Backstage with Richard Ridge: Anna & Glinda & Lysistrata & More! FROZEN's Patti Murin Reflects on the Roles That Made Her Career

Welcome to Backstage with Richard Ridge. We are once again at the legendary Sardi's

And my guest is one of Broadway's favorite new leading ladies, who is currently starring in Disney's smash hit musical Frozen

Please welcome, Kati Murin. Hi there, how are you? Hi, I'm better now

Welcome to Sardi's. Thank you very much. Thanks for having me. Well, you are literally right next door at the St. James Theatre, starring on Broadway in Frozen

Yes, I am. How does it feel? Great, great. Now that, I mean, you know, it's a lot of hard work. Yeah

And so now that everything is sort of settled down after opening and after, you know, the Tonys

and all the craziness and rehearsals that come along with that, now we're just, now we're in a show that's running. Yeah

Which I haven't been in for a very long time, so it feels really good to be like

okay, now I can like kind of sit back and let a lot of it soak in, like a lot of the excitement of it and, you know, take your bow every night

Like, yep, this is still happening. What's it like living in the beautiful world of Disney and Frozen

Because no one does this stuff better than Disney does. It's incredible. It's incredible

They really, they take care of us so well. They're, I mean, they, they're a huge corporation, but you never feel that way

That was, I think, the thing I was most surprised, like pleasantly surprised by

It feels like a small, you know, mom and pop kind of, kind of company

You always have access to who you need to talk to. They always are checking in. So it's really, it's really fantastic

And then there's Frozen. I mean, this is like this huge beloved film

I think it's the most successful animated film of all time. I believe that's still the case

But I mean, just, I mean, the fans, I mean, you watch the little girls come to the theater

I love to watch. And boys. And boys, too. Little Kristoff's there. Yep, older Anna and Elsa's

Of all ages, right? Completely. Completely. Yep. The film just resonated so, so well with, obviously with a lot of the children

but also with a lot of the, you know, the adults or, you know, like teenagers or, you know, mid-twenties

I went to see it with my then boyfriend, now husband, Colin Donnell, that we went to see it on a date night

I love that. Yeah. Yeah. So it's, it's really, it's, it's really cool to see how many people are like, just like taking this story and this music

and just kind of taking it to heart and really, really just revel in every single second of actually seeing it live in front of them on Broadway

Yeah. But I mean, it's the film, but it's also totally different because it's been expanded upon

I mean, you have a gorgeous, gorgeous new songs written. I mean, True Love

Yeah. Yep. And you have a video. I know. I know. I was like, I've never made a music video before

How cool was that? I mean, we remember when those all came out. Like every, it was like Fridays, right? Frozen Fridays

Frozen Fridays. Yeah. It was great because it was amazing. We shot it at Gotham Hall and they had been there in the morning to do Monster for Casey

And then they turned the entire place around and set it up for True Love

So it's the same place, but it looks like it's two, that crew is just, and the design of it all was just so, so phenomenal

And it was just really, really lovely, you know, to, to get to do something like that, to kind of have for the rest of your life

Because I don't know when that's going to ever happen again. It may not. Lifetime counting on true love

True love. Now you're working with a phenomenal director with Michael Grandage. Yes

What was it like working with him and creating your own Anna? It was really, it was, he, he's so smart and he's so, um, I'm, I've, I keep saying that I

I forgot that I actually know how to know how to act as opposed to like make faces and like appropriate gestures

I love that. So he really, the way he approached it, it was like, it's a fairy tale shore, but it's a story

It's a story that has to be told in a clear and concise way. And so he, he really drew so many things out of, I think all of us, but, you know, speaking for myself

he, he just kind of got to like that part of me that I feel like hadn't been accessed in such a long time to actually truly, you know, make it right

Cause I'm used to doing comedy and whatnot, but he was the first one to be like, you have to make it truthful

Like don't just do things. And I was like, and of course, you know that, but you fall into the habit of, of just kind of like, what's going to make people laugh, you know

And so his was it's elf. It's rooted very deeply in, in truth and in, you know, human characteristics and whatnot

So that was, I mean, it's been a while since I've been treated like, like an actor as opposed to just a singer who can like convincingly say words as well

You know, your Anna is like the perfect melding of performer and material

Cause you relate to her a lot. Oh my gosh. Yes. One thousand percent

When I saw the film, I was like, oh yeah, that's, that's my girl. That's my girl. She's just, you know, she just doesn't quite have it all together the way a lot of the classic princesses do

