How Trisha Paytas turned an April Fools’ Day prank into her Broadway debut
In “Trisha Paytas’ Big Broadway Dream,” anything was possible.
Through her 90-minute Broadway debut, the internet icon not only invented Broadway and Diet Coke, she also traveled back in time to the 1860s and finally understood gravity.
If you’re like, “Huh? What? Oh, haha, OK,” so was the audience in the St. James Theatre on Feb. 3, where Paytas leaned into her niche for some 1,700 of her fans, plus thousands tuning in on a worldwide livestream to watch her achieve her lifelong dream of starring on Broadway.
“It’s the perfect blend of everything — it’s a little bit Trish, and it’s a lot of bit Broadway,” Paytas told TODAY.com an interview ahead of her performance. “So I’ve been just taking it all in because it’s even more than I imagined. I saw the finale, and I was just like crying because I didn’t think this was, like, possible.”
Paytas pulled out references to her now viral YouTube videos, while also bringing out Broadway legends like Sutton Foster, Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler as guests in exaggerated, onstage interviews for a makeshift version of her podcast (while also singing some duets, of course.)
The 36-year-old internet personality has been filming her life for the better part of two decades, amassing more than 5.1 million subscribers on YouTube, where she’s known for her vlogs, mukbangs and of course, music covers (which have spanned Broadway hits like “Beetlejuice,” “Wicked” and many others).
The absurd, one-night-only special gave fans around the world a glimpse into the mind of Paytas — complete with throwbacks to her meme-worthy moments (like crying on her kitchen floor), while also incorporating nods to her podcast with Broadway stars.
In the sold-out special, Paytas proved she’s made a name for herself beyond the internet, starring on Broadway just months after she made a cameo on “Saturday Night Live.” Paytas gave TODAY.com a behind-the-scenes look as she was rehearsing for the show to make her Broadway dreams come true.
“That’s why I’m losing my voice today,” Paytas said after her second day of rehearsals. “Because I was just like, going crazy.”
It all started as a joke. Seriously.
The idea of Paytas starring on Broadway started less than a year ago — as an April Fools’ Day joke.
Kobi Kassal, producer of “Trisha Paytas’ Big Broadway Dream” and editor-in-chief at Theatrely.com, told TODAY.com ahead of the premiere he always runs a couple of silly articles on his website for April Fools’ Day. So in 2024, he published an article that said Paytas would be making her Broadway debut as Roxie in “Chicago” over the summer.
“It was just believable enough where I thought people would get a kick out of it, but we made it very, very clear that it was not true,” Kassal said. “It was all in fun, because we love her so much.”
Kassal posted the article and sent it out on social media before heading to a preview performance of “Cabaret” on Broadway. During intermission, Kassal said he turned on his phone and began receiving hundreds of notifications.
“Trisha had posted that article to every social media platform, like Instagram stories, on the actual grid, on her Twitter, it was everywhere,” Kassal recalled. “She had posted it and she was kind of playing along with it and egging it on. She was like, ‘Can’t wait.'”
After reading comments that people had bought tickets for dates they thought Paytas would be in “Chicago,” Kassal said he worried he had taken it too far.
“But why can’t Trisha be on Broadway? Why can’t this be a thing?” he remembered asking along with another Broadway producer, George Strus.
The pair put their heads together and approached Paytas’ team. “Since April, we’ve been slowly working with her and her team, and now today, we’re at our first rehearsal of her own Broadway musical,” Kassal said.
Paytas said the article, though it was originally a joke, is “the ultimate power of manifestation.”
“I Google myself from time to time, and I saw the article, and for a minute, I thought it was real. I was like, ‘Wow, maybe I missed an email, maybe it’s real,'” she said. “So I posted it because, you know, I always think — well, maybe the people on ‘Chicago’ will see the hype.”
“I think the majority were like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing,’ not realizing it was an April Fools’ article, but it did manifest this show, which is kind of even better to have your own,” she said.
Rehearsals, celeb guests, a livestream — oh my!
Paytas flew in on a red eye a week before the show. She arrived in New York City on Tuesday morning and immediately headed to rehearsals for the next six days.
Why can’t Trisha be on Broadway? Why can’t this be a thing?”
kobi kassal producer of ‘Trisha Paytas’ Big broadway dream’
The show, which proclaims it’s completely original and never-been-done-before, borrowed elements from “A Christmas Carol” and followed Paytas as she has a nightmare about never performing on Broadway.
“What we’re doing is we’re really diving into the mind of Trisha Paytas and discovering her love of Broadway and figuring out what it means to create a Broadway show and be a Broadway star,” Kassal said of the show.
The “ghosts” of Broadway past, present and future (Foster, Platt and Zegler, respectively) arrived to help Paytas on her journey to find herself by starring on a makeshift podcast set (a reference to Paytas’ “Just Trish” podcast) and sitting for an interview before singing Broadway hits.
Joy Woods played the role of “Broadway” in the show, serving as the show’s narrator and appearing in person toward the end of the special.
Paytas said she didn’t think having names like Woods, Foster, Platt or Zegler would be possible for her show.
“It’s very surreal,” she said. “I think I was psyching myself out as a little intimidated — but after going through the vocal practices, everyone’s so nice. Sutton Foster’s the nicest person. All that stuff makes me feel so much better, because it’s intimidating, you know? I’m excited, and I’m honored to have them be a part of it.”
