♪ Day, me say day-o ♪
♪ Daylight come and me wan' go home ♪
- Hey guys!
So on this episode of "Seize the Day-O,"
I think we're gonna take a little trip back into time.
I've been thinking a lot
about the letters that I've been getting
from a lot of you that are fans of "Beetlejuice"
talking about being in high school and doing theater,
or middle school, and how much it's impacted your life.
and being that "Beetlejuice" is all about
the strange and unusual.
When you're a theater kid in high school,
a lot of times that's how you feel.
You're definitely part of a special tribe.
And I've been loving reading all of your letters.
So I figured I would take you back in time
to where I grew up and my high school.
I actually live about 10 minutes from where I grew up.
I moved back out here to New Jersey.
I live in South Orange, New Jersey
but I grew up in Livingston, New Jersey.
So we're driving there right now.
And I'm gonna show you a little bit
about where this all started.
And we'll just, we'll do that today.
You ready?
Let's go.
(singing along with hip-hop song on the radio)
This is perfect!
All right, here we are!
This is Livingston High School,
that's the library.
I spent many, many, many summers in this library,
between the library and the town pool reading books
and walking to the pool.
A lot of tears in this high school,
lot of tears.
A lot of bad fashion.
So this is my high school.
It's kind of weird sitting on these steps
'cause in a couple of weeks,
kids are coming to school here
and they're gonna be a freshman or a senior.
I remember driving up here, getting dropped off.
It's so crazy.
And that is the auditorium,
and those doors that we used to go through
to get to rehearsal.
So it was senior year of high school, 1995.
It was the big, big year.
I was finally a senior, I hadn't gotten leads
in high school.
So it was finally, we're doing "West Side Story."
One of my favorite musicals, I'm so excited!
I'm like, this is it!
And I was a soprano one, I wasn't really belting then.
So I was like, this is it.
I'm totally soprano, I'm gonna be totally Maria.
Big day happens, I walk through these doors,
go into that auditorium, and I auditioned.
And you had to write little cards,
like what role are you auditioning for?
And I put Maria.
Would you be considered for any other roles?
And I put no.
Now, if you know West Side Story,
one of of the best parts in "West Side Story"
is Anita.
Now, personality wise, I'm more of an Anita than Maria.
I know that now!
But back then, I wanted to be the lead ingenue.
And so I auditioned, I sang it flawless.
And then, the chorus teacher, Mrs. Spearow
said to me, "Leslie you know,
"would you like to audition for Anita,
"we think you'd be a really great Anita."
And I was like, no.
And they're like, "Are you sure?"
And I said, "No, I'm sure.
"I don't wanna be Anita, I wanna be Maria."
After the auditions,
they did not cast me.
And they had said to me,
"Well, we could have cast you as Anita."
And I said, "No I don't wanna be Anita.
"I only wanted to be Maria."
I wasn't in the senior year musical,
my favorite musical of all time,
which I probably will never do at this point in my life,
because I was headstrong about what I've envisioned
at 17-years-old.
So moral of that story is,
if you get to play another part in a show,
and it's a really good part,
don't turn it down when you're 17!
Oh, and the other part of the story,
so I come home, my mom's Puerto Rican.
And I go home and I tell my mom.
I'm so upset, and she calls the principal
and she's like, "Mr. Grady,
"I understand that my daughter was offered the role of Anita
"but she want to play Maria, it's her senior year,
"and I just wanna ask you,
"maybe she's not Puerto Rican enough to play Maria
"but she's Puerto Rican enough to play Anita?
"I don't understand that
"and we have a problem."
And the principal was like, "Well I'm sorry, you know,
"Miss Kritzer, you know, we did our best.
"We wanted to offer her the role of Anita."
Meanwhile, when is the principal an agent
at the high school for musicals?
My mother is being my agent, or my manager,
advocating me for a role.
But this is what mothers do!
It didn't make a difference.
My parents still got divorced.
But she tried to use that as a little thing.
She's like, "You know, her father and I got divorced,
"it's been a very hard year for her."
Didn't work.
'Cause everybody's parents are getting divorced!
So you know, during this time of senior year,
it was really tough.
My parents were getting divorced.
I make light of it now,
but it was very difficult.
Theater was a place where I could go
and be myself
and be with a group of people
who all felt like they were different,
who all were going through things,
but we created beautiful stuff together.
Even though my senior year I acted like a jerk
because I felt like I was owed something.
I got to do plays, I got to build sets,
I got to be with people
that became my lifelong friends,
and I found my tribe!
Theater was the place where I felt like home!
And I...
That's where I belonged.
And that's where I still belong.
So when you guys write me letters
and you're saying you're going through tough times
and that "Beetlejuice" makes you happy
and theater makes you happy
and, I understand that and I relate to that.
It's a very, very special thing to be a part of
so if you're out there
and you're feeling that you're struggling
or you're going through something,
you're not alone!
You're definitely not alone.
So that's the 7-Eleven.
We used to hang out there at the parking lot.
My parents did not like that.
That Antonio's has been here
since I was in high school!
I got my first perm there,
first spiral perm ever!
Yes, I had a head full of curly cheesy hair.
Oh my god, that's where the Weight Watchers
used to be, yes,
I used to go to Weight Watchers in high school.
Oh it's still there!
Of course it's still there, of course.
So this is The Ritz Diner
where I would hang out in high school.
Everyone would come here at night.
It's still here
and we would all just like hang out in the parking lot,
eat at The Ritz Diner, disco fries,
fries with gravy.