But like, that's, what's so charming and wonderful about her is that she doesn't know any better than to, than to think that she has to be any different, which is such a wonderful, like, oh, it's such a great sort of naive place to come from

That gets her in trouble. Yeah. But also I think is the whole reason why she doesn't ever give up because she doesn't know that she's supposed to

Singing that incredible score by the Lopez. I mean, it's a Disney score. Yeah. Yeah

I mean, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it

it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it

it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it

it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it

that must be magical though like that first time on stage is bail oh yeah

getting putting on the costume and you know and just and we were mostly East

Coast to my parents got to come and see it multiple cities and my friends got to come and see it and so it was just that was really really really special okay

but then you got to do Arielle in the Little Mermaid yes at the Muni Muni

okay let's talk about the Muni for those fans of Broadway world who don't know it's huge oh it's like 11,000 seats or something like that and it's hot and

it's hot it's hot yes so you're Ariel so what is it like playing that in the heat

oh my craziest things that happen during that run well first of all I had that

this the wig of long red hair and so it would just just sit and like just get

stuck in like just to the sweat and multiple ways cuz you're like I'm

playing a mermaid she probably doesn't and you're like no I'm literally wearing just like like the most like heat encasing like plastic tail or whatever

right now but iconic but iconic yes mm-hmm and then we have the the rest of

the costumes were actually from the Broadway version so I wore my friend Sierra's costumes and I remember one quick change that we had it was going

into kiss the girl where we would propel the boat with our feet well John Riddle

played Hans and played Hans played yeah he played Prince Eric in that so we have

full circle yeah yep so we would go off stage for a quick change and when you're

quick changing when you are sweating yeah like nothing like you're in a sauna

your clothes don't come off and they definitely don't go back on so we would just be like peeling things off and like chugging them on like in the and then

we'd go on stage and just be like yeah but you were like I'm doing a little

mermaid oh yeah of course that's the thing that's the best part of the fun about the Muni is that you're like it's hot and it's like it's you you know it's

kind of non-stop it's go go go you rehearse rehearse put it on then you're done but like that's part of the wonder part of it because it's hot but you're

like I survived the battle and it always seemed like whatever show I was doing

whatever I did it for three summers it's always during the heat wave but like Little Mermaid I think there was one night where I think the heat index was

like a hundred and eight or something like that so like or a hundred and I

don't it was it was it was bad enough that I think they had to hold the show for like 20 until it went down because it was like illegal to have you working

outside in that temperature um but like you know you just yeah they should have

given you a pool that you like an aerial pool okay I want to talk about some of

the stuff in your career you have this incredible career so just tell me what comes to mind a memory or a story Broadway debut Xanadu Xanadu all right

so what do you remember so you came up from below right yes all right what do

you remember because were you put into the show first as someone else I was a swing for the first six months but I had gone on for we had you know we have

a bunch of injuries because the roller skating right so I was on for almost

four weeks because one of them can eat a Miller she would have you know fractured

a foot and so I was on for opening night and so I kind of got to like do the show

but like you know that's why I didn't I don't love the swing and understanding

because I was like this is really fun but like this isn't my my show to be open you know I mean like in this capacity you never know when you're

going on you're always sitting on eggshells right yep so all gonna happen

today yeah exactly exactly so then after six months and Nika Larson she she

departed so I got to I got to actually take over her track in the show and become Carrie's first cover and and very shortly after she left the show I carry

one on vacation and so I went on for eight shows okay so that first night going on as Carrie you're below right you come up on that left what was going

through your mind my god and you can I have the exact same story about it you literally are like you're like I don't have to do this right now like what

would happen if I didn't what if I just didn't what would happen and then you're

like I have to like you're like I'm gonna vomit and die I don't remember I

remember very little I remember that moment in the elevator and then that's kind of yeah it's gonna be so strange you're below it all but yeah here's

stuff going on everyone else has already come up so you've all started together and then you're the last one there was a stage manager and they're like yeah

exactly I did let's just try to Jones yes you have that right bittersweet

memories because we all thought that show was gonna be you check I'm sure everybody did yeah yeah we all fell in love with it downtown they're like oh

this is a surefire hit mm-hmm yeah what are your memories of Lissastrata oh gosh I just I I just remember doing the show downtown you

know at the gym at Judson before they redid it you know so like the entire

cast shared a bathroom like one like public unit bathroom so like it was just

that kind of thing you know you're stuffed into dressing rooms we had a mouse like problem that we'd like named him mr. Bojangles but like you're making

no money but like you're so happy to be like summer stock you're so exactly yep

you're home you're still home you're sleeping in your own bed we were you know and then we found out we have no thoughts of it yeah going to Broadway

while we were downtown then all of a sudden it was like oh my oh we are oh my goodness okay so that was like I mean just terribly exciting and then we

started we got the great reviews and then it was like nobody's done tickets to our play which is apparently necessary to keep the show open on

