Words From The Wings: Devon Hadsell of SOME LIKE IT HOT Talks Favorite Moments, Backstage Rituals, and More!

BroadwayWorld is bringing you Words From the Wings, a new series of interviews that take fans behind the scenes of some of their favorite Broadway stars' backstage routines!

Today we're chatting with Devon Hadsell of Some Like It Hot! Check out her answers, along with photos taken by BroadwayWorld's Jennifer Broski, below!

What's the first thing you do when you arrive to the theatre?

The minute I enter the theater I say hi to Leon, our awesome stage doorman, I sign in at the call-sheet, and then I go straight to the dressing room downstairs. I fill up my water bottle, wash my hands, and start my makeup. That's my typical everyday arrival routine.

What's the last thing you do before you go on stage?

I usually shout out a random pump-up phrase with my castmates, Brian and Casey, right before we enter together upstage right for our explosive, high-energy opening number. It always gets me in the best mood.

What's your must-have backstage snack?

It changes, but lately I've been snacking on seedless grapes, snap peas, carrots, and cinnamon alphabet cookies.

Pre-show ritual that others may think is weird?

I don't do anything too weird, but I always start my warm-up by running in a big circle around the stage (to get my heart rate up) and as I pass our Stage Manager, Karen (sometimes Matt or Danielle), I give them a high five. I then pass by Christian Borle and I give him a high-five as well. I finish my warm-up by stretching and then our cast gets into a big circle around center stage, we put our hands in the middle, and we say a word or phrase of the day in unison. I love getting to connect with my cast mates that way before each show.

What are five must-haves in your dressing room?

I always have my

1. Mean Girls/Starbucks water bottle that my best friend, Alyssa, got me on Etsy
2. Opening night notes from cast and crew taped above the mirror at my station
3. Small jewelry dish to hold my earrings, rings, and Fitbit during the show
4. Post workout powder
5. Wireless phone charger

What's your favorite moment from the show to watch from the wings?

Right before one of our numbers in Act 2, "He Lied When He Said Hello", the female-identifying ensemble is lined up to enter backstage and we have the PERFECT view of J Harrison Ghee finishing their big ballad. It's so magical because the audience always goes wild afterwards and it makes my heart soar so much.

What has been your favorite backstage moment in your time with this show so far?

My favorite backstage moment with this cast actually happened off-site when we performed together at The Today Show because it was the SAME morning we found out about Tony nominations. We had learned about a couple nominations right before we performed, but then we stayed together afterwards to hear the rest of them and found out we were the most Tony-nominated show of the season! I will never forget that morning.

About Devon Hadsell

A Broadway dancer, singer, and actress who made her Broadway debut in 2018 as part of the original cast of Mean Girls the Musical. She played Caitlyn Caussin in the ensemble and understudied Gretchen, Karen, and the Adult Woman. Devon is a California native and former employee in Entertainment at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA as well as Universal Studios, Hollywood. She graduated from Cal State University, Fullerton's BFA Musical Theater program which led her to performing in many regional shows all over California. Her favorite roles were Lysistrata in Lysistrata Jones, Velma in West Side Story, Florika in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ensemble in Something Rotten, and Alice in The Secret Garden. A year after graduation, she booked the tour of The Little Mermaid as Atina in the ensemble and was able to save enough money to make the big move to New York City in 2016. Besides making her Broadway debut in New York, she has also performed on Saturday Night Live, The Today Show, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and The Tony Awards. Devon has also found a huge love for teaching these past few years and enjoys inspiring people of all ages and abilities to have fun while performing! You can find her on Instagram as @devonhadsell and on her website at www.devonhadsell.com