Then why You're asking me.
Speaker 1I'm testing you. I'm just a man in front of a woman, asking a woman what her favorite role is. Yeah, it's of course Jean Valjean.
Speaker 3Yes, in Les Mis. Uh-huh, it's my dream role, actually, that's honestly. I would love that. Yeah, no.
Speaker 1Actually, Mary told me she wants to play Lestat and Lestat the musical.
Speaker 3No, we're going to make that a film.
Speaker 1We're writing a musical. No, I would love.
Speaker 3Also the song I sang you will be back. I want to play the king in Hamlet.
Speaker 3I honestly you killed that song I want to play, that. I want to gender flip a whole bunch of roles, because there's just you learn when you do things like voice versa and stuff like that. You're like why can't I ever play this and why can't you? Well, I think we're getting there. We're like guys are playing Audrey in Little Shove of Horrors and it's like can we go the other way? We've been playing some of these great male roles. I love it.
Speaker 1Let's do it. It's possible, right? Oh my god, it'll happen, it'll happen. I'm trying to think if there was a woman who played, but I don't really don't know the show. But Hedwig, is that supposed to be? No, but oh.
Speaker 3I just saw Tay Diggs. Did y'all see that Tay Diggs is? I saw a picture of Tay Diggs as Hedwig.
Speaker 1You just saw a picture of Tay Diggs. Oh as Hedwig, no as Hedwig.
Speaker 3I was like yass.
Speaker 1I knew that was going to be a thing he's so sexy.
Speaker 3But yeah, I saw a picture, so go look that up. I don't know where that's happening. But, if it's happening, that's amazing, that'd be nice, yeah, but anyway, that'd be great.
Speaker 1But yeah, I like the idea of gender flipping a lot. I talked about it in the first episode with Danny, where she wanted to play Sweeney Todd at some point.
Speaker 3Yes, a woman playing.
Speaker 1Sweeney Todd might be cool, and I think, and you've done, we've talked about this, but you've done Pirelli.
Speaker 3I did.
Speaker 1Pirelli Right, and so I think that flipping the script or flipping gender and I play Pirelli as a man.
Speaker 3It doesn't mean you can't play in them as a. It's copyrighted so you can't flip the gender. I couldn't be Pirelli as a woman, but yeah, I played a man and it was so funny and it was great. Yeah, I had the best time.
Speaker 1Well, and I mean when you did Frankency, what is that show called Young?
Speaker 3Oh, young Frankestown, I played another. I played a lot of males.
Speaker 1Yeah, and we played the Becker man the blind.
Speaker 2That's what it is the blind man, the blind man Hermit.
Speaker 1The Hermit. His association is called the Becker, so good you belting out that song.
Speaker 3That was fun, it was hot, had a beard and all this hair and like this wool and that accent, all this stuff, I kind of went the vibe, you had a little bit of a lisp in there.
Speaker 1Yeah, it's like so great.
Speaker 3I love those roles, I love them.
Speaker 1Yeah, no, tell me your biggest passion outside of the theater.
Speaker 3Biggest passion. You said this, you reminded me of this. I was like, oh yeah, that would be it, because I'm always like I don't do anything. I teach. I do theater, and theater is my passion. But it would, of course, I'm a mama. It would, of course, be my kids. Anything that they do is my passion. So like going to see them do stuff it used to be taking care of them and blah, blah, blah when they're babies, but now they're grown and they're doing really cool stuff. So I'm going to see Max sing tonight. I'm going to see Max and Maddie sing together tonight, and my middle daughter's amazing dancer, and so going to watch her in the ballet is just I could do it forever. I could watch them do, and even if they weren't talented, it's just as a parent you're like I can watch them do anything forever Because they're amazing human beings. But, yeah, I'd say that's it. I mean, hans and I, like we talked about London, we loved travel. I just that's another passion of mine. And.
Speaker 3I've been lucky in my life that I've gotten to do it. A lot Like music has taken me, like we've been in a lot of choirs. That we've gotten to go places we got to go to London. Like I've had a lot of amazing opportunities to just. I used to go to Mexico every summer because my dad was a Spanish professor and he took his students every summer down in Mexico. We're talking Mexico City, chihuahua, like we're talking deep in the center, and I went almost every summer. So like I've just been lucky to get to travel and go places, so that's another passion.