Broadway what a great cast you had you all bonded yes oh yeah yeah I mean all

of it like there we still you know when someone has a birthday or is opening a show we still have a group text that we send out and you know just to check back

in but basketball to me you could it were you good at that beforehand

okay Glinda in the worldwide phenomenon known as wicked yes I first time in

that bubble what I remember well it's it's the the entrance of Glinda is so

crazy like for anyone who's going on especially for the first time because

they like load you up in the bubble like by and you're like I'm just alone up

here with my thoughts 30 feet in the air hope this goes well before the show

starts you're pre-loaded into the bubble that's what Kristen told me so

they load you up the house is there but there's nothing else happening you're up there goodbye now you're literally in on the floor like you're just like a half

hour and it's just it's a couple minutes but like it's still you know what do you

hear in your head like that first time you're like what's happening down there well you know it's everyone warming up and then you hear the first part of the

song before her entrance and everything and so I would just sing like along with

them up there because I was you know just to do something and like work out

the vocal cords one last time before I had to go on but um that was that was

amazing I mean really it's one of the best entrances you know I think that

exists in in theater in general and it like especially like the touring houses

because they're so big you're just like oh my goodness like to come out and just

see like the vast new expanse and you're like there's people out there so

that was you know that's pretty pretty pretty spectacular you were married to

one of my all-time favorite people of course you how did you two meet we met

at a friend's birthday party years ago I think almost 13 years ago now and we

lived close to each other we did not start dating or anything right away I

think I was dating somebody else at that point then I was on Broadway with

sanity while he was doing Jersey Boys I did not remember this until after we

started dating and my mom was like oh he's the one that got us house seats for Jersey Boys we met him afterwards he was so cute and I remember that story

because she was like I mean this is years later she was like oh I good

because of course I googled him yeah and then I remembered that day all of a

sudden I was like my mom was like oh he's cute and I was like oh mom that's Colin yeah I wasn't ready I wasn't ready well you also played pathologist

is it Nina Shore mm-hmm yeah I'm your husband's television show Chicago which

he's going back to so we should tell our audience your husband is in town right

now doing songs for a new world at Encore's City Center off-center yes

they're off-broadway series series yep yeah he's doing that they actually if

they're invited dress tonight and they open yeah that's great I'm so excited I

can't wait to can't wait for people to hear him sing again all right so you

worked with him on the television show yeah it was great because we worked in the same place but we were in barely any scenes together we've never talked to

each other I had a storyline with a totally different doctor so in some of

the group scenes we were there together but like yeah but it was nice because we we weren't like around each other 24-7 yeah but we'd come home to be like oh

you know blah blah blah from work and you know exactly who they're talking

about exactly it was just a really nice like way to work together without having

to be in each other's faces constantly what I think is truly amazing is you have shed a major light on mental illness and anxiety which millions of

people live with every single day yeah what made you want to do that and how

freeing was it for you you know it's something I haven't been necessarily

quiet about because I have I've had a blog for a while I don't really write on

a great blog but it was thank you it was a lot of like that was the first time that I sat down and wrote things I was like oh no I might actually be able to

things and I have to keep writing things so I you know I had put stuff out there

but none of it was so you know just generally broad you know it's it was it

was very freeing but I feel like it's been it's been so good for me too

because it also reminds me of how many people are out there dealing with the

same thing that you just don't assume or don't know about or you know I mean

within a week of posting about an anxiety attack on Instagram I three of

my family members like we're like we've dealt with this too or like this your

other family members dealt with this and it's like it's so crazy like that we've all just been going families are going through this I'm thinking they're alone

and there's they they have you know a cousin or an aunt or you know someone

who's who's also dealing with it as well so it's it's been really it's been

really great and I feel like with with doing that and now doing some of the

other things that I've been writing or you know like working on it's like now

I sort of know where like my life's mission is sure that sounds really like

that's no it doesn't but like it's like oh okay I found I found what like I'm

gonna be working on for the rest of my life and the rest of my career you know past all of this your fans and other celebrities have been so supportive

