A conversation with Broadway star & comedian Nicole Parker, who takes the No Square Theatre stage for a one-night, one-woman cabaret
By MARRIE STONE
No Square attracts more than their share of Broadway stars. The theater’s heavy hitters – Bree Burgess Rosen, Joe Lauderdale and Roxana Ward – have cultivated an impressive list of New York connections, many of whom are willing to share their talents on our town’s most intimate stage.
Next Saturday, April 5, we’re once again offered a rare treat to get up close and personal with one of Broadway’s brightest – and funniest – stars. Nicole Parker, who played Elphaba in the 2009 production of Wicked (a role she reprised on tour across North America), might be best known for her work on Fox’s sketch comedy show Mad TV (2003-2009, 2016). She voiced Penelope Pitstop in the animated series Wacky Races (2017-2019) and has appeared in the parody films Meet the Spartans and Disaster Movie (both 2008). Parker also co-hosts the popular podcast The Neighborhood Listen, a hilarious improvisational spoof on actual NextDoor app posts.
Stu News caught up with Parker in advance of her appearance to hear about her Orange County ties, her long history with Laguna Beach, what audiences can expect next week and how comedy has changed in light of politics. Our conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
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Courtesy of Nicole Parker
Broadway star Nicole Parker will appear on the No Square Theatre stage for a one-night-only event on April 5
Stu News: Tell us about your Orange County and Laguna Beach ties, and how that laid the foundation for your career.
Nicole Parker: I was born and raised in Orange County. I grew up in Irvine and, at a very young age, my mom signed my sister and I up at South Coast Repertory’s Junior Conservatory Players program. I immediately realized that was where I belonged.
Then we found Laguna Playhouse and Joe Lauderdale’s program. By age 7, I was doing both programs and became a working theater actor as a kid. I was given such a wealth of dramatic experiences and treated like a professional. It was very empowering.
I also did the Pageant of the Masters as a kid for six summers. Laguna became a second home, so I’m happy to be performing there next month.
SN: Where are you based now?
NP: I live near La Mirada. It’s the best of both worlds. I can commute to Los Angeles and back to my family, who still live in Orange County. In this business, I can live anywhere. I sing in symphony concerts and do theater all over the country, including New York.
SN: Tell us about your podcast, Neighborhood Listen.
NP: As you probably know, the NextDoor App has some real characters. My comedian friend Paul Tompkins and I discovered these posts make great prompts for improv. We created a fake town called Dignity Falls. Paul is the town pharmacist and I’m the town REALTOR® We read a real post and talk about the happenings of the town. Now we have a lovely fan base. They send us their own NextDoor posts from all over the country. We choose some of them and improvise the whole thing.
SN: Laguna would provide you with endless fodder.
NP: I’ll bet. Orange County is perfect. Feel free to send things in!
SN: Tell us about your upcoming cabaret night at No Square.
NP: It’s a very chill hour of songs, stories and impressions. I have a lot of stories over the years from Wicked and from being in my Broadway debut show with Martin Short. There’s a song that involves me doing a lot of musical impressions, and some songs I don’t normally sing. It’s just a fun evening of songs and stories about my time in this crazy business.
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SN: Do you have a musical accompanist?
NP: I’ve done several shows with David Lamoureaux, who comes from a very musically talented family. We did Reefer Madness in Hollywood last summer. He’s a gifted pianist and musician. Maybe we’ll tell some stories together because we’ve had some adventures.
SN: The world is providing a fire hose of content lately. How do you navigate that as a comedian and performer?
NP: It definitely has changed over the last few years. It’s also changed since I became a mother (in 2020). That’s my lens on the world now. There’s something empowering about framing comedy as a mother because it’s so relatable, regardless of politics.
I do this series called If America Had a Mother where I call the whole country down to my family room to yell at them. I’ll say things like: “What are you all doing?” “Stop it!” “I’m just trying to keep you all alive.” Or, “I love all of you, regardless of what you believe.”
I always say, “Everybody get down here! But not you, Ted (Cruz)!” It’s a running joke that seems to make people laugh. There’s always another reason why Ted isn’t invited to the meeting.
It can be vulnerable to put yourself out there in this moment. But I try to keep it relatable as a mother. I’m just a harried woman who’s trying her best to keep everybody happy and alive. I anthropomorphize the whole country and give it one mother with a messy top knot. The more frazzled I look, the better.
SN: It sounds like audiences respond well to that skirting-the-edge approach.
NP: I think, comedically, we need both. We need the voices that are tackling (politics) head on and taking the satirical point of view. We also need pure escapism. We need comedians who are willing to be as silly and dumb as possible. I’ve been able to do both. That’s worked well for me.
SN: Comedians need to be so adaptable these days. It sounds exhausting.
NP: That’s an improviser’s bread and butter. We pivot. Honestly, improvisers crave that. Otherwise, we get bored.
SN: We’re all extra thankful for comedians these days. Anything else audiences should know about the show?
NP: People always want to know if they’ll hear songs from Wicked. I’ll just cut to the chase and say, “Yes.” And we’ll end at a very civilized hour. So just plan to come, relax and have a good time.
This one-night-only show happens on Saturday, April 5 at 7 p.m. Admission is $27. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit the No Square Theatre website by clicking here.
