Broadway Chatter Talking to the People Who Make the Magic

Broadway’s new musical comedy “Some Like It Hot” has quickly become a favorite for many theater goers this Broadway season. A highlight of this show is the incredibly talented ensemble with their joyous tap routines and musical numbers. Among these spectacular performers is Devon Hadsell, who made her Broadway debut in 2018 in Tina Fey’s “Mean Girls”. 

Broadway on a Budget’s Maddie Marcus sat down with Devon to discuss her experience on Broadway, and get an inside look at the behind the scenes fun of “Some Like It Hot”.

How did it feel the first time you ever walked out onto a broadway stage with an audience? How did it feel walking out onto the “Some Like It Hot” stage for the first time? 

That moment felt like a dream! I was in disbelief because it almost didn’t feel real. In “Mean Girls”, many of us were making our Broadway debuts, which made that moment extra special. For “Some Like It Hot”, we have more Broadway veterans in the cast, but it’s been just as magical, especially the first time we had an audience to perform for. People have been going WILD for our show, which we love hearing every night on stage. When we first got to the Shubert Theatre, they did a special reveal of the set for the cast and we lost our minds. It was a breathtaking introduction to our new space.

 How was the creative process different for Mean Girls vs Some Like It Hot?

About half the creative team from “Mean Girls” is also on “Some Like It Hot”! I enjoyed this, because I went into the process knowing some of the people involved from the get-go. However, because of Covid, there was no out of town try-out for “Some Like It Hot” like we had for “Mean Girls” (which was in Washington, DC). Instead, we only had a quick workshop in New York and then a 6-week long preview process at the Shubert Theater. The preview process for both these shows were very grueling, but because “Some Like It Hot” is more physical for the ensemble than even “Mean Girls” was, I’d say it takes the cake for the most challenging of the two.

3) How was it different working with Casey Nicolaw in different shows?

 Casey is an absolute JOY to work with. He loves to push all the boundaries of a show until he finds out what works, which is extremely inspiring to watch. In “Mean Girls”, the cast was much younger and I remember we all called him “Dad”. For “Some Like It Hot”, we have an older cast and he makes us feel as if we’re all his good friends. He has such a knack for hiring and bringing together wonderful people who are kind, talented, and work their asses off, but also know how to have a good time.

What was your experience the first time you ever went on as an understudy? What were you feeling? How did you feel the first time you went on as an understudy in “Some Like It Hot”?

The first time I went on as an understudy, I played Gretchen in “Mean Girls”. I got the call about a day or two before it was supposed to happen, and my family was in town so they got to see me do it! I was so nervous after I got the news, but I told myself, “Devon, you’re prepared. You got this.” I luckily didn’t get too nervous and got through the performance! For “Some Like It Hot”, it was a little different. I understudy the role of Minnie, but it wasn’t made a principal role until later in the creative process (which is when then they decided she needed someone to cover her). The performer who played that role got Covid only a couple weeks after I was asked to cover it, so I had to learn it very quickly. I went on and it all went well! When I play the role of Minnie I get to play the drums, which is a blast.

How were your experiences performing on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Was one experience much different than the other?

The year we opened “Mean Girls”, we performed “Fearless”, which was an incredible experience. It was crazy because it was 19 degrees that morning and they had to bring in big heating tubes to keep us warm while we were outside. It was so thrilling and high energy, and it went by so quickly. We had to be at the theater at 6am, get dressed into our costumes and wigs, get on the bus to Macy’s, rehearse outside for the cameras, sit in a trailer until it was our turn, go out to perform, then get back on the bus to the theater. We were done with everything by 9:30am (and both years I remember going home to bed and sleeping lol). With “Some Like It Hot”, it was pretty much the same thing except it was much warmer that morning (the upper 40’s), and we performed the title song as our number. I loved every minute of it both years!

What was it like performing on the Tony’s? 

The Tony’s in 2018 were actually a very similar experience to the Macy’s Parade. We got ready at the theater and got on a bus to go to Radio City. We didn’t get to stay and watch the actual awards, but what was really cool was being able to sit and watch all of the other shows rehearse in the morning. It was so fun and such an awesome moment to experience. The stage was enormous! It felt like four of our stages put together! Afterwards, we all went to Haswell Green’s to watch the rest of the live show with the whole cast. I’m hoping I’ll get to perform on the Tony’s again, but this time for “Some Like It Hot”!

If you could give advice to young people interested in theater today, what would you say? 

The most important thing is to never forget why you love performing. I’d also recommend being as versatile a performer as possible. There are so many different types of shows out there right now, so if you’ve never done tap, don’t be afraid to take a beginners class and start learning how to do it. Same goes for any other style of dance and genre of singing. Being as versatile as possible only gives you more opportunities for getting hired. Currently, you have “Sweeney Todd” which is classical, you have “Some Like It Hot” which is more jazz and tap oriented, you have “& Juliet” which is more pop and contemporary, etc. I would also say don’t be afraid to take your insecurities and embrace them. Use them to your advantage in every single audition. That took me a long time to learn, so I love passing that wisdom on.