yeah yep in insanely so I've gotten very I mean it's been overwhelmingly positive

yeah all of that I get a lot of letters at the theater you know not from people they don't even want like an answer back they just want to tell their story and

so it's pretty it's pretty cool and I hope you know I hope that I can really

kind of keep doing things that that make a difference you know whether it's

writing a book or like you know just establishing some sort of organization

or something just to you know carry it out throughout the rest of the rest of

my career wherever I am let's talk about your dressing room you know your dressing was your home away from home yeah so what are those go-to things you

have to have in your dressing like I have to have that diet coke so that's

your go-to diet coke okay usually let's see I mean always sugar-free Ricolas

that's the thing I've been my pocket I'm obsessed with those oh I guess I eat so

many of them I can't eat the regular ones cuz they've all crashed and burned after one I can eat 30 of these yep I mean always I have a great comfy couch

in there I have a blanket I need comfy clothes I have like three different like

pairs of sweatpants or like t-shirts or whatever just like very soft t-shirts slippers and a book I always need a book yep and that's yeah that snacks snacks

are important to me I have something I call intermission snack okay which

because there was one show where I was walking over to stage right to get it before act two and I was like oh we feel kind of lightheaded right now and

so I told him I was like I think I need to put something on my stomach before I get this next you know act over and they got me goldfish and so since then I was

like well intermission snack so you know I'm not hungry I still make sure that I'm eating and something very sometimes it's like just some popcorn sometimes

it's like a piece of pizza it's waiting in the wings sometimes it's a chicken

parmesan before actually right take the corset off and all bets are off you

know if you could sum up the best part of the experience of being a part of

frozen what is it for you oh my goodness that's a hard one just because it's such

a huge there's so many things that have like been so great about this I would

say having finding another theater family that you we got to know each

other in such a different more more thorough way because when we start

rehearsals for Denver we knew we would be together for two years so it's not

you know you really get to know these people and you really get to know like

who they are and and they're they're like interests and you know obviously

people are better friends with with other people and and but like I really

feel like between the cast and our stage managers and our crew and like just you know the doorman at the theater like everyone who works at Disney

theatricals is like it feels like it feels like a huge awesome family yeah

I've never worked on something this big before this many people involved and so

it's it it feels like when I do leave this I'm always gonna have somewhere to

come back to yeah I love that yeah you know the fans are so important

because many people will be coming to Broadway for the very first time because it's Disney it's a brand they know they're gonna have the time of their

life it's frozen yeah favorite fan moment for you I'm sure there's so many

because this there's grandparents as parents there's kids and everybody's having the time of their life yeah this is pretty easy this one I don't think

anything's gonna top this one okay there is the end of our first week of previews our first weekend of previews was like a Sunday afternoon and during the show

there are these two guys in the audience like mid-20s guys in Rangers jerseys

they were in like the third row we were like they probably had a couple of beers or something you know they were very polite very polite very into it you know

and so the stage director as I came out they were like we saw my program I was

like what are you doing here because it was just the two of them they weren't

with anyone they hadn't like brought like dates and one of the guys there

they were Canadian so they instantly you know we're like you know yay Casey and

but they had come down from Connecticut and one of the guys was like well I had

a blind date plan today then she canceled on me so I figured I would just

go to the box office and I got the last two tickets and I called this guy and like we're here we're going to Rangers games tonight I don't so it wasn't even

like he had the tickets for a date his date canceled on him and then he called

his best buddy to go see frozen and they loved it we could sign their jerseys

just on their programs it was like that's like the ultimate story of like this is for everyone see everybody they had a blast yeah my final question is

what is the best bit of advice because you're such a happy person what's the

best bit of advice that you've been given either personally or professionally that you live by whoo oh my goodness I think I don't remember

exactly where I heard this but it's one that I dole out a lot now I think it's

the sooner that you remember that life and this business in any business as

soon as you accept the fact that it's not fair the better off you're gonna be because if you get caught up in the like it's not fair I should have gotten this

and she should have gotten that and he shouldn't you know that's you're just burning off energy that you could be using for something else and it's just

fair is that word doesn't even mean anything anymore you know it happens as

it happens and the sooner you accept that it happens that happens you know for whatever reason I think the more successful you'll be in the more focused

and happier you'll be well I've wanted to do this for the longest time I have

watched your career start from the very first day you came to New York I am so

thrilled for your success your marriage and everything else you and you're starring in frozen hey it's not terrible

you