Speaker 1You even got to take your students last year to New.
Speaker 3York. It took my students to New York City my musical theater company oh, it's so fun. And to watch them see things they had never seen. You know, we went to the new Broadway Museum, which is that's like candy store for musical theater. Nerd, I didn't want to leave. I took pictures of everything, like I was so stupid going in a museum and it's like I have the museum on my phone. If you want to go to the museum, it's on my phone Every time. I was like why am I taking a picture of the Phantom's costume? And why am I taking a picture of this tiny cup they used in you know company? I don't know it was, but I was a nerd.
Speaker 1Yeah, I love I need to get up to New York real soon.
Speaker 3You haven't been to the museum.
Speaker 1No, you gotta go, I know.
Speaker 3Yeah, so good. I can't believe it took them that long to make one yeah, but at least they did yes.
Speaker 1Goodness. Well, we are just about out of time.
Speaker 3I know, we could talk forever.
Speaker 1Wait for part two. They're like no, we don't want any more of those shitheads, but I do want to thank you for coming on today. Thank you for just opening up and like making it feel like we are just we do this, we do this daily.
Speaker 3Yeah, exactly this is us on the phone.
Speaker 1Weekly. Yeah, so thank you for that. Do you want to tell them? I know we are going to plug Sweeney again. You know, get your tickets.
Speaker 3Come to Sweeney Todd. It's amazing yeah.
Speaker 1So great. Do you have anything else in the live that you're allowed to announce yet? Or no, nothing yet, no, nothing. Yet you can find Stay tuned, yeah, stay tuned for real. You can probably find Mary on. You definitely have an Instagram.
Speaker 3I have an Insta.
Speaker 1Is that Mary G Grimm?
Speaker 3I have no idea. We'll find it and we'll put it right here. Put it right, I'm old y'all. I'm only on Insta. Because what I did lame is years ago, all the kids, they were like you don't have an Instagram. I was like no, I have Facebook, that is enough, right, the old fart. And they're like no, you have to be on Instagram. I'm like okay here. No, like handed in my phone. Remember we did nonsense. We were gonna do a what's it called the boomerang. We were nonsense together. They were gonna do a boomerang and I was like I don't know what that is and I handed somebody young and I was like let's do a boomerang, but I didn't know how to do it.
Speaker 1So he's like I brought my boomerang for this time.
Speaker 3What did y'all need it for? So Instagram yeah right here.
Speaker 1Yeah, quick side story. Yeah, we did nonsense with Rachel pull Alina, christine, megan directed by Michael Serecha. That was man at main stage. That was so much fun as well.
Speaker 3You can find me on the book of face the book of face Not to be confused with the book of Mormon or, as your people say, it face El.
Speaker 1Facy. What else? As your people of Maria's. Yeah, I'm allowed to do it, but no, thank you guys for watching today. If you're watching on our YouTube, make sure you subscribe To the channel so you can get the best updates about when our new episodes are coming out. Thank you for those of you that are listening.
Speaker 3I have a YouTube too, if you want to.
Sudden Declaration of Love
Speaker 1Thank you for those of you that are listening today. Wherever you get your podcast platforms again, listen to us on that Apple podcast, spotify, google podcast, all that good stuff. We do have an Instagram page as well at Daniel does DFW. You can find us with any with that handle on any social media really Facebook page as well. But thanks again, hang on to those tea cups and thanks again to Mary. Bye y'all Suddenly.
Speaker 4I. How can?
Speaker 4I figure all that matters. I can lie on anything you'd say. I'll take care that no illusion sheds her. If you dare to see what you should say. I'm so close to my dream and the certainty is always. Suddenly the wisdom in motion. I am ready to save any ocean. Suddenly, I don't need the answers, cause I am ready to take all my chances with you. Why do I feel so alive when you're near? There's no way that you hurt, can you do? Longing to spend every moment of the day with you. Suddenly, the wisdom in motion and I am ready to save any ocean. Suddenly. I don't need the answers, cause I am ready to take all my chances with you.