Oh my god, the payphone is still here.
This is nuts.
This is gonna be vintage to all you guys.
So this used to be, both of these used to be payphones.
For all of you guys that don't know payphones,
we'd have to put a quarter in the phone
to call our parents.
On many, many nights I would come in here,
call my parents, "Pick me up."
But this is still the same.
We'd all just hang out here
after whatever.
After our show, we'd come and have pancakes.
So I wanted to
show you my house.
Just like my street,
and this lady is parked in her house,
which is my old house,
and I don't wanna,
oh she's pulling out.
But there's a lot of memories on this street.
And actually my house is over there.
You see she's pulling out of my driveway?
This is so stalker-y and weird.
It feels strange after all these years knowing
that in that house is where all the Broadway dreams started.
You know, listening to my CDs
and acting out plays and skits,
and that's kind of where it all began.
♪ I'll be there for you ♪
♪ These my words I swear to you ♪
♪ When you breathe ♪
♪ I wanna be the air for you ♪
♪ I'll be there for you ♪
So Kelvin, tell us how you met these two fans.
- So, we go way, way back to "SpongeBob," the musical.
- Okay. - And they're incredible,
they're amazing.
In fact, Channa won the contest
that I had earlier, which is Otho Presents.
But they're here! - But they're here!
Here they are! - Hello!
- Hi! - And they're dressed
as Delia and Charles.
Can you even? - Yes!
- And, so show, now that I'm here.
So show the artwork that you made
for Kelvin and for us.
- [Kelvin] So this is "Songs for a Netherworld,"
to be released at some point.
- [Leslie] It's supposed to be a parody
of "Songs for a New World" by Jason Robert Brown.
And then Kelvin, show what they--
- Oh my gosh, this is my old costume
and my new costume, and also is a throw back
to "Sideshow" Half Man Half Woman.
They're everything.
- [Leslie] All right guys, say, "Hi Broadway.com!"
- [Group] Hi Broadway.com!
- We love you! - Thank you guys.
You're so awesome and creative, we love our fans.
You're awesome. - They're amazing!
- Yay!
Seize the Day-O
with Leslie Kritzer.
- And Presley Ryan!
- Now today on Ask Presley,
Presley is going to show us, what?
- How to host the most epic SNOB ever.
- And now what's a SNOB?
- Saturday Night on Broadway,
every week a different cast member
will bring a different drink or a snack,
and we all enjoy it after the show
on Saturday. - For the entire cast
and some of the crew, and also a lot of Broadway theaters
do this, almost all of them do
the Saturday Night on Broadway.
It's sort of a tradition,
it's something to kind of celebrate
the end of the week,
and you sign up for it.
So this week, Presley is doing,
you wanna show them the invitation?
- Where'd it go, where'd it go?
- Her theme this week is.
- Sundaes on Saturday!
So we are making an ice cream sundae bar.
- Here show it, put it right up to the camera.
- First step, make an invitation
and hang them up all over the theater!
- She like, she, you really turned it out.
- I really worked hard on these, yeah.
We ordered them on Etsy,
then we printed card stock,
and we pasted them on these.
- What's the next step?
- We are having, order your ice cream.
We order from Tipsy Scoop,
which is an alcoholic ice cream place,
and we add toppings. - For adults.
- And we have normal ice cream, we have vegan,
and normal and regular.
- Okay, and then?
- Step two, order cute and trendy cups and spoons!
(giggling)
And cute napkins!
- Great.
And we're very excited. - Very cute.
- Here we go, it's gonna be a very fun
Saturday Night on Broadway.
- Yeah! - At "Beetlejuice."
Presley!
- Incredible! - Here we go!
- This is SNOB!
We have vodka, alcoholic ice cream sandwiches.
- [Leslie] Not for you,
but for everyone else.
- [Presley] Ice cream, Tipsy Ice Cream.
- Whoops! - Literally.
- Literally tossing. - I'm so tipsy,
- So tipsy! - Looks amazing!
- Amazing! - Tastes like coffee.
- I'm so excited. - Ah!
(party chatter)
♪ Everyone is knitting ♪
♪ Everyone is knitting in the hallway ♪
♪ Steph is knitting ♪
♪ What are you knitting in the hallway? ♪
- A sock!
♪ It's a sock in the hallway ♪
♪ She's knitting a sock in the hallway ♪
♪ Everyone is knitting in the hallway ♪
♪ Everyone is knitting ♪
♪ Everyone is knitting in the hallway ♪
♪ In the hallway ♪
♪ Beth is knitting ♪
♪ What are you knitting in the hallway? ♪
♪ In the hallway ♪ ♪ Is it a hat? ♪
♪ It's a tiny hat ♪
♪ It's a tiny hat in the hallway ♪
♪ Everyone is knitting ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Everyone knitting in the hallway ♪
♪ In the hallway ♪
♪ Saturday Night on Broadway ♪
- [Woman] Oh, here comes Dan to yell at us.
- This episode is for all of you theater kids
out there dreaming of being on Broadway,
dreaming of doing this with your lives,
whatever creative part of it it is,
dance, acting, being an artist, some sort.
Whatever makes you feel safe and good
in a place that you can use your creativity.
I always wanted to be here,
and now I got here.
Now I'm here, and I did it.
We do it for you guys.
So, we love you all.
And,
that's all for this week.
♪ Day, me say day-o ♪
♪ Daylight come and me wan' go home ♪