Had to Ask

Paolo Montalban ( @itspaolomontalban ) helped redefine what a Disney prince could look like, creating a generation's core memory as Prince Christopher in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. In this episode of Had to Ask, Paolo joins Melanie Sutrathada ( @melaniesutra ) for a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring conversation about the legacy of Cinderella, working alongside Whitney Houston...

Robyn Hurder (⁠ @robynhurder⁠ ) has spent decades building one of Broadway’s most impressive careers, not through overnight success, but through resilience, hard work, and an unwavering love for performing. In this episode of Had to Ask , Robyn joins Melanie Sutrathada (⁠ @melaniesutra ⁠) for a candid, funny, and deeply honest conversation about her journey from a young dancer in Maine to becoming...

Jenn Colella ( @jenncolella ) has built a remarkable Broadway career by leading with kindness, courage, and an unwavering commitment to telling stories that change hearts and minds. In this episode of Had to Ask, Jenn joins Melanie Sutrathada ( @melaniesutra ) for a thoughtful, funny, and deeply moving conversation about her journey from Urban Cowboy to Come From Away and Suffs. Together, they dis...

Maria Wirries ( @maria_wirries ) has built a remarkable Broadway career by trusting her instincts, embracing authenticity, and staying open to unexpected opportunities. In this episode of Had to Ask, Maria joins Melanie Sutrathada for a thoughtful, funny, and personal conversation about her journey from Dear Evan Hansen to Old Friends and now starring as Star in The Lost Boys on Broadway. Together...

Telly Leung ( @tellyleung ) is a Broadway leading man whose career spans more than two decades, with acclaimed performances in Aladdin, Allegiance, Rent, Godspell, Pacific Overtures, Flower Drum Song, and now Masquerade , the immersive reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera . With Telly’s final performance in Masquerade coming up on June 12, we’re releasing this conversation as a special launch-w...

Ann Harada ( @iamannharada ) has built one of the most respected careers in Broadway history. From Avenue Q and Seussical to Schmigadoon! (run and have a forking good time with this show at the Nederlander ASAP!), Cinderella , Les Misérables , Into the Woods , and beyond, she has spent decades navigating an industry that is constantly changing while staying true to herself. In this episode of Had...

Shannon Lewis ( @realshanlew ) is a veteran Broadway performer turned choreographer whose career spans more than 25 years on stage and screen. She made her Broadway debut in the original run of Crazy for You , later earning acclaim performing ‘I Gotcha’ in the original Broadway cast of Fosse . Shannon also went on to appear in beloved productions like Sweet Charity, A Chorus Line, and How to Succe...

John Cardoza ( @johnfcardoza ) joins me on Had to Ask for a vulnerable, moving, and deeply human conversation about love, grief, and resilience. From touring the country in Moulin Rouge! to creating the role of Young Noah in The Notebook on Broadway, John has built a career grounded not just in talent, but in choosing what feels right and meaningful. We talk about the unexpected loss of his mother...

Tony Award winner Matt Doyle ( @mattfdoyle ) — who you may know from Company , Spring Awakening , The Book of Mormon , and more — joins me on Had to Ask for a candid, hilarious, and heartfelt conversation about the highs, lows, and everything in between of life in the theatre. From falling head over heels for Sondheim to dreaming of playing Romeo, Matt shares how perseverance—not perfection—has ca...

You might know Burke Swanson (@burke_swanson) as Young Hopper in S tranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway — but his path to the Upside Down started long before the Demodogs. After making his Broadway debut in The Rose Tattoo , Burke has quickly become a performer to watch, blending physicality, poetry, and heart into every role. In this episode of Had to Ask , he shares the surprising, thoug...

Had to Ask is back with the one and only J. Harrison Ghee ( @jharrisonghee ) — Tony Award-winner, Broadway trailblazer, and all-around radiant soul. In this episode, J gets candid about the fearless self-expression that’s defined their journey onstage and off. From their first instinct reading the Some Like It Hot script to why playing Lola in Kinky Boots was a form of therapy, J opens up about wh...

What happens when Broadway’s favorite Shakespeare gets real about love, legacy, and the role that got away? In this episode of Had to Ask , Drew Gehling (@drewgehling), currently starring as Shakespeare in & Juliet on Broadway, opens up about what it’s like to be part of a show he calls “the joy factory,” lighting up the stage eight times a week. We talk about the thrill of watching audiences...

You may know Erich Bergen ( @erichbergen ) from Jersey Boys , Waitress , or playing the internet’s favorite political heartthrob on Madam Secretary   (Melanie's words, not his)— but in this episode of Had to Ask , he opens up about some of the moments that really shaped him. We talk about how he got his foot in the door selling merch at the Shubert Theatre, what it’s like playing a full-on vil...

Before  Real Women Have Curves  closed on Broadway, Tatianna Córdoba (@tatiannasophia) sat down with  Had to Ask  to talk about everything this moment meant to her — and what it took to get there. Tatianna opens up about the power of representation as a half-Filipina, half-Latina woman on Broadway, the pressure of societal expectations, and telling stories that reflect today’s reality — including...

Meet Emma Pittman: Broadway’s rising star who’s breaking the mold, telling her truth, and giving us all the backstage tea in the very first episode of Had to Ask . Emma Pittman ( ⁠@emmapittmanofficial⁠ ) is not just Cherry Valance in The Outsiders — she’s a vlogger, a Broadway scene-stealer, and forever the internet’s Roxie Hart. In this episode, Emma opens up about growing up in Mississippi, stor...